Hi remember me?

I have been a slacker and haven't posted in forever - please forgive me.

Not a lot to tell you, not much happening.

Had a craft show, my 3rd, on Sunday Nov 4th. I sold 6 things, made $36, but the table cost $25, so I cleared $11 - woo hoo!

I had an interview a couple weeks ago - haven't heard anything from them yet, it is for a bank - they are almost as bad as the gov't with rushing things (insert sarcasm here).

I lost my art mojo for awhile. I hope to get it back soon.

Hubs & kid are going hunting tomorrow afternoon til Sunday - that means me & the dogs will be home alone! ART time - I hope. I have a ton of things I could work on or do.

Below are LOTS of photos of two mini albums with quotes I made recently - one for my friend Annette, the other for the craft sale. My sister H ended up buying it for a friend.

Each tag & insert has a quote or two. I didn't get pics of all the ones in H's mini though.

Catch Up Post

So I worked 3 days last week at my new job - I didn't start until Wednesday as they had issues getting a final signature for my contract.

I spent Wednesday without a computer or phone, just reading anything they could print off for me - was a long boring day.

My manager managed to expidite my laptop, so I got that around 11am Thursday and spent the rest of the day setting everything up and logging tickets for things I still didn't have, such as certain software, a monitor etc...

On Friday I actually got some work done. I was finally given access to an area I needed so I could begin.

I am finding the 5am wake up very difficult to get used to. Wednesday evening I was falling alseep on myself by 8pm!

I also realized how completely out of shape I am - once I get to Toronto Union station, I have to pretty much run to the subway, go 4 stops and then walk a few blocks to arrive at work by 8am. All the stairs at the GO station & subway are going to be the death of me - my legs have been aching all week.

While working on my laptop at work, I realized I could no longer put off getting new glasses - it has been over 2 yrs since I had my eyes checked.

So I made appts for K and I to get our eyes checked today. They had a 2 for special on glasses, so I got 2 pair, one for distance and one for looking at the computer. I paid $389 for both pair with anti-glare and scratch resistant coating.

K also got 2 pair as it was the same price if he had just got one - but both his are bifocals. So he just has 2 pair if he wants to change the style. His were a little pricier at $575 for the 2 pair with coating. So almost a thousand dollars in glasses today - yikes!

Apparently my distance vision has actually gotten better so now my glasses are too strong for me and is causing eye strain - Dr said that often happens in your 40-50s and then will worsen again as you get cataracts in your 60-70s! Great!

I have a list of chores to do today: laundry, in progress (a lot more now that I am working), make breakfast burritos for fast mornings, hem a pair of pants, dinner in crockpot (adobe chicken), groceries done, eye exams done, fill and run dishwasher, handwash pots, prep lunches for J & I for the week (saves me time in the mornings)

and then get to bed by 10 pm the latest! :)

Oh I have my 2nd craft show next Sunday in Brookin, Ontario - since I didn't sell anything at my last one, I still have plenty for this one - I may try to make a couple more things though, if time permits.

Getting Ready to Start New Job

I start my new job tomorrow Wednesday (they are still waiting on a signature-all this after hubs drove me 3 hours to Brampton and back to get a same day background check on Thursday last week so I could start Monday!).

Today I have made 4 breakfast burritos for quick breakfasts this week - hopefully do this every weekend.

Sorted through my dress clothes. I have enough to get by, but would have LOTS more if I could lose 10-20lbs. I have a lot of stuff that is just a TAD too snug for comfort.

I made my lunch for tomorrow (it will save til Wed): a salad with various topping in lil baggies - bringing a tupperware bowl to leave at work to mix salad in.

I still have one pair of pants to hem, will either do that this evening or leave til the weekend, I do have enough to get by the rest of the week.

Switched to my work purse and reorganized with pens, notebook and such.

Baked a loaf of bread for kid's lunches this week, will make him a loaf of cinnimon bread tomorrow for his breakfasts.

Well now I have an extra day to get things done - maybe even do a bit of art tomorrow.

My News

So I submitted to a job back in Feb, heard nothing, assumed they were not interested.
Friday last week, I get a call from the recruiter wanting to know if I am still available & still interested, I say yes to both.

I had an interview with them today. One of the 3 people interviewing me is a colleague I have worked with twice before, and I am pretty sure he is the reason I GOT THE JOB! It is a 3 month contract.

Before the interview was even finished, they were saying "when you start" etc...I was told I could start May 1st and just had to sign the paperwork.

So I called my recruiter to tell them and then heading for the nice long commute home.

When I got home, I again spoke to the recruiter - I have to do a criminal background check and it has to be done in the next 2 days and at one of only 3 police stations that will do "while you wait" checks (none of which are anywhere close to me) because the client wants me to start MONDAY as in 4 days from now!

Crap, I was hoping for the 2 wks to get things organized at home etc...

Now I have to rush and try to get this back ground check done on Sat but I am not sure I have the correct ID for it - I can use my passport, but not my health card or SIN and I don't have any of the other gov't issued ID listed.

So good news & bad - I couldn't get a live person on the phone today at the police station, so will call again tomorrow morning at 8am and see if I can get it done with the ID I have - not sure what will happen if I can't.

News...

So I got the job! Finally I'll be back to work making money.

I don't start for a couple weeks and it is a 3 month contract to start.

The commute is a bit of a pain because it is not downtown Toronto, where I usually work. The GO train (high speed commuter train) only stops at this stop a couple times per day, so I will have to adjust my schedule accordingly. I am hoping to do the earlier shift of 7:30 am til 3:30pm. That way I'll be able to catch a ride home with K from where my train comes in. I'll find out once I start.

Also for the first few weeks, I will be working in several different locations as I have to interview people and gather information, but the company offers a shuttle bus service between locations several times per day, which is extremely convenient as I don't drive.

It should be a challenging contract as I don't really know the topic I am to be writing about. Not that I usually do - I learn as I go, but as I mentioned, this contract is with a bank and so the topic is financial and quite complex in nature.

This morning I went through my closet to see what I had in business clothes. I have several pcs that are just a tad too tight - hopefully if I lose 5-10 lbs, I'll be able to wear them again.

I do need to buy a few items. My dress pants have definitely seen better days.

We also have to get J on a schedule of getting up in the morning on his own and making sure he is out the door on time to catch the bus. We will have to buy him a REALLY loud alarm clock this weekend and maybe have his Dad call from work each morning as a backup. We can give it a trial run next week, while I'm home to wake him if I have to.

Previously when I worked, we put him in daycare, but as he just turned 12, he does not want to do the daycare route.

His Papa lives in the basement, so is available in case of emergency.

On previous contracts, he came home by himself after school and let himself in, he will continue to do that but only now he has the added responsibility of letting Peanut out and feeding her.

Once school is out, I will either put him into some camp programs (I want him outdoors as much as possible), or my friend (or her son) may watch him, but there is more opportunity for him to stay in all day and play X-box with that option.

I want to apologize in advance for the slacking I will no doubt do in regards to blog posting once I start the job. Hopefully after a couple weeks, I will get my groove back :)

Interview Update - long

So I had my interview with the Ministry today. I think it went well. I won't know for a couple weeks if I got it or not.

I realized once there, that I had interviewed with the same two people, for the same position back in 2006 at the beginning of the project. Obviously, I didn't get the job then. I don't know if they remembered me. I didn't mention it to them.

I am still a bit concerned about the agency that submitted me for the job. Here is the back story.

Job ad is placed on Craigslist - not the usual place I seek work but anyway, I answer the ad and get called by company ABC (not real name:)).

They provide all the specs for the job and say they think I am a good fit. I say ok submit me to the Ministry. Couple days go by, company ABC calls and says I have an interview in a few days.

Day before interview, I am still awaiting interview details. I finally get a hold of recruiter at 6:30pm the night before the interview. He send me a contract to sign. I don't sign contracts unless I have a job offer. He wants me to sign a contract with his company before I interview.

The way the contract is written is that I work for ABC company from Mar 19. 2009. No end date. No client name. No way for me to terminate the contract. And all this for the crappy rate I accepted because the Ministry job is longterm and close to home. I explain to the recruiter that if I sign this contract, and I don't get offered the job at the Ministry, then I am still obligated to them (ABC) whenever they decide they need me. He says yes...he doesn't see a problem with this.

Note: Also in the contract is the company address which turns out to be a house in the next town over. He works out of his home office. This is a one man show. He's only been in business for 2 years.

I refuse to sign a contract until the job at the Ministry is offered to me, and only then will I sign a contract for that client for that amount of time. He finally agrees and sends me the interview details, which I haven't yet received. It is now 8pm the night before my interview and I am just now finding out where I am going and whom I am meeting. At the end of the email with the details, he writes..."Don't forget to mention you are from company XYZ."

WTF?! who is company XYZ?

I don't bother calling him back because I am tired of trying to make sense of what he is saying. I go to the interview today. The project sounds very interesting and challenging. I felt it went well.

I called him afterwards to let him know how it went and asked who XYZ was. Well XYZ is the vendor able to submit to the Ministry. They hired company ABC to find a writer. Are you following this?

Now in my business, this is something you disclose up front. The did not do that. This is very fishy to me.

The way it will work, if I get offered the job, is: Ministry will pay XYZ, XYZ will pay ABC, ABC will then pay me. Both XYZ & ABC will also take a cut of what they charge the Ministry before paying me. It is becoming clear why my rate is so low.

The way it usually works is if a consultant (me) charges $10 per hour (obviously not real amounts) then the agency charges the client $13 per hour and keeps $3 for themselves. In this case I will get $10 per hour, XYZ will get $5 per hour and ABC will get $5 per hour. I can tell from how low my rate is that they are gouging (taking too high a cut), and it is worse because they are both taking a cut.

I cannot accept this job without dealing with these 2 companies now. It would be professional suicide on my part to try to approach the Ministry independently since XYZ (ABC) submitted me.

I look up company XYZ. I have never heard of them before either and I am familiar with a LOT of agencies. There is nothing online about them except their website. Apparently, no one else has heard of them either. They have also been in business 2 yrs.

I will have to wait and see if I am offered the job, but if I am, I am definitely asking for more money.

Finally the last thing that concerns me is, the payment schedule. I am to invoice ABC at the end of each month. They then have 15 days to pay me. So I could work for 45 days and have them skip out and not pay me. It will also look unprofessional to the Ministry if I stop working because I am not being paid.

It would be so much easier if I could just win the lottery. Super 7 is 17 million tomorrow night...we have tickets. :)