Don't Stop Believing

So my life took an interesting turn about 2 weeks ago. I got a call from a production company I interviewed with over 6 months ago offering me the job of my dreams. I know. It's nuts. I basically wanted this job more than anything six months ago, and was devastated when I was not the candidate they went with. I had never felt more comfortable and sure about a job as I did when I was interviewing for it. I loved everything about the place and the people. I was convinced that I had it in the bag. But then the email came letting me know they had to go with someone else. It was so painful to let go of the image I had of myself working there. I was really looking forward to getting back into the production world. I felt my eclectic skill set would have been fully utilized, and I would have gotten to wear JEANS! It was my own personal paradise. I wallowed in self-pity for a few days, then plugged ahead with the other job leads I had going. I made a point to keep in touch with the production company and even emailed my interviewer asking for advice about finding more production gigs like that one, and got some great leads from him. I reiterated that he should keep me in mind if anything did not work out with his chosen candidate.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I am about two months into a great new job. It is interesting, moderately creative, and has great benefits. I can tell the culture is not the best fit for me, but everyone is kind and I have a lot of freedom to get my work done on my terms, so I am planning on staying a while. Then I get a cryptic email one weekend. It's from the production gig guy asking if I had time to talk on the phone. My heart skips a beat. I am in shock. Could it be that my staying in touch paid off?

We talk on the phone and he confirms what my heart was hoping. The candidate did not work out and is leaving the position. It is an amicable split so I don't get the feeling she hated the gig or that the place is terrible to work for. She just wants to do something else. And they are desperate to get someone in there as soon as possible. They remembered me because of my thank you card and my emails keeping in touch. They want to offer me the position first before starting the interview process all over again. I am in shock. Stuff like this just does not happen in real life. Only in movies. An amazing production company just called me to offer me my dream job. Of course I said yes. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I had to go through the very awkward process of quitting a job you have only been at for two months. My new(ish) boss was shocked. Everyone who I had bonded with already was sad and confused. But everyone could relate to the seemingly fated chance to work somewhere that I absolutely loved. If any of them found themselves in my shoes, they would have dropped everything and ran to daylight as well. So despite it being painfully weird to give notice to my very new employer, I was well-wished and sent on my merry way.

So now tomorrow begins a whole new adventure. I just went through a difficult two month transition to get used to my new job. Now I begin the transition into what I have been calling my NEW-new job. My confidence is high after accomplishing so much in so little time at the last company--let's hope it stays high as I throw myself back into the shark tank once again.

I feel like this is all a dream but it is definitely really happening. I have never been one to fully trust in hard work paying off or the universe guiding you to where you need to be. It is nice to think about, and I try to believe it, but there is always a quiet little cynic inside me saying, "Yeah right, that is all a bunch of crap and you know it. People just get lucky." And I know that often times it is luck that lands people in situations like I am in now. But I also think that when you work extremely hard with only the pure hope that it will get you where you need to be, you will be rewarded. I worked harder for this job than I ever have in my life, and I did not get it right away because it was not the right time. And I was crushed. But it came around still, at an even better time than before. And the things I went through to get to this point all needed to happen to make this the right gig for me right now.

Don't stop trying. Take risks. Shoot for something you aren't sure you can handle. Apply for 10 more jobs than you think you are qualified for. Train yourself on the things you want to be good at, or that you need to be good at in order to get your dream gig. The universe will reward your efforts. And it may not be the direction you ever imagined you would go in, but it is all part of the journey of your life. The adventure is yours for the taking.

I am still reeling from the craziness of it all, but I hope I can inspire people to believe that awesome things really can happen to regular old people like myself. You just need to be ready to dive in when the awesome opportunities come around.

Accidental Statement

So I discovered this a few nights ago. 

Walking out of a restaurant after a lovely birthday dinner with Adam, I spotted this fascinating photo opp. And since I had just received a fancy new digital camera from Adam as a birthday gift, I was on top of it immediately. I took a few different shots and they all came out really weird and interesting due to the "stars" being moderately reflective. Finally I settled on this shot because it was the grittiest. And honestly, that was what struck me most about the shot initially--how ugly and tore up and urban it is. I mean, though we do live in Chicago, our neighborhood is pretty much the most yuppie and quaint little area you can imagine. So seeing this was odd. I found it very out of place. I also found it strange that the American flag would be painted on the side of a dumpster. It seemed like a joke, given the state of the country at this time in history. 

After looking at the picture for a while, I realized that it had other images that suggested a political commentary of sorts. I thought the signs promoting new condos (most of which are left as unfinished eyesores in the neighborhood) were an interesting element in the image--a reflection of the monumental nosedive the housing market has taken in the last few years. Having those cheerful attempts at selling the "American Dream" in the background, while a dirty dumpster painted with the American flag and overflowing with trash looms in the forefront, was an accidental irony that I did not even catch until I looked again.

I just wanted to share the image and my thoughts on what it represents. It was purely an accident that the picture captures the essence of our economic times and the hardships the country is going through at this time. I did not intend for the picture to make a statement, but it certainly does, in my opinion. 

What do you think? 

UPDATE: Dog-gate Scandal!

Oh my gosh. I think I have to start believing in The Secret now or something. I feel like Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams. Seriously. I do.

So a crazy turn of events has occurred. My landlord called my fiance a few days ago to let him know he was coming to fix an electrical outlet. After a pause, I heard Adam's voice raise incredulously as he said, "Really? Wow. That is great news. We are really happy to hear that!" My ears perked and I had a flash of hope that perhaps he was saying something about a cat. But that couldn't be, I rationalized, he already said no and made us sign a lease that said "no pets." I must have been hearing things.


Well guess what? I wasn't! Adam got off the phone and turned to me in disbelief. "He said he has been thinking about the cat situation and even though he already said no, he decided since we have been such good tenants that he would be okay with us having one cat."

I almost screamed. Or maybe I whimpered with glee. Or yelped. Some sort of sound came out as amazement and joy washed over me. We finally get to have a kitten! Something fluffy and fun to keep me company on those lonely winter nights when my usual house buddy (Adam) is in school! And when we are sad or frustrated at work, we can come home to a cuddle with an animal and it will make everything okay again! (Or at least better for the moment. It's true! Science says so!)

This is quite the unexpected change of heart from our otherwise pretty cool landlord--thus proving his true coolness. And I am still in shock. I honestly never thought our landlord might actually rescind his original answer, but I sure had hoped for a miracle. I love the universe sometimes!

Anyway I immediately began to obsess and scour the internet for profiles of rescued kittens and craigslist ads for kittens and websites for ridiculously priced Ragdoll kitten breeders (Ragdoll being my ultimate dream cat but waaaay too expensive to actually spend money on...I think. Ask me in a week and I might crack and decide it is worth it. Ugh! I am terrible, I know). I was almost ready to dive right in and get one this past weekend. But then I pulled my eyes away from the lighted screen of the laptop and came to my senses. This is a big decision that I can take my time with if need be. I don't have to run out and get the first kitten I see that happens to play fetch. Despite that being pretty dang sweet.

So we are now on the official hunt for a kitty. And I can't wait till we find the one for us. As soon as we find one I will definitely show him or her off on this site and share the details of our pet finding adventure. Who knows, maybe I will become a crazy old cat lady (or a perfectly sane but really annoying "girl who always talks about her cat and shows pictures of it doing stupid things"). That could spin this site into a whole new direction!

Don't worry, I promise I won't let it get that bad...