It came too soon

cloud2, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

Summer tumbled in the door
I did not see his coming
I ask for time, a little more
My heart, within me, crying

'Your pleads are all for naught' said he
'I hope you do not expect
that you receive much more from me
than those before you met'

I saw the look upon his face
His eyes grew darker still
And with a grin all set in place
He let his anger fill

'Now the time has come for fun'
He pulled me from the door
'You must come out into the sun'
I could withstand no more.

The rays have burned my tender skin
The heat has melted heart
I felt my soul should cry within
To be so far apart

But here am I and there are you
and nothing will allow
that me and you should get to do
What other couples vow

And so, my love, my life, my heart
I say this to you now
I hope we shall not be apart
After summer ends his bow.

I GOT IT!!

flower1, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

I got the counselor position at the Girl Scout camp!

VERY excited that I have a job again. I'll be starting in exactly one week.

Crossing My Fingers Again

happy, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

I have been actively searching for a job. It has been two weeks now and I really don't know what will happen if this goes on much longer.

Luckily, I think that I might have something opening up to me. I was contacted by someone from a Girl Scout Camp after she saw me talking about being too late for Rawhide. They still have positions to fill and I fit the criteria for a couple of them. I have already got in my application and done the first interview. The second interview begins tomorrow morning and I will hopefully know by then what is happening. I would love to have another chance at a summer camp position.

That is not the only reason I am jumping at this though. Let me mention some of the places I have applied to....
Barnes and Nobles
Michaels
Cost Plus
Bed Bath and Beyond
Comfort Suites
Ayres Inn
Grand Pacific Palisades
PetSmart
Petco
Target
Orange County Fairgrounds

As Well as various positions in these cities:
Huntington Beach
Orange
Fountain Valley
Mission Viejo
San Clemente
Santa Ana
Irvine

And some smaller businesses such as:
A music Store
Many many offices
An art gallery
A photo supply company
And a temp agency

This camp is really the first bite I have had that sounds legitimate. I did asked to interview as a photographer's assistant.....but after being asked to meet him in the back of a restuarant and "show him what I've got" I decided maybe this was not the job for me.

It starts next week. It is only two months long.....but......when fall starts up more jobs will open as people go back to school. Especially in places like hotels, barnes and nobles, cost plus, etc. I think I will have better luck next time around.

We'll know within the next couple days.

I see the light?

lamp, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

I may have gotten some luck back.

Although for the past two weeks I have been hopelessly jobless, I think I can expect something soon. First of all, I have joined a temp agency and I am working on finishing up with the full registration, background test and assessment tests. Should this be the best choice for me, I think it will be a good one. I will definitely be making myself available to more positions. They also know how to better package people's resumes for office positions.

The other good news came from the ACA (American Camping Association) forums. I had joined these forums when I was interested in applying to Rawhide. In fact, I had started a thread originally asking if anyone knew if it was too late in the season to be applying for camp jobs. The people on there are so friendly and talkative, I continued posting there with the updates I was getting on the position. Yesterday someone posted a reply on that thread letting me know that the girl scouts of San Diego have two summer resident camps that are still taking in people. Of the positions are Unit Counselor, Wrangler Counselor and Arts and Crafts Specialist. The person suggested I apply and made sure to assure me they DO have positions. So, hopefully I will be hearing back from them too.

Camp or Temp, I will be continuing my attempts to get jobs with both. We will see what happens. I think I would take the camp job over the temp job if offered. Unless I would need to commute daily....which is a no.

Ah, forgot to mention that there are two camps they are filling positions for. Both are in Julian. One is more of an outdoor experience with platform tents, riding horses and sleeping under the stars. The other one has air conditioning and heating in the units.

Yummy

New Puppy Video

Rawhide Ranch

goats, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

I used to attend a summer camp called Rawhide Ranch. It is a wonderful camp out in Bonsall with horses, goats, sheep, llamas, chickens, pigs, etc etc etc. There are classes about animals, riding lessons, group activities, archery, riflerey, and driver's ed! (For horse-drawn carriages.)

Lauren and I went at least once a summer for years. It was a major part of my childhood. I learned a lot there and I still keep very fond memories of everything I experienced.

The transition to the new job was bothering me. The Ayres hotel doesn't feel right to me. I kept looking for other job opportunities and the idea to work at Rawhide came to me! I had tried many times in the past. But now it would work out for me. Thomas supported the idea from the beginning and now I actually have beneficial reasons for working there as a counselor.

There is only a slim chance that I will get in. They are not sure they even have a position open and I am not sure that I could get it. But, in case they do and in case I have a chance at it, I have been working hard to prepare. I just got my CPR certification and I will get my certification for water safety next week. I've also found some great resources for activities.

I have daily checked forums on camp counseling, even going back into much older posts looking for any tips or help I can get should I face any problems as a counselor.

I have been trying to brush-up on my child development and psychology. That coupled with what I have learned of operant conditioning should help out.

I will hopefully find out tomorrow if I have a chance for a position. There are many reasons I would like this job. I would love the chance to make a difference in the lives of my campers, just as my counselor's made a difference in mine. This would also help me in future supervisory roles. After all, if you can handle a group of 9 year-olds every week for two months, you should be able to handle adults. Not to mention the job requires heavy responsibility and accountability. You can't call in sick. You are there 24 hours a day most days and you have lives (and young feelings) in your hand.

So, please, anyone out there who reads this, cross your fingers for me!

My New Family

sleeping, originally uploaded by Lostfiniel.

I got a new job. Well, sort of, I should be getting a new job.

I applied to many places around Orange County. I heard back from a couple. One was my first choice amongst the places I applied. It is a hotel in Orange. It is pretty similar to the hotel I am at now. Should work out alright.

I got the news on Friday. I will be giving my two week notice soon. That won't be fun. I really do like my job the majority of the time. The bad times are minimal. It's the drive and the gas prices that are making the decision for me. It is an extra several hours I am away from home. And, with the rising gas prices, it is just not reasonable to commute so far for what is basically an entry-level position.

We will see how the new place works out. I don't know why, but I am not as excited about this job. I'm going to give it a shot, but if it is not a comfortable fit after a good amount of time, I will keep looking.