:: My Urban Eyes ::
All that I see, and then some.
A Day
This morning I had an interview at the Houseware store, and I think it went quite well. Turns out it was just a prelim with the floor managers, a secondary interview with the store manager during the week of August 7th. I have an interview at the local coffee shop Monday though, and I'm kind of hoping I do well with that.
I've been thinking about the pros and cons of each job, it's quite a quagmire. The coffee shop would be busy, bustling, hectic, and fun. (For me those are all positive adjectives. Well, hectic is neutral.) Higher chance of burnout, I'd say, but it would be a ton of fun. The houseware place, on the other hand, would be more laid back, a bit slower paced (though still busy at times), and probably boring.
So should I take the more fun job that may burn me out, or the more boring one that's a safer bet? Well, my favorite jobs in the past have been the hectic ones--advisement, open houses as a tour guide, etc. I get a charge out of interacting with people. Was I drained when I got home? Most definately. But I couldn't wait to go back the next day. Other jobs that were more boring (and will not be named) were torture to be at, and I had a hard time hauling my butt there in the first place. So, I'm leaning toward the coffee shop. But we'll see.
Other stuff today--got my Cali driver license in the mail, and mere nine days after I went there. My picture is awful. It's the kind you never show anyone, ever. The camera made my face all red, and the camera operator made me take off my glasses! I think this is the first time I've seen myself without glasses, to be honest. A mirror doesn't work because by the time I get close enough to be in focus all I can see is my nose. :P And the license itself is ugly, too, all yellow, the exact color that looks horrible on me. -_^ And they couldn't even bother to print up my info in a nice font, it looks all dot matrix. It seems a little sturdier than a NY license, though, while not being a "credit card" license in rigidity.
I've been watching a ton of the West Wing lately, and have been a very happy, wordy girl because of it. Isn't Sorkin's writing wonderful? He only wrote the first four seasons, I think, and I'm at the beginning of season three. ^_^
I could have sworn there was something else I wanted to write about... huh. When I think of it, if I think of it, I'll be sure to add it in an edit. Until then, I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Labels: Work
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 9:02 PM [+] ::
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:: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 ::
Interviews
I have two! One is this Friday at the housewares place, and the other is Monday with Coffee Shop B. I've also put in an online application with Coffee Shop (well, company) C. There are actually four major coffee chains here, so there's still another option if everything else falls through, but I hope it doesn't. I really want a job, especially at Shop B. Three blocks away! Busy store, always hopping. I think I would be a good barista. ^_^ That and being without a job is more stressful than I thought it would be. Wish me luck.
Labels: Work
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 6:05 PM [+] ::
:: ... 3 comments
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Hey -
Congrats!!! I feel for you and the without a job stress. Something I just found out - SanFran has a "living wage" law, if Mark hasn't told you yet. So if any interviewer asks about pay, this may be important. :-) I care, so I don't want you out of the loop. Again, at work, so not signing in. We're always thinking of you!!!
-Eliz
Congrats!!! I feel for you and the without a job stress. Something I just found out - SanFran has a "living wage" law, if Mark hasn't told you yet. So if any interviewer asks about pay, this may be important. :-) I care, so I don't want you out of the loop. Again, at work, so not signing in. We're always thinking of you!!!
-Eliz
# posted by 
: 3:49 AM
: 3:49 AM
Elizabeth - I looked into it--the "living wage" is a minimum wage that is tied to inflation, so it goes up every year. Right now it's over $8.50/hr, I think. It's a San Fran ordinance and doesn't carry over to the rest of the state, which has it's own min wage (still higher than NY's :P). Thanks for the heads up! ~hughughug~
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:: Sunday, July 23, 2006 ::
Karla the Cook
Tonight I made up a dinner myself--a first! Not from a recipe, not from the back of a box, but honest to god looking in the fridge, seeing what we have, and creating something from it. I'm pretty proud of myself. ~puffs out chest~
Dinner tonight--kilbasa wrapped in those croissants that come in a tube, with a side of scrambled eggs that have green peppers in. It wasn't bad! The spice of the kilbasa was interesting against the butter of the croissant. And the eggs actually came out decent too. A little culinary victory. ~makes a peace sign, Japanese style~
Also, yea for going to the supermarket today, hehe. We actually have food now! I stocked up on my Special K Red Berries (it tastes really good!), yogurt, and milk. Mark and lactose don't get along very well, so any dairy in the house is mine... all mine! Bwahahaha... ha... a... -hem.
Other news--have an interview scheduled for this Friday at the houseware store. It's not my first choice, but they're the only ones to call me back so far. I'm going to drop applications off at several more coffee shops that are close by--there's at least five in easy walking distance, all nice and busy spots. I think I'd be a lot happier there than in housewares--more people to talk with, no chance of getting bored. Also saw some other "Now Hiring" signs on Sutter, so I'm going to head down there, too. We'll see what happens. ^_^
Labels: Life
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 9:41 PM [+] ::
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Things I Have Learned in San Francisco
(also, things San Francisco has taught me)
Lesson #1 - A Hill a Day Keeps Your Legs in Shape
Yesterday Mark and I walked all over the city, up and down many hills. And we're talking San Francisco hills--so steep the sidewalk is a set of stairs. According to Mark, I cannot "carry over" those hills to last me the rest of the week, the slate is wiped clean everyday. Darn.
Lesson #2 - Always Carry Your Camera
The plan for yesterday, in my head anyway, was to head to a shoe store to find Mark some shoes that actually fit (success!), then go out to lunch, then "whatever". We ended up going on a nice, long walk. We came up to the top of this hill, where there was a park. Then we looked to our left and said, "Aren't those the houses at the beginning of Full House? And this is the park they're eating in and stuff! Woah!" Cameraless. Lesson learned.
Lesson #3 - The Next Market will Always Have Greener Veggies
I live a couple of blocks from Chinatown, which makes for cheap veggie shopping. There are a ton of markets, and the quality of each fruit/veggie varies at each--this one as better peaches, but the lettuce at that one looks awesome, and so on. Whenever I settle ("This looks green enough") and buy whatever-it-is, the very next stall has the same thing in even better quality. If I don't buy it the next stall will have rotten whatever-it-is. Without fail.
I think I'm going to keep on adding to this list as time goes on--it's good to remember what you've learnt. ^_^
Labels: San Francisco
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 8:12 AM [+] ::
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:: Friday, July 21, 2006 ::
A Powerful Story
I love National Public Radio. I got this story via their Story of the Day RSS feed, and whoa, what a story. It's about the miltary's burn center and what miracles happen there every day. Soldiers go from Iraqi battlefield to the burn center in Texas in as few as 36 hours, with a stop in Germany along the way. Don't get me wrong, it's a sad story (I needed some tissues), but it's also an important one to hear--to know what some of the 18,000 men and women wounded in this war are going through.
Here's the NPR page for the story, mp3 file, and the Story of the Day podcast (RSS).
Labels: Radio
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 4:07 PM [+] ::
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:: Monday, July 17, 2006 ::
Goings On
I've been doing so much stuff this past year, from Japan to Albany to San Francisco, that I've forgotten that blogging can be more than travel pictures. So, welcome to the pinball machine of my brain. -_^
Things are going really well here. Waiting to hear back from the three companies I applied at... kinda nervous just waiting, but there's nothing more I can do. Looking to go to the DMV this week or early next to get my driver's license. I have to take a written test, kinda like the permit test, before they'll give me one. I've been reading through the nearly 100 page handbook, and I'm surprised by how many things are different than New York--painted curbs, a speed limit of 70 on some highways... little things, I guess. But this test will be on the little things, boooo.
I love living close to Chinatown. Today I got some apples and peaches there, along with yakisoba and milk. Milk is so expensive here! Fully double the price in New York--I think I paid $2.19 for a half gallon of skim. I guess those happy cows have agents or something. And while back home you can get blueberries, which are in season by the way, for a dollar a pack or so. Here you get a half pack for $1.25. And the berries are grown in California! What the hell! I realize that living in a city the price of groceries is higher than elsewhere, but still. Double the price? Please.
Mark has a PS2, so I've been enjoying his games while he's at work. Game of the moment is Katamari Damacy, where you roll a ball around. It's sticky, so it picks up stuff and grows in size, hopefully to the point where you get to roll up the world! Bwahahahahaha! ...ahem. It's a lot of fun. ^_^
I've also been catching up on the West Wing. My catching up starts at season one, episode 12. -_^ I'm into season two now, and loving it.
Has anyone caught the first two episodes of Psych on USA? It's about a brilliant slacker-detective type who gets a gig with the police by faking to be a psychic. The first ep showed a lot of promise, but the second one was pretty stale and boring. Don't know how much more of it I'm going to watch.
I have been drinking a lot of wonderful tea lately, so tasty. ^_^ I have a bunch of green tea I brought back with me from Japan, the real stuff. I'm also enjoying Celestal Seasonings' peppermint tea. I'll get around to buying my earl gray eventually, too. I found this place online that sells tea in bulk for cheap--a pound of peppermint for under $2.80. A pound of earl gray for $7.75. The place is a bus ride away, but I may make an adventure out of it. ^_^
I didn't bring any mugs here with me, so I've been using what Mark has. There's this really nice mug--black, well balanced, handsome ...and it has an Ottawa Senators logo on it. I hate the Sens, which happens to be Mark's hometown team. So I'm using the mug, but I try to look at the logo as little as possible. :P
Speaking of adventures, I want to go to the library, but I don't have any proof of address yet, and I can't bear to go if I can't bring anything back with me. Every day I check the mail to see if my ATM card has come through, but no such luck yet.
Ramblings of the day, yea! See what happens when I'm left to my own devices? -_^
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 4:54 PM [+] ::
:: ... 2 comments
Comments:
Hey - on the library, our library here in town will send a postcard to you and you return it. That's your proof of address. Any chance they'll do that?
I'm at work, so no sign in ^^
-Elizabeth
I'm at work, so no sign in ^^
-Elizabeth
# posted by : 11:41 AM
: 11:41 AM
I ended up going to the DMV to get my license, which requires no proof of address, then used the interm paper thingie they give you as proof of address at the library. ^_^ That's cool with the postcard thing, though.
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:: Thursday, July 13, 2006 ::
Get 'Round the Square
The bells are ringing
The song they're singing
The sound is bringing the people 'round
They hear the instructions
They follow directions
They travel great distances to the sound
-They Might Be Giants
Today was the Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest, which was a blast. ^_^ Straight to the pictures!
Before the professionals had their shot local tv and radio personalities gave it a go, with the top prize being $1000 to their favorite charity. I think this fella was a traffic reporter.
Here is a video of the runner up, Byron Cobb. I got to shake his hand before his performance--a really nice guy, and a character to boot. I'm sorry the video is sideways, I wanted to get as much of him in frame as possible, and I can't turn it due to technical difficulties. T_T
A San Francisco icon--the bellman for a hotel that's right next to Union Square, where the competition is held. That's the uniform, can you believe it? He looked so hot, the poor guy.
This fella was awful hot, too.
And here is our winner, Ken Lunardi. He was very very good, but I think if Byron was last instead of first he may have won.
Other news for the day--put in some job applications! One is at... let's call it Coffee Shop A. I love the brand--some of the best tea I've had in a chain ever--but it is a rather crowded bus ride away. They will be opening stores downtown in the coming months, so I may be able to transfer. Another is at Coffee Shop B, which is a mere three blocks from my apartment, and is looking for a local to come in full time. I kinda hope they don't need someone to open, which means coming in at 4:15 am. >_< That means I'd have to be asleep by like, 8 pm! Travesty. :P The third is at a housewares store downtown, maybe a 10 minute walk away. All offer benefits, all seem nice... wish me luck!
Labels: Photos, San Francisco
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 6:21 PM [+] ::
:: ... 1 comments
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:: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 ::
All Made Up
I can't really believe it, but today I bought makeup. Real adult makeup from a super nice store. (In San Francisco there are only two types of stores--nice and super nice.) I sure paid for it, too. >_< But now I have a simple makeup routine that will make me more presentable when I go apply for jobs later this week into next week. Working in retail, a little bit of makeup will go a long way. Still not my style, but hey, I guess I gotta be realistic.
For those who are into details - tinted moisturizer with some neutralizer mixed in (to get rid of the red in my skin), blush, lip gloss, mascara. All very neutral in color. My only issue at the moment is that the tinted moisturizer is starting to do some weird color splotchy stuff on my nose and forehead... may end up returning that one.
Labels: Life
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 9:44 PM [+] ::
:: ... 3 comments
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Our little girl is growing up!!! :-). just remember a little goes a long way. we dont need you looking like a clown. Talk to you soon. Aimee
# posted by : 6:01 AM
: 6:01 AM
Hell, little girl! That's all I remember and NOW she's buying makeup! Geez, first my SISTER gets married NOW my cousin is buying makeup....WHAT NEXT!!!
# posted by : 3:05 PM
: 3:05 PM
If you don't like all the moisturizers, try mineral makeup, you can use any part of it without any of the creamy stuff, just powder for your face, blush, mascara, little eyeshadow....that might make a big difference for you if you don't like the blochiness the tinted stuff is giving you, that'll also take care of your own redness.
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# posted by : 3:08 PM
: 3:08 PM:: Monday, July 10, 2006 ::
City Strolls
The last two days have been spent walking around the city, seeing the sights and trying to get my bearings. I have a couple of really good maps now, so I can wander without fear. ^_^ Yesterday we walked along the bay, and today I did some shopping in Chinatown, which is a mere block from my apartment. Random pictures from my travels!
The Bay Bridge, seen from the Ferry Terminal, which has a whole bunch of upscale shops and even a farmer's market four days a week.
The Transamerica Building, the tallest and most famous skyscraper in town. I can see it from my window! ...this was in Chinatown, though.
Only in San Fran. ^_^
So! Plans for this week--finalize references, find places I'd like to work, complete applications for said places, set up bank account, get drivers license. Settling in, bit by bit.
Labels: Photos, San Francisco
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 3:55 PM [+] ::
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:: Saturday, July 08, 2006 ::
San Francisco, Here I Am
And I'm having fun! Got here safe, the plane ride was fine. The first plane, from Albany to Boston, was a prop job, no joke! The entire plane had nine rows of two people and one row of three. You could see straight into the cockpit, which was pretty cool.
The scene on the way to Boston. The flight left right after sunrise, so the light was really neat. ^_^
The next two planes, from Boston to Las Vegas to San Fran, were bigger. No problems the entire way.
Things look really different out west. I was shocked to open up the window shade to find red ground!
So we got in around 1 pm local time, took the BART train back to the apartment. Started to get things straightened out a tiny bit, then headed down to Mark's office to meet his coworkers. The entire office (well, most of it) went to see Pirates of the Caribbean (diappointing) and then went out for drinks. It was really really awesome--everyone was really cool and interesting.
Okay, getting kind of tired, so here's some pics I took while walking around today. ^_^
One of San Francisco's many hills. This one is a block away from our apartment.
Union Square, as viewed from Macys.
Okay, I'm gonna watch some Japanese tv right now, yea for the asian language channel! Catch you guys later! ^_^
Labels: Photos, San Francisco
:: Kazen @ Always Doing 8:00 PM [+] ::
:: ... 1 comments
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Glad you're safe. Good luck in your adventure, hope all turns out well. Lots of love, Aunt Pat
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# posted by : 6:24 AM
: 6:24 AM
