When I was 26, I attempted to write about something I liked everyday. That didn't exactly work out. I am going to try something a bit different this time.
As expected, didn't get much done this week, particularly since most weeks I tend to wait for the weekend to do anything and this weekend wasn't available. The show on Friday night was quite good, and the workshop this weekend was quite informative. Anyway, on with the show...
Updating. Still here - 9 out of 9.
New job. I haven't heard back from the French exam (with my undoubtedly poor marks) yet. I did, however, find out that the company I had an interview with last week will not be pursuing my application further, which was not unexpected considering how the interview went.
Room cleaning. Not much happened on that score this week. I have the night off tonight so I should be awake tomorrow and plan to get a bunch of stuff done then.
Lose weight. Same as always.
Gym twice per week. I did go three times this week. Yay! I am hoping to go three times again this week and then try for four next week. We'll see how it goes.
Old books and clothes. Books are still on the floor. Will try to get to it tomorrow.
Swear less. I don't think I've been swearing as much as usual this week.
Dance practice. Sadly I didn't get to practice twice per day last week. Honestly, my performance wasn't as good as it could have been. My mind wasn't completely where it should have been when I was dancing. The workshop this weekend really gave me some stuff to work on. We talked about being completely present in your dance whether you are just practising or performing. We also talked about the importance of dance expression. I found it really interesting and informative. There are a lot of things that we talked about that I want to incorporate into my own practice.
Anyway, I had a great time this weekend. It was great seeing Beatbox Guitar and Ariellah perform live. I have a lot of stuff to think about now too.
In other news, my niece is turning 7 tomorrow-ish. I can't believe it - she's growing up so fast. Anyway, Happy Birthday Bella!
Okay, this may be the least enthusiastic I've been about doing a post. Mostly because I had an entire post written, nearly ready to publish, and then I went to edit it and POOF! It completely disappeared. So this is take two. So without further preamble, here's what happened this week.
Update every week. It may be late, but here it is . 8 for 8.
Get a new job. Sigh. I had my Government French test on Tuesday. I really don't know how I did - I didn't understand half the test so that's not a good sign. About halfway through the first part of the test, my brain was fried. Luckily, the job it was for had a number of different language requirements so hopefully doing poorly on that test did not completely destroy any chance of a job. In other news, I had an interview on Friday with the company I had a store visit with last week. I don't think it went super well. They asked the same question that had asked on the phone, and still didn't seem to like my answer. I should have done more thinking about that question, I guess. Basically they asked me why I wanted to leave my current job at a fast food restaurant. The answer I gave them was that I felt that I had learned as much as I could there and wanted to move on. Apparently since I am not a manager, that isn't exactly true since I don't know management type stuff. Then we got into a discussion of why I am not a manager (why couldn't I move to day shift, switch to a different store, etc). At one point I said something about not really wanting to be a manager at a fast food restaurant. Which lead to the question of 'Why not?' I brought up the stress level to pay ratio, and the interviewer said something like 'It's about the money, then'. I was like 'I guess so', happy that we finally reached a reason that she would accept. But much of the interview was like that. It almost felt like she was trying to catch me in some sort of contradiction. I just thought it was odd, considering they are the ones that contacted me after finding my resume on Monster - it wasn't a job I had actually applied for. At least now, I have thought of a more in depth answer to that question should it come up again. I do think part of my problem both times was lack of sleep. She caught me just as I was going to bed when she called the first time, and I went to the interview after only three hours of sleep.
Room cleaning. My room is in fact still a mess. I did buy a DVD rack from IKEA, and even managed to put it together unassisted. I just need to get the shelves in and find all my DVDS to put those in as well. My papers are still scattered and my floor is still a mess. I will try to work on it this week.
Lose weight. Holding steady.
Gym twice per week. I had intended to go four times last week. Barely managed to go twice. Going to try to go 3 times this week. I am too busy this week to really push for more than that (although actually, the business is this weekend rather than during the week.)
Old books and clothes. Not much news on that front. My goal for this week is to get the books I intend to keep off the floor.
Swear less. I think I am swearing less. It's hard to keep track of. I don't think I am swearing more.
Dance practice. Sadly this hasn't been happening regularly. Since I have a performance on Friday, my goal for this week is to practice the choreography twice everyday. I have a workshop on Saturday and Sunday. I should take a notebook this time and write down the more interesting parts. I always think I am going to remember stuff from workshops and never do.
As I just mentioned, I have a show on Friday called The Dark Urban Cabaret featuring Ariellah and Beatbox Guitar. I am pretty excited to see both Ariellah and Beatbox Guitar perform live. Ariellah is from San Franscisco and she will also be teaching the workshop. Anyway, here's a video:
The name pretty much says it all for Beatbox Guitar - one guy plays guitar (or whatever instrument he's playing in the clip below) while the other guy beatboxes to it. Cue video:
This has been a productive week for me on a couple of different counts. There is still stuff I have to work on but That will come with time. Anyway, here we go.....
Update once a week. Well, here I am.... 7 for 7.
Get a new job. Earlier this week, I got a call from a recruiter for a company that found my resume on Monster.com. She asked me a bunch of questions that I realize now I should have prepared for (in general), I found it hard to answer those questions off the cuff, especially when she wanted me to expand on my answers. Anyway, it has given me questions to think about. Ultimately, after that phone call, I phoned someone else to set up a store visit to see if I wanted to go ahead with an interview. I went on the store visit yesterday, and it seemed like a good place to work. I will phone tomorrow to set up an interview. Also, yesterday I got an email letting me know that I am scheduled for French Language testing for a government job I applied for. I am not bilingual but I applied for the job because it said they were looking for people with varying language abilities. Also, yesterday, I bought software to help improve my typing abilities. My sister mocked me because I was disappointment that I haven't improved in the last 24 hours.
Room cleaning. Okay, looking at my floor my room ain't so clean. Neither is the floor in the bathroom. I did put the dance stuff I'm not using in the container I bought last week. I also got most of the stuff I need for the upcoming show together. I just need to wash the pants and I'm good. I bought a file organizer for my papers, I don't know exactly where is a good place for it right now, I'll have to think about it. I also need to actually put my papers in it. I keep buying stuff and then thinking of something else that would be good to have. Now that I bought a file organizer, it occurs to me that an entertainment stand for my DVDs would be good. Right now they are just stacked up by my TV, Or on my computer desk. Or upstairs in Colette's entertainment stand (which is getting quite full). I think a trip to IKEA is in my future. My last couch is getting cleaner, more work needs to be done with it. I also need to redo the chair.
Lose weight. It appears that I gained weight this week, sadly. It's not entirely surprising since I made cookies today. I'll have to pay attention to how many cookies I eat this week, instead of gorging on them like I normally do.
Go to the gym twice a week. Once again, I managed to go to the gym three times this week. I am going to see if I can up it to four this week.
Go through old books and clothes. Not much happened on this front. I did stop myself from buying two books when I was at the book store this week. I realized I should check for the eBook before I buy a hard copy. I did manage to find it online so that's two less books I have floating around the house.
Swear less. Yeah, um, not so much this week.
Dance practice. I don't think I practised every day but I did practice a couple of days this week. I also bought myself a new MP3 player which should help. I had an hour and a half rehearsal on Friday night as well.
Anyway, not much else happened this week. Happy Valentine's Day!!!
I think I am liking updating on Sundays rather than Saturdays. It gives me more time to accomplish things on the weekend than updating on Saturdays did. So how did I fare this week? Let's see....
Update once a week. Here I am updating...so that's 6 for 6. I actually almost forgot this week, so I am extra proud that I managed to get to it.
Get a new job. It was a slow week for job stuff. I had a call back and I had scheduled an interview but the more I thought about the job (the hours it would be for, the job description, etc) I decided ultimately to cancel. The job would have been from 1-9pm Monday to Friday, which is not the best time for me if I want to keep dancing.
Room cleaning. So that last chair is a bit better, not perfect though. It still has a few things on it, but it's not as bad as it was. The floor can still use some work. I did by a container for my dance though. I have to go through the dance stuff and put as much as I can in it now. I bought a container specifically to be able to fit under the bed so that should get all of my dance stuff out of the way. I think the next thing I need for my room would be a file cabinet. I have papers all over my room and having them in one place would go along way to helping me keep my room clean.
Lose weight. I appear to have lost a few pounds, but we'll see if that last.
Go to the gym twice a week. I actually made it three times this week. Once again I broke my own record for the distance I can go in ten minutes on the Elliptical so that made me happy.
Go through old clothes and books. I went through my closet upstairs and got rid of the clothes I either don't wear or don't fit anymore. We brought them to the Salvation Army today. We tried taking them in yesterday but forgot to check where the Salvation Army was actually located before we left. We checked this morning and realized where we went wrong yesterday, so those clothes are out of the house/car now. So yay!!
Swear less. I don't think that happened this week. I was kind of annoyed a lot of the week and I probably swore a bit more than I have been lately.
Dance practice. I don't think I practised everyday, but I did try practising every now and then. I also watched some old performance videos to remind myself of some of the moves. I did practice some of my old combinations. I also listened to some songs that I've always wanted to dance to.
Anyway, that was my week. In other news, Colette and I saw 'The King's Speech' today. It was really good and made me want to research more about the Royal Family. So that's pretty much what I did this afternoon. Anyway, that's all for this week.
I am a bit late this weekend. I wanted to get at least one of my goals done before I wrote my post this weekend, and I couldn't do it yesterday because I slept pretty much all day yesterday. I got it done today so we're good to go. So on to the resolutions...
Update once a week. Technically it's been 8 days since my last post but I figure as long as I post every weekend, it still counts. So, we're 5 for 5.
Get a new job. I actually had 3 call backs this week. That's about as far as it went. The first call back was from a company with a position in Edmonton. I'm not really ready to move across the country just yet, so that's where I left it. The second call back left a message, I tried calling back and left a voice mail, but I haven't heard anymore. The third one left a voice mail which I didn't find out about until Friday at 8pm which seemed like a poor time to call back. I'll call back first thing tomorrow. Fingers are crossed. I feel like I am making progress now though, so that's good.
Cleaning my room. Now that I look at what I wrote last week, I realize what hasn't been done. I have one of my chairs more organized, so that's progress. The last one, not so much. I really have to get to it though. Looking at what was on one of my chairs, I realize part of the problem is I don't have a specific place to put all of my dance stuff. Back home, I had a container that I would slide under my bed. It was convenient and it didn't take up the same amount of space. Next week for sure, I will clean my chair and clean up my floor clutter.
Lose some weight. Still holding at the same weight. That doesn't really surprise me. I am happy I am not gaining weight at least.
Go to the gym twice a week. Made it twice this week again. I may have gone a third time but I hurt my knee and decided to give it a rest. We'll see how I do this week.
Go through old clothes and books. I brought my books in today, so that's progress. I didn't get much money for them but I am just happy they are out of my house at this point. This week I'll look at my clothes in the closet upstairs again and try to get the ones I don't want anymore out of the house.
Swear less. I don't know. I've noticed myself using the word 'fudge' a lot, but I've also noticed myself swearing. I definitely don't think I am swearing as much as I did before Christmas, so that's good.
Dance practice. I haven't practised everyday. I had a rehearsal with my teacher on Friday night for about an hour. She challenged me to choreograph a dance for myself. I think that is what I want to work on in the next few weeks. This week I want to go through some old videos or YouTube videos to look at moves and combinations, and practice the ones I like. It may help give me ideas when I choose which song I want to dance to.
So anyway, that was my week. Hopefully I'll do better next week.
Wow, I think updating once a week is working out much better than everyday. So far at least. The hardest part is thinking of a title...which I suck at. Pretty much a work and sleep sort of week again. I did go to the mall yesterday for a bit. I bought myself a scarf and a wallet, which I am happy with. I saw a similar wallet at the Bay last week but it was $70 and I didn't really want to pay that much. The wallet I bought was $40 less, which still means it was $30 but that is much better anyway. On to my resolutions.....
Update once a week. Yay, 4 for 4. I kind of want to write a non-resolution post sometime but who knows when that will happen.
Get a new job. I applied for a few more jobs this week. Haven't heard back from anywhere yet. I should look into computer and French language classes in the community or online to enhance my skills. The trouble with looking for a job in Ottawa is that everywhere seems to require some level of bilingualism and, while I understand and speak a little French, I am no where near bilingual and the French I do have is a bit rusty.
Cleaning my room. Well, my chairs have not been cleaned off yet, so that was a fail. I will try to get to it next week. I did go through my clothes shelves to organize and get rid of the stuff I don't need anymore. I should go through the closet upstairs and do the same thing. I did manage to put most of my clothes in the shelving unit, though I don't have a place for my underwear yet. Next weeks job, I guess. Also, my floor is getting cluttered again, so I should clean that up again.
Lose some weight. I am still holding steady at the same weight. I think I am now a couple pounds down but I am not really counting on it.
Go to the gym twice a week. Yay, I did it. I actually exceeded by going three times instead. YAY!!! Also, Tuesday morning I used the elliptical for the first time since probably September and I did better than I normally do. I don't know what unit of distance they use on the machines but whatever unit they use I went an entire one (km or mile or whatever) in under 10 minutes (if that makes any sense). Before it took over ten minutes for me to do that. I was pretty dead by the end but I was quite happy with myself.
Go through old clothes and books. As I said earlier in the post, I went through most of my clothes this week. Colette wants me to go through my books this week so I can take them in (and take hers too). So that's next weeks goal. It has the added bonus of getting them off my floor, so that helps my other goal.
Swear less. I have decided that this is a very hard goal to quantify. I figure I am going to have to start keeping track of how much I swear everyday and try to swear less each day. I don't think I am swearing as much as I did but it is very hard to judge.
Practice dance everyday. Hasn't happened this week. I did an hour and a half of practice with my teacher on Sunday because we are getting ready for a show. I have been practising my glut squeezes which probably sounds weird, but it is really hard and is something we use all the time. It helps when you try to shimmy while doing something else like a hip figure-eight. Now, squeezing the glut doesn't sound hard but trying to squeeze one than the other in rapid succession while doing something else can get complicated. I end up with a funny look on my face from trying so hard. So I have been practising every day. For a little bit anyway.
So that was my week. I have been a bit sidetracked the last two days because I got Lego Harry Potter for my DS and have gotten a bit addicted. Anyway, have a great week.
So, I was actually back at work this week, all five days in fact. My pay cheque wasn't as bad as I thought it would be based on the fact that I only worked one day in that pay period. Luckily, there was a statutory holiday in there. Not a whole lot else happened; as usual, the week pretty much consisted of working and sleeping. But here's how my resolutions went this week:
Update blog every week. So far so good. 3 down, 49 left to go.
Get a new job. This week, as far as job hunting goes, I applied for a few jobs. I also put my name in at some staffing agencies, such as Kelly Services, Adecco, and Randstad. Hopefully that will assist with the job finding process.
Cleaning my room and keeping it clean. The floor is still visible, so yay. One of my chairs is mostly cleaned off. It has a couple of papers on it as well as the socks whose mates I can't find but other than that, it's good to go. I really have to reorganize my shelving unit. I have no room for anything more it in. So I guess that would also qualify as resolution #6. So that's my goal for next week, as well as tackling the other two chairs.
Lose some weight. Weighing my self this week, it looks like I lost some weight but I am pretty sure that I am holding steady at the same weight as before. I should really weigh myself when I wake up one day, before I eat anything, and use that as the base number.
Go to the gym twice per week. I actually made it to the gym twice this week. I was quite happy with myself. In addition, I went on a long walk Friday morning. I had to go to the bank by bus to fix some money issues. Unfortunately, a water main broke which created a sinkhole, so the main road was closed, which rerouted the buses. According to the website, the bus stop I would normally use was still in use (the detour was farther along), so I waited...and waited...and waited. I finally decided to walk down the street in the direction the bus would be coming from so I could get to the other main road and not miss the bus I wanted to take. I made it to the other main road and caught a different bus, but the walk was longer than I had expected.
Go through old clothes and books. Not yet.
Swear less. I think I am swearing less but occasionally, one slips out. I am trying to pay more attention to the language I am using.
Practice dance everyday. Sadly, this did not happen this week, officially. I occasionally practice one of the exercises we use but it's usually while I am doing something else. I do think that move is getting better though.
So that's how I did this week. Hopefully, the giant sinkhole will be fixed soon, because I have to the bus to the bank again next week as my money saga continues to unfold.
