update of Things
Jul. 27th, 2014 06:24 pm( So, um ... we bought a house! )
( I got a new job! )
( Preparing for the move is, of course, hard. )
I did look in one box in our basement that I didn't know what was in there, and right on the top I found a scarf Himself's grandmother had made him, which we had looked for and looked for in the winter and couldn't find, and he'd more or less resigned himself to the sadness and guilt of having lost it. So that was genuinely awesome.
Corn on the cob for dinner. Hurrah.
( I got a new job! )
( Preparing for the move is, of course, hard. )
I did look in one box in our basement that I didn't know what was in there, and right on the top I found a scarf Himself's grandmother had made him, which we had looked for and looked for in the winter and couldn't find, and he'd more or less resigned himself to the sadness and guilt of having lost it. So that was genuinely awesome.
Corn on the cob for dinner. Hurrah.
hiiiii everyonnnne
Jun. 19th, 2014 09:30 pmSo holy crap: I got married. Every day I see the rings on my left hand and am surprised again how different they look than the engagement ring by itself. I am becoming accustomed to not just thinking of him, but also actually referring to him, as my husband - and other people aren't even blinking when I say it. And why should they - a husband is a totally normal thing to have, and they don't know I only got mine a few weeks ago. (It's feeling less odd to hear myself call his mother my mother-in-law. Probably because I've been thinking of her that way for a long time, in the absence of another label.)
We are trying to buy a house. Looked at a half-dozen places a couple of weeks ago; felt meh about all of them. (One, the smallest and cheapest, may be possible iff we pop it up immediately. We're not sure all the work it needs can be achieved for a price we can pay. Or is even possible or desirable, given the size of the lot.) Looked at four more this past weekend, and made an offer on one of them Sunday. Four bedrooms plus an office (so Himself won't take up a bedroom for his office in his three work-from-home days per week, of which I routinely writhe with jealousy, by the way), fantastic kitchen, no driveway but the neighbors said parking is never a problem, good school district. Got outbid by someone who obviously wanted that house way more than we did, so fair enough, back to the listing mines. Looking at a few more this weekend. OOF.
The slice in my finger is much better now. :-)
I e-mailed the doctor because she'd asked me for an update after I'd been back on my good nasal spray for a while; I told her the truth, which was that my ears are less stoppy but I still have a yucky productive cough and a lot of post-nasal drip. So she prescribed augmentin, which I'm on for the nextmillion years two weeks, which means - of course - that I bought all the yogurt in the world. So far both the abx and the yogurt seem to be doing their jobs, but it's too soon to tell all around.
Himself has to go in for another round of surgical fun tomorrow morning. Poor bunny. This has been much worse than one was led to expect when one was discharged from the ER all those weeks ago.
My job has been slightly more bearable lately, but I would still prefer one that either offered more leave OR allowed me to work from home ever, and for a bonus where I could be a little more enthusiastic about the mission (a word I hate, but I know it's a thing all workplaces have). If you know anyplace that wants to hire someone like me - well, please call![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ellen_fremedon. But if you know anyplace that wants to hire two such people, do please call us both.
I voted today.
I'm never going to have enough energy to clean up the living room, so this afternoon I decided to try and do one thing per day and see if I can manage to get it tidy before our general leaving-shit-lying-around habits catch up with and overwhelm my picking-shit-up-and-keeping-the-place-orderly efforts. I am ... cautiously optimistic.
We were done with all our thank-you notes, but another present arrived yesterday.
There was a bear on the campus of NIH today, and you really should check out its twitter feed at @NIH_Bear.
Watching a little World Cup soccer, because we are such sports fans. :-)
And how are all of you?
We are trying to buy a house. Looked at a half-dozen places a couple of weeks ago; felt meh about all of them. (One, the smallest and cheapest, may be possible iff we pop it up immediately. We're not sure all the work it needs can be achieved for a price we can pay. Or is even possible or desirable, given the size of the lot.) Looked at four more this past weekend, and made an offer on one of them Sunday. Four bedrooms plus an office (so Himself won't take up a bedroom for his office in his three work-from-home days per week, of which I routinely writhe with jealousy, by the way), fantastic kitchen, no driveway but the neighbors said parking is never a problem, good school district. Got outbid by someone who obviously wanted that house way more than we did, so fair enough, back to the listing mines. Looking at a few more this weekend. OOF.
The slice in my finger is much better now. :-)
I e-mailed the doctor because she'd asked me for an update after I'd been back on my good nasal spray for a while; I told her the truth, which was that my ears are less stoppy but I still have a yucky productive cough and a lot of post-nasal drip. So she prescribed augmentin, which I'm on for the next
Himself has to go in for another round of surgical fun tomorrow morning. Poor bunny. This has been much worse than one was led to expect when one was discharged from the ER all those weeks ago.
My job has been slightly more bearable lately, but I would still prefer one that either offered more leave OR allowed me to work from home ever, and for a bonus where I could be a little more enthusiastic about the mission (a word I hate, but I know it's a thing all workplaces have). If you know anyplace that wants to hire someone like me - well, please call
ellen_fremedon. But if you know anyplace that wants to hire two such people, do please call us both.I voted today.
I'm never going to have enough energy to clean up the living room, so this afternoon I decided to try and do one thing per day and see if I can manage to get it tidy before our general leaving-shit-lying-around habits catch up with and overwhelm my picking-shit-up-and-keeping-the-place-orderly efforts. I am ... cautiously optimistic.
We were done with all our thank-you notes, but another present arrived yesterday.
There was a bear on the campus of NIH today, and you really should check out its twitter feed at @NIH_Bear.
Watching a little World Cup soccer, because we are such sports fans. :-)
And how are all of you?
Have just learned that I didn't get the low-paying gig I interviewed for a couple weeks ago (which, now that there is no chance of jinxing it, I'll go ahead and reveal was a paralegal position with the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief; true, I didn't want to be a paralegal for the rest of my life -- in fact if you'd asked me in general, I'd have flung garlic and holy water and things at the idea -- but for the right cause, I'd absolutely take a job that's completely beneath me, just as for the right money, I'd take a job that offended me. Within reason, in both cases, which is why I came home and did math after the interview. But anyway). I was one of two finalists!, which is nice to know, but still of the RAR --
-- except that if they had made me the offer, of course, I'd be dithering about it and asking them how soon they needed to know and so on and so forth, because in the interim I've turned my attention to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wordplay's workplace, a job at which would be a better fit for me in every measurable way. So it's really the best thing!
Now they just need to hire me.
-- except that if they had made me the offer, of course, I'd be dithering about it and asking them how soon they needed to know and so on and so forth, because in the interim I've turned my attention to
wordplay's workplace, a job at which would be a better fit for me in every measurable way. So it's really the best thing!Now they just need to hire me.
Morning at Choir 2. Afternoon and evening at misia and perigee, finishing with the proofreading and catching important oopsies like "501" where it should have been "510" and geeking out over Star Wars and being fed v. tasty beans (moors) and rice (christians) with sausage (jews, only it was pork sausage, so perhaps not) and even tastier apple cake. Home now. Must remember tomorrow to return call from person who rang on recommendation of fellow soprano from Choir 1. Managing editor wants me to come in for prelim test -- not sure when this can be done, but will try to schedule it, as may lead to job or at least freelance gigs of a no-the-comma-doesn't-go-there nature.
But now: sleeeeep.
misia and perigee, finishing with the proofreading and catching important oopsies like "501" where it should have been "510" and geeking out over Star Wars and being fed v. tasty beans (moors) and rice (christians) with sausage (jews, only it was pork sausage, so perhaps not) and even tastier apple cake. Home now. Must remember tomorrow to return call from person who rang on recommendation of fellow soprano from Choir 1. Managing editor wants me to come in for prelim test -- not sure when this can be done, but will try to schedule it, as may lead to job or at least freelance gigs of a no-the-comma-doesn't-go-there nature.But now: sleeeeep.
another winnar iz me
Sep. 19th, 2006 10:48 pmSo I got to the interview exactly on time, despite the wretched traffic (where is everybody going at 3pm on a Tuesday?! Don't they have jobs?), and I felt like it went well. But again, hard for me to say. I met three people -- the person who would be the leader of my team, her boss, and his boss -- over a period of two and a half hours. I felt like I was talking a really lot, but on the other hand, the point of the interview isn't for me to listen, right? Not mainly. I mean, they were asking me questions, and I was answering them thoroughly. I just don't like the feeling that I'm babbling, which I tend to feel whether I'm babbling or not. But I'm supposed to hear from them within about three weeks. Fifteen people being considered for three positions; I don't hate those odds. Think happy thoughts for me, please.
But hey, the sharp suit and cute shoes have done good things for me so far. This time last night I had no curling teams, and now I have two (one for the Inaugural and one for the Capital League). And, after the interview and some dinner withcmshaw, I popped over to Best Buy to try to get a DVD player -- and after a conversation with a very helpful salesindividual (blah blah blah blue ray; blah blah recorder vs. player; "The thing now is the upconverting DVD player -- it heightens the signal, so it plays a regular disc with higher definition." "But only as much as your TV screen can show you, right?" "Exactly. Hey, a customer who understands the technology."), I came away with a DVD player originally priced at $129.99 -- now priced at $99.99 -- open box item, but no damage and no parts missing, marked at $84.99 -- salesdude says, unsolicited, "I can do better than that for you ... how about $69?", to which I said Done. And then when he was scribbling in the new price on the open-box sticker and he wrote in $69.99, I said "Well, $69.99 is $70." He says Yes, I suppose it is. I say "So $68.99 is $69." And he changed it! Hee. Plus tax, of course, but still, I am victorious! And, and, for an extra bonus, I got a $10 gift card for buying that brand of product. So I ultimately got the $130 product for $64 and some change.
The way things have been going for me, I'll have to concentrate on not expecting to get the job; also, I could maybe buy a lottery ticket. :-)
[ETA: two out of three thank-you notes written. The first, most junior, person never actually mentioned her last name (and was going to give me one of her cards at the end of the interview, but then didn't), so I've resorted to asking the middle dude to let her know I appreciate her time as well, etc.]
But hey, the sharp suit and cute shoes have done good things for me so far. This time last night I had no curling teams, and now I have two (one for the Inaugural and one for the Capital League). And, after the interview and some dinner with
cmshaw, I popped over to Best Buy to try to get a DVD player -- and after a conversation with a very helpful salesindividual (blah blah blah blue ray; blah blah recorder vs. player; "The thing now is the upconverting DVD player -- it heightens the signal, so it plays a regular disc with higher definition." "But only as much as your TV screen can show you, right?" "Exactly. Hey, a customer who understands the technology."), I came away with a DVD player originally priced at $129.99 -- now priced at $99.99 -- open box item, but no damage and no parts missing, marked at $84.99 -- salesdude says, unsolicited, "I can do better than that for you ... how about $69?", to which I said Done. And then when he was scribbling in the new price on the open-box sticker and he wrote in $69.99, I said "Well, $69.99 is $70." He says Yes, I suppose it is. I say "So $68.99 is $69." And he changed it! Hee. Plus tax, of course, but still, I am victorious! And, and, for an extra bonus, I got a $10 gift card for buying that brand of product. So I ultimately got the $130 product for $64 and some change.The way things have been going for me, I'll have to concentrate on not expecting to get the job; also, I could maybe buy a lottery ticket. :-)
[ETA: two out of three thank-you notes written. The first, most junior, person never actually mentioned her last name (and was going to give me one of her cards at the end of the interview, but then didn't), so I've resorted to asking the middle dude to let her know I appreciate her time as well, etc.]
in which it never rains but it pours
Sep. 18th, 2006 04:14 pmSo let's review.
Two weeks before I moved back down here, I e-mailed My Old Legal Temp Agency (through whom I had to be hired when I went back to my old firm two summers ago), as instructed, so they could re-activate my file with the idea that by the time I got here they'd have gotten me some work. Neither of the people whose names I had was there -- both on vacation. Nice. Left messages.
Continued to leave messages every four business days approx. until I finally got through to someone, about a week after I got here. No assignments. I remained unemployed.
Another week after that, I'd applied for umpteen frillion jobs on my own and registered with no fewer than three other agencies. Nothing. I began to suspect that the reason I keep hearing unemployment in NoVA is at something like 2% is that all my neighbors and fellow citizens are working nine jobs at a time so I can't have any.
Finally, I get a call back from one of these agencies. Go in, interview, do all right on Excel and PowerPoint, ace Word, and am immediately offered a long-term admin assistant gig that could turn into something permanent. Despair.
But then I get a call back from another agency. Go in and interview; when I get home, the first agency has called with a short-term gig. I take it.
On the first day at the short-term gig, a Real Employer calls about a Real Job. I call back and leave a message, and today manage to make contact and schedule the interview.
In the meantime, the agency for whom I am already on assignment calls to offer me a two-day gig later this week. I turn it down because, hi, look in your book, I'm not available.
And just now, Old Legal Agency calls (me: oh my god! you remember my name!) to offer me a week-long (entry-level but nevertheless) overtime gig at my own old firm. Tomorrow through next Wednesday, including the weekend, ten-hour days. Sadly the only day on which I know I'm available is Saturday, so we agree that I should not take this one.
Do we think it just took people longer than expected to get their desks cleared off after summer vacation and Labor Day? Or what?
Two weeks before I moved back down here, I e-mailed My Old Legal Temp Agency (through whom I had to be hired when I went back to my old firm two summers ago), as instructed, so they could re-activate my file with the idea that by the time I got here they'd have gotten me some work. Neither of the people whose names I had was there -- both on vacation. Nice. Left messages.
Continued to leave messages every four business days approx. until I finally got through to someone, about a week after I got here. No assignments. I remained unemployed.
Another week after that, I'd applied for umpteen frillion jobs on my own and registered with no fewer than three other agencies. Nothing. I began to suspect that the reason I keep hearing unemployment in NoVA is at something like 2% is that all my neighbors and fellow citizens are working nine jobs at a time so I can't have any.
Finally, I get a call back from one of these agencies. Go in, interview, do all right on Excel and PowerPoint, ace Word, and am immediately offered a long-term admin assistant gig that could turn into something permanent. Despair.
But then I get a call back from another agency. Go in and interview; when I get home, the first agency has called with a short-term gig. I take it.
On the first day at the short-term gig, a Real Employer calls about a Real Job. I call back and leave a message, and today manage to make contact and schedule the interview.
In the meantime, the agency for whom I am already on assignment calls to offer me a two-day gig later this week. I turn it down because, hi, look in your book, I'm not available.
And just now, Old Legal Agency calls (me: oh my god! you remember my name!) to offer me a week-long (entry-level but nevertheless) overtime gig at my own old firm. Tomorrow through next Wednesday, including the weekend, ten-hour days. Sadly the only day on which I know I'm available is Saturday, so we agree that I should not take this one.
Do we think it just took people longer than expected to get their desks cleared off after summer vacation and Labor Day? Or what?
It's just that when the Executive Director of Operations uses the expression "reach out to you" ("I wanted to reach out to you and make sure the interest was still there"; "I'm going to have someone in our HR department reach out to you to schedule an interview"; etc.) five times -- or, really, more than once, and even allowing one such use is generous -- in one phone call, it's hard not to smirk.
see where guarded optimism can get you.
Sep. 14th, 2006 12:36 pmI had a really good interview this morning (or, what I felt like was a really good interview; I'm notoriously bad at assessing such things) with another agency, and then when I got home there was a message from yesterday's agency asking if I was interested in a proofing, fact-checking, etc. gig at (oddly enough) one of sanj's old stomping grounds. Doesn't pay as much as I'd like, but it's only for a week or two, so for that length of time I'm really okay with the earnings being merely non-zero.
Later, a post about music. But now (that I've changed -- love the suit, love the shoes, hate the burning in the metatarsal arches) I'm heading out to buy blank CDs.
sanj's old stomping grounds. Doesn't pay as much as I'd like, but it's only for a week or two, so for that length of time I'm really okay with the earnings being merely non-zero.Later, a post about music. But now (that I've changed -- love the suit, love the shoes, hate the burning in the metatarsal arches) I'm heading out to buy blank CDs.
my morning at the temp agency
Sep. 13th, 2006 01:34 pmThe guy I was supposed to see was tied up in a meeting, so after I sat reading my book for twenty minutes or so, someone else came out to go over my testing scores with me. Excel, 25/30; Power Point, 26/30; Word, I don't remember, but something like 29/30 (and in each case I got shafted because it counts as wrong if you Ctrl-V to paste instead of dragging down from the Edit menu, yo); typing, 99wpm with 0 errors. That put marzipan in their pie-plate. :-) But even more fun was this conversation:
So I'll call them tomorrow to see what they've got. But, you know, dude.
me: There was a typo, or, a mistake, in the typing test.And then someone came in and offered me a long-term temp-to-hire gig as an admin assistant somewhere paying $16/hour. Which, having just finished saying I wasn't picky, I didn't take, because I was spooked by the length of the term -- I asked if it would be bad to take such an assignment and then leave it when the right permanent job came along, because temp-to-hire or no, I could be just about certain I wasn't going to be an admin assistant forever, and he sort of hemmed and hawed and said he'd go see if he could find something else.
dude: ... Was there? [starts looking for the printout of my score, which says 0 errors]
me: No, it was, I mean, I didn't make an error, I reproduced it the way it was given in the prompt, but where it talks about going to a meeting in Columbia [it was a couple of paragraphs about different business practices in various cultures], it had Columbia with a 'u' -- which isn't wrong when it's the District of Columbia, but the country is Colombia with an 'o'.
dude: [makes a note of this] I'll look into that -- nobody has ever said anything about that before.
me: Well, see, on my skill list, I also checked 'proofreading', so I thought I'd mention it while I was here.
So I'll call them tomorrow to see what they've got. But, you know, dude.
phone calls: one.
Sep. 12th, 2006 02:39 pmYell into the chasm long enough, and I guess eventually someone may yell back. Before you get too excited, though, this is just an agency calling me in to test etc. and see if they're willing to list me. I expect I'll do medium-to-okay on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; I can operate fine in each of those applications, but I like keystrokes, not pull-down menus, which has historically caused me some trouble on these automated tests. On the other hand, when the guy asked me how fast I think I type, and I said Oh, about 100 wpm, maybe a little less, he reacted visibly. (Over the phone, visibly. Is how visible it was.) Maybe they'll give me grammar and spelling and proofreading tests as well.
There was no need to remind me to dress appropriately for a professional interview, dude.
So I'm going to head out and get an alarm clock and a hair clip or two.
There was no need to remind me to dress appropriately for a professional interview, dude.
So I'm going to head out and get an alarm clock and a hair clip or two.
I continue to be bugged that nobody's hiring me. It's getting to where it's not funny, you know? How many temp agencies am I listed with, and it's not like I've just sent in my resume and now I'm waiting for the phone to ring -- I keep checking the listings, I keep clicking "apply now" and doing the whole follow-through thing, and nothing. Also nothing in the permanent long-term search. It's making me fucking cranky. Most of the time I'm hearing back nothing, but once in a while I get something back that says thanks, but your qualifications don't match our requirements. This really frosts me, because they think I'm not qualified to conduct research and write it up -- which, hi, what do graduate students do?! But I'm overqualified for entry-level positions, because I have two master's degrees. All anybody seems to think I'm qualified to do is the sort of paralegal work I went back to school so I wouldn't have to do any longer. (And not even that, because see above re: temp agencies not calling.) I finally buckled and sent an e-mail to the employer I (ahem) ditched when my old firm called me back two summers ago, to ask about the status of the application I sent in before Labor Day. They are still gathering resumes and haven't begun screening yet -- keeping a leisurely pace that I'm sure is very relaxing for them, but a little stress-inducing for those of us who need jobs. I'm going NUTS here.
I'm starting to get bugged by my hair. It's past my waistband now, down to the yoke on the back of my jeans, and it's been a long while since it stayed behind my shoulders when I put it there. I don't mind that so much, except that it gets in my way; down around my elbows, where it's getting in the way, it's not very heavy, of course, but even that's annoying, because taken all together it weighs a ton. I'd like it to be smoother and less with the flyaways, given how heavy it is. I don't want to cut it yet, but I'd like it to behave.
I got a note last week from the new admin person at my college that I owe £6.95 on my battels that must be paid before I can take my degree on the 30th. I responded saying I don't know what that charge could be, as I was sure I'd squared my accounts before I left, so could they please send me a copy of the battels -- but in any event, the accounts assistant has my bank details, so if the payment must be made she's in more of a position to do it than I am because she's there and I'm all the way over here. Just now I get a note from the new admin person saying she just wants to make sure I've paid the outstanding money owing. Did I get a response to my reply last week? I did not. Don't fucking ignore me and then repeat yourself -- not the way to inspire me to be nice.
In happier news, though, I got in touch with the young person who borrowed my score for the Rachmaninov Vespers after the concert in June. We'd had a bunch of rental scores for the concert, which had to be returned immediately, but a number of people were singing some selections from the Vespers at someone's wedding in the first week of July. I'd bought my score, so I lent mine to my young friend, and she was going to return it to me at college -- but it wasn't in the packet any of the two or three times they've forwarded me mail since I left. And I didn't know the girl's full name; I think I had a note of it in the inside of my score, so I could e-mail her about something, but that's obviously not of so much use to me in this situation. Also in that chorus was a friend of mine from college who was also a friend of the young person in question, and I'd asked her earlier in the summer if she had contact info where I could get hold of the kid and try to track down my music, but hadn't heard anything. I was getting used to the idea that I might have to get a new copy of the score, but that made me a little sad because a new one wouldn't have my markings and notes from that concert, and you all know me and the sentimental value of such things. But last night I tried again with sending that message to my friend; this morning I got a message from her with what she identified as the only e-mail address she has for the other girl; I dashed off a message to that address; and within ten minutes I'd got a note back that said she'd tried to send it to my college but it hadn't been accepted, so she still has it with her, and will send it to me here. Hurrah.
I'm starting to get bugged by my hair. It's past my waistband now, down to the yoke on the back of my jeans, and it's been a long while since it stayed behind my shoulders when I put it there. I don't mind that so much, except that it gets in my way; down around my elbows, where it's getting in the way, it's not very heavy, of course, but even that's annoying, because taken all together it weighs a ton. I'd like it to be smoother and less with the flyaways, given how heavy it is. I don't want to cut it yet, but I'd like it to behave.
I got a note last week from the new admin person at my college that I owe £6.95 on my battels that must be paid before I can take my degree on the 30th. I responded saying I don't know what that charge could be, as I was sure I'd squared my accounts before I left, so could they please send me a copy of the battels -- but in any event, the accounts assistant has my bank details, so if the payment must be made she's in more of a position to do it than I am because she's there and I'm all the way over here. Just now I get a note from the new admin person saying she just wants to make sure I've paid the outstanding money owing. Did I get a response to my reply last week? I did not. Don't fucking ignore me and then repeat yourself -- not the way to inspire me to be nice.
In happier news, though, I got in touch with the young person who borrowed my score for the Rachmaninov Vespers after the concert in June. We'd had a bunch of rental scores for the concert, which had to be returned immediately, but a number of people were singing some selections from the Vespers at someone's wedding in the first week of July. I'd bought my score, so I lent mine to my young friend, and she was going to return it to me at college -- but it wasn't in the packet any of the two or three times they've forwarded me mail since I left. And I didn't know the girl's full name; I think I had a note of it in the inside of my score, so I could e-mail her about something, but that's obviously not of so much use to me in this situation. Also in that chorus was a friend of mine from college who was also a friend of the young person in question, and I'd asked her earlier in the summer if she had contact info where I could get hold of the kid and try to track down my music, but hadn't heard anything. I was getting used to the idea that I might have to get a new copy of the score, but that made me a little sad because a new one wouldn't have my markings and notes from that concert, and you all know me and the sentimental value of such things. But last night I tried again with sending that message to my friend; this morning I got a message from her with what she identified as the only e-mail address she has for the other girl; I dashed off a message to that address; and within ten minutes I'd got a note back that said she'd tried to send it to my college but it hadn't been accepted, so she still has it with her, and will send it to me here. Hurrah.
so far today
Sep. 6th, 2006 02:06 pmI have:
- sent my resume to thyesc
- had a minor meltdown over the lack of positive response from any of my job applications
- applied to another gig for which I'm exactly qualified but will probably hear only "That ain't it, kid" (program specialist at the NEH)
- reassured myself, based on contents of e-mail folders, that the last time I worked at cmshaw's office I applied for the job the week before Thanksgiving and didn't get contacted for an interview until January 6, so the fact that I haven't heard from anyone over there in two and a half business days isn't actually the end of the world
- registered with two more temp agencies
- turned up the air conditioning and turned on the ceiling fan
- fixed my second set of bookshelves, which were wobbly to a degree that made me unhappy and almost nervous (15-20° approx.)
[controls self]
Sep. 6th, 2006 10:15 amI'm looking at a criagslist craigslist job ad (for a technical writer position) that enumerates a variety of writing, editing, and proofreading tasks the selectee will perform -- and the ad is so laden with what I would consider really embarrassing spelling mistakes that I sort of wonder if it's a test. If I write in with my resume, contact information, salary requirements, etc., should I also include a markup of their text? (Subtext: see how much you need me?) Or, you know, just alert them that mistakes are there and I'd be happy to show them where if they'd like?
I swear, if I see one more thing about working with clients to affect [sic] changes ...
I swear, if I see one more thing about working with clients to affect [sic] changes ...
hey, neat!
Jul. 28th, 2006 04:14 pmAfter several weeks of hearing (essentially) "That ain't it, kid" from various agencies and whatnot, and "We'll see -- in fact, actually, no" from some others, I just got an e-mail that said after being reviewed by a rating official I've been rated as a Best Qualified Candidate, so my application has been forwarded to a Selection Official.
Might turn out to be nothing, but groovy! Someone admits I'm qualified for something! :-)
Might turn out to be nothing, but groovy! Someone admits I'm qualified for something! :-)
another application submitted
Jul. 6th, 2006 06:32 pmHere's a position for a Copy Editor that is right up my street.
So okay, I put together a cover letter that I thought demonstrated all those things; I answered their question about a couple of times that my 'grammar neurosis' caused me to edit someone's work when maybe I shouldn't have; I answered their question about which famous personality I'd be, if I could be any one I wanted (Dorothy Parker, natch). I'm supposed to hear from them within 30 days, but in the meantime I've got this auto-response e-mail to let me know my online application went through:
- Ability to leap tall buildings and catch typos in a single bound
- Grammar neurosis -- you just can't stop thinking about it!
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work under extreme deadline pressure
- Ability to prioritize and organize multiple projects
- Ability to work well with Fools at all levels -- i.e., diplomacy
- Ability to roll with the punches -- and give a few, too
- Dependability and consistency
- Experience as an editor for a daily newspaper, journal, newsletter or website
- Comfort and familiarity with content written for the Web
- Ability to work well in a team-oriented environment
- Patience of a saint
- Sense of humor -- if you can't laugh at yourself, forget it
- Strong writing skills
- Willingness to do stupid human tricks
- Passion for the [company's] mission
So okay, I put together a cover letter that I thought demonstrated all those things; I answered their question about a couple of times that my 'grammar neurosis' caused me to edit someone's work when maybe I shouldn't have; I answered their question about which famous personality I'd be, if I could be any one I wanted (Dorothy Parker, natch). I'm supposed to hear from them within 30 days, but in the meantime I've got this auto-response e-mail to let me know my online application went through:
Thank you for submitting your application to [company]. We are a small team, but we try to respond to all applicants within 30 days. If you don't hear from us you can send an e-mail to [HR e-mail address] and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Regardless, we will keep your resume on file for up to one year to see if you fit any of our future openings -- Really, we do. Best of luck in your job search and we'll see you at [website]!I won't get into it until and unless I get an interview, of course, but if I do get the interview, am I allowed to come in with a marked-up copy of that e-mail pointing out the lack of parallelism between 'we will' and 'we do'? Or would that be an example of the neurosis causing me to edit something I ought to have left alone?
Phone interview scheduled for tomorrow morning with a company where I applied for a copy-editing gig, as I remember. So, good; but they've also forwarded me a listing for another position, which they think might be a good match based on my education and previous work experience. Nice of them. But: the other position is Associate Director of New Business Development. The girl on the phone described it as a marketing position.
Bzuh?
From the description, it doesn't look like it's anything I can't handle. Whether I'd want it or not is an entirely separate question, of course.
Bzuh?
From the description, it doesn't look like it's anything I can't handle. Whether I'd want it or not is an entirely separate question, of course.
down and safe
Jul. 1st, 2006 07:19 pmThe bonuses just keep on coming: flying out of Gatwick will no longer be a regular event for me. Thank GOD.
Am in the childhood home. Don't expect to really be able to get going with the job search until Wednesday, but we'll see.
Am in the childhood home. Don't expect to really be able to get going with the job search until Wednesday, but we'll see.
application (well, resume and cover letter) away to teach History of the English Language (or, failing that, English Literature -- eep! -- or Writing Skills) this July on one of those programs where overprivileged high school kids do summer school in university settings. my friend Queen P taught Modern British History with this outfit last summer, and recommended a few of us when they asked for targets suggestions for this year, and then the [checks his title] head of faculty coordination e-mailed (i assume he e-mailed all of us) to ask if i (we) would please apply. a solid month teaching high school kids (HotEL and english lit would be 10th-12th graders, that is, rising juniors and seniors and recent HS graduates; writing skills would be rising 9th-10th graders, which is why it is my third rather than my second choice), but, not bad experience and decent resume line. this summer Queen P is teaching actual college students at Santa Clara. [shrug]
anyway. e-mail's sent, and hard copy going in the mail tomorrow.
anyway. e-mail's sent, and hard copy going in the mail tomorrow.