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Friday Musings

I’ll be honest. It’s hard to come up with topics to write about when I’m home most of the day. And I don’t want to spend this entire month writing daily blog posts about my job search and bore you with all the details. I do have some random items on my mind that I thought I’d lump together in today’s post.

World Smile Day

Today is World Smile Day. I like to smile. Who doesn’t, right? But, I don’t think I have a resting bitch face in me. I like to stay positive even in the most trying of situations. My kids may say that I have a “mom face,” but that’s different. That face only comes out when I’m annoyed when they don’t do the dishes or clean up their rooms like I asked them to do a hundred times. And yes, they don’t live here anymore, so I may have retired the “mom face.”

I’m sure when they read this, they will let me know.

I try to take smiling to the next level whenever I can. I like to share a smile with perfect strangers as I go about my day. If they smile back, I may comment on the book they are reading on the train or make small talk at the self-checkout as I attempt to plug in the right numbers for blueberries. If my smile is not returned, I don’t sweat it. Smiling is just as much for me as it is for them. It keeps me in a positive frame of mind and often random acts of kindness will follow. And don’t we all need more of that these days? Give it a try!

My Reading Life

This week, I am diving into two books about personal branding. Fun, right?! Actually, I’m kind of enjoying them. They are well-written and extremely helpful at the moment. I’m also looking forward to reading the new Madonna unauthorized biography. I’m third on the wait list to get it out of the library, so I’m excited. But, it is nearly 800 page, so I’ll have to read fast. Henry Winkler (“The Fonz”) has his autobiography coming out at the end of October, and I’ve heard mixed reviews. I’ll probably read it anyway. He is such a mensch.

I decided I can’t read in bed anymore after 9 pm. No matter how good the book is, I inevitably fall asleep. I have a couch in my office that is comfortable, but not as much as my bed. I just need to get rid of all the clutter piled up on that couch and claim it is as mine.

Halloween

So, if the Phillies make it into the World Series, Game 4 is on Halloween. My costume will not be a problem. I’ll be head to toe in Phillies gear, which will be scary to anyone rooting for the other team. And while I love giving out candy and seeing all the kids in their costumes, there is no way I’m leaving my TV every few minutes to answer the door. I’m going to need a Plan B.

But, I’ll worry about that later. First, we have to beat the Atlanta Braves. Game 1 is tomorrow, and I’m a little scared. They have a good team year, but then again so do we. Go Phillies!

On the Health Front

This week, I received my flu shot and scheduled my COVID-19 shot for two weeks later. I know some people get them at the same time, but I’m not comfortable with that approach. No judgement here. To each his own, I say. I’m more comfortable putting a little time in between.

Next week, I’m going for my mammogram and breast ultrasound. It’s not how I necessarily want to spend my morning, but I never skip these appointments. They are too important. And afterwards, I stop at Dunkin Donuts to give myself a treat. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so ladies, if you need to get “the girls” checked, make an appointment today.

Job Search

Funny story – One recruiter reached out to me about a great job opportunity. I thought we established a nice rapport over email, but in her last message, she called me “Tara.” So, I’m not sure if my resume made it onto the short list or if Tara got my spot. When I pointed it to the recruiter for clarification, she ghosted me. Oh well…

On the professional development front, I’m working on an online ChatGPT certificate. When I’m done, I’ll have a badge to add to my LinkedIn profile. Since AI doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, I guess I’d better start embracing it, add it as a new skill, and get ahead of the competition.

I bet Tara doesn’t have a ChatGPT certificate. 😉

XO,

Elisa

Puzzled by Connections

A photo of the New York Times Connections PuzzleEvery morning, I drink my coffee and solve the The New York Times Wordle. Recently, I added a new puzzle to the mix: Connections.

Have you seen this puzzle? It is pure evil, and I’m completely addicted to it.

Basically, you are given 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four words that have a common thread. When you make four mistakes, the game is over. Groups are categorized by color: the yellow and green topics are supposedly the easier ones to get and blue and purple are the harder ones. Sounds easy, right?

But here is how they get you. Several words can have common themes and different meanings and can be grouped into different categories. In order to win, you really have to get into the mindset of the puzzle creator to figure out what they are actually thinking. And it is SO HARD.

I’ve solved a few of these puzzles but not as many as I’d like to. Clearly, I don’t know what the creator is thinking, but I do know they definitely have a maniacal laugh. I hear it every time I open this puzzle and attempt to solve it.

Take yesterday’s puzzle for instance. Five words were definitely related to Christmas. They were: mistletoe, reindeer, snowman, stocking, and candy cane. I can only pick four so I chose: “mistletoe, reindeer, stocking, and candy cane.” And I was wrong. I had another guess so I kept “reindeer, stocking, and candy cane” and went with “present.” There are plenty of presents given on Christmas, so that must be it.

Wrong again.

Now, I’m Jewish, so after another attempt at getting all the Christmas-related words right, I started to wonder if there was some mysterious holiday tradition I was missing out on. So, I walked away. I grabbed more coffee and sat back down again. I gave up on Christmas words and tried to create a different group. I was so happy when I put the words “bagel, cheerio, donut, and lifesaver” together. Round shaped foods for the blue category, Alex!

I thought I was on a roll, so I went back to the Christmas words and tried one more time. I went over each word, considering hidden meanings and watching my morning fly by. I decided to keep “mistletoe, reindeer and candy cane” and replaced the word “stocking” with “display.” People have Christmas displays all the time – in their front yards, in the shopping malls, on TV. That must be the answer, right?

Wrong!

FUCK!

And now the game was over.

The correct grouping was “mistletoe, stocking, snowman, and reindeer.” I’m sorry, but when is a snowman specific to Christmas? Aren’t snowmen agnostic or at least seasonal? Yes, I know all about Frosty the Snowman, but I’m sorry – presents are more associated with Christmas than a corncob pipe and a magic hat.

Oh, and why wasn’t candy cane included in the Christmas words??? Because it fit in a different category – things with stripes – “referee, crosswalk, tiger, and candy cane.” Cue the maniacal laugh…

I know. I know. First world problems. But, yesterday’s puzzle really put me in a bad mood.

Will I try again tomorrow? Absolutely.

XO,

Elisa

The Power of a Compliment

It’s easy to get discouraged during a job search. When I was employed, I would wake up every morning with a to-do list a mile long. I knew exactly what I needed to do at work, and would sometimes give myself a mental pat on the back for crossing things off my list. At the end of the day, I could look back and feel accomplished.

Now, the to-do list is still a mile long, but I’m have trouble deciding what to prioritize. This is so not like me. I’m the queen of prioritizing my work. But this is different. Like a Wordle puzzle with too many options to choose from, I tend to freeze up (or scroll Reels on Facebook as an exercise in avoidance and procrastination).

Do I hit the job boards on Indeed and Idealist or plan out posts on LinkedIn? Should I work on my freelancing website or schedule a few more networking calls? Maybe I’ll add a few more organizations to my target list and work on some answers to potential interview questions. I also need to nag a few people about a few letters of recommendation.

Which one of these things will get me that much closer to a new job or a writing gig? The answer: all of the above. It can be quite overwhelming at times. My goal every day is to be able to say that I was productive.

Which is why a compliment from an old friend was so welcome. We go way back to my synagogue days when we were program directors in our respective congregations. While we live in different states, we stayed in touch online. During this phone call, we talked about the different directions I could go in with my career. He shared some of his most recent work experiences with me and offered some solid career advice.

Before we got off the phone, he said, “You are incredible at what you do, Elisa. Hang in there.”

Incredible? I don’t know if I would describe my contributions as incredible. But I have to admit that it’s really nice to hear someone else say it. He put me back in the right mindset by reminding me that I still have plenty to offer. I need to remember that as I continue to push forward.

Wherever I decide to put my efforts tomorrow or the next day or the next, the prioritizing is probably not the most important thing. What’s important is to DO SOMETHING because I know every little bit helps. So far this week, I got my resume down from three pages to two pages. I also found a few places on my resume where I could explain my accomplishments more clearly. Before I knew it, I had a whole new resume to send out. Today, I posted on LinkedIn and made some new connections. Tomorrow, I’m going to follow up on a few job applications I sent out last week and look into taking a few classes toward another certificate.

For now, I’m going to watch the Phillies and get a good night sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.

XO,

Elisa

P.S. – If you would like to follow me on LinkedIn, here is the link to my profile. I’d love to connect with you.

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