Officially Californian

I have a confession to make.

Although I’ve been living in LA for the last 11 months, I’ve been sneaking around The Valley still driving on my Nevada plates and wielding my Nevada drivers license.

The state of California gives you exactly 10 days from the point of entry into California to switch your registration and residency. It’s a very clear cut law. However, when you’ve been living in the state for the last 4-years under the guise of out of state college student, pin pointing your date of entry gets a little tricky.

At least thats what I argued as I shlepped my stuff up to LA from Orange County and was far too overwhelmed to get everything switched over. Just let me get settled, find an official residence (rather than couch crashing) and then I would make it “Official.”

Well, it didn’t take too long for me to realize that registering my new-used car in California was going to cost me exceedingly more than to register in Nevada. Damn state taxes. So I made the road trip (twice) out to NV, and once again became an official Nevada resident. from California.

This back and forth has continued on and off for the last couple of months, constantly finding another excuse for why now wasn’t the time to switch. Of the 16 cars in my apartment’s underground garage, over half of them have out of state plates - I was in good company.

Well, with taxes looming towards me I realized it was finally time to make it official when daunted with the task of figuring out which residency to declare on the forms. So off I went: 20 minutes later (AAA for car registration) and 2 hours later (DMV for my drivers license) I am proud to announce - I am Officially a California resident.

Being a California resident comes with it’s down sides. My car is so much more difficult to find now in the parking lot when my Nevada plates don’t stick out like a sore thumb. and, After having a decent looking drivers license picture in Nevada, my California license just screams bad hair day. and of course, there’s those three hated little words: State Income Tax.

But all in all, it’s refreshing to finally have the final check mark placed in my “Moving to California” to do list. I no longer have to glance nervously as a cop car pulls behind me as I pull out of my complex (“no really officer, I’m just here as a college student / visiting my sister / where am I again?”) Bartenders no longer look at me strangely as they inspect my ID with vigor, because a Nevada ID means I must be under age.

So like it or not, Mum & Dad, looks like I’m in California to stay - at least for a little while. I think I’ll like it here. Although, I will say, it is disappointing that I can no longer get away with swerving down streets like an idiot, only to pass it off as “Whatever, they probably just think I’m a tourist.”

Part Time vs Full Time

Ah the glorious full time job.

Now many covet this position, especially in this economy. I consider myself to be one of the lucky few who have a full time job right now. Even Husband only has 1.5 part time jobs. (The .5 is an on call position that he's not fully hired into yet. Long story). But needless to say, I'm fully employed 40 hours a week plus benefits.

Now you'd think this $12 an hour 40 hour a week job would allow me to pay off all my bills in a snap right? WRONG!

I just keep finding myself stuck in a rut paying off my stupidity in college. I think it should be illegal to have a credit card in college. Ok, I guess I don't. I survived my unemployed times (thus putting myself in my current situation) with credit cards. It was so exciting, opening it up, getting cool designs, acting like it was free money, TOTALLY planning on paying it off right away.

Riiiiiiiight.

I didn't. I paid minimum and more minimum constantly. Everytime I would get some extra income, "something would come up" that I had to pay for instead. Probably the Chipotle Tuesdays or something. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Oh I see clearly now. Crystal.

Now Husband and I are budgeting out 700 every paycheck, again I say, every paycheck so we can move to Florida in 5 months. It seems unreasonable, but working full time actually allows this. (Having 2 incomes really helps as well). Which is the WEIRDEST feeling. I was used to making $350 every two weeks. Now my paychecks are over $800. I have never known what making over $1000 a month feels like. It's pret-ty nice.

So now, that I can see the amazing power of budgeting, it makes me want all of my past debt gone this instant. I want to move to Florida completely debt free. This is really not possible. There are pertinent costs that keep popping up: oil change for my car, registration for my car, medicine here, work uniforms there, that just keep adding up.

I know that it takes patience and dedication to pay off debt.

I'm just really freaking impatient.

I'm baaack

Sorry for the break everyone, but I’m back and up and running – though a little worse for the wear.

The last week and a half I’ve been in Nashville, TN on a business trip – the very first of it’s kind. I actually had a whole stack of entries prepped and ready to fill in the time that I wouldn’t be writing, and then I was hit with a massive cold. February was the month of sickness as I’ve been in and out of bed with one malady after another. However, the worst of it hit the day before I left for my trip, which left me barely hanging on for life as I teetered around the convention center in heels with tissues and cough drops poking out of every crevice that could hold them.

Luckily I’m back in sunny California, though the cough and nasty fever blisters still manage to hold on. Though, not enough to keep me from writing like I’m supposed to – I promise.

So, I planned on returning from my business trip with a kick ass blog all about business trips. But I’m coming up dry.

The truth is, for the large part, it was boring. Almost too boring to blog about.

However, I did learn one very important thing on this trip:

I HATE business trips. I spent 5-days straight stuck inside a convention hall, and I only ever breathed fresh air once. Business hours weren’t 9-5, but whenever and wherever people could find us. And they found us - back to back meetings from dawn to dusk.

The Boss goes on a business trip once if not twice a week – he’s always traveling and for a while I envied him as he was boarding planes and I was stuck behind my metal desk in LA. But by the time I returned from my trip I was so worn out, so exhausted, and SO tired of dealing with clients I didn’t want to work for another two weeks. To pick up and repeat with another trip week after week would be a terror.

I wish I had more exciting tales to tell you from the road but the trip was an endless succession of meetings until I finally collapsed on my cousin’s couch in Nolensville ready for a couple of days of R&R with my family. That was the main perk of my Southern business trip – a chance to catch up with family that I haven’t seen in a couple of years. 4 days of sleeping in, watching movies, and lounging around my aunts beautiful home in Franklin, and nights of good food and company with the family.

While the tail end of the trip did give me a nice dose of family, I have to say, it’s nice to be back home in LA.

Hm. So Much For Updates

Sorry for not updating. I've been slowly getting sick due to diving back into the 40 hour work week.

My graduation from a month of training at my call center job is tomorrow and I'm very excited but nervous out of my mind.

It's such a comforting feeling to be in training. There's always someone around to answer your question, if you make a mistake, it's ok! You're in training! But starting on Monday, I'm pretty much on my own to figure out my own questions. I'll be dealing with irate customers without much backup.

Needless to say, I'm terrified.

More updates to come. It's ridiculous, but I'm actually going to bed. Its 8:22 pm. I am just so damn tired.

Sigh.

I miss college.

The Intern (Part Two)

So, I found my blog entry about interns to be longer than I’m sure you, poor reader, felt like reading. (need a refresher? Part One) Hence, The Intern - Part Two ... wait, I have an intern?

It feels out of sorts for me to have an intern as the 22-year-old assistant / coordinator. Long before I started here as the assistant, I was Mrs. Boss’ intern. Psycho intern who worked 60 hour weeks preparing for a national conference that went off without a hitch! But now, a year later, I have interns of my own.

It’s weird since our interns are only a year or two younger than me - if not the same age. Yet somehow, I’m supposed to know more than them, to teach them. It started to make me question - do I really need interns?

Then, I looked at the stack of inventory I have to do, or the 44 hours of transcribing that has been on my desk for months, and I remember what interns are for. While I’d like to be the place that has the “totally awesome internship” and while I’d like to stay true to the words I uttered as an intern, “when I’m in charge I’ll never make my intern ...” that isn’t what interns are for.

Interns make copies. They get coffee. They run errands and they file. I know so many interns are probably wondering “Why can’t I do something MEANINGFUL? Something that will be worthwhile and make a difference for this company?”

I realize that the copies and coffee don’t seem worthwhile. But what those copies & coffees allow is. When my intern is running to pick up lunch for the office, I’m on a conference call with our designers before they fly out to meet with a client tomorrow. While my intern is plugging material into the inventory, I’m running the agenda for tomorrows meeting in office.

So yes, what the interns are doing may seem tedious and pointless. But by taking the tedious and pointless away from people who have “worthwhile” things to do - their work is worthwhile after all.

Of course, after I read this entry I sit back and laugh. I think I just explained my job a little bit as well.

Breaking Dawn + 2 Films = FAIL

I would consider myself a fangirl. Twilighter. Whatever you want to call it.

Urban Dictionary defines fangirl as “a rabid breed of human female who is obsessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Have been known to glomp, grope, and tackle when encountering said obsessions.”

Ok, so I guess I don’t follow Urban Dictionary’s definition. It is a bit much for me. I wouldn’t consider myself “rabid” nor have I ever groped or tackled anyone for that matter.

I would consider myself a quiet, NOT creepy fangirl. I don’t own posters of the books and films, nor have I bought any fan memorabilia. (It has been bought FOR me, but I don’t count that haha).

With that said, I’m an official Twilighter. I love the Twilight series. A lot. I’m so excited for Eclipse to come out this summer. But recently, it’s been revealed that the final book in the series, Breaking Dawn, is going to be 2 films.

Ok. Let’s be real. Breaking Dawn is the same length as all the other books. I have no idea why it needs to be two films for story purposes. I get it though, Summit wants to make 2 sets of millions of dollars on films they know people like me will see. Obviously. I’m just nervous as crap out it.

Breaking Dawn is a weird book. It’s actually my least favorite in the series. I understand why Stephenie Meyer wrote it that way. It was a big series with lots of questions that needed to be answered happily. I won’t go into in case you’re one of the 5 people in the world who hasn’t read the series.

I just get annoyed at the film industry for stretching out a pretty bare plot line filled mostly with waiting to make more money that they already are receiving. Thus proving even more why I shouldn’t produce film. I have no idea why I thought I could work in that world.

So needless to say, I'm still excited to see the film(s) on screen, but I'm nervous as hell to see it split into two films. Don't even get me started on the 3D rumors.

Ugh.

The Intern (Part One)

It’s February and the spring semester is upon us! There was one point where that meant I was already knee deep in Honors reading that I had ignored over interterm but this year it means something completely new:

The interns are here!

Our office has been without an intern for a semester, but with my promotion a couple months ago we’ve been in dire need of one since early November. However, I had absolutely no clue where to start when hiring an intern - a strange feeling, being that I myself have been an intern dozens of times before!

Suddenly, I found myself on the other side of the table asking myself serious questions like “What kind of qualities do you need in an intern?” and “How do you politely ask ‘Hey - can you go on another Starbucks run?’ ”

Posting on facebook brought a lot of well meaning but essentially helpless advice. “Someone hard working” “Willing to do anything” “Someone dedicated.” Like I said - all great suggestions. But lets face it - every resume and cover letter looks alike. Everyone wants you to know that they are “hardworking, dedicated and intelligent.” Everyone wants to impress you with the laundry list of student films they worked on.

Like I said - Everyone is the same.

But ultimately, personality is what I want. You’re an intern - I’m not planning on handing you any monumental tasks that will require the height of your film school knowledge. I’m going to ask you to file. So as long as you can promise me that you’ll show up on time and not complain, I get the whole hard working picture - now tell me something else. If I’m going to be sitting across the office from you 16-hours a week, I want to know you have something interesting to offer.

So, in the hopes of saving numerous assistants from enduring the same resume monotony that I went through, here’s my list of things to do (and not to do) on your Internship Resume:

1. Tell me what makes you unique! Did you just self - finance your own short film? Or are you fresh off finishing the LA marathon? Maybe you just got back from feeding orphans in Africa? Tell me something that makes you different from the rest - and what you’ve learned from it to bring to our team. It shows you have personality and gives me something to remember you by - 10 resumes later I’ll probably still remember the marathon guy vs. the guy with that one GPA.
   
   
2. Tell me what you know about my company I specifically work in a company focusing in a very niche market - not just anyone can do what we do, so I hired my interns with those questions in mind. But it works the same with any company - tell them that you’d like to intern with the company that produced movies XY and Z or managed star AB and C. It shows we’re not just another name on the list.
   
   
3. Tell me what you want to do at my company You’re an intern. No matter what you’re going to make coffee and copies. However when the occasion arises, some interns get to do some pretty cool stuff. But if you’re an editor who suddenly ends up doing research for The Boss’ new screenplay, it doesn’t seem as cool. Even if you probably won’t get to edit our next brilliant commercial, it never hurts to say “I’m a pro at coffee and copies - but what I really like to do is cut!”
   
   
4. Ditch the “I ams” I get it. All the soon to be college grads want their employers to know that their dedicated and smart and bla bla bla. Let me repeat: ALL. Those words start to become pretty pointless when they’re on every resume you see. Tell me the WHYs or HOWs behind those adjectives (see tip #1) or else skip the “I ams” completely


5. Give me your contact info! I realize these are the days of emailed resumes. Thank You technology! However, don’t forget to leave your contact info on both your resume and your cover letter. Yes, I realize you emailed me from your email address - so I should already have it. But chances are, I’m printing out your cover letter & resume and then dropping the email into some deep dark folder with only the hope of “search” to bring it back to life. So give me your contact info up front - and you’re already making life much easier for me.