Facie’s Ramblings

A blog I visit from time to time recently had a post about free-writing. Well, that was the part of the post that most intrigued me: Kristen explained how she responded to a simple prompt of "I" and went on to write about herself uncensored for five minutes. As my 40th birthday looms ahead (just over two months), I decided to try this free-write myself. So here goes nothing, off the cuff, from the heart. I... I worry a lot, about more things than I should. I love my kid and my husband more than anything else. I love my kid more than my husband, and I know I probably should not. I like football and hockey, to watch. I am a Steelers fan first and a Penn State fan second. Once I had a kid, I decided it was okay not to watch too many PSU games, but I do my best to watch all the Steelers games. I don't think you should leave sporting events early unless you have an emergency or some pressing concern; whether it is a blowout or a close game, I want to ...

Earlier this week I had a 3.5-plus-hour interview. with six different people (separately), which far surpasses my previous interview record. Up until I met with person number 6, I was able to think on my feet and answer whatever question or scenario put before me with relative ease. I felt pretty confident during the interviews. And I felt comfortable enough that I even joked with one person that I was hoping she was not going to ask me what I would do with a brick, as I had read online about someone being asked that very thing. Based on what a few people said, it appeared that my confidence and outgoing personality were tipping the scales in my favor (since I was, quite frankly, lacking some of the qualifications). In fact, one person told me that the other interviewee he talked to, despite being more qualified, seemed timid; another person said I could be taught what was necessary, but personality, which he indicated was a good fit, could not be changed. As I was reflecting b...

Last night, while my kid was (very slowly) getting ready for bed, she announced those words above. I was in the next room and had no clue what she was talking about, although the day before she asked me what V with three lines means (referring to VIII). So I walked into the hall to find Jordan standing in front of the full-length mirror, clearly pretending to wear a toga. I laughed out loud and said, "Oh, you are pretending to wear a toga. You are funny." Then Jordan asked if I was going to put that on Facebook. Of course I did (the exchange, not the picture). When I asked her today how she knows about togas and the Romans, she said she saw something about it awhile ago in a show called "Time Warp Trio." Good to see there are (or at least were) some educational cartoons out there (but for my money, "Phineas and Ferb" rules!). Seven is an interesting age. My kid is so much more independent. She can actually play by herself for an hour or more (I realize a...

Every couple of months, I go through this panic. I worry that we will run out of money and will be forced to start living off our savings. I have said that it is coming, but unfortunately, it is now pretty close. I guess the good news is that Brian seems to be on board with our giving no one Christmas presents this year. :-) I met a friend for lunch yesterday and I told her one of the hardest aspects about the job search and even networking in general is the people who have offered to help but never really did. I neither asked for nor expected anyone to find a job for me. Rather, I thought that the nice former client, former coworker, friend, friend of a friend, etc., might reply to an email I sent. The email might have been a simple question, such as do you know anyone at _______ or can you tell me if your company is hiring or looking for freelance help. Perhaps slightly more work for said non-responder would be an email address for an HR person or a request to use their name (not t...

I am pretty impatient. About some things at least. For years, I had the "pleasure" of sitting in Squirrel Hill Tunnel traffic (though to be fair, during rush hour, you actually do move a little once you get into the tunnel). The slow, often standstill, drive infuriated me for quite awhile, but then I just got used to it. You know, it is what it is. In fact, when we no longer needed to live east of the city, we actually continued to look for houses in that vicinity, which most people just could not understand. Maybe more than being impatient is that I don't like when I think something is going to happen and it does not. I am not talking about how I NEVER win my church raffle, even though that streak continued this past weekend, what, into its tenth year. I am more referring to things I can't quite explain. As I mentioned in my last post, I took a trip to NC to visit my brother and his family. I am happy and relieved to say that the trip went well. It was so great t...

I admire people who know exactly what they want to do. Maybe it is a long-term plan, but they know that someday they will get there. Or perhaps they have known since they were kids that this is what they were going to do, and they ended up doing it (this pretty much describes my brothers). But me? I am still searching my soul, just as I have been doing, whether consciously or not, for years. The substitute teaching thing is going okay. Most days I think this is what I want to do. I still want to make a difference, leave someone's (several someones, really) life better than it was before I came along. But I have some moments when the kids are so incredibly disrespectful that I think there is no way I can do this full time. At the very least, I am glad that I don't get called more than three days a week, because sometimes even two days feels like five. Seriously. And on days like yesterday, when I have nary a lesson plan to follow and I am forced to make it up as I am going a...