Life Keeps Moving Forward

So, the interview yesterday went better than anticipated. For once, it actually felt like more of a discussion than a barrage of unnecessary and somewhat confusing questions. I sat with the recruiter and chatted for close to an hour. At the end of it he said he would set up a time with the department head for a second interview. So, I have another interview scheduled for tomorrow afternoon :)

Yay!

*keep wallet in check*

I wouldn't say I'm doing better at keeping my anticipatory spending in check, I've just repurposed it. Instead of going out and buying Starbucks, a magazine, or something along those lines, I picked up my groceries instead.

Itch scratched, belly full. I still need to get rid of the itch though.

My money nerves are getting a little more raw the longer I go without a pay check. I haven't had to touch the money in my emergency savings account yet, but it's getting close. I'll have to move the money over soon.

I just want to get back to my regular debt repayment schedule. It was less stressful than this.

I'm Confident?

Do you ever feel like your confidence isn't really there? Like that "I can do it!" spark is missing in action?

I know I do.

I had 2 job interviews last week, and I have another one at 2pm today. Any of the positions I'm interviewing for would be a great job. One is in construction, one is in oil and gas, and one is in manufacturing. They're all a little different from each other, but all connected to my educational background. They would all would be quite interesting as well. While I should be walking into these with the confident strut of someone who KNOWS they can do they job, which I can, I find that my personal air cushion is distinctly lacking. Like I have a pin hole in my ego. I feel like I come across fake, which is frustrating for me because I've never had this problem before. What's troubling, is that I'm not entirely sure why I'm wavering. Is it because I'm still hung up on my experiences at my previous employer? Or is it because moving forward I'm having a hard time picturing myself in my current career path? Is that because of my recent experiences? I don't know.

How am I supposed to walk into an interview and try to sell myself to a prospective employer, when I haven't even sold myself to me?

I've got just under 3 hours to psych myself up and become the best sales person I can be. The company wants my product, they just don't know it yet. Its time they knew it.

All else fails, does anyone want to "help" me in my interview like the one in this video? If so let me know, because I'm completely down for it!

Holiday Weekend Link Love

There were some great posts around the blogosphere lately, I wish I could post them all! These were my highlights this week:

Money Rabbit finishes her 5k in under 30 minutes! Congratulations girl :)

Krystal shows us how she plans on demolishing her mortgage. I wish I was in a better place financially, our mortgages are almost identical and I think we could race ;)

Fabulously Frugirl shows how a free car isn't exactly free.

Cents of a Country Girl breaks down the cost of farming an acre of soy. It's not glamourous work, but someone has to do it. Thank you ACG for doing it!

Morgaine ends her biweekly budget in the black! W00T little successes!

J$ write about more clever ways to save money. Lots of good ideas in the comments section too!

Paying Myself posted a video of a little girl with right idea. Everyone should spend more time doing what this little girl is doing!

Sandy at Yes I Am Cheap finally got rid of her tenant from hell!

SheBloggs had a bunch of great posts this week, but her one on starting a business was my favourite. Point #1 is especially important!

Echo wrote a post on selecting a dividend growth stock that I'll be revisiting again when I have some money to invest!

Is Anybody Out There?

If you are reading this, I'll take that as evidence enough that the world didn't end yesterday at 6pm.

Awesome.

As evidenced by the fact that I'm writing this post, I obviously didn't fall into the believer camp. The bible says no one but the Father knows when the world will end, so why should I believe one guy who says based on an arbitrary numerical calculation that he knows when its going to happen? Sure, the numbers 5, 10 and 17 may have biblical significance, but so does 3. Why wasn't 3 included in the calculation?

I was quite amused by the rolling earthquake at 6pm local time. I'd like to point out, at least from a physics perspective, that shockwaves aren't unidirectional. And besides, if God doesn't want us to know when the end is coming, do you think he'd let it happen on a day that's been so heavily advertised? Personally, if I was to plan a surprise and someone went around announcing it, I'd pick it up and move it a couple days. Just saying.

Its interesting to note that the same fellow has made this prediction before, only last time it was September 1994. I kind of feel bad for Robert Fitzpatrick, the guy spent his life savings on placards for New York subway cars announcing that yesterday was the end of the world. He's 60 years old, and now he has nothing left. You would think there would be some way to protect people from themselves, but there isn't. Mr. Fitzpatrick has no money left, I (among others) have large debts, and someone else out there is laughing all the way to the bank.

Bugger.

But, I'm not going to dwell on this today. In fact, I'm going to forget about it entirely. It's a long weekend, it's beautiful outside, my parents are visiting from out of province, and I'm spending time with them and a wonderful man. Life is still going, and its good.

Have a good Sunday everyone :)

I'm No Weed Eater

I have declared war on my lawn.

Specifically, I've declared war on the plants that think they should inhabit my lawn.

As I've mentioned before, I bought my home in foreclosure. It was not well cared for, and that extended to the lawn. You know when you look at a neighbourhood of nicely manicured lawns, and then you come across one that no one is caring for and let go? I bought "that house". Yay. Didn't really think about that at the time, because it was October/November and I looked at it in the evening.

Last spring I was welcomed by a sea of yellow dandelions and prickly thistle. I attacked them with fervour, digging them out, using chemical weed killers, and going so far as pulling the sod right up and reseeding the ground.

This spring their numbers have been greatly reduced, and the plants are much smaller/younger. The grass I put in last year is struggling, and is mostly brown. As much as its an eye sore, it's made it surprisingly simple to locate the weeds as they're coming up. This year I actually have fewer weeds than my neighbours :)

I wasn't a huge fan of using the chemicals last year. Its expensive, and it goes against a lot of my green beliefs, so I looked up a bunch of frugal green to do with weeds.

1. Pull Them Out! - The frustrating thing about dandelions and thistle is that they have tap roots. Basically, they're carrot shaped roots that dig deep into your lawn. Even if you run a lawn mower over them and cut off the flowers, they'll come back year after year because you haven't killed the plant itself. If you can get yourself a weed puller and pull that sucker right out of the ground, you'll be much better off. Bag it and chuck it in the garbage so the seeds don't spill out on the ground as the plant dies.
2. Boiling Water - This does for weeds what it does for vegetables, it cooks them. This would work quite well along sidewalks and under patios, where you don't want anything growing. Be careful in other areas, because it doesn't cook selectively. It cooks the animal life as well, which is why people use it on ant hills.
3. Vinegar - It's an acid, and plants don't like acid. Some like acidic soil, sure, but they don't like acid on them. Think acid rain. Again, this isn't selective, so be careful with it. I read somewhere that if you mix a little dish soap in it the vinegar will stick to the plant better. Spray it on the leaves of the plant. Most plants are shaped in such a way that moisture will funnel its way from the leaves to the base of the plant, which helps nicely in the weed killing department.
4. Salt - There is a reason soldiers used to salt the earth of their enemies. If you salt the earth, nothing will grow there for quite some time. As with the boiling water, this will work well for areas you don't want any plant life, such as sidewalks. Mix it in the boiling water and you've hit the weeds with a one two punch.
5. Alcohol - It dehydrates you, and it will dehydrate plants. Spray it on the surface and let it shrivel. Note that you'll need to use rubbing alcohol for this, not beer.
6. Corn Gluten - This doesn't actually kill weeds, this just prevents weed seeds from sprouting and taking over. While you're doing your thing taking care of the weeds in your lawn, sprinkle some of this on the ground to prevent other people's weed seeds from taking root. Note that you should make sure you don't intend on over seeding afterwards, as it will prevent grass seed from taking root as well.
7. Eat Them -  You read that right. Dandelions were originally brought over from Europe by the Spaniards to plant in their gardens. Being a non-local species, they kind of took off... and you know the rest. The plant is edible. I've seen deep fried flowers, dandelion greens in salads (get them young or they turn bitter), or greens steamed like spinach or swiss chard. I've actually seen it for sale at my local organic grocer. Sadly, I am severely allergic to them. If I get their milky white liquid on me, I start reacting. If you're not, and you haven't put anything on them, try eating them. You might lower your grocery bill.

How do you deal with your weeds?