It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween...

Ok, so my son looks like a drunken superman.

Our household doesn't usually go too far out for Halloween.  We buy the kids costumes, we buy candy for trick-or-treators, and there's the pumpkins.

Last year, the hubby found out that he had a knack for carving pumpkins.  A talent I guess you never really know you have until you, well, until you carve a pumpkin.

It all started with:

Check out the Boorack Obama Pumpkin.  Not bad, eh?  You can also check out the adorable days old baby who these days looks like a drunken superman.

Anyway, I got distracted.

Pumpkin.

So this year, it was on again.  We needed a pumpkin, some tools (the hubby even bought something that required batteries) and a template or idea.

We were pumped.  Went out, bought everything, but were underwhelmed with ideas on what to do, not to mention, the pumpkin we got was ginormous.  I'm almost positive that's a real word.

So, here's how it went down:

 

Tools, check.

 

Pumpkin, check.



Carving, check.

Gut scooper outer, check.  (Doesn't it look like she's enjoying herself?)

 And a finished product, check.

With Halloween coming near, I only know a few things for sure:

1. The kids are dressing up
2. Another pumpkin will be sliced and diced in our home.



Realizations

As I sat here, thinking of something witty to write about, I came across a variety of realizations:

I have way more white hair than I care to talk about.

A 9 PM bedtime isn't only desired but usually the norm.

Food tastes better when the hubby makes it.

Tuesdays are supermarket ad days.  I love Tuesdays.

I keep a stack of papers on my desk in case someone walks by so that I can look busy at a moment's notice.

I think I'm losing my shopping mojo.  I blame Nick.

I absolutely NEED more  black shoes for work.

And a manicure.  Sometimes I sit at my desk and look down at my hands and feel very unprofessional.

I might just paint my nails right now, even though it is past my bedtime.

I think I may have this job thing down.  It's getting better, tons better.

I'm still too new at my job to know everything, as evidence by the conversation that stopped when I walked into the room earlier today.

Thinks it's horrible that I want to browse facebook at work, but I'm just waiting until my probation period is over.

I totally overplanned Owen's party.  Or maybe the weather kept people at home.  Either way, all I know is I ended up with way too much food.  Thank Jebus we didn't hire that taco guy.

Thinks the issues with my phone reception may have to do with the sim card.  Of course I won't do anything about it, but as long as I think I know what the issue is, I'm fine with it.

Had I not applied and got my new job, I would have more than likely been laid off and my last day of work would be November 30.

I'm blessed.

My New Job

I've been so busy lately with my new job that I haven't had a chance to update this thing.  Since for some god awful reason I'm wide awake at 5 am and the whole house is sound asleep, even the dog, I decided I would take this time to write about my new job.

So, I worked for LA Unified.  Clerical job.  Love the people and the job itself wasn't so bad.  Like everywhere else, they're hurting financially so the girls and I started looking for jobs during our breaks at work.  Ok, so I know that sounds bad.  Looking for new jobs while at work, but it's a necessary evil.  Anyway, I saw a job opening for a Secretary job.  Specifically, Secretary to the Chief of Police.  It sounded fancy and a long shot, so I did what any sane person does, I applied.

Found the job listing on Wednesday and filled it out that night.  It was due Friday.  Thursday after her lunch, Yolie comes in and tells me that I wouldn't believe what she just saw.  Thinking she witnessed an accident or saw a celebrity or something I was listening intently.  Turns out that her favorite soap opera, the one she goes home to watch during her lunch, had a scene about the Police Commissioner interviewing a new secretary.  He finds one he likes and lo and behold, her name is Inez.  Funny, right?  In typical Yolie style, she then said, I DVR'ed it in case you didn't believe me :)

So here comes Friday.  Nick was off that day and offered to submit my application for me.  I leave the application for him and go on my way.  I get a call around 11, from Nick saying I needed a typing test certificate and the guy where he turned it in at said there was a same day place in Burbank, clear across town.  At that point, I gave up and said it wasn't meant to be.  I hadn't even signed the application!  I learned that then too. But Nick, being Nick, said I'm picking you up and taking you to this place to take this test. So he did. Ended up taking an hour and a half for lunch and didn't eat.

I get a call on Monday to take a test on Wednesday.  I go and take the most ridiculous test ever, convinced that I completely failed.  Surprisingly, I get a call on Thursday to interview the following week on Wednesday.  This interview was ridiculous too.  A 3 person panel, 2 of whom were police officers.  They interview people for a living.  It was intimidating and scary.  Somehow I managed to say things like "streamlined the office to make it more technologically efficient." <-- Where I pulled that one from, no clue.  It was my only shining moment in that interview.  Knowing that they interviewed about 9 people, I didn't have much hope.

Until I got a call the next day for a second interview with the man himself.  I get there, we chit chat for a long while.  It felt like a personality test.  I answered all questions, managed to ask questions (what kind of boss are you?  what would be expected of me?) - - I tell ya, I had a couple of rare moments of genius.

2 days later, I was offered the job.

I think I cried. 

I almost did a cartwheel.

Then they told me it was pending a physical.  Which was interesting.  I always like peeing in a cup while a bug burly gangbanger looking guy is standing right outside who had told me not to flush so he could see if I threw anything in the bowl.  My main physical consisted of a dr. asking if I had any serious medical conditions, asked me to flex all joints (raise arms, bend arms, raise legs, bend legs, you get the picture) and then sending me off my merry way.

My pee was clean and I got the job, officially.

I was given about 3 weeks to give notice and I started my new job on Monday, October 4.

So far, it's been a mixture of overwhelming, excited, and interesting.  In two weeks, I've already done 4+ hours of overtime.  Plus, I get every other Friday off, which is awesome!

Cons: my boss calls me all the time and anyone that knows me, knows I rarely answer my phone.  I just don't hear it.  It's bad when you don't answer the Chief's call.

Pros: too many to post on a public blog.

Given the nature of my work, this is probably the most information you guys will get, but I wanted to share  the craziest two weeks in getting the job.