On the hunt

I feel like I have been looking for a job for years. Actually its only been about a month of hard core searching and about three months prior to that of just perusing. I thought the Internet would make the search easier, but it is just burning me out. I miss the good old days when you could pick up a paper and circle the ads you were interested in. Apparently everyone has embraced the Internet age and stopped relying on the papers. It sounds good in theory but there are too many problems with replying to jobs in cyberspace.

First of all, did you know there were companies who make a living setting up fake ads to entice you to reply? Once they have your email address they send you an auto-reply with a link to a website where “every applicant must register to be considered for the position”. When you go to the website they ask you a series of questions, such as social security number, cell phone number and cell phone carrier. If you try to leave these blank the site will not let you go any further. It is so obvious that it is a scam. What a waste of a perfectly awesome cover letter. In the course of a day I must run across this at least five times. I am aware of the old adage that if the ad sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Well, apparently these scammers have also because they use some of the most generic language to lure you in. It is tough to tell the real ones from the fake ones and it is making me very tired.

Secondly, did you know there are websites devoted to trolling other websites and posting jobs? So, if I go to CraigsList and check out everything they have and then go to another site like Indeed.com and check them out, I will end up seeing a lot of the same jobs I already saw plus a few others. It is like a big game of concentration to know what I’ve already seen and what is new. And then deciphering which of those are actual jobs or ploys to get you to “register” for a site where I’m pretty sure the next step after providing social security number is to sign a waiver promising your first born or a kidney.

Lastly, you never know if anyone is actually getting your information. Emails that go unanswered can be dismissed for a number of reasons. Perhaps it got lost in cyberspace, maybe it wound up in the person’s junk mail folder and got deleted, maybe the person got it and is too busy laughing at your resume to respond, or maybe the person was inundated with applicants and made their hiring decision based on the first ten candidates they saw and doesn’t want to take the time to respond to the eleventh and all subsequent emails. But who knows? Since you don’t talk to anyone there is no one to hold accountable. I miss the human accountability aspect of applying to a company, knowing the company you are applying to and talking to someone who knows you expect a response.

I have actually taken the last ditch effort of just randomly calling companies in the yellow pages in my field of interest. And would you believe that people still know how to communicate verbally? And they were actually nice. I left a few voice mails, of which only one person called me back. I guess accountability applies to answering machines, too. But the people that I did talk to were so helpful and friendly. If they weren’t able to help me, they made several suggestions to help me on my quest. Its like they felt my pain and were willing to help me however they could. You just don’t get that with the Internet.

Now that I have established human contact via the telephone, I think I will take the next step and visit some companies in person with resume in hand. Who knows what I will get if I attempt to make face to face contact with other human beings who are probably also starving for actual human contact after years of virtual contact. I might just get a job!

 

The 4-hour Window

Can you imagine telling your boss you will be in between 8 and 12 or 1 and 5? Of course you would let him pick which window works best for him. Can you then imagine always showing up at the last minute of that window if you are even within the window? ARGH! Can you tell I am frustrated with the home repairman?

I know the topic of the cable guy and his infamous service window has been explored. Don’t even get me started on the cable guy nightmare we’ve had. My frustration goes way beyond one service sector. As the owner of a newly constructed home that was rushed to completion in order to expedite closing, I have had to deal with way more repairmen than any human should have to face in a lifetime. And they all give you that vague window of time for you to sit and wait only for them to show up late.

I wonder some times if the problem doesn’t stem from miscommunication. Not on my part so much as on the builder’s and my husband’s part. Since a lot of these repairmen are being scheduled by the builder who apparently thinks that I don’t have a life and he just tells me “he’ll be there tomorrow”. Uh, could you be a little less specific please? Or my husband will get the information from the builder and pass it on to me but he also thinks I just sit around the house with nothing better to do so he doesn’t bother to even get a window of time. Just this past Friday he told me someone would be here in the morning to hang a door. Lunchtime came and went with no door being hung. The repairman didn’t get here until 2:30 p.m. He was a very nice guy and I just had to wonder if he ever said he would be here in the morning or if it was just a guess on my husband’s part. At any rate, I stayed in my sweaty workout clothes all day because I didn’t want to take a shower and chance missing the repairman.

I’m sure you all have experienced this frustration. Mine is just amplified these days because there have been so many appointments and repairs to be made. Would you believe that to correct a light plate switch required about four different crews to correct? One to come in and determine, “yep, this ain’t right”. One to come in and pull all the sheetrock off the wall and re-frame the studs – for one little light switch plate. One to come in and adjust the electrical box. One to come in and re-hang the sheetrock. And finally, after weeks of waiting, one to come in and apply the texture, in the morning, take a 2-hour lunch and come back to paint the wall. All for one little light switch plate. But at least it’s perfect now.

And I am typing this as I sit waiting for someone to come and install a garage door. According to my husband he was supposed to be here this afternoon so I scheduled the counter repair guy for that time window. Wouldn’t it be nice to have free time this morning to run errands? But lucky me, he called this morning at 7:30 a.m. to let us know we were first on his list and he would be here this morning. So it doesn’t look like any errands will get run today because I will be in a holding pattern. I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t found a job yet. Because I don’t think my boss would like it if I gave him that 4-hour window of arrival based on some other repairman’s schedule.

 

What’s new at the movies?

I was watching Turner Classic Movies this week and had to laugh when Robert Osbourne talked about a new concept that “The Naked City” used. Apparently they filmed the movie live, on the streets of New York. And it was pretty cutting-edged stuff back then because most films up to that point had been shot on studio lots. I thought it was funny that a technique films use ALL THE TIME today was once so new and fresh. Would you believe they shot most of the scenes from inside a van with dark windows so passers-by would not see the camera? New Yorkers are now so used to cameras on the street it would be an odd day if they didn’t pass one.

But it really got me thinking about the modern movie. There doesn’t seem to be any new, exciting, fresh concept to really wow an audience. Have we become so spoiled by all that we’ve been exposed to? Have we run out of fresh ideas? Has technology finally done all that can be done to create a visually interesting film? Maybe the Hollywood big-wigs don’t want to take a chance on a new concept if there is no guarantee of a big pay day?

And if you think I’m writing this article because I am going to expose some fresh, new twist to the modern movie, you might be disappointed. This is more of an observation and, maybe partially, a request for something better than what we’ve seen. I know that with the advancement of animation technology there have been some really great new cartoons. I am a big fan of “Madagascar” myself. And the “Matrix” employed such new techniques and ideas that people still talk about them today. Unfortunately, that technology may have been lost on this non-sci-fi loving girl.

But I am a little sick of cartoons; maybe I’d feel differently if I had kids.  And don’t get me started on sequels to great movies that don’t live up to the standard of the first go-round. And I am most definitely sick of re-makes. How many times, how many ways can someone re-do “An Affair to Remember”? You just can’t top the Debra Kerr/Carey Grant combo, so stop trying. And how many actors are going to wear Batman’s tights? How many times can he save Gotham City?

So I would like to challenge the movie makers, the great thinkers and writers of the modern era of film to create something we can be excited about. Just imagine 50 years from now the host of Fonda Classic Movies (Ted left the network to Jane in his will) talking about a film shot in 2008 and lamenting about it being the first of its kind to do something so extraordinary that it led the way for future generations of filmmakers. What, oh what, could be so extraordinary? It beats the hell out of me but we’ll be sure to let you know if we like it.

 

Away from home and navigationally challenged

Since this is the first time I have moved anywhere out of my comfort zone, a/k/a the ten-mile radius outside of the house where I grew up, I can attest to how hard it is to be the new kid on the block.  We have been in Houston for about a month now and I am finally able to get to the grocery store without using my GPS.  That is quite an accomplishment for this navigationally challenged girl.  I really miss being able to just jump in my car and get where I needed to be without much thought.  Groceries, take two lefts and a right.  Barbeque, two miles down and on the right.  Italian, the best was quite a hike away (almost eight miles from home!) but you could get away with just going around the corner if you were in a hurry.  When you have lived in the same town for over thirty years, you know where everything is and what everything used to be. 

But now, I have to actually think about where I am going, look up the address and pray to God I don’t merge into a speeding bullet on the 610 before I get there.   So far, so good.  Somedays I get annoyed at having to put so much thought into everything I do.  Then I remember that I have a brain for a reason.  And just like any other muscle, if you don’t use it and challenge it, it will turn to mush.  That is what I tell myself every time I have a minor panic attack before I walk out the door.  And I am actually beginning to believe the hype.  Trips to the mall no longer result in a cold sweat before I even pick up my car keys.

And thank God for GPS.  It took me a couple of days to get used to that lady yelling at me, “turn left, turn left – recalculating – make a U-turn.”  The dreaded U-turn, you know you really screwed up when you have to do one of those.  The U-turns have been fewer and I actually drive with the radio playing now, albeit very softly.  It’s not home, but it is beginning to feel more comfortable.   I know I will be zooming around town before long wondering what all the fuss was about.  For now though, I’ll be the one talking to the GPS, wiping sweat off my brow and counting down the minutes until I can just park it on the couch.  

 

One thing at a time . . .

I’m not sure if it was a life coach on reality t.v., Dr. Phil or just a friend, but I know I’ve heard the advice to do only do one of the following at a time: get married, move or find a new job.  I thought I would mix it up and try to do all three at one time.  If I had my choice, I would have spread these things out, but since opportunities knocked on the front door, the back door and the side door at the same time, I decided to just have a party and entertain all of them at once.  At the moment I am feeling overwhelmed by the timing, but I am just trying to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.  After all, it is the challenges and the fears that remind us we are alive.   

Opportunity #1 – The proposal.  After dating for almost five years, my boyfriend proposed on a beautiful beach in Panama City, Florida at sunset.  He planned an entire day around that big moment, including a trip to the spa for a couples massage and a leisurly boat ride.  He finally proposed after the tourists cleared out for dinner and my shock only allowed me to answer “Shut Up!”  That is a moment that lives in emphiany to this day.  Before I could get over the shock of the proposal, I felt the need to start planning the wedding immediately.  Of course we were on a budget.  Of course we knew more people than our budget would allow.  And of course all the questions were directed to me about the date, location, etc.  No pressure.

Opportunity #2 – The big move.  After being engaged about four months, my fiance got word that he was up for a better job opportunity.  Sounds good, but the only problem was the location - Houston, Texas.  A far cry from the only town I’d ever called home, Tallahassee, Florida.  It seemed like a great opportunity for him and I was excited by the idea of moving to a big city.   I would be sad to leave my family and friends, but knew it was a great choice in the long run.  Do I regret it?  No.  I am just frustrated with the logistical problems like getting a drivers license, car registration and insurance.   It seems you can’t do one thing without doing the other and I am just waiting here now to get the ball rolling.  I guess government moves at its own pace no matter what state you live in.

Opportunity #3 - The new job.  I cannot remember a time when I didn’t have a job.  I started working when I was sixteen as a way to support my clothing habit then it became a way to support myself without having to depend on anyone else.  Now that I’ve moved to this big new city I’ve decided to take the opportunity to venture out and do something I’ve always wanted to do – writing (or editing or proofreading, anything using the English language to express ideas, feelings and information).  Only having my fiance and a small amount of savings to depend on is extremely nerve-wracking. 

I have to keep telling myself, even though I am facing the challenge of three huge life-changing events, I can only do one thing at a time.  Maybe this afternoon I pick out wedding invitations and tomorrow morning I call back the Department of Motor Vehicles and work on my writing in the afternoon.  Whatever order I decide to work in, I have to just remember, one thing at a time.