What on earth was I thinking?

I swore I wouldn't get sucked in but...I'm now the co-chair of a major fundraising event for a local cancer charity.
The first year we raised around $9k. The second year it was around $14k. This year: $3,440.
Yep, you read that correctly. The goal was to beat $25k and this is what we got. Now, the fact that we had a smaller committee and no chair-person until 2 weeks before the event might have played a part in this. And we also had some members who didn't listen when the local veterans made suggestions about the name of the event (it is held on the border of a nice neighborhood and one that is considered not-so-nice) which had a definite impact on sponsorships.
So, since I hate seeing things done half-way... I agreed to co-chair. A young politico I met at the event has agreed to go Half-sies with me on job duties and a wonderful friend who is already on the board of directors of a fledgling non-profit has agreed to serve on the planning committee. The photographer from the event has also agreed to help organize a portion of the event.
Oh, did I mention that today was my first day of school? Biology - studying for med school?
...more in the months to come...

Pins & Needles at work

I work for an acupuncturist now.
I thought I had left the admin world behind me after my last assistant job, but, here I am again . . . The Executive Wife.
The funny part is she's a wife too (He works in entertainment).

Working for a "working mom" has it's ups and downs but this time around has been more up than down. She is very supportive of my new business (more on that later) and my volunteer work. She has been mentoring me on some personal issues.

And, two words: FREE ACUPUNCTURE.

I'll be back in a week or so to update this puppy.

CA Economic Development Department - Welcome to Unemployment

I was laid off from the engineering firm and was eligible to receive unemployment. While it was not the first time I qualified for unemployment since moving to California, it was the first time the benefit amount was enough to live on.

I went to the jobs center and talked to a counselor who gave me a bunch of pamphlets and some websites to check out. I qualified for job retraining and went about finding a program that would get me stated on a new career. I registered for massage school because DESPITE the nursing shortage and teacher shortage (and my already having a Bachelor's degree), the state of California would NOT pay my unemployment benefits if I went back to school to get teaching or nursing credentials. I was told point blank:

CA-EDD: Only 2 yr programs
Me: It will only take me 6 months to get my teaching credentials and nursing is an 18-month program
CA-EDD: It has to be a vocational program.
Me: Nursing....?
CA-EDD: Vocational Schools, cosmetology, hairdresser, medical assistant...
Me: So the state will pay for me to be unemployed while training to get a minimum wage job but won't help me get off unemployment, and stay off unemployment, by training me for a job that is vitally needed and uses my college degree?
CA-EDD: Yep.

After that wakeup call from reality, I did some research and decided to finally listen to my friends who have been telling me for the better part of a decade that I should start my own business. I went to Bryman (now Merick Career College) and got a crash course in financial aid. I researched some other schools and programs and registered for massage classes.

When I contacted EDD to let them know I was registered for a program, the very kind lady I had the previous conversation with told me I couldn't just regster for a program but had to wait until I was approved! As an office administrator, there was no job shortage in my category so I might not qualify afterall for job-retraining. This may have been the second time I told her:

Me: I will slit my own throat before taking another cubical job.
CA-EDD: So you're scheduled to start January 8? Oh-kay, you'll recieve your first claim form in the mail this week. Make sure you fill it out completely and have someone from the school sign it to show you are in an approved program. You won't recieve any funds on your first two claims but then you will be covered for the time you are in the approved program.

Funny, eh.

If you are wondering why California s bankrupt, reread these two conversations until it sinks in.