liars, bad liars, and list-makers

As of today, I’ve been unemployed for five and a half months. Between you and me, the novelty is starting to wear off.

As you may or may not know, I live in the vicinity of Huntsville, Alabama, and just this week, I saw it ranked on yet another list of cities that are “thriving” despite a bad economy. Is that right, list-maker people? Well, you couldn’t prove it by me. I’ve been applying to job openings in Huntsville (a.k.a That Marvelously Flourishing City) repeatedly for these five and a half months, and I’ve only had one interview. Apparently all the other job seekers in these neighboring, non-flourishing cities are applying for the same jobs.

The result is like actors in Hollywood: applicants are a dime a dozen, and employers can pick and choose their perfect candidate. Meanwhile, the rest of us wonder what is so powerfully wrong with us that we can’t get hired in such a hotbed of opportunity. :rollseyes:

And while I’m exposing the dark side of economic hype, I feel compelled to mention how my mother and my sister work for a company that frequently places high on lists of great companies to work for. One such list bragged how this company has never laid off a single employee. Maybe they haven’t terminated anyone – and that’s a big maybe, btw – because of low business levels, but they *do* drastically cut the hours of their part-time people. For example, this week my sister is only working two days, and my mother isn’t working at all. A job with no hours is a lot like being laid off, and, needless to say, plenty of people leave voluntarily, taking jobs elsewhere because they need more income.

Moral of the story: don’t believe everything people list.

new layout, kinda

I recycled the eclectic layout at rusted-crush.com so that I could focus on organizing and upgrading the content. (Which, I’m happy to report, is done!)

I also updated the MacGyver site, and I posted my first MacGyver fanfiction.

new layout

I just completed a major overhaul of my so-called personal site. I started this project months ago, but I’d work on a layout for a while and then decide I didn’t like it. I did that three times (or was it four?), and I find it ironic that the theme I started out with was “Perfection is my enemy.”

In any event, after *hours* spent finalizing it – both yesterday and today – it’s ready.

Now I can move on to the next overhaul…

she shall see Chelle?

Lately, I’ve been reading my past journal entries, and I noticed where – in early 2001 – I had grumbled about my old friend Chelle’s “know-it-all attitude”, and about her trying to set me up with her friend’s brother (who is six years my junior, btw). This led me to wonder if maybe Chelle finally got around to checking out my site, read that, and is peeved about it. And this is why, in response to the lengthy catch-up letter I sent her last Christmas, she responded with only a photo postcard of her boys. And also why when I emailed her (along with a few other people) to wish her a Happy New Year, I received no response whatsoever.

Yes, I was a wee bit snarky in what I wrote, but I honestly didn’t think it was anything to be angry over. When I consider sending the link to my site to someone I know in real-life, I’m always aware that I may have written something about them. So if I go ahead and send it, I’ve obviously deemed the content suitable for sharing. Besides that, those who know me should know well that I’m decidedly not a mean-spirited person.

If she *is* angry about what I wrote, I have only one question for her: wouldn’t *you* have felt the same way I did, if you had been in my shoes?

Okay, two questions: is an eight-year-old journal entry worth holding a grudge over?

Chelle, if you read this, I hope you’ll email me sometime, because I really would love to hear what’s going on with you. However, if you no longer want to hear from me, please let me know, because I plan to keep sending you letters at Christmas-time – although you’ll probably find them considerably shorter than the last one.

in love with an image time is bound to see through

While meeting my boyfriend at Sears on Saturday, I was distracted by my latest celebrity obsession playing the guitar with his band in high-definition on one of the large flat-screen TVs. I stared, transfixed and delighted. The song was ending, but MAN, it was cool.

I went on to meet my boyfriend, although I did insist that we stop by that TV (several times, heh heh) to see if I could catch the full-length song by Mr. Celebrity Obsession. I was actually proud of myself for wanting to see it, because it was a recent clip. I’ve been watching the guy’s music videos from the ‘80s/late ‘70s, and diligently avoiding all the current stuff, i.e. reality. Indeed, seeing him looking his age was eye-opening, but I think I needed that.

However, as we watched, my boyfriend felt compelled to snark, “Is he on drugs right now??” Okay, maybe I was slightly out of line, mildly gushing over some public figure, but honey? You putting him down does *not* make me like you more.

Then, the next day my sister felt compelled to mention my obsession’s, um, chemical reputation, and I wondered why everyone is so determined to bash my little, albeit irrational fantasy. I don’t have a job. It takes effort to find things to occupy my days and my thoughts, and lately I’m trying hard not to dwell on how it seems as if everything I’ve ever wanted has been for nothing. So, IF IT’S NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK, could I just enjoy a few happy thoughts? At least in this case, I *know* not to expect them to come true.

Well, I say that and yet, with such an in-your-face reminder that they won’t come true, I admit that I’ve been left largely disenchanted with my celebrity obsession. Sure, I still enjoy his music, but congratulations, sis and boyfriend! Yet again, I feel like a girl without a dream.

Yesterday, this all reminded me how, when I was in school, I’d get a crush on a guy, and I’d have it for a long while, and no one else would do. I admit, sometimes I get a little bitter that not one of them worked out. Looking back, it finally occurred to me that maybe I was being unrealistic, focusing so much effort on someone who didn’t reciprocate. In my defense, I was a teenage girl! And we want what we want, right?

To be honest, I now suspect that the fantasy was more enjoyable than reality with those guys could have ever been. When you’re with someone, the newness is bound to wear off (this I know all too well, sigh). Sure, the lows of pining from afar – namely the rejection – were low, but the highs … wow. It can be pretty awesome when just seeing the object of your affection is a thrill.

Hmm, could it be that the whole point of the crush is the pursuit? With that in mind, I’m off to YouTube to watch some videos. There are some by Mr. Celebrity Obsession that I haven’t seen. *smiles*

swine flu over the cuckoo’s nest

Status update: I didn’t get the job that I interviewed for. I’m not surprised. At least they told me. :shrug:

In other news, I’ve been sick yet again, and it started around the time we were having a local outbreak of swine flu. This concerned me – I may be falling back into my hypochondriac ways – so to comfort myself, I made a list of the

Top Five Reasons I Know I Have an Allergy Attack, Not Swine Flu

5. Before becoming sick, I hadn’t been out in public for over a week.
4. I *had* been out in the yard for hours two days in a row, during high pollen count days.
3. Classic signs of seasonal allergies: sneezing, watery eyes, sinus pressure, a bit of skin rash
2. No “high fever that doesn’t respond to Tylenol”
1. I’m a vegetarian!

I was amused a few days later when I received this from my cousin:

Top 10 Signs You Have Swine Flu

10. You can’t pass a mud puddle without wanting to roll in it
9. Even though it’s hot outside, you don’t sweat
8. *cough, cough*  *oink, oink*
7. You can smell food five miles away
6. You have the urge to push things with your nose
5. Your Jewish friends have shunned you
4. The smell of bacon is appalling
3. Your new favorite story is “Three Little Pigs”
2. The site of a BBQ grill makes you nervous
1. You now think Miss Piggy is a supermodel

Thanks, cousin, that makes me feel better. Except maybe for number ten.

overly unqualified

Right after I wrote the last blog post, I was surprised with an invitation to interview this week. Since this was the first interview I’ve had in the three months that I’ve been unemployed, I was thrilled. And I can honestly say that I felt I was the best prepared I’ve been for any interview that I can remember. I had found a long list of potential interview questions on the Internet, and I prepared answers for almost all of them.

But at the interview, the lady I talked to spent most of the thirty minutes explaining what they do there. She even brought a sample of their paperwork. She was very nice, but the first thing she said (while looking at my résumé) was that I’m overqualified. She said lightly, “Oh, my, you’ll be so bored doing what we do here.” Then she talked about spreadsheets and completing monthly reports. I tried to explain that that was *exactly* the kind of thing I did when I was an admin assistant before, and being an organized person, it’s actually something I like to do. In any case, she said it’d be at least a week before they make a decision.

That always sounds to me as if they’re trying to put me off. They know that at that moment I’m hopeful, but they see that I haven’t got a chance, so they vague out about their plans, I guess to try to take the sting out of it. As time passes, my dream of being hired slowly dies, so that by the time the rejection letter comes weeks later, I’m pretty much expecting it.

Anyway, my preparation did pay off: I *knew* that my interviewer would ask something like, “Why do you want this job when you’ve got an engineering degree?” So I had prepared an answer about “choosing engineering because I knew that its reasoning and problem-solving skills would be an asset in any career.” (Hopefully they bought it!) However, the minute she said I was overqualified, I wanted to scream. Every one of the engineering places I’ve applied to has apparently found me way UNDERqualified, because they won’t even interview me. So I set my sights a bit lower and what do I get? “You’re overqualified.” GAH!

I understand why employers are cautious. In these tough times, they know that some people are looking for any job they can to pay bills, but the employers don’t want to waste their resources training someone who will leave when a better opportunity comes along. I just don’t know how to make them understand that that is not my intention. My experience in the engineering field – the lack of training and job security – has left a bad taste in my mouth. I must be getting lazy, or old, or something, because I can’t stand the thought of having to start over and over, moving around to find opportunities in my that field. (I already feel that my whole life has been starting over!) I can’t say that admin work is my dream job, but if I can find something steady, I plan to stick with it.

those things I do, jobless edition

As of the 16th, I will have been unemployed for three months. During that time, I’ve…

Finally stopped moping about being unemployed. Mostly. As my former boss used to say, “It is what it is.” I can either mope around, or I can use this time to try and accomplish something.

Been job hunting. Looking through the on-line job postings can be SO disheartening, but I’m feeling more focused in my search. So, I keep reminding myself that waiting for the right opportunity will be worth it, even if it takes a little time. I’ve also been reviewing my work history and preparing answers to common interview questions. I’m already feeling much more prepared. Hopefully by the time someone wants to talk to me, I’ll be more than ready.

Worked on my websites. I’ve finished three of the four “ambitious plans” that I outlined at the start of this year.

Watched six episodes of Simon & Simon on-line, and in honor of the *huge* crush I had on AJ during the show’s original run, I’m thisclose to writing fanfiction. I’ve also seen one episode of The Facts of Life and one episode of Miami Vice. (Yes, I’m a HUGE fan of cheezy 80s TV.)

Spent more time with the family than we’ve enjoyed in a long while. Since we can only make so much conversation, we’ve been watching tapes and DVDs of old TV shows and movies. We’ve watched so much of my collection that I’m now sorting through things I haven’t thought about in years, just so we can see something different. Earlier this week we watched Roman Holiday, which I taped 10 years ago and never watched. Eventually, we may have to subscribe to Netflix, or something.

Been getting organized. I organized my closets and gave away some things I never wear. I also sorted through my computer files and completed a major backup. Next I plan to tackle my paper files and – perhaps my biggest task of all – my assortment of “mementos”. (Hello, my name is Anne, and I’m a packrat.)

Worked in the yard at my mom’s place. It’s getting to the point where I actually enjoy it!

Seen my boyfriend. But only twice so far this year, because he’s been working so much.

Visited the doctor three times. Or I will have as of tomorrow, when I see a specialist about my ear, which has been stopped up for almost three weeks now. :sigh:

By the time I do get a job, my stuff (real and virtual) should be in good shape. And who knows, after all this, forty hours a week may feel like cutting back!

picture it, interview edition

Picture it…

…a plaid long-sleeved flannel nightgown, teal background with white and red stripes, and three little red bows on the front.

…a decades-old purple pair of sweatpants with holes in places modesty forbids me to mention. (But not to wear, go figure.)

…a turquoise blue zip-up sweatshirt.

This is what I’m wearing as I’m on the phone with a journalism grad student, trying to compose some insightful thoughts for possible inclusion in an article about one of my favorite fandoms.

If clothes make the woman, I could be in trouble.

Then again, it *was* a phone call. Actually getting dressed up for it might just have been the more pathetic way to go!

adding insult to extortion

This is one month I’ll be glad to see behind me. Repeated failed attempts at job hunting. Crummy weather. My boyfriend’s too busy to see me. My computer’s started acting up regularly. My first-ever (diagnosed) case of the flu, not to mention an expensive-ly worthless visit to the clinic.

Which just gets even more expensive, as yesterday I received a bill from said clinic for $60. That’s right, I get to pay sixty bucks to go with the EIGHTY-FIVE that I already paid to receive a “wait and see” diagnosis. To quote a former co-worker, I can’t tell you how mad that makes me. But because I know good people who work in the medical field, I’m trying hard not to spout things like, “Those clinic workers have it made! They send the real cases to the ER and tell everyone else to wait and see!”

Sigh. Maybe things’ll look better in March.