Tag Archives: Employment

The Elusiveness of Sleep

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is four thirty-two in the morning here in Seattle. I am still wide awake, and this insomnia is just driving me batty but thankfully not batty enough to not end up in the looney bin. I just wish I knew why my insomnia is so bad lately and it is frustrating as hell.

Since I have not been able to sleep, I have been focused on learning new coping skills and building on old coping skills. I have been doing this by working on a couple of workbooks. Workbooks that remind me of what helps and what does not help and what I can try again to see if it helps this time around. Recovery is nonlinear and if certain coping skill didn’t help years ago does not mean they won’t help now and that gives me a lot of hope. Hope goes a long way especially when it comes to coping skills and using them even if they did not help at one point in time.

This just a random thought but I wonder if any of my references has been called yet. I am not sure why I just that of that but all I can think of is that I really want the job. I also hope that I am not getting my hopes up too high or that I am pulling cart before the horse. I also hope I am not jinxing myself. I’m now just rambling on and on and I really should just try to go to bed again.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post except that I really want some sleep. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Finally Got Sleep

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is 10:09 in the morning here in Seattle and it is a beautiful sunny day outside. I also finally got some much-needed sleep which is something I needed since I will be doing volunteer shift with Alley Cat Project and PAWS Cat City.

Oh, how I love to be able to give of my time to nonprofit organizations especially ones that help cats. I really enjoy giving my time especially when it comes to helping cats as I am a huge cat lover. I also love that my volunteer positions at Alley Cat Project and PAWS Cat City are completely different yet gives me a similar skill set for future volunteer jobs as well as future paid employment.

Speaking of employment, I had a job interview this past Tuesday which I thought did not go so very well. It apparently went better than expected as I received an email yesterday asking for references. I take being asked for references after a job interview as a good sign and I really hope it is a good sign. I really would like this job.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Afternoon Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I have some good news regarding the job interview I had yesterday. I was emailed this morning asking to give references and I, of course, emailed my references and now it is the waiting game to see if I got the job. I really would like this job especially since I think it will be a good fit for me, my recovery and will help with building resiliency in myself.

Speaking of resiliency, I am doing a recovery related workbook on resiliency. Part of recovery with a mental health challenge is building resiliency and able to continue to be resilient no matter what life throws at you. Trust me when I say life has thrown me a lot of shit the last few months especially with the fact that both parents died within two months of each other. Resiliency is something everyone has and can build on.

I am just grateful that my resiliency and my recovery with a mental health challenge is why I am getting back into the workforce. A workforce that is part of my career choice as being a peer support specialist. A peer specialist is someone who is recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD) and/or a mental health challenge. A peer specialist offers hope to people they are helping along their recovery journey.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Update on Job Interview

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! I just wanted to update you on my job interview. It went okay. Yes, just okay. I also could have done a lot better job in the interview. In fact, my cat, Billie even attempted to answer a couple of questions for me and one of the interviewers said, “kitty we don’t speak cat, so we need Gertie to answer the question.” I and the other interviewers laughed. This did break the ice a little. I just wish I had more faith in myself especially since I really want this job.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

My 6th Post of the Day

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! The weather is still yucky here in Seattle. In fact, the weather is yuckier and worse than it was when I posted my last blog post. So much worse that my lights are flickering. So, let’s hope that my electricity does not go out.

Since I still have electricity, I am going try to write this post as quick as possible especially since my anxiety is high. My anxiety is high due to the fact that I have a job interview tomorrow. It is a peer position and a local level one trauma hospital that has a behavioral health agency. It is part time which is something that I need right now especially regarding my recovery and being able to go to therapy. I need to stay healthy mentally to be able to work in mental health.

Speaking of health, I am still feeling like shit with this stupid cold. It is getting slightly better, but it takes so freaking long to get one hundred percent better. The good news is at least I do not have Covid, and I am so happy about that. Having Covid sucks even more that a cold and I should know as I have had Covid. At least I am feeling somewhat better and that is all I can ask for.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated on my end of things that you the reader read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Anxiety Over Job Interview Tomorrow

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! In twenty-four hours from I will be in a job interview. I am having some anxiety over the job interview I am not sure why I am so anxious over it. I do not think I should be so anxious over this job interview as the program manager of the program I am interviewing with knows me. He was a supervisor at a previous employer which is an employer I succeeded at and no he was not my direct supervisor. I also do not think I should be nervous about the interview is because it is a part time job that will suits me great, and the team is only six-member team. Plus, it is at an employer I really would love to work at. Maybe the reason why I am so anxious about the job interview is because I really want the job.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • Breakfast with a good friend
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Clean apartment
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Cuddle w/my cat Billie throughout the day

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • Breakfast with my partner, Junior (after he gets off work)
  • Call grandpa to thank him for his military service
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Take and return calls for Alley Cat Project
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Take and return calls for Alley Cat Project
  • Read
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • In person appointment with my therapist
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Dinner w/my partner, Junior and our friends
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • In person appointment with employment specialist
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Take and return calls for Alley Cat Project
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Read
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Take and return calls for Alley Cat Project
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Read
  • Dinner w/a good friend
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Morning walk
  • U-District Farmers Market w/my partner, Junior and one of my good friends and her partner
  • Lunch w/my partner, Junior and one of my good friends w/her partner at Red Robin
  • Art (color and/or diamond painting)
  • Read
  • Cuddle w/my cat, Billie throughout the day

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with my partner or friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with my partner or friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with a friend)
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or friend)
  • Volunteer at Cat City
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or friend)
  • Attend appointment with Employment Specialist regarding DVR and jobs
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with a friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or a friend)
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

A Life Update

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It has been quite a while since I updated you on my life which hasn’t been going to well which is mainly due to my job. I am on thin ice at work and I know I haven’t been meeting expectations of my job and take full responsibility for what I have not met those expectations. I also know that I have not been given the disability accommodations I much needed for work that have been known since my first day on the job with human resources full support up until returning from my first medical leave due to a traumatic event. I am such thin ice that I can be fired which is why I put in my resignation. I am resigning at a later date than I was planning on doing primarily due making sure I have money to pay my rent for the month of January as I am on another medical leave and want to make sure I have the money to pay rent and other bills. Yes, not resigning later than I had planned, I need to make sure I finish much needed things at work as well being able to say goodbye to clients and colleagues. My planned last day on my job will be my one year anniversary date of starting this job. I just hope I don’t get fired by my planned last day on the job.

Since I am resigning from my job I am hoping that Social Security will not stop my partial disability payments. I also hope I can get my full disability benefits back once I am no longer working. I am really worried about money. I am hoping I can get some form of employment so I don’t have worry about money.

Part of the reason I am so worried about money is credit card debt. But the main reason why I am worried is because my cat is still at the very beginning stages of kidney disease for the last couple of years and has vet visits every six months to keep any eye on his health. My cat Billie means the world to me and I love him so very much.

Now that it is the holiday season, I have a way to not be split between both sides of my family as I have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day which means I can wait till after my last day at my employer to have a celebration with my dads side one day and my moms side another day. Plus, I can also continue with my own Holiday traditions as well as start new ones. The ones I already have for myself is to do a winter type and/or a Christmas jigsaw puzzle, read both volumes of A Superheros Christmas, read a fiction Christmas book and color a Christmas picture poster or two. My two new holiday traditions this holiday season are to do Christmas logic problems which they do have books to do which sorta surprised me and a Christmas adult dot to dot. No, the dot to dot is NOT by any means X rated. The dot to dot is more advanced than the dot to dots we did as kids.

Well, I do not have much more to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!

Update of Life

Posted on by Gertie

Good Middle of the Night from Seattle. I just work up with only three hours of sleep and hope I can get back to sleep since I have an online interview at two in the afternoon via Microsoft Teams. I haven’t been getting much sleep due not having any money to pay rent or other bills. Good need news that the rent stuff with the landlord got situated as it wa on their end. Bad news I still have other bills to pay which are pretty high. I’m looking at the bright side that the landlord realized it was their mistake and I would not get a “lack of payment notice.”

On other good news I accepted a job yesterday (Tuesday) evening for a part time job that is twelve hours a week. Not as many hours as I would like but it’s a job. I will still be applying to jobs and attending interviews as well as continue to apply for unemployment who is still dragging their feet. I’m hoping that get unemployment since I will only be working twelve hours a week. If don’t then I don’t but it i s worth a try.

I hate to ask this again especially since most of you have money issues yourselves but am hoping some of you can donate to my paypal account at @GertiesJourney1979; Seattle. Wa. (Not sure if the @ Seattle is suppose to be there or not. In any case I will be happy even if one per donate money to my paypay account.

Before I end this post, my cat, Billie has been a great comfort to me as he always is. I love my cat so much. I am thrilled he chose me to be his human and apart of his family. I truly believe that animals are part of the family.

I don’t have much more to say as I want to try to get back to sleep so I can be well rested for my interview. Have good night slep. Peace out World!!!