An Important Interview

Earlier this week I received an email asking me to interview for a job I applied for about a month ago.  It's with the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors as the Standard Forms Manager.  It's very similar to what I did at GMAC.  The interview is Tuesday at 1 pm.  I am so very excited!

Alexandra is on the way here for Labor Day weekend!  I miss her a lot, and can't wait to see her!  She is bringing her wonderful camera so we will have great pictures for my blog.  

Have a wonderful evening!

Job Disappointment

I finally heard today about the job at the apartment complex.  They hired someone directly, and did not go through the employment agency.  I am bummed, but the woman I interviewed with said she would help me make contacts in state government.  I am waiting on a cooling down period.  In the meantime, I have a job selling vitamins at Costco, starting a week from Saturday.

I am telling myself that I have been here 9 weeks, and that's not that long to be looking for a job in a new place.  I know it's not, but the time before that is what's killing me.  And money.  

I have been reminded that although I posted pictures of my charges over the weekend, Ginger and Toby, I never posted pictures of my daily companions, Tessie and Lacey.  They are a lot of fun (although I think they are upset that I left for a few days and fraternized with other dogs).  Here they are:

Tessie is the pug and Lacey is the beagle.  They are never, ever this peaceful together.  They had just returned from a long walk.  Every night during Jeopardy, they have a wrestling match.  They jump on the furniture and tear up and down the stairs, into the kitchen, etc.  It lasts about 10 minutes; then they are exhausted, drink water, and go to sleep.  The wrestling match usually repeats itself later on, between 10:30 and 11.

WONDERFUL NEWS: Counting down to Alexandra coming in 3 days!  I can't wait to see her!

Have a great day, everyone!

Dillsburg

I spent most of this week dog- and house-sitting in Dillsburg, PA, for Linda's cousin.  Dillsburg, population 2,063, is named after its first settler, Matthew Dill, who settled around 1750. The borough was incorporated in 1800.

I fell in love with the two dogs I was sitting: Ginger, a Chow-Shiba Inu, and Toby, a Canadian Red Golden Retriever.

Ginger is one of the most beautiful dogs I've have ever seen.  She is also sweet and affectionate.

Toby is huge and very sweet.  On Thursday night, she decided to snuggle up with me by climbing on the couch and laying on top of me.  I was a little surprised that a 100 pound dog thought it was a great idea!

On Friday, I had an interview with an internet sales company.  It was in a very old retail building, and I am not sure exactly what to think about it.  I will know more tomorrow.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

The Mt Gretna Art Fair

Linda and I wandered to Mt Gretna for the annual Art Show on Saturday.  Mt. Gretna is a very small resort town (population 242) in the mountains about 10 miles east of Hershey. The juried art show, in its 39th year, had about 200 fine artists and what looked to be about 100 crafters.  Having lived in Michigan for almost 16 years, I had seen many of the same artists over and over in different art fairs.  This, of course, was a whole new group of artists from all over the east.  There were many forms of art I had never seen before.  The show also showcased local and regional singers who were very very good, and the food court included only local restaurants.    

The charrn of Mt. Gretna is in its historical homes (most were built in the early 1900's) that can be rented throughout the year; its local theater company, outdoor summer concerts, its lake and its beach.  

The view from the performers tent.

Two of the many homes available for rent in Mt. Gretna.

While we were sitting at a table, a butterfly and moth landed on the flowers. The butterfly landed on the opposite side from me, but here's the moth.  I have no idea what kind of flowers these are, but they are very pretty.  Does anyone know?

Next year, if I am still in central PA, I would love to volunteer for this show.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day.

Have a good day, everyone!

The Job Situation

It has been almost a week since I last posted, and the week has been a bit hard.  I had hoped for more temp work this week, but there is nothing in sight.  My money is dwindling...thank heavens for the paycheck from Lego Camp!  I have been signed up with 2 temp services.  Today I signed up with 3 more.  And next week, I am housesitting for Linda's cousin, who has a red Golden Retriever, and a Shiba Inu-Chow mix.  They are really nice dogs, and I will be paid.  I will post pictures of them...the Shiba Inu-Chow (Chiba?  Shiba-Chow? Chow-inu?) is one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen, and very very sweet.

The leasing agent job I interviewed for has changed and offers more money.  I am still under consideration.  Yesterday, I found a job as an administrative assistant in the Public Policy Department at Penn State.  Not great money, but an opening into a new world.  I am hoping for  this one!!!  In any case, I apply for a number of jobs weekly, and work 4 or more hours a day looking for jobs.

On the great news side, I found my long-lost friend from college, Amy.  Unbelievably, she still lives in the same house in South Bend where she lived in college.  That had never occurred to me.  We talked for a couple hours!

After my interview with the temp service today, I drove into downtown Harrisburg, to the state capitol.  Although Harrisburg is relatively small, driving down Front Street along the river, you see many state offices, and many association offices (e.g. the Pennsylvania Medical Association, the PA Association of Realtors, etc.) in big old Victorian houses.  I watch the signs, and when I get to a stop light, I write down what I've seen to check for jobs.

Back to the state capitol, the exterior is currently under construction.  It was completed in 1906, and from pictures I've seen, it is beautiful inside. At its dedication, Teddy Roosevelt said it was, "The handsomest building (I) ever saw..." 

This is the main entrance.

The Capitol is a long rectangle, with the dome in the middle.  There are smaller
domes on each end of the rectangle.

The green roofs are made of glazed terra cotta tiles.  

I am hoping that when Alexandra comes, we'll have time to tour the capitol!

Everyone, have a wonderful weekend!

What I Learned at STEM (Lego) Camp

After a week of teaching  STEM camp, this is what I know:

1) I am pretty good at repairing Lego battery packs.

2) I am not cut out to teach 3 - 6 year olds with ADHD.  

3) I have little patience with a 6 year old singing the theme to Star Wars for 3 straight hours.  He clearly could not stop himself, despite warnings, distractions, and time outs. Sing with me....'DAAA-DAAAA-da-da-da-DAAAA-da.  Da da da DAAAA-da....Da da da DAAAAA..."

4)  Despite my fears that they would be bored, the 12-year olds LOVED building and crashing motorized cars.  It was a lot of fun being a part of their excitement.

5) 11 year olds who name their cars and make up songs about them can also be a bit trying.  Sing with me to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic:  "Everybody's jealous because Constantine won...Everybody's jealous because Constantine won...."

The week ended on a good note, and I learned a lot!  I am very happy I did it, but I am NOT sure I would repeat the experience.

Next up:  Waiting to hear on about 3 interviews, and finalizing the job demonstrating food products in the grocery store.  And more applications....

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!

Gettysburg

I wandered down to Gettysburg today. Although I hadn't planned the trip, I did go into the National Cemetery.  If you haven't  been there, it is a very moving experience.  Visitors are quiet and respectful.  It's one of the few historical sites I've been to where I felt that history is living.  On the outer fringes are graves of veterans of other wars, including World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. When you step into the cemetery, the first thing you see is the Gettysburg Address Memorial, pictured here.

This is not the site of the Gettysburg Address, which is actually near the Soldier's War Memorial.  However, this memorial does include the text of the Gettysburg Address.

From there, I strolled toward the Soldier's Memorial.  This is where I came across the graves of unidentified Union soldiers.  These graves are identified by a headstone with a number of it.  In the section I visited, the numbering began at 555 and ended at 1,000.

The graves of unknown soldiers, marked by a number.  The concrete stack in front says, "445 unknown graves."

In front of these are rows of graves, divided by state and regiment.  I took this picture to provide an idea of the scale of the graves.

The graves in this section extend to the memorial. 

Rows of marked graves, arranged by state.  The graves state the name and regiment of the dead.  Many indicate they are unknown, and state their regiment.

The Soldier's Memorial, close to the site of the Gettysburg Address.  Graves are laid out in a half-circle surrounding it.

Some history here:  Many of the Union and Confederate dead were buried where they fell on the battlefield.  Others were buried outside the battlefield in temporary cemeteries, outside homes, and in nearby fields. Shortly after the end of the battle, local residents and governments raised health concerns about the volume of unburied dead.  Over 7,000 soldiers, both Union and Confederate, were killed.  In August 1863,  a section of the battlefield was selected as a cemetery for those killed defending the union.  Because Confederate soldiers were trying to break from the union, they were not buried here, and their bodies were left in shallow graves on the battlefield.

Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the cemetery.  Most of the Union soldiers had not been reburied at the time of the dedication. The cemetery was completed around 1872, with over 3,500 buried Union soldiers.

In 1871, efforts to move the Confederate dead began.  While records were scarce and unreliable, the remains of over 3,300 Confederate soldiers were eventually recovered.  Most were moved to a cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. A few were sent to local cemeteries throughout the south.

I did not tour the battlefields today.  Alexandra is coming to visit in September, and we will do that together.

An Update

Immediately after my Wednesday post, I received a call to interview for a job as a product demonstrator (as in food) at Costco and Sam's Club.  The interview is at 6:00 today.  This call was immediately followed by another call, asking me if the temp agency could submit my resume to a health insurance company.  Of course, I said yes.

Now it's Monday, and I was hired to be a product demonstrator in a grocery store.  Working on that paperwork. I could start as early as this weekend.

Today was my first day teaching two principles of engineering classes with lego.  Of course, I know so much about engineering.  I was so nervous!  It was fine.  The first class included 2- 6 years olds and 2- 8 year olds, all of whom were excited. 

The second class was 17 10-12 year olds.  It was quite a wild ride!  The class is called collision cars, and the kids build Lego cars with motors.  They build two cars a day, and have two competitions. These are not races, they are a competition to be the last car standing. They had a great time!