Well, there hasn't been much but there has been some. Chris is still looking for work. He is on the subbing lists for Fresno County (excluding Central, Clovis, and Fresno Unified), but has yet to get called. There is a prospect that has popped up from University of Michigan with doing interview type stuff locally with all travel costs covered in addition hourly pay and he already has experience in data collecting so we'll see! Applications aren't due until January 1st so I suspect we will not hear back until mid-late January.
We are down to 12 rats. We lost Rascal and Rain. Rascal died to old age combined with pneumonia. Rain died due to a brain tumor :( We have 1 boy in a hospital cage all by self and the girls in the old boys cage. Tossed the old girls cage due to it being large and hard to clean and older so there were quite a few spots where the rats chewed through the coating and it was starting to rust.
Schooling is going. The semester has actually gone rather well. It's finals week, but I think I'm in good shape. Orchestra and band have been done for about a week and a half. Finished my Intro to Spanish Linguistics class with I believe a C. Finished General Linguistics with a good chance of an A. Needed an 80% on the final and I think I got that today! That leaves 3 finals on Wed and 2 parts (oral and written) in one of my classes. Wednesday I have Anthropology of Religion where I need an 88% on the final to get an A. Not so sure I can manage that with my test scores averaging 78% in that class, but I'll try! Wednesday, I'm also taking finals for Spanish 4A & 4B to finish out incompletes from last fall! I've been working my butt of the last 2 weeks getting the rest of the work necessary to complete them :) Thursday, I have my Advanced Conversation & Reading Spanish final. Not sure how I'm doing in the class since I've had little feedback, but I've gotten high C's on the exam (don't do well on vocab :( ) and perfect score on participation and most of my homework, but that still leaves presentations (individual and group) and some homework that I have have some feedback on :/ After Thursday is done, I will finally feel like I have breathing room! Although I still have some work to do since I do have a research paper to complete from my Spanish Composition incomplete. But I'm getting there!
Christmas is going to spent in Bakersfield with Chris' family and I'm looking forward to it! Thanksgiving was spent 2 days with my family and 2 days with his family. Was too much driving in too little time!
Anyways, enough of my rambling! And I need to head to bed to get up and study for the rest of my finals and go grocery shopping tomorrow.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Haven't updated in over a month >.<
Well, life has been interesting.
Most importantly, Chris lost his job :( He was at will employment and the board that had funded his position decided they no longer had the funds to do so... So once again scrambling to find work. He has taken up the quest of trying to continue the process of becoming a substitute teacher in Fresno County and looking for seasonal work for the holiday season. In the future may hold the credential program to get the experience, credential, and raise his overall GPA, but we will see.
Classes for the following semester have been posted so of course, I already have my schedule planned out :D I will be taking a total of 16 units. My classes on MWF are Applied Spanish Linguistics (9am-9:50am) and Historical Linguistics (10am-10:50am). On Monday nights, I also have Intro to Literary Analysis (5pm-7:50pm). On TuTh, I have Symphonic Band or Wind Orchestra (pending audition) from 4pm-5:50pm and Phonology 6:30pm-7:45pm. Additionally on Tuesdays, I have Intro to Student Teaching (2pm-3:50pm). The only snag is that Historical Linguistics is not showing up for students yet, but it is on the professors schedule (I have the professor scheduled to teach it for General Linguistics now so I asked) and have also been assured by the chair of the Linguistics dept that it will be offered. It is not necessary, but would be a fascinating elective for Linguistics. Unfortunately due to the time of the Intro to Literary Analysis class and the fact that I will already be taking 16 units, I will not be in orchestra next semester :(
Also something of note, I have decided that I will now be a double major! Spanish Credential and Linguistics with an emphasis in Interdisciplinary Language Studies. There was a 1 or 2 class difference with the major and minor (which I had already declared) and will help me in the future with a possible Masters program (which I have been toying with the idea). It will not add any time if I take 6 units this summer (last 2 upper division GE classes) and 6 units next summer (first two credential classes). With going alumni in TBS & most likely not doing orchestra (but still trying to do band) when the year is complete, I can focus more on school and be done with credential and BAs in Spring 2012!
In rattie news, Oreo had a lump removed from her throat about 2 weeks ago. She starting growing an infection and couldn't remove some of her own stitches, but with adding in her sister Dolce and some antibiotics, both are taken care of. Earlier this week we lost Maple :( She had a weird skin condition going on her nose, ears, and base of her tail and was suffering from pneumonia. With everything, despite eating, she was steadily losing weight. However, at the beginning of the week, we discovered her body had essentially given up on her. In a 24 hour period, she ate nothing but a single sunflower seed and 2 doses of antibiotics. She had no more fight left, so we had her put down :( We are now at 14 rats.
That is it from us! Sorry about the book >.< This is what happens with I don't update in awhile :P
Most importantly, Chris lost his job :( He was at will employment and the board that had funded his position decided they no longer had the funds to do so... So once again scrambling to find work. He has taken up the quest of trying to continue the process of becoming a substitute teacher in Fresno County and looking for seasonal work for the holiday season. In the future may hold the credential program to get the experience, credential, and raise his overall GPA, but we will see.
Classes for the following semester have been posted so of course, I already have my schedule planned out :D I will be taking a total of 16 units. My classes on MWF are Applied Spanish Linguistics (9am-9:50am) and Historical Linguistics (10am-10:50am). On Monday nights, I also have Intro to Literary Analysis (5pm-7:50pm). On TuTh, I have Symphonic Band or Wind Orchestra (pending audition) from 4pm-5:50pm and Phonology 6:30pm-7:45pm. Additionally on Tuesdays, I have Intro to Student Teaching (2pm-3:50pm). The only snag is that Historical Linguistics is not showing up for students yet, but it is on the professors schedule (I have the professor scheduled to teach it for General Linguistics now so I asked) and have also been assured by the chair of the Linguistics dept that it will be offered. It is not necessary, but would be a fascinating elective for Linguistics. Unfortunately due to the time of the Intro to Literary Analysis class and the fact that I will already be taking 16 units, I will not be in orchestra next semester :(
Also something of note, I have decided that I will now be a double major! Spanish Credential and Linguistics with an emphasis in Interdisciplinary Language Studies. There was a 1 or 2 class difference with the major and minor (which I had already declared) and will help me in the future with a possible Masters program (which I have been toying with the idea). It will not add any time if I take 6 units this summer (last 2 upper division GE classes) and 6 units next summer (first two credential classes). With going alumni in TBS & most likely not doing orchestra (but still trying to do band) when the year is complete, I can focus more on school and be done with credential and BAs in Spring 2012!
In rattie news, Oreo had a lump removed from her throat about 2 weeks ago. She starting growing an infection and couldn't remove some of her own stitches, but with adding in her sister Dolce and some antibiotics, both are taken care of. Earlier this week we lost Maple :( She had a weird skin condition going on her nose, ears, and base of her tail and was suffering from pneumonia. With everything, despite eating, she was steadily losing weight. However, at the beginning of the week, we discovered her body had essentially given up on her. In a 24 hour period, she ate nothing but a single sunflower seed and 2 doses of antibiotics. She had no more fight left, so we had her put down :( We are now at 14 rats.
That is it from us! Sorry about the book >.< This is what happens with I don't update in awhile :P
Friday, September 18, 2009
Updates!
I fail at updating! Here's a few quick details on what has been going on.
Chris has a job! The county finally accepted the extra help position and he gets to start on Monday. Essentially what he is doing is helping create and implement economic development programs. Some of the projects up on deck are helping with the high speed railroad, providing a work study type deal for local businesses for them to be able to hire more people for a lower cost, water resistant crops, etc. He has been in the process of filling out paperwork this week and starts on Monday :) It was actually kind of funny because the call from the county happened on Tuesday and then the IRS called him on Thursday offering him a job as a Customer Service Representative. He declined the IRS since he will already have enough on his plate with a 40 hr a week job. But I do feel I need to add that we had just caught up on our tithing on Sunday! Shows that blessings do happen when you pay your tithing :)
We have 2 new little ones! Meet Sugar & Spice :)
This brings us to 15 ratties :) Fudge and Dewdrop have been integrated back into the main cage and are doing very well. You can't tell they had surgery except that there are still a few bold spots where the fur is still in the process of growing back. Unfortunately, we did discover a lump on Oreo. It's located on her upper chest/ lower throat so she can't sleep very easily and we are afraid that before too much longer it will effect her ability to breathe :( Getting that removed in the next week or two pending our vet's schedule.
My auditions turned out ok. I'm first chair of the 2nd clarinets in Symphonic Band. I hoped for higher, but I'm trying to practice on a daily basis to get better and Chris said if I can keep it up, we might be able to afford some private lessons for me :D In orchestra, I'm playing violin. Last chair, but I did make it in. Concert dates are: Oct. 8th (Symphonic Band), Oct. 15th (Orchestra), Dec. 4th (Symphonic Band), and Dec. 6th (Orchestra).
We are now in the process of getting better car insurance (required by the county) and getting Chris some health insurance so if you have any good websites or companies we need to look at for either of those, please let us know!
Chris has a job! The county finally accepted the extra help position and he gets to start on Monday. Essentially what he is doing is helping create and implement economic development programs. Some of the projects up on deck are helping with the high speed railroad, providing a work study type deal for local businesses for them to be able to hire more people for a lower cost, water resistant crops, etc. He has been in the process of filling out paperwork this week and starts on Monday :) It was actually kind of funny because the call from the county happened on Tuesday and then the IRS called him on Thursday offering him a job as a Customer Service Representative. He declined the IRS since he will already have enough on his plate with a 40 hr a week job. But I do feel I need to add that we had just caught up on our tithing on Sunday! Shows that blessings do happen when you pay your tithing :)
We have 2 new little ones! Meet Sugar & Spice :)
This brings us to 15 ratties :) Fudge and Dewdrop have been integrated back into the main cage and are doing very well. You can't tell they had surgery except that there are still a few bold spots where the fur is still in the process of growing back. Unfortunately, we did discover a lump on Oreo. It's located on her upper chest/ lower throat so she can't sleep very easily and we are afraid that before too much longer it will effect her ability to breathe :( Getting that removed in the next week or two pending our vet's schedule.
My auditions turned out ok. I'm first chair of the 2nd clarinets in Symphonic Band. I hoped for higher, but I'm trying to practice on a daily basis to get better and Chris said if I can keep it up, we might be able to afford some private lessons for me :D In orchestra, I'm playing violin. Last chair, but I did make it in. Concert dates are: Oct. 8th (Symphonic Band), Oct. 15th (Orchestra), Dec. 4th (Symphonic Band), and Dec. 6th (Orchestra).
We are now in the process of getting better car insurance (required by the county) and getting Chris some health insurance so if you have any good websites or companies we need to look at for either of those, please let us know!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Haven't made an update in awhile >.< And of course we've had a lot going on.
Chris : Chris lost that job that he had. Reason being that he had really bad shoulder issues pop up, but they claimed "That his performance wasn't up to par while he was working." Hello!!! He was in training. He couldn't give extensions on rent when he didn't regularly work at that property. Whatever. For the shoulder, we actually went into the ER (on my birthday might I add), and their best guess was that it was brusitis (similar to repetitive stress injury) and prescribed him some vicodin (which still only take the pain down to a 3). It is getting a little better over time, but he is still limited in what he can and can't do. He is still waiting to hear from the county at some point this week since there was a board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday. He had an IRS assessment/ evaluation test on Saturday and has another one this Saturday. He also had a group interview at Apple on Friday. A LOT of possibilities are up in the air right now. Oh, and he passed his CBEST :) We haven't gotten the official notification, but we did receive an e-mail with his un-official scores on Monday.
Rats: We still have 13! We are happy because luck has never been with us when we've had an odd number. Fudge went in Tuesday and had a ginormous lump removed from her crotch/ lower tummy and is home with us recovering. She loves the anti-biotic though and will actually lick it off the end of the syringe :) Dewdrop went in for surgery today and we got the word about an hour ago that it had gone smoothly and she was in the process of waking up. She also had a huge lump on her hip that was actually throwing off her balance.
Me: Got my financial aid last week thankfully! We promptly got stuff we have been holding off on that were needed (like the rat surgeries, a few music supplies, stocking our medicine cabinet again, etc. ). Only spent about$250 on textbooks which I'm very grateful for :) Started classes and am proud to say I'm enjoying each one of them so far! Musically, I have had 1 audition so far and have 2 more this week. On Tuesday, I tried out on clarinet for the symphony orchestra and on Friday, I have the violin audition for the same ensemble. I would prefer clarinet, but it will depend on how many clarinets he needs and how the other players did. I KNOW 2 clarinets did better than me and he said he is taking 2 or 3. I will take violin, just as most of you know, clarinet is what I consider my primary instrument. Today, I have my band placement audition which determines which university band I make it into and my placement in the ensemble.
That's about all that has been going on. A lot in the air with Chris' job situation, but we are managing rather well. I should have more news soon-ish to post for you guys on that front :)
Chris : Chris lost that job that he had. Reason being that he had really bad shoulder issues pop up, but they claimed "That his performance wasn't up to par while he was working." Hello!!! He was in training. He couldn't give extensions on rent when he didn't regularly work at that property. Whatever. For the shoulder, we actually went into the ER (on my birthday might I add), and their best guess was that it was brusitis (similar to repetitive stress injury) and prescribed him some vicodin (which still only take the pain down to a 3). It is getting a little better over time, but he is still limited in what he can and can't do. He is still waiting to hear from the county at some point this week since there was a board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday. He had an IRS assessment/ evaluation test on Saturday and has another one this Saturday. He also had a group interview at Apple on Friday. A LOT of possibilities are up in the air right now. Oh, and he passed his CBEST :) We haven't gotten the official notification, but we did receive an e-mail with his un-official scores on Monday.
Rats: We still have 13! We are happy because luck has never been with us when we've had an odd number. Fudge went in Tuesday and had a ginormous lump removed from her crotch/ lower tummy and is home with us recovering. She loves the anti-biotic though and will actually lick it off the end of the syringe :) Dewdrop went in for surgery today and we got the word about an hour ago that it had gone smoothly and she was in the process of waking up. She also had a huge lump on her hip that was actually throwing off her balance.
Me: Got my financial aid last week thankfully! We promptly got stuff we have been holding off on that were needed (like the rat surgeries, a few music supplies, stocking our medicine cabinet again, etc. ). Only spent about$250 on textbooks which I'm very grateful for :) Started classes and am proud to say I'm enjoying each one of them so far! Musically, I have had 1 audition so far and have 2 more this week. On Tuesday, I tried out on clarinet for the symphony orchestra and on Friday, I have the violin audition for the same ensemble. I would prefer clarinet, but it will depend on how many clarinets he needs and how the other players did. I KNOW 2 clarinets did better than me and he said he is taking 2 or 3. I will take violin, just as most of you know, clarinet is what I consider my primary instrument. Today, I have my band placement audition which determines which university band I make it into and my placement in the ensemble.
That's about all that has been going on. A lot in the air with Chris' job situation, but we are managing rather well. I should have more news soon-ish to post for you guys on that front :)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Rats, jobs, CBEST, and birthday celebration
Now we are down to 13 rats. On Friday, I got up and went to wash a load of dishes and when I came back to the bedroom to check on Chris (he had a migraine), I noticed that Smores was lying in a really awkward position and not moving. Sure enough she had passed away in the night :( We suspect pneumonia since she had been having issues on and off for awhile but of course we can't be certain.
Chris HATES his job. It's fully dealing with the public when someone needs a repair in their apartment or can't pay rent or to show them an apartment. He also doesn't like that he is not at the same location from day to day since the company owns about 50 complexes and he is a relief manager so he is assigned to where he is needed. Unfortuntely, it's something which is MUCH better than nothing. Hopefully we will hear back soon on the IRS or county job, but in the meantime, he is continuing to look.
He took the CBEST yesterday to start subbing when school starts and despite not being good at math he fells like he was fairly confident on all but 3 answers on the entire 100 question(reading comprehension and math) exam and of course writing is his strongest suit so we aren't worried about him not passing the essay portion.
Yesterday, Chris' parents and my mom came into town to celebrate my birthday a little early :) We went to Applebee's for dinner and Tutti Fruiti for desert (local frozen yogurt bar). It was wonderful and I still have half a quesadilla burger for lunch today!
Not much else going on. Rain is still continuing to gain motor control. Starting sorority stuff on Friday for the upcoming school year. Signed up for orchestra since I haven't found a steady on campus job and it seems slim to none that I will find one. Plus I do enjoy orchestra :)
Chris HATES his job. It's fully dealing with the public when someone needs a repair in their apartment or can't pay rent or to show them an apartment. He also doesn't like that he is not at the same location from day to day since the company owns about 50 complexes and he is a relief manager so he is assigned to where he is needed. Unfortuntely, it's something which is MUCH better than nothing. Hopefully we will hear back soon on the IRS or county job, but in the meantime, he is continuing to look.
He took the CBEST yesterday to start subbing when school starts and despite not being good at math he fells like he was fairly confident on all but 3 answers on the entire 100 question(reading comprehension and math) exam and of course writing is his strongest suit so we aren't worried about him not passing the essay portion.
Yesterday, Chris' parents and my mom came into town to celebrate my birthday a little early :) We went to Applebee's for dinner and Tutti Fruiti for desert (local frozen yogurt bar). It was wonderful and I still have half a quesadilla burger for lunch today!
Not much else going on. Rain is still continuing to gain motor control. Starting sorority stuff on Friday for the upcoming school year. Signed up for orchestra since I haven't found a steady on campus job and it seems slim to none that I will find one. Plus I do enjoy orchestra :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Rats and jobs!
Rain is doing much better! Every day she is able to use the right side of her face a little more :)
And for the better news that I'm sure everyone has been waiting for! Chris got a job!!!!! He is know a relief manager/ leasing agent for a local apartment complex company that owns around 50 of the local apartment complexes. He would be working anywhere from 8-40 hours a week for $9/hr. It's not much, but it's a job. If he gets the county job (we find out around August 11th (which is also my birthday!!!!)), there is a possibility that he could work at both. I know he would prefer the county job, but with the economic crisis we have to take what we can get. With this, he could easily substitute teach as well. So anyways, that's our news for the day!
And for the better news that I'm sure everyone has been waiting for! Chris got a job!!!!! He is know a relief manager/ leasing agent for a local apartment complex company that owns around 50 of the local apartment complexes. He would be working anywhere from 8-40 hours a week for $9/hr. It's not much, but it's a job. If he gets the county job (we find out around August 11th (which is also my birthday!!!!)), there is a possibility that he could work at both. I know he would prefer the county job, but with the economic crisis we have to take what we can get. With this, he could easily substitute teach as well. So anyways, that's our news for the day!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Down to 14 rats. Had to put Fate to sleep on Wednesday of last week. He wasn't getting better and he was trying to fight when he nothing left to fight with. He was losing 10-15 grams a day and when you only weigh 350- ish, that's a LOT. He also had decided that he didn't need to drink water so we were trying to supplement with bread soaked in water. It was just his time :( Rain is doing better. She had lost some control on the right side of her face. The ear infection was so bad that one of the nerves controling that part of her face got damaged, but yesterday she starting using it just a little, so we are hoping that she continues to make progress in getting better. She also finished getting over a bladder infection. Poor thing :( At least she is making improvements!
Work stuff is going. Chris got an e-mail asking him to go in for fingerprinting and a background check for this morning. He went in and they now want an official transcript from Fresno State. They also let him know that they start off with groups of 300 and end down with about 10 and then start the process again until they fill the positions. All this for a temp position... We'll see and doing the steps to get the job, but he isn't too enthusiastic about a temp job that people will only call when they are having issues with their taxes. It's an option, but not high up on the list. He got a call from a local corporation of different properties as a possible leasing agent! Interview is Wed morning. Unfortunately in the mail, he got a letter in the mail from unemployment office stating that since he was working for the university while going to school there, he was no longer eligible for receiving unemployment :( Really hoping that something works out soon since the county thing is also still up in the air.
As for me, I'm hoping to work part-time at the bookstore on campus for the beginning of the semester and go from there. My textbooks are coming out to about $200 for the semester which is not bad at all. About half of that is for 1 class >.<
This past weekend we left Fresno for cooler weather. We were in Grover Beach, CA at Chris' parents' beach house with Matthew and Nichelle (Chris' youngest brother and his wife) and Chris' dad! It was so nice not being in triple digit weather. Got there Friday late afternoon. Got settled and then went to the beach to watch the sunset and then went back to the house and played games. Saturday was spent just doing some lounging, some games, and of course the beach. We were dealing with the cold of the ocean water and just having fun and taking in the weather and bracing ourselves for the next big wave that went a little higher than the last. We also did some digging for sand crabs :) I got burned on my back though :( Not pleasant, but it's already feeling better. Sunday we cleaned the beach house after having used it for the weekend and in the afternoon we went from the beach house to Chris' parents house for family dinner with the in-laws and all of their boys with their wives and grand-children and Chris' grandfather. Total of 11 of us :) After dinner, we chatted a little bit, and Chris and I made the trek back home. I had been suffering from a headache most of the afternoon (I suspect between dehydration, 30 degree heat change in the day, and lot of commotion with lots of family and little kids), and womanly issues going "Don't forget I'm coming soon!"... Plus when we came home and checked the mail, I had a Jury Duty Summons in the mail. Wasn't a good day, but it was still a great weekend.
Now I just need to work on the apartment before school starts up in less than a month and I have some homework for incompletes that I NEED to finish.
Work stuff is going. Chris got an e-mail asking him to go in for fingerprinting and a background check for this morning. He went in and they now want an official transcript from Fresno State. They also let him know that they start off with groups of 300 and end down with about 10 and then start the process again until they fill the positions. All this for a temp position... We'll see and doing the steps to get the job, but he isn't too enthusiastic about a temp job that people will only call when they are having issues with their taxes. It's an option, but not high up on the list. He got a call from a local corporation of different properties as a possible leasing agent! Interview is Wed morning. Unfortunately in the mail, he got a letter in the mail from unemployment office stating that since he was working for the university while going to school there, he was no longer eligible for receiving unemployment :( Really hoping that something works out soon since the county thing is also still up in the air.
As for me, I'm hoping to work part-time at the bookstore on campus for the beginning of the semester and go from there. My textbooks are coming out to about $200 for the semester which is not bad at all. About half of that is for 1 class >.<
This past weekend we left Fresno for cooler weather. We were in Grover Beach, CA at Chris' parents' beach house with Matthew and Nichelle (Chris' youngest brother and his wife) and Chris' dad! It was so nice not being in triple digit weather. Got there Friday late afternoon. Got settled and then went to the beach to watch the sunset and then went back to the house and played games. Saturday was spent just doing some lounging, some games, and of course the beach. We were dealing with the cold of the ocean water and just having fun and taking in the weather and bracing ourselves for the next big wave that went a little higher than the last. We also did some digging for sand crabs :) I got burned on my back though :( Not pleasant, but it's already feeling better. Sunday we cleaned the beach house after having used it for the weekend and in the afternoon we went from the beach house to Chris' parents house for family dinner with the in-laws and all of their boys with their wives and grand-children and Chris' grandfather. Total of 11 of us :) After dinner, we chatted a little bit, and Chris and I made the trek back home. I had been suffering from a headache most of the afternoon (I suspect between dehydration, 30 degree heat change in the day, and lot of commotion with lots of family and little kids), and womanly issues going "Don't forget I'm coming soon!"... Plus when we came home and checked the mail, I had a Jury Duty Summons in the mail. Wasn't a good day, but it was still a great weekend.
Now I just need to work on the apartment before school starts up in less than a month and I have some homework for incompletes that I NEED to finish.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Rats and job stuff
We are down to 15 rats. We lost Aurora on Tuesday night :( I would post a pic of her except that I managed to misplace my camera cord at the moment >.< We technically only had her for about 4 months total. 2 months at birth since she was from one of the 2 surprise mommy rats we have gotten and the past two months since she was one of the 2 that we had found a home for. Unfortunately the person who had them for about a year had their living situation change to where she couldn't keep Aurora or Dolce. It worked out nicely since we still had most of their siblings and were able to take them in without any problems. Unforutunately on Monday Aurora had been acting a little lethargic and we figured it was just the heat since we haven't been keeping the apartment as cool as we normally would. Then on Tuesday evening she was by herself flaked out on her side and wasn't struggling at all when we picked her up to examine her. Not even when on her back. She was so weak that she couldn't fully grip with her paws. We knew we had to take her to the Pet ER to be put down.
On the job front, I have decided to not take the volleyball official position. As much fun as it would be, there were just too many upfront costs involved. I may not be getting the promotion to Event Liaison at my music department job with the budget cuts. Talking with my supervisor today, she wasn't sure if the position would continue to exist or not but that she hoped I would continue on Concert Staff. However, today I received a call from Radio Shack asking for an interview :) It's tomorrow at 1pm. The location is not ideal since it's way out by Shaw & 99, but the steady work would be nice and is definitely needed. I'm also taking part in a psycholinguistic study tomorrow for hearing and vision. For 2 hours of time, I'm getting $30 :D Not complaining!
Chris is still hunting for work. He filled out an hour long evaluation type thing yesterday for the IRS in response to an application he sent in a week or two ago. He also got an e-mail today from one of the county people that had interviewed him for the Americorps position saying that the county may be hiring him for a very similar position. Would be $8/hr with no benefits and 40 hrs/ wk. It's a step in the door for the county stuff that he is more qualified to do with his degrees, so we'll see. We should know mid-August.
So we both of little nibbles here and there. Hopefully something will stick and hopefully the 2 rats that we have on anti-biotics will continue to get healthy.
On the job front, I have decided to not take the volleyball official position. As much fun as it would be, there were just too many upfront costs involved. I may not be getting the promotion to Event Liaison at my music department job with the budget cuts. Talking with my supervisor today, she wasn't sure if the position would continue to exist or not but that she hoped I would continue on Concert Staff. However, today I received a call from Radio Shack asking for an interview :) It's tomorrow at 1pm. The location is not ideal since it's way out by Shaw & 99, but the steady work would be nice and is definitely needed. I'm also taking part in a psycholinguistic study tomorrow for hearing and vision. For 2 hours of time, I'm getting $30 :D Not complaining!
Chris is still hunting for work. He filled out an hour long evaluation type thing yesterday for the IRS in response to an application he sent in a week or two ago. He also got an e-mail today from one of the county people that had interviewed him for the Americorps position saying that the county may be hiring him for a very similar position. Would be $8/hr with no benefits and 40 hrs/ wk. It's a step in the door for the county stuff that he is more qualified to do with his degrees, so we'll see. We should know mid-August.
So we both of little nibbles here and there. Hopefully something will stick and hopefully the 2 rats that we have on anti-biotics will continue to get healthy.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Yet more contemplating
Through the help of friends, counselor, and talking things over with Chris, we decided that the baby thing probably won't happen soon after all. It would be nice, but I think I need to stick to the original plan of finishing school first. Plus it would be nice to be in a bigger place at that point and right now, our finances are tight and our apartment is very convenient to campus. I think I just managed to catch the "baby bug" with family members and friends recently having children or will be having children soon.
As far as the volleyball official is concerned (see last post), my mom brought up a point that made it back up in the air when I was about 90% sure it would be good. She suggested I go back to Kennel Bookstore to do the beginning of semester textbook stuff that I have done the last few semesters since it's on campus and no up front cost. The jobs would be lasting about the same time frame. Kennel would just be a minimum wage average job that I already know how to do and could even start mid-August (week and a half before school starts) instead of waiting until September. Plus then also if Chris finds a job, he has full access the car since school and work would both be walking distance. The only big downside is that you are only allowed to work 20 hours a week with on campus jobs so I don't know if I would be able to do the promotion at work (if it was offered to me) because of the time limits. Guess my next step really is to call find out when the interviewing process for the possible promotion is getting underway and go from there.
As far as the volleyball official is concerned (see last post), my mom brought up a point that made it back up in the air when I was about 90% sure it would be good. She suggested I go back to Kennel Bookstore to do the beginning of semester textbook stuff that I have done the last few semesters since it's on campus and no up front cost. The jobs would be lasting about the same time frame. Kennel would just be a minimum wage average job that I already know how to do and could even start mid-August (week and a half before school starts) instead of waiting until September. Plus then also if Chris finds a job, he has full access the car since school and work would both be walking distance. The only big downside is that you are only allowed to work 20 hours a week with on campus jobs so I don't know if I would be able to do the promotion at work (if it was offered to me) because of the time limits. Guess my next step really is to call find out when the interviewing process for the possible promotion is getting underway and go from there.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Possible job oppurtunity and more
Well, I have a job opportunity that I'm not sure whether to go with or not. By posting it here, I'm hoping to get some input since I only have a week to decide. I managed to find an opportunity to officiate girls' volleyball for the elementary and middle schools in Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified. It pays $34 for the elementary school games and $46 for the middle school games (or $23 if you are one of 2 people working). And of course with middle school, you have 2 games (7th and 8th grade). Plus you can be a linechecker for the Varsity games at the high school level ($35.) All the times work with my schedule so I wouldn't have to say that I couldn't work something. However there are upfront costs. There is a yearly membership fee ($50) to be a part of the officiating services in addition to a starter pack ($68) and official polo ($37). The latter two items can be taken out of your first paycheck though which is nice. And then I would also need to get navy blue slacks and white tennis shoes (all mine have some sort of color on them). It seems like something I could do for a few years in addition to school and my concert staff job. I would make the money back, and if I decided to continue next year all that would be required is the yearly membership fee. There were several people at the first meeting tonight who said that it was a great job and pays well (was getting $92 a day for working 2 middle school games in 1 day). Would this be something you would take advantage of?
My other concerns are with my possible promotion with Concert Staff, although I don't foresee a HUGE problem, although there may be some. And there is also a chance I don't get the promotion since I have yet to get called about it. I'll be placing a call tomorrow to the Music Dept office about that. Especially if I don't get the promotion, I sign up for the events to work so I can not work if I have a game to officiate or a paper or exams to study for. If I do get the promotion, a lot of it would primarily be making sure the events are staffed and that the people show up for their job. Regardless, there are not that many events until mid- late October which is when the volleyball thing would probably be starting to wind down. It could work either way.
Plus I do have an officer position in Tau Beta Sigma for next year as the historian/alumni secretary. Not a concern at the beginning of the year since I mainly just need to forward a few e-mails and scrapbook a page here and there so at the end of the school year, compiling a scrapbook of the year, won't be as much of a daunting task. I also have a counterpart in Kappa Kappa Psi and a committee of 4 or 5 people from both organizations that would, in theory, be helping me.
And of course, with having been married 2 1/2 years, Chris and I are contemplating whether or not to try to start our family. We'd definitely be aiming for a summer birth (June or July). We have a kids on both sides of the family that are around the same age (born within the last year or will be born in the next year). Only thing holding this back really is if Chris can't find a full time job. Already figured out an awesome health insurance plan that I can get through Fresno State that is $25 for a co-pay and 20% co-insurance for just about everything and it's only $908 for me for a year. It would slow down my schooling a little since I may drop down to 1/2 time or 3/4 time student to do everything once the baby is actually here since it's extremely important to have a mom at home.
I guess I just have so many things that are maybes and I just needed to clear my head a little. Any thoughts on any of this or more things I should consider? I know I need to pray about it, but other input would also be extremely helpful.
My other concerns are with my possible promotion with Concert Staff, although I don't foresee a HUGE problem, although there may be some. And there is also a chance I don't get the promotion since I have yet to get called about it. I'll be placing a call tomorrow to the Music Dept office about that. Especially if I don't get the promotion, I sign up for the events to work so I can not work if I have a game to officiate or a paper or exams to study for. If I do get the promotion, a lot of it would primarily be making sure the events are staffed and that the people show up for their job. Regardless, there are not that many events until mid- late October which is when the volleyball thing would probably be starting to wind down. It could work either way.
Plus I do have an officer position in Tau Beta Sigma for next year as the historian/alumni secretary. Not a concern at the beginning of the year since I mainly just need to forward a few e-mails and scrapbook a page here and there so at the end of the school year, compiling a scrapbook of the year, won't be as much of a daunting task. I also have a counterpart in Kappa Kappa Psi and a committee of 4 or 5 people from both organizations that would, in theory, be helping me.
And of course, with having been married 2 1/2 years, Chris and I are contemplating whether or not to try to start our family. We'd definitely be aiming for a summer birth (June or July). We have a kids on both sides of the family that are around the same age (born within the last year or will be born in the next year). Only thing holding this back really is if Chris can't find a full time job. Already figured out an awesome health insurance plan that I can get through Fresno State that is $25 for a co-pay and 20% co-insurance for just about everything and it's only $908 for me for a year. It would slow down my schooling a little since I may drop down to 1/2 time or 3/4 time student to do everything once the baby is actually here since it's extremely important to have a mom at home.
I guess I just have so many things that are maybes and I just needed to clear my head a little. Any thoughts on any of this or more things I should consider? I know I need to pray about it, but other input would also be extremely helpful.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Well, things are going. Chris and I are happy to report that we still have a roof over our head :P May not seem like much but it is. Neither of us have worked for over a month now. Next few weeks, I should be getting called in for a possible promotion with my current concert staff job though with the music dept. It would be an excellent opportunity for me since I have been at the job since Oct 2005 and I have great organizational skills (even though you would not be able to tell from our apartment).
Summer projects are getting back in good standing with the church (or at least working toward it) and cleaning the apartment and putting away some of the boxes that are cluttering the living room. Personally, I'm also finishing 3 Incomplete grades from the last year. Already had to battle with the financial aid office this summer to try to get money for next year. Going to finish those ASAP so my GPA (granted this wasn't the issue, but will be a good benefit) goes up and they can't say I haven't completed enough classes. And Chris is working on finding SOME kind of work. With graduating (YAY!), his student position went poof with him not being a student anymore. There was a chance of him getting hired at Americorps working with the current economic crisis, but went in yesterday for a 2nd interview and they told him they had gone with someone else. The county is looking at trying to add a position for him in a similar capacity, but we'll see. I definitely have doubts with the budget cuts and so forth.
I'm taking 13 (possibly 14 units) in the fall. Using it to determine what I end up taking the next 2 years. Taking Anthropology of Religion (and *hopefully* passing it this time), General Linguistics, Intro to Spanish Linguistics, Advanced Conversation and Reading (Spanish), and whichever wind band I make it into. Orchestra is a maybe with the possible job promotion and wanting more time for studies. Next semester should tell me whether I want to major in Linguistics with a minor in Spanish or major in Spanish with a minor in Linguistics. There is an Interdisciplinary Language Studies option in the Linguistics dept that has me really interested. Either way I'm looking at graduating May 2011.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and it looks like we might be going over to a friend's for BBQ, swimming, and fireworks :) My 23rd birthday is just over a month away. Might go to Disneyland with their get in free on your birthday deal since we also have accrued enough disney dollars for Chris to get in, but we would still need to worry about gas and hotel...
Our rat count is 16. 3 boys and 13 girls. A lot of them approaching 2 years of age which has been our cap between various illnesses. We'll see what happens in the next year or so.
And enough of a book, but wanted to put a nice sized update up :)
Summer projects are getting back in good standing with the church (or at least working toward it) and cleaning the apartment and putting away some of the boxes that are cluttering the living room. Personally, I'm also finishing 3 Incomplete grades from the last year. Already had to battle with the financial aid office this summer to try to get money for next year. Going to finish those ASAP so my GPA (granted this wasn't the issue, but will be a good benefit) goes up and they can't say I haven't completed enough classes. And Chris is working on finding SOME kind of work. With graduating (YAY!), his student position went poof with him not being a student anymore. There was a chance of him getting hired at Americorps working with the current economic crisis, but went in yesterday for a 2nd interview and they told him they had gone with someone else. The county is looking at trying to add a position for him in a similar capacity, but we'll see. I definitely have doubts with the budget cuts and so forth.
I'm taking 13 (possibly 14 units) in the fall. Using it to determine what I end up taking the next 2 years. Taking Anthropology of Religion (and *hopefully* passing it this time), General Linguistics, Intro to Spanish Linguistics, Advanced Conversation and Reading (Spanish), and whichever wind band I make it into. Orchestra is a maybe with the possible job promotion and wanting more time for studies. Next semester should tell me whether I want to major in Linguistics with a minor in Spanish or major in Spanish with a minor in Linguistics. There is an Interdisciplinary Language Studies option in the Linguistics dept that has me really interested. Either way I'm looking at graduating May 2011.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and it looks like we might be going over to a friend's for BBQ, swimming, and fireworks :) My 23rd birthday is just over a month away. Might go to Disneyland with their get in free on your birthday deal since we also have accrued enough disney dollars for Chris to get in, but we would still need to worry about gas and hotel...
Our rat count is 16. 3 boys and 13 girls. A lot of them approaching 2 years of age which has been our cap between various illnesses. We'll see what happens in the next year or so.
And enough of a book, but wanted to put a nice sized update up :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Been a while
Well, it's been a while. Our lives have been a roller coaster. Our rat population is down to 20. Lost 11 in 5 weeks. Thankfully that slowed down and our population seems to be more stable now.
Chris' last day of work was the 23rd. He is the one graduating soonest and had the most absences, so he was one of 2 people to get cut out of the 5 that were student assistants, he does have another prospect in the arts & humanities IT department for tech support and computer lab baby sitting so we will see what happens. Should find out next week. I got called by Kennel Bookstore to do beginning of semester textbook rush for the upcoming semester. Only lasts a month, but better than nothing. Who knows, I might be able to talk to my manager about staying on. Still have the concert staff job, but as usual, I'm working, but also looking for something a little more steady.
Had a major health scare with Chris about a month and a half ago. In short, he was unconscious along our apartment complex in the grass for almost an hour. Got temporary health insurance that covered an MRI, but searching for health insurance so if something like this happens again, it won't be so scary. The MRI came up with a calcification in his cortex that was a little older, but has most likely been causing most of his migraines over the years. Waiting for an appointment with the neurologist at the local medical center.
My aunt had her 3rd child yesterday :) Baby Marissa Rosado was born at 12:10pm. She arrived 3 days early and has an older sister Christina, 8th grader, and older brother, 10th grader, to help mommy and baby out.
Chris and I are in the process of excavating our apartment and giving it as much of a deep clean as we can while we are on break from school. So far, the master bedroom is mostly done. Just awaiting the arrival of a bookcase to finish up in there.
Chris is graduating in May :) He is taking 10 units this semester and in May will have a BA in Anthropology and a BA in History!
Tuesday is our 2 year anniversary :) Nothing big planned since we really can't afford much right now, but we are going to Chaffee Zoo tomorrow since we since haven't made it out there even though we have wanted to. On the weekends until the end of January, they still have the Stingray experience.
Went to Disneyland the weekend before finals with another couple that we know and had an awesome time. 60 ft x-mas tree, pics with Mickey, Tinkerbell, Iradessa (Light Fairy), and a few Disney princesses :) Will post some pics later if you guys are interested.
And off to do dishes and run a few errands before getting started on excavating the bathroom!
Chris' last day of work was the 23rd. He is the one graduating soonest and had the most absences, so he was one of 2 people to get cut out of the 5 that were student assistants, he does have another prospect in the arts & humanities IT department for tech support and computer lab baby sitting so we will see what happens. Should find out next week. I got called by Kennel Bookstore to do beginning of semester textbook rush for the upcoming semester. Only lasts a month, but better than nothing. Who knows, I might be able to talk to my manager about staying on. Still have the concert staff job, but as usual, I'm working, but also looking for something a little more steady.
Had a major health scare with Chris about a month and a half ago. In short, he was unconscious along our apartment complex in the grass for almost an hour. Got temporary health insurance that covered an MRI, but searching for health insurance so if something like this happens again, it won't be so scary. The MRI came up with a calcification in his cortex that was a little older, but has most likely been causing most of his migraines over the years. Waiting for an appointment with the neurologist at the local medical center.
My aunt had her 3rd child yesterday :) Baby Marissa Rosado was born at 12:10pm. She arrived 3 days early and has an older sister Christina, 8th grader, and older brother, 10th grader, to help mommy and baby out.
Chris and I are in the process of excavating our apartment and giving it as much of a deep clean as we can while we are on break from school. So far, the master bedroom is mostly done. Just awaiting the arrival of a bookcase to finish up in there.
Chris is graduating in May :) He is taking 10 units this semester and in May will have a BA in Anthropology and a BA in History!
Tuesday is our 2 year anniversary :) Nothing big planned since we really can't afford much right now, but we are going to Chaffee Zoo tomorrow since we since haven't made it out there even though we have wanted to. On the weekends until the end of January, they still have the Stingray experience.
Went to Disneyland the weekend before finals with another couple that we know and had an awesome time. 60 ft x-mas tree, pics with Mickey, Tinkerbell, Iradessa (Light Fairy), and a few Disney princesses :) Will post some pics later if you guys are interested.
And off to do dishes and run a few errands before getting started on excavating the bathroom!
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