Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Hunting in Charlotte
Job hunting . . . my nemesis yet also my way of life. It does, however, send me on some interesting adventures. Early this week, I headed down to Charlotte for a career fair. My niece's name is Charlotte and when I told my nephew that I was going to Charlotte for a few days he asked, "But where is she?" How cute!
I arrived at a friend's house Monday evening for a relaxing night of wine and Mrs. Doubtfire. Don't hate, that movie is still kinda funny. Tuesday morning I put on my fancy business suit and drove to the hotel where the career fair was being held. First of all, how do you not know that you're supposed to dress up for a career fair?? And by dress up, that does not mean wear your 'nice' jeans, your 'nice' sneakers and a hideous puffy brown leather jacket from the 80's. Also, those jackets with cartoon characters like Tweety Bird are also not appropriate . . . ever. Needless to say, I had a leg up on the competition.
Sadly, it was mostly sales positions and companies that had nothing to do with my profession. My most promising conversation was with an FBI agent who told me I carried myself well, I was very articulate and with my 4-year degree, I should consider becoming an agent.
I guess if this whole graphic design thing doesn't work out, it's nice to know I have options.
I arrived at a friend's house Monday evening for a relaxing night of wine and Mrs. Doubtfire. Don't hate, that movie is still kinda funny. Tuesday morning I put on my fancy business suit and drove to the hotel where the career fair was being held. First of all, how do you not know that you're supposed to dress up for a career fair?? And by dress up, that does not mean wear your 'nice' jeans, your 'nice' sneakers and a hideous puffy brown leather jacket from the 80's. Also, those jackets with cartoon characters like Tweety Bird are also not appropriate . . . ever. Needless to say, I had a leg up on the competition.
Sadly, it was mostly sales positions and companies that had nothing to do with my profession. My most promising conversation was with an FBI agent who told me I carried myself well, I was very articulate and with my 4-year degree, I should consider becoming an agent.
I guess if this whole graphic design thing doesn't work out, it's nice to know I have options.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
This.is.my.life
They say truth is stranger than fiction . . and they're right. I'm not exactly sure what this blog will be about yet. All I know is that funny things happen in my life and they should be shared with the world. Plus my family is getting tired of me calling and saying, "So, you wanna hear a funny story?"
So, sit back, relax and enjoy my "so-called" life.
I left my car downtown last night because drinking and driving so college. Plus there is no way I could afford a DUI right now; not that I would survive very long after telling Pa Dukes anyway. One of the things I love about Greensboro is that parking on the weekends is free and you have the luxury of leaving your car downtown overnight and getting it in the morning. Or so I thought. I was dropped off to pick up my car this afternoon. As I rounded the corner to McCoul's parking lot, I noticed quite quickly that my car was not where I left it and in its place was an Italiano Festival. Oh snap.
As I wandered around the parking lot trying to figure out who I needed to call, I can only assume I looked like a lost hungover puppy. Luckily, the people that work at McCoul's had seen the whole shindig go down and felt I had been wronged so they wrote down the cop car number and the towing company that towed me. The towing company informed me that my car had to be released from the police department before I could pick it up. When I called the police department, they had no record of my car. Well isn't that convenient. So I decided I was going to have to walk to the police station and light a fire under someone's you know what. I then remembered that I had a large bottle of rum in my purse that I had planned on returning to my friend once I got my car. Hello open container. I slyly found a trashcan and disposed of the evidence. I may not be a genius but I do know you don't walk into a police station with an open container.
As I arrived at the police station, they informed me that they did in fact tow my car, it had just been lost in "cyberspace." They also informed me that I owed $20 for my release form in addition to whatever the towing company was going to charge ($175). Riiight. I told the lady that I had wrongfully been towed and someone else needed to pay those fees, which resulted in me getting a Tow-In Hearing. Normally I wouldn't go to a hearing in jeans smelling like a bar, but I popped some minty gum and waited for the judge to arrive.
Once there, the judge/police woman called the police officer who had me towed for his side of the story and then came out to hear mine. I told her that I had parked in a spot that was free on weekends and completely legal and that there were no visible signs about the Italiano Festival. Evidently the officer claimed that it was clearly marked and had cited me as illegally parked. When I asked her who I needed to contact to fight it, she told me she had never seen anyone win one of those cases but I was welcome to try. Bring it Mrs. Officer.
From the police station I walked back to the parking lot to get some photographic evidence for my case. As I was taking pictures, the officer rolled up and told me she didn't normally follow up on these cases but she was curious. When she saw there was one small sign with about 12 font, she told me to come back to the police station so she could reverse her decision. JACKPOT! (Sidenote: she drove there but did not offer me a ride so I had to walk back to the station. How thoughtful)
Some serious paperwork and a $20 refund later, I was ready to get my car. I waited on the corner for my ride and on the way I called the towing place. The person was giving me directions and I said, "Ok m'am. Thank you." The response? "This is not a m'am. I'm Shep and I own the business." To which I said, "I'm so sorry sir," as my friend laughed hysterically.
Seriously, is it Monday yet?
So, sit back, relax and enjoy my "so-called" life.
I left my car downtown last night because drinking and driving so college. Plus there is no way I could afford a DUI right now; not that I would survive very long after telling Pa Dukes anyway. One of the things I love about Greensboro is that parking on the weekends is free and you have the luxury of leaving your car downtown overnight and getting it in the morning. Or so I thought. I was dropped off to pick up my car this afternoon. As I rounded the corner to McCoul's parking lot, I noticed quite quickly that my car was not where I left it and in its place was an Italiano Festival. Oh snap.
As I wandered around the parking lot trying to figure out who I needed to call, I can only assume I looked like a lost hungover puppy. Luckily, the people that work at McCoul's had seen the whole shindig go down and felt I had been wronged so they wrote down the cop car number and the towing company that towed me. The towing company informed me that my car had to be released from the police department before I could pick it up. When I called the police department, they had no record of my car. Well isn't that convenient. So I decided I was going to have to walk to the police station and light a fire under someone's you know what. I then remembered that I had a large bottle of rum in my purse that I had planned on returning to my friend once I got my car. Hello open container. I slyly found a trashcan and disposed of the evidence. I may not be a genius but I do know you don't walk into a police station with an open container.
As I arrived at the police station, they informed me that they did in fact tow my car, it had just been lost in "cyberspace." They also informed me that I owed $20 for my release form in addition to whatever the towing company was going to charge ($175). Riiight. I told the lady that I had wrongfully been towed and someone else needed to pay those fees, which resulted in me getting a Tow-In Hearing. Normally I wouldn't go to a hearing in jeans smelling like a bar, but I popped some minty gum and waited for the judge to arrive.
Once there, the judge/police woman called the police officer who had me towed for his side of the story and then came out to hear mine. I told her that I had parked in a spot that was free on weekends and completely legal and that there were no visible signs about the Italiano Festival. Evidently the officer claimed that it was clearly marked and had cited me as illegally parked. When I asked her who I needed to contact to fight it, she told me she had never seen anyone win one of those cases but I was welcome to try. Bring it Mrs. Officer.
From the police station I walked back to the parking lot to get some photographic evidence for my case. As I was taking pictures, the officer rolled up and told me she didn't normally follow up on these cases but she was curious. When she saw there was one small sign with about 12 font, she told me to come back to the police station so she could reverse her decision. JACKPOT! (Sidenote: she drove there but did not offer me a ride so I had to walk back to the station. How thoughtful)
Some serious paperwork and a $20 refund later, I was ready to get my car. I waited on the corner for my ride and on the way I called the towing place. The person was giving me directions and I said, "Ok m'am. Thank you." The response? "This is not a m'am. I'm Shep and I own the business." To which I said, "I'm so sorry sir," as my friend laughed hysterically. Seriously, is it Monday yet?
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