I Joined GoodReads

I joined GoodReads.

I read almost every day on my commute to and from work therefore I am always looking for good books to read. I have relied on the books that my mom passed on to me but those have dried up so I began poking around for something good to read and stumbled upon Good Reads.

I signed up because you can see what other people are reading or read, what they thought of it, and create a list of your own, a queue, if you will, of what books you wish to read. Now, when I am ready for my next book I click over to the website and see what strikes my fancy. I have really enjoyed it and so far I am not at a loss for something to read.

Now, if only there were an easy and inexpensive way to obtain all these new finds...

Most Moms Would Like to Work Part Time, Surprised?

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to any of you moms that most moms would like to work part time. Though even a part time schedule can be a challenge. The issue is that most companies will not hire people into part time positions. I believe that this comes from the corporate mentality that if someone is not willing to spend all their waking hours at work then they are not loyal to the company. But, times, they are a changing.

As women have their children later in life, they are usually well established in their profession. Companies have invested time and money in training these women, also. After entrenching themselves in their profession, women have their first baby, then elect to stay home because their priorities change and they cannot find a suitable schedule. Because of this paradigm change, companies are beginning to feel the talent pinch. Some companies are starting to take notice and offer more flexible schedules for professional women. Staffing agencies, like 10 til 2, as well are picking up on the trend and specializing in placement of professional women in part time and flexible positions.



In fact, an Arizona newspaper reports, that a poll suggests that moms are more inclined now to want to work part time than ten years ago. It also lists the Top 10 part-time jobs for moms as:

• Administrative or executive assistant.
• Accounts payable/receivable.
• Appointment setters.
• Accountant or bookkeeper.
• Data entry.
• Legal secretaries.
• Marketing specialist.
• Sales.
• Office assistant or manager.
• Graphic or Web designers.

The task of balancing a full-time job with all of its demands and a family, because, let's face it, children need their mommy, is stressful. The stress is what forces women to leave the workforce if they cannot cut back the work schedule. Companies now are beginning to realize that they are missing out on a talent pool that they had available to them ten years ago. This realization is what is prompting companies to offer more flexible schedules for moms and dads alike.

My experience proves that most moms want to work. It gives them an outlet in other areas of life so they can feel successful on those days that being a mother makes us doubt our abilities. There are no rules for parenting (as we all know) and therefore the ability to work in an environment where there are boundaries and the possibility of positive feedback on the job that we perform is critical.

As the next few years pass, I hope that more opportunities arise for people who wish for the part time schedule become more abundant. I think it might just make as a more rounded society. Oh, how I am hoping that this really takes off.

Good Reads

I'm not sure if "someone" was trying to expand my horizons however "someone" left this book at my home in my basket that I use to stage everything for exit with me each morning. So, after staring at it for several months and wondering who might have left it there I picked it up, stuck it in my bag and walked out the door.

As I settled onto the train one morning I pulled this book by Lolly Winston, Happiness Sold Separately, out of my bag and began to read. I have to say that although the topics covered in this book are quite serious to the point I sometimes found my eyes welling up with tears, and sometimes I found myself laughing out loud at times. In addition, I wanted to get back on the train to continue reading. In short, I was hooked.

The book covers the lives of a couple who are married and trying to conceive a child. Through the medical process they grow apart and are unable to get pregnant after multiple attempts. The husband ultimately has an affair which his wife discovers. From that point the book delves into the emotions, thoughts, and occurrences that follow. The book ends in a thought provoking manner leaving the ultimate outcome up to your imagination.

I have another book I am trying to read, more about that later, but after reading this book, Lolly Winston's book, Good Grief: A Novel, is definitely on my list.

Commuter Chaos

I was so angry last week I could not even put my frustration into words. Here's what happened: I boarded the local commuter train at 7:30 AM to ride the 30 or so minutes to my office. Well, my 30 minute commute became an almost three hour nightmare!

You see, the area in which I live has okay transit but when visiting a city like New York you get really spoiled at how the transit can take you where ever you want to go either within or outside the City limits. Here, there is really only one convenient way to travel and two not so convenient and almost tricky ways to travel. And when the main route is balled up (which seems to be happening more often as the system ages) there is no hope.

Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to check on the track switching in the middle of the morning rush hour. Of course, the tracks switched but no one could switch them back. And the racks are located on a main artery of the commute. They ended up having to force the tracks back into alignment and then bolting them in place. What a disaster!

Meanwhile, the train I boarded was re-routed from a destination of downtown to a destination of a suburb the complete opposite of the direction I came from. Then re-routed again, then again before I finally disembarked with the umpteen thousand others to try and get on the right train. The problem: no one, not even the train attendants, knew which trains were going where. All the while the platforms were filling with potential passengers with no trains to board.

I finally boarded a train that announced it was going downtown and once boarded with the others packed in like sardines the train attendant announces that she *thinks* we are going downtown but after several stops she will let us know for sure. Well, as it turns out, we did end up downtown without having to transfer to another train, again. And three hours later I arrive at work just in time to jump onto my first conference call of the day.

These kinds of commutes make me wonder why I commute...