change midstream, anyone?

despite having gone through an extensive and rigorous interview process with a seemingly great company for a job that would provide an absolutely acceptable income and mediocre satisfaction...i have decided that what i really want is to land a bartending gig and become a 28-year old full time college student.

ugh...why couldn't i have figured this out on june 8th (the first monday after the restaurant closed)? at least then the financial aid and application processes would be in full swing by now; possibly figured out, even! nope...i decided last week that i would take this situation and flip it on its ass. no job? shitty economy? fine, then...i'll just get my degree. unfortunately, since i waited till the last possible second to put the wheels in motion, i now have to toss the dice in a crapshoot that could ultimately ruin me!!

dramatic, i know. but one of three things will certainly happen within the next few weeks: i will pass on a job opportunity in hopes that i get the financial aid that i need AND get accepted into one of the four area schools that i applied for...i will take the job and school will once again be put on hold....or i will take the job only to quit a couple of weeks in - which i will feel like a complete asshole for - to start school because i just found out that the money is straight and i got in. dammit. i have got to start learning from the past. starting with this moral of the story: DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE ANYMORE, DOOFUS!!!!!

in one day, i decided that i did, in fact, want to go back to school, filled out the FAFSA, applied to four schools, started the "have your transcripts sent to the admissions department" process, and filled out three scholarship applications. that one day was last friday.

i am an idiot! or really awesome...depending on the outcome of this ridiculous forray! i guess i'll know more this time next week. so...until then...peace out, homies.

why do i wanna work for these people?

so...still trying to find a job. it is still super hard. i understand that i am one of many many many job seekers, but i just have one question across the board: WHY are hiring managers so impossible to get responses from? i get it...you have a pile of resumes and applicants trying to work for you. but seriously...how hard is it to type up a simple form letter saying "thanks, but no thanks"? or "we will be reviewing applicants information and contacting those we will be inviting to interview by whatever date." especially when someone EMAILS their resume and information. then it is a simple "reply" click...that's all. i'm supposed to believe that you are sooooo incredibly busy that you can't respond to applications? that's your job, isn't it? at least then people could scratch a potential employer off their list.

try to imagine what it's like for people like me, who lost their job through no fault of their own, have highly valuable skillsets, and have spent a lot of time on their resumes, cover letters, references, research...wading through job boards full of bullshit just to find your position and your contact information. in the current climate - let me tell you - going through that process literally hundreds of times per week SUCKS.

and i am completely jaded by this whole "apply online" trend, too. i love that i have filled out countless forms, created absurd numbers of accounts with logins and passwords, uploaded resumes and work history information into who knows how many job banks...just to become yet another resume in some cyber-pile for a computer program to sift through, looking for innane key words or whatever. can i get a human being, please? whoever is in charge of reviewing resumes...how 'bout reviewing some resumes already?

i've been a manager...i could tell in about 10 seconds if i was interested in calling someone in for an interview based on their resume or work history. if it fits, read it closely and maybe put it in a pile to call back. phone interviews can really let you in on who a person is.

it is so disheartening for people to not even acknowledge receipt or return follow up calls. i'm completely over it. maybe i should play the lotto...i'd probably have better odds at winning than finding a fucking job right now. bleh.

running, volunteering, and all that

for someone who has nothing to do and has been really bored...i certainly have taken my sweet time finding constructive things to do with my abundant free time. but...i am proud to say that i have started running on bayshore a minimum of three times a week, and walking at least two. danielle and i are trying out a schedule called "from the couch to a 5k" which is interval running...very cool, but draining in the florida sun! it was pouring today, which was our walk day, so we were stuck indoors.

i also went back to the SPCA for the first time in months to volunteer, and had the best time. dogs are awesome. i have made a resolution to get back to volunteering at least once a week...probably on sunday afternoons.

it looks like i am very close to lining up a job, which is awesome. i'm going out in the field with a rep on friday to see how i like it. that should be really annoying for the poor rep! that's all i'm going to say about that, because i read an article saying that blogging, twittering, facebooking, whatevering about potential jobs can backfire, so i'll do a quick subject change.

i have become addicted to shows about fat people. this is not good. i never watch reality tv, but all of a sudden - all over 4th of july weekend - i got sucked in to two shows: "dance your ass off" and "ruby." i cannot believe it! i like ruby because she has a southern accent. i like "dance your ass off" becuase i like seeing the drastic results from show one to the finale. and also because the people can dance better than me despite the fact that most of them weigh over 200 pounds! i cannot dance.

i can, however, watch fat people dance their asses off on tv from the comfort of my couch.