Hypnotic Writing

I started fall classes with the UCI extensions program on Monday night after a hiatus during the Spring and Summer quarters.  I'm taking two classes this fall, Writing for Marketers and Public Relations & Marketing, which I'm told will be very helpful in developing my composition skills.  One of my assigned books is Hypnotic Writing, which I'd been perusing prior to the start of class and really started diving into two nights ago while Sam was watching the premier of Terra Nova.

Hypnotic Writing is built around the premise that every author has to compete with all kinds of distractions that compete for the attention of the reader.  You, for example, may be reading this during a break at work, or while making dinner.  I myself have been working on laundry while composing this post.  The challenge for the writer is to be engaging enough that readers CHOOSE to focus on our message.

This applies to all the resumes and cover letters I've been sending out over the last several weeks.  I am keenly aware that I am one of many applicants vying for a few moments of attention from a hiring manager who has countless distractions beyond filling a job opening.  And yet I find it difficult to sell myself.  I am more than just a single page of words, carefully crafted and formatted, trying to appeal to someone in the vast corporate world.  I am a writer, sister,  a (former) athlete, a best friend, a weekend warrior, a daughter, an avid reader, a fitness freak, a client, a team player, a perpetual student, a lover of good food and wine... where is the space for those things on my resume?  The most difficult part of job searching is forgetting those wonderful attributes to which companies give no thought during a hiring process.  Every day, I focus on the things that I have accomplished professionally, leaving out the unique parts that make me the person I am, and I'm starting to forget that I have a lot of great qualities that I don't give myself credit for.  As this job search goes on, I am going to remind myself that this is just a chapter in my book, and the hardest moments in life are the most defining of a person's character.  

Counting down to Chile

Just when I was starting to forget what it's like to be abroad, I realized that 2 weeks from now Sam and I will be checking in at LAX as we travel to Chile to visit Sam's younger brother Justin.  Justin has been studying abroad in Santiago since June and Sam's family decided to visit him during  their annual family vacation.   

This trip is much different than our Southeast Asia Adventure because Sam and I aren't responsible for doing any planning... THANK YOU JESUS!  Rich and Sue (Sam's parents) have booked the hotels, the cars, and the airfare.  All I have to do is make sure I pack my bags and catch the flight!  Well, sort of.  Apparently Chile is similar to Indonesia and charges tourists a hefty visa fee for which Sam and I will each need US dollar dollar bills y'all to pay for.  (Please excuse the music industry reference if it is foreign to you.)  The hands-off approach to traveling really makes the whole situation seem surreal, as if we aren't really going to be going on a vacation for which we'll have little to no stress.  

Sam and I will fly into Santiago the day after Rich and Sue, and, immediately upon our arrival, we will rendezvous and travel to Valparaiso with Justin.  Rich grew up in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach and is a huge fan of the ocean.  We couldn't possibly miss out on the opportunity to get some international waves traveling with him!  Also, Justin has spent time in Valparaiso and he said he thought we would love it there- which is good enough for me!  From the coast, Justin is debating whether or not he'll go back to Santiago for class, or accompany the four of us to the wine country.  I am really excited about this portion of the trip because Rich and Sue tell me that their wine country is stunningly beautiful- don't worry I will have my camera to post pictures!  Finally, we will head back to Santiago to do some sight seeing and hopefully meet Justin's girlfriend.  Unfortunately, Sam only gets one week off, which we've stretched into 10 days, so we head home from there and his parents will travel North to the desserts.  

I realize that as much as I am a homebody, I really enjoy traveling: exploring new locations, learning new customs, observing traditional ceremonies.  I suspect I give myself less credit than I should when I claim to dislike being away from home.

Fitness Frenzy

Here's the rundown on birthday gifts this year: the majority were fitness-related!  Yay!  You guys are getting the clue, you know I am becoming a fitness freak and you want help me on my journey!  

Sam is loving the bosu ball that I bought myself with the money Nonna & Papa gave me.  He enjoys balancing while squatting like Amanda taught me and I explained he can also do his arm  workout with free weights while balancing as well.  I am going to have to fight him for time on that bad boy.  He's a little less sure about the foam roller which is a GOD SEND now that my IT band is tightening up again.  

The tennis racquet from Sam was a huge success- we picked one up from Sports Chalet and took it to our local court.  I am happy to say I am not altogether horrible!  I certainly have a real lack of control with my returns, but as long as Sam isn't making me run all over the court I am pretty good at setting my feet, taking a step, and hitting the ball.  :-)  Yay Gianna!  Now I just need to practice, practice, practice!  Sam wants to work on backhands tomorrow, but I told him I think we should wait until I am consistent with my forehand.  Gotta walk before I can run!

26 Feels so Good

I survived the epic journey of being 25 and have successfully crossed over into yet another year of life- 26.  I must admit, this birthday weekend was one of the most fun yet.  

Friday night I hung out with Ames, and we went over to Steve's house with Ryan and Nick.  It was great catching up with the Amy and Nick who have been on away rotations and magically happened to be in town near my birthday.  After they headed home, Steve and Ryan took me out in Costa Mesa to The Little Knight.  I might be able to say it is my new favorite dive bar.  Upon gaining entrance, I excused myself to the ladies room where three girls were deep in conversation about the woman on the toilet's boyfriend who was hitting on the other two girls' friend.  The girl using the commode was explaining that her son was home with his grandma and that her boyfriend was trying to pick up their friend and take her home to the house with him... the door was open the entire time.  And it turned out it was the girl's boyfriend, but not baby daddy.  Oh yes, there are some real characters at The Little Knight.  

You know you're "old" when in 3 days of birthday celebrating this is the only shot you take

Self-portrait before bowling

On Saturday my girlfriend, Carrie, came down from Manhattan Beach and brought with her flowers, a balloon, and cupcakes.  Not only is she a one-in-a-million friend, she is a great baker!  We met up with four of my friends and went bowling, followed by dinner at JT Schmid's.  I had been there once before, and I must say I was pleased by their menu yet again.  It's pretty much traditional bar food, but they have also got a great bar, and their happy birthday dessert was pretty yummy too.  After dinner, Steve and his brother were polite enough to host us at their house for a repeat of Friday night to ring in my official birthday.

Cupcakes, beer, college football (not pictured) and bowling- I am such an All-American Girl

Just before midnight, getting ready to kick off my official birthday

"Official" Birthday Picture

On Sunday morning, I woke up with a bit of laryngitis.  After opening my cards and gifts (thank you everyone) Carrie treated me to brunch at Taco Rosa (their Sunday Brunch is the best I think I've ever had!) and we headed to Fashion Island for some window shopping and to watch the 49er Game at the Yardhouse.  Sadly, my birthday lemon souffle arrived JUST as the Cowboys kicked their winning field goal in over time.  Can't win 'em all eh?

Carrie headed back up to Manhattan Beach after the game, and I waited for Sam's plane to arrive from Atlanta.  He and Sohrab had been delayed 2 hours prior to take-off and they looked a little exhausted.  I cued up "In Da Club" to play when we left the airport and we rolled home, where Sohrab picked up his car and Sam and I settled into the couch to watch U-571.  

Back To School

As I approach my 26th birthday, let's take stock of my life.

• I am still unemployed. I had no illusions that making a career change to marketing from sales would be easy, but I did not imagine that I'd have so little positive feedback.  Yes, the job market is tough right now.  Yes, I am pursuing full-time employment with tenacity.  But c'mon, I'm human, and the heartbreak is (after 10 weeks) beginning to get through my thick skin.  I'm pleasantly reassured by the realization that yes, I would rather be a productive, working member of society than a stay-at-home doctor's wife.  
• Sam is out of town the next 4 nights, he gets back on Sunday (my birthday) at 5pm.  Now, I am an independent gal, but when you have no social contact all day and sit in front of the computer applying to jobs it gets a little lonely.
• I need a haircut, badly, but am too cheap to spend the money on it.
• I am slightly depressed about this birthday because I feel like I'm not where I hoped to be (10 pounds up from my birthday goal weight, unemployed, haven't replaced my car yet, etc.)

Okay, put away the kleenex.  To combat the listless drifting I seem to find myself a victim of, I:

• Kicked my workout routine up a notch- hello endorphins!
• Enrolled in 2 fall quarter marketing classes.  Upon their completion I will be more than halfway done with the coursework for the UCI Extensions Program Marketing Certificate.  Although, there is only one more elective credit needed for the certificate, and I think I might want to take an additional course or two for my own education beyond the certification requirements.
• Ordered my fall textbooks on Amazon- thanks to Mom for unknowingly buying them when giving me 2 gift cards when I was in Moraga last month.
• Am looking into Excel workshops to get myself more familiar with the software and to make myself more marketable to potential employers.
• Booked a flight to visit my family at the end of October and attend my only 49er game of the 2011 season.  Even if I have to change my return flight so I can make it to class on Monday night, I am going to be there for that game!

I am also reminding myself that I have an AMAZING support group of family members and friends.  I say a huge THANK YOU to Dad for continuing to be my biggest cheerleader, always having something positive to say to me through all the frustrations of job searching, and investing in my professional future.  Another big THANK YOU goes to Sam for keeping my spirits up and recognizing and reminding me how hard I am working- something that doesn't come easily to him.  To Amy, Carrie, & Marlena, THANK YOU for answering your phones, listening to me vent my frustrations, taking me to dinner, drinking bottles of wine, and being there for me.  Your efforts are very much appreciated.  

Henry-Sitting

This has been a very busy week!  It kicked off with some very good news from a company I interviewed with last week, and me getting an interview for a marketing coordinator position at a cool company very close to our apartment.  Yay!  I'm waiting for the second interview to be scheduled next week at both places- fingers crossed everyone!

Then, Tuesday night, I picked Henry the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Matt & Emily because he was coming over to hang out with Sam and I while Matt & Em moved into their new home on Wednesday.  Sam and I got to hang with the little munchkin two nights and days while the Grants got settled and I took him over to his new house this evening to watch the 49er-Charger game with my favorite little family.

Man, having Henry really made me sure I could handle a puppy.  Yes, it would mean I would have to get up earlier before work (when I get a job) because the poor little guy would need to go for a potty walk in the morning.  Henry and I went to the pet store on our walk yesterday and we saw an adorable pair of 8 week old Cavalier puppies.  They were sisters and they were SO precious.  Sam says I have to wait until I have a job to get the puppy... damn him and his logical thinking.  

This morning, I took 2 resumes and cover letters into the UCI Career Center for a counseling appointment and it went really, really well!  I'm starting to really get the hang of this, and my documents are looking great.  They do still need tweaked slightly here and there, but over all it's such an improvement from when I started.  I submitted for 3 jobs this afternoon while cooking Nonna's spaghetti sauce and meatballs.  

Sam's parents arrive tomorrow for the long weekend.  They are staying at their all-time favorite hotel, the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach.  Unfortunately, Sam has to work every day Fri-Mon while they are here.  :-(  Luckily Pete and Margaux are coming down from LA on Saturday and are staying with Sam and I to hang out.  

Saturday night we're heading to Javier's for dinner and a sunset view, and Sunday Sam and I are hosting dinner at our apartment- spaghetti and meatballs!  Hence the cooking today, so I don't have to spend the whole afternoon on Sunday in front of the stove being antisocial.  All I will have to do is reheat the goods and cook the noodles, sides, and desserts.  Woohoo!