Mushy, Sentimental Stuff

As my time at Canon comes to a close, I am reflecting on the past 3 1/2 years. It has been a great time in my life and I will miss all the people I worked with over the years. This is an outstanding group and know they will continue to move forward. I have made some wonderful friends, made a few mistakes, learned a lot about myself and what I want from life. Every other company I worked for was just a company. This office was my family.

But now I am looking forward to the next phase of my career. I am already flying to FL next week to the headquarters of my new company. They are already throwing me into the fray of things. I am very happy about it though. I am ready to prove myself :-).

How to be Happy, Dammit!

I re-read this book again last night. It is a fun little book from Karen Salmanshon. I bought it 3 1/2 years ago and it has been a source of grounding (and giggles) since then. It is odd that a book can clear your head so easily, but it reminds you that pain happens and your attitude is based on how you choose to respond to a situation. You always have a choice in your response. All of it is common sense, but sometimes in tough situations, that can be easily forgotten!!! I made it through one change, I am ready for the next challenge!!!

Self described: "Guaranteed to perk up even the most cynical spirit, "How to be Happy, Dammit" is the only self-help book that merges psychology, biology, eastern and western philosophies, quantum physics, and the Zen of Bazooka Joe. This book tells it like it is, exploring the ups and downs of life in a straightforward, thought-provoking, and humorous way. This is the self-help book for people who don't buy self-help books. It may not change your life, but it will certainly brighten your day."

I also have a few people who might be getting it as a gift soon. :-). She also has a book called "Even God is Single..." that I need to look into getting.

My going away lunch is planned for Thursday at PF Changs. I am getting a great satisfaction of everyone running around and making a big deal of it. Love it! But I appreciate everything they are doing -- I will miss everyone. They are very good people and I wish each and everyone continued success. I just pray I am as lucky at my new place of employment!

In Memory Of.......

Okay, I am bummed. The voices of both Tigger and Piglet passed away. I am more a Tigger fan, but I want to give Piglet his props too. May both gentlemen rest in peace.

The wonderful thing about tiggers
Is tiggers are wonderful things!
Their tops are made out of rubber
Their bottoms are made out of springs!
They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is
I'm the only one
Tiggers are cuddly fellas
Tiggers are awfully sweet
Ev'ryone el-us is jealous
That's why I repeat... and repeat

The wonderful thing about tiggers
Is tiggers are marvelous claps!
They're loaded with vim and vigor
They love to leap in your laps!
They're jumpy, bumpy, clumpy, thumpy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is
I'm the only one
I-I-I'm , the only... oof!
Ouch!

One Picture at a Time :-)

Picture of the Eiffel Tower.

This is my favorite of all the ones I took of the Tower. This is one I plan to enlarge and actually hang in my apartment. Might just take it to my new job :-).

Sierra

Here is Sierra. Have to give equal time to my babies :-). Paris pictures will appear through out the week...........

Oh Lazy Weekend

I slept ALL day yesterday. I didn't get home until 4:00 Saturday morning. Michelle and I went dancing and then she met a guy who wanted to eat at IHOP. We ate, left IHOP and after I heard from Michelle that she made it home okay, I passed out. I have been a cleaning machine today. Decided I needed to start the research on my Grad paper. If I break it into sections, I should be able to knock it out on the weekends.

Since it has been a lazy weekend, there is nothing new to comment on. Unless you really want to hear the plot line of "Atomic Train"........ Still very happy about my new job and all those possibilities! Oh, and I am going to play with the picture feature on the blog. I guess you guys would rather see Paris Pics, but you will have to do with Simon for a bit. I have to find a good one of Sierra to show as well :-).

Update

Okay, I can breathe now! I just talked to Mary and she made an offer. What I asked for and even some bonus opportunities. Sense of relief has come over me!!!! I was about to cancel my interview for 2:30 but (boss -- as opposed to cousin -- ) Kelly suggested I go anyway. Might as well. I am sure I am landing where I want to be, but just in case. But, I am very happy right now :-). We can do the happy dance!!!!!!

Okay, maybe I am a little stressed.......

The effects of the layoff are starting to hit me. I promise, I am trying to stay in good humor. Sometimes it is just hard. I so hate being on the other end of the recruiting process. I should think about taking a few weeks off, but I really just don't want to. I want what I want and the job will come first. There is a cutie I have had my eye on and maybe this can help move it along (he is still anonymous to most people :-)) We'll see :-). For now, I rely on "The Daily Show w/Jon Stewart" for my laughs of the day. That man is hysterical. Love him!

In good news, my cousin Kelly just got married in Hawaii. Congrats sweetie!!!! I still want to see pictures!!!

I have an interview with another headhunter today at 2:30. The hiring manager will be there too, so hopefully I will get to meet her as well. If not, that is perfectly okay. This job looks great too. I haven't heard from Mary at ZeroChaos yet. I will keep searching until something comes about. I will just keep saying "Life is good, life is good......" :-).

The End is near

The end of the week that is. I called in sick today. I think the last 3 weeks finally caught up with me and needed more rest. Plus, this air is not helping my asthma! An orange air alert just makes life so much fun..... I do feel better now but I might just head back to bed again soon :-).

The 4:00 interview yesterday went well. Mary seems to be a nice lady with a lot of great ideas. She is supposed to call today so we can discuss the job in more detail (duties, expectations, etc.). I think this position will go through a lot of change during the next year. It was a short meeting though, which kind of freaked me out. But, if it was meant to be, I will get it. But I should know that short meetings don't necessarily mean a bad thing. I may or may not get the offer by tomorrow, but in retrospect it might be a good thing. Did I really want to accept a job that I had no idea about the details of my responsibilities??? And really, a week is not too bad to go from interview to offer.

Now I think it is time to cuddle on the couch with the kitties and watch a movie. Or, I guess I should say, I will lay on the couch and if they want, they can grace me with their presence.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Happy Birthday Jen!

Today is Jen's birthday. She is a fabulous 29 (+4 years). I just celebrated the 6th anniversary of my 27th birthday, so technically she is older than me :-). Just kidding of course. Happy Birthday girl!!!!

I have a 4:00 interview today and just trying to wake up before it happens. School is tonight too, so I need to get the coffee IV going. I think this interview is just a formality. I pretty much have the support of the 2 people I have already talked to. But, this is also a chance to see if I like her as well. Sounds like we will be working pretty close together so I need to make sure she is not an ogre. :-)

The archive project is done. Well, the paperwork is done. Due to the new laws regarding record retention, I have to complete paperwork, send it to get approved and then get the archives destroyed. Makes sense to me, but that means the boxes will probably still be there when I leave. Speaking of leaving, I actually started my own Termination paperwork today. Kind of weird :-). Just completed my exit interview (on-line). They asked about my current supervisor and benefits, but not about the upper management in general. So I had to take time to fill in the "comment" section. I wasn't mean, just honest. What do I care what they think -- I am leaving soon!!! (Maybe I should have waited until the 30th......)

I am trying to think of a good Happy Hour spot for my going away Happy Hour. I know I have a week, but I always enjoy planning these types of things. Plus, it will probably be a good celebration time for the new job that I plan to get this week!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It is rather quiet in the office today so I have actually gotten a lot done. It is amazing how much work I actually still have to do. I am thinking of the little things to write down for Kelly, so when I am gone she can reference them. She is on a much needed vacation and so it is even more quiet than normal!

I interviewed this morning with a HR Search firm, HR International. It is amazing how experienced I felt leaving there. I had spoken with them before, 3 years ago after I left EXE. This time, I felt that my work experience actually lent itself to the next step in the career and that I was asking for a salary I thought I was worth. Nice feeling. I do have to say, pending unemployment has actually been good for the ego. I know what I have and that Canon is being very nearsighted. Oh well. Living well is the best revenge and Lord knows I will! I have a final conversation tomorrow with the woman who will be my boss (hopefully) at 4:00. I am not really nervous because I know if it doesn't work out, there is something else for me. It is a good idea I meet her since I need to know if I will like her as well!

Okay, time to get back to the grind. Tonight I will need to prepare for school tomorrow night. The excitement is overwhelming. Kind of wished I had taken this class before Paris though. Nice discussion of exchange rates and foreign currency. That would have come in handy!

Bye for now!

Happy Monday

It has been good so far. I had a 12:30 phone call with the woman who would actually be my boss at Zero Chaos. It was a good interview, but she now wants to meet me face to face. So, that probably means no offer today. I know what is happening and I understand. However, I understand now how my candidates felt when I called them and had to tell them "one more step". I am really laughing now. I will continue to research other avenues, because if I don't get this, I really don't want to have to start over. Or, maybe there is something even better that I will find and have to turn Zero Chaos down. Who knows. I have plenty of time -- I keep forgetting that. So, I'll let you know! I plan to stop talking about it though -- don't want to jinx it. Kind of like when I first meet a guy I like -- I don't talk about it so not to jinx it. Weird, I know, but I think that is pretty much universal.

I think my lunch hour is almost done. I didn't leave the office today because it is too hot. And we haven't even hit the hottest part of the summer (or technically even summer!). Why do I want to live in Dallas????

Have a great Monday!

Friday Slow Down

I think the last 3 weeks are finally catching up to me. A lot has happened and changed since June 1 and now that I am in the final stages of a job offer, I feel I can look back and reflect on what has happened. I am not necessarily happy I was re-orged, but it was possibly the best thing that could have happened right now. Complacency had set in and although I knew I hit a plateau I was rationalizing why I was staying put (tuition reimbursement, allow time to take vacations, wasn't fully vested in my 401 (k), had to pay back reimbursement if I left, etc.). Self rationalization is a bad thing!!! I now realize if I had put out feelers before, I might have actually been able to move on sooner. But, I never second guess my choices. Where I am now is where I am supposed to be. I also have the confidence to say "this is the job I want and the salary I want" and they say, sure!!! That potential Master's degree is very powerful :-). This is the first time I get to test that out. Now if I can only find my future husband, I'd be somewhat set. :-). I don't want to get married right away, but really, someone to take care of me so I don't have to hobble around the apartment would be nice :-). (Although the foot is starting to feel a lot better now I that I am not trotting all over Paris!).

Well, off I go. This weekend will be very low key, I hope. After 3 weeks of instability, I need some time to regroup and actually clean my apartment!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Good Day!

Yesterday afternoon I went to the doctor for an x-ray of my foot. The good news is that it is not broken or sprained. I will have to see a plastic surgeon to help make sure I don't have a huge and ugly scar (and he said the foot will tighten and make it hard to wear some types of shoes due to that tightness). I just have a great big white bandage calling attention to my foot even more now! Yes, I need more attention to that part of my body!!!

Class last night was pretty interesting. I think I will enjoy it, however I need to get used to this professor. She is no Dr. Watson. But she really seems to know her stuff. Looking forward to it. As part of my graduate plan, I have to write a paper on the Business environment of a foreign country. We couldn't do Japan or China (darn!!! I would have more than enough just from Canon alone!!! ). But that is okay. I picked the U.K. (somebody beat me to France). This isn't' due for 9 more weeks, so I have plenty of time. I actually will try to pop it out in the next two weeks because..........

My interview went very well today. She was practically offering me the job right there. Right salary, what I really want to do, and very nice people. I was going to wait until I either had a job or after June 30 to write this thing. However, it looks like I might just have one sooner than I thought. I will still talk to other companies until I have the firm offer in my hands from this company, but they are really where I want to be. The company is called Zero Chaos and they are the contract labor supplier for EDS, among other companies. I would be on-site at EDS, working for Zero Chaos as the HR Specialist for these contractors. It sounds very exciting and challenging. I would be focused solely on HR and not recruiting. I like recruiting, but I like it better once the employee is on board and I can develop a relationship with them. The manager is very nice and she actually seems to have the same management style as Kelly. Very excited -- even more for this one than the last one I interviewed for before Paris. Kind of exciting!!!! It looks like I am really going to get what I asked for in terms of the type of job I want. I will still be very sad about leaving Canon because this is a great group of people. But, email and telephones exist for a reason :-). (Maybe interviewing with a bum foot is the key to job offers, hum............)

So, I guess I had better get working. I have two weeks and I want to make sure everything is set for Kelly once I am gone.

The Electronic Cow and Big Ass Pigeons

The Electronic Cow: For weeks, Jen and I will joke about the Electronic Cow. So, I will have to give a little inside, because it really is funny. The first night we were there, we were dozing off to sleep when we heard something that sounded like an electronic moo. After giggling hysterically -- we had been traveling, what do you expect -- we decided to term it the electronic cow. He would go off every night and sometimes in the morning. I think we decided it was the water pipes in the hotel, but it still made us laugh every time we heard it. (Doesn't sound as funny written, but trust me, it was!!).

Big Ass Pigeons: I began this obsession with the huge pigeons they had in Europe. Some of these creatures were bigger than my little Simon (only 7 lbs). So, in my weird obsession with these animals I took way too many pictures of them. Now, Michelle has decided to mock me on my big ass pigeon pictures. Thank goodness Jen was available via cell to defend what looks like a strange Kim obsession. Hey, not sure if it is better or worse than the squirrel obsession I had visiting New York (NY squirrels have a different color than TX squirrels.)

Okay, now to start my day. I was going to go on a tirade about my crankiness but figured you would rather read stories of strange Paris things than my pity party. So, it will be a good day. I have an interview tomorrow with a company called Zero Chaos. I really actually like this lady over the phone. And school starts tonight. Something else to throw my energy into.

Back to Work

Awake at 5:15 again this morning!!! I am on my 3rd cup of coffee, so I am happily wired (until noon, when I will crash hard!!!). I am all ready for work, but since I don't have to be there until 9, I have a while to go before I leave. It gives me a chance to watch CNN, however it is all about Michael Jackson. Okay, really don't care anymore. But I did miss Soledad O'Brien. We had CNN in Paris, but no American Morning. But, yes, Michael did make Paris CNN. (Did you know that Croatia has a tourist industry. We didn't. Commercials kept playing for Croatia. Who knew!!! I almost bought a travel guide for Croatia, but decided to buy scarves instead. :-))

It should be a good day. I have a phone interview at 9:30 this morning. While I probably could have done it yesterday, I feel a tad more coherent today. I have a new hire orientation today at 10:30, but since I can do them in my sleep there should be no problem (I still love doing those things --even though I will be leaving in 3 weeks!!). And our new Director of HR is visiting Dallas this afternoon. No comment on the timing........ I am looking forward to meeting him though. It is nice to be full of confidence and well rested when you meet the higher ups. But that means no flip flops to work :-). But I do have nice flats that won't kill me.

Well, I better get some breakfast and head to work. I will be rather early, but then again, I can get all the paperwork ready for the new guy before I talk to the recruiter at 9:30. Plus, I will be talking about the trip all day, so need to catch up before the friends come in!!!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

Monday Morning

It is the morning after returning to the US. It is nice to be home and in my own bed, but I really kind of miss it now. My foot is happy because I can actually lay in bed and not move it for longer periods of time. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be somewhat better, but I still have this feeling I am going to have to call and let them know I will have to be in flipflops at work. I am taking today off to regroup, do laundry and sleep when necessary. This doesn't feel like the doosy jet lag from China, but I can still imagine I will be needing more sleep.

It was nice to get kitty cuddles this morning. Simon just feels this is his time to play with mommy and so he takes it. My friend Taylor did a great job in taking care of them while I was gone. Taylor and I dated when I first got them so they love him almost as much as me. (Sometimes I think even more so than me, but that is another blog!). And the story of Taylor will be for another blog too :-).

So, what did I take away from my trip to Paris? People are generally the same all over the world, never count on your first impressions of people and really, don't listen to generalizations of people -- experience it for yourself. Not all Americans are rude in foreign countries -- I hope Jen and I led some French to think differently of Americans as much as they changed our perceptions. I still think of the lady, Christina, in the shop on the rue de Rivoli. Her joy and hospitality will stay with me for a lifetime.

Back in America

After a ten hour plane ride, we finally arrived back in the States. I loved Paris, but man, it is great to be home!!! Now there are things I miss that I will be referring to for a long time in the blog!

Yesterday, we finally made it to the Louvre. It was amazing. We had a pretty funny tour guide. I don't remember her name, but she had a Julia Childs voice and must have been a third grade teacher in a previous life (do you have your ticket to the Louvre??? We must stay together!!). She was full of interesting facts and we learned a lot. We then had lunch, where we ran into our truly first rude Parisian. And he wasn't really rude, as he was more an overactor. We laughed!

Well, I promise there will be more later. I just wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely. I do plan to post more stories from the past week as we go forward into June. It was a blast!!!

Day Six

We are coming to the end of our Sixth full day in Paris. Today, we visited Versailles. It was fabulous. The tour was pretty good, although I wanted to see more of the palace. A lot of it is actually under construction. I have some great pictures. Before the tour left, Jen and I headed to the area where we needed to meet the bus. Since we arrived early, we sat at a cafe for lunch. We ended up ordering Champagne and some great salads. We also got in a lot of shopping!!!! One store, we had a blast in. Cute scarves and purses. The lady was more than nice to us and we ended up staying there for awhile. I got some great things, not only for myself but for gifts as well.

This morning at breakfast, we quickly discovered why the French think Americans are rude. A lady and her daughter came down to breakfast and were very loud and obnoxious. At the hotel, you serve yourself and get your own utensils. The lady brings the coffee, but that is it. The girl was whining because she wanted a spoon and nobody was bringing her one. This girl is old enough to get her own freakin spoon. If that was me, my parents would have pretty much told me to get it myself or starve. Even I, limp girl, get my own spoon! The mother was also rude and obnoxious and both Jen and I were embarrassed for her. Everybody we have met has been nothing but nice to us. And if they appeared rude, I figured it was really indifference, not really rude. But off my soap box. My impression of the French (and the Londoners) is good and very pleasant.

My foot is doing much better. I only limp when I have been sitting down for awhile. Legs are not dying anymore and my hives are gone (yes, I had the hives!!!). I am now sunburned, but still doesn't matter. The weather has been perfect.

Yesterday, Jen and I witnessed a protest. We didn't know what they were protesting at the time, but turns out they were a part of the union and they were protesting low wages and unemployment. Thought of joining them :-). Once that was over, one of the union guys sat near our table at the cafe and started hitting on me. I had no idea what he was saying to me, but trust me, he was definitely trying to flirt. Now, people really should not be worried about me running off with a French man. I can't really understand American men. Add in the language barrier, I would go crazy!!! Now, if he knows English, that is a different story :-).

Well, I left Jen at the hotel. She is now having feet problems (blisters) so she will blog later if you want to check that out when she does. We are having dinner at the Hard Rock tonight (don't worry, we really have had French food!). Not sure after that. Depends on Jen's foot, I guess. It doesn't get dark until 10ish here so we have plenty of light.

Lost: The Vacation

A theme of this trip is being Lost. Yesterday, in London, we had the hardest time getting to Buckingham Palace A nice man with an AK47 (security guard at Scotland Yard) noticed we were looking a tad disoriented and gave us directions. We always recover and it leads to some great stories. However, I am very glad I called Kevin and he was able to actually show us around. Otherwise we would not have seen as much!!! We did have an English beer, in an English pub and it was fabulous. One thing about the pub was that the ladies room was all the way down the stairs while the Men's was upstairs and accessible. I felt like I was going to the dungeon just to pee. Apparently there are places in London that still do not open their doors to women. In the States, I would fight that, but really, can't say much in someone else's country!!!!

Back in Paris: We have discovered the joy of Nutella and Whipped Cream crepes. Oh my God. So wonderful!!!! There are crepe stands everywhere so it isn't hard to find one.

Tuesday at the Eiffel Tower was a blast! We waited in line forever, but it was so worth it to reach the top. I have some great pictures. And a video of us in the elevator queue ( I have actually gotten a few good videos). We did drink wine under the Eiffel Tower, but it was pretty bad. We had one glass to say we did it and discarded the rest. Don't worry, it was the cheap kind (I guess you do get what you paid for.). I also bought some candy thinking it was like our green slices in the States. Oh, not so much. It was along the lines of the wine. Tasted like pine. Very awful. I won't be bringing that back to the states!!!

Well, this afternoon is suveniour shopping. We ended up rescheduling the Louvre tour and ended up going to the Musee D'Orsay instead. It was a great place but my foot was KILLING me and I had to sit most of it out. We went back to the hotel, ate, rested the foot and I feel much better. I think I can walk through the pain :-).