Happy holiday weekend to all who celebrate! Whether that’s the 4th, the 100th celebration of Caesar salad’s existence, or national BBQ Spareribs day, I hope you’re taking it smooth and easy this weekend. Honestly, we deserve an easy weekend.
Quick updates: I made it to vacation! Is vacation sometimes more exhausting than staycation for anyone else? The amount of energy I expend, I need a vacation to recover from… vacation. Somehow, this feels counterproductive. On the job front, I was turned down for the job right before the final interview. Actually, I was told that I made it to the final interview only to get a call saying it was a mistake. Devastation is the wrong word for the investment and 3 weeks of interviews. Is anyone else hunting for a job right now? And is it the absolute worst thing you’ve ever done? Let us chat about this because it is taking me a while to recover.
Anyway, moving to good things on this fine Sunday. Eating watermelon by the pound and getting a ResortPass to the nearest and nicest pool sounds perfect. For tennis fans, we are watching Coco Gauff dominate Wimbledon and bidding a fond farewell to Andy Murray who officially retired. In a few weeks, I will watch Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky at the Paris Olympics.
If I have not told you lately, I really appreciate the community of readers here on Joy the Baker. We value you beyond words! Let’s get into these links, friends.
• Speaking of watermelon, I could eat it for every meal right now, and rightfully so – it is peak watermelon season. Every year I scour the internet for the best way to pick a watermelon and this seems to be the best guide. Use it to make this classic watermelon and feta salad, for your own health and wellness. (Real Simple, Joy the Baker)
• If a healthy watermelon detox isn’t in the cards, maybe retox (a made up term by yours truly) with this raspberry and gin slushie. Honestly, both. We love balance ’round here. (Joy the Baker)
• Summer reading is my favorite genre of reading. It’s silly and light and carefree – just what a summer needs! Currently, I’m obsessed with Kimberly Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series. If you need some spice? Oh babe, this is HEAVILY seasoned, and under 300 pages. I finished all 3 books in 3 days flat. (Bookshop)
• There are family milestones being achieved lately – my mom is retiring. She’s been a single parent since I turned 14 and honestly work has been what’s kept her going. This is a big deal for her and for me and my siblings. For black families, we often don’t talk about hard things until they become an emergency, unfortunately. Estate planning and retirement is now at our doorstep, and I am riddled with anxiety about it, as is my mother. This article talking about tackling her aging mother’s clutter gives voice to the pressing question: how do I help her future and mine? (Hello, Gloria)
• I don’t have a new Trader Joe’s post for you, but please let me recommend my latest obsession – Trader Joe’s Dill Pickle Mustard. It’s perfect on hot dogs, potato salad, deviled eggs, and that very weird viral TikTok trend of sausage dipped in cottage cheese and mustard. It is wild, but oddly tasty?! Nothing is real. (Trader Joe’s, TikTok)
• Today’s longread comes from writer Mary H.K. Choi discussing her recent diagnosis with autism at 43. It finally provided answers to lifelong, “Oh, those are just quirks, right?” questions, and it made me wonder if we’re all a little neurospicy. (The Cut)
• Y’all, I bought my first Ruggable rug this weekend a) because there was a sale and b) one of my cats (Charles, the orange tabby) threw up on the current rug, yet again. I think I blacked out a little bit because I don’t remember rolling up the rug, chucking it in the trash, and vacuuming my entire house afterwards. Friends, I vacuumed the cat tree out of rage. And I mean taking my long handled vacuum, sitting it on the tiers and turning the vacuum on. It was… a moment. (Ruggable)
• Getting lost in this beautiful home seems like the perfect way to unwind from life. Since we can’t physically be there, tour this home with me and cry a little bit. (NYT Gift Link)
• Finally, if ever I won the lottery, I wouldn’t say anything, but there would be signs. (Anthropologie)
29 Responses
Oh, that house on Orcas is beautiful! I live in Seattle and am among the millennials who have called this place home for a very long time but cannot buy a house, which usually makes me very annoyed at articles about second homes, but the care they’ve taken for the land makes this story a feel good dreamy one. ?
Hi Abby,
I’m sorry your vacation wasn’t as you wanted and the job didn’t come to fruition. I totally understand what you’re going through with the job disappointment but remember that company has missed out on you. I know you really wanted it, but take on board how they handled the whole thing and revisit whether it would have been the right fit. After all that effort you need time to dwell, be angry, be sad and then shout it out. And once again, remember, they missed out on you.
With the holiday – did you ever consider perhaps just going and hanging out somewhere in nature? A simple holiday, chilaxing with perhaps a forest, sea or river at your door. No rushing, shopping, being a ‘tourist’. Nature is restorative. I think you would love it, although I will add that where I am (New Zealand) we don’t have things in nature that will attack or eat us so maybe it’s easier for me to say! Worth a thought though.
Keep your chin up.
Kerry
P.S. When I go to interviews now I try to maintain an attitude that ‘I don’t actually need this job. Interviewing is good experience. It will be good to hear more about it but whatever.’ It takes the pressure off yourself and if you’re more relaxed during the process you can just be you.
Well Kerry I just added going to New Zealand as something I would love to do – a simple holiday sounds so perfect. And thank you so much for the encouragement! I forget about the “are they a good fit for ME” sometimes.
Abby, I’m so sorry for your disappointment. While I certainly echo the supportive and encouraging things others have said, I also want to stay with you right where you are right now – this sucks. You invested a lot of effort and energy in this endeavor and it’s incredibly frustrating to lose the opportunity at the finish line. Grief can apply to jobs that end and jobs that never begin. Virtual hug.
Abby, as an HR professional, I am always embarrassed to hear when things like this happen. I am sorry the job search has been so draining. Thank you for being so honest and vulnerable with us. Those qualities will land you in the right place even if it feels arduous right now. Speaking of new roles, do you have a LinkedIn profile or resume you’d be willing to share (not trying to be a cyber stalker just a virtual friend)? It takes a village when looking for a new job, and I might have a good lead for you. I don’t know your background completely nor do I know the salary range of this role, but I do know a lot about the company and they really do have an awesome culture. I also know the people who are hiring. Check out Crucial Learning. They just posted a couple of roles within marketing that could be a good fit for you based on what I know about your dynamic writing. Wishing you all the very best!! Feel free to message me directly if you like: amber(dot)hunter(at)gmail(dot)com.
Absolutely!! I will reach out to you and look into this right now! It does take a village (maybe several villages and a township), and I’m so thankful for any and all help
Someone needs to develop a “real” platform for job searching. Linkedin, Glassdoor, agencies all seem to be a scam. Many companies have “running ads”. Fishing expeditions. I don’t know a single person who found employment through any of these options. Word of mouth, networking, seem to be the best options. I agree it is “tough”. Salaries do not reflect inflation yet, many friends are not active in leaving their current employment to search due to uncertainty about the economy & employer’s lack of loyalty to good employees.
It’s absolutely about who you know! And it’s STILL hard to get hired, it’s so frustrating. I feel like asking to make a living wage in today’s economy is asking for the moon on a silver platter.
I have always put job hunting just below a death in the family and divorce. I got my first job 54 years ago when I was 19. I later became a military spouse and moved all around the US and Europe. I always worked, which meant a lot of painful job interviews. I now own my business and am the one giving interviews. Be confident, be professional and be positive. You will be fine.
You and your mom might want to take a look at this free e-book on how to plan for your affairs after death. https://annettekam.com/downloadable-free-ebook/
Ohhhh I FEEL your job hunt pain. Got laid off in January and I have been applying every day to multiple jobs and I have had maybe 3 interviews? I did a couple months of contract work and now I’m back at it and I’m tired. Sending you positive vibes that you’ll find something perfect soon!!!
I’m so sorry!! Sending you the positive vibes back – it’s hard out here!
I made raspberry gin slushies for a recent gathering of my artist group. They were a MAJOR hit, including with one who usually demurs! Side note though: The recipe you gave says “serves 6”. There are only 4 of us; we consumed it all.
Abby, I so look forward to your Sunday visits that I often wish you could be here every Sunday. Keep your chin up, kiddo — one of these job searches is going to bring you into the sightline of someone who appreciates you for the jewel that you are.
My husband, who has been on both sides of hiring says look at it this way ~ Joy may have actually lucked out. He says any employer who spends three weeks on a single hire dies not care one bit for their (prospective let alone existing) employees ~
I’m so sorry about your hiring process mess! My hope for you is that it’s because the next one coming is the right one….i work for a horrible employer and have also been searching to no avail. I mean really; they cant even send ‘thanks but no thanks’ notes/emails anymore, even after an interview!
Warm regards; I look forward to the Sunday post each week.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for the right thing to come along! It feels like dating honestly (and I mean that in a bad way LOL)
Let me take a quick minute here for my newest TJ’s find: Hot and Sweet Jalapeños! Best on everything!
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/hot-sweet-jalapenos-056688
Ohh! I can imagine that would be so good on a sandwich!!
Oh Abby – as an HR person, I am SO sorry that they invited you for an interview and then reneged. That is awful and I hope whoever made that error was genuinely remorseful and took time to acknowledge the impact it had on you.
To everyone job searching – it is so hard. Stay the course and try not to get discouraged. I hope you meet more kind folks than jerks along the way.
Thank you for the encouragement! I’m starting to look again slowly but I’m disheartened if I’m being honest.
I’m a retired HR person, and that’s not the way to handle an interviewing process! Also, it says a lot about their company! You wouldn’t have had a happy experience there in the long run! Keep trying, a wonderful job is going to come and they’re going to be so grateful to have you on their team!
Neurospicy = my new favorite word.
SAME!! i think we’re gonna need tshirts and/or hats. Ok Abby- new side hustle??
Yes, job hunting IS the absolute worst! You invest so much hope into it. I found, though, that the jobs I got turned down for would have been a terrible fit for me, and I always ended up in the right place. Hang in! And tell your mother that retirement is the best thing ever – so good that we don’t want you young things to know what a great time of life it is and be jealous!
I am right there with you in the job hunt exhaustion. I was let go in April and the last 3 months (to the day, actually) have been nothing but misery and strife. Not sure what type of jobs you’ve been applying for, but as someone in the tech industry, it’s a mess right now. Good luck and hope the next one is a success!
I worked for Apple for 11 years before leaving so I have a definite background in tech. Every industry is ROUGH right now!! Keeping my fingers crossed for me and you <3
Great links and writing as always! Just want to say an especially great thanks for that article on how to help one’s mother – I’m in that situation albeit with my Dad. Also, I hear you on the job hunting front. I’m there too but I guess we just have to hang in there…*sigh*
Thank you! And giving you hugs and encouragement from Chicago. It’s hard out here friend but we do what we can!