Sunday Musings

Mass

You may or may not know this (depending on how well you know me in “real life”), but I’ve grown up Catholic. Don’t stop reading now– I’m not going to press my religion on you, I promise. There are few things that bother me more, so I’ll spare you.

For Lent, the BF and I decided to go to church every Sunday. We’ve only missed once since the start of Lent, and that was thanks to a snowstorm. There’s a church not too far from our apartment (this might ring a bell as to why I’m not pushing my particular “flavor” of faith, since it’s a big fat sin to live together before getting married, more or less) that we like, and the priest there is surprisingly cool. He’s been MIA since the first service we had him, though, owing to the fact that he “took a header off the Rectory steps” (his words, I swear) on Valentine’s Day and tore his quadricep from his knee. Seriously ouch.

But it’s a great little church, and it has some major promise for being *the* church when the time comes.

We’ve also visited a few others, including the one my mom and her side of the family frequents and another one where I previously wanted to get married. And in our travelings from church to church and Mass to Mass, we’ve come to realize what we like:

• A quick, snappy Mass
• No drums and guitars with the music: pianos and organs only, if you please
• A priest with a sense of humor and full shoes (no sandals, if you will)
• Very moderate temperature (I tend to overheat and almost pass out during Mass… it’s happened at least 3 times, and I’m hoping it’s not God trying to smite me while I’m at church… that might look bad, right)

And the church nearest us, once we get the awesome priest back, covers most of these bases. Some of the Masses have the full band, but others don’t, so we have to figure out which is which. And they really have to work on the temperature thing.

Jobs

Dunno if you’ve heard, but the market’s tough. I went to a job fair on Monday that was a big fat waste of my time. It was all insurance and sales and insurance sales jobs, none of which really work for me. I’m not quite to the point where I’ll take anything, thankyouverymuch. I got to that level of desperation right before graduation, took the first offer I got, hated every second of the job, then got laid off. Go figure.

But I recently found a site that’s given me a few leads: hireculture.org. I’ve done a lot of nonprofit work, both volunteer and internship, and I’m definitely interested in making a career out of it. Don’t go stealing my leads, though! I need those!

I reinstated myself on the substitute teaching list in my hometown, and I’m already scheduled to sub this Thursday and Friday. It’s at an elementary school, so I’ll be with K-2 kids– how fun is that?!? Strangely, it would probably be fun to be at the high school, too. I was there myself just about 5 years ago, so I’m not too far removed.

What I’m noticing in the greater scheme of things is that there’s a lot of… what’s the word/phrase I need? I said it the other day… oh, there’s a big funnel. I think that’s it. You have to apply to approximately eleventy billion jobs to hear back from one. It’s gotten to the point where I check my spam filter just in case a response got stuck there. Not likely, but you never know.

My other beef is that it’s seriously frustrating to apply to a job and never hear anything back. I understand that there’s a ton of competition for each of these jobs, but even a generic “thank you for your interest in XXX position. Due to the large number of qualified applicants, we are unable to further consider your application…” e-mail is better than nothing. And even if you get that, it takes weeks!

Can someone in HR explain why there’s such a lag time for me? I’d really appreciate it!

Miscellaneous thoughts

Get ready. You might want to sit down for this one. July 18, barring anything else exciting going on (like friends of ours finally deciding to get married after 2 years of engagement already), I’m taking my cousin and a friend of hers to the Jonas Brothers concert! I’ll admit it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a JoBros song, but I’m excited to take them nonetheless. I’m hoping it’ll take me back to my *NSync concert days. ::sigh::

The beer is almost ready! Just about another week to go, and we’ll be drinking it! Woohoo!

A friend of ours recently returned safely from his tour of duty (with the Marines) in Iraq. I’m so happy to have him back on American soil– now all the boys are safe at home! He’ll probably be coming up for a visit sooner rather than later, which is great. He and the BF are running the Boston Marathon on April 20, too, so I’ll have a whole apartment full of men! I’m just excited to see them, and I like makng big dinners for them. It’s one of my favorite things to do.

Once again, I’m reading my way through the Harry Potter series. The BF thinks it’s funny to start asking me if I’ve finished a book about an hour after I’ve started reading. He also thought it would be amusing to ask me how many times I’ve read them. Uhm… hello? I have no bleedin’ clue! His estimate of 30 sounds roughly correct, though, I guess. You know you’ve read a book a few times when you can quote the book, not the movie. And laugh at all the same parts– Gred and Forge gets me every time

Unemployment updates

Well, it’s been 2 weeks and 3 days since I was laid off. I finally have been able to get rid of all the dang boxes I had from my old company in my apartment, which freed up a lot of space. My severance came through, even though my unemployment pay is still in the works. I’m slightly in awe at how many hoops I have to jump through to sign up! I suppose it makes sense, though, considering the number of people who try to file fraudulently (there are a lot of people trying to do that, right?).

I’ve been working part-time, as I’ve mentioned before, with a photographer who does some fabulous work. I’m learning a lot and keeping busy/getting out of the house, which is nice. I haven’t been able to keep up with my Google Reader (at over 1000 unread items) or Twitter much, which makes me sad, but it’s kind of nice not being tied to the computer all day, every day.

When I’m not working with Rachel (the photographer), generally 2 days “off” per week, I’m scouring the web for jobs and career fairs. I try to apply for at least 3 jobs at a time so that I have plenty in the hopper. Based on my recent job search (you know, the one that lasted from October to April while I was in college, desperately trying to find a job by graduation), I know HR departments aren’t generally too quick about getting back to you. So while I am enjoying not having to wake up at the crack of dawn and spending all day in the office, I know I have to be pretty proactive now if I hope to have a job anytime soon. And I need a job soon. Starting to get a little scary, not gonna lie.

I’m going to a career fair on Monday, though, so we’ll see how that goes. I generally hate career fairs, since you have to wait in line behind a million and fifteen people just to get 2 minutes of a company rep’s time, hoping you can find something in that 2 minutes that makes you stand out. We’ll see how it goes. Anyone have any suggestions?

I’ve been battling a nasty cold (at least, I think it’s a cold) for the past few days, and it’s seriously kicking my butt. I’m coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose, and trying to keep my head from exploding allllllll day and alllllll night. I slept for 13 hours the other night, something that felt really weird to me.

On a fun front, the BF and I bottled our first batch of beer on St. Patrick’s Day! It’ll be ready to drink in 2 or 3 weeks, and I can’t wait!! Let me know if you want a sample

Music notes

Hurry up and listen.

So I can’t embed the video, but I want you to go to YouTube and watch this video (or just listen to it, which is what I do). I’ll let you know ahead of time that it’s Ida Maria’s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked,” and my new favorite song. Why? Well, it’s funny as hell and makes me want to rock out like it’s going out of style. It makes me think of a cheesy college/high school movie… fits in perfectly.

Then, go watch/listen to this one (MGMT’s “Electric Feel”) and this one (Franz Ferdinand’s “No You Girls Never Know”), and now you know what I’m LOVING right now… more of the same alterna-pop sound, but with a definite hint of funk. Love. It.

Meh.

And in case you’ve been living under a close-to-Boston rock for the past few weeks, you’ll already know that U2 is playing a super-secret show tonight that was revealed yesterday to be at Somerville Theater in Davis Square. Whoop-de-do. I’m not a U2 fan, which surprises a lot of people, considering my love for Coldplay and other similar-sounding bands. There are exceptions, like this song (“Get on Your Boots,” which, according to the YouTube comments, most “real” U2 fans don’t like anyway), but overall, I’m just not a fan. If you’re one of the lucky ones going to the show, though, have a good time. I’m not going to rain on your parade.

On another note, another band people are surprised I don’t like is Radiohead (again, with precious few exceptions, like some of what I’ve heard off “In Rainbows”). The BF loves them, though, so he makes a point to turn up the radio when I’m on, mostly to spite me. I do it with the Smashing Pumpkins, then try singing like Billy Corgan. Oh, yes. I can sing like Billy Corgan, and it makes ears bleed. I do like the songs, though. Go figure.

Announcing…

I have officially named my brewery operations. And by brewery operations, I mean I have officially named my series of beers created with the sweet setup the BF got me for Christmas that produces 5 gallons of beer (50 bottles) at a time.

Behold… The Bookworm Brewing Company!!!

That’s right, folks, I’m honoring my serious love of reading with naming my beer company after it. I was thinking of going with something honoring my Irish heritage (Claddagh Brewery, Lucky Beer, Slainte Brewing Company, etc.) but it seemed like an obvious choice and something that’s been done before. Enter the Bookwork Brewing Company.

All of the beers will be named for books, authors, or characters I like. Likely to be featured:

• Potter Porter
• Hemingway Hefeweizen (or Happily Ever After Hefeweizen, which would be adorable for a wedding)
• Cullen Cider (I might call my first, the continental, “Cullen Continental,” but I’m not sure)

And I  know I want my next brew to be a stout, but I’m not sure what to call it! I was thinking Sookie Stout, but she’s from Louisiana and would better fit a Sookie Strawberry Ale or something like that (note to self…).

Currently fermenting (just about ready to be bottled) is a Continental Light, similar in style to a Heineken Light. As I mentioned above, I was thinking of calling it Cullen Continental, but I’m leaning more towards Card Catalog Continental as a sort of intro to the brand. I found a sweet site for custom beer labels (and this page is my favorite style), so I might look into that if I ever give my beer away as gifts or want to commemorate a particularly good batch.

Laid. Off.

I was laid off at about 10 Tuesday morning. I hesitated in writing this post, since I didn’t want it to seem either overdramatic or blasé, since my reaction is somewhere in between. It’s not exactly a secret I wasn’t in love with my job and looking elsewhere. For me, this is definitely a mixed blessing, but I am being uncharacteristically positive about it. Even my landlord said something about how happy I seem.

Which is the strange truth– I’m happier now that I’m unemployed than I have been in months. How’s that for ironic? The thing that so many Americans are dreading is a welcome change in my life. Rather than being scared, I’m taking it as an opportunity to evaluate what it is that I really want to do with my life. I can tell you one thing for sure– my last job wasn’t it.

So I filed for unemployment in person today, sat through an orientation session (which was very helpful, since I had no bleedin’ clue what I was doing), and got crackin’ on updating all my job search web sites. I sent out a mass e-mail to lots of friends and family yesterday, and I feel so blessed to have the support I do. I can’t believe how willing people are to help me out! Not that I’m a bad person or lazy or anything, but people are taking time out of their days to send me job postings, ask for my resume, and give me updates on where they’ve circulated my resume for me. I love all these people to bits, as I did before and always will.

I’ve applied for a few jobs, met with Rachel at mergeweddings.com about my assistant position– I’m her official Marketing Manager!– and some hours I can pick up with her, helping her organize her office and projects and whatnot. I’m super-excited! I have a lunch date with my fabulous ex-boss from an internship/contractor position tomorrow, another lunch date with my awesome ex-coworkers from my most recent job on Tuesday, and I hope to visit the family I used to babysit at some point next week, too.

I’m very lucky that I was laid off when I was. I don’t have kids that I have to worry about, I have savings tucked aside (I was hoping to use them for a down payment on a house or a wedding, but we’ll see), and I only have to worry about rent and student loan payments for the most part. The BF has been incredibly supportive of me and has been really patient with me, and I can’t thank him enough. I think he’ll get sick of having me around the house all the time, though! He’s gearing up for the start of landscaping season, so I’m helping him with his customer mailings.

Well, that’s about it, really. I thought this was kind of a major update for you, dear readers, if you’re out there. More updates to come!

Genius!

In addition to taking the cupboard/cabinet off my mom’s hands not too long ago, I also managed to snag a space heater. Since her house is new and there aren’t gale-force winds blowing from around her windows, she thought I might have a better use for it.

And, boy, do I. The way our office is set up, we have to have most of the furniture against the walls. My desk included. Now, we moved into the apartment in August, and I wanted to be able to look out my window while I was working from home. I have since come to realize that this was a stupid decision, since said window is the one with the winds. It’s so drafty over here, I feel like I’m working outside!

Back to the space heater. I plugged it in today, since we kind of have a blizzard on our hands. (Note: it looks like it’s stopped snowing for the time being, but it was snowing like a mofo not too long ago.) Most of the day, I had it on the floor, though still aimed at me.

No more. I have since wised up and put it on a wooden chair AND aimed it at me. That’s right, kids… right at my back/neck/shoulder area. Warm, soothing air.

Now if I could only do something for my poor little fingers!

(Another side note: dammit, Leah, look at which blog you’re posting to!)

Brewing beer

That’s right, folks, I finally started my first batch of home-brewed beer. As you might recall, the BF got me a starter kit for Christmas, which included everything I needed except a brew kettle. I picked that up last week, and got started Saturday night! If all goes according to plan, I’ll have 5 gallons of Continental Light-style beer, similar to Heineken. I prefer a good hefeweizen or stout myself, but you have to start somewhere, right? And I do like Heineken, so we’re good to go.

Some pictures!

1.5 gallons of water on to boil

Continental Light-style ingredients kit

Malt, hops, sugar bubbling away.

Just added the yeast for fermenting

Seriously??

I would like to go on record ans day there is a special place in Hell reserved for people who heckle at the Special Olympics. You heard right. This weekend, the BF and I went to Worcester to watch his brother play basketball in the Special Olympics. This is one of the highlights of his year, and we’re always happy to go watch.

In his second game, he was fouled. Fair enough… it happens in most basketball games, right? So he gets to free throws. He steps up to the line to take his shots, and as just he’s shooting his first shot, we hear “BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL” from the balcony.

That’s right… there was a woman sitting up in the balcony watching the game, trying to distract him so that he missed his shot. And he did. She did it again for his second shot, which he made despite her best efforts.

I was furious. It could have been any other player on any team; that sort of behavior is unacceptable at any amateur sporting event, no less the Special Olympics. These kids are out to have a great time and play against other teams in the area, all while getting to know one another. It’s not a professional game.

It was all I could do to hold myself back from yelling something back up at her. But I realized it wouldn’t make any difference– she was going to do whatever she damn well pleased, regardless of what anyone else says.

What would you have done? Me? I fumed for a (long) while, made idle threats (not to her face), and blogged about it.