hildy89: (happy holidays)
To use the old Helene Hanff quote, "I write to say I have got work." To wit, as of today, I am no longer a temporary employee. My current assignment liked me so much they've been plotting behind the scenes a way for me to come aboard as full time permanent staff. So guess who starts on the 29th? I have to tell it was the most surreal moment when they tell you "you have to give notice". Bwahuh? I'm used to assignments coming to me on Friday and saying it's over, not saying farewell to the temp agency of 10+ years. It's hard to believe it's been *that* long. Today I actually received the offer sheet and hopefully once the background checks out, everything will be good to know. I'm still in a happy daze of "Is this really happening?"

My father is improving. He had another procedure yesterday, but he seems to be recovering nicely. I suspect the worrying will subside... oh who am I kidding? After a certain age, you always worry about your parents, don't you?

Nano is trundling along. Hopefully I should hit 40K tonight. I'm a little nervous about tomorrow's writing, since I'll be spending it out in the hinterlands of Fauquier County.
hildy89: (hail to the redskins)
All right, I've fallen off a bit on updating this LJ. Mainly because there was little to report other than my unemployment woes. I thought I'd spare you that. It wasn't pretty. I am currently temping at a nice little assignment for an unknown amount of time. All my romantic notions about peer reviewed publications is going out through the window. But it's employment and there's been a sincere lack of assignments lately, so I'll take what I can get. This group actually asked for me specifically, since I'd done work for them before, which felt good.

Other excitement, I went to Small Press Expo in Bethesda on Saturday. Then Sunday I sat down to watch the Redskins lose... to the Detroit Lions. The Lions hadn't won in nearly two years. Ouch, that really hurt. But somehow our young coach is still our coach. Old Danny Boy is notorious for having a short leash, so we'll see how long that lasts. That's nothing compared to criticisms hurled at Jason Campbell, our quarterback. Early last season everyone was singing both of their praises... how quickly it changes.
hildy89: (library card)
Not much to report on a personal front. The job situation has been dire. The only library assignments I've managed to get have been short term ones -- a few days here, a few days there. Two days I helped an association prepare a couple of scientific papers for publication. And for three days I've shelved in a massive genealogical/historical library. My body is taking a beating. I need to solve the shoe/orthotic dilemma soon. My feet and tendons can't take much more before I say "No more". I may simply have to start asking my agency if the job requires being on my feet a lot. I hate turning down opportunities, but killing myself for a paltry wage is not a good option either.

On the gaming front, I've discovered I'm a stereotypical girl gamer. I love the genre of "Hidden Object" games where you go through rooms and clutter and try to pick out items and solve the mystery. My favorite so far has been the "Margrave Manor" series, although I liked the second better than the first. Of course it's on a ship, so maybe that's not so surprising. I'm also liking the Samantha Swift: Hidden Roses of Athena one. I like the historical aspect. Of course I can't afford to buy the full versions of these games (yet), so I'm mostly playing the online or free demo and taking notes on which ones I like. If anyone has favorite games, I'll be happy to add them to the list of ones to try.
hildy89: (play suspended for rain)
So I had an interview this morning at one of my previous assignments. None of the people were the same, so no one remembered me. The place was completely the same. As was the job. We'll see how that goes.

I have a couple of computer-related questions:

1. How hard is it to install more memory (i.e. RAM) in a desktop? The hard drive space is fine, but my Dell desktop is really disliking having even two programs open at the same time. Last night I tried to print three documents and I had to get all the system updates out of the way before it'd even *let* me try.

2. So I have wireless router all connected and working. Is there a way to connect the laptop to the printer or do I need one of those wireless printers? I'd love to avoid last night's disaster if I can help.
hildy89: (Barfy the Cat-Owl)
All the parts of the Book of Ink Circles have been released now. You can see completed versions of the project on the designer Tracy Horner's website, along with downloading all the constituent parts. I have fallen massively behind in my own version. Hopefully I'll get back into it soon.

Probably not this week, unless writing gets finished faster than I anticipated.

Otherwise things have been a little crazy around here. Last week I thought I frelled up my Virginia taxes, only to discover I'd left off the withholding. No wonder the tax people I thought I was trying to gip them. I am still working. As I've joked, Google's online translation page and I will be such good friends after this project that I'll want it to take me out to dinner. Or a movie, I'm not fussy.
hildy89: (snowy fox)
It's New Year's Eve and we're under a wind advisory here in the Nation's Capitol. Believe me, it's really noticeable outside. At least it isn't doing anything else. Except for one weird weather pattern earlier, which I'll go into.

My part day at the new assignment started on a surreal moment with a fire alarm. I was still sitting in the receptionist's area waiting for my contact to show up! Weirder still it was snowing/sleeting/raining/something outside briefly. Whatever it was was coming down nearly at a diagonal with all the wind involved. A little freaky to say the least.

After work, I tried hard to avail myself of Borders' sales, but I couldn't find anything that remotely tempted me. So I swung by Noodles & Company for a warm lunch before trudging to the warmth of home. I plan to curl up with cartoons and other assorted television until the ball drops.
hildy89: (reading glasses)
The permanent crown was put in today. All was fairly painless this time. Not like the time they did my front teeth and nearly needed a pair of pliers to get the temps off. They took forever adjusting the fit and checking my bite though. It'll be a few days before it feels normal.

I hit Books a Million as a treat on the way home. Their shelving system really needs work. They've separated out the mass market from hardcover and trade paperbacks in two different parts of store, so you really have to look sometimes. I asked about Jo Graham's "Black Ships" since I'd heard it recommended by several friends. They were supposed to have a copy in SF/fantasy. I even asked if it was mass market or trade. The bookseller kept saying paperback, making me wonder if he even knew there were two types of paperbacks these days. He checked the regular mass markets and assumed it wasn't there. After making my other purchases, I went over to the other sf/fantasy section and found it on the first try. Things like that make me order online, I'm sorry to say. I'm all for supporting the lowly bookstores, I love having the book in my greedy hands, but I really hate sloppy bookselling like that. *shrugs* I'm sure someone will say "But you found your book". Yes, but only because I checked again, rather than my first impulse, which was to go out the door, assuming he was right and they really didn't have it!

On the bright side, I have a half day at work tomorrow. The full job doesn't start until the 5th. But I work again. This fills me with glee. And hopefully fills my bank account with lesser amounts of glee.
hildy89: (hail to the redskins)
Some weekends I love being a football fan, sometimes I hate it. This year I'm getting more of the former. My Crimson Tide are surprising everyone, including me, by winning their first five games and now ranked #2 in the nation. But we're not running out the bandwagon yet. Last year proved that painfully when we lost to Louisiana-Monroe. My Redskins surprised me by beating the hated Dallas in the last regular season Skins-Dallas matchup in Texas Stadium. The last coach to do that was George Allen back about when I was born. Now if both my teams could stop making it really close at the end, I'd be obliged. (I was having Arkansas flashbacks with the Georgia game. It wasn't pretty.)

Tomorrow I will join the world of the brown-baggers in bringing a lunch. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a lunch bag after the Back-to-School season. I just don't trust paper bags, especially with the rainy weather we've had lately. I keep telling myself it'll be cheaper in the long run.

Updatish

Sep. 26th, 2008 08:19 pm
hildy89: (library card)
The new job is a job. My mother used to words "unchallenging". Not a good sign when my smart mouth wants to quote Missy in "Bring it On" -- "What about doing something that actually requires neurons?" I don't think that would be terribly popular. A lot of library tech work is just that, very basic day-to-day stuff, especially when you're moving/expanding/shifting a collection, existing or otherwise. If I had any good advice for people who want to work in libraries: infinite patience (in infinite possibilities), strong back, and good shoes. I'm grateful for the job, but lord is it going to be a long stretch until Columbus Day.

Security is a little tight, so sadly I haven't really enjoyed the nearby Ronald Reagan Building. I was however treated to a free concert at Woodrow Wilson Plaza. That was a weird twist on "name that tune" or as my mother and I used to call the game "But can you skate to that?" The performer was Chuck Brown, the so-called Godfather of Go-Go music, lots of loud heavy beats and rhythms combined with guitar and clarinet and maybe another instrument. They maxed out their decibels. They were performing a fairly bumping piece that had quite a few people swaying their hips. The melody was strangely familiar. I couldn't place it though. For a minute, I thought it was a classical music piece like "Bolero" or something like "Kismet". Then I closed my eyes and I could see Philippe Candeloro landing a jump at the end of a phrase. Yes, it was the "Love Theme" from the "Godfather". That I recognized it through skating and not from seeing the movie says something about me. Not sure what.

The laptop is still hosed. I tried replacing the a/c adapter and the connection is just too loose to hold. It's really frustrating. So I get to talk to tech support. This can only end in tears.
hildy89: (north by northwest)
Yesterday was one of those days when I was stuck in a funk. No matter what I tried, I couldn't seem to get out of it. I really shouldn't do "retail therapy" in that mental state. But I'd been good for awhile, so a combined Borders/Best Buy trip seemed like a good birthday present, right? Best Buy's tvondvd sale means I get to catch up with both seasons of "Eureka". For whatever reason, I went through Borders' mystery section without remembering that Elizabeth Peters has a new Vicki Bliss book! So I wound up with Goodis and Stark instead.

I do miss the Suncoast though, if only for their anime section. I guess I'll have to order "Maria Watches Over Us" because I haven't seen it anywhere.

New Balance has either heard my pleas or just decided for a change. They're coming out with another version of my favorite sneaker in the fall. We can only hope that the 993s fit better than the 992, because I've run out of resources for my old shoes. Ebay brings up EEs or worse a men's 8AA, which will be two sizes too big for me. I'm cursed I tell you.

There is an end in sight for this assignment. I keep chanting over and over "Two more shelves". They still have me until the end of the week, though, so I don't know whether they'll need me to help with the discards and other packing duties.
hildy89: (nazgul)
*thuds*

I am so tired. If I ever see another box, it will be too soon.

The project is nearing the end of line, so I'm seriously under the gun.

Unfortunately my birthday will land right before this insanity finally ends. I have no idea how I will celebrate it this year. But I will find a way.
hildy89: (library card)
While most of my friends are having fun at MediaWest, I will be gainfully employed. Don't everyone die of shock all at once. I'm just as surprised as anyone else. I knew I'd be downtown on Thursday because my law firm boss will be in town to see how things are coming along. But I hadn't expected the call this morning asking if I'd be interested in an interview (yes, of course!) with the potential start time of tomorrow (squeee!). I ran around the room, panicking over what to wear. The interview went fine. The independence of the job scares me a little, but hey, I've worked in dungeons before, I think I can manage. I'm finally back working on a "real" library program, instead of databases made to be library catalogs. Even for a lowly tech, it's a world of difference. It's a fairly short term assignment, but it's work! And mine! ("That's me, Super Temp!" Bless you, Donna, for proving paperwork or lack thereof is just as suspicious as alien tech.)

On the way home, I went through Union Station. The lure of the "train to anywhere" is still very strong. (I was also reminded they have a movie theater showing "Iron Man". A useful thing, since otherwise I have to go to Court House, which isn't my favorite theater, unless they've refurbished it.) BDaltons is slightly less disorganized than it once was. I stared at the YA fiction and wondered where the blazes all the sf/fantasy YA fiction was when I was growing up? The comics store is new, but they don't carry a lot of copies of the new books. So I treated myself downstairs to a slice of chocolate cannoli cake at the little Vaccaros stall for a little slice of Baltimore.

A full week

Mar. 2nd, 2008 06:51 pm
hildy89: (always miss shaw)
So the first week of the new job went reasonably well. It's a tiny little library focusing on intellectual property. We're still trying to get my computer access, but hopefully when my background check goes through, everything will be better on that front. I wound up borrowing my boss' tiny Sony VAIO laptop to fill out the paperwork. I don't know how anyone types on that keyboard. So I spent most of the week on my feet shelving in some fashion. My boss is trying to declutter the library, so there's a lot of "Do we need this?" or "Where does this go?" type questions. So far, so good.

Their cafeteria is infinitely better than my last place, but that wouldn't be hard. The only minus is that it's in the basement level and it's *freezing* cold down there. The commute isn't bad. I have to change trains at Rosslyn, which is a pain, but otherwise it's a nice walk over. I'm waiting for the one morning or night that's a complete disaster.

Thursday I was off early so I rediscovered the local Aftertime Comics. Good for the occasional stop, but I don't think it beats the Big Planet stores for variety. It's a little more in the dark dingy cramped stereotype we hear about comics stores and there's usually a reason. After that, I had a lovely dinner catching up with [livejournal.com profile] pinkpolarity.

My first Friday off was eventful. The apartment building decided it was the perfect time to test the fire alarm. I guess they assumed no one would be in the building on a Friday at 9am.

Success!

Feb. 20th, 2008 03:37 pm
hildy89: (liz shaw)
The whole DC area is watching the skies. Snow is expected this afternoon and that invariably means everyone goes into a panic. Hmph I say.

The good news is I have a job! I had the interview today which went exceedingly well. They turned around and offered me to started on Monday morning. I'm a little nervous about it being such a small library. They're foreseeing the assignment as long term, but it's only four days a week, rather than full time. Having Friday off is going to be very odd indeed, but it may make MediaWest easier, if I only have to take one day off. (They're supposedly sending out hotel confirmations, but I'm still waiting. *taps foot impatiently*)

I also saw a doctor about my nagging pain in my abdomen. It's switched sides from before, so it's worrying. They're doing a bunch of blood tests to see if we can narrow things down and then we'll have a chat with the GI.

I'm off to have late lunch, take pills and find some comfort movies.
hildy89: (lion gate of mycenae)
So I had the interview today. I have no idea how it went. I'm still waiting to hear back from the agency for feedback. It's a short term assignment, fairly easy to do. It's just convincing people you're the right person for the job, not unlike elections.

Speaking of which, I stopped by the library to vote in the Virginia primary. They'd changed my precinct so I was a little nervous, but finally I was sent through to my touch screen. From the discussions around me, the lines were really long earlier, so I'm glad I waited. Then I wandered into the library and came back with a Modern Scholar on Iliad & archaeology and a book on priestesses in Ancient Greece.

Job news

Feb. 5th, 2008 11:38 am
hildy89: (nazgul)
So I have an interview scheduled for next week. Wish me luck and all that.

Wednesday

Jan. 9th, 2008 02:27 pm
hildy89: (demure)
So I came to the library to look at their resume writing books. My resume needs a massive overhaul to reflect more of my strengths. Their wireless connection is a little spotty. I'm beginning to wonder if it's my wireless card. How do I find out what type of card was installed in my laptop? It's several years old, so I'm suspecting the wireless world has surpassed my poor old Dell. Meanwhile I need to call their tech support about the monitor. It's the power cable. For some reason, it can't seem to stay connected for too long. One minute it'll be working fine and next it'll be blinking at me.

And I want to randomly strangle the web designer for a fashion designer's site. Forms should not be the only way to contact someone -- an actual email address would be nice! Right now, the form doesn't think there's an internet connection, even though there clearly is. Never mind they probably won't answer a peon like me, but when in doubt, ask the source.
hildy89: (library card)
[livejournal.com profile] amused_library has a pair of Youtube imbedded videos showing how compact shelving works and what happens if you're inside when it's moving. The second video is slightly more distressing, having heard the horror stories about our lovely system. I'm grateful I'm not a researcher.
hildy89: (dancing in the dark)
Whew, that was a fun way to pass an hour. The power went out in the north and south buildings. It just came back on. I was in the bathroom when it happened. Everything went pitch black. I was utterly terrified. I didn't know whether it was just the bathroom or entire building or what. I'm nearsighted, so my depth perception is not the best anyway. Glad I wasn't wearing my reading glasses or I might as well have been blind. I managed to grope my way out to the door and the hallway where there were some lights. One of the researchers was downstairs in the movable shelves when it happened. That sounded even more terrifying.
hildy89: (does anybody see what I see?)
I've often commented on my parents' new tendency to leave the television on MSNBC or its ilk. I don't even mind NASA channel nonstop. We finally have a television in our office, so we can feel more connected with the news we're providing footage for. CSPAN has noble goals and provides a lovely service really. But I really don't want to listen to House proceedings nonstop all day long. I've listened to two different commendations issues (so far) -- one for Ann Richards and the other for USC football team for the Rose Bowl. I know Abby will call me a heathen, but so what? It's not like they won the national championship this year. *sighs*

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