Purebreds vs Mutts

My boyfriend and I are in the process of searching for our next dog. We have agreed to adopt through a local rescue a lab mix puppy. As a lifelong pet owner, I have had the experience of owning both purebred and mutt dogs.

I was at a social function this weekend when the topic came up, I was discussing my desire to foster or adopt a mutt. The party that I was discussing this with told me emphatically "I paid a ridiculous amount of money for my dog, but it was worth it." I stared at her in disbelief, as she went on to tell me she's a huge dog person. Every person has experience that shapes who they are and who they are going to be. The ironic thing that if you think about the concept of being a purebred, it is royalty for dogs.

Since we're not in England and we have no royalty, I think we should embrace and celebrate the mutts more. Why? Benefits of rescuing a dog include but are not limited to:

• Helping out a dog who was bred by accident or is in a rural area will surely get you into heaven.
• Your health will improve. Recent studies have proven that petting a dog can reduce your heart rate, among other benefits.
• Purebreds are expensive and overbred.
• Purebreds are expensive because they are riddled with health problems.
• Mutts live longer and have less health issues.

This is a short list, but as a former owner of both Purebreds and Mutts, I have to tell you. Mutts are where it's at. I don't need an accessory, I want a companion.

Bonuses & Additional Compensation

It's strange that in a "down-economy" we would be reading stories like this one. Oprah gave out $10,000 checks and Ipads to her Magazine staff to celebrate the 10th anniversary. The current gig that I have going has stopped doing additional compensation because of the down economy, and they have no intention of re-instating this policy at the end of the year.

While I was unemployed, I did take a significant pay cut to work at this joint. Last month we had our highest month ever, and the trend looks like it's going to continue to go up. This is a good thing, so you'd think they would want to reward their employees by offering them perks for sticking with them during the tough times.

What's your thoughts on this subject?

Integrity

It's strange how integrity can come into play in the workplace. One day your sitting across the table from a person in power and they tell you that you are going to be held accountable for something. This is nothing new and doesn't even require a college dipolma to figure out.

I think that many employers are feeling good because they are in a position of power. People need their jobs in this economy and many think that they can get away with using and abusing their employees. However, did you know in March that more workers quit their job because of disatisfaction? This is according to Bureau of Labor & Statistics and I hope that the tide is changing.

Everyone is trying to work harder and smarter. However, when does it start becoming a hostile environment?

Technology Updates & Team Work

Often times throughout my professional career at the various places that I have worked at there have been some silos. I prefer to work in tandem with my co-workers on various projects, because typically more heads are better than one.

My current role is to help our clients market their online job boards to employers and job seekers. This helps the non-profits drive non-dues revenue by gaining employers who post jobs. The job seekers bring the employers because they are highly skilled and educated. Often times when employers post on the big sites like Career Builder, they recieve a flood of resumes who are not qualified for the position.

We are releasing an update to our technology, which was completed by our other office. The new update is really cool and I am charged with communicating it accurately to our clients. It's an interesting challenge and I like learning about various products and services that we offer.

My team works closely together to help each other out during busy times, and it's nice to have the support of your co-workers. They are pretty awesome and I feel lucky to be part of such a great team.

One Year Anniversary

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my unemployment. I am very lucky to be one of the one's who is now employed. I can't help but reflect on the things that I have learned from the experience of being unemployed and losing my longtime pet Spike.

1) Even the most dependable things can be unpredictible.

I never imagined that I would have to put my dog down in September. I got to spend three great months with him while I wasn't working. I am greatful for having him in my life, and I am better for it.

2) Always trust your gut instinct

I suspected that I was going to be laid off for more than a month. It was because of this paranoia, which turned out to be true that I saved and saved my money. I was in a much better position than those that didn't expect it and I was able to collect unemployment to help stem the tide while I searched for a job.

3) A job search is a full time job.

I spent my days of being unemployed soley focused on achieving the goal of finding a job that I would like. I am happy with the results of my many hours of searching for a position. I did this by spending time on Indeed.com, Career Builder, WashingtonPost.com and ASAE. In addition to this, I worked my network contacts via email, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

4) Unemployment can be funemployment.

If it's brief and you have an awesome support system. Without the support and love of my family and friends I feel I would not be where I am today. I was able to do things that I hadn't been able to in a long time, go to the pool, workout, hike, enjoy long lunches with friends, visit my family for a week. All of these are good things, and helped me throughout the stress of being unemployed.

5) Love can happen even in the most unexpected circumstances.

I am approaching my one year anniversary of unemployment, as well as, the one with my current partner. I never expected to meet someone while being unemployed. I also never expected this person to stick around when they found out about my situation. This person is very special and wonderful in so many ways and I can't thank the higher powers enough for alligning our paths. Today we share a beautiful, full, rich life that is plentiful in laughs and love. I couldn't ask for a greater guy!

This concludes the reflection on the year in review. Hope you enjoyed it!

Managing Work/Life Balance

The job has gotten to be a bit more intense, and each day the client load continues to grow. With more and more non-profits laying off their own personell they are looking to their vendors to do things that their former employees used. One of these things is to create advertisements, this is an exciting challenge that I do embrace. However, it's hard to devote time to being creative when you're trying to accomdate the multitude of client requests.

Customers right now are hard to please in this economy. They have pressures of their own to generate revenue in the quickest and most efficient way, and the job board industry is one of the last ones to rebound.

Last night we went to dinner with good friends and some new friends. The conversation turned to one of the dinner attendees search for a job, and we discussed some strategies to determine what her best plan of attack would be. I told her that I could help her in her quest because of my new role, and our relationship with various non-profits within her industry.

It's nice to be able to offer assistance, and yet then I have conversations with other friends who are complaining about the lack of "raises." In this economy, for the last several years, many of the places that I have worked for are on hiring freezes, and have not given merit or cost of living raises. The cost of living continues to rise, and we continue to not be rewarded for the work that we are doing. It begs the question, how long can this go on?

Moving Horror Stories

I am currently embroiled in a massive feud with the moving company that I used for moving myself back in November.

The company's name is All About Moving, LLC. 400 S Whitting Street, Alexandria, VA 22304-3559 and their phone number is 703.567.6683. The owner of the company seems like a genial guy when you call for services. He will even pretend to cut you a "break" on services because he wants your business.

After you book your service, the movers he selects for your job will show up a half hour late. They will not know what the heck they are doing. They will require 24/7 babysitting. A move that should be quick and easy will take FOREVER. It took us 7.5 hours to combine two houses into one. Ridiculous to say the least.

I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Fairfax County Consumer Complaint division. I was only hoping for a semi-partial refund, but now I am asking for half of my move to be refunded.

Anymore, it seems like you have to fight everyone for your very last dollars. Its a bit ridiculous and I am not a fan...