The county is supposed to let me know this week, we'll see. If I don't hear anything at all I'll assume I didn't get it.
A place I used to work at during grad school is hiring a bookkeeper, so I'm going to try that. It's a non-profit so the pay will be low but it is more in line with what I feel is my career goal these days. When I worked there before it wasn't in accounting/finance so it may be different this time. We will see what happens.
The Senate is back this week, so the whole unemployment extension drama will start again. It was kind of nice to not have to worry about it last week since they were on vacation. No idea what will happen, people have said "don't worry, they'll pass it," but they were saying that weeks ago and now millions of people have lost their benefits. If I do end up losing them I will probably try to temp and hopefully that can at least help out a little. Our income will be curtailed quite a bit at that point. I'm trying not to worry, but it is hard not to.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Give it a B. Maybe B-.
The interview....similar to the last county interview. Five questions, no real opportunity to ask questions or really interact. It wasn't as bad as last time because the job mainly involves basic accounting, not audit specific experience. Still not sure how well I measure up to the five or six other people. I'm not optimistic, it does not really pay to be these days.
More later. Finished DEAF SENTENCE.
More later. Finished DEAF SENTENCE.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Deaf Sentence
...is the title of a book by David Lodge, a British author I had not heard of. I saw the book in the store last week and liked the look of it, so I checked it out from the library. Just started it, it's funny but reads a lot like the average conversation with my father-in-law.
I never write about coffee, even though it is one of my favorite things. I used to like 7-11 coffee due to its price and the variety available, but have been off of it lately. It's starting to all taste the same. The main reason I am avoiding the 7/11 though is that I am tired of being panhandled and freaked out by scary meth head type people every time I go there.
I also tend to start avoiding places when the clerk/staff get a little too familiar with me and my comings and goings, asking personal questions, etc. That's just me.
Went to Starbucks today for that extra cup of coffee [we make coffee every morning but I always want more, and some different variety than what we have] only to find they have raised their coffee prices to the point where I ended up just getting a mocha latte because it costs the same. Won't be going back any time soon.
Wound up getting some Earl Grey tea from Trader Joe's, I'm just going to make a cup in the afternoons. It'll also save money, because even 7/11 coffee adds up if you get it every single day.
I'm trying not to think too much about the interview. I am preparing for it, but trying not to obsess, because I think I may not do as well if I do that. I'm a great fit for this, and need to let them know that. Need to review a few items about the basics of governmental accounting, read up more on the agency, and so on. I don't know if they will hand me a sheet of paper and tell me to answer the questions on it or if it will be a more informal interview, either way, I want to be ready.
I never write about coffee, even though it is one of my favorite things. I used to like 7-11 coffee due to its price and the variety available, but have been off of it lately. It's starting to all taste the same. The main reason I am avoiding the 7/11 though is that I am tired of being panhandled and freaked out by scary meth head type people every time I go there.
I also tend to start avoiding places when the clerk/staff get a little too familiar with me and my comings and goings, asking personal questions, etc. That's just me.
Went to Starbucks today for that extra cup of coffee [we make coffee every morning but I always want more, and some different variety than what we have] only to find they have raised their coffee prices to the point where I ended up just getting a mocha latte because it costs the same. Won't be going back any time soon.
Wound up getting some Earl Grey tea from Trader Joe's, I'm just going to make a cup in the afternoons. It'll also save money, because even 7/11 coffee adds up if you get it every single day.
I'm trying not to think too much about the interview. I am preparing for it, but trying not to obsess, because I think I may not do as well if I do that. I'm a great fit for this, and need to let them know that. Need to review a few items about the basics of governmental accounting, read up more on the agency, and so on. I don't know if they will hand me a sheet of paper and tell me to answer the questions on it or if it will be a more informal interview, either way, I want to be ready.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Okay, maybe not....
Maybe not a post a day in July [already missed that this weekend] but 30-31 posts during the month?
Just saw an annoying movie called HAPPY TEARS. I wait for the day when a movie offers a realistic portrayal of children stuck caring for aging parents who often did not actually parent. No heartwarming crap, no life lessons learned. Just the sheer thanklessness, guilt, and misery, the lives deferred, the taking things out on others, the avoidance of responsibility, etc. Having a character mess his pants once or twice during the course of the film doesn't make up for it. It's also rare that you run into a situation where one of the children has the money and resources to care for the parent as happens here.
Will never happen. Who would want to see it? More importantly, who would put the money up to make it?
The movie was written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, son of artist Roy Lichtenstein. Meaningless anecdotes: When I was a senior in high school we did a class trip to Washington DC. We went to a modern art museum [can't remember where, maybe the National Gallery] and they were doing a retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein. He actually was touring it at the time and started at me, probably trying to decipher my Simpsons T-shirt [the Simpsons were still pretty new at the time.]
In college, I dated a woman who worked for a famous photographer [or at least he was famous in photography/advertising circles.] He owned a huge funky old building in New York on the Bowery. Apparently, Roy Lichtenstein used to rent a floor of the building. A few years after that, I went to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and saw some of Warhol's old mail in an exhibit. Some of it was from Roy Lichtenstein, and the return address was that very building where my girlfriend at the time had worked and where I had spent quite a bit of time when visiting her.
/meaningless anecdote.
Just saw an annoying movie called HAPPY TEARS. I wait for the day when a movie offers a realistic portrayal of children stuck caring for aging parents who often did not actually parent. No heartwarming crap, no life lessons learned. Just the sheer thanklessness, guilt, and misery, the lives deferred, the taking things out on others, the avoidance of responsibility, etc. Having a character mess his pants once or twice during the course of the film doesn't make up for it. It's also rare that you run into a situation where one of the children has the money and resources to care for the parent as happens here.
Will never happen. Who would want to see it? More importantly, who would put the money up to make it?
The movie was written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, son of artist Roy Lichtenstein. Meaningless anecdotes: When I was a senior in high school we did a class trip to Washington DC. We went to a modern art museum [can't remember where, maybe the National Gallery] and they were doing a retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein. He actually was touring it at the time and started at me, probably trying to decipher my Simpsons T-shirt [the Simpsons were still pretty new at the time.]
In college, I dated a woman who worked for a famous photographer [or at least he was famous in photography/advertising circles.] He owned a huge funky old building in New York on the Bowery. Apparently, Roy Lichtenstein used to rent a floor of the building. A few years after that, I went to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and saw some of Warhol's old mail in an exhibit. Some of it was from Roy Lichtenstein, and the return address was that very building where my girlfriend at the time had worked and where I had spent quite a bit of time when visiting her.
/meaningless anecdote.
Note to parents:
Your child's behavior is nowhere near as fascinating or interesting to other people as it is to you. That is all.
Friday, July 2, 2010
A post a day in July?
Can it be done?
Got a letter today regarding my interview. It actually is with the county, yes, same place as back in March. Difference is that this is more of an entry level position, Accountant I, and I would be working in a single department. I've already found some info online regarding the job, and after the interview in March I have an idea about some of the things they may ask about. I think they just took some of the top scorers from the exam in February who didn't get selected for the last job and are interviewing them for this. I think I have a good chance. Only bad part is, the county is laying off a lot of people. I don't know if they're laying off accountants, or if they would get rid of someone who just got there [and doesn't cost them as much as a senior person] but we'll see. Hopefully even if that does happen I can at least stay a year and be able to, yep, collect unemployment.
This could be really good. I am a much better match for this than some of the other things I've interviewed for.
Reading BIG MACHINE by Victor LaValle. I literally had to wait nearly half the year to get it. The library has one copy and it was in high demand. You'd think they would order more, but I guess they have the usual budget problems. Maybe they could order a few less copies of a best-seller than no one will remember in a year.
I've just barely started, but am intrigued to see what will happen next. A sort-of-ex-junkie gets a mysterious letter telling him it is time to pay back for something that happened nearly 20 years ago. He drops everything and heads to Vermont to live in a cabin with several others who have received similar letters. It seems like they are going to be entangled in a bizarre cult or pyramid scheme. I'm dying to find out. Great writing, a great main character, and a great story.
Also reading a long bio of Harry Truman, I guess that will be my long non-fiction book of the month that I may or may not finish. Last time it was the civil war narrative that I got 400 pages into before surrendering.
Got a letter today regarding my interview. It actually is with the county, yes, same place as back in March. Difference is that this is more of an entry level position, Accountant I, and I would be working in a single department. I've already found some info online regarding the job, and after the interview in March I have an idea about some of the things they may ask about. I think they just took some of the top scorers from the exam in February who didn't get selected for the last job and are interviewing them for this. I think I have a good chance. Only bad part is, the county is laying off a lot of people. I don't know if they're laying off accountants, or if they would get rid of someone who just got there [and doesn't cost them as much as a senior person] but we'll see. Hopefully even if that does happen I can at least stay a year and be able to, yep, collect unemployment.
This could be really good. I am a much better match for this than some of the other things I've interviewed for.
Reading BIG MACHINE by Victor LaValle. I literally had to wait nearly half the year to get it. The library has one copy and it was in high demand. You'd think they would order more, but I guess they have the usual budget problems. Maybe they could order a few less copies of a best-seller than no one will remember in a year.
I've just barely started, but am intrigued to see what will happen next. A sort-of-ex-junkie gets a mysterious letter telling him it is time to pay back for something that happened nearly 20 years ago. He drops everything and heads to Vermont to live in a cabin with several others who have received similar letters. It seems like they are going to be entangled in a bizarre cult or pyramid scheme. I'm dying to find out. Great writing, a great main character, and a great story.
Also reading a long bio of Harry Truman, I guess that will be my long non-fiction book of the month that I may or may not finish. Last time it was the civil war narrative that I got 400 pages into before surrendering.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Excited.
I know I shouldn't be, but I'm excited about the interview next week. I will resolve to do my best, and if I do get the job that will be a bonus.
I have applied to other things as well, so this isn't the only thing I have going right now, but it's currently the best thing I have going. I've applied to a city government job that just closed that I should eventually have to do an exam for [pretty much the same as the the county job back in March, except no auditing I hope] and some accounts payable stuff that I probably won't be considered for.
Still no call from the Agency Everyone Hates. I don't know if I just didn't get picked this time, if I wound up not needing to be interviewed, or if they're just behind. There is a week before the interview period that the recruited told me about is over.
I will probably e-mail them next week.
Lots of exciting books coming out soon, but right now I only have a few. I am resolving to blog more this month, so I think I will cheat and post about them in a little while.
I have applied to other things as well, so this isn't the only thing I have going right now, but it's currently the best thing I have going. I've applied to a city government job that just closed that I should eventually have to do an exam for [pretty much the same as the the county job back in March, except no auditing I hope] and some accounts payable stuff that I probably won't be considered for.
Still no call from the Agency Everyone Hates. I don't know if I just didn't get picked this time, if I wound up not needing to be interviewed, or if they're just behind. There is a week before the interview period that the recruited told me about is over.
I will probably e-mail them next week.
Lots of exciting books coming out soon, but right now I only have a few. I am resolving to blog more this month, so I think I will cheat and post about them in a little while.
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