February 28, 2011

Holy crap, how is it March tomorrow??

What I did:

• Half day at the office
• Did some phone research and make some important calls...which resulted in more calls being added to my to-do list
• Walked Lilo!
• Took stuff to Goodwill..I think my garage will be in working condition again by next week, which is fantastic news
• This weekend I worked a TON on the slideshow presentation for the HBA diner on Saturday, so hopefully I can wrap that up and be done with it by Wednesday
• Helped Karin finalize some silent auction stuff
• Worked on blogs for Haiti Scholarships
• Made dinner! Delicious pasta primavera and asparagus
• Went to church with my mom on Sunday, and watched Amazing Race with Jeff's family

What I didn't do:

• Work on acceptance letters for HS
• Write letter of support for small claims matter (which is no longer such a small claim...16 other couples are also trying to sue this wedding photographer)
• Work on immigration cases
• Research for 31 Bits
• Contact school organizations regarding Haiti Scholarships and student sponsorships
• Figure out what I need to get for my trip to Haiti...I can't believe it's in a little over two weeks, time has FLOWN by!
• Probably much much more...

Interview results...and the ensuing conundrum

Well, I got the job offer from the non-profit in Riverside on Friday. I'd been thinking about my decision since I left their office on Thursday...and I thought about it all day Friday. I called and said I would let them know about my decision on Monday.

Although most of the thinking and decision-making was done on Friday, that only meant it left the whole weekend for me to second guess what I was doing.

I talked to my boss on Friday about this possible job offer, and he sat me down and we crunched numbers. The result was obvious: it just doesn't make financial sense to take a job at that pay, that far away. Not to mention the toll the commute and work hours would start to take on Jeff and I. He told me I should just stay in his office and work out my own deal, develop a family law practice and maybe immigration if that's what I really want to do. It's hard to argue against something like that when the other choice is commuting to Riverside for a small salary.

One of the main reasons I've put off starting something of my own is because, at least for the time being, I like the idea of working for "someone," "someone" to give me a general sense of direction on what I need to do and how I should do it. I still think one of the reasons I went to law school in the first place was because I wasn't ready to be out "on my own" yet, and I've been postponing this reality for far too long. Trying out this job with Brad will make me grow up and finally do something for myself. I've never had to push myself too hard for things, so I'm scared of the challenges that lie ahead...and I'm nervous that I've made the wrong choice by turning down the job in Riverside. I'm also conflicted about going down this career path when I've been so infatuated with NOT doing a typical attorney career path. This is where my next challenge comes in: not to lose sight of my focus on public service. Regardless of the work I need to do for Brad, I need to continue working on my non profit stuff, continue to develop skills that would make me marketable in a non profit setting, continue volunteering what time I have to causes that I believe in and make me happy. My biggest fear is getting lost, career-wise...getting consumed by doing something "to get by," and before I know it...I'm too old to make anything else happen.

Either way, it's either sink or swim from here...let's hope I'm making the right decisions in this game called life!

February 23-24, 2011

Let's see...the 23rd was Wednesday....ok

What I did:

• Worked extensively on power point for Wally Davis Scholars (need to get that done this weekend), made about a dozen calls to past recipients who I'm pretty sure will never return my phone call.
• Office work all day Wednesday, half day yesterday
• Stopped by Miguel's office to pay off a loan (thanks again Miguel!)
• Lunch with my public interest ladies
• Interviewed in Riverside
• TVN on Wednesday night

What I didn't do:

• The usual...you all know what they are by now...sigh. I really need to have some productive time this weekend...
• Dinner last night...but Jeff did! He's kind of awesome :)

Job Interview #342

Not really. But you know what I mean.

Had an interview with a legal nonprofit in Riverside today. I interviewed with a 5-person panel: three of the staff and two board members. Slightly intimidating to begin with, but everyone was super sweet and made me feel comfortable from the get go. I think I've finally gotten down my answers to most standard interview questions...taken me long enough!

With that said, I'm still torn about the position. When in doubt...to a pro and con list!

Pro's:

• It's public interest, so I'd be doing what I (think) want to do, although it would be mostly in areas of family law and landlord-tenant which I have no experience in, which leads to...
• Good learning experience
• Networking in a new geographic location
• The organization looks like a great place to work, although super small (staff of about 4, helping over a thousand clients a year!)

Con's:

• It's about an hour commute each way
• No immigration work due to funding
• Requires a lot of driving for the job (position is for clinic manager, so 2-3 days a week I'd be driving to Ontario and other locations in the Inland Empire)
• Clinics on 2 days a week run late, which means getting home around 8 or 9pm (although I wouldn't be starting until 10 or 11am)
• Salary is less than $45,000. It would be almost an extra $2,000 a month from what Jeff and I are surviving on right now, so it's not an issue of not paying our bills...but thinking long term I just don't know if that salary is worth all the driving and slightly unconventional hours. On the other hand, I have to start somewhere...and it would be enough to pay our bills, credit cards, a meager loan payment, and maybe even start saving a little...MAYBE.

I guess I should have started by saying that they haven't offered me a position yet...this is me getting ahead of myself.

If you were in my shoes...what would you do?

February 22, 2011

Much more productive day...

What I did:

• Half day at the office
• Worked on U-visa case quite a bit, filling out forms, met with clients, signed documents, made important calls
• Followed up on silent auction requests
• Worked on HBA scholarship powerpoint quite a bit also
• Looked for jobs
• Followed up on a previous job application
• Made dinner with Jeff

What I didn't do:

• I didn't apply to anything new
• Small claims case (need to get that done ASAP)
• I didn't walk Lilo :(
• Didn't work out
• Didn't work on my HS "to-do" list

My problem recently has been that once I get home, I get nothing done. I need to figure out how I can be more productive with my evenings...

February 21, 2011

It goes without saying that I've been terrible about posting lately. Having to work part time really cuts into my productivity on all other levels. I don't even get much done at home because I'm tired (ahem, lazy). I need to be better about finding the time to be productive with personal stuff, even if most of my time is wrapped up already.

I'm not going to do a "did" and "did not" list because it would require too much brain power to try to go through the last four days and remember what I didn't and didn't do. I know I accomplished a few things, and left many things undone. Let's start over again tonight :)

Countdown Begins...

I knew time would fly. I think the final decision was made around November, that Abby and I would be returning to Haiti. And I knew then that time would fly by. It has. We leave in less than a month! We booked our tickets a couple weeks ago, and I keep looking at my calendar as the days go by, in disbelief.

I have a job interview this Thursday, and I've been working on my oral arguments for a week now: giving me a two week "vacation" two weeks after my start date is actually a GOOD thing! Hopefully I can pull it off...although I'd have to get the job in the first place :)

Things that are freaking me out a bit:

• I need a backpack. If anyone is willing to let me borrow theirs, please let me know.
• I need a sleeping pad. Last time I slept on a sleeping bag over wooden planks...and although in the long term I think it was great for my back...it wasn't great for sleeping. So if anyone has a thick yoga mat or something like that, that they wouldn't mind losing for two weeks, I'd be forever grateful.
• I have to get malaria pills....which means I need to raise a little more cash to buy them
• This whole job situation...

And yet, I couldn't be more excited. I think this trip will be night and day from my last trip. I think my perspective has changed, my purpose has changed, and my plans are bigger. Any my cousin Adriana is coming, which I'm VERY excited about :)

February 15, 2011

What I did:

• Office in the morning
• Picked up the house--I still don't know how I manage to make a mess of the apartment after Jeff just cleaned it on Friday...
• Worked on HS application letter and talked to Jim
• Dealt with phone bill madness
• Interviewed with a non profit in Riverside. It was just a phone interview to help them decide who they actually want to interview in person...and wouldn't you know...after the two week training...the official start date would be March 18th...as in...a couple days after March 16th...as in...the date I just booked for my flight to Haiti. I'm trying not to freak out or be mad at life for always making things complicated...who knows if I'll get a call back or not. But if I did...it just figures.
• Looked for jobs
• Worked on a venting blog that I've been wanting to write for a while
• Wrote my February charity of the month...I think I should have taken more time on it, but just wanted to get it done...always the conflict of getting things done right eventually or getting things done, period
• Mailed out that thank you card again...with postage!
• Made zucchini for the first time as part of our dinner...not bad

What I didn't do:

• Apply to jobs
• Work on either immigration case
• Small claims
• Walk Lilo (I was on my way, and it started sprinkling...didn't really wanna drive all the way there to not be able to walk her...I was really looking forward to a nice walk today)
• Organize my desk...which is getting out of control
• Sponsorships and silent auction updates! Gotta do this tomorrow...
• I need to follow up with Secretary of State on the articles I mailed out....no response yet

My "didn't" list is starting to make me nervous...and I also have at least two great books I'm looking forward to reading and adding to my "serial" list...maybe I'll advance a few pages on my current one tonight before I pass out. Good night!

Charity of the Month: Haiti Scholarships!

I guess I should put a disclaimer on this blog, and note that I am heavily involved with Haiti Scholarships, and hence I have a vested interest in you checking it out, and hopefully supporting it. I guess...legally speaking, I don't have a "vested interest" per se, since I don't really derive any private benefit from this, but I do get enormous personal satisfaction in the work done through Haiti Scholarships :)

So what does HS do? The purpose of Haiti Scholarships is to do what it's name says: to provide educational scholarships to students in Haiti. What this organization does is very important for reasons that I think most of us don't know: public education in Haiti is sorely lacking--indeed, something like 90% of schools in Haiti are private schools, which means that in order to attend the majority of schools, parents have to pay for tuition, books, and uniforms. The other 10% I'd imagine are heavily impacted, and although I have nothing to back me up (yet), I can't imagine the quality of education being provided being all that great. Without scholarships, many kids are unable to go to school. Period.

Haiti has been in and out of the spot light quite a bit in the last year and few months; most coverage during the one-year anniversary focused on the spending, or lack thereof, of money that was raised in the aftermath of the earthquake. I think a lot of people have grown skeptical about where their money is going when they donate to organizations abroad, and I can't blame this. Because of this, HS is making sure that money donated is sent directly to the student's school to cover the cost of tuition. HS has partnered up with the local Rotary Club of Leogane, who has generously offered to help on the ground in Haiti by interviewing applicants and establishing communication with each school, so tuition is paid directly. No funds are dispersed to third parties.

I urge you all to take a look at the website (which will be getting quite a facelift in the next few days...get excited!), check out the facebook page, and follow us on twitter and our blog.

Finally, I don't usually push for monetary donations on my Charity of the Month, but I've made exceptions from the very beginning :) Just think about it: for $25-30 a month, you can help change someones life by giving them the gift of an education: something no one can take away from them, and the basic foundation for the future of Haiti. Think about it.

Cathartic Writing

28. Wow.

I'm not sure how I got here, but here I am. 28 years old.

Do you remember when you were younger, and you would plan out where you would be in five, ten, fifteen years? Eh, maybe that was just me. Anyhow, I calculated how old I would be when I graduated high school and college...and once I was in college I realized I needed to add some time for a graduate program...so marriage would come after that, then the career, the house and babies!

Ha, yeah....I know...ridiculous. You can't plan your life...some things just need to happen. Regardless, I feel that for the most part, my life is where I originally planned, and where I need to be: I graduated school, graduated law school, and met an absolutely amazing man that is beyond perfect for me.

The areas that haven't quite worked out are mostly financial and career. Some of you may remember that I started this blog because I was unemployed...and it's been a bit of a roller coaster since I graduated law school a couple years ago. And financially....well, I've never been financially stable I guess. I've never been able to go crazy around Christmas time and buy stuff for the whole family, or go on expensive weekend get-aways...or finance my own car. I feel like at 28 I should have improved from when I was 18. But I haven't. I wish I could say with confidence that in a few years I'll be where I want to be, financially, but with my career aspirations of working in a field that [normally] doesn't pay over $50,000, and school loans nearing the $200's, I just can't.

As the first person in my extended family to graduate from undergrad and law school, I think my family's expectations of what I would do with my life were high. I know they're looking out for me when they want me to land some lucrative job, but I think they've finally realized that's not what I want for myself, and seeing that reaction is difficult.

My aunts and my grandmother were having a conversation a few weeks ago about how life for my cousins and I has been so much easier than theirs, and they don't understand how we don't have our life together at this point. I've been a bit of an emotional wreck about this on my own, so being me, I clammed up and just tried to hide how much their commentaries bothered me. I know the challenges my cousins and I face can't be compared to what my grandmother and my aunts had to do to get ahead in life, but I don't feel like I'm where I am because I took the "get out of jail free" card either. I wish I had it in me to be more hungry for money, to want money bad enough that I didn't care what I did with my career, as long as I was bringing in the cash. I wish I was a fighter. I wish so many things, but I'm not. So I'm trying to work with the cards that I've been dealt, and as far as I can tell, I'm doing the best I can. I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do.

The other day my mom mentioned that Jeff and I should be saving money, and I almost lost it. Jeff and I aren't not saving because we don't want to...we've actually tried...but eating or paying bills seems to take precedence every time. Everyone has an opinion about what I should do with my life and in what direction I should take my career, but honestly, none of them sound appealing. I wish they did. I don't know how to reach the financial stability I want. And I don't know how to do what I want, and not feel like I'm compromising my financial stability.

~~~~~~

I hope you reading this was as cathartic an experience as me writing it :)

February 14, 2011

Birthday weekends make it difficult to stay on top of daily blogging...and to be productive, as does working in an office setting. I feel like productivity on job searching and side projects has taken a toll since I started working in the office, but alas, it's what I need to do right now. Just when I was getting good at this!

Anyhow, I still managed to do a few things over the weekend and today:

• Worked out at home
• Started to review small claims documents
• Walked Lilo
• Returned tables to David
• Took another load to Goodwill
• Re-sent out the bylaw signature page for HS, since the original one seems to have gotten lost in the mail :-/
• Mailed out outstanding thank you cards (one of which was returned today because I didn't put postage on it...I swear I had double checked!)
• Went rock climbing today!
• Booked tickets to Haiti for Abby and I

What I didn't do:

• Figure out how to get that stupid PDF document to open so I can finish working on my immigration case
• Need to work on declarations for asylum case
• Make individual acceptance letters for HS recipients
• Fill out documents for small claims
• Apply to jobs
• February Charity of the Month installment

February 10, 2011

I didn't submit an entry yesterday, mostly because there wasn't much to report. I was in the office most of the day, then home, then TVN, and then home. bleh.

Today was a little bit more productive.

What I did:

• Half day at the office
• Finally got a chance to walk Lilo!
• Edited some documents for HS (blog entry, follow up email, acceptance letter)
• Looked for jobs

What I didn't do:

• It's too late to start listing them all...let's just say I need to step it up a bit...

February 8, 2011

What I did:

• Woke up and reviewed the documents I had to file in Court (emergency run to Office Depot to get whiteout included...)
• Drove to Riverside to pick up client, drove to LA for hearing, back to Riverside to drop client off, then to my aunt's to pick up my mom who locked herself out again, and then home. Phew!
• Called client to reschedule tonights meeting
• Called about U visa document I can't download
• Worked on initial blog entry for Haiti Scholarships, and followed up with some emails
• Figured out how to manage more than one twitter account...thanks to doing it wrong the first time
• Looked for jobs

What I didn't do:

• Follow up on silent auction and sponsorships
• Small claims
• Gym
• Acceptance letter for HS
• Walk Lilo

Other things I need to do:

• Start working on presentation for HBA dinner featuring past and present scholarship recipients
• Apply to jobs

A lot of driving today, but it gave me time to get to know my client a lot better. I really hope things work out for him--he truly is an amazing kid and deserves an opportunity to make something of his life.

February 7, 2011

I decided last week that I was not going to hold myself accountable on Sundays...everyone needs a day off, right? I figure I should still be productive on Saturday's...and this past Saturday I didn't blog for multiple reasons, one being that there just wasn't much to say. Anyhow, today's list of "did's" and "did not's" will encompass the whole weekend and today...

What I did:

• Went to the gym on Sunday
• Spent time with grandma on Saturday before she left for the airport
• Worked on various HS and HBA issues
• Applied to about three jobs over the course of the weekend
• Went in to the office today
• Signed, copied, stapled, and whole punched my asylum application and motion. Ready to file tomorrow in court....wish me luck!
• Looked for jobs today (no leads)
• Brainstormed with Reuben yesterday about a potential fundraising idea...stay tuned for details
• I made dinner tonight!
• Superbowl party with The Gang
• I'm starting to feel like I'm just listing random things I did...rather than productive ones...I may have to reassess what I'm doing :)
• Not sure when I did this, but I updated scholarship applicant bios

What I didn't do:

• I didn't work on my U-visa petition, so I'm going to have to call my client tomorrow and push back our appointment (I can't get a specific form off the website, which is really annoying)
• Small claims
• I didn't walk Lilo today since I had to go into the office earlier than expected. I need to figure out my schedule so I can make everything work the way it should
• So many things...I don't even know where to start. Maybe I'll have a better grasp of my to-do list tomorrow...

In the meantime, I leave you all with a couple pictures from our First Annual Non-Super-Bowl-Super-Bowl-BBQ:

Fashion Sense

I think I finally found it: I feel like I finally found a "style" that I'm comfortable with, and that is more "me" that most of the stuff I've been wearing in my 27 (almost 28!) years of life.

In elementary school my fashion was decided by Catholic nuns and my grandmother, and I rarely complained about what I was told to wear or really cared to give much input. Then I came back to California in the middle of junior high, and my insecurities flourished like no other. I had basically skipped a grade in my transition from the Guatemalan school year to the U.S. school year, so I was insecure about almost everything.

Most importantly, I had missed out on prime years of pop culture (which I've never recovered from). There there was the fact that I had attended an all girls school, so dirty jokes that flourish in junior high went right over my head. And the topper: I frequently pronounced things wrong--if I actually looked Hispanic, I'm sure kids and teachers would have understood...but how does a white girl in seventh grade not know how to pronounce basic English words? And why would she ask what her "note" was instead of her "grade"? Well that's because in Spanish grades are called "notas," and I decided to go for the direct translation on that one...yep, I can still remember exactly how embarrassed I was when the teacher called me out on that one...in front of everyone. Oh junior high...how I don't miss you. High school fashion wasn't much better...as you can tell from the picture below.

Needless to say, I wasn't the most secure or confident child. High school and college went by, and I never had the guts to wear stuff I really liked, because I didn't think I could "pull it off." I still don't, actually. But one thing that has helped a lot is having a very loving husband who has helped me be more secure about who I am and how I look. He tells me that I can pull things off...so I wear them and realize no one is staring me down as I assumed they would ("what was she thinking when she put that on?").

So here I am, at the age of 27, and I finally feel comfortable wearing what I want.

February 4, 2011

What I did:

• Drove to Riverside to meet with my asylum client so we could review and sign the documents we're filing on Tuesday
• Stopped by the bank to make some deposits
• Mailed out Articles of Incorporation for Haiti Scholarships
• Finally got Board of Directors' bios and pics up on our website
• Conference call with silent auction committee for OCHBA
• Spoke with pro bono coordinator for KIND regarding my motion and my appearance for Tuesday....feeling a little better about it, although knowing me I'll still have all sorts of stomach queasiness
• Spent a great evening with Jeff, since he's been home from work this week and I haven't had time to enjoy him being home! Went for a nice drive and stroll around Balboa/Newport
• Applied to three jobs

What I didn't do:

• No gym today
• No small claims
• No follow ups
• I didn't update scholarship applicant profiles; and I haven't reached out to people regarding sponsors for HS
• I didn't work on my u visa petition, which I need to get together by Tuesday also
• I need to start working on our California state exemption paperwork for HS, so we can get our federal exemption soon

February 3, 2011

What I did:

• Worked a little more on my motion, worked on supporting declarations and filled out the actual asylum application; spoke with my client and set up an appointment to meet with him tomorrow
• Went to Annie's house to meet Lilo and took her on a nice long walk so she could get to know me (I will be walking Lilo a few times a week for the next month and some change in exchange for a generous donation towards my Haiti trip--thank you Annie and Dan!)
• Went into the office for a little orientation on what I need to start doing next week
• Made changes to Articles of Inc for HS so I can put them in the mail tomorrow
• Did our final interview for media intern for HS, made a decision with Jim, and sent an email to the board with general updates
• Sent an email to my small claims friend with an update on why I haven't had time to actually do anything on her case...yet. But at least I'm keeping her in the loop!

I had high hopes for this evening, but due to unforeseen circumstances, didn't quite have the energy or desire to work late tonight. bleh.

What I didn't do:

• I didn't go to the gym, but Annie and I did walk Lilo for almost an hour...that should count, right?
• Didn't work on Jim's research, although I think I'm almost done with it and should be able to wrap it up tomorrow
• Didn't apply to the jobs I wanted to apply to today, due to unforeseen circumstances
• Didn't look for new jobs to apply to
• I didn't work on HS website

A giant thank you to my husband who kept me sane today.

February 2, 2011

Today was one of those days were I worked really hard at ONE thing, so my list is not exactly what I'd like it to be. Oh well...

What I did:

• Worked on my immigration motion for Tuesday. Got a good rough draft, gonna wake up early tomorrow morning to review and reviese, and fill out the Asylum Application and write necessary declaration to accompany it (I guess this goes in the "to do" column but I'm too tired to cut and past...but not too tired to keep typing...)
• Made appointment for asylum immigration client
• Worked out at home
• Made breakfast for Jeff and I (french toast and bacon, in case you're curious)
• Random emails for HS and HBA, but nothing too crazy
• Looked online for jobs, didn't find anything too exciting today
• Worked on research for Jim

What I didn't do:

• So many things, and I'm ready for bed...but you know, the usual stuff...

What I have to do tomorrow:

• I get to meet Lilo tomorrow!
• See grandma and take her for any last minute errands
• Possibly one last media intern interview with Jim
• Finish the stuff I mentioned above
• Stop by Maggie's office so I can figure out what I'm doing

All in all, not feeling the most accomplished today, but I do feel good about the progress I made

on the motion. I'm just not used to having one project take up so much time...

February 1, 2011

First of all, I can't believe February is already here. Where did January go?!

What I did:

• Cleaned up the kitchen a little
• Spent some quality time with my grandma, since she's going back to Guatemala on Saturday :(
• Printed and reviewed a bunch of asylum documents so I can start preparing my motion for next week. Starting to get nervous about this.
• Met with my U-visa client, reviewed declaration and petition, set a follow up appointment for next week so we can start wrapping things up
• Spoke with Maggie about working at her office part time
• Interviewed another potential media intern with Jim
• Prepared our state and federal taxes....all ready in an envelope and ready to get our refund!
• I looked for jobs
• Started working on research for Jim

What I didn't do:

• I didn't go to the gym
• I didn't apply to any jobs
• I didn't get started on my small claims case
• I didn't do as much as I wanted on my asylum case
• I didn't work on HS website

Not the greatest day as far as accomplishments go...which will make tomorrow a busy day.

What I need to do:

• Work on Jim's research project
• Need to set up an appointment for this week with asylum client so he can review and sign documents, and we can prep for next week's hearing
• All of the above items