Catching Up
I've been meaning to post for quite a while but there have been a lot of changes lately and I can't brag about any of them. In part because it's boring and in part because it's embarrassing I'll try to make this as brief as possible. My much hoped for career in real estate quickly turned into an exercise in futility - and an expensive one at that. Maybe somewhere down the road I'll take another swing at it but for now it's something that I had to get out of before I went under completely. I think more than anything I over-reached my abilities and looking back I can see that I tried to spend money to compensate for them. I place, I think, a fair share of blame on the boneheaded training and advice I received from management but the lions share of this failure belongs to me and my own boneheaded judgement and actions.
I spent most of October talking with my former supervisor at the lab trying to get my job back. This is the same supervisor who "forgot" to turn in my resignation until the day before my last day of work. I finally called the department manager and while both her and my supervisor were eager to hire me back they can't because the lab is now enforcing it's policy of not hiring anyone without a life science degree and I don't have one of those. What I do have is twenty years of experience and nothing but excellent reviews but apparently none of it means a thing. My manager tried to "grandfather" me back in but the manager of the lab told her that she can't make any exceptions. My department manager told me that she would try to create a comparable position that doesn't require a degree but that can take at least a year or more.
In the meantime I found a job as a pharmacy clerk that pays about half of what I was making and one of my neighbors got me another job delivering pizzas to help make up the difference. It's all kind of surreal, to say the least. Except for real estate where they're kind of head hunting you I haven't applied for a job in over six years so I was really taken aback by how haphazard it is. I applied for jobs on-line, at in-store kiosks and with old fashioned paper applications and except for one place they all "lost" my applications and I had to reapply for each one. Is this a test to see if I really want the job because if not then that means that all of my personal information including my name, address, phone number, social security number and the names and numbers of three of my friends who where foolish enough to recommend me are just floating around out there - somewhere. I already had the two jobs lined up when the last cheerful personel professional invited me to reapply and I'm afraid I handed her head to her on a platter to let out probably several months worth of frustration. I also had to resubmit the drug test for both jobs that I did get. One sample is in the ether, god knows where, and the other went on a road trip to Kansas. I wish I could do the same.
I'm trying to cut back on expenses so I'm also in the process of moving out of my apartment and renting a room. No luck yet but I'm packed and ready to go.
I've gotten a few worried e-mails and I just want to say that while I deeply appreciate your concern I sincerely did not mean to worry anyone. I go back and forth from being very calm to freaking out but I really am OK and have a longstanding habit of landing on my feet. I'd also like to say that while I haven't been following or participating in fandom or LJ it's only because I'm - for a lack of a better word - distracted from things that I normally love. I've been recording several shows but so far I've only watched the premiere of Lost (track housing!) and the episode where Sean and Christian nearly kiss in Nip/Tuck, which definitely cheered me up.
I'm sorry. This is much longer than I meant it to be. I haven't started working both jobs yet but I signed up for about 70 hours a week. I'd rather be earning money than have time to worry about it. Both places seem to have flexible schedules and I'm hoping I find a routine that allows me to show up here every once in a while. I might not have the time to check out LJ the way I like to so if something comes up that you'd like to share with me I would be forever grateful if you'd shoot me an e-mail at trueenough@gmail.com.
I hope everyone is healthy and happy. Christmas lights are starting to show up and I have to say there is nothing like California sunshine glinting off of tinsel to make me smile if only because it's just so wrong.
::big sloppy hug::