Brain Dead

I'm having a bit of the "What the heck should I write about tonight" thoughts... but feeling like I should write something... anything!

It's been absolutely crazy at work these past few weeks. The new magazine is finally ready to go to print, and we will see it off the presses tomorrow. It's exhilarating and scary all at the same time. We've been working so hard, that I'm not sure any of us have any functioning grey matter left - but the magazine looks pretty good, so I guess it was all to a good cause.

The only thing I've wanted to do this past week is hole up in my room with a good air conditioner, a box of Kleenex and some industrial strength NyQuil! Yah... had the dreaded cold. I'm fighting back from it now, though. Just a persistent tickle in my nose that makes me feel on the constant verge of sneezing. Otherwise the general loopy, detached feeling has gone, so I can't complain too much. It was fun trying to remain coherent at work - what with the general loss of brain cells to begin with, add to that my decreased mental state due to the cold - or sinus infection or whatever the heck it was - I was pretty dopey. I managed to get through it though, and only succumbed to the need for cold medicine twice - so it clearly couldn't have been that bad. (Though I felt like it at the time). Now if my dumb nose would just quit with the tickling, already!

And, can we talk for a minute about this heat?! Sheesh! At 2 in the morning I still find myself tossing & turning, unable to find a comfortable position largely due to the fact that it's so dad-gummed hot! Humid as heck... UUUURRRRGGGHHHH! I hate being sticky!

Guess it was whiner nite on my laptop and I didn't realize it before I started this entry. Sorry 'bout that. Well - who can a person complain to if not the scores of admirers on the Internet? I mean, really!

Not much else to report on at the moment - so I'll sign off early for now. Perhaps something inspiring will come to me in my sleep. At the very least I can hope for the return of my lost brain. You didn't happen to see it around, did you? Well... if you happen to stumble across it, could you please just point it toward home. It's been missed this week, and I don't relish the idea of getting through another without it again.

What Day Is It?...

Oh my, oh my, how time doth fly! Has it been a week already?! Well... Welcome! Come on in and sit a spell! Can I get you some tea?

Funny, isn't it, how life just barrels along while you're living it? My clock has sprouted wings and seems to be picking up a jet stream as it gathers steam... might break the sound barrier before too long!

Things are going swimmingly here... sorta.

Work is... work (as work tends to be). We are launching a new magazine to be out at the beginning of August, and I gotta tell ya - the angst a project like this creates - well, it ain't purdy! We are scrambling each day to contact as many advertisers as possible so we'll be able to claim some kind of substance to this first issue - and I never thought it would take this long to get in touch with everyone. Of course, after having been away from the industry for 6 months on my "forced hiatus" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), it's been somewhat like a big reunion or homecoming. Most of my clients, whom I had lost touch with when the company rather abruptly closed the San Diego office, have been absolutely thrilled to hear from me again (perhaps "thrilled" is a bit strong, but I'm gonna stick with it). This, of course, has led to multiple conversations wherin the state of affairs in our respective lives have been gleaned over and picked apart in turn. I never really realized what an impact I made on so many people's lives until this project started and I had the chance to catch up with so many of my previous clients. They have, by and large, expressed nothing but joy at hearing from me once again, and heart-felt congratulations and best wishes for the new magazine venture. It is truly humbling to be on the receiving end of so many people's well-wishes and praise. Many of the clients have stated they are joining this new magazine simply for the fact that Sandy and I are the ones who are involved. The state of the antiques industry is not exactly booming right now, and we've bemoaned that fact for quite some time now. Customers who may have otherwise turned down a new advertising venture, have tossed their hats into the ring along with us - just because it's us! Talk about a heady feeling! Wow! I only hope we're able to do justice to their compliments and praise.

The new magazine, Today's Vintage, actually has quite a bit of potential - it's not your average trade-tabloid. We're building a magazine that will meld antiques, collectibles, art and decorating into a reader-friendly composite that will not only deliver to the antiques and collectibles industry, but encourage people to use items from our past in everyday life today. It is the ultimate in recycling - and we intend to bring it to the attention of the masses. A bit of a lofty goal, perhaps, but we can't afford to go into this with anything less than absolute conviction. And I feel very strongly that this magazine will facilitate the beginnings of a new generation of people dedicated to preserving our past and our planet... And hopefully we can all have some fun while we're at it!

School is looming, but my registration date isn't until next week - so I'll have to wait 'til then to see what classes to take. I'm pretty sure one will be math... because I can't let a semester go by just so I can forget everything I learned last semester! I would end up in beginning algebra for the rest of my college career! Then I'll have to see what else catches my fancy. Not going to do more than 2 classes this term, I think. Just because I need to be able to think - and if I'm trying to do too much at once then I might end up with grey matter leaking from my ears... and I just can't afford to lose any more of it!

Samantha has been pounding the pavement searching for work. She's just finished a week-long class with the EDD - learning about resume's and interview techinques, job hunting skills, etc. I think it's helped her gain some confidence as she goes looking for her first job - ever! Keep your fingers crossed that she finds something soon (otherwise we're going to need loaner books for this next term... need a second mortgage on the home to cover the textbooks alone)!

I'll write more on my History/Bio - whatever you'd like to call it - later. For now I just wanted to drop by with a quick update. Work is going gang-busters, so I have to make sure to get a good night's sleep. I'll update again ASAP.

Take care all & I'll see you 'round the water cooler!

Work History

I must say that I'm not feeling entirely full of wit and/or wisdom today. Life is lumbering along, as it tends to do, and at moments like these I feel I'm just rolling along with the current - no real direction, just going where the waves take me...

Things have been - interesting, I suppose. I'm sure it would all seem quite mundane to many people out there, but when life's happening to you - it can seem more interesting, ya know? Now, dependent on how close you happen to be to my inner circle, that will determine your level of interest, I'm sure. Still... I'm here to spell out all the gory details, no matter how mundane or banal.

It's been pretty much all about work these past few weeks. Work for me. Work for Sam. Housework, schoolwork, footwork, paperwork... yah. Work. Great. Is this what life has boiled down to? In my household, at the moment, yes.

I never would have thought that my life's work thrust me into the realm of sales - but that's exactly what it has done. In the early years, I simply wanted a job. Needed a job. Any job. Something that would provide the sustenance and shelter that my daughter and I required. I did not expect to find a career, let alone one that I loved...

When Sam was five I had to get a job. The state had been helping out with housing and food, but they have a limit - when your kid is 5, she's old enough to be sent to day care and it's time for you to get out there and help earn her keep. So, I went through the classes - how to find a job, how to write a resume', how to fill out an application, how not to sound like a dork in the interview - you know the drill. I learned quite a bit, actually, and through the course of the class I found my first "real" job.

I became a telemarketer for the San Diego Symphony in 1994. I spent my time in a big room up above the concert hall, with 30 other individuals, a telephone strapped to my head and a list of names in front of me. I spent a good two hours each day commuting from East County to downtown- first by public conveyance and then later through carpool, but I showed up each day and did my best to find new subscribers to first the Summer Pops and then the new fall line up. I have to admit, I did better than I'd ever expected. I became one of the top sales-persons of the department, and I was one of the trusted few who were often loaned out to other departments. It was a constant drudge of phone dialing. Each morning we would receive our lists. The company purchased lists based on household income, and these were the people my department were instructed to call. To survive, you really had to develop a thick skin - become like a seal and just let the hostile and negative comments slide right off your back - otherwise you would end up blubbering in the bathroom and/or screaming down the middle of Seventh Street as you ran terrified from the building. (People aren't always the nicest to telemarketers, dontcha know)? It was a long, agonizing year. Andree and I found ourselves counting off the minutes each day. Our conversations often sounded... well... like this... "Hello Mrs. Smith, This is Linda with the San Diego Symphony.... Oh. Oh. Okay. Well, thank you. (click) Only 134 minutes to go" And so on down the line - the day would drag like you wouldn't believe!!

In spite of my complaining, the telemarketing department did a pretty good job for the Symphony. In my almost-year working for the company, I brought in over $120,000 in revenue. True, I was one of the top sales-persons, but still... the department was doing good. I suppose that's why they decided to change the way they were doing things. Can't just leave a good thing alone, I guess. In any case, the day they decided to change our pay structure - and change the rules so that I would now have to work twice as hard to make half the money - I decided it was time to go searching for another job.

I called up my old buddies at the EDD, said "I need help", and found a very nice gentleman who helped me to get my resume' put together. He even said he had "the perfect position" for me. He called and set up an interview time for me with the prospective employer, and I was off...

I first interviewed with Sandy in April or May of 1995. We seemed to hit it off right away, and I found my nervousness of the situation melting rapidly the more I spoke with her. The job was perfect for me... It was advertising sales - telephone sales (nothing new for me there) - but the icing on the cake was that it was for a newsmagazine! I could be an advertising sales person, while I learned the business and then eventually turned my talents to writing! Not to mention the fact that it was a simple 5 minutes from my apartment!!! I could walk if my car ever conked out. It was on pins and needles and with ants in my pants that I anxiously awaited the results of my interview. I believe I must have called Sandy back every other day to ask her if she had made a decision yet. I was nervous to be "bothering" her so much, but turns out, that can be a good thing! Shows the prospective employer that you are eager to work for them. Finally, after what seemed an insufferably long time, I received the call...

I had interviewed for a part-time post. I figured the lack of commute alone would make up for the change from 30 to 20 hours a week. I was resigned to perhaps making a little bit less money if, in the end, I didn't have to spend so much of it just getting to work each day. Imagine my complete shock then, when Sandy called me and said "How does full time plus benefits and paid holidays sound to you?" How does that sound?? How does that sound!?! Like manna from heaven! I immediately said yes, and then began the agonizing wait for my two-week notice to expire.

I said good-bye to the Symphony a mere ten days from my one-year anniversary (the longest I had ever kept a job to that date). They actually threw a party for me - cake, cards and well-wishes from everyone. And yes, there were a few tears.

When I showed up on the first day at the new job, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was going to be working in sales, but how I would go about it, and to what end, I was clueless - and more than a little nervous. On June 5, 1995, I began what would turn out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life!

What happened next??? Well, I'm afraid that's a post for another day. Tune in to find out! Trust me! It's just as thrilling as what you've read so far - if not more so!!! Until then...