I could not make this shit up.

OK, so even though I don't like the idea of sucking on the tit of the government, I also don't like how I haven't found a job in Austin yet, and being a one-income family sucks. So back in October I read on the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) web site that you may be eligible for benefits if you relocated to be w/a spouse. I filed that in my head. November rolled around, still no job, and so at the encouragement of a friend, I decided to file.

I filed a week or so before Thanksgiving, and this is still not resolved.

Because the last place I worked was in Illinois, I had to file through IL. TWC could not take my claim, so I had to call the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). I filed and waited for my info in the mail.

Info came in the mail right after Thanksgiving. I had to do a phone interview with somebody to further explain my situation. I had to get a letter from my husband's employer, on their letterhead, saying when he started his job. I had to write up a little something and they were to contact my employer.

Fast-forward to about two weeks later, I guess. More mail. This time it told me that I was eligible to collect as long as I met the eligibility requirements.

Um, OK.

They also sent me another letter at the same time (in a different envelope, of course) requesting another phone interview, which was scheduled for Dec. 21st. In this letter it was apparent that they decided my husband is in the military. But I had to give them a letter from his employer, and that clearly was NOT on letterhead of any branch of the US Military.

So that interview on the 21st never happened-they were supposed to call me and never did. And because I was in Galveston at a cookie-making sweatshop, I didn't call until now.

And have been on hold almost 30 minutes. I just pray that my cell doesn't drop this call.

All I want is a yes or a no.

It pains me...

Let me start this off by saying I am not intending to offend anybody here.

But it pains me that my nephew isn't going to grow up in TX.

That no matter how hard our side of the family tries, he's going to know my BIL's side of the family better. Because they are there, and from there. And my family is not nor will ever be.

And there's probably no chance he'll be a fourth-generation Aggie. :(

I haven't even met him yet, but this all makes me sad.

Hugs and kisses from Aunt Sissy to Baby Jack.

I was out of pocket.

And now I am back in pocket. :)

I spent almost a week in Chicagoland visiting friends and attending some industry networking events. Fun was had by all! My friend Julia and her husband Troy are just awesome, and so are their kids and dog. I enjoyed my time with them and with my adorable friend Trisha, as well has her husband Chris and their dog Austin. I love you, friends.

I got back to Austin late Wednesday night, and have felt like I was run over by a truck since I've gotten back. Probably this house needs groceries. Perhaps I need to go shop at Ulta and use my 20% off entire purchase coupon. But I don't see these things happening again today.

News on the job search: I must have something on my forehead that says "Please interview me and don't follow up with me even though it's been almost two weeks." Ugh. I am awaiting results for three interviews I had in the past couple of weeks, but am not getting my knickers too bunched up yet because I've had a couple EVEN BETTER opportunities come across my desk and of course I am all into those. Because who wouldn't want a director-level job or to work with a Fortune 500 company? ;)

Anyway...still trying to catch up from being in Chicago, and will be heading to Galveston next week. Then probably on to Boston at the beginning of 2011. I need to meet my sweet nephew!

One rejection and two interviews this week.

Well, the one place with short cubicle walls didn't hire me.

I had interviews with two different organizations this week. Of the two, I think I really prefer one over the other. But who knows, maybe neither will prefer me. At least I've found some other positions to apply for this week and then just got a lead from a contact of mine (God bless LinkedIn).

Here's a depressing scenario for you. Me in an interview, earlier today.

Interviewer: this position is lower-level than your past positions. Are you OK with that?

Me (in my head): No, not really. I want the same type of job that I had in Chicago. However, the job market here is NOT GOOD for meetings & events like it is here.

But, I didn't say that. I did say something about it being a different market, blah blah, which it is.

I just wonder if I will ever be OK with that?

They had short cubicle walls.

At the company I interviewed with this morning.

That wasn't my only take-away, but it was disturbing! I am a loud-talker. And if I got this position, I am not sure if I would even be in a cube or in an office or what. But if I'm in a cube I need TALL CUBICLE WALLS.

Seriously, I don't even think that these cube walls went to the top of the computer monitors. So I can just imagine sitting at my cube typing away, all while being able to look my cubemate directly in the eyes.

Weird.

Perhaps even stranger, I have had conversations with people before about short cube walls. Maybe my friends an I are oddly obsessed with how we think cubicles "should" be.

I just know from past experiences that if I get this job, and I am in a cubicle, I am going to get "shushed". I don't try to be a loud-talker. I just am. Perhaps I have hearing loss? I don't really think so, though...

So pumped, so pumped, so pumped!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Interview for what might be my dream job in Austin is set for 8:30 Monday. Kind of surprised for an early AM interview, especially on a Monday, but whatever. I'll take it! I just might have to wake up at like 5 in order to be awake. I was NOT blessed with whatever it is that makes people morning people. I'm definitely more of an owl than a lark, a trait which is shared with my sister, mom, Maw-Maw, and several other family members.

I kind of just want to run around and yell and scream. I'm just that pumped.

I have to go in there and knock their socks off. I know I am an awesome meeting planner, but since this is a corporate meeting planning position (as opposed to association/nonprofit), some of the position is marketing, which is different for me. Association meeting planners generally just do logistics-pure meeting planning. In the corporate world, meetings are usually a function of marketing so there's a difference.

I CAN'T WAIT!

Also, my sister is going to have that baby any day now. She's already dialated 2-3 cm, and the OB told her he doesn't think she'll make it to her due date. And he thinks she'll have an easy delivery! Yay for her! I hope so. I can't wait to meet this kid.

YAY!

The job search is filled with highs and lows. Mostly lows. So I thought I would post about something good! A little over 3 weeks ago, I interviewed for a position that I was (am) really interested in. It was a phone interview, which I think are SO TOUGH. I got off the phone feeling just OK about things, sent the HR person a thank-you note in the mail, sent a follow-up e-mail maybe a week or so after that, and heard nothing, so I'd pretty much written this position off.

But just now, I got an e-mail and they want me to interview in person! YAY! I am thrilled because this is a position I am really interested in, not just one that I applied for because it seems decent and is what I want to be doing.

Fingers crossed...I really want to start 2011 employed!

Oh, I see...we give up our rights when buying a plane ticket.

Naked body scanner, or being groped?

How about neither?

This is disgusting and disturbing.

First:

http://www.ourlittlechatterboxes.com/2010/11/tsa-sexual-assault.html

Second:

http://www.reddit.com/tb/e5p2r

UGH. GROSS. WRONG. And the guy in the second post is so right. They wouldn't be able to do what they are doing if they weren't the government. And outside of the airport, they would have to have some reasonable suspicion to do this.

I don't even know what do do here. Write our congresspeople? Write the president? Janet Napolitano? This just makes me sick. Flying has become more and more of a joke and 3-ring circus since 9/11.

This so is not what I wanted to do.

Just called TX Workforce Commission because I decided to break down and see if I can file for unemployment. On their web site it says that you may be eligible if you moved to be with your husband or wife. But now I have to call IL, which I am sure is going to be 10,000 times more annoying than calling Texas.

I just want a job. As a planner. Hopefully making no more than $10K less than I made in Chicago. I am trying to be nice to the universe. Please universe, send it back to me.

All I can think of is Jen Lancaster in Bitter is the New Black when she's like "I can't file for unemployment, I'm a Republican".

Off to try to call IL. Yeah.

Isn't Austin a great city?

That's what I am asked when I lament having to move back here. And truth be told, it is. If I had never lived in Chicagoland, I would be 100% content being here. But now, it feels small, has traffic that practically rivals that of Chicago anyway (and public transit isn't much of an option), lacks the cultural attractions that Chicago does, and OH YEAH, the job scene here leaves something to be desired.

Austin is always on the lists of "Best Places to Live", etc. And Texas has not been as hard hit by this recession as many other states have. And Austin is even supposedly a place with great job growth. Well, not in my business. Blah. I feel like I'd be so much better off in Dallas or Houston.

I feel like there are so many people here in meetings and events who have worked with their respective organizations for an eternity, and they are just not used to new blood. Chicago has people coming and going all the time, so it's easy to jump right in and not be so new after a while. I just don't think that's the case here, and since I wasn't involved in the industry when I lived here before, I feel screwed sometimes. Sure, people are plenty nice and all that. That's not an issue. It's just rough.

Anyway, tomorrow starts a new work week and who knows what the next few days will hold. Hopefully progress/good news on the job front. I'm ready for it.

This is not how I pictured it.

Today is Scott's birthday. Even though we both don't care a lot about birthdays, I wanted to do something nice for him. So I am making dinner tonight. Wow-that's 4 nights this week.

Anyway, I had to get up early today and dress nice for job club. So, I put on a dress and I decided to keep it on because how often does this man get to see his wife showered, with makeup and hair done and decent clothing to boot.

I ran out to Target a bit ago to get a couple of forgotten things I needed for dinner. Got poured on on my way out. Hope that's a front coming through instead of just crappy weather.

Anyway, came home, made ganache for cracked cheesecake, put King Ranch Chicken in the oven. Am working on cleaning up. Sweating like a whore in church.

Why did I think I should cook in a dress?

And no, I am not wearing pearls. I actually took off my necklace, as it's a 7-strand acrylic monstrosity and it would just make me sweat more.

Hope the cheesecake is good...it's not nearly as pretty as the pumpkin one I made for our anniversary but that's basically covered in ganache, so I doubt it matters.

He should be home any sec...I don't hear the doggies crying yet...

Oh yeah...the Big D

As in Dallas. So, there are just lots more jobs in my field (and probably in most every field?) in Dallas than they are in Austin. And if I can't live in Chicagoland, that's really where I'd like to be in the great state of TX.

Scott has been working A TON lately so last night I tried to convince him that he needed to look for jobs in the DFW area so that we could move. After all, there are more jobs for him up there, too. It didn't work.

I thought I was being so clever.

So, like it or not...Austin it is, at least for now. At least he didn't say "Hell no you crazy woman!". He is from Dallas and I know he's not crazy about it, but I am just glad that he may be open to it in the future. Perhaps that's the middle ground between where I want to be (Chicagoland) and where he wants to be (um, not Chicagoland).

I do have to admit, though...I do love having my mom, dad, and stepmom just a short drive away. I guess Dallas to San Antonio is still better than buying plane tickets.

Dear I-35, I hate you.

Way too many random thoughts running through my head for a Facebook post!

First of all: Dear I-35, I hate you. You suck. You are the only interstate highway in this city, and that just sucks. And I could actually go into a whole rant about how this city has two fairly decent North/South corridors, and only one East/West corridor, but I'll not go there for now.

Second: I love it when it's pretty obvious that my dogs want to go out, and then I ask them if they want to go out, and they look at me and act like that's the BEST IDEA EVER. But not in a sarcastic way. Because they are dogs. They are SO CUTE and I love those girls and I would be even more batshit crazy than I already am without them to keep me company.

Third: I hate those Seven for all Mankind jeans that have actual "7"s on the back pocket. They are fug.

I think that's it for now.

This week is better than last week.

It just is. Because no funk could be like the funk I was in last week. Well-maybe so (thinking back to when we first moved to Chicagoland), but that was more along the lines of I was just a freaking hot mess.

Yesterday I had a phone interview. I've found maybe 4-5 jobs to apply for this week so far, whereas I have considered finding three jobs in a week a good number for me. These things help. Last week was all about crappy rejections (and one nice one).

Two more days to go...let's see how this week ends!

Today, I thanked someone for a rejection e-mail.

Because this e-mail was from an actual human, not an automated system. And this person responded IN THE TIMELINE THAT THEY ORIGINALLY STATED. Go figure. So, it was a rejection (fourth of the week) that was actually personable and classy. Imagine that.

So in other news, my sweet baby sister sent me a Sephora gift card for my birthday. I am not quite sure when it got here, because most of our mail goes to Scott's office and he's not alway so great about brining it home, but I noticed a pile on the kitchen table yesterday that had two cards for me in it, both from her: 1st one was a thank-you note from her shower, 2nd was the birthday card w/the Sephora GC. I am having such a shit week that don't you know it, that GC made me cry. I call her and get her voice mail and am all "You shouldn't have done that. That was so sweet. You're about to have a BAAAAAABY!" Punctuated in sniffles and all.

She had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon, so we didn't chat long, but probably from this point she'll be going to the doctor every week. Even though she's not due until the beginning of next month, she could be a mommy at any time now! Which is just crazy to me but I am looking so forward to it. I just wish that that baby (oh, and the parents!) didn't live all the freaking way in Boston!

My dad and Nancy are giving me a RT ticket on Southwest to go visit at some point, so the up side is that if I don't have a job next month (perish the thought), I can go see my niece or nephew pretty soon after its arrival. Which is basically the only thing I have to look forward to if I don't have a job. I will be a much better auntie when I DO have a job. After all, how am I supposed to BUY THINGS FOR THIS BABY? I figure the kid isn't going to know me very well, unless I can be The Aunt who Sends Cute Things. ;)

Anyway...TGIF. This week has sucked. Bye-bye, sucky week. Next week has to be better. Right? RIGHT.

Job searching SUCKS.

I. HATE. Being. Unemployed. And I hate even more the fact that I left a city with lots of meeting/event planner jobs to come to Austin, where somebody basically has to die for a meeting/event planner job to open up and even if that happens, often the successor has been hand-picked anyway. And I hate that the salaries here are so much lower than in Chicagoland, generally. Yes, the cost of living is lower here, but many of the job postings I see show salaries that are disproportionately lower. :(

Throughout this whole thing, I have been doing my best to STAY POSITIVE but sometimes I just need to gripe. I know I am not the only job-seeker out there, and that I have not been unemployed the longest.

What really started this need to rant was a job rejection e-mail I just got. It went as such:

Dear Ms. MORGAN: Thank you for your application and interest in opportunities atthe University of Texas at Austin. We have reviewed your application based on the job related criteria for the posting, XXXXX. We regret to inform you that you were not the candidate selected to fill the position. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to pursue otheropportunities as they become available atthe University of Texas at Austin.

What I wish I could say back to them:

1) Of course I was not selected for the position-I wasn't even interviewed for it.
2) I was seriously overqualified for this position anyway.
3) It would have been a 50% salary cut from what I was making in Chicago.

The one positive thing-this is the fastest response I've ever gotten from any job w/the government. And I've gotten to where I like canned rejection notices-at least it is a status update. A status update of any sort these days is not the norm.

I am sure ranting as such is unprofessional, but I am sorry-this job search is really tearing me down right now.

Add to this the realization that if I don't get a job this month, it's probably not going to happen until 2011. Yikes.

So besides trying to browbeat my husband into returning to Chicagoland, which is futile, I move on and keep on looking and doing the things I know I am supposed to be doing. And I keep hoping.

My resume

I didn't see a way to add this as an attachment, but I want this out on the world wide web so here goes:

Kristine Morgan, CMP

kdavison99@hotmail.com

512-565-4050

www.linkedin/com/in/kristinedavisonmorgan

MEETING AND EVENT MANAGER

Dynamic, ROI-driven meetings management professional with a passion for excellence and keen eye for detail. Superior at leveraging professional relationships and maximizing budget dollars. Effectively interacts with all management levels.

CORE COMPETENCIES

-Site Selection

-Contract Negotiation

-Onsite Management

-Registration Management

-Housing Management

-Travel and Transportation

-F&B Selection

-Trade Shows

-Budget Management

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

-MPI-CAC Tomorrow’s Leader award, 2009-2010 MPI Year.

-MPI-CAC (Meeting Professionals International-Chicago Area Chapter) Chapter Leader of the Month, January 2010.

-Published in ThisWeek, Association Forum of Chicagoland weekly e-newsletter, May 2009.

-Published in Latitudes, Hyland Group monthly e-newsletter, December 2008.

MEETING MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

APICS The Association for Operations Management

Chicago, IL

Meetings Management Consultant, July 2010-August 2010

Meetings Manager, July 2008-July 2010

-Served as key on-site contact for Convention Center Event Coordinator and Catering for Annual Conference.

-Wrote all meeting specs for Annual Conference, including convention center and headquarters hotel breakouts and F&B events. Coordinated Banquet Event orders and Guarantees.

-Managed expenses such as F&B, A/V, and General Services Contractor to budget.

-Mitigated/avoided attrition by interacting with members, customers, hotels, housing bureaus, and other constituents to manage housing room blocks.

-Administered company travel program with American Express Travel.

-Planned meetings ranging in size from 15 attendees for smaller internal/committee meetings to approximately 1500 for annual conference.

Media Financial Management Association – formerly Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association

Northfield, IL

July 2007-July 2008

Meetings Manager

-Wrote RFPs and sent to CVBs and hotel National Sales Offices to collect bids for meetings.

-Worked with hotel/venue event services staff on all logistics regarding room sets and F&B.

-Managed Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program. MFM is a member of the NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy) National Registry of CPE sponsors, ID# 103201.

-Produced printed materials such Conference Guide and Exhibitor Guide for Annual Conference.

-Managed exhibits for Annual Conference.

-Planned meetings ranging in size from approximately 24 attendees for a typical board meeting to over 300 for annual conference.

Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau

Austin, TX

Convention Services Manager, October 2006-May 2007

Convention Services Coordinator, April 2006-October 2006

-Provided exceptional service for groups of up to 200.

-Conducted and assisted with off-site venue site visits with clients.

-Acted as a customer advocate when referring clients to local venues and vendors.

-Managed and updated convention awareness programs.

-Utilized New Media Gateway database system to request actualized group pickup.

Holiday Inn

San Antonio, TX

Sales Administrative Assistant, April 2001-December 2001

-Supported sales team of five.

Catering Administrative Assistant, September 2000-April 2001

-Arranged events with clients from planning to payment.

Reservations Sales Agent, May 2000-September 2000

-Processed reservations for group and individual travelers.

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND IN HOME HEALTHCARE

AccuMed Home Health of Texas, Inc.

Austin, TX

December 2001-April 2006

Office Manager

-Provided administrative support to company CEO, COO, CFO, and National Marketing Director.

-Coordinated all aspects of company meetings nationwide.

-Other duties included making travel arrangements, submitting biweekly payroll, processing accounts payable, managing petty cash reconciliation and various office duties as needed.

EDUCATION

Texas A&M University – B.S. Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences - College Station, TX - May 1999

Convention Industry Council – Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), February 2010

JOB SPECIFIC LEARNING/CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

-MPI-CAC Annual Education Conference 2008-2010 -MPI Meetings Without Borders, November 2008 -MPI MeetDifferent 2009 & 2010 -MPI World Education Congress 2009 & 2010 -ASAE Hotel Operations Program, April 2010 -MPI Strategic Value of Meetings & Events, May 2010

AFFILIATIONS/INVOLVEMENT

MPI-THCC (Meeting Professionals International-Texas Hill Country Chapter), July 2010-present.

-Instructed at CMP Study Group, September 2010.

TSAE (Texas Society of Association Executives), July 2010-present.

MPI-CAC (Meeting Professionals International-Chicago Area Chapter), December 2007-July 2010

-Served as a Mentor for the Peer-to-Peer Committee, 2008-2009.

-Holiday Party Committee: Member, 2008-2010. Committee Co-Chair for 2009-2010

-Nominated for Tomorrow’s Leader, 2008-2009.

-Nominated for Planner Member of the Year, Chapter Leader of the Year, and Tomorrow’s Leader, 2009-2010 MPI year. Awarded Tomorrow’s Leader.
-Instructed at CMP study group, May 2010.

Association Forum of Chicagoland, August 2007-Present.

-Meeting Professionals Shared Interest Group (SIG) Co-Chair, April 2008-March 2010.

ASAE, April 2008-Present

OK, I'm not really ranting...

Or, at least I won't be all the time! :) I just liked the sound of the title, so I picked it for my blog. Why did I start a blog? I am not really sure. Probably because I spend way too much time alone with my thoughts these days, since I am unemployed.

So, I have been back in Austin from Chicagoland just a hair over three months now and I wonder if the "I want to go back to Chicago" feeling will ever go away. I just think it was such a better place for me to be, career-wise. So many meeting/event jobs there and just so much possibility. Austin is a great city, but I don't feel like it's great for me right now. It's just crazy because I never wanted to leave Austin in the first place, and if I had never moved to Chicagoland I'd be 100% happy here. But now that I know the world is bigger than Texas (gasp!), I want to be out in that big world. Oh, that sounded cheesy. Nice.

Good things that are happening now: I'm doing a lot of proactive things for my job search. Friday I attended my first meeting of Launchpad Job Club. If you are ever seeking employment in the Austin area, I urge you to go. Check out their web site at www.launchpadjobclub.com. The site is sort of dysfunctional right now, but a new site is on the way. At the LPJC meeting yesterday morning, I found out about a "resume tweaking" session that afternoon, which I also attended. I was pretty happy with my resume already but am always looking for ways to improve it, and I got some great feedback there. I also met some lovely ladies that are seeking employment as well, and we're talking about possibly forming a "clublet" for the under-40 job seeker set.

Next week I have a couple of networking events that I want to attend, plus a dinner event on Thursday night that I am getting PAID for. Yay!

Stay tuned.