The Job Hunt Continues

My bills are (yay, huzzah) almost totally taken care of through the end of the month. I owe everyone's great friend Sallie Mae about $100 between now and then, but I'm thinking she's just going to have to wait. Next item after that is rent again, and if I really need it my father offered to "help", which would add to the $1000 I officially owe him-- more like $1400 if you include the stuff he's bought me since I got back to town.

I had an interview for a minimum wage job last week, which I didn't get. I suspect nerves and a pretty much overwhelming in-person reticence is my undoing. While Valium might make me more outgoing, I don't think it's the answer here. I am simply a miserable sales person, of myself more than just about anything.

In a way it's good that I didn't get that job. It's in a good location, commute-wise -- between here and where I'd like to live -- but it would take up prime money earning hours.

I'm applying to other jobs. I'm rewriting my (less than inspiring) resume. I'm filling out applications and asking people I know (when I can convince myself it's not pushy) if they know of any opportunities.

And I'm keeping in mind that I don't want to live out here forever. I want to be closer in, eventually in the "downtown" area itself, when I move out of my current place (sometime between now and when my lease runs out). So I'm not looking any farther out of town than I already am because gas is expensive, repairs go up with commute distance, and I don't think this car will last long putting 50 miles or more on it every day.

Well, and I have better things to do with all that time and money. Like paying off bills, creating (cheap) interesting things with words or visual art, or chasing (cheaper) dreams.

So ideally I find something that has the shortest possible reverse commute from where I want to live, and nothing too horrible from where I live now. Which would probably be at the airport, or somewhere around there -- halfway between where I live now and where I want to live. Alternately, I can set myself up for a terrible commute now, and an amazingly short commute later.

The city I'm in now, also, is hiring for a career-type position. It's super competitive to get, high stress, "high" pay work- starting around $13/hr. But it's close enough to where I live that I could bike there, saving gas, and it would be a (somewhat long) reverse commute when I move to a more desirable area.

Really though? If I were offered a job that covered my bills (all of them) with 5-10% wiggle room and no need for overtime or a second job? I'd probably walk barefoot on hot coals everyday while dragging my car uphill, through snow, in wet cotton long underwear to get to it. For a while at least.

Site note- I haven't updated my progress (reverse progress?) yet. I know I said I would, the lack of delivery annoys me. I have code for new, much less tacky progress bars (like the ones you've probably seen on everyone else's blog) I just haven't placed it yet. It's easier to read, look at, update, and live with. I just have to put it in. I will let you know that the little tiny $1k E-fund is gone.