Wow, total panic there for a bit! My WordPress app crashed on opening my blog. Restart the iPad, no. Check for updates, yes there was one, update, crash. Update a lot of other shite since I’d already entered my iTunes password, restart, WordPress crash. Check forums, nothing. Panic. Will I lose all my crap if I delete the app and reinstall? Bite the bullet and delete and reinstall, restart.
Working! All my crap is still smelling as rosy as it ever did. Whew. An iPad shouldn’t need restarting so much, but I live with an IT manager so I’ve learned good habits. Hell, I need a nap every now and again, too. I drive this thing hard, poor Shiny Happy (from the engraving iDJ had put on the back).
Interesting, though, to find myself actually worried and jonesing for my writing fix. Am I showing my age and slightly dodgy history with the term ‘jonesing?’ I can explain it. Really. Anyhoo, I’m pleased to learn that when I want to write, nothing else will do. I considered giving up and doing a Brushes painting instead, but I’ve not had a good subject since Usyaka, so I’m less than inspired. Despite doing a post earlier today, I really felt a need to blurt out my random thoughts and the schtuff that happened today.
So! Job interview! It went really well, I think. I liked yer man, and I think he took me seriously. When I said things that might come off ‘wrong,’ he understood and agreed with me. He wasn’t up his own hole, he was a real person and even cursed a few times. He mentioned doing so later, so an ‘oh yes, I’ve a potty-mouth, too’ bonding occasion was born. I think I’m in – but I felt that about the last job and was way wrong. That interview was about 10 minutes long and felt like 20, this one was 45 and felt like 10. I do take the length of the interview as a good sign, too.
Unfortunately, I won’t know for a while if I’m hired. Fortunately, he explained why it will take time, and it is a valid reason.
I also did another interview, of a sort, today. Go, me! This one is for a call centre customer support job at a company that makes computer and platform games. A possible nightmare for me, as I’m not good at bending over and taking one for the team. At least the customers are all nerds and I totally speak nerd. I decided to apply because I’m a Yank, and we Yanks know the customer service rules, don’t we? I might hate myself at the end of every shift, but I’d give good CS nonetheless.
The fun part about the application process is that it has been entirely on-line so far. I registered, uploaded my CV (résumé), and my ‘first interview’ was also online, in the form of a questionnaire.
Not so much fun. I could tell they are US-based when The Dreaded Question popped up: Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years?
Really?
Really?
I’d even joked in my ‘real’ interview about that very question, and the one where they ask If You Were A Vegetable, What Would You Be? So, I might have been a little sarcastic in my response. But not nearly as sarcastic as I’d have liked to be. I did say “I’m not as young as I was yesterday” which is a thickly-veiled hint that I’m too fucking old to answer stupid questions. Or perhaps they are too up their own arses to see that?
Maybe I was just trying to say that I’d kiss the customer’s arse, but not theirs. I donno. The pay starts higher than the ‘real’ interview, but it is much further away (if you think gas in the US is expensive, I’ll tell you what we pay) and would be nights and weekends, oh joy. I’m also too old for that shit, and have been for a while. I’ll suck it up, though, to not lose my house.
Sheeeeit, I feel like I’m on a downer note now! I’m not, really. I’m over the moon to have had not one but two chances at employment today, after so long without a response or even anything I could apply for. Yay!
Right, I should wrap this up as dinner is almost ready. I still feel like I’m leaving on a low note, so here is my dawg being adorable:
That’s my foot she’s holding on to, and still is:
What I like best about this is that she lay down, then reached out and grabbed me. It reminds me of my Bengal, Spot, who has to, has to, touch my face if he can reach it. I have successfully created a dog-cat. Or a cat-dog… Love my furry kids.
heretherebespiders 
I think you mentioned your age like about three times in the post. Well, not your age but the reference to it. (I’m not sure if it’s polite of me to notice that. So, sorry, if it’s wrong)
You don’t sound old at all. You sound tired and also you sound like you could have been writing really good books or magazine articles.
It’s written on your About page that you are sarcastic. Well, you are, but in your case it’s almost like art. So keep it up and write it down. It’s really cool.
I wish you good luck with all those job interviews. Somehow I never did one, just didn’t happen. Do they really ask those vegetable questions? It’s hilarious! I thought about that fruit of vegetable they have in Thailand and that there are signs on the buses that passengers with that fruit are not allowed to enter because it’s stinks too much. That would be fun to answer … or maybe not … Those interviewers could be that fruit though.
I did that? Interesting. It might be because I turned 40 this year, and I’m still surprised as I feel 15. Hard to be 40 with so much experience, but still be begging for entry level jobs. My own fault, but I’m quite aware now that time is running short. Yep, I am tired! Also my own fault, I’ve packed a lot into 40 years!
Thank you for saying that about my writing – it has always been my ‘thing’ but I’ve also always put it aside as I had to get a ‘real job.’ I did write about 1/3 of a novel last year, my first, but as suddenly as my drive to write came, it left. The blog is a big help in getting me back to it again. I cannot help but be sarcastic; it is both born and bred into me! No stopping now 🙂
Yes, American companies – big ones – love those ridiculous questions. I’m sure there is a formulae in place to sort the answers into categories. The fruit… durami? Something like that. I’m refusing to Google it! Smells like something dead, apparently; as dead as those questions should be, you are correct!
I bet feeling 15 feels good 😀
40 doesn’t tell me much. I was always bad with numbers especially when it came to marking a person’s age. I mean it tells me nothing. There are people who are 20 and they are as old as 80 and there are those who are 80 but they never got old.
I have so many thoughts on your reply actually. I’m afraid to lose them by tomorrow but I’m also afraid to say something stupid now because I’m too sleepy.
A short summary would be – write your book and enjoy it. The real work is dogma, the one we all heard about ( sometimes, several times a day) when Jobs died.
I’d love to hear the full version! Are you referencing his inspirational commencement speech?
Yes, I was talking about that speech. I accidentally learned it by heart ( long before he died) but it’s a long story.
I’m not sure if I can construct back all that was in my head when I read your reply. But I’m totally for ignoring the ‘real jobs’ and for writing a book instead. Although, of course I understand that sometimes things can’t just be that easily ignored.
BTW, I think that writing a book is not just a real job it often feels like a real life. ( Just in case, I haven’t finished any books yet either 🙂 )
I’m with you there, with the novel bit. My partner is behind me 100% percent, and believes art is a valid occupation… but I can’t seem to convince myself. My book is fun, and lighthearted but a dark comedy nonetheless. I’m just such an intense editor I lose sight of the part where the book writes itself and the characters surprise me with what they do next.
dogs rule
the interview question that I most hate is that what are your strengths and weaknesses.
they are just looking for you to be somewhat self aware, but seriously, there’s no good answer or valid information to be gleaned by that question
I’m a dog and cat person, probably more on the cat side as I always know what a cat is thinking, whereas a dog will surprise me 🙂
I take the strengths/weaknesses question as a poke to see how egotistical or ass-kissing the applicant is – but as that is always me, that is the way I’d take it! I hate kissing butt, and I know I need to appear a certain level of confident, but I’m never sure just how much they want. Fun!
I;m bipetual too. I have 2 goldens and we had two cats, but are down to one now.
Bipetual! Please tell me you made that up, it’s brilliant! I used to be tripetual here, and in my past many, many more petuals!
Yes, I did. Feel free to use it. I’m a sharing kind of girl.
I also tell people that I am bidrinkual in that I consume both coffee and tea.
It’s funny to mess with people by putting “bi” in front of a word and “ual” at the end.
I also say that agnostics are the bis of the religious world, in that they are about as popular as bis are in the dating world.
But then, I realized that bi girls are a popular thing in heterosexual dating, it’s the gay community that’s less keen on bisexuals, a jealousy that they can blend in part of the time with the mainstream.
Would that be ‘bifaithuful’?
I never thought of bisexual as something to be jealous of – it always seemed to me a facet of someone that can’t make up their mind. A cross-dresser (male, why can’t we women cross-dress? Unfair) who is hetero, seems more a cause for jealousy, to me – be a boy daily and get the release of being a girl at night.
Not a bi- word, but in the same lines, I became ambidisastrous when I had children. It means the ability to do things badly with either hand.
Did you see Mike’s sunny Little Job Interview tips? Lots of valuable stuff there, spiderwoman. Good luck on your job hunt. keep us posted.
Sorry..I guessed that you are a woman. Pardon my faux pas if I was wrong!!
No faux, you are correct.
We love your furry kids! (so cute)
Actually commiserating with the job interview situation – it’s so forced and stressful. (something Akita child was trying to help with…that and glad you are home and she’s no longer in charge of the house.)
Thank you! Interviews come so rare for me, I’ll deal with the stress. Poor Dogeen will hate it when I find a job. We got her in Dec 2009, and I lost my job Feb 2010 – so I’ve nearly always been home with her.
I used to sit on interview panels for a few of my employers in past lives. I had a reputation for being a really tough interviewer, but it wasn’t so. I always read the section about people’s interests and asked them a question from that. So if someone said “I love cinema”, naturally I’d ask them what the last film they’d see was. If they couldn’t think of one within a reasonable time frame…..well, doesn’t bode well for the rest of the application!
Never was really into fruit-incarnation types though. It’s all a bit Cilla Black & Blind Date.
PS, sarcasm is one of the greatest gifts that one can have….along with a chronically short memory.
I think I’ve just fallen in love with your dog. Gorgeous, and particularly lovely with your orange sock
I don’t know what Jonesing is, so does that mean I’m Jurassic or adolescent?
Where do you see yourself in five years time? I’m really hoping to have a new kitchen by then, but I think the answer will still be ‘London’.
Thank you! She is a sweetheart. Jonesing was a term we used in the mid-eighties, it usually was linked to drugs, but also cigarettes. ‘Hey, man, pass that joint, I’m jonesin over here.’ Not that I smoked a lot of dope, it puts me to sleep – but I hung out with the stoners.
Five years…maybe I really should think about it for a change…
Congratulations on the DogCat! I met a CatDog, you could entertain him (Leo) for hours by just throwing this toy rabbit of which he would chase, retrieve, and then drop. And he ate dog food instead of cat food. He was a cat in denial.
My Bengal, Spot, was raised with a massive dog and he has some dog habits. I’m not sure if it is that or the breed that makes him this way. He’ll get a post about his foibles one of these days.
Stupid silly interview questions. Where do I see myself in five years? I seriously couldn’t give a rats arse as long as I’m still here, which is severely doubtful the way I’m going! If I were a vegetable? Fuck you I’d be a steak. (Pardon my french)
I really hope you get your real one. If not I know a certain dormouse that coud use a proof reader/drinking companion. You’ve already proven your credentials in one and I sense the other is one of which we have equal determination.
“Fuck you, I’d be a steak” *snort* My morning giggle taken care of, thank you! Don’t apologise for language here, if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to read it.
I’d be pleased to be both, thank you! Oh I found a typo in your last poem, didn’t want to comment and say so. Must email…
I’ll have a look through, always feel free to email!
Pingback: Blind poets and other bits « heretherebespiders
Pingback: I have a job!!!! « heretherebespiders