Job Searching: An Exercise in Patience

Let me break down this last week and a half or so for you. It has been quite a week and a half.

I believe I'd eluded to the fact that the job in DC I interviewed with had been pushing back and back offering the job to someone because they kept scheduling interviews. Meanwhile, my internship ended, I went home for the weekend for 2 family parties, came back last week to pack up my CENTERSTAGE apartment and move into Jason's. This came to a head on Thursday when Jason took off and we lugged all of my stuff from my old apartment to his. That morning, I'd gotten a cryptic email from the partner of the company that I interviewed with asking me when I'd be able to start "if we came to an agreement to bring you on board." Funnily worded but I responded anyway. Then we went to Ikea to shop for a few dressers and to eat some Swedish meatballs. When I was in line checking out, I noticed an email on my phone from the General Manager of the company telling me to call him before the end of the work day. Hmm, so by this point I'm thinking, "If they were going to reject me, they'd just email me. I REALLY hope I got the job." So I call back in the car and... of course... he doesn't answer. Now, it's about 4:45 at this point and they close at 5:30. After a good half an hour of silence, I'm thinking "I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to talk to these people! AH!" Side Note: Jason and I were planning to drive back home again on Friday for July 4th weekend because we were going with my family to the shore so the anticipation would have added a nice little hiccup to what should have been a relaxing vacation.

Just as I was about to give up hope, the phone rings at 5:27!! They offered me the job!! I am now employed!! Ahhh!! I was so excited! Poor Jason was stuck assembling my Ikea dresser while I texted and called half of the East Coast. Such a relief. So this weekend was a vacation of relaxation and celebration! I managed to burn the shit out of the front of my body when I fell asleep on the beach - oh well! It didn't dampen my mood.

To make it all a bit more ridiculous, I start TOMORROW. Quick turnaround right? I moved into Jason's apartment thinking I was going to be a deadbeat housewife for an indeterminate amount of time and it turns out that today is the ONLY free day I'll have to myself while here (we got back from the shore last night). It's insane. Things turn SO quickly.

So now I'm starting the more exciting apartment search! This should prove much less stressful than the job search I am sure. Whew!

I don't necessarily believe in the traditional Christian idea of "God" but I do believe that there is some kind of something greater floating around out there. Whoever or whatever you are - THANK YOU.

Hurry Up and Wait

The interview went fine. Well, I'd even say. He then had me do one more trial assignment for them that was due this past Monday. I didn't hear anything for a few days so I emailed him this morning. He said he liked the piece over all and gave me some feedback about improvements he'd ask for if we kept going with it. He said that he has an interview with another designer this week and will let us all know the outcome by Monday. So we'll see.

In the meantime, I sent a follow up email to the guy at UMBC (my college) who is in charge of the job I applied for there. He is on vacation this week.

Aaaand I might be able to get a resume in to the company one of my friends works for but they won't start looking for people until July.

So I'm just gonna hurry up and wait. And maybe pack - because the end of the internship seems to be the one thing that is not on hold...

I Am Embarrassed

I have a confession to make.

I've been hiding it for a little while now but I feel as though I have to admit it in a somewhat public forum - hopefully the three of you that read this will still talk to me afterward. Ok... here goes...

I sort of enjoy - and by "sort of enjoy" I mean "definitely enjoy" - Justin Bieber's "Baby." It's really catchy. Really really catchy. Sometimes I listen to it and sing along. Alone. In my apartment.

Ok, whew.

That was hard.

But I think it was a good exercise in building character.

(And in case you were wondering, I still publicly adore Clay Aiken with no apologies or embarrassment whatsoever.)

Interview - CHECK

The interview is over with! It's done! I made it to the train and the metro just fine. The transportation really wasn't an issue at all - which is fantastic. I did manage to mess up using the call box once I got to the place but really, it wasn't that bad.

The interview itself went just fine. The guy seemed to really like my stuff but he also said that he really liked 2 or 3 other people so I'm doing one more trial assignment for them to try and seal the deal. I have until Monday to do it and he should be offering SOMEONE the job within the next day or two after that. He said he ideally wanted to offer it to someone tomorrow - YIKES. He wants the person to start in about 2 weeks. So if I were to get that job, it would be just like every other thing I've done post-college - tight turnaround. But I would not complain as I haven't before because, well, I'd be employed! That's not so easy to come by these days. A lot of pressure rides on this little trial assignment. Ooof. I can't let it stress me out though - I just have to do it! I'm trying to psych myself up here but I'm a little too tired for it to work that well... sigh. Maybe I'll make some tea.

In other news, I got a manicure and pedicure yesterday. It was awesome - even more so because it was a gift certificate so it was free. I decided I need to incorporate manicures and pedicures into my daily, er, weekly/bi-weekly life. Along with the apartment rent, insurances, gym membership, new cat, etc that I have to pay for - haha.

June 24th: No Longer the Infinite Future

June 24th is in 9 days. 7 business days. Jue 24th is my last day at CENTERSTAGE. For a while it seemed like it was always going to be in the way distant future. I know now that it's not. This both terrifies and excites me. I don't have a job yet but I have a few brighter prospects since we last spoke. I have a job interview tomorrow in DC which slightly concerns me because I'm taking public transportation to get there. The last thing I want to do is miss a train because I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Trains, planes, most subway stations - I have very little experience with these modes of transportation so this is all very new and terrifying. However, I also decided the other day that I spend way too much time being afraid of absolutely everything so I should just suck it up, remember that I am an intelligent human being, get on the damn train, transfer to the metro, walk confidently into my interview and get the damn job.

By June 24th, I want to be able to turn to the last person I say goodbye to and tell them, with confidence, my future plans. I am working as a ____ with _____ in _____ and I plan to move to _____ or _____ within the next _____ (amount of time). And I'm gonna get a cat, damnit. It's not "home" unless there is a pet. I am convinced.

I'll probably stay with Jason in the interim period between CENTERSTAGE and my new apartment - assuming the job is already taken care of. The interview I have tomorrow is for a company that I already spoke to on the phone and completed a trial assignment for. My hopes are high. As long as the interview goes well, signs point to yes. Next steps would be ensuring that money and benefits are up to par and sealing the deal. I'm going to think positively about it. See where it gets me.

And a month goes by

I knew the regular updates were be too good to be true haha. Well things have been insane. The job search is still slooooowly crawling along. However, in the past month I've gotten some freelance offers for the next year or so. So at least if I don't have a real job, I'll have SOME form of income. However, it won't be enough to live on - that's for sure, so I still need to figure something out. I have enough money saved to probably live somewhere for a summer but that's about it. I need something steady come September - and besides - I'd rather not blow my savings on a summer of unemployment. So I have quite a few decisions to make in the very near future. At the moment, I'm applying to everything I can possibly find that I'm even remotely qualified for and PRAYING for an interview. Gah!

In other news, I saw Thor this weekend. I have to say I was impressed. I kind of hated the character at first but grew to like him - which is I guess exactly what the movie makers wanted me to do. Haha, well it worked. It was surprisingly funny at times and had all the cheesy action that you desire from a superhero movie. Then to keep with the theme I watched Kick Ass. Also brilliant. Like actually brilliant. Not just a satisfying action film. Actually really good.

I also finished the Godfather saga. I didn't hate the 3rd one as much as many people did. I didn't think it was as good as the first 2 but I definitely didn't hate it. Next on my Netflix is Dr. Strangelove. I've never seen it but it's the answer to like every damn question in the game Scene It so I might as well. Haha.

I just got a Kindle last week. It's so cool. It's like the one thing I've purchased in a while that I got because I WANTED it and no other reason. It's not going to solve all of my financial/work issues. It's just a cool gadget that allows me to take all of my books around with me. And I'm really excited about it! Haha. I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones...slowly. Haha, because I have no time. One of these days I'll actually finish it. Might take me the rest of my life but, oh well.

Not much else going on over here. Full time job. Part time job. Freelance jobs. Looking for a NEW job. Pretty much taking up my life. I long for a beach desperately.

Spring Cleaning

I saw Cirque du Soleil's Totem on Thursday night. SO GOOD! This one may have been my favorite. I don't know. This or Kooza. I love Cirque so much. It sucks that you have to be fluent in French to be considered for any kind of a serious design job there. Sigh. Makes me want to learn French. I am now seriously considering it. Perhaps I'll invest in a Rosetta Stone when I start making a little bit of money. I also wonder if it's possible to get your foot in the door doing graphic design or something on a smaller scale in English and then work your way towards the French haha. I don't know.

Also, in watching Gilmore Girls (particularly the episode in season 5 where Lorelai decides to make a secret "me" space after Luke dumps her) I am reminded of just how badly I want my own apartment. Simply so I can decorate it. And call it my own. And get a cat. I can't even tell you how much I want my own place.

My roommate is away for the weekend and Jason is shooting a wedding all day today so I thought it would be a good day to get a little Spring Cleaning done. Thank GOD. It was getting pretty gross in here. I'm playing the waiting game with my laundry right now. The dryers are crap here so it takes a solid 4 hours for laundry to dry depending on the types of fabric and the quantity of laundry. At least I started it before 7 pm this time - usually I do it in the evening and am waiting until like 1 in the morning for everything to dry properly. Very lame. The only good thing about it is that it's free.

I have a few miscellaneous design things to accomplish today and then I'd like to keep up with the job search or continue work on my website. I also should read a little more so that I am well ahead for when A Game of Thrones airs tomorrow night. I'm excited about it!

Entry number 3 in a reasonable amount of time?!

Unbelievable! But I'm not complaining. I'm not going to make any grand assumptions about how THIS time I will continue to blog forever! Because let's get serious. I only make these promises to break them. I'll take it one post at a time for now, haha.

I decided that tonight I'm going to get a lot of stuff done. Two shots of espresso later, I'm chugging right alone (blogging was actually a task on this list). I decided that if I add some fun things to my lists that maybe I'll feel a little better when I neglect to do some of the not fun things because I can at least say I've done SOMETHING.

I was supposed to get my hair cut today. The costume intern was going to do it but, alas, she had to work. Ah, the theater. So unpredictable... so we're going to try for tomorrow. I'm getting it chopped off again. This concerns me ever so slightly because this girl is not, in fact, a seasoned hairdresser that I've been going to for the past however-many-years and with how short I'm planning to go, it's not like I can put it up in a ponytail to hide any awfulness that might ensue. It is but a leap of faith. I'm too paranoid all the time. Let this leap of faith in the beauty department act as a step toward calming myself down and reaching some sense of paranoid normalcy.

In other news, I find that I keep saying "yes" to small projects. For a few reasons, 1) they sometimes sound fun 2) every career advisor you ever talk to says never to burn a bridge or say no to something that could get you somewhere and 3) i figure if i do it enough, one day, something is bound to pay off. Well folks, I've finally encountered a small pay off. At CENTERSTAGE, interns are allowed to bar tend for extra money - which I do. It just so happens that we were dark last week because we're in between shows so I technically would not have had any bar shifts. However, my bar manager emailed us asking if anyone would like to help him out and bar tend for a rental. A high school was holding a fundraiser at the theater and needed bar staff. So I thought "I could enjoy this week off, OR, perhaps, I could make a little extra money and help a guy out." So I chose to do it. Little did I know, he added automatic gratuity to the $10,000 rental. Meaning, me and the 4 other bartenders split $1300 for just showing up!! Do that math in your head or on a calculator but it comes out to about $250 each - for just showing up - for 5 hours. PLUS our hourly wage of $7.50 PLUS the cash tips we made (which came out to about $55). I walked out of there over $300 richer than when I walked in.

Pay off? I think so.

End.

A Real Entry?

Perhaps.

The stories upon stories of things that have happened since the last time I attempted to frequent this blog are a bit daunting when I sit down to actually update. Perhaps I'll stick to categories for the time being. This shall be my pop culture update.

Where to begin? Movies, TV, or Books? How about that order. Great.

Movies: As we all know, I am not the biggest of movie buffs to the embarrassment of my friends and family who are. When I moved into intern housing here, I found out, dun dun dunnnnn, that I do not have cable - i.e. no TV whatsoever because I couldn't even get the basic channels. We have it in the common room but that means I have to go next door and sit in a big room where there are probably others who are going to come down and change the channel. Annoying. So I invested in Netflix. I figured, "Monique, there are enough movies and TV series you haven't seen and are on Netflix to keep you occupied for 3 internships." So I took the dive. I am pleased with the results.

Movies I've seen during this internship that I hadn't seen beforehand (due to Netflix, current movie releases, and friends' collections - in no particular order):

-The Star Wars Trilogy (and now I feel I must own it)

-The Godfather and The Godfather Part II (Part III should be coming in the mail on Monday)

-Black Swan

-Harry Potter 7 Part 1 (and I can't WAIT for Part 2)

And others that I am surely forgetting but the most exciting movie fact, I think, is that I got ALL THREE extended editions of The Lord of the Rings for $31!! Used, yes, but still. I thought it was awesome. I have until Monday to watch them all and make sure that they're ok haha. We'll see if that happens...

TV Series - So I decided to watch the Gilmore Girls series from beginning to end. I'm on season 5 now. It's very addicting. I know that it's a guilty pleasure. WHATEVER. I love it. Also, I decided that Jason needs to watch Dr. Who (and I am a bit behind myself, unfortunately) so we just recently started from the beginning with that one as well. Hopefully I'll catch up sometime during the upcoming season so I can watch it in real time. So many things to watch!! So little time! It's ok though because I enjoy watching people watch shows and movies that I love. I feel like I'm exposing something wonderful to them haha.

Books - Speaking of exposing people to good movies and TV, I let Jason borrow Kiss Me Like a Stranger (Gene Wilder's Autobiography). And he actually read it! Now I have someone to talk to about it! Because I love it, AH! Since the end of IT over the summer, I've had a hard time committing to books. I started A Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, and Eat Pray Love. I stopped all of them when I got busy. HowEVER, I recently picked A Game of Thrones back up, started from the beginning and have somewhat solidly been reading ever since. HBO is turning it into a miniseries starting April 17 (AHHH) so I have to read quicker! The books in this series (A Song of Ice and Fire) are like 1000 pages a piece; apparently I can't read anything of normal length. My hope is that I will at least be able to read fast enough to keep up with each new episode of the miniseries. I'm almost 200 pages in now. Hopefully I can get to page 300 before the first episode so I'll be a little ahead. We'll see haha.

When I'm finally done reading that, I will have some choices to make. I could move on to book 2 in the series (which I may want to do depending on how book 1 ends). I could quickly knock out Eat Pray Love because its short, lighthearted, and a quick read. AND because it's not mine and I've been holding it hostage for months. I could also tackle Lord of the Rings again - but I don't know if I can commit to that while I'm still in the middle of reading A Song of Ice and Fire.

Meanwhile, I should really be updating my website and applying to jobs. Sigh... so much time, so little to do. Wait. Strike that. Reverse it.

A Lot of "News"

It's almost 1 am. I should be in bed but instead I shall write. It's been a while. A lot of things have happened.

New Internship - Much much better than the last. The people are great, the work is more creative. Much better experience all around. However, it is rapidly drawing to a close.

New Job Search - So begins the new job search which I am rather behind on, might I add, due to the full time internship I currently hold plus the bartending and freelance work I'm doing on the side for extra money. Kind of ironic that I have all of these jobs to make some semblance of a steady income and yet the time they take up is eating into my ability to find a better-paying job. Sigh... such is life. And such are these 1 am nights.

New Boyfriend - Things with Shane and I came to a close in early November. I love him dearly but, well, as a really really great friend. Not as a boyfriend. It was a hard decision. But it was made and it was mutual and if we can get past the awkwardness I think we have some great years of friendship ahead of us. And now there is a new boyfriend. Well...man friend. He's 32. And we work together. Weird. It's definitely not who I'd have thought I would be with at this point in my life if you asked me back in the summer. However, we've been together for almost 5 months now and I have to say that I couldn't be happier. Sometimes the most random situation ends up being the best.

New Gym Membership - Jason and I have been going to the gym together - he is a huge health nut and I've always had the desire to become healthier but not the will power. So it works out nicely because now I have someone to go to the gym and to eat healthy with! It's been a successful endeavor. Pretty soon, I'm going to look like that wrestler Chyna.

Sigh, the job thing has been on my mind a lot lately. I just can't wait to get a full time, real person job - that I hopefully like! Ahh. I just want to have a real apartment with a real pet and real bills that I can pay with my real salary and benefits. Stay tuned folks, it's gonna be a wild ride.