Best Day Ever!! (Hank and me updates)

After four crazy, emotional roller coaster days of searching for Hank, posting signs, checking the live animal traps, I received the following email this afternoon:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBPJ_xH4t7sUAGGlAZD6Ia6Hqc1csBxe2sw4qvE_P2zxp3qzXKRK9m9z8rRlW8-5Fnk3LMGOUnysVFMIdQVoPmib_WFtrQNhuXk3nS5q4pei1LQHMHeiXvKH2SrsrMwOTzOdJNGe0OliH/s1600/Hank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBPJ_xH4t7sUAGGlAZD6Ia6Hqc1csBxe2sw4qvE_P2zxp3qzXKRK9m9z8rRlW8-5Fnk3LMGOUnysVFMIdQVoPmib_WFtrQNhuXk3nS5q4pei1LQHMHeiXvKH2SrsrMwOTzOdJNGe0OliH/s400/Hank.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />BEST DAY EVER!! Hank has been caught! We can’t believe our eyes and there are plenty of tears from this exhausting long haul. The work is not done yet, as off to the vet he goes.  He is tired, dehydrated, scared and hungry.  But he is alive.<br /><br />We have paid the homeowner a reward (which they made sure to ask for!) and Vashti and Jessica are ready to take him to the vet. <br /><br />We will keep you posted through the day and send a picture. We are not done thanking you ALL! <br /><br />A happy ending!<br /><br /><u>Me update</u><br />It turns out that setting a goal of losing ten pounds in three weeks was kind of stupid. I know when I put crazy deadlines on myself they backfire in my face, so I don't know why I do this. It never works. You know the definition of insanity, well, that's me...insane.<br /><br />My food has been pretty good, but not good enough to lose weight (I'm down a couple pounds to 180, but that's not the number I wanted to see). I've been eating very healthy food, but my portions are too large. Same old story with me. I eat too much of the good stuff.<br /><br />Exercise is rocking. Today was a pure cardio day. I do those about once a week, where I only do cardio and no weights. <br /><br />Thirty minutes at a steady pace on the StairMaster, 121 floors, average step rate 68. Thirty minutes on the stationary bike. At lunch I went over the Sea-Tac Doubletree. Fourteen floors from the basement to the top. Each jaunt up was 225 steps. I did it four times, or 900 steps. The Big Climb is 1,311 steps. <br /><br />After 14 floors I had to turn around and go back down the stairs, back to the first floor, then start over. So I get a break every 14 floors. It was still hard. The first time it wasn't bad, second time a little bit more difficult, third time, ouch, it's hurting me. Fourth time, OMG I'm going to die! No way can I climb 69 floors non-stop. <br /><br />My co-worker that's done the Big Climb three times in the last three years keeps telling me it's a mind game. He said it's really 70% mental and 30% physical. If your mind believes you can do it, then you can do it. I know today my mind kept saying 'you are so screwed Diana!'. If only I'd lost that 20 pounds or even 10 pounds, this would have been so much easier. <br /><br />Since I can't lose a lot of weight at this point (only 18 days left!), I'm going to focus on the exercise. I'll continue my gym workouts as usual, adding in the exercise bike more often since it's good for the quads and quads are good for the stairs, and add in a daily DoubleTree stair workout during lunch. I also need to focus more on my core, a strong core is good for climbing stairs. <br /><br />Mind over matter, mind over matter. Yes, I can do this!

Best Day Ever!! (Hank and me updates)

After four crazy, emotional roller coaster days of searching for Hank, posting signs, checking the live animal traps, I received the following email this afternoon:BEST DAY EVER!! Hank has been caught! We can’t believe our eyes and there are plenty o…

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7 Questions That Make Interviewers Cringe

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder writer <br /><br />Chances are you've prepared answers to a variety of questions an interviewer might throw your way, but have you spent equal time considering the questions you want to pose to a potential employer? What you ask (and sometimes when) can speak volumes about your interest and work ethic. Keep interviewers from cringing -- and possibly questioning your suitability for the position -- by avoiding these seven questions:<br /><br /><br />1. What does your company do?<br /><br /><br />Sure, an interview is a two-way street designed for both parties to learn about one another. Yet how can a job seeker prove he is the person for the position if he doesn't even know the basics about where he wants to work?<br /><br /><br />"I feel that if someone is coming to an interview, he should have some background about who we are and what we do," says Tina Kummelman, human resources business partner for Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore, Md. "Specific questions are great, but the overall blanketed question tells me someone did not do his homework."<br /><br /><br />Bottom line: Don't waste the interviewer's time by having her recite what could have been learned beforehand on the company's website.<br /><br /><br />2. How much does the role pay?<br /><br /><br />It may be the answer you're dying to know, but seeking this information too soon can make you look like you're jumping the gun.<br /><br /><br />"Just don't ask it. It sends the wrong message," says Chris Brabec, director of leadership talent acquisition for Western Union. Adds colleague Julie Rulis, senior recruiter with the talent acquisition team, "I believe this question should be saved for later stages in the interview process. Asking about salary or benefits in the first interview isn't the impression you want to leave with an employer."<br /><br /><br />A better idea: Do some research ahead of time to get a feel for what similar jobs are paying.<br /><br /><br />3. What are the hours of this position?<br /><br /><br />"This one question makes me cringe more than any other," says Paul Solomon, president of Solo Management, a New York-based executive recruitment firm that specializes in financial industry recruitment. "Wall Street managers don't want a clock watcher, so when I hear that question I know the candidate will not be the right fit."<br /><br /><br />Rulis agrees. "Although I understand why candidates are eager to know this upfront, it<br /><br />can raise a question regarding their work ethic if asked too early in the process."<br /><br /><br />4. How many sick days do I get?<br /><br /><br />What goes through the interviewer's mind when hearing this question?<br /><br /><br />"We are in the business of developing leaders, not slouchers," says Gary Rich, president of Rich Leadership, an executive coaching firm in New York City.<br /><br /><br />Keep a potential employer from questioning your motivation (or your health) by looking this up in the employee handbook later.<br /><br /><br />5. How much time do I get off?<br /><br /><br />Like numbers three and four, this question can make a potential employer wonder if a candidate is more interested in getting out of work than contributing. It is especially frowned upon in fields requiring significant motivation from the get-go.<br /><br /><br />"A career as a financial representative is what you make of it. Your hard work helps determine your rewards. You have the ability to be your own boss, build your own practice and arrange your own schedule, while making a positive impact on your clients' lives," says Randi Michaelson, a director of recruitment and selection for the McTigue Financial Group in Chicago who recruits career changers to work as Northwestern Mutual financial representatives. "In the beginning, it takes time, energy and commitment, but successful financial representatives -- like successful entrepreneurs -- are able to enjoy work-life balance among other rewards."<br /><br /><br />6. If I'm hired, when can I begin applying for other roles within the company?<br /><br /><br />"This question makes it seem like the candidate isn't really interested in the job she is currently interviewing for -- that she really just wants a foot in the door," Rulis says.<br /><br /><br />While ultimately you might have higher aspirations than the position for which you are applying, remember that an employer is looking for the best person to fill an opening for what the company needs now, not in the future.<br /><br /><br />7. Do you do background checks?<br /><br /><br />If you don't have something to hide, you probably aren't going to bother asking this one. If you do ...<br /><br /><br />Rich sums up the feelings most interviewers have after hearing this question, "I definitely don't want this person on my payroll!"

7 Questions That Make Interviewers Cringe

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder writer Chances are you've prepared answers to a variety of questions an interviewer might throw your way, but have you spent equal time considering the questions you want to pose to a potential employer? What you…

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