I almost died today

The OMS yahoo group was particularly active this morning about various topics which brightened my morning in the midst of utter chaos.  I don't know why people wait until the last minute to file their taxes when they sell liquor. It boggles my mind! And then they expect to get it the same day. Don't we all wish life was that perfect? Alas, it is not.  These are the very same people who did the very same thing last year. You would think they would've learned this lesson last year.  Alas, they did not.  Insane is not the word for my day. However, it was a great learning experience that I never want to go through again but I will the last week of April 2012. 


Anyhoo, I digress.  So, I reopen my email to check the activity of the group where I see this:

"Qualified not Referred to Selecting Official"

This was sent by HR @ state.gov. Let me tell you what, I almost fell out, curled up into a fetal position and sobbed.  My heart stopped, I froze and in that brief second I thought to myself that I"m a loser and a horrible person and the federal government doesn't want me.  Yep, that is me.  I take a deep breath and click it.  Thank God, I applied for another position as well and I wasn't selected.We can all relax, breathe easy. The crisis has been averted and I did not die from the horror of rejection. No news is good news! And still I wait......

In other news, my new class, Leadership and Ethical something something something started on Sunday, and I can't find my textbook.  It was shipped because I picked it up. I just don't know what I did with it.   I should really work on that.

Stress is NOT my friend and Patience is NOT my virtue

Can I tell you why?  Because this waiting and waiting AND more waiting is making me crazy!  I understand this is the government. When I applied to work at The HOCO police department, it took nearly a year. It was fully equipped with a full on background check where my investigator was lurking around my neighborhood. It took me a little over a year from actual application submission to my first day on the job. It took me a year and a half to get my current job with the State. I KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!!  Yet, none of that matters to me.  What matters to me is that I have not yet received my OA invite and other have. I really really want to get this invite.  An application does not do me justice. If they could just see me, talk to me, see my passion that I have for this job, they will know that I'm a slam dunk! I am the perfect choice to send to foreign lands to represent the United States and all of our policies. If only......*sigh*  I hope. I will remain positive and steadfast and remember that no news is good news as my investigator told me long ago.  No news is good news! No news is good news! I will repeat it over and over and pray to Jesus that he gives me patience.  In reality, this is only the beginning.  I need to pace myself and reserve some stress for later in the process. 

Besides, I have other things on my plate. I have graduate school. 4 more classes for me!  Can I get a whoootie whooo (Thanks Carla from Top Chef!)!!!  I'm going to Jamaica with some friends from work for a drunken weekend in August. I need it! I deserve it! I've had a full time job, a part-time job, and I've been in school full time since '09.  1-2 classes every 5 weeks. I need to recharge my batteries.  Recharge them I will in the sun, sand, and in the bottom of a glass of rum punch! 

Sidebar:  I am so proud of myself! I successfully exported the old blog into this one all by myself without any help from the "friend" (more on him later).  My new blog is pretty, totally me, and just how I like it.  If you didn't know, I am totally awesome! 

I'm Going To Kick Him.....Yes I Will!!!!!

It's liquor license season at my job.  This means that everyone in the State of Maryland (who sells liquor) has until April 30th to renew their liquor license. This includes everyone from liquor store owners, bar/pubs, restaurants, and strip clubs. Ahh, the strip clubs!  Most of them wait all year to pay 1,000s and 1,000s of dollars worth of sales tax and whatever else they tax and do it at the very last minute. So that leaves ME (the dutiful state worker) the wonderful task of figuring out penalties and interest.  So, at about 3:30pm yesterday afternoon it went a little something like this:

Me: Hi, how are you? How may I help you?
Stupid Bar Owner:  I'm good, I need my liquor license and I need to file and pay my sales tax.
Me: Okay, what do you need to file?
(SBO pulls out a sheet of paper with numbers attached to months)
SBO: The whole year.
Me: Crickets........
Me: The whole year? You means since last March when you renewed?
SBO: Yep
Me: Okay, these figures are for tax, yes?
SBO: Yes, that is correct
Me: Okay, give me a few minutes. I need to calculate penalties and interest
(There is a time lapse of about an hour)
Me: Okay, here you go. Here is your balance **,000.00 and it need to be in certified funds.
SBO: Okay, I will see you tomorrow.

I chat with the front desk ladies for a minute because it's nearly 4:30 at the point when SBO comes in and says:

SBO: The amount due is a little high
Me:  Why do you say that?
SBO: *insert pregnant pause with a huge grin* Well, the figures I gave you were for the gross sales, not the tax
Me:  Crickets......I slump my shoulders, bang my head against the wall, and pray to Jesus that I won't kick this dude in the shins

Yes and that was my day!  I was so excited for liquor season because it's gets really busy in the office and I wasn't there for it last year because I was in Thailand for all of April.  It is official, I am now over liquor season!  Don't call me! Don't ask! But they will because it's my job and I'm awesome!  To release the frustration of the latter part of my day, I went to ZUUMMMMBBBAAA with my friend from work.  I love ZUMBA and there are a host of reasons why. That, my friends, is for another blog on another day.  It is just so fantastically awesome, I can't even express how much ZUMBA and I are in love with each other...but I will.    

That is all.

Welcome.....to me!

  I started this blog because, well, I needed something to do to exercise this energy I have going on...nervous energy!  In March 11, I applied for the OMS position with the State Department. Yes, that's right! I have this strong desire to serve my country and travel all at the same time.   Serving your country, you say?  At the core of me is my need to help people; to serve.  Growing up, I wanted to be a Neonatologist and I wanted to work for the CDC to help the youngest and most helpless. When I got to college, I quickly figured out that Biology was not my scene.  I joined AmeriCorps and in the process, I found my love of American Government!  Then I discovered International politics and relations, and I joined AmeriCorps "We Get Things Done!".   I spent the majority of my 20's trying to figure out what in the world I was doing, (Yes, Oprah was right about that!), and towards the end of my 20's I decided to get a business degree in International Business and now I'm in the final stages of my MBA in International Business (Nov '11). Mixed in with all of that, I fell in love with travel and experiencing cultures that are unlike my own.

I stumbled upon an internship on the state department's website, and I applied. Unfortunately, I didn't get it but I think it wasn't for me.  I would've had to take a leave of absence from the job and a whole list of other things that would have probably impacted me negatively.  However, it put me on the right track to go in the proper my direction for my date with my destiny...the foreign service.  I am waiting with baited breath to hear if I am invited to the OA.  My fingers are crossed and I hoping to hear something in May.  Wish me luck!

Until then, I have to pass my word certification, get through the last week of liquor license season at my job with the Comptroller's Office, make it through graduate school, suffer through my weekend part-time job, make time for my friends and family, and possibly maybe catch a little shut eye.  So, hello world! This is me and my crazy adventure...