Slow to warm up little boy

Nathan is not big on change. He does not like new things as a rule. He is cautious. He likes to check things out first. And maybe see them for a few times before really ENGAGING with whatever that item is. He is also not big on waking up (much like me!). When he gets up from a nap I make sure to take him AND his blankie to the sofa where we watch "Blues Clues". Sometimes I give him a snack like cheerios or goldfish that he kind of munches on while we snuggle. By the time the show is over he's awake and, usually, in a good mood.

Back to the change thing. Nathan got a really cute battery operated kitty cat from his Grammy and Grampy the other day and he wanted absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. The fact that this little kitty walked across the floor making cheeping noises made him cry. I wasn't worried though. I know that with a little more time he'll be playing with kitty, and I was right.

Check out my sweet boy and his kitty cat!

Full confesion: he did THROW the kitty a few times, but hey.. he touched it and didn't cry, so that's progress!

Desire to help the world

With their resumes. And cover letters. My God people.... what are you DOING???? The resumes and cover letters I have seen just blow my mind. Each time I see a bad one I think "really? REALLY?? THIS is what you chose to send out to a potential employer"? Do these people not know that the job market is BAD right now? Like bad, bad, bad, bad? And even if it was an AWESOME job market - I still cannot for the life of me understand why ANYONE would response to a job listing with a short email saying how they want the job, and they won't "embarrass the company" if they are are hired. And not leave a phone number. Or address. Just a few sentences about how they want the job and THAT IS IT. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE PEOPLE! Now, I'm no genius, and I'm not a resume professional, but I've seen what's out there and I am afraid. YOU should be afraid. There are TONS of websites out there, books, seminars, all SORTS OF PLACES FOR YOU TO LEARN ABOUT RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS. People... UTILIZE THESE RESOURCES!!! Help the professionals help you.

You're not listening, are you people of the world? I KNOW you are not listening because if you WERE listening and paying attention you wouldn't do any of the following:

1. Use a template to create your resume (not a bad thing) and NOT TAKE OUT THE PARTS IN THE TEMPLATE THAT SAY THINGS LIKE "Insert work experience here" and "Insert key experience here". Do NOT leave those on your resume. They do NOT belong there.
2. Attach a resume. Or copy and paste it. But SEND YOUR RESUME. Do NOT just send an email asking when you can come in for an interview.
3. When writing your cover letter or introduction email - REFERENCE THE JOB AND COMPANY. Do NOT just send an obviously generic message that you appear to be sending to EVERY JOB OUT THERE IN THE WORLD. Make it personal. Let the hiring manager know you are interesting in THAT position, and why. This is your chance to make an impression. Yes, there is a chance that hiring manager will only skim your cover letter, or not read it at all - but resist the temptation to just send the generic note. Personalization is key. Even if you have just a regular template and you change only a few things here and there in it to make it work for the position you are inquiring about, that's fine. And if the listing tells you to contact a certain person - PUT DOWN THAT PERSONS' NAME! Make it look like you read the ad!
4. I feel like I shouldn't have to even SAY this, but please use proper grammar and spelling. Punctuation is also nice. No run on sentences, no random commas, and no random capitalization's in your note. Proofread it. Write it and wait an hour. Come back and look it over again before sending. You want it to be PERFECT.

This isn't rocket science people. There's tons of articles out there on the web that will tell you more specifics. You can even PAY someone to write your resume for you. God knows I will even re-write your resume your email for you. I LIKE doing that, and I'll even do it at a bargain rate! I can even give you a nice cover letter outline. You have to promise though to read what I've written above and take it to heart.

Oh, and one little tip I got a long time ago in a magazine and I have employed from time to time. Send that resume and cover letter Fed Ex or Priority Mail. If you REALLY want the job and want to distinguish yourself from everyone else - it's the priority mail thing. Addressed to the HR Manager or Hiring Manager personally. The reason? The regular envelopes tend to be opened by people like myself, and we sort them and THEN they go to the HR Manager. If you want it to bypass people like me - do the priority mail. That sometimes goes directly to the person in question, and it stands out. A little trick from me to you because I WANT you to succeed. I really, really do!

The Best Worst Movie Ever

It's another wild and crazy weekend here at Chez Weiner. And what did Jeff and I come up with to do together?

Troll 2. Jeff and I rented "Troll 2" on the recommendation of a co-worker of his. Words do not do this film justice so I'll just put in the trailer:




It's bad. Like real bad. Like so bad that you cannot NOT watch the whole movie because you seriously cannot believe just HOW BAD this movie is. Laughably bad. Makes no sense bad. Bad, bad, bad. And next we watched a documentary made by the young boy who starred in this movie. Trailer here:


The documentary is actually excellent. He goes back and talks to his fellow cast mates, finds out what they're doing now, and also talks about how "Troll 2" has become a cult classic. It's really entertaining but I am still not 100% sure that I could recommend "Troll 2". It's not a long movie, but it's a BAD movie. Real bad. So bad that there are NO TROLLS IN THE MOVIE THAT IS TITLED "Troll 2". In FACT, "Troll 2" has NOTHING TO DO WITH "Troll 1". AT ALL. I guess all I'm saying is that you should pay to watch the documentary, but make sure you don't pay to see the movie!

Long, long stretches of time

when I have to feed Nathan.

Oh my, feeding Nathan. I would rather change a dirty diaper than feed Nathan. I would rather do laundry, clean the bathroom, and pick up a million toys than feed Nathan. Feeding Nathan takes FOREVER. It's endless stretches of time I will never get back. It's boring. So very, very boring.

Now - I know we've already established how I would cheerfully lay down on railroad tracks for my precious angel, but feeding him? Ugh. Each mealtime takes approximately 45 minutes (and this does not include the time I spend cooking and preparing the meal for him). Nathan is learning to use a fork and spoon, and he is very enthusiastic about these utensils. But he is not GOOD with them yet. Sometimes he picks up the fork in one hand, the bite of food in the other, and then PLACES the food on the fork before attempting to maneuver it into his mouth. It's funny, but it's a long process. This is when I will sit and scroll through Facebook. Anything to pass the time. I can't leave Nathan in his highchair and walk around - what if he CHOKES?? And Nathan still needs things. Like more milk. And I will get him this milk NOW, thank you very much! Or he will want to feed me. And laugh. And feed me. Throw some food on the floor. Or show me his hands and say "yucky" because he's got sauce and cheese smeared all over them and I wipe his hands off and he IMMEDIATELY PUTS THEM BACK IN THE SAUCE AND SMEARS IT ALL OVER THE PLACE. Where is the sense in that??

Jeff and I are always trying to pass the job of feeding Nathan off on the other person. We're ALWAYS asking "You're feeding Nathan, right"? And that "right" is always tinged with just a hint of desperation. Just a tick! At the very least though we do NOT have to go through the elaborate dinner theatre routines we used to do, so there's definitely progress. But oh my, I cannot wait for this to get better. Wait - WILL it get better?????