Interview Question

How would YOU answer this question ??

You and your partner have a weekend getaway planned that requires you leave town as soon as you finish work dead on 5pm Friday. 4:55pm Friday a customer comes in with an urgent request.  You are working alone.  What do you do?

The codacil being: would you ruin your weekend away with your partner/family to answer this query?

This was asked in a library context, but would this apply to your job or other situation?  How would you answer it?

I'll give my answer later {grin}

Mel's Sunday Update

Well no stitching update this week.  One measly hour of stitching in the whole week does not constitute an update.

I did however read a few good books, watch the Torchwood week of specials and assist in getting the house ready for our first rental inspection today.

We discovered on Saturday that the local generic craft store is going out of business.  I'm not all that surprised.  I've had offices bigger than that shop and yet they still tried to cater to the cross stitch, tapestry, quilting, bear making, scrap booking, knitting and children's craft hobbists.

Their cross stitch section comprised overpriced DMC and a half a dozen charts each from Told in the Garden, Mirabilia and Heaven & Earth.  With everything 20% off for the clearance sale, their prices are now approaching other small business prices.

I just don't see how they expected to make this work.  They do not carry anything that isn't already carried at a much much cheaper price by our large franchise stores Lincrafts and Spotlight (our version of Walmart).

Janine at ColoursDownUnder has cheaper prices than this little store and a heck of a better range.  If you are going to compete with the big guys, you have to either match on price or have a wider selection that is not carried by the bigger stores.  This little shop did neither.

Yet they blamed their failure on location - they didn't get enough foot traffic through that particular suburban shopping centre.

Anyway one good thing was that Mr S really liked a HAED chart he saw there so we are now proud owners of a copy of a HAED Quick Stitch, Rain Dragon by Lisa Victoria.  See picture above.

So no stitching this week, but a small amount of stashing was done.  I'm picking up some 25ct evenweave for this chart from Janine tonight. 

Hope everyone else had a good week.

Mel's Sunday Update

Well for a while there it looked like I wouldn't make a Sunday update yet again :)

I've been far too exhausted after work and haven't done any stitching week nights for nearly a month now.  However I put in some dedicated effort this week and I do indeed have an update - YAY!!

Mariann's RR
I have *finally* gotten my bit done on Mariann's RR.  This is a beautiful project and I only wish I could have done more on it.  It will be posted out to Laura tomorrow.

BTW - Happy Birthday Laura !!!!!

Vienna Ball
Many of you on Twitter would have heard my wailing and gnashing of teeth ion the backstitching on this part.  However Part 4 is now completely finished.  I'm not entirely happy with it - and I am deeply unhappy with my individual backstitches in some places, so please don't look too closely :(  The best thing I can say is - its done.  Onto Part 5.


Present from Kay
As can seen in the pic above, I received a fantastic gift in the mail Friday!  Thank you so much Kay !!!!   Kay sent:

• a lovely beanie frog (which Mr S thinks is soooo cute)
• a luxurious pair of thermal gloves which are soooo warm!
• a gorgeous stitched bookmark - I adore the sentiment!
• two great pieces of hand dyed fabric!  I have so many ideas for those fabrics already!

Thanks so much Kay !!!!!

Work Situation

Morning all,

I'll try to keep this brief for a change :) I know most of my posts like this end up as a long whinging pity-party diatribe :)

I applied for lots of jobs over here before landing the one I currently have. Many of the universities and government departments over here have an additional rider on their rejection letters that I haven't seen before.  It says in effect "you were deemed worthy of being employed by our institution and we will keep you in mind when something new comes up".

A few weeks ago I landed a part time role in a public library as a skills librarian.  I love my job!  I love writing the Induction manual for new staff, questioning unwritten ground rules and practices that vary from branch to branch.  I've been at it three weeks and I'm having a ball.  I'm even coping with Teh Public most of the time :)

Working a part time job full time for the last few weeks has been very tiring and is affecting our home life. But we need the money.

Friday morning I received a phone call from the University of Western Australia. They have a Librarian 1 job available, and would like to offer it to me before advertising in the media.

I declined stating that I just started a part time position in another organisation and would feel it unethical to quit on them so soon after starting.  The UWA rep said she would speak to the area concerned and see if they would accept me as a part time in this role. She collected my current available hours and hung up.

I emailed my supervisor and the Library Manager of the current position and informed them that I had just been contacted by UWA with a full-time job offer.  I then asked them both how they felt I was working out, and was I heading the position in the way they wanted, or were they starting to think they should have gone with another candidate. Basically I was trying to give them a way out in case they were unhappy with me.

There were a few closed door meetings during the day and at the end of the day the Library Manager offered me a new fulltime position within the organisation.

So now my options are:

Stay where I am:

• Pay: $26/hr for 19 hrs per week ( plus whatever else I can cadge)
• Job: Skills librarian - love it!
• Location: Altone Park - out of the way but great parking and great people.
• Other considerations: need more money and a flexible working environment.

New e-librarian position:

• Pay $26/hr for 38 hers per week (working a nine day fortnight)
• Job: e-Librarian - new area I have never done before, great learning opportunity
• Location: Midland - out of the way, crap parking, crap driving, not sure of the people.
• Other consideration: may have to go through formal application and thus may not even get the job!

UWA position:

• Pay $26/hr for 35 hrs per week (with flexibility - details unknown)
• Job: liasing with lecturers, could be fun or not depending on subject area
• Location: West Perth - great parking, close to Stephen's work and would reduce our communal commute by 1.5 hours each day.
• Other considerations: would be seen as a step down from other areas I've worked in academic libraries and could affect further promotions in the academic sector

Currently waiting to hear from:

UWA - is part time acceptable and what are the actual details of the position.
Public Library - will I be moved straight into the e-librarian position or do I need to apply?

Then decision to be made ......

For Claire and Rosanne

For obvious reasons.  One has sheep and strawberries (perfect for Claire to stitch during Wimbledon) and the other is a Pirate Queen :) :)

Designs official designations are:
Strawberries for Ewe by Midsummer Night Designs
Pirate Queen by Sue Hillis Designs