I Don't Know What I Want... Afterword

I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This 

By Julie Jansen 

Afterword

I bet you thought I was gone for good! Well, actually, I have a new project in mind now that Small Nyberg is a bit older, but I couldn't leave the book behind when I'm so close to being done!

In the afterword, Jansen starts by pointing out that most people are dissatisfied with their current jobs, but that countless people have made the leap to better positions. She tells a few stories about people who completely shifted gear as evidence that it can, in fact, be done!

Overall, I suspect this book is pretty dated for the current job market, but if you're a professional, and the title of the book applies to you, it might be worth checking out! Definitely get the most recent edition possible; maybe it'll turn out to be even more useful than this one!

Baby!

So, I haven't been around for a while. You can probably guess why.

Everything is going well, and I'm going ts start trying to post again. but it's going to be a lot more sporadic than I'd prefer for the foreseeable future.

I doubt you want to hear about the mundane stuff (he's rolling over; he loves rice cereal; he gave his littler second-cousin kisses). I can't promise I won't poke into mommy-blog territory, but that's never been my focus and I don't plan to change that.

So, that's me! What have you been up to?

What makes you happy? #62

When I was a kid, the church my family belonged to had a craft fair, or Christmas bazaar, I don't recall which. I mean, they definitely had both at different points, but I don't recall which this specific event was.

There were several items for sale that people worked on in groups. Some were fairly simple, though extremely well done -- clothespin reindeer, tongue depressor Santas.

Bunny rabbit, dressed for Spring.  Photo by me.

My favorite was the Seasonal Bunny Rabbit.



(It was also available as an Elephant.)

One or two people good with woodcrafts made the bodies, while people better with sewing made bulk collections of ears in different floral and holiday patterns.

Extra ears and ribbons.  Photo by me.

Each rabbit (or elephant) came with a set of ears and some coordinating ribbons to tie around their necks.

And once a month, now that I have one of my own, I change the ears and ribbons to match season.

It's just a fun, subtle little thing that I really enjoy.

And it came with this nice poem.  Photo by me.

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What makes you happy? #61

Maybe (OK, probably) it's the hormones talking. It's not like my gestating body couldn't use the calcium, protein, better sugars and fats (that is, calories), and whatever small amounts of fruit or antioxidants show up.

The Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, Manhattan, New York City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But lately, milkshakes have really hit the spot.

For a while, early on, cheeseburgers were one of my dietary staples. If I got them in their simpler forms, without onions, there were no food aversions (I had so many food aversions). I was getting protein and calories that I was otherwise missing out on. They tasted good, they stayed down, and enough different places sell them that I could have them a couple times a week without getting bored.

I'm lucky (?) enough to have a Five Guys in walking distance and a Shake Shack right where I usually transfer buses. I can get some good burgers easily.

And when my appetite came back, it came roaring back, and while I had burgers less often, I started pairing them with shakes.

Small Nyberg is starting to get big enough to encroach on my stomach, so I may have to scale back soon, but man.  A good milkshake, well-timed, really satisfies.

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I Don't Know What I Want... Chapter 12, Part 6

I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This 

By Julie Jansen 

 Chapter 12: Job Search -- the Nuts and Bolts

Job Search Myths

Yeah, it's been a while, But there's not that much of the book left; let's see how quickly we can hammer it out.

Jansen outlines seven myths about job hunting:

1. A resume should only be one page.
2. If you got an interview through a third party, you follow up with the person who interviewed you, but rather with your recruiter.
3. No matter how many people interviewed you, you only need to send a thank-you note to the person who would be your direct report.
4. You shouldn't take notes during an interview.
5. Don't bother job hunting in the summer or around the holidays; no one is hiring.
6. The most qualified candidate has the best shot at the job.
7. Only certain components of a job offer are negotiable.

She debunks these using common sense, so just consider them debunked.

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What makes you happy? #60

English: baby
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Note: not actually my kid.

The baby is pretty active. I suspect he can tell when I'm getting hungry, because shortly before I eat, without fail, he starts putting up a fuss. If this is how he acts in utero, I'm a little afraid of how he'll react once he's born and, you know, actually hungry.

Some babies are calm, and good at self-soothing. I suspect my son will be born without any chill.

I mean, just look at his parents.

Still, when he starts his bedtime agitation ("Mom?  Why'd you stop moving, Mom?"), Chris gets to feel it. He'll talk to my belly, or poke it, or sometimes shine a flashlight at it (as far as I can tell, the baby hates that -- he always squirms away from the light).

Watching Chris play with, and just generally interact with, our son is already a great source of joy for me.

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Meta: 2016 Round-up

Meta: Year-End wrap-up

English: A birthday cake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I always intend to do this at the beginning of the new year, and every year the holidays throw me out of my posting momentum. So, since my birthday was on Tuesday, why not kick off my personal new year instead?


As of press time, the following posts have gotten the most all-time pageviews:

• Part I of my review of Time Magazine's feature on happiness
• My lament about not enjoying exercise
• A pondering of transferable skills
• A (somewhat timely, I suppose) discussion of birthday cards
• And my sadly out-of-date blog roll.

And the following post is the only one to have gotten more than two non-spam comments:

• An introduction to my blog roll

Just for kicks, here are some unexpected search terms people have used to find this blog:

Entry	Pageviews
slate moneybox	4
the point seems to be	4

And finally, of the posts not mentioned above, here is the one I'm most proud of:
Didn't do study abroad. Life changed anyway.


So wander around, check out some stuff you might have missed, and jump in on the conversation.

Because it's a new year, and who knows what that'll bring?

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