I Worked This Week!

Monday was a bit of a crazy day. I went out to Parsippany to interview with a second Staffing Service, Aerotek. They set me up with an interview on Tuesday afternoon with Cablevison. No sooner did I get home, than the first Temp Service I interviewed with a couple weeks ago, Office Team, called me and said they had a job for me starting Tuesday morning. I decided to go with that job because it was an immediate start, and it was within walking distance of home. It was a three week assignment, but they called me after three days and said the assignment was over, but the company liked me and wanted to use me again in a couple weeks. Maybe I should have gone with Cablevision. Who knows?

I also went out to UPS in Secaucus on Monday. After one of the most discouraging interviews I've ever had, they said I start on October 6. They gave a short tour of the plant and showed us what we would be doing, then told us how little UPS pays. I did learn tho, in the one-on-one part of the interview, that the possibility of becoming a supervisor exists after 30 days. That would basically double my pay. After a year, I can apply to be a driver. Maybe that will be a better opportunity. Who knows?

Being Sunday afternoon, there's not much to do, what with the rain and all, so Charity and I are playing games. Best two out of three in Yahtzee! The championship game is up next, so maybe one of us will win. Who knows? If we get the crayons out later, it'll be just like a rainy Saturday in 2nd Grade.

In last week's post, I have two pictures and asked how many water towers were in each. The first picture has six, and the second has three. It seems that every building has water towers on top of them, and sometimes, when you're walking down the street, you can see a lot of them.

Charity won the third game of Yahtzee, so I think I'm going to retire upstairs and read my papers. And pout. Always looking forward to what happens this week!

I Missed a Week...

...and I liked it. (With apologies to Katy Perry) Unfortunately, there is nothing new to report on the job front. I did go to the mall yesterday and spent a couple hours filling out apps and getting some ideas for holiday help. Who knows? Maybe holiday help will turn into long term. I was having a bit of a self-esteem crisis, tho. There are pretty people everywhere in the mall. I may end up working for Yankee Candle Co. I don't think they have a "look policy."

Last week was a full moon, so I had the opportunity to take some photos of it over Manhattan. One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I moved here, was to take my camera with me every time I go out. Believe it or not, I have actually gone into Manhattan and not taken pictures, but that is very rare, indeed. Last week, I was walking down 14th St. and looked up and saw the first picture. The second picture was taken from the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square a couple weeks ago. How many water towers do you see in each of the pictures? I will put my count in next week's entry.

There's A Hurricane A Comin'

Yep, that's right...Well, actually, I think it's more a Tropical Storm. Tropical Storm Hanna. I doubt she'll go down in the books as "The Big One" but she's on her way. Ever since Katrina hit New Orleans, the talking heads have asked what would happen if a Cat 3 or 4 or 5 hurricane hits New York City. I just mentioned to Charity a week or two ago, that I have moved to the area, and the big one hasn't hit yet. Which means I could be here when it does. And now Hanna is on her way. Hrmm. I wish i had a rain poncho. I would be that fool that goes out in 45-50 mile an hour wind just to watch other people being blown all over the place. I guess it's a good thing I don't have a poncho.

On a bit of a somber note, there's less than a week until the anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks on NYC, Washington, and Pennsylvania. I went outside last night and happend to be looking toward The City. They had turned the lights on where the WTC stood. I have seen pictures of those lights, but had an opportunity to try my hand at some photography. The first picture is lower Manhattan with the lights where the WTC once stood. The other was purely by accident. It's the Sept 11 memorial in Jersey City, listing the residents of Jersey City who lost their lives that day. As I was looking at it, I noticed that with the sun coming up over Manhattan, the buildings of The City were reflected perfectly. If the twin towers were still standing, they would be to the left, just about in the middle of the first column of names.

Happy Labor Day

Would that I could write that I actually have a job, hence needing the day off to celebrate Labor Day, but I don't so I can't. I did want to take a minute and share what we did yesterday, tho. My sister got an invitation to a cookout for Sunday evening that included me, so we went and had a fabulous time.

Before that tho, we got an invitation to a cookout upstairs in the building. There are four floors in this building, and the people on the top floor also have rooftop access. Last evening, we went up to that party, where I met four new people. There were three I had previously met, and my sister and I. It was nice to meet them all, but alas, we weren't there long enough to eat. Wait, I stand corrected. Fritos with a Chipotle restaurant style corn salsa was set out before we left. When I say Chipotle style, I mean, much better. I even had to go back for one more dip in the bowl before bidding farewell and heading to the basement.

We stopped on the way down with another couple and freshened up...used the restroom, refilled our glasses, and had a quick tour of their apartment. We got to the basement and I met Tim. His friend Bill (not William) was there and the six of us had dinner. It was simply devine. I'm not a restaurant reviewer, but if I were, this place would have rave reviews. And it's not even a restaurant! The steak was cooked on the grill by Bill, and the pasta and salad were excellent. We finished the evening with chocolate cake and chocolate and banana home made ice cream brought by the couple upstairs, and an after-dinner white russian. By then, it was 11:30 and Charity and I were pretty well toasted...and full!

I was in four different apartments in this building yesterday, including the one I live in. It was pretty neat to get a chance to see four different spaces and how each was vastly different. From the floorplan to the decor, each person has added his own touch. Another thing I learned yesterday was that this building, all 19 apartments, is like a family. An issue came up at dinner last night, that Tim was having trouble with. Just by bringing it up to us, he now has at least four other people who can help him solve his problem. And undoubtedly more, if he needs them. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to get to know a couple more people in this town, and that can never be a bad thing.