The ITCH

Havent blogged in a while so I figured I'd give it a whirl today. I often wonder if anyone even reads these crazy things I write..wonder if I can track that somehow, I'm sure I can somehow. Anyways the point of this blog is to express my thoughts on my career, job, what ever you'd like to call it. I have a 2 year itch I believe when it comes to any given job that I've ever had. At the 2 year mark or slightly earlier I get an overwhelming desire to change it up and either find another company or an entirely different career altogether. It has happened to me twice now and I must be able to conquer this "itch" to change. The itch often comes because I am bored with the company or with what I'm doing in that particular job. With retail I got extremely bored and just stopped caring about my store and staff...I wanted out in a bad way-I was done. I couldnt build up the excitement I once had to sell, manage, and merchandise and decided retail was NOT the career of choice anymore. That being said I truly enjoyed working at Crabtree & Evelyn and had a really great District Mgr who I respected. You'd think nothing at all was wrong but once the economy took a turn for the worse I was done with retail and North Carolina and wanted out. I did get out too-(a year later, after taking yet another retail mgr job at stupid Solstice)and found the lovely world of recruiting. I enjoy recruiting and often think this is the career I should have been doing all along...I feel I've found my calling so to speak. I got that looming itch though with my last company and decided I needed to switch up companies this time....but the question is ...WHY? What is causing this? The real question is how do people stay enthused with their job/company for longer periods of time? I'm going to fight that itch in 2 years and this time I will win! I absolutely love where I am right now...let's keep it that way!

Redneck Family Outings

I'm not sure why but my family is certifiably 100% REDNECK. I mean, they all dont really mean to be pure rednecks but we were all just born into it...it is what it is. I guess some of us are proud to be red, others deny it but its still there. As for myself, I'm fine with it...until it gets embarrassing. I'm proud of my southern heritage and dont mind the twang in my talk at all. I'm glad I'm a southerner because I dont think I'd make it as a northerner.

Last night mom, Michael and I went to a new Italian restaurant my mom had heard of. Well, when we get there we are seated at a booth....that is until Michael decides to try to squeeze in next to mom in the booth and well, he doesnt exactly "fit" comfortably in the booth because it was one of those small ones...he proceeds to tell the waitress that obviously he's a "Large Man" therefor we need a table. She laughs and seats us at a nearby table. We pop open our menus and notice the prices are really kind of high-much higher than we were expecting! We order and then the redneck in us all comes out. This is a fancy pancy restaurant and we cannot act all proper and fancy like, its just not us at all. So we act our normal redneck self (being loud, laughing and carrying on) much to the embarrassment of my mother (who thinks she's proper when really she's just as bad as us). The meal was great-Michael and I got Stromboli that was bigger than anything I'd ever seen and it was delish. Well on our way up and out Mom knocks over a full glass of tea-ALL OVER our table. Nice finish to our redneck meal...that will be the last time we go there I'm sure of it. I really dont care what they thought of us because all in all we had a great time. A great time was had by all. I love my redneck family. Truly, I do. :)

Welfare vs. Work

I've been so stressed out at work lately and it has a lot to do with our economy right now....has our economy fallen even lower than it was when we were in the "recession"?!!?! I feel like it possibly has because the state is loosing money left and right and the struggle for those out of work and who WANT TO WORK is harder than ever. I work for a staffing agency as many of you know and we mostly staff for state agencies and some other corporate businesses locally and nationwide. What I truly hate is when I'm working my tail off trying to place a person and call to inquire if they'd be interested in working a job that pays, for example...$12/hour, and they say (without hesitation I might add) "Oh well no I make more than that on unemployment" or "Ummm would that mess up my unemployment bc I wouldnt want to do that" Are you freaking kidding me?!?!! REALLY!??! U enjoy being on welfare seriously? Meanwhile I'm working my tail off trying to find your lazy butt a job??!?! For what? No, no, no. Those programs are set up for those individuals who truly need them in times of real struggle and hardship. People abuse the system all day long and it really makes me angry. Contract positions are there and if you're currently unemployed I'd recommend signing up with as many agencies as you can and keeping in contact with them on a weekly basis. I've learned to recognize those people who truly want to work and those who are sending their resume or filling in an application just bc they're required to.

I'm thankful that I've never had to be on any kind of welfare but I know many people who have and I'm glad its there for them. Someone who is very close to me has been on unemployment for a while and it is about to run out and that person is running out of ideas and hope. It's not for lack of trying though either-if this person was offered a job tomorrow he'd snatch it right up!! uhhhhh...........I wish there was more I could do to help people who have been relying on government aid for a while but want to work so badly. I hope things start to look up soon.

Those of us who are working are often having to take on additional tasks (that others once did, but who were laid off due to budget or whatever) which makes our jobs even harder and more stressful and most of the time we don't get a raise or anything. I feel overworked, underpaid, stressed out, and overwhelmed at times. I know its crazy but I wonder what it would be like to be in others shoes-just for a week or so. What would happen if I was laid off? Current financial struggles have been getting me down lately, although I am blessed to have a roof over my head and food still in my kitchen. I'm confident in the fact that God will always provide for me and my family. Will the stress at work subside and things get a bit easier? What do the next few years hold? I dont know but He does.

Ignorant People!

Most of the people who know me well know that I have a skin condition-Psoriasis. I've suffered from it since college and my mother and brother also have it. When I first got it on my elbows a bit I freaked out because my mom has it the worst and I was afraid I'd develop it like hers. (Currently her skin is very clear because she is using Enbrel!) My little brother has had bad periods when his has flarred up really badly as well and he now has it here and there but its not terrible really, well I guess it depends on when you talk to him about it though. Anyways, all this being said....I've only suffered from it a bit on my elbows and knees (it was always manageable to me and it didn't ever really bug me that much)...well, about two monthes ago I got strep throat and I developed a rash all over my body that then turned into psoriasis. WOW. Let's just say this is the worst I've ever had psoriasis and the worst I hope to EVER have it! I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed a cream and to do some UV light therapy treatments (not covered by my crappy insurance). Needless to say, the cream alone did nothing so I started going to the tanning bed every other day to try to get the psoriasis under control. It took about 2 weeks to begin showing slight improvement and though I still have some of it on my body I feel it's still getting better each day. :)
I explained all of this to really say that it's really very difficult having a skin condition and many people who do not suffer from one do not know what it's like at all! While enjoying a nice lunch with my brother, his gf Brooke and her two cousins we were all joking around and having a fun time...well for some reason I was trying to show off my new tan that I've gotten from goign to the tanning bed and I lifted up the sleeve of my sweater to show off my tan arm. Needless to say there are still a few guttate psoriasis bumps on my arm-all of the sudden an employee of Panera popped her head around and said "OHHH! Chicken pox?" I said no quickly and went back to my conversation a bit annoyed but not mortified. Well, for some reason this woman went on and on about it so I told her it was NOT chicken pox, that it was a skin condition and she then called it a disease and told me I should go to the hospital to get it looked at. I was real pissed off at that point and I think my brother could tell so he made some joke behind her and scratched his arm and said it was contagious! I laughed at it and she laughed and said "silly boy." This Panera employee was obviously foreign and it's possible she didnt understand that she was being completely RUDE and insensitive. She eventually walked away but I was still flabbergasted at the incident that just happened. As we were leaving I just couldnt get over it and started talking about it again, she overheard me complaining and she came over to apologize. I'm sorry but I can't accept apologies from people who are so inconsiderate and rude like that. If you dont know what something is then dont comment on it, ESPECIALLY to a complete stranger. It's so incredibly rude and hurtful. I know there are some real idiots out there but it can really hurt someones feelings....its hard enough to have to deal with a skin condition like this on a day to day basis. I've heard other derogatory comments about my psoriasis before but each time it happens it doesn't make it easier. Come on people......lets get real.

I Wonder....

Ok, so I started this blog for myself really......I wonder who, if anyone, will actually read this. I guess its like an open "diary" of sorts for my friends and family to look over every once in a while if they feel like it. I like reading friends blogs so maybe someone out there will get a lil enjoyment out of reading my blog, we'll see. I dont really know how all this works yet so you'll have to bear with me and we'll see how often I actually make a post. I feel very Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & the City, as I sit here and write this. Lenzi Wilkins (my best friend from elementary school and on) and I went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel and to see Avatar in 3d, Imax last night. Let me just say, I did NOT want to see this movie until I heard everyone ranting and raving about how great it was. I was somewhat disgusted that they gave us reuseable 3d glasses to wear. We wiped them off with babywipes Lenzi had in her purse but I was still somewhat repulsed to actually wear the glasses, why cant they just give out the paper 3d things instead? whatever. Avatar was great, wonderful effects and I thoroughly enjoyed the 3d effects. The only negative is that it is SUPER LONG and I cant stand long movies even if they are enjoyable. I think it was actually $14 well spent. We both agreed we weren't sure if we'd watch that movie again, its sort of like Forrest Gump, you see it once and you're done with it.

I really enjoyed my dinner at Cracker Barrel with Lenzi also. We both ordered blueberry pancakes and eggs and it was delish. Still, to this day, I can remember the first time I met Lenzi Arnold....we were both 8 years old and she had just moved into the house next door. My mom said they had a little girl my age and I was excited to meet this new girl. It was summertime and we walked over to meet. I was surprised by her red hair but instantly new we'd be best friends. Later she told me she thought I was black (I was pretty tan in the summers as a kid). hahaha I miss those days of playing Barbie and fighting over "the pretty one." Lenzi will always be my best friend, no matter what. She knows me like no one else, I swear, sometimes I think that girl can read my mind, its kinda creepy.