If this post has anything to do with learning new tricks, it would only be in relation to a decision my father made back in the 1970s that was maybe a harbinger of how fathers would begin to change their attitudes toward their daughters; they would be the old dogs learning new tricks.
When I was 15 years old, I fell in love with motorcycles. There was nothing I wanted more than to have my own bike. This was back in 1976, when a learner's permit was all anyone in Florida needed to ride a motorcycle. Since I had mine, nothing would keep me from riding, except of course my parents not allowing me to buy a motorcycle.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and I pretty much went to her to ask for anything I wanted. Part of that was due to the fact that she was always around; the other part was due to the fact that she said "yes" way more than my father did. When I found out one of my friend's cousins was selling his Kawasaki 100, I saw my opportunity to become a motorcycle owner. I went straight to my mom to ask her if I could buy the bike. Without hesitation, she said, "Go ask your father." Big sigh ... To me, that was the same thing as her saying, "When hell freezes over!"
Still, I really wanted that motorcycle, so I approached my father and asked him if I could buy the bike. He thought a moment, and then came back with, "Give me a few days to think about it." That response caught me completely off guard as I was expecting a resounding, "Not in this lifetime!" The answer wasn't "yes," but it wasn't "no" either, so I held out some hope. Not much, but some.
The few days passed, and my father told me he'd made his decision. Here is how he framed his answer to me: "If you were my son, I would allow you to buy the motorcycle. The fact that you are my daughter is not a reason to say 'no,' so yes, you can buy the motorcycle."
Holy crap, was I one happy adolescent! I bought my motorcycle and spent many enjoyable hours riding it, including to school every day with a group of other kids who had bikes. Of course, I was the only girl who rode a motorcycle to my high school, and I have to admit, I enjoyed that notoriety.
I started spending time at a local shop that sold motorcycle accessories, and the guy who ran the shop introduced me to flat track racing and then road racing. I would go along to the races with him (just to spectate, not participate), and man, did I ever love being at the track. Still do. And guess who I met for the first time at the track? Yep--you guessed it: Mr. Weezy! He raced flat track back in the day, and I must say he was quite the bad ass. He was fearless on the track.
I am forever grateful to my father for making a decision that allowed me to pursue what has been a lifelong love of motorcycles. But more than than, I am grateful for the incredible lesson he taught me when he explained why he was allowing me to buy my motorcycle: Gender should never be an obstacle that prevents you from doing what you want to do.
Thanks, Dad. Miss you.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Moving Truck or Storage Pod? That Is the Question.
Mr. Weezy and I live in a one-bedroom apartment, so it's not like we're moving a whole house full of stuff. Though, as I mentioned before, Mr. Weezy never gets rid of anything, so we probably have as much crap as anyone can possibly fit into a one-bedroom place. We could easily rent a truck or storage pod that would accommodate our stuff, but we also have a car, a truck, and two motorcycles, and that's where the real challenge comes in here. How do we move all of those vehicles?
After doing our original research, we were really leaning toward the pod. I mean, the company delivers the storage unit to you, and once you've filled it up, they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. Also, it is basically level with the ground, so no going up and down a ramp to load the truck. It seems much less strenuous than moving with a truck. Granted, it's a little more expensive, but we figured it would be worth the extra expense because it would make it easier to move the vehicles. Mr. Weezy could tow the motorcycles with his truck, and I could drive the car.
But then we found out it could be 10 days between the time the company delivers the pod and the time the pod arrives to our new place. We are only going to Charlotte, NC, so we could make that drive in a day, two if we wanted to take our time. That would leave a lot of days with no stuff. Did you hear that? That was our little bubble bursting.
Truck it is, then. Looks like we are going to have to rent a 24' truck because we are going to take up 8' of that space with the bikes. Yep, we are going to put the bikes inside the moving truck, which Mr. Weezy will drive. He is also going to tow his pickup behind the moving truck. I do not envy him in this endeavor. Me, I just have to drive the car. Moving this way is going to be quite an undertaking, I think, but Mr. Weezy especially thinks it is the most feasible. It is only about a 10-hour drive to Charlotte from here, but we won't be able to drive real fast (not to mention we don't need any speeding tickets!) with our "big rig," so we will drive about half way the first day, and then complete the trip on the second day. I think that will also work out better because we will get to Charlotte at a decent hour and while it's still light out. It's kind of exhausting to think about this move but also very exhilarating. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I love change, and I'm always excited at the prospect of moving somewhere new. My mother claims it is because we moved a lot when I was a kid, so I just got accustomed to moving. Maybe so.
We are already packing, even though we are T minus 12 weeks. And Mr. Weezy continues to work on his plan for what to put where in the truck. If anyone has moving experiences or advice they'd like to share, please feel free. I am always open to suggestions.
After doing our original research, we were really leaning toward the pod. I mean, the company delivers the storage unit to you, and once you've filled it up, they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. Also, it is basically level with the ground, so no going up and down a ramp to load the truck. It seems much less strenuous than moving with a truck. Granted, it's a little more expensive, but we figured it would be worth the extra expense because it would make it easier to move the vehicles. Mr. Weezy could tow the motorcycles with his truck, and I could drive the car.
But then we found out it could be 10 days between the time the company delivers the pod and the time the pod arrives to our new place. We are only going to Charlotte, NC, so we could make that drive in a day, two if we wanted to take our time. That would leave a lot of days with no stuff. Did you hear that? That was our little bubble bursting.
Truck it is, then. Looks like we are going to have to rent a 24' truck because we are going to take up 8' of that space with the bikes. Yep, we are going to put the bikes inside the moving truck, which Mr. Weezy will drive. He is also going to tow his pickup behind the moving truck. I do not envy him in this endeavor. Me, I just have to drive the car. Moving this way is going to be quite an undertaking, I think, but Mr. Weezy especially thinks it is the most feasible. It is only about a 10-hour drive to Charlotte from here, but we won't be able to drive real fast (not to mention we don't need any speeding tickets!) with our "big rig," so we will drive about half way the first day, and then complete the trip on the second day. I think that will also work out better because we will get to Charlotte at a decent hour and while it's still light out. It's kind of exhausting to think about this move but also very exhilarating. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I love change, and I'm always excited at the prospect of moving somewhere new. My mother claims it is because we moved a lot when I was a kid, so I just got accustomed to moving. Maybe so.
We are already packing, even though we are T minus 12 weeks. And Mr. Weezy continues to work on his plan for what to put where in the truck. If anyone has moving experiences or advice they'd like to share, please feel free. I am always open to suggestions.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Perception is Everything
Sometime over the last several months, I read an article in Reader's Digest about how we handle what we perceive as shortages of something, like time for example. I wish now I had kept the article for reference, but this is more or less how I remember the point of it: When we perceive we have a shortage of something, we obsess over it, thereby creating a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. The shortage becomes as bad as we think it is. Only it doesn't.
I think I have fallen into this--what would you call it?--pattern? Or maybe trap is a better term. Granted, I work two jobs, and my second job is teaching college English. That means a couple of nights a week, I go to school after my day job, then home and to bed after class. It also means that at least part of my weekends is taken up with lesson planning and grading papers. Add to that Mr. Weezy and the pups, and I have a pretty full life. Still ...
I am constantly complaining about how I don't have time for anything. In fact, I would go so far as to say I whine about it. A lot. And it makes me unhappy. Yes, I'm busy. But in reality, I know my time shortage is not nearly as large as I think it is. If it were, I wouldn't have seen so many reruns of Castle and Bones, right?
My students are forever bemoaning their busy lives that make it so difficult for them to get their schoolwork done, and I forever reply that if they tracked their activities for a couple of days, they would realize things like TVs, computers, Smart Phones, and tablets are sucking up a lot of their time, and that in truth, they do have the time to do schoolwork. Hmmm ... could this mean that if I stop watching reruns, I might be able to get all of my tasks done?
I always take an inventory in my classes of how many students have daily planners, whether paper or electronic. Very few of them do. I proceed to give them the whole spiel about how a planner is crucial to their college success because they will never get everything done without using one. I tell them that it isn't enough to have the planner though--they actually have to use it. Time to take my own advice, I guess. I have a planner, and I do use it, but apparently not enough and/or not efficiently enough.
So, from this point forward, my intention is to use my planner in the right way. I am going to schedule everything I have to do every day, making sure to schedule in some time for exercise and enjoyment, too. I mean, all work and no play ... well, you know the rest. Now, let's just hope I find the time to do it.
I think I have fallen into this--what would you call it?--pattern? Or maybe trap is a better term. Granted, I work two jobs, and my second job is teaching college English. That means a couple of nights a week, I go to school after my day job, then home and to bed after class. It also means that at least part of my weekends is taken up with lesson planning and grading papers. Add to that Mr. Weezy and the pups, and I have a pretty full life. Still ...
I am constantly complaining about how I don't have time for anything. In fact, I would go so far as to say I whine about it. A lot. And it makes me unhappy. Yes, I'm busy. But in reality, I know my time shortage is not nearly as large as I think it is. If it were, I wouldn't have seen so many reruns of Castle and Bones, right?
My students are forever bemoaning their busy lives that make it so difficult for them to get their schoolwork done, and I forever reply that if they tracked their activities for a couple of days, they would realize things like TVs, computers, Smart Phones, and tablets are sucking up a lot of their time, and that in truth, they do have the time to do schoolwork. Hmmm ... could this mean that if I stop watching reruns, I might be able to get all of my tasks done?
I always take an inventory in my classes of how many students have daily planners, whether paper or electronic. Very few of them do. I proceed to give them the whole spiel about how a planner is crucial to their college success because they will never get everything done without using one. I tell them that it isn't enough to have the planner though--they actually have to use it. Time to take my own advice, I guess. I have a planner, and I do use it, but apparently not enough and/or not efficiently enough.
So, from this point forward, my intention is to use my planner in the right way. I am going to schedule everything I have to do every day, making sure to schedule in some time for exercise and enjoyment, too. I mean, all work and no play ... well, you know the rest. Now, let's just hope I find the time to do it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
There's a Tool for That
Not every challenge in this process is truly going to require learning new tricks. I've moved a number of times in my adult life, so much of what I am about to do isn't unfamiliar to me. There are some differences between this move and others I've made, though. I'm not going solo this time around; I've got two dogs, two motorcycles, and Mr. Weezy--all things I never had to move before.
I expect the dogs to be relatively easy. We are going to the Charlotte, North Carolina area, which is not that far from So Flo, so we are driving/moving ourselves. That means we will have the dogs with us, so no logistical problems there.
We (OK--Mr. Weezy) are working on the best way to move the motorcycles. We also have two vehicles, so we will likely rent a truck that will hold our stuff and the bikes. Then, we can tow one vehicle and drive the other. Seems like this will be manageable.
That leaves Mr. Weezy, who could present the biggest logistical challenge. You know that expression, "There's an app for that?" Well, in Mr. Weezy's case, there's a tool for that. He spends way too much time at Harbor Freight buying stuff because, you know, if he ever wants to do X, he's gonna need Y. On top of that, he almost never throws anything out because, you know, as soon as he does, he's gonna need that thing. Sigh ...
Me, on the other hand, I try to keep the amount of "stuff" I have to a minimum. It is quite liberating to not be weighed down with literal baggage. I fully experienced this feeling four years ago when I was planning to move out of the country. I had to get everything I owned into two suitcases and a carry-on, so I had to part with a lot of items. My plans fell through, and I've accumulated some things since then, but I am no match for Mr. Weezy in this department.
So, what to do about this situation? Basically, nothing. I'm not going to change Mr. Weezy's thinking, and hey--I could do way worse than live with a guy who is a bit of a pack rat. No, I'm just gonna start those three piles people always suggest when you are trying to get organized or to prepare to move: sell, donate, and throw away. I don't expect to see much of a contribution to the piles from Mr. Weezy, but I'm OK with that. You never know ... I might need him to do Z after we move, and he'll be so happy he is able to do it because he bought Y and didn't throw that thing out.
I expect the dogs to be relatively easy. We are going to the Charlotte, North Carolina area, which is not that far from So Flo, so we are driving/moving ourselves. That means we will have the dogs with us, so no logistical problems there.
We (OK--Mr. Weezy) are working on the best way to move the motorcycles. We also have two vehicles, so we will likely rent a truck that will hold our stuff and the bikes. Then, we can tow one vehicle and drive the other. Seems like this will be manageable.
That leaves Mr. Weezy, who could present the biggest logistical challenge. You know that expression, "There's an app for that?" Well, in Mr. Weezy's case, there's a tool for that. He spends way too much time at Harbor Freight buying stuff because, you know, if he ever wants to do X, he's gonna need Y. On top of that, he almost never throws anything out because, you know, as soon as he does, he's gonna need that thing. Sigh ...
Me, on the other hand, I try to keep the amount of "stuff" I have to a minimum. It is quite liberating to not be weighed down with literal baggage. I fully experienced this feeling four years ago when I was planning to move out of the country. I had to get everything I owned into two suitcases and a carry-on, so I had to part with a lot of items. My plans fell through, and I've accumulated some things since then, but I am no match for Mr. Weezy in this department.
So, what to do about this situation? Basically, nothing. I'm not going to change Mr. Weezy's thinking, and hey--I could do way worse than live with a guy who is a bit of a pack rat. No, I'm just gonna start those three piles people always suggest when you are trying to get organized or to prepare to move: sell, donate, and throw away. I don't expect to see much of a contribution to the piles from Mr. Weezy, but I'm OK with that. You never know ... I might need him to do Z after we move, and he'll be so happy he is able to do it because he bought Y and didn't throw that thing out.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Weight of the World
Probably an exaggeration, but that is how I feel about incorporating weight training into my exercise regimen. Actually, I think I'll call it strength training instead because the term "weight training" conjures up images of body builders for me, and that is not what I'm going for here.
Six years ago, I tore a calf muscle while I was running. The sports medicine doctor who treated my injury told me I should start doing some strength training to help prevent future running injuries. Guess I should get on it, huh? Not only haven't I done any regular strength training EVER, I haven't even been running regularly for the last two years. No wonder I look frumpy for god's sake!!
Just like I know eating well and getting regular cardio exercise is important for both physical and mental health, I understand how strength training fits into that equation. It will help me avoid running injuries, but it will also ensure things like my continued ability to climb stairs and haul the groceries in from the car. Oh, and pick up our dogs (about 12 and 14 pounds, respectively). That's important stuff for old people to be able to do, dontcha think? And since I'm considering physical appearance as it relates to increasing my chances of finding a job, I think good posture, firmer abs, and some muscle tone will all be beneficial.
As I mentioned in my last post, I believe in the argument that the best exercise for you is the one you will do regularly. I enjoy running, I think because I have a short attention span, and it's difficult for me to have to follow what someone else is doing for very long. There are several other reasons I like running. Maybe I'll write about those in the future. You know, after I start running again and then remember what they are. Ha!
Anyway, I don't particularly enjoy working out with weights, so I expect this part of the exercise habit to be more challenging than the cardio part. I have a DVD titled Ageless Body by Erin O'Brien, which is what I plan to use. Honestly, the DVD isn't that bad. It is 40-45 minutes long, made for women, and works all your major muscle groups and your core. Maybe when I get into the habit of doing it, it will seem even less bad. And who knows, maybe I'll find other DVDs, or YouTube videos, or just written plans that I'll decide to experiment with. However it works out, what I need is 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training per week. Since I am teaching two nights a week after my regular job, I am left with just the 5 days I need.
Of course, having a plan is one thing; implementing it is quite another; and following it through to the end is yet another. For this whole big life change to work, though, I need to get my butt in gear. And I mean that in the most literal sense.
Six years ago, I tore a calf muscle while I was running. The sports medicine doctor who treated my injury told me I should start doing some strength training to help prevent future running injuries. Guess I should get on it, huh? Not only haven't I done any regular strength training EVER, I haven't even been running regularly for the last two years. No wonder I look frumpy for god's sake!!
Just like I know eating well and getting regular cardio exercise is important for both physical and mental health, I understand how strength training fits into that equation. It will help me avoid running injuries, but it will also ensure things like my continued ability to climb stairs and haul the groceries in from the car. Oh, and pick up our dogs (about 12 and 14 pounds, respectively). That's important stuff for old people to be able to do, dontcha think? And since I'm considering physical appearance as it relates to increasing my chances of finding a job, I think good posture, firmer abs, and some muscle tone will all be beneficial.
As I mentioned in my last post, I believe in the argument that the best exercise for you is the one you will do regularly. I enjoy running, I think because I have a short attention span, and it's difficult for me to have to follow what someone else is doing for very long. There are several other reasons I like running. Maybe I'll write about those in the future. You know, after I start running again and then remember what they are. Ha!
Anyway, I don't particularly enjoy working out with weights, so I expect this part of the exercise habit to be more challenging than the cardio part. I have a DVD titled Ageless Body by Erin O'Brien, which is what I plan to use. Honestly, the DVD isn't that bad. It is 40-45 minutes long, made for women, and works all your major muscle groups and your core. Maybe when I get into the habit of doing it, it will seem even less bad. And who knows, maybe I'll find other DVDs, or YouTube videos, or just written plans that I'll decide to experiment with. However it works out, what I need is 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training per week. Since I am teaching two nights a week after my regular job, I am left with just the 5 days I need.
Of course, having a plan is one thing; implementing it is quite another; and following it through to the end is yet another. For this whole big life change to work, though, I need to get my butt in gear. And I mean that in the most literal sense.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Does the Thin Girl Really Get the Job?
So, here I am: the middle-aged woman who is going to have to find a new job soon. I've got an updated haircut, and I am working diligently to sharpen my technology skills. Now, according to an article I read in an AARP publication, I need to get fit. Ugh.
I saved this part of the project for last, both in this discussion and in real time, because I expect it to be the most challenging. Best case scenario, I need to lose 30 pounds, but I think 20 would be great. If we move at the end of August, I have just about enough time to lose 20. But I have to get on it now, and stick to a plan! Piece of cake, right? Mmmmmm ... a piece of cake ... that sounds good! Oh, wait--NO cake! See what I mean by "most challenging?"
I understand the logic behind fitness increasing one's chances of getting a job. Or maybe what I truly understand is how lack of fitness could decrease one's chances of getting a job. A fit person looks younger and more energetic than an unfit person, and if you were doing the hiring, wouldn't you want the younger-looking and seemingly more energetic applicant? I sure would. And I have to say for me personally, I just look frumpy. I don't think I look old (though I don't consider 54 old anyway), but I have that middle-age spread, and those chicken arms, and those shoulders that are starting to look rounded. Like I said, frumpy. And clothes can only hide so much, whether it is excess weight or frumpiness.
I have a healthy skepticism when it comes to the latest diet and exercise fads. I still hold the basic belief that it's all about calories in and calories out. Simple. I don't believe in eliminating any particular food in an effort to lose weight. I do, however, agree with the idea that most of us underestimate the amount of food we eat and overestimate the number of calories we burn. I know this from my experience and from the experience of the women I work with who have been trying to lose weight for a year easily. They talk incessantly about what they eat and how much they exercise, yet they never lose weight. Losing weight isn't complicated; it's just difficult.
There are a couple of apps I have on my iPhone that I am going to utilize in my quest to be fitter, both of which I have used in the past. The first is My Fitness Pal (MFP). This can also be accessed online at myfitnesspal.com. It is a place where you can log what you eat and what exercise you do every day. Of course, you start out entering stats like how much you weigh now and what your goal weight is, so the program can tell you how many calories to eat every day to reach your goal. It has other features like blogs, forums, and "friending," none of which I use, but certainly features that others might find useful or enjoyable. The thing I probably like best about MFP is that when you finish logging in every day, you get a message saying, "If every day were like today, you would weigh X number of pounds in 5 weeks." It is motivating to see how much less you could weigh in 5 weeks if you stick to your plan. By the same token, it is downright disturbing to see how much more you could weigh in 5 weeks if you don't get back on track!
Another app I like is call Fooducate. This app can be used to log food and exercise like MFP, but I don't use it for that, mainly because I was already using MFP before I discovered Fooducate. I use Fooducate to get nutritional information about food products. You can search for food items (or scan their bar codes, a feature that is also available on the MFP app) and get a "grade" for that food. This app is especially good for learning things like how much added sugar a product has, or whether or not it has controversial preservatives or artificial colors. You can also ask the app for possible substitutions for a food, so it might help you find a healthier alternative to what you were thinking of eating.
Cutting calories alone isn't likely to be enough to get me to my goal weight, so I need to do some exercise also. I have seen it said many times that the best exercise is the one you will do regularly, and I prescribe to that notion. For me, that exercise is running. I have been a runner a number of times in my life, and now it's time to be one again. I have a program I got from Runner's World magazine that, if followed, will have me running 30 continuous minutes in 10 weeks. I know it works because I've used it several times. So, 10 weeks from now, I should be able to run for 30 straight minutes. Stay tuned ...
In some ways, my quest to lose weight is not really a new trick I'm learning, but rather one I'm re-learning. Regardless, I know I need to do it as part of my job-search preparation. I also need to do it for my health and overall fitness, but that idea better fits in the blog I almost wrote ...
I saved this part of the project for last, both in this discussion and in real time, because I expect it to be the most challenging. Best case scenario, I need to lose 30 pounds, but I think 20 would be great. If we move at the end of August, I have just about enough time to lose 20. But I have to get on it now, and stick to a plan! Piece of cake, right? Mmmmmm ... a piece of cake ... that sounds good! Oh, wait--NO cake! See what I mean by "most challenging?"
I understand the logic behind fitness increasing one's chances of getting a job. Or maybe what I truly understand is how lack of fitness could decrease one's chances of getting a job. A fit person looks younger and more energetic than an unfit person, and if you were doing the hiring, wouldn't you want the younger-looking and seemingly more energetic applicant? I sure would. And I have to say for me personally, I just look frumpy. I don't think I look old (though I don't consider 54 old anyway), but I have that middle-age spread, and those chicken arms, and those shoulders that are starting to look rounded. Like I said, frumpy. And clothes can only hide so much, whether it is excess weight or frumpiness.
I have a healthy skepticism when it comes to the latest diet and exercise fads. I still hold the basic belief that it's all about calories in and calories out. Simple. I don't believe in eliminating any particular food in an effort to lose weight. I do, however, agree with the idea that most of us underestimate the amount of food we eat and overestimate the number of calories we burn. I know this from my experience and from the experience of the women I work with who have been trying to lose weight for a year easily. They talk incessantly about what they eat and how much they exercise, yet they never lose weight. Losing weight isn't complicated; it's just difficult.
There are a couple of apps I have on my iPhone that I am going to utilize in my quest to be fitter, both of which I have used in the past. The first is My Fitness Pal (MFP). This can also be accessed online at myfitnesspal.com. It is a place where you can log what you eat and what exercise you do every day. Of course, you start out entering stats like how much you weigh now and what your goal weight is, so the program can tell you how many calories to eat every day to reach your goal. It has other features like blogs, forums, and "friending," none of which I use, but certainly features that others might find useful or enjoyable. The thing I probably like best about MFP is that when you finish logging in every day, you get a message saying, "If every day were like today, you would weigh X number of pounds in 5 weeks." It is motivating to see how much less you could weigh in 5 weeks if you stick to your plan. By the same token, it is downright disturbing to see how much more you could weigh in 5 weeks if you don't get back on track!
Another app I like is call Fooducate. This app can be used to log food and exercise like MFP, but I don't use it for that, mainly because I was already using MFP before I discovered Fooducate. I use Fooducate to get nutritional information about food products. You can search for food items (or scan their bar codes, a feature that is also available on the MFP app) and get a "grade" for that food. This app is especially good for learning things like how much added sugar a product has, or whether or not it has controversial preservatives or artificial colors. You can also ask the app for possible substitutions for a food, so it might help you find a healthier alternative to what you were thinking of eating.
Cutting calories alone isn't likely to be enough to get me to my goal weight, so I need to do some exercise also. I have seen it said many times that the best exercise is the one you will do regularly, and I prescribe to that notion. For me, that exercise is running. I have been a runner a number of times in my life, and now it's time to be one again. I have a program I got from Runner's World magazine that, if followed, will have me running 30 continuous minutes in 10 weeks. I know it works because I've used it several times. So, 10 weeks from now, I should be able to run for 30 straight minutes. Stay tuned ...
In some ways, my quest to lose weight is not really a new trick I'm learning, but rather one I'm re-learning. Regardless, I know I need to do it as part of my job-search preparation. I also need to do it for my health and overall fitness, but that idea better fits in the blog I almost wrote ...
Sunday, April 27, 2014
More Job Search Advice from AARP
Well, as I mentioned in my last post, based on some suggestions from my friends at AARP, I got a much-needed haircut. Now I look more hip. Or whatever the current terminology is. Guess I need to work on the latest slang also. Urbandictionary.com, here I come!
Anyway, knowing (desperately hoping?) that I will be looking for a new job at the end of the summer--and likely competing for said job with a number of younger folks--I am taking all the steps I can now to ensure I'll have a fighting chance to find employment. I'm gonna be a contender!
Next AARP recommendation: get up to date with technology. Sigh ... It isn't that I'm a technophobe, but frankly, I don't see the point in having to leave an electronic footprint on every social media site for every freaking thing I do. Sure, I like to put some updates and check ins on Facebook--which I guess at this point is just another indication of my "maturity" since apparently the younger crowd is turning to other social media--but I enjoy being disconnected because that means I can be engaged in whatever I'm doing and whomever I'm with. However, I need to be prepared, and I trust AARP to give me good advice.
This blog is part of the technology step. I still only have the basics down, but over the next several months, I should be able to get a handle on the more sophisticated features of Blogger. Perhaps more importantly, though, I will be doing some writing on a regular basis. I see writing as one of my strengths, so I want to continue sharpening my skills. I also see my writing as a big advantage I have over a lot of younger people. In case you're wondering how I came to that conclusion, keep in mind that my part-time job is teaching college English. 'Nuff said.
So, what else does one do to keep that technological edge? Well, aside from Facebook, I am also on Twitter and Instagram. So far, I have re-tweeted a few things, liked a few Tweets, and written no original Tweets. Yeah, I'm off to a great start! It gets even better though. Yesterday, in an attempt to put my first photo on Instagram, I guess I used my iPhone's camera button and not the Instagram touch screen button to take the picture, so there was nothing to post. Epic fail! I obviously need some work in these areas, but there is no reason why I can't learn how to navigate all this social media. I am, after all, learning new tricks.
The technology-related thing in which I've invested the largest amount of time--mainly because I think it's the most important--is LinkedIn. I have a decent profile set up, and I am working on growing my contacts. I even have a profile picture now, and that process was a major undertaking. I am a complete ham and have always loved getting my picture taken; unfortunately, I'm like the least photogenic person in the world. Oh, well ... we all have our crosses to bear, right? I will continue to tweak my LinkedIn page as I learn more about how best to sell myself in the job market. And hey--when I learn new tips, maybe I'll Tweet them. You can follow me @harlistaweezy so as not to miss any of them!
The technology-related thing in which I've invested the largest amount of time--mainly because I think it's the most important--is LinkedIn. I have a decent profile set up, and I am working on growing my contacts. I even have a profile picture now, and that process was a major undertaking. I am a complete ham and have always loved getting my picture taken; unfortunately, I'm like the least photogenic person in the world. Oh, well ... we all have our crosses to bear, right? I will continue to tweak my LinkedIn page as I learn more about how best to sell myself in the job market. And hey--when I learn new tips, maybe I'll Tweet them. You can follow me @harlistaweezy so as not to miss any of them!
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