Category Archives: October 2012

Never Waiting for Anything Again…..

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Have I ever mentioned that I am the most impatient person ever? Probably.

So, while I was waiting, I got antsy. I started looking for other positions in the bay area. I kept growing more increasing frustrated. I kept growing more increasingly impatient.

On October 22, I sent Amber an email basically asking if I could crash at her house for a while because I was moving out there in December – with or without a job. I was ready. I was confident that this was where I wanted to live for the immediate future. I needed a change and a challenge. I had no idea how it was going to actually happen, but I was going.

Late that night I receive a reply:
“Hold that thought, chickadee!  I should have some good news for you this week! :)”

After 8 weeks of impatiently waiting, I wasn’t holding my breath.

Then one week ago today, on Tuesday, October 23, I get a text from Amber, “Got a minute to chat?”. And of course, I did.

And then it happened – I received a verbal offer for employment – IN SAN FRANCISCO! Well, actually Richmond, CA but it’s seriously 20 minutes from San Francisco.

Let the adventure begin!

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Spilling the Beans – Part 4

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I promise this is the end of the saga…..

Amber and Greg were headed to Paris for two weeks. And something in my gut told me I wouldn’t hear anything until her return. And I was right.

And I waited.

Then I waited some more.

The last week in September, I finally got some news. They needed me to return to San Francisco to meet with the Amber’s boss and another gentleman, both out of Wilmington. So the first week of October, I flew out again.

This trip was a whirlwind! I worked all day on Wednesday, caught a 6 p.m. flight to Oakland, started interviews at 9 a.m. on Thursday and returned to Indy on Friday morning.

It was very similar to the last day of interviews. Now, there was a slight difference as they had been a reorganization. Not a huge shake up but enough that I’m glad it was explained to me in person.

Again, ended my day with dinner with Amber and Greg. Groundhog’s Day anyone?

And now, I wait.

Spilling the Beans – Part 3

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When I left you last, Mom and I had made it to the hotel in Emeryville and fell asleep quickly!

Sunday was a day of fun! I’ve posted about most of it here. After a day of sightseeing, it was a quick pizza and to bed. I had a big day on Monday. A day full of interviews that I was totally prepared to rock!

I met with four different people on this day: HR, Acting General Manager, Acting Business Manager (this is the position I was interviewing for) and the friend Amber (who would be my boss, again, and brought this little adventure to my attention.)

Having HR experience myself, this was definitely an interesting way of interviewing – very time conscious, not conversational but strictly question and answer. I’m not sure why it felt different, it just did.

The Acting GM was short and sweet. As I learned later, he’s just trying to keep his head above water until an actual GM is hired.

The Acting Business Manager was actually a temporary transplant from the Wilmington, MA office who was tasked with introducing the Business Manager position to this branch. His 90 day stay turned into 4+ months and you could tell he was homesick. I was able to ask position specific questions and he gave pretty honest answers. I felt pretty confident that I could be successful.

I had lunch with Amber. We dished about my interviews, my thoughts, and she gave me insight into my first opinion. Have I mentioned that I am totally awesome at reading people? I love it! I’m typically pretty spot on.

After lunch, I was scheduled to have a conference call with another gentleman out of the Wilmington office. However, that didn’t happen due to some scheduling conflicts, so I was excused.

Exhausted, I headed back to the hotel to see what the Moms had been up to while I was being grilled. Really, it wasn’t that bad but I really do hate interviewing.

Because it was 2 p.m. and we were in California, we headed up to spend an afternoon driving through Napa. Have I mentioned my love of Napa? We didn’t do any tastings but we drove all the way north to Helena stopping whenever we wanted along the way. It was a very lovely afternoon.

While we were cruising through Napa, Amber asked if Mom and I would join her and Greg for dinner. We wrapped up our day in Napa and headed to Hercules for dinner. Again, we dished about the day and what I thought about the company, people, etc. We had a couple beverages, some sliders and just enjoyed a lovely evening by the bay.

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed back to Indiana.

And the waiting begins……

Spilling the Beans – Part 2

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So, where did I leave off? Oh, I was ready.

Bright and early on Saturday morning, my mom and I said goodbye to the kittens and headed toward the airport. I promised my mom I’d leave this part out but it’s just too cute to pass by. So, there were tears when we left. Not because she was going to get on a plane, or because of what this trip could potentially mean. Nope, she was very upset to leave the kittens. We had very good cat care lined up. My friend (and neighbor) and her two sons were properly trained on the cat care guidelines. All three loved the cats. They were in good hands. But, as mom said several times, “it’s not the same as I would take care of them.” I would say we were parking at the airport about the time she got herself under control. Maybe it was because she had come to terms. Or maybe it was because I was giving her instructions – should she ever have to do this in the future – by herself.

Parking.
Airport shuttle.
Baggage check.
Security.
Finding the gate.

To most travelers, this is standard. I explained every. single. detail. of what we were doing, why we were doing it, how I knew to do it. I tried as much as possible to be patient with her. I really did. I know she hasn’t flown much. Actually the only time she’s ever flown is with me – one time to Ft. Myers, one time to D.C. And it has been at least 5 years since we were in D.C. Some times she looks like a deer caught in headlights. Some times just really confused. Other times, I don’t think she was paying attention to me at all!

I think the most frustrating part, for both of us, was my pitiful explanation of the Southwest cattle call system. It wasn’t until my second trip out in October when I checked in and found out I was A1 did I actually realize that she understood what I we had been doing.

One thing mom had been worried about was changing planes. So the first flight, we didn’t actually change planes. We had two stops but never left the plane. We stopped once in Las Vegas, once in Burbank and then our final stop in Oakland. We will never, ever, EVER do that again. Absolutely exhausting. I just wanted to jump out of the plane and run around so badly. I just needed fresh air! And the ability to move freely!

While in flight, mom did pretty darn good. She loves looking out the window. We brought a little lunch and snacks. Besides going stir crazy, it was an enjoyable journey.

By the time we land in Oakland, we are hungry and tired. Glad to be off the plane but tired. So we wait………wait……..still waiting……for our luggage at OAK. Slowest baggage claim ever. Then headed off to the shuttle to the rental car station. Waited some more. Got the car – very nice, I might add. Although for the life of me I cannot remember the make or model.

And as I’m sitting in the car, adjusting the mirrors, air, radio, it dawned on me……I have never driven in California. And my mom’s with me. Crap – I hope I can do this. So, I confidently set my GPS to the hotel address. Say a prayer and move forward.

Now, you may not know this about me but when I’m hungry – I get extremely grumpy. When I’m tired, watch out. When I’m hungry and tired, look up the definition of the word bitch in the urban dictionary and you’ll find my picture.

Needless to say, it was a tense trip to the hotel with a few missed turns along the way.

Find the hotel. We stayed in Emeryville – perfect!
Find hotel room.
Find food.
Find sleep.

Seriously, we  were in bed by 8 p.m. PST or 11 EST.

Best. Sleep. Ever.

And due to the hurt the San Fransisco Giants are putting on the Cardinals (especially in the 3rd inning), this post has taken entirely too long. More later….GO GIANTS!!

Spilling the Beans – Part I

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It’s official – I am a horrible blogger. I can say that I’m going to be better, set some goal, and then miss the goal. Whatever…if you continue to stick around, Thank you! If not, you’ll miss the beans!

So, let’s start with spilling the beans.

A few months ago, I was at a lovely girl’s night out with my favorite ladies when I get a text message from my friend Amber. “Call me when you get a chance.” Once we wrapped up our GNO and our chatting about kids, house hunting and vacations, we said our goodbye’s and headed in our separate directions. On the way home, I called Amber.

There was the first part of the call was of the “how’s life” variety. See, I have this issue. I am 100% sure that no one wants to hear about my problems – even my best friends in the entire world. And those wonderful friends of mine know me well enough to know that when I fall off the face of the earth that something is probably up and check on me. Initially this was one of those “check on Pam” calls. (We’ll get to the reasons as to why I have fallen off the face of the earth later. Maybe.)

Then there was the second part of the call which started out “are you still thinking about moving out of state?” to which I responded “everyday”. Come to find out, there is an open position at Amber’s company and she thinks I would fit right in.

The next day, she sent me the job description.

Over the next few days, I updated my resume and sent it along to Amber, who then made her own changes and submitted it to her boss! I say this with love because I hate resumes! I am always grateful for any help!

Two weeks later, I was trying to plan my work schedule around a convenient time for a phone interview with Amber’s boss. After three rescheduled dates/times and becoming BFFs with his assistant, I had an hour phone interview on a Saturday morning.

The following week was spent planning a trip to San Francisco to visit the company and interview with several members of the management team. I was scheduled to leave on Saturday, August 24 and return on Tuesday, August 28.

I, I was ecstatic. My mom, not so much. I’m not going to lie, there were tears. In the end, we both agreed that if an opportunity presents itself, I had to take it. And after a few nights of discussions, I finally convinced her to go with me! It would be her first time in California. She could get to see the city, where I could potentially be working, spend some quality time with Amber and Greg and, the big one, begin to get comfortable traveling.

I spent so much time preparing for this interview. I had note cards with questions and the perfect answer. I had maps. I had company research and information. I bought a super cute new suit. I was prepared.

I was ready.