Yard Sale and Painting Party this Weekend!

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Written on 1:52 a.m. by My gratitude journal

This Saturday June 3rd and Sunday June 4th, between 10AM and 5PM, come by 493 Helen Street in Otterburn Park to see our mega yard sale.

You can expect anything from bed matresses to lamps, tables, beads, dishes and a lot more!

No reasonable offer will be refused. Everything must go. You're sure to find something you like!

***ATTENTION*** We need extra help for painting a few rooms inside the house AND helping with the yard sale outside. If you want to help for one or the other, we offer free pizza and (cold) beer to all our helpers! Email me at jerrika@gmail.com to confirm your presence.

It sounds like Spring!

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Written on 11:23 p.m. by My gratitude journal

Have you met Romeo yet? He's my siamese-mixed cat. Yesterday, he earned his name.

Romeo is about 7 years old now. When he arrived to my place 6 years and a half ago, he was neutered and has been enjoying the indoor life since then... with the exception of a few escapades he made from my bedroom window, which he found a way to push the screen out of its frame to clear his way out.

Since a couple of weeks now, it smells like Spring in our 2 bedrooms appartment. For a mysterious reason, Romeo seems to have developed the bad habit of marking his territory. Unfortunately for me, the indoor cat's territory happens to be constituted of curtains, bags against a wall, guitar case, etc.Yesterday night, he ran off another time through the window in our bedroom. Exhausted and upset, I decided to close the window, knowing that his "supper" had not been served yet and that he would be back begging for it soon. Brian and I confortably watched an episode (ar*hum... 3 episodes) of the serie "24" and forgot about him

Half-way through the second episode, we were hearing some complaining. "Voices" that were moaning and almost grunting! At first, I thought it could be kids or teens teasing each other on the boardwalk near our window but after a few repetitions, my curiosity had the best of me and I went to the window to find... a short black haired pussycat that flew away as soon as she saw me ...and Romeo who was calmly walking towards me so I could let him in!!!

Last thing I wanna do is starting rumors, but it is certain that my "half-male" cat has recently found his inner self, and that, neutered or not, Spring fever has revived his most primal instincts!

Speaking about flowers... see OURS!

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Written on 2:43 p.m. by My gratitude journal

In my last post I showed you flowers from downtown Montreal and said the apple trees and lilacs were still taking their time to bloom.

Wait no longer! I have pictures of the crabapple tree and the macintosh apple tree on our new house freshly taken this morning. Apparently, it will be a good year for the lilac on the other side of the house as well... pictures will come in time.

"our" macintosh apple tree in bloom

"our" Crabapple tree in bloom

It's My Turn To Make You Jealous

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Written on 10:53 p.m. by My gratitude journal

Alright, the picture is small and the resolution is as bad as the best I could get out of my cell phone today in the late afternoon.

In any case, there's no tropical paradise that can compete with the beauty of the soft Spring in Montreal when all the trees get overwhelmed with flowers from which emane a divine scent.

There's a lot more to come! Think about the apple trees and lilacs that are still making us await their bloom!!!

(picture taken behind Place-des-Arts, Montreal)

And yet another contract!

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Written on 9:43 a.m. by My gratitude journal

Temporary workers ususally need to have strong nerves and a stronger than average ability to adapt to new environments and situations in order to deal with the fear of the unknown and emptiness associated with the beginning and ending of every mandate.

Fortunately for me, the job market has a lot to offer in the moment.

Since the completion of my last mandate as an executive assistant in March, I immediately started on a new project as a department secretary in April finishing today. Tomorrow, I'm starting in a new division of the same company and for a minimum of one month duration with a possibility of becoming permanent. Moreover, this time I had the choice between this mandate and another one similar but at a lower rate (wage).

We can't really say I was unemployed for a long time… and since I started accepting short mandates, I haven't been out of a job for a single day!

My secret? I use the help of a temporary personnel agency.

Obviously, as with anything else, different agencies offer different levels of customer service, quality and specialize in different types of jobs or to a specific industry.

Here is a non exhaustive list of a few personnel agencies recognized for administrative work in the Montreal area:

Working with an agency
  1. Identification of our goals: the first step into achieving any project is always to identify our objectives.
    • Desired type of work?
    • Minimum and maximum duration desired?
    • Maximum acceptable distance (transportation)
    • Salary expectations?
  2. Resume creation or update
  3. Registering with an agency
    • Calling the agency : call an agency and ask to speak to a consultant for temporary administrative work. Ask him/her how to submit your resume and insist for meeting with him/her for an interview.
    • The tests:normally, when you show up for the interview, you will be asked to complete a number of tests depending on the type of work for which you seem qualified. The most popular ones are: French and English grammar, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, typing speed and data entry (keypunch and alphanumerical). The most versatile you are, the longer you will be there! A 30 minutes period is allocated to every test. The results will help determine your strengths and weaknesses in order to place you in positions you can shine in!
    • The interview: a 30 minutes interview will allow the consultant to better understand your work experience, your goals and expectations. The ideal candidate will be dressed in a corporate/classic fashion, will have a clean speech and a confident attitude. Be prepared to explain every rupture in the dates on your resume as well as the reason for the termination of every past employment.
    • The follow-up: after the interview, it is important to maintain a good contact with the person who met with you, so she does not forget who you are. It is usually recommended to call in once a week to see if she got new mandates that would fit your profile. Ask which day of the week is the best to phone for your follow-ups.

      BBQ season is open!

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      Written on 10:36 a.m. by My gratitude journal

      Yesterday, the weather was simply unbelievable. We had the nicest blue sky, a very soft breeze and a radiant sun.

      Unfortunately for him, Brian was enslaved by his school project which is due sometime this week... So he decided to catch a few sunrays by working outside, on the terasse.

      In the meanwhile, I went with my good neighbour "Pôlin" to Costco to have the propane bottle filled and we organised a nice barbecue dinner. Katherine prepared a salad, Pôlin took care of the BBQ cooking, and I was in charge of setting the table, preparing lemonade and making sure nobody needs anything. What a great night!

      BBQ season is officially open!