Why Does My Stomach Hate Me?!

For a few months now, every time I eat something, my stomach has been in a lot of pain, and quite often makes me puke.  This is not fun by any means and it has progressively been getting worse.  It doesn't even matter what I eat anymore, because everything does it.  Spicy foods, coffee, and fruits and veggies cause the worst pain.  This morning I woke up with the stomach pain and hadn't even eaten anything.  What's worse is that I had planned to go give my resumes to lots of different shops but now I can't do so because I'll either be grimacing in pain or burping a ridiculous and embarrassing amount.  Luckily for me, G is wonderful and very compassionate.  He holds my hand and even eats in the kitchen when my stomach hurts to the point where I can't eat so I don't have to smell or see the yummy food.  I think that I probably have acid reflux but I don't know for sure because doctors don't see people who can't pay them, and right now I am a person who can't pay both a doctor and my rent, so I choose rent.  To make matters worse my Grandpa was diagnosed with acid reflux before and then they learned that it was actually stomach cancer by the time that it was stage 4 cancer.  This is always at the back of my mind and I try not to think about it.  I know that I probably don't have cancer but I have also always been extremely prone to worry.  G would say that I'm catastrophizing.  I'm also very tired of the people in my building asking if I'm pregnant when I'm sick to my stomach.  No I'm not pregnant; stop asking.  I would just like to be better for Thanksgiving, because I am spending it with G's family again and don't want to have to hide in the bathroom and hope they can't hear me burping, or just suffer in pain.

Update: I have thankfully been put back on full-time at work for now, so I set up a doctor's appointment at the neighborhood clinic for poor people for next Wednesday.

Friday Fashion: Is it Winter Yet?

I wore this outfit today to go sell books and look fashionable while giving my resume to fashion places.  The bookstore only bought one book : (  Brave and unedited pictures once again.

hat: Wish (it has a pom pom on top but you can't see it in the picture, yellow shirt: Walmart (I got it in high school), dress: yard sale for just $6, tights: eBay (they're really good tights, not just really good for $5), boots: Goodwill

Stuff I Learned...

...from having a full-time job and then having it turn into only working 16 hours a week

1.  It is always a good idea to try to make yourself as irreplacable as possible by appearing eager and positive about everything you do at work even if you hate it.  (I only hated a few tasks at work, mainly scrubbing the finishes off of coins to put other finishes on them.)

2.  No matter how valuable you are to the team at work, if the boss can't afford to pay you, you'll probably get laid off.

3.  Know what you're good at and be sure to do those things when you've finished your assigned tasks.  Make your boss like you by not constantly bugging her (or him).  This is what made my boss decide to keep me on, even though it's just a tiny bit, rather than some of the other employees who have been working there for five years.

4.  Sometimes you have to spend money on things and sometimes you can still wear your old socks that all have holes in them and jeans that don't fit well at all.  You shouldn't feel bad about buying stuff that you didn't absolutely need, especially when you get the best deal possible. (although I have definitely been wishing I didn't buy that stuff but it's not like I could know this would happen, or that I'd have a crazy hospital bill for that matter)

5.  There's pretty much always more stuff you can sell (or try to sell because I tried to sell some of my clothes yesterday and they only bought one item).  I also plan to sell my netbook and books.

6.  Connections are super important.  Always be friendly to people who work at places where you shop because at some point you might be applying for a job there.

That's pretty much it.  I'm going to go try to sell some books now and then update my resume with my most recent information and then go apply for jobs.

Fall Favorites and Some News

favorite fall beverage: chai tea latte (I like to get the Oregon Chai stuff from the store and make them myself at home because it is so much cheaper than buying them.)

favorite fall accessory: hats

favorite color of changing leaves: dark red

favorite pie: pumpkin


And now for the news.  Everyone at my work got laid off because we only got three new orders last week instead of the usual fifty or so.  My boss can't afford to pay us when she isn't getting paid herself.  However I am being kept on two days (16 hours) a week to do inventory.  I do still need to find a new job though.  In order to make the bare minimum I need each month (which would just pay rent) I need $100 a month more than I'll be earning.  I do have enough money saved for two more month's rent.  This couldn't have come at a worse time though since I did miss over a week off my last paycheck because of wisdom teeth surgery complications.  I'm kind of wishing I didn't buy everyone's Christmas presents already so I would have more money.  Hopefully I'll be able to find a job quickly this time, unlike before.  So today I am super duper busy trying to sell books, clothes, photograph and list jewelry for my Etsy shop, make new new jewelry, speed up my laptop, and way too many other things.  I also need to update my resume and references and then tomorrow the job hunt begins once again.  I'm working Wednesday and Thursday each week now.

Second thing (well third, I guess): I created the code CHRISTMAS2012 for my Etsy shop.  Use it on purchases now through Christmas to receive 10% off your order.  There will be quite a few more things for sale there in the next few days too, so watch for those.  Also as of today my Etsy shop, Honeybee Alley, ships to the UK.  I have no idea how much things cost to ship there so the shipping prices may change in the future.