Hello my darlings; I'm not much for resolutions, but I have so much I want to accomplish in the coming year, personally and professionally that I'm probably going to be around even less.  However, I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, uplifting 2015.  May all your dreams come true!

Filled in for Haidee on Monday.  Kind of like it because the museum is closed and I can actually wear jeans to work, and it's just a matter of getting stuff done.  Bitch boss texted me (we're in two different buildings) that she had some mail she wanted me to take to the Post Office.  No big deal; gets me out of the office for a few, and it's only two blocks away.  Maybe a half mile round trip.  At any rate, went over there and Dan, new ExDir, was in her office.  She asked me if I got her message and I said yes.  She hands me the mail and starts explaining that she's going to need me to stand in line and have the counter person weigh the fat envelope in the bunch to ensure that enough postage is on there, and if not, here are the stamps, just add as necessary.  After two years, I'm kind of used to this shit.  Patricia, along with the other so-called managers, likes to dole out meaningless tasks to remind people that we are at their mercy.  Dan looks appalled and says, "wait a minute.  You want her to stand in line for 15 or 20 minutes over .50 cents?  Don't waste her time like that.  Think about her salary..."  I look at him and he's dead serious; I look at Patricia and she's got the pursed lips, "I'd throw a tizzy if I could, but I can't so I won't" look on her face.  Dan continues, "no really, this is a waste of time over .50 cents.  You have better things to do...Just put another stamp on the envelope and be done with it."  Patricia says, "gimme the mail" through gritted teeth and snatches the envelopes out of my hand.  I very quickly inform them that I've been putting together background info for next exhibit for Joyce (ex curator boss, now contracting with us) and scamper out of there.  Couple of hours later while I was locking up, Dan was alone in the building and I asked if he was going to stay much later and he informed me that he'd lock up, set the alarm, etc.  Then he asked if I knew where Patricia was.  I had no idea, hadn't seen her in two hours at that point, and said so.

She was in her glory after idiot boss had quit when she was running the show.  Now she's got someone who knows how a real museum is supposed to be run, since he's run three of them before us, and he may have figured out her number by this point.  I'm just kind of concerned that she's going to take her crap out on me when he's not around, since I'm guessing she didn't like being told off in front of me.  We have another wedding Saturday.  Since Dan won't be around, it should be pretty damn uncomfortable...

Apparently the Getty called about my resume today.  I have stuff to do tomorrow, but think I can squeeze in a return call.  SQUEEEEEE!!!!!

For whatever reason, I am over my job, and looking.  Have sent out about four online apps and several resumes in the past couple of weeks.  The job I really, really want is at the Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A.  They need an Education Coordinator, which is more or less the same thing I'm doing now, but full-time.  I'm not crazy about downtown, but I could take the train into Union Station and then take the Metro to 7th street and walk to L.A. Live.  Their current featured exhibit is for the Beach Boys 50th anniversary.  How cool is that?  The place has a 200 seat theater and four floors.  I'm sure the competition is stiff for the job, as it's not just a museum education job, but a job with the possibility of celebrity contact, which would be a big selling point for some people, but I already did the special event thing at Disneyland so I'm sort of over it.  I'm willing to take a data entry post just for the sake of getting full time hours.  I've had to put in for yet another deferment on my student loans (haven't been able to make payments since I was at Disneyland).

I don't see things getting any better.  It boils down to the fact that bitchy operations manager boss is lousy at following up and leaves me hanging for weeks, then I end up having to rush to get some things done.  She says she wants people to be proactive, but gets pissed off when I am proactive.  I am sick and tired of apologizing for existing.  I cannot win for losing with her.  This is what happens when you have two control freaks working together.  I would love to just turn in my stuff now and say screw it, but I need something in place before I leave.  I would like them to find someone with my qualifications and experience who is willing to put up with that crap for the princely sum of $9 an hour and only about 15 hours a week.  It's not even worth it anymore.

I am completely uninspired to write the new tours, let alone make the Power Point for training day.  I have a stack of books and online peer-reviewed journal entries that I've skimmed.  Of course, the danger (that dates to my uni days) is knowing I'm capable of putting together a good, thorough project in a matter of hours.  I'm supposed to train my new people on the 19th.  I had been planning on writing yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so I suppose I will get to it tomorrow.  I already have an idea of how it's going to be sectioned, and there are nine events that need to be focused on, so this group of docents isn't going to have as much flexibility as my last group.  It was slim pickings, so I hired about 3/4 of the people who applied.  The two guys may prove to be the problem children - one because of availability, the other because he's an ex-cop who said he didn't get along with his boss.  Who does that sound like?  If I'm smart, I'll schedule him for days when I'm not around...

It's a dark moon tonight, and for whatever reason, that is always the time of the month that I feel drained and listless.  Maybe my energy will perk up tomorrow...

I finally got the most odious task complete, finishing up a script about Picasso for the new team.  The thing is that we only have about 50 minutes to talk about the highlights of an exhibit that is featuring about 200 works of art, and in truth there's not much time to get to more than 15 at the most.  I was able to condense two subsets of engravings Picasso created down to two paragraphs for the docents.


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 The emperor (still) has no clothes.

Just scheduled an interview for the museum guest services job.  I was starting to give up hope.  Hello; I have beaucoup years of "guest service" experience, an Art History degree, and six years of experience at the Getty.  Even if it is a rinky-dink local city museum, I think I'm qualified for the itty-bitty part time job.  I would just be so happy to have a steady paycheck again.  The lady sounds sooooooooo nice over the phone.  I already get the feeling I'd enjoy working for her.  

I interview next Monday at 2:00 p.m.  I think I can miss General Hospital for a paycheck ;p

I like to drink a Martini
But only two at the most.
Three I'm under the table,
Four I'm under the host.  ~~Dorothy Parker

The speed and reach of communications could be an improvement or something not so good, depending on your point of view.  I love the fact that I have virtual friends everywhere, and that if I travel or they travel, it's possible to meet up.  The bad news is that because of the nearly instantaneous speed of information retrieval, e-mail, etc, people's expectations have changed.  Because it's so easy to bring up what you want in a search, people expect to have their real world expectations/needs fulfilled in a similar nearly instantaneous manner.  And due to the way things work in the real world, it's not always possible.  Internet anonymity has also created a nastiness in public discourse that hasn't been around since the days of yellow journalism, and it creates a certain sense of entitlement.  If technology allows us to easily state our opinions, which we naturally feel entitled to, that sense of entitlement creeps into other areas and people are shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when their desires don't mesh with an organizations guidelines.  People no longer seem to understand the concepts of fairness for all, no patience.  A good number now expect to be entertained all the time, and that is not the way real life works.  So maybe, just maybe, the Amish have a point...

I'm sure dead_sexydexy can tell everyone that fitness resolutions start floundering about this time in January.  Speaking for myself, even the "keep the house looking neat" is getting wobbly without having company coming over at the drop of the hat because of the holidays.

Gaiam posted a link on their FB page to something VERY useful.  It's http://www.dailyfeats.com.  This site helps you track day to day behaviors for the good stuff you'd like to be doing, whether it's fitness related, household related, or even creative.  When you hit a certain number of points you can reward yourself by gift cards for stores or products or you can send some good karma out in the world and have your points go to charities like the World Wildlife Fund or Save the Children.  I'm thinking this is pretty cool.

I know I'm always out there warning when there's some scam gift card offer on FB, but since Gaiam - a company I trust - posted the link, I believe they're legit.

I signed up less than an hour ago, and I already have 161 points for doing Pilates yesterday, serving a home cooked meal instead of takeout, cleaning the kitchen, and showing up on time for a recent appointment.  If you want to get your financial house in order some of the habits you can create are thinking about a purchase before spending, or tracking all your spending.  You can set the number of days you want to write each week or walk, you can set up eco friendly habits like composting, or something as sweet as hugging people more often.

Personally, I LOVE the idea of having a website I can go to to just plug in my exercise and eating for the day without having to set up a macro on Excel.  And I earn points for doing the normal stuff, like cleaning, that needs to be done but also for meditating or finding another way of de-stressing.

So if anyone chooses to go over there, I'm listed under my FB name, Bethanie Marie...  I'm hoping the thought of bribing myself with toys that I don't have to pay for (like yoga props) will bribe me into good behavior and logging it.  :)

'K, I haven't seen this movie yet, but I may just have to find a spare $8, because I am loving this little Jack Russell terrier, Uggie.  Apparently, he is nine years old and a rescue, but he's also a shameless ham, and like Frasier's Eddie, he may just make Jack Russells fashionable again...