Category Archives: work

My Office Space!

03 Sunday Jan 2010

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As promised. So, as I mentioned, I’m currently working out of a cubicle. Not very glamorous for an attorney, but it’s a job! I am trying to make the most of it, and as the only girl working among a bunch of boys, I must say it IS the best decorated!
Yes, I do have the mandated picture of Jeff and I, along with my much-needed cup of coffee. It’s also a bit hard to make out in between the computer screen and the green mug, but it IS one of my prized possessions: my Initech mug that I got from Dana Lu (based on the movie, Office Space).
So, they promised me that this was only temporary workspace and that I would be getting an office soon. It’ll either be one of the offices that’s currently occupied by someone, or they’ll be converting this space into offices:
We’ll see what happens!

Work Update: Printer

29 Tuesday Dec 2009

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I got my own printer! For most of you, this may not mean much. But for those who remember my Office Space entry, the shared printer was getting uber frustrating. Alex (the other Alex, I’m not referring to myself in the third person…yet) really pulled through and mentioned to the attorney that calling the office manager to ask her if we could print, then walking around the corner to pick up every document we print, was really getting in the way of our productivity. Said and done–within an hour or so, there was a printer installed in my cubicle (no office yet, I’ll post on that later).


Hooowwwever, I’m a little anal on organization and layout. I had gotten comfortable with how I had set up my desk, and the extension cord didn’t reach to where I ideally would have wanted the printer. So I had to apologize for being a high maintenance attorney, and I [very nicely] asked for an extension cord so I could move it to the complete opposite side of my desk. With a little hustle and bustle, the printer was where I wanted it, and now I’m off to prove that I deserve a raise!

*sorry for boring you on my printer status, and the many
more similar office posts that are to come*

Work Update

22 Tuesday Dec 2009

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So for those regular followers, I wanted to give you all a quick update on things. As I knew would happen, now that I have a full time job I haven’t been able to write on here as much as I’d like. I’m starting to make notes of ideas I get for things to write, whenever they come to mind, which means endless stickies which might not make sense when I read them a couple days later.

So if you remember from my last blog, I wrote about the new lady that had started working at my office. Well, after discovering her perpetual lateness (every day since she started, and I’m not talking about 5-10 minutes late, I’m talking about an hour to an hour and a half late), she was promptly let go. Crazy, but it makes sense. Anyhow, there’s another new girl that’s doing some side work, and she seems like a really nice girl. She’s a pretty girl, and she’s 18, which means all the boys in the office are riled up. She seems to be taking it pretty well though!

As much as I want to go into detail about everyone at my office, and share all the exciting characteristics and traits of each of them with you all, I figure it’s only a matter of time before they track me down on Facebook, which will eventually lead them here, so I’d rather play it safe :)
Anyhow, while I may not be able to update as often, I don’t want to leave you guys hanging, so if you enjoy new music, one of my best friends Sarah has started posting regular music videos on her blog. Sarah has always been a source of new amazing music for me, so I hope you all enjoy her video blogs!

"Why does it say paper jam, when there IS NO PAPER JAM?"

22 Tuesday Dec 2009

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I’m hoping most of you recognize the above quote from Office Space. Do you remember the frustration with which it was said? Because that is my frustration sometimes with the printer at my work. Except that the printer actually DOES have a paper jam…with every. Other. Page.

It’s such a temperamental piece of machinery. Sometimes it prints, sometimes it gets jammed. You just never know. If copy machines weren’t so expensive, and our office was going to get a new one, I wouldn’t mind ending it’s days the classic Office-Space way:

Adult Life

12 Saturday Dec 2009

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I’m not sure how people do it.

Granted, I’ve only had a week to figure things out, but I’m still amazed at how my mom and aunts got so much crap done in a day. I mean, I’m working from 9 am to 6 pm, and when I get home, it’s kind of late to get your day started at home, and I don’t really feel like doing anything productive. It’s all fine and dandy for now, Jeff and I are both big kids so we can pick up after ourselves and keep the house relatively clean. But how do you manage once you have kids??? There are so many things I want to do when I get home, and it’s nothing crazy, just picking up little areas in the apartment, making a good dinner, etc., but it all goes down the drain when I walk through the door and feel like just laying down for the night.
Personally, I think 6pm is too late to get off work. I was told that once I was fully trained I could go in to the office earlier so I can get off at 4 or 5pm, which I’m looking forward to. It may only be an hour, but I think that hour will be my salvation to being more productive at home!

The new J-O-B

12 Saturday Dec 2009

Posted by in culture, Spanish, work

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So I finished up my first week yesterday. It had its ups and downs, but overall I think it was a good first week. It’s a little weird to find myself doing something I had never imagined, but I guess that’s life: “uno pone, y Dios dispone.” To give you a brief background, there are two girls in the admin office, one receptionist, an attorney, another guy who I think is in charge of general office administration (still not sure exactly sure what his role is), one new girl that started on Thursday, and then 7 guys that do all the grunt work.

First of all, I’ve always hated the learning curve at any new job. You start working somewhere you know nothing about, you don’t know how they do things, what their system is, who does what, what you’re supposed to be doing, etc., etc., etc. And on the other hand you’re having a ton of information thrown your way, which makes things a little overwhelming. This place has been good about the latter, they’re training me a bit slow, which I guess I should be gracious for! It’s just frustrating not knowing how to do things, and seeing everyone else around me busy while I’m trying to figure out how to do one simple task. I’m looking forward to the next month or so being done, when I finally know what I’m doing and I don’t have to be asking someone a question every five minutes….because I’m sure that’s getting annoying…. :)
As to the other new girl that started on Thursday, I have a confession to make. I was a little upset she was stealing my “new girl in the office” title so soon after I started (on Tuesday). I was basking in all the glory of being the only girl in the back office and getting to know everyone, and then another new girl comes along! Silly, I know. But here’s one thing I’ve learned throughout the years: I’m never the only one who feels a certain way, we’re just too embarrassed or afraid to admit to things. So I’ll admit it, I was jealous of the second-new-girl. But it turns out she pretty much keeps to herself, so I guess there was nothing to worry about…
Which brings me to the final point of this blog: I really like the people I’m working with. I’m still unsure about the actual job, but the people so far are great. They’re all super mellow, joking around with each other and such. I’m still weighing where I fit in to the picture, but I can tell they’re getting more comfortable around me by seeing how they’re interacting with each other: the first couple days were a little quiet, but by Thursday they were back to their normal shenanigans. The other thing I love is that everyone (except for the main attorney) speaks Spanish, and I had forgotten how much I missed being around that. Growing up I’ve always had friends around me who spoke Spanish and I could relate to on a cultural level. After I graduate college and moved back home, I didn’t have that connection anymore. It’s been great to be able to speak Spanglish, listen to the guys make fun of each other in Spanish, and be able to use all the Spanish phrases in the book. I think this will help at home too, since I’ll be in Spanish-mode all day, and maybe I’ll be better about teaching Jeff some Spanish :)
So overall, it’s been a good week.

Update on My Job Search Adventures

02 Wednesday Dec 2009

Posted by in career, work

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I actually got another call from the legal firm that had contacted me for a job interview, and then said never mind because I didn’t have bankruptcy experience. It turns out they don’t really need someone with bankruptcy experience and they’re willing to train, so they set me up with an interview. I went in today and was excited to find out that the attorney actually also practices immigration law (which is what I want to do). I think it went well, and it could be a good place for me. I’m a little nervous because it’s a relatively new firm, but I gotta start somewhere. Should hear back from him in a week…we’ll see what happens with my job search adventure!

My Job Search Adventures

25 Wednesday Nov 2009

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So like most unemployed people, I was excited when I saw a job prospect on Craigslist. I know, I know, Craigslist isn’t the best place to search for a job, and don’t worry, it’s not my only source, but there seems to be some good stuff every now and then.

There are so many emotional ups and downs to being unemployed and looking for a job that I won’t even go into detail on that, but I will explain my dilemma: I’m either not experienced enough for some jobs (see old post on that) or I’m over qualified because I graduated law school. SO, I was pretty excited when I found the following post on Craigslist today:

“Attorney Needed (Bilingual)
Looking to hire an attorney who has recently passed the bar . . Applicant must be able to work in a fast paced environment. Must be meticulous in calendaring and MUST work well with deadlines. Experience is not a must. Please email resume as soon as possible. We are looking to hire immediately.”

That’s it.

A few things that jumped out at me: 1) I’m bilingual, 2) I recently passed the bar, 3) I like the idea that experience is not a must. So I spend some time making a general cover letter that is not overly specific on any area of law (since none was stated) but highlighting my general skills and experiences. I was pretty excited when I checked my voicemail a few hours later and already had a call back requesting that I come in and interview tomorrow. So I call them expecting to leave a voicemail (since it was already past 6:30 p.m.), but I actually had the pleasure of speaking with someone.

They answered their phone in Spanish (so fast, in fact, that I had no idea what the guy said), so I was pretty happy I was not lying about my bilingual skills, and asked (in Spanish) for the lady that had called me. Through my conversation with Lady, we set up a time for me to come in tomorrow to interview, and I request their address so I know where I’m going. Then she inquires “You are bilingual, right?” Well yes, I know my all-American name probably doesn’t help, but I have it in bold on my resume, and I applied for the job, and I was able to get her on the phone, right?

Then I ask what area of law they practice. Granted–they didn’t mention this in the job post, and they said experience wasn’t necessary, but I thought it might be a good idea to do a little research before I go in tomorrow. “Bankruptcy, chapters 7 and 13. Do you have experience with that?” Uh…no. Thoughts going through my head in the split seconds before I have to formulate a response: my resume mentions NOTHING about bankruptcy–it’s actually all immigration and public interest law, so there’s no mistaken the fact that I have no experience in bankruptcy law and yet they called ME; I can’t even pretend to have experience in that area because I really have no clue; and finally: it doesn’t matter right? They said experience wasn’t necessary. So I’m honest and I tell Lady that no, I don’t have experience in bankruptcy.

“Oh…well…that’s a problem. We won’t need you to come in tomorrow then…I’ll check with the attorney and I’ll call you if he changes his mind.”

Huh. Really? I have a feeling she is going to have many similar calls. If you want experience in something from your applicants, you should state it in the job post, and you should look for it on their RESUME.

Going Solo?

17 Tuesday Nov 2009

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Don’t freak out, the title has nothing to do with Jeff and I, thankfully he’s deciding to stick around :) I went to a workshop today that was put on by my law school, giving advice on how to start your solo practice. I’m thinking this is because their employment statistics are looking pretty horrid and they need those of us who are unemployed to get a “job,” stat. Anyhow, aside from having to raise some capital (or put aside my law school loans by deferring them again and opening up some new credit cards), the most difficult thing is-obviously-getting clients.

So my question to all of you, dear readers, is: will you be getting a divorce, have custody issues, seek a fiance visa for someone you met in a foreign country and now wish to marry and bring to the United States, need a visa for someone you are employing from a foreign country, need a will or living trust, in the near future? I’m sure these are all things you can fit into your lives somehow. If so, let me know so I can seriously start considering career options….thank you!

Experience Wanted. No kidding.

07 Saturday Nov 2009

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I took the CA bar exam at the end of July, 2009. From then to September 12, it was easy to keep busy with wedding planning and my poor excuse of job searches. After the wedding and the honeymoon though, its been tough to come up with good excuses as to why I’m still unemployed. I keep telling myself that its normal and I’m not the only law school graduate that is unemployed right now, even though I’ve sent out enough resumes and cover letters that should have landed at least a decent interview. For someone who’s worked since she was 15, worked her way through college and law school, being unemployed for over 3 months now is really unacceptable.

I’m trying to keep myself busy by volunteering at three different places and working on my wifey cooking skills, but it still makes some days harder than others. Jeff has had to put with all my bad days (love you boo!) in which I seem to be grouchy for absolutely no reason. The only reason I have for my self-labeled “bad days” is that I’m disappointed in myself, even though I try to tell myself time and again that there’s only so much that’s my fault, and the rest I can blame on the limbo of awaiting bar results and the aftermath of other people’s bad decisions that landed us in this crappy economy. Oh and coming across job posting after job posting that require 3-5 years of experience or in not-so-kind words: “recent law graduates need not apply.” Thanks for the glimmer of hope. This also brings me to the Catch-22 of jobs that I’ve never understood: everyone wants someone with experience, but where do those people get their experience from if no one is willing to hire them to give them experience? Huh.
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