Thursday, September 1, 2016

Cats Just Wanna Have Fun!

Afro was being a total shy little thing when I had the camera near her yesterday. While I was cooking dinner, she was having the best time with her newspaper, but every time I came near her with the camera she would totally stop what she was doing, and look at me like what? But she loves that thing! It's so funny watching her run around the apartment like a dog with a stick. I always said that she and Animal reminded me of dogs, German Shepards to be exact, because of their bodies and the fact that they growl like dogs when someone knocks, or they hear a weird noise. Caroline, you really made Afro happy!
This is one of the postcards that came in yesterday's package. Flour Power, I love it! And so clever because the flour sifter(?) has a flower on it!
Yesterday was a day full of Emailing resumes, and facing disappointment. I got two phone calls almost immediately after sending the Emails, and got turned down from both because I don't have a car. Both jobs were for call centers, and one of them was located down town which is very close to where I live. The lady on the phone said they have centers all around, and all are five miles away from public transportation. She said to call when I get a car! Ha ha. The search continues. The guy who installed my internet told me that the local thrift store hires anyone. It's kind of their thing. If all else fails I will go there. It's better than fast food. I'm also taking a different approach with dog walking. I have put ads on Craigslist in three different states at this point, and all that has ever come of it is trolling. In PA.someone called me, and they had me believing it was a legit call for quite some time. It was embarrassing. So, anyway, my friend Rachel who lives here suggested flyers, and that she would hang some in her neighborhood, and I feel renewed. So, I'm going to really try to get some dog walking clients. I know it sounds weird, but I have been wanting to be a dog walker for years now. I've ever only been able to get one or two at a time. I would love to be able to earn a real income doing it. I've lived on or even under the poverty line for most of my life, it's really all I know, so I'm not trying to be rich, I'm just trying to not feel so dead inside from these shit jobs that I hate, and still being so poor. I would at least like to have some pleasure in what I'm doing. I feel like walking dogs and scooping poop is a reasonable goal and desire. I'm not striving for the moon or anything. So, that's the update on the job search. I am determined.
Last night I made oven baked tofu, and I mixed a little Hoisin sauce with some General Tso's marinade and poured it over the tofu for the fifteen minutes of baking, while the rice was cooking. It was pretty dang tasty. I find that if you have a decent arsenal of spices and condiments, eating on a budget is way more palatable.
This was doused with sriracha after the picture of course. Sriracha is almost always needed. Like I said, condiments can elevate all food!
I'm hoping that I get my debit card in the mail today. My landlord has all of her tenants pay rent through an app(?!) called Venmo, and I have to have my debit card. Well, I can do it without, but it requires a routing number and all of this other stuff. So, fingers crossed it comes today. After that I will have another budget haul. I might wait till tomorrow because HOT. I try to do errands, pavement pounding etc. as early as possible because by noon it's almost one hundred degrees! So, unfortunately budget means kind of boring, but it will be fun to see what interesting dishes I can come up with!
Happy Thursday! I hope we all have as much fun as Afro is having, and I hope we all find our own newspapers!





16 comments:

  1. Yay, go Afro! I might have to get her a back up one for when that one wears out ;) Check your email - I've sent you something re possible vegan friendly jobs. Also, have you heard the news - Mofo is happening again and is in November this year. I'm glad it is later as I don't think I'd be prepared for next month. People can blog about they want but there will also be weekly prompts provided too!

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    1. She loves that newspaper so much, it is so freaking cute! I got your Email, look for a response later today, I meant to yesterday but the day got away from me. Thank you so much for the info!
      That's great news about MoFo! I was wondering. I am very grateful it's in November!

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  2. Your dinner looks amazing! Continued wishes of good luck during your job search! :)

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    1. Thank you, I seriously need all the luck! I like the tofu General Tso, but I think I prefer the cauliflower version!

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  3. Oh Afro, so cute!
    Is it a universal cat trait that if you try and get a photo of them doing something they immediately stop and stare at you instead? ;)
    That's awful that people were trolling you about the dog walking. :/ Hopefully the leaflets will bring more genuine clients!

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    1. I know. They are so difficult, and I love it!
      I know. Craigslist has become pretty bad. I think the leaflets will be better, I'm going to hang them at dog parks, and also my friend Rachel will give some to coworkers, etc.

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  4. Your cats are too cute. Good luck with the job search. Did you ever think of registering with a few of the dog walking sites (like Rover.com)? Here's a link to a bunch that provide services in SLC...

    http://www.bringfido.com/resource/pet_sitters_dog_walkers/city/salt_lake_city_ut_us/

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    1. I will look into those sites, the problem with some of the dog walking companies is that you have to have your own transportation, and not public or your feet!

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  5. Good luck with the job hunt, I especially hope you have success with the dog walking. It's so hard to find work that you really care about, and so important too.

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    1. Thank you. I really hope I can find some real dog walking clients. I really hope so much that I can find work that I care about.

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  6. Awww love all of the sweet kittie pictures! So freaking cute! Definitely continuing to wish you luck on your job search, hopefully something will come up soon :) Bonus points if it is something that you love!

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    1. If I have to work at a thrift store, it's better than fast food. But I really want those bonus points, I really want to feel the feeling of at least enjoying what I do just once in my life!

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  7. I use venmo and it is pretty nice. No fees, at least when I first started to use it (I haven't made a money transfer in like a year)

    Have you looked into buying a bike? It might not be an option right now, but maybe you can find a second hand one. 5 miles really isn't that far, it might be a 30 minute bike ride. It is scary at first but you start learning car patterns and areas to avoid.

    I think working at a thrift store would be a great idea.

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    1. Once I figured out how to set up my Venmo account, (it took forever!!) it's very easy to use. And it saves on postage and trying to find a mailbox.
      This is embarrassing to admit, but I never learned how to ride a bike. As an adult I semi learned one time, but in a deserted parking lot. I would need a lot of practice before feeling safe even on a sidewalk! But believe it or not, I do want to learn and feel comfortable because i see it as much more efficient than public transportation.
      To work at the thrift store, I have to find a Mormon church and have the leader/pastor recommend me, or something of the sort. It should be pretty easy to find a Mormon church. A bit starange, but it's not fast food is what I have to keep telling myself.

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    2. Just to give you heads up, I know that sometimes Mormon businesses will ask a question like "what chapter do you go to?" or something of this nature. It is a way to try and figure out what your religion is. If someone asks this, point out that this is an illegal question to ask and you could report them. People think they are avoiding the law, but it really isn't any different then asking when priest you see to see if you are catholic or baptist.

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    3. Thanks for the heads up. That's why I'm nervous to even enter the church! I'm going in today, so we'll see how it goes. I wonder what they would say if I told them I go to the agnostic chapter? Ha ha.

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