Hump Day

I've been seeing these signs all over town. It makes me smile and think of Grandpa Sams each time I see one. Kind of like he's watching over me. 

I have a phone screen interview today with Natur-Tyme. They are looking for an In-House Graphic Designer. They're a health food store/company. And they do a lot of big events in the area. Interestingly enough, I used to help with their commercials when I was with Channel 9. I made sure to mention that in my cover letter. The only thing that may keep me from this job is that it is 'web intensive'. And my experience with the web isn't exactly 'intensive'. Although I have been dabbling in it for almost 20 years. So maybe I can work that in somehow. I have confidence I could do the job, so hopefully that will be evident. 

I met with the woman who I'll be doing volunteer work with. It's funny how small the world really is. The woman (Kristin) used to work at WCNY. She left the month before I started working there. The night before I was to meet with her, I mentioned her name to Eric, and he said he knew her. So we looked her up, and sure enough, we had 67 similar connections on LinkedIn. Our meeting went very well, we hit if off immediately. She invited me to a Social Media Breakfast tomorrow and said she'd help get my name out there to her connections to help me get some work. I'll be sure to bring lots of business cards with me tomorrow! You never know!

* * * Update * * *

I got a 2nd interview after the phone screen.
With the owner of the business. Fingers crossed!!

Crouse Tribute Dinner

On Friday evening, Eric and I went to a big 'black tie' dinner at the OnCenter. He did the video for the event, which was for a local hospital. We've been before, he's been producing the videos for years now. They love him. 

We always forget to get a photo together... but here's a handsome one of Eric. 

And this is me with Bob Papaleoni. He works with Eric. 

Dinner was a nice filet. It was really good! 

It was nice to get out again and mingle and chat with adults. The free wine and food was nice too!

Here is the last blog post from the last time we went to this event a couple of years ago. We didn't get any photos together that night either! (And um, yes, I'm wearing the same little black dress...)

The Dawn of a New Day

Today I got up and decided to get out of the fog I've been in. So I went running. It felt great. I think I've been missing physical activity in my life. Sitting around every day isn't healthy! Jenny went for a quick run too (she was my warm up).

When I returned from my run, I heard back from a company I had put in a resume with to do some volunteer work. It's the George & Rebecca Barnes Foundation. (Feel free to visit their website.) I'm going to do some fliers and brochures for them. I think that's just the thing I need (aside from an actual paying job!), to keep my mind alert and to get out there and make some new connections. There's a huge need for volunteers with some of the local non-profits. And I have the time and skills to help, so I will. And it will look good on my resume too!

Update

Well, O'Brien & Gere is a no-go. They gave the job to the intern. They said we both had the similar experience (really??) but they had to go with the internal candidate. I think they were going to give it to her all along, I had no chance.

So I've moved on, after I spent yesterday moping around the house. I applied to 6 more jobs in the last 2 days. Only one of which was a design job. There just aren't that many around. And I've got to do something. I'm half-way through unemployment with nothing in sight.

I applied on a whim for a job in the bakery at Wegmans, and they called me 4 hours later. I have a phone interview on Monday. It would only be part-time and I certainly wouldn't have to stay forever, but it might be a fun thing to do to get me out of the house while I'm still applying for jobs in my field. And maybe I'd love it so much, I'd eventually become a manager of some sort. What a twist that would be. Wegmans is a great company to work for, so you never know...

Poop.

Today's lesson is being brought to you by the letters R-I-T. Engineers and people with big fancy doctorate degrees do not know how to conduct interviews with normal human beings. They do not know how to look people in the eye. And they do not understand how designers think or work. Needless to say, I will not be working at RIT. Which is a good thing, because I think a 170 mile round-trip commute is a bit too much. 

Still waiting to hear from O'Brien & Gere. And still applying for anything that looks interesting. 

Testing 1-2-3.

This is a test.

I was creating a portfolio type of website for Eric, since he's now actively looking for a new job as well. It is ikehayden.com if you'd care to visit. 

Update

Here is my latest cake creation. It's for Greg's birthday party - which is this evening up in Fulton. He and Diane and Mark are in town for Diane's class reunion. So we're getting a birthday occasion out of the deal! The idea was from Sheila, I hope I did it justice!

On the job front. I am still waiting to hear back from O'Brien & Gere. I thought for sure I'd hear something today. Although the day is not over. 

I had a call from RIT today. I forgot I even applied for a job there. Well, they want me to come in for an interview on Monday. So that's next on the list. Imagine me working at RIT! Ha! Maybe I would have an opportunity to further my education if I worked there. They do have a Master of Fine Arts degree in Design. You never know! It would be a heck of a commute, but there's always re-location, if it came down to it... I'm open. I'm certainly having lots of opportunity to better my interview skills.