Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Patience still isn't my virtue

You know, I thought it would get better. 

It didn't.

Once I made it through FRP, I thought the anxiety and the paranoia would go away.

It hasn't.

Will I get a January invite?

Probably not because I'm so far down on the list.

My fingers are crossed for a March invite.

It might seem like I'm complaining. I'm really not. I am so grateful that I've made this far.  All of my hard work has paid off, and it happened relatively quickly. However, I feel like my life is in limbo.  I canceled my 5 week vacation and now I'm just sitting here. waiting. For someone to tell me something. 

This is not conducive to my type-A, control freak, slightly OCD personality.

We have had this conversation before right about here.  I actually just re-read it and I'm pretty obnoxious and so full of myself. It's pretty funny considering a couple of months later I was rejected.  Talk about eating massive amounts of chocolate cake after that.  

Anyhow, I think I'm going to start planning my vacay with J. We're now discussing Tuscany or Prague.  At this point, I don't care where I go as long as I go somewhere with my love.  My friend is going to Turks and Caicos? No, it's not Aruba. It's somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean.  Maybe I can score a present.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

My African Adventure is Off

The 01/28 specialists class invites have started going out.

Of course, those of us who are on the register have gone completely crazy....again!

I emailed  my contact asking her where I was on the register. I haven't received a reply probably because she's busy crunching whatever she needs to crunch in order to offer accurate salary packages to the new invitees.  Word on the street is that the # of OMS in each specialist class averages around 20.   The last I heard there were 24 people on the register but that also includes people on the do not call list. 

In light of all of this, J and I have decided that we're going to cancel the trip.  It's heart breaking! I was watching 60 Minutes on Sunday and they profiled a couple who have been documenting lions for 30 years, and I cried.  No, I didn't cry. I sobbed...hysterically!  I digress.  I just didn't want to take the chance that I would get an invite and 3 days before I was to leave for London, I get the email.  I would rather cancel now and lose $ rather than canceling later and losing $$$$$$. 

It's really sad and we are so disappointed but the consolation is that I'm going to be living my dream! Not many people can say that. We will get to Africa eventually.

So here I sit obsessively refreshing my email to hoping to get the January call.   I feel like I felt when I was waiting to hear if I passed QEP.  I did the same thing then.  This time it's more excitement than fear. 

I still can't believe it.

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Register

Dear Ms. Webster:

On behalf of the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service, I am pleased to inform you that your name has been added to the register of those awaiting appointment to the Foreign Service as an Office Management Specialist........


*insert a lot of OH MY GOD, screaming, and crying here*  


After 3 years of trying, I can't believe I actually made it! I actually made it!  My life is getting ready to drastically change and I'm going to be a member of the diplomatic corps.  How freaking awesome is that?  There are no words to describe the moment.  All of the stress, anxiety,  and fear pales in comparison  to getting proof that the powers that be actually do like you and want you to be a part of the team! 

I. AM. ON. THE. REGISTER! 

Bloody hell!





Friday, October 05, 2012

I'm not complaining, but

Dear Investigators at Diplomatic Security,


HURRY THE HELL UP!!!! 


Love, Me

___________________________

Okay, seriously, I'm really not complaining because this time last year I was thinking about how many more months it would be until the new vacancy opened again. In light, I am so grateful that I made it even this far.  I also understand what a long process this is and the fact that the investigation can take months and months. I am also only about 5 weeks in but this waiting...

and waiting.....


and waiting some more is making me nuts!

___________________________
Dear Diplomatic Security people,

I am not a prostitute (thanks Secret Service for being male whores in South America), a compulsive gambler ( I went to MD Live and lost $20 in 20 minutes. I was done), nor an alcoholic. My address is what is says it is, yes, I do have my MBA, I'm a trustworthy person, and I would try my best not to embarrass the United States Government in or outside of its borders.   Anything else you need to know? 

Love, me



That is all.

Monday, October 01, 2012

Ummm......

Standing in front of the fax machine with a co-worker..... 

Her:  You're going to Africa soon, right?
Me:  Yes. I leave Jan 18th.
Her:  You must be so excited!
Me:   I am! I've been looking forward to this trip for 2 1/2 years now, and I haven't taken any
        time off work since I came back from Thailand. I'm so ready.
Her:   Where are you going again?
Me:    South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and London then I'll be in London for 3 1/2 weeks.
Her:   That's so awesome. You know I've always wanted to go to Africa to see tigers.
Me:   *Crickets*
Her:   *a very wide grin with a far away look*
Me:    Tigers?  Africa is the wrong continent for tigers
Her:   *confusion* Really? Are you sure?
Me:   *looks at her like she's a complete idiot*  I'm pretty sure
Her:   Huh. I always thought that tigers were the female version of a lion.
Me:   *Crickets*  Are you serious right now?
Her:   So you're saying tigers are not the female version of lions?
Me:    I can't talk to you anymore.   *walks away*

I really couldn't make this stuff up if I tried....


In other news, I emailed the security clearance people about my case. They told me to check back around mid-October.  The person who responded wasn't very nice about; very curt in fact.  I definitely like the nurses in medical better. 

There really isn't a big rush for me to get clearance at this point. Word on the street is that there will be a January class. I'm not too keen on that because my trip is already paid for. I would rather have a March class but what I want and what DOS wants for me are two totally different things. Besides, my score was so low I may not even get called for January.  I guess I'll just cross that bridge when/if I get to it.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Medical Clearnence Done!

Woot! Woot!

I got the email yesterday that I cleared medical last Friday.  I'm so close!!!! 


I have been running around since August 21, 2012 trying to get all of this medical stuff in.  I had this crazy plan that I would just get it all done within a week and everything would be fine.  WRONG!  What I failed to realize is that life isn't just about me and I can't just ring up my doctors and say "hey, I need a doctor's appt so I can get this form filled out. Oh by the way, I need it by the 09/20. Chop! Chop!" 

Umm, no!

My doctor looks at me like I'm smoking crack when I tell her what it's form and she further gives me dirty looks when she sees the medical form.  Hey, it's not my fault that they want all of this blood work done.  One good thing, I found out what my blood type is; A+. Go me!  On the bright side, my super awesome government insurance paid for everything!  I saw the bill and I nearly had a fit with the cost of how much bloodwork costs.  Really? 

My doctors are amazing! I <3 them! 

Now, I'm just waiting for security to come through, and then the final step is FRP.

Holy Batman! I'm so close!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Drumroll, please.....

Him:   Okay that concludes our talk. I'm going to ask that you sit out in the waiting room and we're going to have a little discussion.
Me:    Sounds good, thank you

Time Lapse: 30 Minutes

Him: Ms. Webster, will you follow me.
Me:  Okay.  *I close my eyes and take a deep breath*
Him: I don't want you to sit.
Me:  Okay  * take another deep breath*
Him: I don't want you to sit yet because I want to offer my congratulations!

I passed the OA!

I still cannot believe it!  I was a crazy morning. I live in Baltimore so I thought that if I left by 7 I would get there by 9 without any problems.  Well, no one told me that DC traffic sucks!!!  I ended up getting lost with my GPS and found myself headed to Falls Church.  Then, I had to find parking and I said a quick prayer to Jesus that my car wouldn't get towed. To top it all off, I got a blowout specifically for the OA and by the time I walked into the OA, it was a sad sad situation. 

It was during the 1st part of the OA where I realized that I was 5ft in front of my dream.

*Holy #@!^balls!*

I passed! The assessor played a dirty trick. He was horrible but I guess he had to get his jollies out of it as well.   There were 2 other candidates from other specialties. We bonded! I was grateful they were there. With just a look, they understood what I was going through. I hope they passed. 

I've gone through a lot of panel interviews, but, I have to say, that was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life. The waiting in between each section was killer.  I'm convinced they space it out like that on purpose. I think they're interested to see how well we handle the pressure. It's extremely intense! 

Now it's onto the clearances and I pray for a speedy investigation. I can't help but think that this time next year Secretary Clinton will be my boss, I'll get to experience the elusive Flag Day,  and my new address will be somewhere in this great big world.  My future is truly unknown and I'm so incredibly excited about the possibilities!  I. CANNOT. WAIT!!!

I PASSED! SOMEONE PINCH ME!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I am a horrible person.....

And I'm so sorry!! I really am! Would it help if I say I'll make it up to you? 

It just dawned on me that I haven't blogged in months! Months, I say! Did you miss me?

I have been neglecting my blogging duties, because, of course, you all are so interested in the happs of my life (eye roll).   So I'm going to give you a brief roundup of it over the last couple of months.....

1. I got an invite! Yes! Yes, I did!  Woot! Woot! My friend, T, and I got our emails within seconds of each other. I opened her email saying she got it. My response "Got, what?"  Then, I had a light bulb moment. "Oh shit! She got her invite!" Then I looked for mine and it was there! KaPOW!  My OA is on Monday and I am beginning to crap my pants.  I'm trying desperately not to freak out but the anticipation is building and building.  Oh yeah and the little e-QIP....haven't started yet.   I need to get on it otherwise I'm going to be screwed come Monday.  We'll see. Hopefully, I'll pass.

2. In my quest of applying to all jobs in the federal government, I got a response from the FBI as an Intelligence Analyst. "Go take this test," they said.  Okay, I did. It was crazy hard. Like the SAT, LSAT, MCAT, and accountant's exam all at once.  I had a few "oh shit!" and "WTF is this?" and "Who the hell knows that answers to these questions" moments then, too.  To top of that crazy cake, it was all timed. Hello Pressure, nice to meet you.   After all of that, I passed. Yay to me!  Now I'm at the stage where my scores and my resume are with the managers and if they like me, they'll call me for an interview. They have until September first to decide if I'm worthy. Otherwise, I have to reapply all over again.  That's fine. My scores are good for life so I don't have a test again.

3. Did I mention I got an invite to the OA? Yep, I did!

4. Work sucks!

5. I discovered 50 Shades of Gray and OMG! I never knew! However, grammar almost ruined it.

6. I love the phrase "I googled it, Sir." - See #5.

7. My 5 week holiday with J to various countries in Africa is 6 short months away.  I'm so excited! My mom sent me this HIGH-larious voicemail one Saturday during tax season about how she doesn't think I'm going to get married but she wants grandchild so it's okay with her I get pregnant while in Africa with J.  In fact, she wants me to go see a medicine man who will sprinkle some "hooba dust" on me.  Umm yeah, my mom is nuts so special!

8. Went to the Gay Pride Festival in here Baltimore for the first time and I had the time of my life!

9. I still love Zumba!

10. I still really want to be part of the FS world. Please hire me!

Roundup over. Nothing really monumental to report.  Check back in on Monday.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Holy Batman!!!

"Congratulations!  Your application has successfully passed the Qualifications Evaluation Panel and has been forwarded to the Board of Examiners Assessment Center to be scheduled for an oral assessment.  They should be contacting you within the next several weeks with further instructions. "

Yes...that's me. I got an invite!!!  Woot! Woot! I went through this whole elaborate process in my head about how when I got an email from DOS I wasn't going to open it. J was supposed to go into my email and forward it to himself so I wouldn't see, and then he would tell me when I got home whether it's good or bad...and blah blah blah!  That went out of the window when my friend, T, let me know she got hers!

I'm shaking! I'm crying! I don't know what to do with myself!  I'm beyond happy and excited! I just want to scream and jump up and down!!

I think I'll read it again.....

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

No News Is Good News....

Uhh, what happened to Blogger? I don't blog for a month or so and they go and switch it up on me! It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to write a new post.  What's up with that?

Anyway.....

So I'm nearly 2 months out from the March 2012 close date for the OMS.  I'm so proud of myself! Why, you ask? Because I'm not crazy and obsessed.  At this moment, I am not that girl.  Trust me, I have had my moments. But I am world's away from my attitude and behavior of last year. Frankly, I was  obsessed. I call it my crazy.  I haven't succumbed to the crazy...yet.  I hope to hear something soon. 

In other news of my oh so boring life, I had an interview to become a Field Auditor. They actually go out to the businesses around the state, make drop ins, and audit them.  I mean how cool would it be to go into say, a liquor store, make a purchase, and immediately ask to speak to a manager, whip out my business card, and say "Hi, I'm from the Comptroller's Office, I just made a purchase, and now I'm going to audit you." Cool, huh?  I bombed the interview. It was horrible, awful, and down right disgraceful!

I should've known they were going to ask me accounting questions.  I didn't prep, I should have. Shoulda, woulda, coulda...but didn't.  I took accounting at the beginning of my educational career and my accounting class in graduate school doesn't count because it was managerial accounting which is nothing based on principles. It was sad. I'm a perfectionist. I cried.  But one thing I didn't do was eat cake even though I really wanted to. Disasters and chocolate cake are siblings. Didn't you know?  Yay for small miracles!


 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

I can't take it!

This waiting is killing me! Frankly it's highly annoying!

I don't understand why the OMS selection process has to be so darn difficult! Furthermore, why does it take so long!

No news is good news!

Whenever my phone goes off, for a moment I get that feeling. That what if feeling. And then I open my email and it's just spam. And then I get annoyed at myself for feeling that way even though I know it won't be that email. Yet, I still hope. Again, I am disappointed. 

I'm trying not to obsess about it especially when I have so much other stuff going on; like tax season.

No news is good news! 

I will not be that person this time around. I won't. I won't! Okay maybe just a little bit.

*Sigh* I hope I hear something soon.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Jealous Much?

I'm not really a jealous person, and I don't really get envious of people, their happy, or the fantastic awesome things that happen in their life.  Because frankly, I'm blessed to have super fantastic awesome things happen to me.  I mean I went to Thailand for a month and in January I'm going to London, Capetown, a safari in Tanzania, some beach in  Zanzibar, London, Paris, and a road trip up to Edinburgh all in 5 weeks. I'm blessed to be able to experience the world as I do and still have a job to come back to who will allow me to take off for 5 weeks.

That positive attitude always  nearly sometimes goes out the window when it goes comes to the FS. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for everyone, I enjoy reading blogs about FS life, and I'm extremely happy for the current OMS class that recently had their Flag Day. A woman is going to Bangkok. She's so lucky. I had to share my experience with the Patara Elephant Farm.  So last week, I received a call from a lawyer who has taken over one of my accounts from another lawyer I had been previously dealing with, Chandani. As I'm speaking to this new lawyer who is one of the partners, I found out that Chandani was offered a FSO position.  Umm.....WHAT?  My name is Victoria, and I'm green with jealousy and envy. On the inside, I positively passed out. I threw myself out of my chair, and I sobbed hysterically.  I kept my composure, though,  and we spoke about how awesome it is and blah blah blah. WHATEVER!!  She sucks!  I'm just saying....you know I'm right.

In other news....

The OMS position is up again.  I didn't do anything I said I was going to do with regards to revamping my resume and getting certified for Word.  I have until Tuesday.  It will be awesome, as always.  I'm praying that the powers that be like my awesomeness and send me an invite to the OA.  If I said pretty please, do you think that would help?  Probably not. 

PS...what is up with this background? It's really ugly.  I'm terribly sorry. I will change it.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I Can't Make This Stuff Up....

Yesterday at the gas station......

Drunk Girl: Hey! Do you have an awesome Valentine like I do?
Me: Yes! Mine is pretty awesome!
Her: Did he get you something?
Me: No.
Her: What! He doesn't sound awesome at all!!
Me: Trust me, he is.
Her: Well he better make up for his empty hands!
Me: He has.
Her: Oh really?!? How?
Me: He's taking me on a trip.
Her: Where to? The ocean (Ocean City)?
Me: No. South Africa.
Her: OMG! How did you manage that?
Me: I'm fabulous!
Her: He (points to the guy walking towards us) never takes me anywhere.
Me: Well maybe you aren't fabulous.
Her: Oh I'm fabulous alright!
Me: Oookkaaayyy
Her: (screaming) Honey! Am I fabulous?
Him: Not really, but you are a really good lay.
Her: Stunned.
Me: Hysterically laughing
Her: Extremely pissed
Him: Completely oblivious

Thursday, February 09, 2012

I'm an idiot!

Can I tell you why?  Because I forgot to submit my application and schedule my FSWE.  How in the world did I do that? 

Yes, my name is Victoria, and I'm an idiot. 

Now I have to wait until June. This could be a good thing.  In the meantime, I'm going to get my MS Cert squared away before the OMS announcement comes out. 

Other than that, nothing much is happening in Baltimore. It's warm, not cold and it doesn't look like I'm going to get any sort of snow day to get off work.  I just need a nice nor'easter that will force Governor O'Malley to close government offices.  5ft of snow will do, please and thank you.   Everyone at work says why don't you take a day. Duh! I can't take a day because I need 25 days of leave and that doesn't include weekends.  Originally, it was supposed to be 3 weeks but it dawned on me that I could just say an extra couple of weeks in London after we get back from Africa and then J and I could do stuff together.  So, we're going to take the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days. I've been before but I want to go minus the big bus and the group I was traveling with. Then we're going to take a road trip up to Edinburgh for a couple of days, too. I've never been and I've always wanted to go.  Ahh, I'm so excited!  

All of this means that for the next 10 months, I have to come to work every. single. day.

Dear Lord, I need a snow day.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Happy New Year!!

to everyone out there in the world.  I hope 2012 finds you all healthy, happy, and excited for what's to come. I know I am. 

It's been a while. Yes, I know, but it's hard to blog about my life when I originally started it because I wanted to document my journey of becoming a FSO.   What's been happening in my life lately doesn't seen to coincide with that.  Obviously, I have mixed feelings about it.  IDK, we'll see.  Speaking of the foreign service....yes, I have officially applied to take the FSWE in February. Yay! I've taken it once so I know what to expect. The 'OH $#!& ' moment I had last time won't happen again and I'll be able to concentrate. I'm claiming it and speaking it into existence that I'm going to pass, make it the through the OA, clearance, and the register to be in the Foreign Service. I'm going to make it.

I got my diploma in the mail. WOOT! WOOT!  It's still so weird. I am the Master of something; International Business to be exact! Go me! Go me! I'm also flirting with the idea of going back to get a second masters in Diplomacy or International Relations.  I'm just bored, I think, but I don't want to be a professional student getting degrees simply because I can get them.  I actually want to use this knowledge I'm acquiring.

I'm also sick. Mandolin convinced me that all children are incubators of all communicable diseases. They just carry all sorts of germs.  I spent Christmas Day with her and since I hadn't seen her much she was like my 3rd leg. She gave all sorts of hugs, lovely super wet kisses, coughs to the face...the whole 9.  About a week later, the Friday before New Year's Eve, I get sick. Sick as a dog, I tell you.  So, I spent all of last weekend in bed with chills, back ache, shortness of breath, and a nasty cough.  Thanks, Mandolin. Her mom didn't believe me when I told her that Mandolin gave me typhoid.  She called me yesterday hacking and sneezing. Good luck on that a super awesome adventure that awaits you, Jill. She hung up on me. I chuckled.

I have to say I'm very optimistic about the year to ahead.  I'm excited about where my career is headed, the love in my life is progressing, and all of my family and friends are happy and healthy. What more could a girl want?!?