Job Hunting in Chicago or “Maybe I’m Getting Somewhere”

This morning, I got up earlier than I had in a long time in order to be on a 7:24 AM train to downtown Chicago. Why? To register with a temp agency that finally seemed excited to have someone on board with my skill set. YAY!

I knew going in that they wouldn’t immediately recommend me for a job (but I could hope!), yet I went there excited to finally be doing something—because sitting at home, staring at my computer and applying for jobs online sometimes makes me want to kick and scream in frustration.

So when I responded to a call from Kelley Services, I did think, that maybe, just maybe, this job search would finally produce fruit. In other words, I hoped that perhaps the temp-to-hire option would lead to something both equally permanent and interesting.

When I got there, Susan, my representative showed me the ropes. I took some tests (which basically told me that I was kick-ass at Word and PowerPoint and less so at Excel and typing), signed some forms and voilà!—technically I am an employed person. (I will not feel that way, however, until I am the recipient of steady paychecks.) But the experience was positive, beneficial and hope-giving (why yes, I did just make up an adjective). At the end of the day, I am just really excited to feel like I’m: A) valuable as an employee and B) making progress on my job search.

And while I will still be searching LinkedIn® and Monster® every day for job opportunities, I’m hoping that I can one day refer someone to Kelley Services and say, “Oh, yeah, you should go there! That’s where I got that wonderful job at [insert name of awesome company here]."

Small Child

It's early here. So early that the sun's not quite a sun, only light.
And it's cold. Cold enough that the edges of my window have registered the frost.

But it's quiet. So quiet without the noise of little one, the pitter-patter of
little feet on the hardwood floor. And suddenly I'm sad, bereft.

It doesn't last long. The sun is out. And the little one is here.
It's not so quiet now. And suddenly I miss the quiet of early morning,

and the frost on my windows. I close my eyes and
I imagine what my life would be like without him.

And I smile when I open my eyes and he is there.

Kenny

I saw him once. Well, to say it was once
would neither be accurate nor true.

I saw him many times, across from me
but only for that season. I wondered
about him; who he was and where he was
from. I made up stories in my head to
pass the time, lonely time, when I was sad.

I wonder: did I sit there on purpose?
Did I know "he" was what I needed then?
When I was sad and he was there and I
could dream? Create a fiction in my mind?
Perfection imagined and therefore safe.

He helped me. I know, because I made it.
I passed. And I did not cry. Not even once.

HotnessinCelebrityForm: Summer Edition #1

Yeah, it's late. I know that summer's over. But now, once I show you all the wonderfulnessinmaleform that appeared on television this summer, you can go back and watch the episodes at your leisure without trying to catch-up and perhaps skip out on other activities to catch another glimpse at Ben Bass or Lyriq Bent.

And there were SO MANY hotties on TV this summer that we must do it by show in order to keep it straight. So here goes:

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Yes, I watch this show. No, I am not a teenager. Yes, it is a guilty pleasure. No, I do not care if you judge me. Well, maybe a little. But it's just so wickedly GOOD.


Daren Kagasoff - Two Words: UNDERWEAR MODEL. I would say "nuff said," but then I'd be leaving out his better-than-average acting skills and the fact that he's 24 years old and doesn't strike me as a complete idiot. There's very little tabloid drama surrounding him (just think, Lindsay Lohan's not even a year older) and when he does interviews he doesn't act like a complete a-hole. That's enough for me to think that maybe, just maybe he'll make it to his role model Emile Hirsch's level, or better yet, maybe even Joseph Gordon-Levitt's. (Also, how gangster is a show whose 4th season premier was one week after the season 3 finale? 25 episodes in a row without missing a single week. That's dedication my friends.)

Rookie Blue

I mentioned both of these names above, but Lyriq Bent and Ben Bass are two of the hottest men to ever star in the same show. Seriously, I have a hard time concentrating when they're on the screen at the same time. And if you add in Eric Johnson (yeah, it's Whitney from Smallville), you got a veritable trifecta of hotnessincelebrityform.



Leverage

It's time to come clean and admit my obsession with Christian Kane (our love affair has been building since Angel). While I wouldn't go so far as to say that he's the love of my life, I will say that his hair kind of makes me want to have his babies. Did I mention he plays guitar... in a band? And then there's Aldis Hodge. While not as buff as Morris, or as well known as Taye, his sweetness on screen, coupled with the fact the his character is a hacker-with-a-heart (read nerdy) is enough to make most women melt. Plus, it's the smile. If I saw him in person, our smiles just might match. Oh, and he's on a motorcycle.









Covert Affairs

I have show-stalked Christopher Gorham from Popular to Ugly Betty (Betty's love interest, Henry) and now to Covert Affairs and he has only gotten hotter with age. His main character type rarely changes-- he always plays the nerdy guy girls can't help but fall in love with-- but in Covert Affairs as Augie, he's the hott, ex-army ranger turned CIA tech man whose six-pack leaves one breathless. (Don't believe me? See for yourself.) And despite the fact that I'm constantly pissed off that he and Annie (the leading lady in CA) haven't just torn each other's clothes off already, the show's worth watching in spite of that. Plus he and his real-life family are so ridiculously CUTE!

And the reason he's last on this entry? Because when I say I like tallskinnydarkhairedwhiteguys, he's the archetype.


Till next time :)

Reverie

Sometimes
when I close my eyes and I drift off
to that faraway place I dream of
white silk and blue satin,

of horses,
of champagne flutes teetering on haystacks,
and photographs in sun-streaked autumn.

Of slobbery dog kisses and
the need for front-wheel drive and riding lawnmowers.

And fresh, wet earth and cool, clean air,
And more than enough space to think.

Sometimes,
when I close my eyes and I drift off
to that faraway place I dream of
baby‘s breath and honeysuckle,

of sunlight and rain,
fall and spring,
and grinning until my cheeks hurt.

Mostly though, it seems
I dream of dreams.