Well here it is almost Christmas... and I'm still among the unemployed. Well, almost. I've been working at said company since August as a temporary Administrative Assistant (that's the new buzzword for Secretary these days.) It's not bad. I've moved five times in four months and learned five new desks. That translates to twelve different managers - whew! I've learned four new software applications and two new phone systems. Not bad for a fifty-something without a recent office job. Still, I'd sure like that permanent position. Corporate practice now is to "try you on for size" before hiring. Makes sense. What if you don't match the personality of the manager you'll be supporting? What if?

In the old days, you learned to mesh. Sometimes it was a challenge, but you learned to put your own things aside to do the job. Maybe the way they do it now is better, I don't know. I haven't had a much of a chance to find out. One position was a temp-to-perm slot, but the female manager didn't think too much of my work ethic. It seems I was always looking for something more to do. Go figure!

On the other hand, working as a temp has its advantages. I have plenty of time to do my homework. The owner of the desk usually leaves very little to do other than answer phones. That means I sit still a lot of the time. So I read, and do my Algebra, and now I have time to write. Guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me for awhile!

Blogging Day One

Isn't it amazing how the mind serves up its connections?

I was just trying to get a head start on my first week of school assignments at University of Phoenix Online when I tackled my 4th reading assignment, Blogs Will Change Your Business. Long article. Well written, I might add. All about blogs. It got me to thinking. My friend Joe has been talking blogs, blogs, blogs for weeks now. And I've been letting it go in one ear and out the other. You know what I mean. If I don't know much about a subject, I don't often grab the importance of it at first blush. Never mind that Joe is excited... I mean REALLY excited... about blogs. It just sounded like so much jibberish to me. Then I read this article about how blogs are sweeping the Internet world... media, marketing, personal communications. Wow! It sparked my neurons! I mean, the potential for networking is incredible! I write, you read, you write, we link... the possibilities are endless.

Take Joe for example. He's got this business idea. No, I can't tell you the details because then you'd do it and he'd be upset that I gave it away. But I can tell you that his idea is hot, and it will definitely grow faster if he makes use of blogs. I know that now because I read the article and I can see that the whole blog thing makes sense. And business isn't the only thing he's going to use blogs for. He has this hobby... racing remote control cars. He's crazy about the things. Even has a video on YouTube. Has a blog about RC cars, too. And he writes a blog for another business: http://www.themoneywave.com/ He says it grows the business faster than anything else he does. I'm not surprised. Now that I think about it, where else can you get free advertising for the price of a bit of time spent writing a few well-chosen words? Nowhere! Talk about an idea whose time has come!

You know, Joe has asked me to go in on his new business venture with him. All I have to do is write for his blog... Know what? I'll bet the silly thing takes off like a scalded ape! I'm no fool... I'm going to do it!



Want to see Joe's video? Great music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcSz3NYJOqY

If you've been wanting to go back to school but haven't made the leap yet, check it out at http://www.phoenix.edu/

Want to read the article Blogs Will Change Your Business?
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm