Unqualified

Dear Michelle,

Thank you for your interest in the Switchboard Operator Evenings position 51419 that you recently applied for with (deleted) . At this time, we are considering other candidates for this position. We wish to inform you of this as soon as possible so that you may pursue other opportunities.

If you have already been contacted about a position with (deleted) or offered a position with (deleted) please disregard this letter. Please note that this does not prevent you from still being considered for any other position within (deleted), that you have applied to.

If you would like to be considered for other positions within (deleted), we encourage you to visit our website, to log our Career Center and review your current application status, update your personal information profile and check our current job opportunities.

We wish you success with your career.

Apparently, ten years as a classroom teacher and a Master's degree has made me now unqualified for a job I could have snatched up when I was 20 years old and working my way through my undergrad years in college.

I received an identical letter regarding another position, one involving pushing patients from Point A to Point B in a wheelchair or gurney for X-rays, MRIs, or other procedures. That job required a GED and current CPR card. I am also not qualified for that job.

I have 7 days left as a classroom teacher, and two more paychecks before my income disappears.

I am frustrated and discouraged.

I'm also very, very scared.

Snip Snip!

Following the birth of my third child last fall, I started losing hair.

A LOT of hair!

I think we've gone through 2 1/2 bottles of drain cleaner, and I've pulled dozens of small animal-sized hairballs out of the shower and my hairbrush. I finally realized it's time to quit fighting it and just get a haircut.

I went in today and let the stylist go wild. My previously mid-back length hair is now above my shoulders in a kicky layered 'do that seems to be channeling Katie Holmes.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like my new haircut. I just don't want anyone thinking I look for style tips from someone who'd marry Tom Cruise.

Shameless Plug

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Three Random Things

I had to jump on this one, thanks to Joannah's blog.
Three random things about me...



Random fact #1

I hate these guys:

Seriously, I have a crippling fear of clowns. In 1995, a friend booked a room for us on a trip to Vegas. I didn't know until we got there, but we had reservations at Circus Circus. When I got to the room, I had a panic attack upon discovering the pictures of clowns above each bed. I called to the front desk and asked if they could please do something. A maintenance worker arrived shortly, removed the offending pictures, and replaced them with neutral landscapes. He said they get the same request several times a day. So, I'm not a total freak...or at least I'm not an uncommon freak.

Random fact #2:
I am related, by marriage, to this man. I recall, with horror, the day my grandma called to tell us we all had to vote for him (or rather, his running mate) because he was part of the family. The big problem for me was the fact that I was a volunteer for the campaign of Michael Dukakis (I know, don't go there...).

Random fact #3:

I auditioned for one of the principle roles in this movie when I was much, much younger. This was my parents' idea. They thought it would be a "good experience", but I was mostly mad at having to spend a whole Saturday at a cattle call in L.A. instead of going to the local church carnival. My second chance to go for Oscar gold came about six years later when I was an extra in this movie. Fun stuff.

Bad Mommy

There are times I think I'm doing ok with the whole "Mom" thing. Then there are days when I realize I have no idea what I'm doing.

For months my 8 year old daughter complained about trouble seeing the writing on the whiteboard at school. As a teacher, I know the glare from a projector on a shiny whiteboard can pose problems for viewing from certain angles. I wrote off her complaints.

Her whining grew louder and more frequent, and I realized her friend had recently gotten glasses. "Aha!" I said to myself, "She just wants to get glasses like her pal J."

Finally, my husband and I agreed to take her to the eye doctor for an exam. We figured with his good vision coverage through work, it was worth the $25 to shut her up. After all, her screenings at school and at the pediatrician had never indicated any cause for concern.

Well, the verdict is in...

My daughter is almost legally blind!

She is painfully myopic in both eyes, and the eye doctor said he was surprised she didn't make us get her in much sooner! When we picked up her glasses, the things she started noticing blew me away. She never knew the overhead signs at the grocery store told you what items are found on each aisle. She is fascinated by the different colors and textures of the individual strands of carpet in her classroom, which always looked solid grey to her before. She loves to study the details of a leaf on a plant, which previously looked like flat green shapes.

My poor little girl is only now discovering whole, huge chunks of life today, because I finally took her to an eye doctor. I feel like the world's worst mommy, especially when I think about the fact that the main reason for taking her in was just to shut her up!

Oh, the guilt!

So Much Bigger Than Me

As I sit here at home, trying to recover from this weekend's ickiness, I found myself with a little spare time to catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs. Like a wonderful, wandering path leading nowhere in particular, the links on blogs often take me on unexpected journeys. Today I ended up somewhere that rocked my world.

This website is amazing. The author is a gifted writer. Even more impressive is the incredible grace and strength with which she is facing one of the most difficult situations any mother could ever encounter.

I am extending my prayers for this family of strangers right now, and hope you will too.

ICK!!!

My sweet sister-in-law came over on Friday night and cooked an amazing dinner of bruschetta, salad, and chicken fettucini alfredo for us. It was fantastic, and such a nice way to end a crazy-busy week. It was also nice to spend some time with my husband's brother and his wife.

Fast-forward to about midnight Saturday night...

All of us, except for Devin, have the same, er...symptoms. Devin passed on the chicken on Friday night.

Yes folks, it's food poisoning!

Paulina and I were physically unable to get out of bed all day Sunday. Poor Kevin, who is just as ill, had to take care of his two sick girls and deal with the rambunctious 6 month old Connor, who was not about to let anyone else's digestive complaints get in the way of his fun!

Thank God Devin has befriended the little girl who lives 3 houses down from us. She spent most of the day yesterday at her friend's house while the rest of us felt like rolling into little balls of yuckiness. That sweet family even fed my daughter yesterday afternoon, knowing that we were a house full of sickies.

I love my sister-in-law, but I am now seriously considering the advantages of veganism.