Cufflinks

Rob finished his first batch of cufflinks recently. Check them out HERE for the Etsy store. Custom orders are available.

Poconos Part 3 - Eagles

On Sunday we went on a little drive to the Delaware River. We saw parts of the old canal and the aqueduct that is now a road. We also were on the lookout for Bald Eagles. We were not disappointed.

This picture is from the aqueduct to the boat landing. We had been on the landing just a few minutes before looking at an eagle in a tree across the river through binoculars. We also saw a couple soaring through the sky. Then while at this location we saw an eagle flying so close to the people on the landing. He was looking for fish or bait hoping the fishermen dropped something. If you click on the picture and make it big, you might be able to find the eagle in this photo. We packed up and drove right back over to the landing.

Here is the eagle. Sitting on the top of the tree right next to us. My camera doesn't have a very big zoom. It's great for snapshots, not so great for close-ups of wildlife in trees.
Rob did a little Maverick like maneuvering and got the camera set up so that he could take a picture through the binoculars. Here is a first attempt where you can see the binocular ring. But look how close that eagle is! You can see the beak.
To get the shot Rob set the camera to macro. Because with the binocular magnification the eagle was at macro distance. He put the camera against the binocular eyepiece and then used the viewfinder to get the eagle centered.
He sat like this for the 30 minute we watched, and probably stayed for awhile. It was somewhat difficult to get his profile because he was looking away from us to the fishermen on the boat. He never got any dropped fish or bait while we were there. But we did hear his call.
Very cool day.

Poconos Part 2

Rob had a great time on the ice. Here are some movies to show how much fun.

I didn't do this, but I did try to spin on my shoes and I fell. Then Rob told me to sit and he took my feet and spun me like on one of those old toys with the disk that spin. That was fun too.

Poconos Part 1

Well, I am finally getting around to blogging. But the culprit in my lack of time was not the work - it is that my laptop has died. I am taking it to get fixed on Tuesday, but I have had to share a computer with Rob. Sharing is no fun when the person you are sharing with has actual work to do and you want to sit and blog and check facebook. But now it is the weekend so here I am.

Some friends of my cousins have a house in the Poconos, right on one of the lakes with a funny name that I cannot remember. They graciously invited us for the weekend. Of course we accepted.

This is the view from the back window.The lake was completely frozen. The house had no internet (well there was a dial-up connection - but who needs that). And in some places we had no cell service. Perfect for a weekend getaway. The first day we were there we stayed in our pjs and did a jigsaw puzzle, and some of the millions of crosswords. I actually finished a few almost by myself. Then we went out for a birthday dinner for Peggi.

Day two we went walking across the frozen lake. It was fun.

When we weren't outside or doing crosswords, we watched the birds on the feeders. This picture was taken with Rob's new technique to read about in the Eagle post.

Out of Town

Today we head to the Poconos to get away from it all. My cousins have friends who have a house and have graciously invited us for the weekend too; so no champagne hot tubs for us. Someone asked what we are getting away from. It's not like we are exactly working 9-5 at the moment. We are getting away from the same daily grind of the city, and the cabin fever of our apartment, and the stress of applying to an endless number of jobs. It is nice to get away from reality for a few days, even if ours isn't traditional at the moment. So pictures next week - but it might take a few days because we both have PAYING freelance jobs lined up for next week when we return.

Spring Is in the Air

It sure feels like it anyhow at a sunny 52 outside. A far cry from my last post with all the snow.


(pic from Brooklyn Botanical Garden 2006)

Rob and I went out this morning for a bakery breakfast where we clipped coupons from the bakery newspaper - a good tip if you don't get the paper delivered. And then headed to Stop and Shop for the weekly groceries. It was warmer than expected, but there was a little drizzle. We discussed how we need to pull out the dead plants from our planters and turn the soil - maybe mixing in some rabbit droppings from our very own rabbit to make the soil more fertile to plant something in a couple of months.
As we left the grocery the sun was shining, and only a light wind. That is a big change as the wind has been killer. Last night was warmish, but I was still bundled up. Today though, I unbuttoned my coat and kept the gloves off. When we got home, first thing was to turn off the heat and open the door to the balcony. When you get a chance you have to air out the apartment. It's amazing how warm it feels in here today at 62 when I'm usually under a blanket at our normal winter temp of 68.
Ah, it's these days that I cherish because even though I know spring is a ways away, and that there is a good chance of frigid weather soon, at least I remember that it is a possibility.

The View From Here

Resume Overhaul

I have always prided myself on the fact that I have a good resume. I wrote my first resume in High School, and it was simply awful by my standards today. I made that one from a template in the Career and Life Skills class that was required. In college I updated this same template for a few years. And then I started looking for internships. I went to a Resume Talk that my dorm was hosting and saw what my resume could be. I spent several weeks going to the Career Building (I can't remember what it is really called, but is in the house across from the Health Center at IU) which I recommend to anyone who is getting ready to graduate or start the intern process. They helped me re-format and learn to write in an active voice. I have sections. I have a good resume.

As I have worked for the last few years, I have had to update my resume, probably more than most do to the fluidity of my chosen profession. I've added jobs, deleted substitute teaching, moved Education to the bottom under experience, and deleted "Software" cause really you should be able to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. What I didn't realize I was doing, well I knew I was doing it but didn't realize it could hurt me, was tailoring my resume to my chosen field. This is great when I am looking for jobs in Research and Production. I took out the administrative jobs, and put emphasis on the production management and research analysit skills.

This morning I spoke with a Recruiter that a friend had recommended. I need a job, and I am open to anything. As we were talking I mentioned my experience as an Executive Assistant. She asked where, and I told her at Stretch Films, and listed some of those duties. She then pointed out that none of that was on the resume. WHAT! Oops! I had totally forgotten that except for the title which is on there as "Executive Assistant / Production" There is virtually no mention of my many administrative skills. Which includes typing, proofreading, booking travel, and a surprising (to me when I really thought about it) amount of data management.

I made a fatal mistake. I didn't write to the audience. Especially in the current economic atmosphere, there are plenty of qualified candidates who have worked in admin jobs in a business field that is not television. So I spent the morning revamping my resume's job duties to include the administrative skills. I also re-vamped the language, because while someone in television looking at my resume knows what post-production coordinator or storyboard editing means, someone in the traditional business world probably does not. Or at least don't see how that skill translates. I feel good about this - except for one more small point.

I have had A LOT of jobs. And they often only last a few months. While in television this is normal, and a wide amount of work is a good thing. To a business (and the mortgage company) it looks like you are flighty and can't keep a job. So I also re-organized with long-term jobs on top, followed by a list of "Freelance Experience." It's the best I can do.

I now have three resumes for 2009. One that I sent to the recruiter, who so kindly asked me to re-submit with changes and she will pass along my resume to the correct department. One that I re-vamped for Production Coordinator and Admin jobs, I realized that including some of the administrative skills is actually a plus, and some of the language is a little more professional. And then I have my original 2009 resume that I will continue to submit to animation production and research jobs.

I'm hoping this resume overhaul does good things. Now on to the dreaded cover letter...