Astral

I know, I know, this question has been asked. But every time someone answers it's crap about how you miss the person, or you're psychically linked or there's unfinished business. I wasn't really on wonderful terms with this person near the end of high school, there's a reason I don't talk to her now and I'm not big on psychics. Yet I do believe my unconscious is trying to tell me something by bugging me so. Any other reasons or experiences from people who have had this problem? I mean, really, I honestly want to just forget this person existed but I can't. We weren't even all that close, really.

I'm trying to update my employment section on Facebook. I want to list what I do, but I don't want to get into the politics involved with listing where I work. I'm thinking of putting "a local magazine publisher" as my employer, but I think it reads awkward. I just want "publisher's assistant" listed and that's it. Can I do that?

And can we all agree that Facebook has to be the least user-friendly site out there? It's clunky, it's cluttered and it feels like they change crap every six months for no reason. Then because they changed stuff, my info gets messed up and I have to be on there more often than I want. I'm only on there to share family pictures once in a blue moon and because my anime club is through them. Ugh. Ok, rant over.

Just looking to bounce ideas here, see if I haven't thought of anything. I'm trying to stay on my boyfriend's schedule and I'm a HORRIBLE morning person. I have experience in customer service, reception, clerical work and nursing assistant jobs (though I'm looking to veer away from nursing homes).

Please, no work from home or start your own business crap. Tried it, hated it. Or anything that needs extra schooling. Thank you. Spammers/smart a**** will be reported.

I had a dream I was riding my bike around my childhood hometown. I kept looking for people I knew from my memories, but of course, none of them were there. I went to old ex's and friends homes that they've moved away from, the high school, the park where I used to play tennis with one of my ex's (why I'd care, I don't know because he's dead to me and I've move on), I went to neighborhoods I've done trick-or-treating for Unisef in and was on my way to another old friend's house when I woke up.

I knew we've all moved on in the dream, but still I kept looking for these people. I even went to the old apartment me and my boyfriend lived in looking for him (we're in a house now, so why I'd even care, I don't know). I'm thinking it might be nostalgia, but I really, really hated those days. Any theories would be helpful, thank you! (It's one of those dreams I keep thinking of days after I had it. It must mean something to me.)

I recently lost an office job and turned towards freelance writing to fill the void, but that is shaping up to be a poor way to make a steady income. I need other options in this terrible economy. I'm looking to go back into health care.

Over three years I washed out of three health care companies because of mandatory double shifts, boring home health assignments (one was literally JUST to make sure a lady didn't cross her legs after a hip surgery) and defunct institutions that let fallen residents lay on the floor for two hours. I wish I made this up. Before this I had steady employment in an assisted living facility for several years and I miss the work dearly. I quit to focus on finishing a worthless English degree.

Also, since washing out of the field because of bad companies, everyone I know says they will beat me if I try to return (mainly because I told them to say that if I ever considered it...I like the nature of the work, but was jaded by these organizations). Any advise on what to say? I've worked my way into a hole here and it would be great to get some outside perspective. Thanks! (And, no, I don't put these places on a resume.)

I don't live at home anymore, but I'm still on my dad's insurance because of the law that makes it available until the person is 26. I've been going through some stuff and should probably see a therapist, but my family does not believe in "shrinks." If they knew I saw one, they would flip out and prevent me from going (I know I'm over 18 and not living at home, but they'll find a way). And no, I can't find my own insurance. I'm unemployed at the moment.

I noticed free or sliding scale services only apply to people without insurance. Is there a way to use insurance without the holder knowing? Does anyone have positive or negative experience with this? I'm afraid of calling the company and they'll say, "yeah, sure, you can do that" and then my dad gets wind of it anyway. Insurance companies are stupid like that. Thanks.

Life's been psychotic since I graduated from college a year and a half ago. Because of the economy I can't find a job in my field. I've taken any job I can find, and the longest I lasted in any of them was eight months because of an office reorganization. Some I left because I figured $10 an hour was not worth personal injury; others were just too stressful and I had meltdowns at work. I've lost track of how many jobs I've had over the last year and a half.

Now I work as a freelance writer, but have had assignments drying up left and right because of low stock prices and managers who want to take their sites in a "different direction." My writing is getting low scores, because as you can tell, I have a rather complex way of writing that I can't dumb down for the life of me. I got A's in college writing this way, but the rest of the world wants writing at a third grade level: simple sentences, small words, active voice. Pick up a dictionary, world!

With the economy getting worse and my terrible job record, I can't find a "real" job anywhere. I'm applying to the same crap I interviewed for a year ago and I am still not getting the job. I just lost out on a job where I had an in with a company because I wasn't "bubbly enough."

All of this has taken a major toll on my self-esteem and I think about suicide daily. I'm having dissociative symptoms; I spend afternoons convinced I'm not human or that I should have been born in another species. Some days I feel like I'm living the wrong life or like I'm watching another person's life. Some days I just feel dead.

I'm quickly drawing into myself and giving up. Rather than looking for jobs, I spend the day lost in a fantasy novel or watching TV for eight hours a day. I sleep a lot just to pretend I'm not here. I'm daydreaming a lot more and have been getting more spiritual again (a sure sign that I'm disengaging with reality- I'm normally an atheist and very happy with it).

I've been depressed before, but this is a level I've never been close to. It feels like something else is going on. I want help, but am still on my dad's insurance and can't get off without a full-time job. Plus I obviously have no money for therapy. My parents won't let me go to a counselor because they think nothing is wrong and don't believe in shrinks. My parents have always been fast to blame everything else in life except something that could be happening internally. My school counselors and teachers in grade school noticed something was up and wanted to get me tested, but my parents ignored them and said they didn't know their jobs. Anyone know what is going on and know of any options for treatment?

I've been a regular job board scouter for years now (on and off, of course). I'm at the point where I'm seeing the same jobs posted over and over again for YEARS. I can understand if they're picky, but at the point is it even a real job or just a way for them to look like they're hiring in a down economy? I've applied to some of these multiple times because I meet all their requirements perfectly (similar industry and years of experience). I don't have any glaring holes in my resume. I've gotten other interviews. But then I see the stupid job re-posted forever. Then I do follow-up calls and get blow off or downright ignored. I mean, why waste the time? Does anyone have any inside information on this?

I’m writing to anyone that can help me out from their own experience with online writing, or anyone who has dealt with a difficult editor (or in my case a slew of them).

You see, I had my hours slashed at my office job a few months back. To make up the difference, I thought it would be a fantastic idea to turn to online writing for profit. This, of course, mostly comes in the form of content mills (Demand Media Studios, Associated Content and that ilk) and bidder sites. I haven’t found a single job worth perusing on bidder sites (all insultingly low pay), but started to make a couple hundred on the content mills. Things were getting accepted and money was flowing in.

I let that little bit of success go to my head and quit my office job to write full-time as a freelance writer. Not a week after I quit my job and after they already found my replacement, one site dried up on titles and I have not had anything to write for weeks. To make matters worse, I looked at the scoring system they have in place (which I had not realized had as much clout as it does, ie. do poorly enough and you get fired). I have a 2.6 on a five point scale! I had not considered this before, seeing as things were getting accepted, I was getting money and I graduated with a 3.9 from an English writing program for Christ’s sake!

The problem is with inconsistent editors. One bad score because that editor does not prefer third person (even though I was told by a senior editor to always use it) and your score sinks. I’ve had other editors change things to be wrong or incomplete and rate my articles low. Because there are no titles I cannot raise my score. Even if I tried, who’s to say that editor will prefer the style of the last editor? And the scores are indisputable.

On another site, I am having a similar problem. Their guidelines are so complex that whatever you type, some editor can pick a problem with it. For instance, were I to cite something about a career, and it could apply to any other career ever, they consider it “fluff.” I don’t see how that makes the information invalid.

Sorry for the length, but this had been eating me up. I can’t write because I just see those low scores and have the feeling that whatever I do is wrong. That is the true frustration about writing; there is no one constant. Everyone has their own view of what stellar writing is. Even in food service there is a constant. You either filled an order or you didn’t. Writing is so subjective. I also think sometimes editors take their role as gatekeeper too seriously and get on an ego trip. I got an article rated as a 1.5 for a couple of typos anyone could have made. I’m only human.

Any advise would be appreciated. I’m looking at taking any pedestrian job I can get and it scares me. I don’t want to end up flipping burgers with a bachelor’s degree. Not being able to pay bills is now a looming threat.

DO NOT post comments about how I should see help or crap about how life is totally worth it. This isn't Star Wars, I'm past the point of redemption. I can't stand/am failing at the one career I dreamed of entering for years and years (writing), my boyfriend deserves way better than me, I can't hold a job because I keep freaking out and quitting (five in the past year), I can't stand my family and I have no money.

What I want to know is, does anyone know how easy it is to kill oneself my stabbing in the chest? (obviously no personal success stories. Lol. Just case studies or facts.) All I can think about anymore is the sweet feeling of release and triumphant feeling of knowing I finally did it as the kneif pierces my heart.

Otherwise, I'm open to any other simple one-step suggestions using things that are easy to find around the house. Something fairly failsafe.

Again, I know I'm not well. I've tried to get help for this. It doesn't work. I just want honest answers about how to end it all.

I've been asking a lot of work-related questions here lately because this has been so messed up.  I worked at a golf club doing clerical work, which I loved. I was set to go at 32 hours a week, but then a department reorganization put me down to 18 or less and left me with 70 percent downtime.  I quit to freelance write full-time, but am finding that I am loosing money due to subjective and sometimes wrong editors.  I write for a site that shall not be named, but it is notorious for bogus editing policies.  I had just not discovered them first-hand before I quit my job.  I was making money, after all.  It was stupid, I know, and now I regret quitting my job.  

My question is, does anyone think I should stick out trying to write full-time, or try to find clerical work? Clerical work is something else I love and is supposed to have a steadier paycheck to it.  I'm getting failing scores on my writing despite having an English degree with Latin honors.  Please help!

Right now I have two jobs: one is freelance writing and the other is part-time reception work. It used to be full-time reception and admin work, but thanks to a reorganization, I now work 18 hours a week (if I'm lucky) in a DULL reception role that I hate and dread going to. Five hours of down time: shoot me.

I've wanted to be a writer for years and years (I even have a Bachelor's in writing to prove it) and I'm finally seeing some steady income from my writing. If I applied myself to writing for as long as I spend at this crummy part-time job, I would gross what I make at my reception work, assuming the work stays as steady as it has been. That is always the risk with freelancing.

So now I am at a stalemate with myself because I want to quit dearly, but I am terrified beyond belief as how this would change my lifestyle and the potential for financial instability. Although my traditional job seems to be offering me less financial stability as of late, it is still a fairly steady pay check.

The problem is, I work for this reception job on weekends and one evening a week, so I am missing time with family to do it. Considering we just moved into a house and are getting puppies there is more work to be done; working weekends is getting to be a problem. But I feel like this is all the more reason to hang onto whatever money I can. I have a history of hastily quiting jobs and I don't want to keep up that image to family.

Plus if I need to return to the work world, I would be burning a bridge because the work is seasonal and they need me during the summer. So I would be leaving them high and dry during the busiest time of the year, but working for them all summer was the deal when I thought I would be getting full-time hours. Then they yanked my core position away without warning. So what do I owe them? But then I am not building up that recent office experience that so many jobs want, so I feel like I may be kicking myself out of the work world.

Any advise would be appreciated since this is tearing me up and I'm literally losing sleep. I haven't slept a full night in a week!

Alright, here is my messed up work situation: I was working as a part-time administrative assistant until the boss decided to ship most of my duties off to another department. To add further insult, she told me that she needed someone with more Excel experience for the bulk of her assisting and she hasn't had the time to train me.

So in her head, I suck. But she just handles all the complex tasks in Excel herself and doesn't really delegate the tasks. She seems to want an assistant, but then wants to do everything herself. Did I mention I have a college degree and had an Excel course in college? Yes, spreadsheets aren't my strongest suit, but I'm not a complete moron. How am I supposed to prove myself if she does the work herself?

So now I'm stuck on weekend and evening reception hours, the same job I did in college, no less! It's repetitive and boring. I want out. But the point of having this low-paid job with no benefits was to get the experience in admin work so I could get a decent job, seeing as they all want a billion years of experience. But I'm not getting that experience because apparently I'm just so Excel retarded. So I'm officially stuck.

What I'm asking here is, based on this story, can I still put the title "administrative assistant" on my resume? I'm still doing some of the duties, they're just being heaped onto my weekend reception hours. It's just all the monkey work because apparently I can't be trusted with anything higher.

Also, for any administrative assistants or other professionals out there, based on the info in this story, do you think I have what it takes to work in an office? I almost just want to wash out and focus on my writing career, which I'm finally starting to see some payback from.

Sorry for the length, but there's a lot of detail to this frustrating situation.

I have an extensive educational background in writing, but steady writing jobs are far and few in between. I'm always toying with the idea of trying my hand at freelancing. I frequently read about sites like freelancer.com and elance.com, but I noticed most of these tend to be bidder sites.

Frankly, I can't warm up to the idea of low balling myself just to get an assignment, because that seems to be what these bidder sites are based around. Plus a lot of job posters seem to be more concerned with quantity over quality. I see a lot of stuff like "40 articles in 5 days" and then they fail to give a pay rate. I couldn't write that fast if I tried and I'm not busting my hump for 50 cents or a buck an article.

Does anyone know any legitimate sites with freelance writing offers that are not based around bidding or demanding such a large workload for little pay? Also, to anyone that used these, do you feel these assignments helped boost your resume and improve your writing?

I've written the stories, done the countless revisions, bought the large envelopes and researched the publications. However, looking at these listings in the Writer's Market, these small university presses boast getting 500 submissions a month and accepting 5 new writers a year, in bold like it's a number worth having a positive jubilee over (whoopty-do for them!). Do these people exaggerate? Is it that hard to get into a small literary magazine? I have very limited cash right now, so spending money on high postage rates to be told I suck (if I even hear back) is a bit of a concern.

I'm in the mood to do some reading on paganism/witchcraft/wicca, but I've gone though most of the 101 books where they explain everything I already know, practice and have read time and time again by this point (I've been a pagan for six years). Going through Barnes and Noble, and even a local pagan shop, yields the same basic stuff I've looked at since I first happened upon the faith. But I may be missing something.

I've read most everything by Scott Cunningham and I'm going through Hutton's Triumph of the Moon again. If anyone has some great reads that go beyond basic explanation of the faith, let me know. Something along the lines of Hutton, if you can (no fluffies that think they dance with visible fairies in their garden). And thanks!

(PS. Angry, anti-Wicca religious haters will be reported. That's not answering the question.)

I dye my hair a bright red with Nice N' Easy Natural Light Auburn (turns out an intense medium to dark auburn on my black hair). However, it fades fast, so I wanted to use a temporary dye in the middle so I am not using harsh permanent dyes too much. I want something bold.

That natural choice was Manic Panic. I've been ogling the "Vampire Red" shade for years, but would it affect the color uptake of the permanent dye and the overall health of my hair? And the tubs looks tiny. I have hair down to the middle of my back, although relatively thin hair. How much would I need?

Help, Manic Panic veterans!

Right now I work for a group home. I work with the developmentally disabled where it is not uncommon to come home with scratches and bruises due to the behavioral problems with the clients. I regularly work mandatory 16 hours days back to back and fear making health-related errors as a result. It is starting to take a toll on my home life because I do not see loved ones for days on end. My boyfriend keeps telling me to just walk off the job because of the long hours and he sees me come home crying from it.

I originally worked as a receptionist when I was a student before this , which I loved, but had to leave the company because I needed full-time work and the company could not offer me more than minimum wage (the going rate for the profession is a good $3-5 bucks over; not much, but enough to matter for me).

My questions is, I'm thinking of temping or doing temp-to-hire as a receptionist. Do these agencies work and will it be a mistake going for such an unstable income? I feel like I need to quit first to have the availability open for these positions that could come at any moment and demand I start that day (my mom was a temp and that was her life all through my childhood). Is this accurate?

Thanks. Spammers and flamers will be reported.

I'm a freelance journalist, recently graduated from college in December. I'm also looking to publish short stories and miss the feedback in workshop-based courses in school. Does anyone know if community writer's groups are worth the time; do they provide good feedback, are they generally full of helpful people, or is my time better spent just writing myself and using the editing skills I learned? If they are good, does anyone know what the best way to find them is, besides Google? Thanks.

I just graduated from college three months ago and am still stuck in my crappy part-time job I worked at in college. I've worked there two and a half years, have only seen one pay raise (when minimum wage went up and now I make min. wage to the penny), and now they want me to do the duties of a position above me without a raise.

I've been desperately looking for other work for five months, but no luck, even in retail stores. This is all "I have to pay my bills" work anyway, as I want to start a freelance writing business from home (it's what I majored in).

Do you think it's time to leave and take my chances, especially with the terrible job market? Will leaving make me look more available to other employers?