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Stop, Drop, and Ro
“If you're gonna screw up, do it while you're young. Older you get, the harder it is to bounce back.” – Winston Groom
Give out my social media passwords for a job interview? Never.
Full disclosure: this has absolutely nothing to do with my current place of work. I’m speaking out because young people and those re-entering the workforce need to know their rights in regards to privacy.
Why would you ever consent to giving someone your Facebook/Twitter/Google +/??Social Media Site passwords during a job interview? Unless you need a security clearance for something ie building a government facility, or entering the police force, DON’T DO IT.
Here is why:
In Canada and the USA there are certain things that a potential employer is NEVER allowed to ask you. They are not entitled to know information such as your marital status, your age (with the exception of determining if you are of legal working age,) your religion, if you have children etc. By asking for your social media passwords you are effectively allowing them to access that information, and that is illegal. Don’t think for one moment that it is okay for them to ‘Friend Request’ you, either. Do yourself a favour and lock up your Facebook account to the maximum privacy settings – Only Friends for everything. Otherwise they won’t even have to ask for the information, it’s there for the taking.
What business do potential employers have peering into the way you interact with your friends and family? The last time I checked it was just an applicant applying for a job, not their dumbass friends and family applying as a group package. Would you allow a potential employer to have access to your personal email? Text messages? The way you talk to your spouse/partner in a private message or the way you interact with your buddies should have absolutely no standing when applying for a job. Sometimes I’m a fucking hooligan on the weekends, and yet on Monday morning I’m in dress clothes, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to kick off that meeting BECAUSE I AM A PROFESSIONAL. Monday-Friday, 9-5 I am a professional and I get it done, and I do it well. If you looked at my Facebook profile or my Twitter feed you might not get the same picture because professional Ro and the rest of the time Ro are two different people. Should your boss care what you do in your free time? Not unless it has an impact at work, and then only things pertaining to work need to be discussed.
Let’s face it, when you’re at the office you’re probably not cracking brewskis or bangin babes in the coat closet. If you are, well, you deserve to be fired (unless it’s office-sanctioned Beer Club Fridays, then you’re fine, but sexual harassment is still sexual harassment.) I think you can say no in a firm, but professional way. Let them know that your accounts contain personal information regarding marital status, your age, and your religion that you don’t need to disclose. Assure them that your personal life has absolutely no bearing on your professional life, and your qualifications, references and demeanour speak for themselves. You need to practice saying these things now and be confident about saying them. It is illegal for a potential employer to turn you down for not surrendering your passwords, that would be discrimination because what they are asking for is illegal in it’s nature.
Key points:
1. Lock that shit up!
2. Just say no.
3. Don’t be intimidated, respect yourself and stand your ground.
4. You are a professional, so act like one.
In the end, would you really want to work for a company who needed to pry into your personal life? I wouldn’t.
Burrard Public House in Port Moody
Have you ever been to Port Moody? It’s at the end of the Barnet Highway and is directly across the water from Deep Cove. It’s a great place to live and play.
A few days ago I went to the Burrard Public House on St. John’s Street in Port Moody which opened at the tail end of November 2011. Formerly a hotel, the new owners have done a complete renovation to the interior, and I have to say it’s pretty nice.
Ro Goes Screen Printing
For a point in time I was addicted to buying discount vouchers. I bought them for workshops, restaurants, hotel stays, spas etc. The very first one that I redeemed was a sauna and massage package and that was a disaster. In light of that, I’ve been a lot more careful about what I commit myself to.
I found a Social Shopper voucher for a screen printing workshop at Blim in Vancouver. Last week I finally got around to booking it to keep myself occupied because the husband is away. I took myself for dinner at Acme Cafe (did you know I write for What’s for Lunch BC, too? Check it out) and attended Level 1 Screen Printing and it was AWESOME! I want to screen print everything. My particular class had 3 other adults and 4 kids in it. The kids were really distracting and sometimes a little harrowing as I tried to protect my own work from their messy hands. Did you know that Blim also offers a children’s workshop?
The burned screen after it's water bath
We watched a home made instructional video which was followed by a live demo. There is nothing high-tech about the process except for the emulsion and burning process. My image was printed on a transparency sheet, laid on the screen under a sheet of glass and suntanned under a 1,000 watt lightbulb for 6 minutes. I washed my screen in a water bath and voila! My image appeared on the screen. Neato.
I used super colour, which is more like paint, since my scarf was a little darker, rather than the water-based dyes. The process is easy enough- put paint along the top and use a squeegee to distribute it.
Adding super colour to my screen
It’s a process to change colours because you have to wash and air dry your screen each time. I staggered my image and used three different colours and I really like the look.
Distributing the colour or completing a pass
The first print, yep it's a diamond. Diamonds are a girl's bestfriend!
A big thank you to Yuriko at Blim for being ever so patient!
Gender Equality- or not
Yesterday a (male) co-worker called me ‘woman’ out of anger. Never before in my life have I been reduced to my gender in place of my name.
The situation was not meant to be confrontational. I asked him to clean up after himself and he retorted with, “Jesus woman! It’s just a few dishes. How hard is it to put them away?’ MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am automatically there to clean up after you. You are more than capable of putting your dishes into the dishwasher, especially since I unload it every morning when I get in. I did not resort to name calling or degrading you in any manner. I didn’t send you an email or act in a passive way because I am an adult and if the roles were reversed, I’d want to know. I’d apologize and take responsibility. I am fair to a fault, even if it meant my own undoing. I admit when I’m wrong, I’ll admit when I was snarky, because two wrongs don’t make a right. But I wasn’t either of those in this circumstance and you lashed out and called me woman and tried to put me in my place which apparently is doing your dishes.
And today I got a phone call from another man asking for the principal of the firm. Being unavailable I asked the caller if I could take a message. Then the caller said, “I’d prefer to speak with a gentleman.” I said, “Excuse me?” and the caller said, “I’d rather deal with a man.” I told the caller never to phone this office ever again. They could have asked for another discipline and I would have been 100% okay with that, but they had to ask for someone not female. Seriously? What century do you live in? I happen to be the principal’s executive assistant, and chances are he’d pass whatever matter to me anyway.
I am balancing being livid and trying not to cry. There is no crying in the executive world, only on the phone when you need the airline to credit your non-refundable flights.
In search of perfect skin- part 1
I want perfect skin, but for the last year it’s been a struggle. Maybe because I started going to the gym and was sweating more? I shower on a regular basis, wash my face in the morning and evening, use a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Twice a week I exfoliate and do a face mask. I only use spa-grade products, recommended especially for me, because I have sensitive skin. Most products either cause me to break out or my skin gets really red, or I get a chemical burn. AND still my pores seem to be out of control. First-world girl problems, I am aware.
And then I found Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask. On the very first application I noticed a few things:
- it feels like a cream as opposed to clay
- no tingling/burning sensation
- does not dry on your skin
- only one application required a week
- chemical exfoliation, no need for anything abrasive to clear away dead skin cells and build up
I was able to keep it on my skin for the full 15 minutes without any ill effects. I wiped it off and my skin was baby smooth and it looked fabulous. No redness, no tightness, no dryness. My pores were almost non-existent. I used this mask before bed, and the next morning my face was still looking pretty. I give Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask an A+ and I’m going to check out the rest of their skin care line. I’ll let you know what I find.
You can buy it on their website, here, or here. Always buy your beauty products from a trusted retailer.
Happy face washing!
2011 in Review
Just ctrl F and see if I mentioned you. This is long.
A lot happened for me in 2011.
I went back to the gym in February. I set a goal to wear my bikinis in the summer, which had been safely packed away since I got married. Note to you people- you get married and you get fat. You don’t think it will happen to you, and then it does.
Someone in my family got really sick and spent a number of weeks in the hospital. It’s still a daily struggle and it’s always on my mind, but we’re managing a lot better. I love you, you know who you are.
I am a Christian and I’m not Catholic, but I love the idea of making a sacrifice for God for spiritual obedience if you will. For Lent this year I gave up shopping. It was a good exercise- the times I was tempted to spend money I had to stop and reflect, and rely on the grace of God for the will to walk away. I failed a few times- I bought some art supplies at Michael’s and pancake-flavoured lip gloss that I didn’t need. My views on money and the need to buy stuff changed.
I started running. I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought that I would be someone who enjoyed running, and at first I really, really hated it. I ran from March through August, and then stopped. However, whenever something is bothering me, I get the physical urge to go running. I miss running, so I bought some running tights and a running jacket. I look WAY cuter in my running shorts and tank top, but it’s not reasonable to dress that way in the winter. HEAR THAT GIRLS? IT’S NOT REASONABLE.
Somewhere in there I started using Twitter as a means to interact with The Peak 100.5 fm. Honest to blog, I was so effing sick of all the whiners on their Facebook page. Every day, sometimes every hour, someone was saying, “If you play ________ song one more time I’m going to stick a needle in my eye” or “You used to be cool, but now you’re just playing the same music over and over.” The Peak is the best damn radio station out there, and I think people get a little spoiled and lose their heads. I couldn’t take it, so I ditched their Facebook wall for 3/4 of the year. The Peak’s DJs are some of the kindest and most inspiring people, and it was well worth the switch to Twitter to stay in contact.
I LOVE Twitter. It’s the best and worst thing to happen to me this year. The cons: it’s a giant time vacuum. The pros: everything else. I’ve met so many amazing people. There is always one gateway person though, someone who “introduces” you to their followers, someone who you can hijack followers from, and my gateway person was/is Dylan. I still regularly check out who he is talking to (tweavesdropping) for some new timeline content. Another fun thing about Twitter is trying to remember why you started talking to people, or who you know them through. Some are very vivid, others not so much. Most of the people I follow rally around music and food. I finally met Dylan in person at Andrew Palooza, which leads me to Scott.
Scott Graham. Creator of What’s for Lunch BC, friend of Dylan. Scott organized an event called Andrew Palooza to raise money so his friend Andrew could get the Liberation Treatment for MS. Who does that? Scott does because he’s a good person. Through Andrew Palooza I met more awesome Twitter people: Hi Heston, Lyndsey, Daniel, and Bodhi!
I also found hockey this year. It happened, and before the playoffs, too. It broke my heart when The Canucks didn’t win the Stanley Cup, but my cousin Wayne has been a Bruins fan his whole life, and the bbm that I got from him made a bad situation okay. Wayne’s life long dream came true. My six-week dream didn’t come true. There is still time.
My dad turned 50. Still so young even though he thinks he’s ancient as …. nevermind.
At some point I started talking to some pretty swell music people and we hosted the Vancouver Indie Music Tweetup at Spanish Banks. I met so many great people that day. Hoping there is another one in 2012, because now I now where to find the concession stand.
The hot husband and I saw Katy Perry and it was everything we had hoped it would be, and more. If I could be a musician, I would be her. If hot husband could be a musician, he would be her, too.
We went to Newfoundland for a fam jam. I always love it there, it’s always a good time. We went ziplining, which if you know me is a really big deal because I am TERRIFIED of heights. So terrified that I need sedatives to get on an air plane, otherwise I bother the other passengers. Russ met the big family for the first time, and as I suspected, my family loved him to bits. He won my grandmother’s heart by asking her if she’d like a bowl of ice cream after dinner the first night.
Another summer highlight was going to Live at Squamish, on the best weekend of the entire summer. It was hot, dry, and the venue could not have been more perfect. Also- there were unlimited in/out privileges. HELLO CAR BAR in the parking lot. We were totally sober for the drive back to our campsite, and the drive home. I promise. Even if the officer who pulled me over for driving without headlights had to question it, I was responsible.
I went to Wreck Beach for the first time. One of those bucket list items that I got to check off. I’ll be back.
The last quarter of the year was spent mostly at home. Hot husband and I patched and painted our main floor, and replaced all the baseboards. It took a lot longer than we expected, but we’re loving our home that much more, and we did it together. In November, Scott officially welcomed me to the What’s for Lunch BC team. I am loving that I have a place to write about my culinary experiences, and someone to bounce ideas from. I am looking forward to 2012 and being Scott’s intern/assistant/sidekick. I think we make a good team.
I did a lot of baking and cooking this year. I had a hard look at our diet and we made some drastic changes for the better. If you want to maintain your weight, eating at home is key. Knowing what you are eating is 80% of the battle, portion control makes up the other 20%. For a while, I was looking up the nutritional content of the menus before I went out to eat, but that made eating out a miserable experience, so I stopped. There has to be some give in order to be successful. I did wear my bikinis this summer. I wasn’t perfect, but I was satisfied with what I saw. I hope to truly achieve bikini hotness in 2012.
I am so grateful for the relationships that have been forged this year and for the time that I got to spend on making myself a better person. I think 2011 totally rocked. In 2012 I think I need to work on what I want to do when I grow up. I still don’t know. I do know that there is something out there, waiting for me.
Christmas Vacation
Just a few more days and then I am off work until January 3rd. I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT. This last month has totally burnt me out.
I’ve had less help from the hot husband than I have in previous years to organize Christmas for our families. It’s not his fault, and it kills him that he’s been tied to his desk. He’s an amazing man and he works his ass off, so I feel that I can pick up the slack and work hard, too. However- we’re both drained. I got sick a number of weeks ago and I haven’t recovered yet. I’m not sleeping because I’m up all night coughing, and he’s not sleeping because he’s up all night working. We’re up at 5am most days. We’re down to one car, and we’re taking turns driving each other to work and transiting home. I picked up a night a week at Job #2 for the first three weeks of December. Our calendar is sickeningly full and it’s December 19th and I’m only 1/2 done my wrapping, I still have gifts to buy, a Christmas dinner to plan, and parcels to mail out (fuck, I needed to do that last week [It's my blog and I can swear if I want to]) grocery shopping, and I think I’m going to have to bribe my little sister to clean my house for me.
I can’t wait until I am done work so that I can hang up my drivers license and start drinking. I have some very specific goals to reach during my vacation:
1. Read a couple of books. I think I’ll just spend an entire day in my pajamas, in bed, with a pot of tea, reading. My ereader is already loaded, charged, and ready to go.
2. Party my face off at least twice, not counting New Years Eve. I need help, because right now there are no plans in place to do this.
3. Eat and blog about it. I’ve neglected What’s for Lunch BC and I have a few places that need to be experienced.
4. Go to the Vancouver Aquarium. I bought a membership for myself and some family members and I don’t think anyone used them. That was a waste. I love it there and I’m going to see all my favourite things.
5. Cooking. I’m going to cook a bunch of yummy things in large batches and freeze them so that there will be zero excuse to eat crappy food when we’re pressed for time.
6. See some people who I like but don’t generally get to see because they live far away and/or are in school. Call me, we’ll chill by the Telus Optik TV fireplace.
7. Wash my lunch bag. It looks gross.
Please help me obtain my goals of eating, being social and partying. I can probably swing the reading thing while I’m hung over. I just realized that I can order my groceries online and have them delivered to my house, and same for liquor to my office. Divide and conquer, I will get this stuff done by Friday.
Love,
Rochele
Please just snow
I just want it to snow. A lot.
Before this year I hated snow, but mostly because I was pissed off that I had to drive in it. However, now that I am a transit user, I don’t really care what the weather brings. I’m on a hospital route so my street gets ploughed, and the bus takes two major roads and voila! I’m at the office.
There is something about snow that grounds me. It dampens the noise and life seems to slow down. I love that bleak, greyness of the harbour when it is snowing. My favourite thing is walking in snow by myself. It’s a good time to reflect.
Sometimes I need forced quiet time. I’m plugged in all the time and I find it so difficult to shut off and be 100% present. Maybe it’s why I like baking and sewing because it requires my undivided attention. I try to give all my attention when I’m with my friends, but I often fail to do the same for my family.
I just want to stop what I’m doing, go outside, and be centred for a little while. I want to watch the snow with absolutely no agenda and nowhere to be. I want winter.
Here is one of my favourite images Blue Pond and Snow from Hokkaido, Japan. What I would give to be in a kayak, paddling while it snows? I can almost feel the sleet on my face and hands. Winter is solemn, and I’m feeling that way today.
