Sims Expanded

Dave got me a gift about a week ago – the latest expansions for the Sims 3.  I have not gotten any of the previous expansions for this game as they really didn’t interest me, but when I started playing Sims 3 again, the expansion definitely peaked my interest.In it you are granted new professions for your people. So far I have tackled stylist, interior designer and self-employed artists. I tried to get my sim to be a tattoo artist but the tattoo chair broke (by this I mean it is glitched somehow) and she was unable to give anyone tattoos or even get the tattooing skill.
I haven’t gotten the hang of it just yet – the professions are trickier than the normal careers and a fair bit more time consuming as well. But I am slowly getting it and my sims are starting to thrive in their new, expanding world.

One Minute Writer #22

As a kid, what job did you dream you'd have as an adult? What job do you have now?

As a child I always wanted to be famous but never for the really popular things like film or alternative rock music. I wanted to be a famous opera singer or Broadway star. I wanted to be a famous artist and have painting hanging in all the world's best galleries. These dreams mostly faded when I learned that I am not musically gifted and learning to sing or play an instrument would be a real struggle for me and I have never really been that good at drawing or painting from my mind though perhaps I could have with a bit of training and practice.
I know work as an Environmental Engineer as that is what I went to school for and have a degree in. I am working towards my Professional Engineering license and better positions in my field. I am also taking night courses in Photography and hope to start doing some things with that on the side. Who knows, maybe my dreams of becoming an artist are not dead after all.

In House Training

The previous three days at work have been full of training. Topics such as asbestos, mould Indoor Air Quality, etc have been convered in great detail as well as topics like invoicing and other essential administrative tasks. The days have gone by pretty quickly and it really hasn't been nearly as boring as it could have been. I have done a great deal of doodling on my notes and found myself thinking about cars a fair bit as well. Now comes the task of catching up with my clients and getting all my jobs back on track.

One Minute Writer #9

What responsibility do you have that you'd really like a break from?

The biggest responsibility I would like to a break from is employment. I would love to take some time off and not worry about employment in one way or another. I would love the time to focus on myself and my photography and really figure out what I want out of life. But unfortunately I am the type of person who worries about money, and even when I sit down and determine that I am financially stable I worry about emergencies and would could happen.

One Minute Writer #6

What are you running from, or what are you running towards?

Somehow I am both running from things and towards others. I am currently running from all the drama and anguish that has occurred this past week and a half while running towards some kind of happy future. I don't really know what the future holds for me or how I get there (or if I ever will) but I know I want to be there. In my head this future holds a great career that I love and of course Dave. There are no car problems or business trips, there aren't any frustrating bosses to deal with or a recession holding back job opportunities. I hope I get there one day - preferably sooner rather than later.

One Minute Writer #3

Today's Writing Prompt: Entrepreneur
Write about a business you would like to start.

I have dreamt for years of starting my own photography business. I have been in love with photography for as long as I can remember and despite the fact I graduated from university with a degree in environmental engineering, I have always wanted to be a photographer. I am currently taking night courses in the field and am advancing my skills as much as possible. I am hoping that one day my dream will turn into reality if only as something I do on the side.

Designated Substances

As everyone knows by now, I have started a new job in my field at DST Consulting Engineers here in Ottawa (though they also have offices in Thunder Bay, Kenora, Sudbury and Dryden). I am currently working on Designated Substance Reports (DSRs) although I recently wrote a mould report as well. There are 11 designated substances that are regulated by the provincial government and consists of: Acrylonitrile, Arsenic, Asbestos, Benzene, Coke oven emissions, Ethylene Oxide, Isocyanates, Lead, Mercury, Silica, and Vinyl Chloride. The reports I am writing are primarily concerned with asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury and silica (as well as ozone-depleting substances [ODSs] and polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs]).

So far, I am doing my best to understand the terminology used for each of these substances and trying to see what everyday items have them as a constituent through the pictures taken from the different sites we have surveyed. I think I am picking some things up already as I am starting to see items differently already, sort of similar to how I now think of catch basins as CB or CBHD (the cell names in Miscrostation) from my CADD monkey job with the City.

I hope I am able to get the theory part of this job down with all these reports I am writing, though I am still a little scared of the practical components as I have never really worked on those before. Hopefully I will be able to pick them up quickly and effectively too.

DST Consulting Engineers Inc.

On September 9, 2008 I started on my way to my professional license. I finally have a job in my field and am earning valuable experience towards my P.Eng. I know work at DST Consulting Engineers Inc. as an Environmental Scientist. So far I am just writing lots of reports as the company finishes up a big project they have been working on for quite some time, but eventually my job will also entail completing surveys for designated substances (including asbestos) and other jobs revolving around indoor air quality and building environments. I am looking forward to learning more and becoming more involved with the jobs.

Drain-All

I have decided that come the end of my contract (August 15th) I will no longer be working at Drain-All. The position isn't in my field and though my boss told me he would look into moving me within the company into something that suited me, and my education, better - I know believe that to have been false promises to get me to stick around as long as possible. The people have been great there and though I do not entirely enjoy the work I have gotten used to going in everyday.

I am hoping to land a job in my field when fall comes around as I am told many more opportunities open up then. My professors and past classmates told me this during convocation and their reasons why seem logical. So fingers crossed on that one - again.

Ashamed

I feel ashamed lately.
Thursday is my convocation and I am dreading many aspects of it. I will be asked my classmates if I have a job in my field and all that - and I do not. My job doesn't even come close to my field and I am so ashamed. Almost all of the students who graduated with me in December have jobs - proper jobs and I do not. I am not really sure why I haven't gotten one yet - I have looked as hard as I could and only gotten a couple interviews so far - most for jobs that didn't even exist and the companies just wanted to talk to me.
I don't know what to say - I don't know what to do.
I just feel so stupid, useless and professionally undesirable.
I feel so ashamed.

New Job III

A little update about my new job as an administrative assistant.

I believe I am getting the hang of it. I was the only assistant to the sales team in the office yesterday and I believe it went well - stressful but well. Today I am alone again and the sales reps are gone too for most of the day so I have few people to bounce things off of. But it is going well so far *knock on wood*.

As frustrating and stressful as it is to be doing this alone, it has given me more confidence in my job. Now I just have to hope that my boss comes back to work soon (he has been sick for the past two weeks - poor guy) and is able to move me into a position which might help me get a future position in my field (in a different company since the kind I want don't really exist here).

I did have an interview this last Monday and there might be come piece-work consultation jobs coming my way *fingers crossed*. Although I am not really sure how that will work with this job I have now - I may have to give it up to be able to get some hours in my field...it would be worth it in the long run...I hope.

New Job II

I am having doubts about my job. Doubts about my performance and doubts about how well it fits my needs and desires.
Part of the problem, I think, is that I am deeply ashamed that I do not yet have an engineering job or an environmental job. I feel like I am wasting my degree when it took me so much time and energy and will-power to get through it and earn the stupid thing. I also feel pressure from others to get a proper job I am educated for.
Hopefully I will get better acquainted with how things work around here and a little more trained in my tasks - I hope it happens really soon too.

New Job

I started my new job today (I am here right now). It is rather slow today since the lady who is supposed to train me (for the most part) is sick right now and I have therefore had to busy myself on my own all day. I learned how to use the phones today (which obviously didn't take long) and then I helped to complete some work orders - basically I just did what one of the salespersons told me to do. I am now out of things to do since the training manual has reached it potential and everyone else who could teach me further, is out for the rest of the day. I have a little less than 1.5 hours left for the day and I am super bored! I hope it picks up and gets interesting soon.

8-5

I got a call today from one of the staffing companies I am registered with about a 2 week temporary administrative assistant job. I went down to their office to sign the paperwork (since I can't really be passing up job opportunities right now) and got the great news that it was actually going to be a 3 month contract position. It is from 8-5pm every weekday (as most regular jobs are). The job is basic administrative assistant work with some accounting work as well. As they are willing to train me in the accounting aspect of the job, I feel I am more than qualified for the position and will be able to excel in it. Hopefully that is what happens and I fit in well with their company and they want to keep me for the whole contract.

I am rather happy about it since I can now sign for a new home (rent of course) and be able to prove that I can pay for it and wait for it...wait for it...I can get my dSLR camera!! Anyone who has spoken more than three sentences with me lately knows how much I have been wanting it and now I can actually go and get it and not feel that I am screwing myself over. So my plans (unofficial right now) are to work for a couple weeks, make sure that I am not going to get fired or 'let go' right away and then go out and get my long desired camera. I am so excited. This day has been amazing, seeing houses I want to live in and getting a job (though I would have prefered an engineering job of course). This one though, with the accounting aspect, should be helpful, it is atleast a different job than what i have had before and shows yet another side of my skills, and of course I get new ones too. I will be able to use new programs and complete new tasks that may be desirable to other companies. At the very least, it is money.

Unemployment

So I have been unemployed for 2 weeks now and am doing fine I suppose. I am just starting to get bored during the day and have been finding that I have tons of energy left at the end of the day, though that may be partly due to the fact that I sleep in every day despite my efforts to get up at a normal time.It is just so hard to dow hen you have no real reason to get up.
The time away from work has been really helping my weight loss and exercise though. I have been able to get in about an hour of exercise every day and it feels really great.
I had an interview on Wednesday, which went really well and I am feeling pretty good about. The man who interviewed me said that he would have to wait until another person (the guy who originially contacted me) got back from vacation on Monday but that they would definitely be contacting me early in the week. I think I will probably get asked to come back in for another interview. In the meantime I am reading up on Class Environmental Assessments and Infrastructure Planning as that is what my job would primarily be based upon. I took courses on both so I am ok in that department, I just need to refresh my memory about the basics incase I get asked any technical questions about them. They mentioned that they might want a copy of my transcript so I requested ab unch from the school already and hope they come in before the second interview - or at least shortly there after as I want to show that I am prepared and can think ahead and whatnot. Even if they aren't in, I will be able to say I requested them just after the last interview based on what we discussed blah blah blah. I hope I am able to go over the transcript with them to discuss with them that my environmental and even my civil courses have high marks despite the fact that some of my first and second year courses aren't that great. Though I think most people realize the life changes that are going on during that time and how they can impact your grades.
Other than that, I really have no new information. I have my fingers crossed about this job and even if I don't get it, at least I know now that I can interview well, since I was at ease throughout the whole thing and was able to answer all the questions asked of me. I always have the federal jobs, my clearance application is almost done and I should be able to start applying for those jobs through the hiring company at the end of the month.

End of an Era

As of February 29, 2008 at 3:00pm, I am no longer employed at the City of Ottawa as an Engineering Assistant in the Infrastructure Services Department. I worked in this position for 3 summers as a student and for the past 6 months as a part-time employee. My co-workers and superiors were utterly amazing - I couldn't have asked for any better. It is now time for me to move on, however, as I need to gain experience that is more in my field - environmental engineering. I will miss everyone I worked with as well as that place in general. Thank you for such a great experience and wonderful first real job.