Fall Hope

Right now, I'm suffering through an overcast day in NYC.  It's wet but not rainy, cool but not cold, and grey but not dreary.

It's matching my mood.

I'm back at the site of my very first consulting client, the place I was thrilled to leave 2 years ago and the place I'm thrilled to be back at 2 years later.  I've had some difficult clients since then and I never realized how much I missed this place. 

Productive

I think February is the month for me to be productive.


At work, I managed to wrap up a project that was continually delayed last year (not due to me....there was always a competing priority).  It only took a month, mostly due to the developer needing to fine-tune code.  Otherwise, I'm waiting on feedback from the end user.  Meanwhile, I'm up in Maine finishing another project, helping a school automate some of their processes.


On the knitting front, I have already finished one of the Sock Knitters' Anonymous socks.

Clover Socks in Cherry Tree Hill, Loden colorway

The Clover socks were a lot of fun to knit and they took no time! One week for the pair, which is probably the fastest I've ever finished a pair of socks.  Even better, I bound them off and immediately put them on my feet (since it was 18 degrees here in Portland, ME today),  I have a load of handknit socks to wash when I get home tomorrow and for some reason I'm not looking forward to it.

Solid Socks Mystery KAL

Meanwhile, while watching the Superbowl (Yay Giants!), I cast on for and finished the first clue of the Solid Socks Mystery KAL sock.  I was smugly reveling in this fact when I realized that I was using Jojoland Melody from my stash.

Leyburn Socks in Jojoland Melody

CRAP!!! I need to learn how to read the instructions better, because Jojoland Melody is definitely not a solid or semi-solid sock yarn.  So, after admiring the beauty of that bit of knitting, I frogged the cuffs and searched through the Ravelry queue for something else I could knit.  I happened on the Leyburn Socks.  These have been in my queue forever, so I cast on.  So far, I've finished one full repeat of the instep pattern and I can see that I'm going to need to break out the stitch counter for this pattern because it's so easy to miss those rounds of plain knitting.


So far, in 2012, I've finished 3 pairs of socks....I'm thinking that I just might challenge myself to finished the full dozen for the year, especially since I'm already making good progress (2 socks completed, 2 on the needles, 1 waiting to start).  I'm not counting the Escalator socks because they were begun last year.

You deserve better

For all my readers, I want to issue a sincere apology.

I'm sorry.  You deserve much better.  I haven't been blogging as I've meant to, to the extent that I thought about changing the entire format over to Tumblr . . .as much as I tweet, you would get more frequent updates.  But I'm loathe to move from Blogger.  I just have to try harder.  For me, blogging takes effort, because I really hate releasing a blog without a picture to go with it.  So, I'm going to start taking my camera with me more often so I can blog my mobile life and update you more.  Yes, I'm still knitting (more on that below) and sewing, so maybe I can get more info released.

A year later

As of September 28, I have been a traveling consultant for my company for 2 years.  What has that meant for me?

• I'm so tired these days I missed the 1-year anniversary of this job.
• I sleep in my bed at my own home (the one I pay taxes on) 3 nights a week.
• I consider the hotel (any hotel) my home.
• I've developed gastritis and duodenitis. Trying saying that five times fast.
• My yard is a disaster-zone
• Spiders are running my house
• I visit family twice a year and they're only 5 hours away.
• I have 300K frequent flier miles.  I am now Platinum Medallion on Delta.  I'm aiming for Diamond by the end of the year (My coworkers have been doing this so long that they think my mini-celebrations when I hit a new level are mildly amusing.  They're so jaded).
• I have 200K+ points with both the Marriott and Hilton chains. I like both, but I think Hilton sometimes edges Marriott out.
• I constantly feel stupid.
• I'm back to working 10+ hours a day just to keep up.
• I've developed the ability to fall asleep anywhere.

I've also learned the following:

• To be grateful I have a job.  Unemployment is at 10%.  Nothing can be taken for granted.
• That regardless of intentions, higher salary really does mean you spend more.  I can't understand how I'm spending more than I use to, but there it is.
• Savings are important.  Emergency funds are your friends.
• It is important to take time to enjoy the small things.
• The North has four distinct seasons.  I've now experienced them all and I like them.  The south has HOT, "I'm sticking to the car seats HOT", Hot, and cold snap.

I initially started writing this post on September 30 and was planning on publishing it that night.  However, I found myself unable to press the button and I still don't know why.  Possibly because it just didn't feel right, but now it does.

Weekday Vignette: Sunday

Well, here's another travel update story.

Sunday (7/25/2010) was supposed to be an easy day.  I would sleep in, then drive to the airport to catch my flight to LaGuardia, drive up to Westchester, have dinner and enjoy the season's premiere of Mad Men.  Well, that didn't happen....Enjoy!

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9:00 AM:  Finish packing.  Take nap.

11:15 AM:  Wake up to the sound of the cell phone.  Delta is calling me to tell me that my "3:15 pm flight to New York--LaGuardia has been delayed to 4:30PM.  We regret any inconvenience this may cause . . ."  I smile and roll over to continue my nap.

2:15 PM:  Leave the house to head to Tampa.  I need to return some items to IKEA and this is the most time-efficient way to do it without using extra gas.

2:40 PM:  Phone rings.  Delta is calling me to tell me that my "4:30 PM flight to New York--LaGuardia has been cancelled.  We regret any inconvenience this may cause . . ."  SERIOUSLY!!!  You mean I just wasted my gas on a cancelled flight?  Nah, dude, you are getting me to NYC today.

This SHIT would happen to me....

Occasionally I have one of those days simply meant for the record books.  Those days are few and far between, but when they happen, I can only sit in amazement that I made it through.  Usually, my body (or its unwillingness to listen to instructions) is a determining factor in this situation, but not always.

Yesterday, it was the only factor, in a brutal and embarrassing way. . .let me take you back about 24 hours. . .

(Author Note:  If you have a weak stomach, do not read any further.)

Weekday Vignette: Monday

This is a quick snapshot of my typical week.  Responses to stimuli may vary.

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12:01 AM:  Bags packed and in car.  Plane ticket and ID in back pocket of jeans.  Cell Phones are charging.  I've forgotten something.

12:30 AM:  iPod now syncing with computer.  Useless exercise anyway; I will listen to every podcast on it before I land in NYC.  Really need to bite the bullet and subscribe to Audible, but I like getting my books in paper form.

12:45 AM:  Stack Dishwasher.

1:00 AM:  Go to bed

4:00 AM:  Receive call from Delta.  My 7:15 flight has been delayed until 8:53.  Curse out the automated voice, not for calling to tell me (I'm grateful for that), but for calling me at 4AM!!!

No Willpower

I don't have a lot of weaknesses but I readily admit that I lack willpower; That's why I'm overweight and have too much yarn.  However, I believe one of the keys to life is knowing which battles to fight and which battles to leave be.  Below are two personal battles I've learned to leave be:

Useless battle #1:  Yarn Diets

A consultant's life

consists of sitting in airports, driving to airports, and navigating the security lines!

I'm glad that Tampa has such a nice airport. Horrible TSA agents but a nice airport. They even have a "Business Center" in the airport with outlets and desks for laptops and free wi-fi. So when my flight is cancelled/delayed/whereabouts unknown/"manually defrosting at the gate" (read "sitting in the sun until the frost melts off"), I can sit in the business center and work.

So, I promised to update this blog over a month ago and, in true Victoria fashion, I haven't done it, I've been racked by shame at my inability to find anything to write about, and I'm resolved (daily) to do better. So here I go:

1. The best way to follow me now is Twitter (www.twitter.com/veiland). I'm forever updating Twitter with the silly stuff I see in NYC and my consultant's life.


2. I've been knitting like a fiend. In the past month, I've finished, well....look at the FOs in the side bar. Lots of hats and a pair of socks...(now realizing I left a hat in the washer after spinning the water out to block it. Oh well).


3. I'm a loyal Delta Airlines Fan. As much as Delta has been screwing me this month, I still prefer Delta. Don't know why....I just do.

Happy Holidays (also known as Shame)

Hello Readers!

I did not intend to take a 3 month break from my blog.

I really didn't.

But this new job is kicking my butt.

I'll post a really great post tonight. Actually I have a lot of things to post about. I'll spend the next week catching you up.

Thanks for being patient.

Good (and not good) News

Good News: I have a job next week.
Bad News: I was so excited about next week I didn't want to do anything last week.

Good News: The job comes with a significant pay increase.
Bad News: The job is 100% travel.

Good News: I knew I had a job before the school started inviting people in to extend job offers.

Bad News: Everyone else didn't know, so the fact that I didn't even get an invite had everyone looking at me funny.

Good News: The three people I was worried about the most in this transition got out clean; myself and my counterpart got jobs elsewhere, the CIO got a job offer at the school.
Other Good News: The school offered jobs to 7 additional employees.
Bad News: They canned L, C, D, and S. A. (sob). ***

New Job Excitement

I haz it.

The first indication that I had a new job arrived today. A 17" monitor to go with the laptop I have to pickup when I hit Manhattan.

I did mention that right?

My first 2 weeks on my new job will be in Manhattan. The Lincoln Center Area. Where my hotel room is 2 streets over from Central Park
I spent a truckload of money today.

That's definitely newsworthy because I'm definitely cheap.

God Don't Like UGLY

You better believe that. Wanna know why? Read on.

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Yesterday, right after I wrote the blog post below, I received a call from the manager of the division I applied to. It was actually a pretty good conversation and it made me realize that in the 20 months that I've been on this job, I've learned very little. Even though I was overworked, stressed, and gaining weight like a sinking ship gains water at my previous job, I was learning a lot. Nothing that I've done in my current job has in any way measured up to that.

It all came in handy during that one hour phone call. We went through my work experience and resume, situations I've had to handle, ones I haven't, and I know that the manager was trying to pick my resume apart. I can't blame her; she called me out of courtesy, she had a candidate in mind, and now here I come, barreling down the runway begging for a job.

The conversation lasted an hour before she decided to pull in another consultant, someone who would be my co-worker, for a quickfire challenge, "Name that Form".

I did well. I didn't knock it out of the park like I would have liked, but I proved I had a good background and knowledge of the product. More importantly, I think like a Functional user, which is extremely important. Besides, having forms and processes thrown at me for 25 minutes was disconcerting and confusing. Toward the end I would have hesitated if you had asked me my own name.

So, I hung up thinking, "Eh." I went to the Gym, allowed Suzanne to kick my behind for 30 minutes, then went home and soothed my soul with Pork Chops (I don't want to hear it).

I did the correct and proper and sent the manager a follow-up "Thank you for the opportunity" email and went to bed.

What did I get for all my trouble?

I have a second interview today.

---

So why did I entitle this post "God Don't Like UGLY"?

Because the CIO pulled me into his office today to say that he was very concerned that I had not applied for my position here at the school and was wondering if everything was OK, or was I certain I was going to get the corporate job, or had I decided to simply not work once the contract was over?

Huh?

Apparently, someone in the schools' HR department told him I had not applied, so no one was making a job for me and that they might have been interested in retaining me except that I was making it very clear I had no desire to work for the school.

WHAT?

So CIO and I chatted, I assured him that I had applied for my own job, and had sent in all the requisite materials, and we discussed his job offer. Then I went back to my office, printed off a copy of my application, which showed the date I applied (Sept. 8, 2009 at 3:02 PM) and sat down. He can do with that what he will, but whoever lied will get it coming back to them.

I missed the second interview doing all that. Granted, I didn't know until I picked up my cell phone and realized I'd just missed the call. I called the number back immediately and, since I had not been informed that they were going to call right then, the manager was gracious enough to reschedule to 4:30 PM. So I'm walking out at 4:25 so I can stand in the sun, have an uninterrupted cellphone signal, and (hopefully) land this job.

There was a very boring call to corporate HR at 2 PM, then the quickest staff meeting on record. Sitting here, counting down time, I was surprised to see my cell phone ring with a familiar, but unknown number. It was corporate HR, calling me about another job that I had applied for. I applied for a sales position, selling enrollment software, and the manager over that division wanted to know if I had any recent experience presenting to large groups. Well, again, working here has stunted me, but I did have all that lovely previous school experience to fall back on and I have never been afraid of public speaking. I told her that. Apparently, that manager will be in Orlando at the beginning of October, so if I don't get one job, I might get a face-to-face interview for another.

God Don't Like UGLY. It's best to act with integrity in all the things that you must do. Either that or you better pray. Why?

In 48 hours I've gone from having no job prospects with my current company to having 2 job prospects. Lovely!

Lower the Boom

The Tuesday before I left for vacation, we had a meeting with the corporate office and with the school's HR department about our employment. The school and corporate had come to an understanding that services from corporate to the school would end effective September 30, 2009. Everyone currently in the office would have to apply for their jobs. I left the meeting with a sense of ...I don't know. I think I just didn't care; I wanted to get on the road to Georgia. I had applied for another job with corporate and was waiting to hear back about that, so I just had no feelings at all.

While in Georgia I received the letter I had been waiting on (and dreading) for months: The letter containing the information about my termination, effective September 30, and the details of the possible severance package. Of course, if I managed to find another job with corporate before September 30, then the letter was null and void, but I can't say I was surprised at all. If anything, I felt a great sense of relief steal over me. Finally! Now I know where I stand.

So here's to hoping that I get the job I applied for. It was the same as my current job, but with 75% travel. Perfect!!! So I hunkered down in Georgia to wait for a call. Well, they called, but they called my office at school, not my cell phone. So the entire time they were trying to reach me, I was completely oblivious. When I walked into the office on Monday and saw all the missed calls, I immediately sprang into action, but it was too late. Well, the HR recruiter is pretty sure it's too late, the manager of that department has pretty much set her mind to someone and I probably won't even get an interview.

DAMN!

So, here I am, looking at unemployment in 2 weeks, and oddly enough, I still don't feel anything.

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I finally finished Henry tonight.


The iCord bind-off makes it look professional and tailored. I had to pick up the cast on edge and apply iCord to it, but I'm pleased with the results. I think I'm going to plough through a couple of the books I got from LibraryThing before I start another knitting project, but I already know what it will be.

Now we are retreating

One of my biggest problems in life is an inability to make up my mind. I keep all options open far too long, just in case I need to make an about U-turn.

Why am I mentioning this?

I installed Ubuntu on my computer to use as a server.

At first, I was in love. It was simple, had a great interface, looked lovely. but as the weeks went on, I realized that

1. It was taking me forever to install Samba and set it up for windows networking.
2. I really wasn't keen on having to find alternatives to all my .aac, m4a, and mp3 files
3. I wanted a Server. Not a desktop with server qualities. I wanted a headless server.

So I got another product key from Microsoft on Sunday and reinstalled Windows Home Server. I now have the 120GB and 200GB drives installed and running, but the 500GB drive does not want to work. I am trying to copy everything off that drive onto the other drives, then wipe the 500GB drive clean (because when I add it to WHS, it will format the drive anyway, so I might as well get my stuff off first).

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Now that I no longer care about work, it's going much easier. Today I was praised for handling the client's issue quickly and without any drama.

Woo Hoo. That doesn't change the fact that I'm burnt out.

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Yesterday I received a book in the mail that I'm actually looking forward to reading

The World is Open, by Curtis Bonk. I received the book through LibraryThing and I'm taking it (and some other books I need to review to remain in good graces) home with me to Georgia. I am already excited about reviewing this book. Even the first sentence is revolutionary and exciting:

"Anyone can now learn anything from anyone at anytime"

Wow! Think about what an amazing (and true) concept that is. Instead of children/students being the recipients of knowledge for 8 hrs/day under a rigid structure, they have become the pursuers of knowledge, thanks to the Internet, blogs, Wikipedia, TV, etc. This is a true knowledge-based generation and America's concept of education will have to change in order to address this reality. Even more so, it will have to change to address the reality of the students who do not have access to this knowledge all the time.

To me, this is mind-blowing because what we are really looking at here is the reorganization of the entire educational framework and the re-evaluation of what it means to "receive an education" in this country. . .I'm really excited about this book.

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One the home front, I still need to mop my floors. They're a mess. My fridge is nearly empty...

and all my text messages have disappeared from my phone. WTF?

A vacation

I'm going home for Labor Day weekend. It's pretty necessary at this point.

I'm burnt out and I no longer love my job.

I need to be a traveling consultant. There is one traveling consultant position open with the company right now, but I haven't heard anything since I applied. I'm wishing I had uploaded by recommendation letters with the application.

In the meantime, I'm burning through money much faster than I need to.

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I finished the Magic Mirror Socks.

I cast on with a US#3 40" circular and worked both socks from the toe-up two-at-a-time, turned the heel, then switched to the US#2 for the beginning of the leg. I worked with the #2 for one repeat, then switched to US#6 DPNs for the remainder of the foot. Not bad planning on my part. These should fit Stephanie's feet without any problems. Right now, I'm trying to decide if I also want to give her the Cloverleaf Cables socks....but I think I'll gift those to Andrea.

So now I'm working on Henry in KnitPicks Palette Fog for Daddy. I'm trying to decide if I want to make another one, in Lipstick, for Mom later.

Life is getting me down.

I'm trying very hard not to get depressed.

I've been unemployed once....right out of college. After I ended up taking a job well below my skills and abilities, I vowed I would never be without a job again. If need be, I would always be ready to cast my resume out into the world, pull up stakes, and leave without a second glance.

That vow looks more and more difficult to fulfill right now.

Unemployment in Manatee County is around 11.5%. The fact that I have a job right now makes me one of the lucky ones. I have my health (and health coverage), I have some savings, and I have a home.

I should be happy.

However, every day that goes by at my job seems to take forever. I like what I do; I'm no longer enchanted by the people I work with. The client doesn't see the value in the services that either of the User Liaisons perform; we've been told our jobs are definitely on the line. They want to start transitioning the department back in July, so I have less than three weeks to get a nibble. During one of the most critical employment periods in the country, I have to start a job search....hopefully for a job with 75-100% travel. Yeah, I know, good luck.

So tomorrow I need to spend the day applying for jobs. I've resolved to apply for jobs inside and outside of higher education. I have an MPA, I have skills and abilities, I am willing. If I didn't have this house right now, I could pack up and leave at a moment's notice. I think that is the worst part of this recession; I'm not upside down in my mortgage b/c I bought last December but I know that if I put this house on the market right now, I wouldn't have any takers...unless I simply rented it.

I need a fallback option...Anyone have any ideas?

Baking in the Heat

For some reason, I've had more success baking this month.

This is surprising, given that this is the weather outside



Hurricane Season in Florida started on June 1st and the weather is determined to live up to the reputation. It has rained 4 times today.

I hate when it rains.

Anyway, Feng's 50th Birthday party was on Thursday.



I spent three days trying to figure out what to make, then I finally decided on the Strawberry Chiffon Cake that Smitten Kitchen had posted.



Her's looks better (of course) but I didn't think mine looked too bad. I think he thanked me for the cake at least 10 times (no joke). I thought the cake was good, but not quite the knockout I wanted.

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Today, I made Dorie Greenspan's Orange-Berry Muffins....

OH MY GOD


DELICIOUS!

It's taking everything I have not to eat all 12 in one sitting....

Two is the limit today....

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I'm glad I'm baking today. It's taking my mind off the fact that my job is in jeopardy. I have to find a new job ASAP but I'm having a mental block trying to complete my resume with the details of my current job. However, I'm determined to finish it and get some applications in before I go to bed tonight...

If you pray, pray for me. If you don't send good vibes my way.

I've never had so much difficulty

keeping my stomach settled or trying to find a new pattern to start.

I really like Henry.


But at 452 stitches, it's a beast to knit. Undeterred, I cast on with Rowan Cashcotton, miscounted and ended up with 490 stitches.

That should have been my clue to stop.

But I kept going and finished 3.5 rows before I realized the following:

1. I would run out of yarn before I finished this.
2. My daddy doesn't wear pink.
3. I don't like cotton yarn, even cotton yarn that has cashmere in it.
4. This is cute, but cotton scarves don't do crap for warmth.

So now I'm frogging it and trying to find something to knit. So now I'm casting on for Spring Forward.

Yup, I'm back to my old standby: socks.
This pair is for Rowena, who recently lost her dog.

Overthinking the Simple

My boss's 50th birthday is coming up and, in acknowledgement, the office is going to throw him a potluck party. Usually I'm relegated to bringing Brisket , which has become an office favorite and cemented me into that role. However, that Brisket is a $30, 8 hour affair. I don't have the time or energy.

So, I planned on bringing the cake. Since my love affair with yeast and baking began, I've been on a baking kick. This will be the first time I've had willing (probably eager) volunteers for taste testing.

I just checked Dorie Greenspan's Baking out of the library yesterday and I'm anxious to play with it (although I can already tell I will need to buy my own copy). I need to figure out which cake I'm going to make for the party on Thursday....

Smitten Kitchen's Strawberry Chiffon Cake?

Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcut Cake?

Some unknown goodie from Dorie????

Plant City, FL is known nationwide for their strawberries (unless you happen to get California's overgrown behemoths). They are sweet, tender, and juicy and right now is the perfect time to pick some up from the fruit stand near my house.

Which closes at four.....and I don't get off until 6.....darn....

I have to figure this out.