Trip 14 before the rains...

Dear Hiking Friends:

The Trip:  I managed to take one muddy hike post a week of rains.  The view was lush green and the air was very pure-not even the usual haze that hangs over the San Jose city area.  It was definitely great to get out-this was back at the beginning of March...and every day that I wanted to hike since that time has been a downpour.  Thot it best to post until the rains let up-weather is fore casted to be rainy for the next 7 days


Pacheco the faithful dog has been getting his local neighborhood walks-but I think we both feel a bit cooped up! I will resume posting when I get out on the hill again.

The Job Search: Trips up the hill may have slowed down-but applying for jobs has not.  There have been a couple for Executive Administration or Office Manager for local companies that really look like a great fit for me-so I'm hoping to connect in the next weeks with hiring managers.  There continue to be several sectors I would be a great match for-including renewable energy- specifically solar.  I would also enjoy a job in the organic field and have applied for several positions in the health and wellness sector.  The most interesting green jobs are posted by Google-for Green Associate.  So my hopes are high as I sail into spring!  The past two positions that I landed and loved both came in the March/April time zone-so perhaps the next position will as well.

Life Around the Trip:  Daughter had braces installed and we had two new sinks and two new interior doors installed-so they are all progress toward a stylish and fresh future.  St. Patricks day is tomorrow so I already have the corned beef, cabbage and carrot waiting to be put into the crock pot.  The rains have made it more difficult to garden-but I did my yearly weeding of most of our side yards and put in a new batch of Tan Bark...so the outside of the home is spruced up too.  I'm really starting to miss the team environment of work-and am looking forward to making new professional friends in my next venture!

Cheap Thrills:  Adventures for the Unemployed  It was my birthday-so this year I'm stringing out the celebration with various friends to last about a month.  This way I can enjoy the time with folks and really enjoy the lunches and dinners that are such a treat when income is limited.  I asked for beauty related gifts-so I have massage and pedicure coupons to last thru the end of May...nice!  Until next hike-I wish you encouragement as you continue to seek gainful employment

Cheer,
Sandy

Trip 13 Chinese New Year Banquet Thots

The Trip: Spring is still in tow on this hike-Manzanita Tree filled with blooms to the point of looking like snow.  Poppies continue to dot the hills, leading the way for other wild flowers to join the spring hillside bouquet.  I'm recovering from the banquet that we had for Chinese New Year-feeling like I'm hauling an extra 10 lbs of myself up the hills.  This is a good way to get over a food coma however-so I slog on. 

The Job Search: Applied for about 6-7 jobs this week.  All online-staying in the green scene or wellness sector mainly...altho every once in awhile a
Craig's List posting for a Office Manager or an Executive Admin looks so intriguing I also apply.  I've decided to crank up the reading AFTER the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade on Feb 19th-as we will be in the city watching Destiny and friends march.  Always a good time-I revel in the colors and fireworks.  Oh yes back to the job search.  I continue to link up with folks on Linked-In and continue to find this the best source to both apply for positions and do research on companies.  Take heart all you fellow job seeking hikers-I get on-line fatigue too-but have found two good jobs in the past on-line SO IT IS POSSIBLE to find and land a job this route!!! Had two lunches out this week with friends and potential networking folks...very nice to get out and get a bite to eat and talk about employment hopes-VERY energizing.

Life around the hike:  Other than Chinese New Year-I'm called in for Jury Duty-I'm going to take a deferment until summer so that if I need to serve-it won't impact Destiny's schooling.  (Postscript-yes I step up to the mike and ask for deferment...so don't be shy when you find yourself called as a juror...)
It's been raining, raining, raining...so hard to get out on the hill to hike-hoping to kick it up this coming week.

Cheap Thrills:  Adventures for the unemployed:  I get travel magazines here and there, so that I can cook abroad -in my own home. As I tell my friends  "I live on the Islands-I just haven't moved there. " So I live Aloha --with the spirit of adventure in my heart and amazing meals and great wonderful dreams come out of this place. 

so Gung Hey Fat Choy fellow hikers until the next post!
Sandy

Trip 12...On A New Year's Day

About the Hike:  Today is actually February 3rd, 2011 which for those of you that don't know is Chinese New Year of the Rabbit.  The weather was a stunning 70 degrees and sunny (Pity the poor blokes on the East Coast buried in snow).  There were more than a few hikers out today...and someone actually wished me "Happy New Year" I purposely went for a hike to day -because we celebrate this New Year in our family pretty big time....and the day always feels fresh.  The vista overlooking the bay was clear...and I told myself...somewhere out there is the place I WILL WORK!

About Getting Work:  OK I'm stuck in Outlook purgatory ie I'm reformatting some stuff and it's taking tooooo looooong.  I bought a book so that I can be an expert on Outlook-and want to jump in-but first I have to reconfigure this n that...ugh..well I am learning.  I bought a book on getting in depth with PowerPoint too...so I'm going the have the total MS Office gig under my belt.  I use the programs at my former jobs-so the upgrade should not be a large undertaking...I'll keep you posted.

Life Around the Trip:  Well it's two weeks of doing this and that for Chinese New Year celebrations-we have one banquet planned and will be up at the SF Chinese New Year Parade in mid Feb.  It's a happy, RED and delicious time for us. 

Cheap Thrills:  Adventures for the Unemployed  It's worth it to me to spend a few $$$ on software manuals and other books of interest -I buy them as cheapo as I can-usually the used section on Amazon. 
I have also taken to picking fruit off the various citrus trees in the neighborhood where I have asked permission from the tree owner-free fruit...always a good thing. I means I don't buy lemons, limes or oranges until almost May!

Sandy

Trip 11 Printemps En Hiver!

The Trip:  I love California because spring and winter come at the same time...once the rain starts hitting the hills the brown turns to green.  January is the time of spring grasses and the start of flowers.  The first to show up on the scene are the mustard flowers-not exactly a CA wildflower, but seeing them tells me the poppies and lupine are not far behind.  It was 72 degrees, sunny and clear-eat your snow shovels -you who are under a pile of the white stuff (I did my time for over 19 years in places like Wisconsin, Illinois etc)  So what does my Title mean dear hiker????

The Job Search:  I bought a serious notebook and some new highlighters as I step it up a notch.  I'm researching several sectors and need a place to record my findings.  I LOVE to research information and learn who the major and minor players are in an industry...and who owns which niche.  Ya gotta conduct research hiking buddie-at LEAST about the companies you want to work for-to understand who they are and where they are (or are not) headed.  I make sure to google "negative comments about XYZ, lawsuits against about XYZ, complaints about XYZ-its amazing what you can find on the WWW. 

Life around the Trip:  Trying various remedy's to kick the remnants of a winter cold...latest find-Organic Echinacea Plus Tea. For more info go to http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/ -I went to WholeFoods Market to pick it up-but other grocers stock it. 

Still cleaning for Chinese New Year's celebration...the dust is amazing! Ahhh it is so beautiful when all the flowers and red  Chinese deco is set out!

Cheap Thrills:  Adventures for the unemployed-OK sold a bit of my old and unused sterling silver-enough to make it worth my while...and get a pedicure with some of the extra.  I still want to point out the adventures of grocery shopping at a place that may be an adventure for you...check out http://www.groceryoutlet.com/
I don't buy everthing there, but the coffee and the wine and some of the specials will save you alot of $$$.

Enjoy the photo of Pacheco's toes in the new grass!

Sandy

Mexico Hiatus

Hi Hiking Buddies:  100 Trips is about the journey back to gainful employment, and is meant to be encouraging and offer some fun pointers for saving and sanity.  It's also about the life "around the trip" and next to the search for work...so this entry is devoted to the almost two month break in "up the hill" trips...

Hiatus means a break in something where there should be continuity...so really I didn't plan on taking a break from hiking  for almost 7 weeks (I have still been applying for jobs) ...but with rain and mud and holidays and all I needed to focus on other "elements" for a bit.

The main reason I took a break in December is that we 1.  Had a string of nasty colds  2.  Went to Mexico for a week to build houses for those who could use em....and came home with some local respiratory virus that knocked us out for another two weeks -we are STILL recuperating. 

So here Life Around the Trip and Cheap Thrills:  Adventures for the unemployed all rolled into one section.

To say the trip to MX was more than I bargained for is an understatement...It was meaningful and worthwhile and I'm soooooo glad we did it and soooooo proud of what Destiny under took...but seriously folks....in 21 years of this group making the trip it was the COLDEST and RAININEST...time that anyone could remember...like can you say DELUGE? Do you have any idea of how hard it its to construct a framed home in a Monsoon?  (and sleep in an unheated building when you are sick and tired and cold....OK I'm complaining)  Would I recommend this trip to others?...well yes, but you have to go with a good attitude and Arctic Grade clothing and sleeping gear.

 Thank the Lord that I backed a good supply of skiing handwarmers and my rabbit fur hat....it kept me going. 

The good news is that 6 small framed houses and 5 "pop" or portable homes were built and finished -due to sheer sweat, prayers and really if you ask me --the miracle of the sunshine coming at the right time....

I think I would like to do this trip again in the summer-personally I'm designed to handle heat more than cold.
If you think you want to spend 5 days (3 actual days of construction) with amazing people in the El Nino area outside of Tecate...doing something with long term impact for a family who will apreciate it...like forever -then check out http://www.clubdust.org/ 

We live like Kings here in the US....

Sandy

Trip 10 with a coyote

The hike was fun...I spotted a female coyote who sometimes hangs out around a certain bend in the trail.  She is not afraid of me and I'm not afraid of her...so this is good.  She has a den with her male coyote and someday maybe I'll see youngins.  Pacheco just thinks she is another mangy dog...so he is interested in playing-but she would probably chew him up a bit-so I keep him on a short leash.

About the job hunt:  OK one of these days I'll standardize the subheadings...I like the linked-in job search feature-the advanced one-really a great tool for looking and linking.  I have hired a job coach in searches of the past...but this seems to offer me what I need for FREE-so count this is my cheap thrills portion too.

Life around the hike...getting ready for Thanksgiving 2010.  Meyer lemon basted turkey et. al...I'm drooling already! OK I'm OFFICIALLY Caught Up and the next post will be 2011!!!!!!!! so keep on reading.....

Sandy

Trip 9 in where I am glad to be hiking after voting

Hi Hiking Buddies-AKA fellow work seekers-OK so I forgot to add this to Trip 9-so now I am...
Well at least I'm not applying for a political position...I mean I am REALLY thankful to be voting and all-but some of the items on the docket are amazingly complex.  Anyway-here I am out in nature getting all this fresh air and scenery...so it's 9 times up the hill.  Nov votin day and all.

About getting work:  I voted so I will look for a job later in the week.  I'm really liking my linked-in profile and when I need a lift I read my recommendations...awww such nice things.

Life around the trip:  Starting the countdown to Mexico-here's hoping the weather is warm and sunny!
We will be there thru Dec 31st 2010.  This will be mainly a mother/daughter step way out of their comfort zone and do something good trip...so this is one good thing about my hiatus..I have the time to go on a trip like this. 

Cheap Thrills:  OK I found a place where you can get an hour massage for about 20 bucks.  So even I can go do something like this every once in awhile...if you are interested and live in the South Bay email and I'll give you my source...it's Chinese style-so expect to be pummelled a bit.