Toothache from hell and pictures from my day

I woke up this morning thinking I either have bronchitis or maybe pneumonia. Every time I cough, my lungs burn and hurt, and my throat is raw from all the coughing. I even thought about canceling my delivery aircraft flight but since it was very last minute, and it's considered a great opportunity and an honor, I took a shot of DayQuil and headed off to the office. I skipped the gym because just showering and getting dressed pretty much sapped all my strength.<br /><br />The day was sort of fun. We took a bus from Sea-Tac up to Boeing Field. We were able to take pictures of our brand new aircraft, and we took off for an hour and a half sightseeing flight around Puget Sound landing back at Sea-Tac. It was cloudy but there were patches of open sky.<br /><br />The best part of the day was when we got to 15,000 feet they let each of us take a turn sitting in the Captain's seat with our hands on the "steering wheel" (I think it's called a "yoke" but I'm not sure). Then the Captain took our picture. That was really cool. Unfortunately, we were warned to NOT post the pictures on the internet. I'm not sure why exactly, but we were told it wasn't allowed.<br /><br />The only pictures from my day where you can't see the name of my company (!):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Me holding up the aircraft</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1UZAFORf6ZQZBSnCwXWVeCEU6tPxMFJDgta0CcpmVkhE7UYpDS2eloqYAHm-VvixtnUld9McDzUZZVn5hhyphenhyphenynbyHQVl46KEgtPN4kX9SRZHq212tasV9YVHHavuQWF39DjoijlvKSqF-/s1600/P1020565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1UZAFORf6ZQZBSnCwXWVeCEU6tPxMFJDgta0CcpmVkhE7UYpDS2eloqYAHm-VvixtnUld9McDzUZZVn5hhyphenhyphenynbyHQVl46KEgtPN4kX9SRZHq212tasV9YVHHavuQWF39DjoijlvKSqF-/s400/P1020565.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A view from the window. Notice the sunshine on the engine, where it was </div><div style="text-align: center;">sparkling clean and shiny. The entire aircraft had a new car smell, or I guess, </div><div style="text-align: center;">a new airplane smell. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQWy96VCRdrJXumvOEYcDjRGNT-aI78syy7N9k_v5Cq_k2Blp_s1PC2E_1hMlqNwZPPwhePFmKW6y-usFVGcY4jD-RPMlQy1Jk1ZhkTyOEUc2ljXsZKN7gin6nYt-XLUB5NUNHUpHK_mM/s1600/P1020575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQWy96VCRdrJXumvOEYcDjRGNT-aI78syy7N9k_v5Cq_k2Blp_s1PC2E_1hMlqNwZPPwhePFmKW6y-usFVGcY4jD-RPMlQy1Jk1ZhkTyOEUc2ljXsZKN7gin6nYt-XLUB5NUNHUpHK_mM/s400/P1020575.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The toothache from hell<br />Tonight I have major, excruciating pain in a lower molar. I had my first crown about a year ago, and it's hurt from the beginning. Tonight it started throbbing and the pain kept getting worse. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is when you would rather just die than to keep feeling the pain, about an hour ago it was at least an 8. I'm a wuss when it comes to pain, but boy does this ever hurt! I've taken two aspirin and two Vicodin and the pain is now down to about a 7. I hope I make it to the morning when I can get in to see the dentist. <br /><br />The only positive here is that I have no desire to eat. None. The thought of trying to chew anything makes me cringe. I can't remember the last time I had a toothache. Probably when I was a kid. I never had tooth pain, until this crown, which was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made. The darn tooth didn't even hurt until the crown. I forgot what tooth pain felt like, and let me tell you, it is miserable.<br /><br />At least the Vicodin fixed my sore throat and cough. Its weird it's not doing much for the toothache.<br /><br />Weight this morning...183.4. Not good. Working on it the best I can, but with the cold and now a toothache, I haven't been in the gym in four days, nor have I been tracking my food. Hopefully I'll be well soon and get back on track. I haven't given up and the Big Climb in in 29 days!

Toothache from hell and pictures from my day

I woke up this morning thinking I either have bronchitis or maybe pneumonia. Every time I cough, my lungs burn and hurt, and my throat is ra...

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What to do when job searching takes longer than expected

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/lj/ar5m02y5wcpw398n50lj.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/lj/ar5m02y5wcpw398n50lj.gif" /></a></div>By Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing <br /><br />Even the most talented, educated and experienced job seekers may have a difficult time finding a job in today's economy. Although people may hope their transition between jobs will last only a few weeks, the reality is that many job seekers spend months, or even a year, trying to secure work. This delay can wreak havoc on a job seeker's confidence, motivation and sense of pride -- all which are characteristics critical to achieving success in the job market.<br /><br />Jean Baur, author of "Eliminated! Now What: Finding Your Way from Job-Loss Crisis to Career Resilience," says one of the best things people can do when they begin to feel stuck in their search is evaluate what methods are working and which aren't productive and then adjust their strategy. They also need to take care of themselves. "You can better cope with the feelings associated with a long-term career transition if you're not worn out and take care of yourself through therapy, physical exercise and even volunteering. A new project or hobby can be another way to go," she suggests.<br /><br />"The real issue here is self-care -- something most of us aren't very good at. Job searching is hard work, so it must be sustained with good self-care. The obstacle that many people have to get over to do this is a false sense that this is wrong -- that they're selfish if they take care of themselves. Job seekers need to realize that balancing the demands of finding a new job with smart ways of caring for themselves will make them more successful."<br /><br />In "Eliminated! Now What?" Baur offers these additional do's and don'ts for persevering through a long transition:<br /><br />Do: <br /><br />Create contingency plans so that if your search goes on longer than expected, you know what you'll do.<br /><br />Take care of yourself during this demanding process. Find the things that restore you so that this doesn't become drudgery.<br /><br />Work hard on your search but don't let it eclipse your whole life. Positive results come from short breaks and rewards.<br /><br />Research opportunities for training, whether in your existing area of expertise or something new. Adding new skills will broaden your market and give you an area where you can see immediate results.<br /><br />Use volunteering as a way to expand your network. This effort keeps you connected to others and ensures you're doing something productive besides looking for work.<br /><br />Don't:<br /><br />Become a job search machine. You'll wear yourself out and won't be presenting your best self to others.<br /><br />Assume you know how and when you'll discover your next opportunity.<br /><br />Get stuck. If one method isn't working, try another.<br /><br />Tell your network that there are no jobs out there. This is a depressing message.<br /><br />Be unwilling to compromise. Sometimes you might have to take a small step back to move forward.<br /><br /><br />Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST's Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.

What to do when job searching takes longer than expected

By Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing Even the most talented, educated and experienced job seekers may have a difficult time finding a job in tod...

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