The Job Hunts (Cont.)

It's not what you know, but who you know. This saying has been (for me at least) more and more accurate and I run around trying to find full-time work. I mean, remember the internship I recently got? A friend linked me to a website filled with internship openings and from there I applied until something stuck.

And so, when two friends forwarded me emails regarded an full-time entry-level position at some Fortune 500 company, I jumped on it immediately.

Everyone who has helped me is getting free beer.

Alright, so someone replied to email wants to have an phone interview with me. We'll call her Recruiter A. Now, I personally hate talking on the phone. If I talk to someone in person, I can read their body language, facial expressions, and make hand gestures. If I talk to someone online, I can delay my responses so to better think and give well thought-out replies.

Talking on the phone let's me do neither.

Worse yet, is that the interview was first thing in the morning. I am not a morning person, my brain doesn't officially start working until about 1PM in the day. So I hope that whatever I said to her during the interview was coherent.

And preferably intelligent.

If they liked my phone interview, I was supposed to get an email later with further instructions for a video interview and some other online application. I checked my email constantly, had my cellphone on me at all times, and this went on for a week and half of silence. I was convinced I had screwed up and began looking at courses for the fall term.

But then I get a text message from my Mother: "Someone left a message for you on Tuesday, something about an interview?".

My idiot brother actually heard the message on Tuesday. And failed to tell me because he "forgot" in his haste to go play League of Legends with his friends. 

I wanted to wring his little neck.

PLAY A REAL GAME LIKE STARCRAFT YOU BABY.

But whatever, at least they contacted me, said to call her back whenever so there wasn't any pressing deadlines. We'll call this person Recruiter B. I immediately starting calling Recruiter B every weekday at least once, and kept hitting her voicemail. So I left voice messages and hoped that something would happen.

It didn't.

Eventually I got through to Recruiter B one morning another week later. She didn't acknowledge any of my voice messages which I found odd, but fine. She then said within 15 minutes she would email me the next interview package for me to do. And if there were any problems, just call her.

6 hours later nothing. Calling her that afternoon also directed me to her voicemail. I started wanting to wring her neck as well.

HOW ARE YOU THE SENIOR RECRUITER?!

Fine, next morning I call and shockingly get to her. She acts surprised that I didn't get the email but promises to send it again. I have my doubts but whatever. But here's where it gets awesome. I get a call from Recruiter A. And she wants to know why I haven't done any of the online applications yet. Her superiors really want to get that video interview from me.

And so a few minutes later after I explain my situation with Recruiter B, Recruiter A must have done something, because the online application package was in my inbox the next time I checked. I finished those quickly.

The video interview I received the next day. Basically, I have a bunch of pre-recorded questions thrown at me, and I sit in front of a webcam and I give a response. It's certainly different, I've never done one before but I think it went ok? My hair certainly looked poofier than I would have liked.

I hope I looked presentable.

So now I'm on standby. If they liked what they saw I'll be hearing from them ideally on Monday. If they don't like what they saw, I'll also probably hear from them on Monday. Fingers crossed.

And the strangest thing happened while I was working at my fast food job too. A managed to get talking to a customer and she asked me how long I worked there for. I told her "way too long" and that in this economy it was tough finding anything else.

She ended up taking my number, saying that her husband would get in touch with me. So, if one job doesn't work, maybe I can go with another.

Note: Thank you for all the concern regarding my ex in my last post. I assure you that when I said "I guess we're friends, and we'll see where it goes" I meant we would stay as friends. I'm not trying to sway her into getting back in a relationship with me.

5 Year Anniversary

Well it would have been if things worked out better.

Next week I would have celebrated five years with my then-girlfriend. We were high school sweethearts and we were happy together. At least, we were until whatever it is caused her to change her mind. I'm fairly certain most of my readers are familiar with what happened to some extent. Anyone who isn't can catch up here.

And I had no intention of talking to her again. I was done trying to fix what was left.

Enough was enough

And then out of nowhere she sent me a message: "Are you still upset with me?".

Bloody right I'm still upset with you. I've been miserable these last few months, lonely, and bitter. You broke my heart, flirted with me, turned down any chance of trying to fix our relationship AND THEN you go and get yourself a new boyfriend. What did you expect me to say?

And for the next hour, I basically tore her a new one. It was liking writing an angry letter and being able to send it and watch the recipient receive it in real time. I won't lie, it felt good. A massive weight being lifted off my chest. How often do you get to rant at the very source of all your distress?

I guess the alternative would be to beat my computer to pieces.

But she never left. She could have stopped responding or reading my responses at anytime. But she just sat there are took it all. Apologizing every other moment. Admitting and acknowledging every fault and gripe that I had with her. And this went on and on until I ran out of things to say.

To be honest, I was a bit confused. This is not standard ex-girlfriend behaviour. She didn't stand up for herself once, she didn't try to justify her actions, nor did she try and shift the blame to me. And so I eventually asked, "What do you want from me? Forgiveness?".

To which she replied, "I don't want forgiveness, I just want you to feel better.".

What.

She even offered to let me do it again in the future if it would help. She agreed that her actions were selfish, that she didn't want to hurt me anymore, and was willing to do nearly anything to help me recover. Sans getting back into a relationship with me because she was already in one.

Also, she has some guilt-tripping mental roadblock. She tried to explain it to me, I still don't get it, and think it's absolute rubbish but one step at a time. She loves me but isn't in love with me as she puts it.

I don't know about you guys, but I find it hard to stay angry at someone who acknowledges their wrongdoings, goes out of their way to fix things, and openly allows me to verbally beat so that I might have a better day.

I feel a bit bad for being so harsh with her now.

We're talking more frequently now. I'm still upset with her obviously but not to the same extent as before. I won't lie, I still miss her very much. you don't spend 4.5 years with someone and suddenly lose all attraction to them.

I guess we're still friends then. We'll see where it goes from here.

The End of Patt

Who remembers Patt? The Psychology professor of mine who was pretty awesome but suddenly went insane? Well on my own time I decided to seek him out and see if the rumours were true. We sat down for a few beers, had a chat, a few laughs, and he seemed the same jovial self that he always was.

Satisfied with my own findings, I left the pub feeling content. Maybe it was just a phase that Patt was going through, things should be ok.

Yep, it was just a phase. Sane Patt was just a phase and he completely snapped a few weeks later.

He went ballistic at some more students and is now being fired. Well, he was going to be "let go" thanks to all the budget cuts but thanks to his recent behaviour, it's unlikely he'll ever teach again in the province. Maybe he'll never teach academically again because he certainly can't use his experience at my University as a reference any more.

Some people might think this is a bit harsh. But there is a limit to how badly you can treat your students. Especially students you've known for a long time. I mean, you shouldn't yell at them when they ask why their grades haven't been posted yet. Nor do you consider it harassment when the deadline for grades have long passed.

And you don't make death threats to said students either.

I actually couldn't find a reaction picture for this situation.

I wish I was joking. But Patt seriously sent emails stating that he would "hunt down" said students down because asking for their grades was "harassing him". I'm paraphrasing because I can't use some of the language that was typed up in those emails.

Welp, that's great. Not only was a death threat sent, but there's physical evidence of it too. We're not sure what's going through Patt's head or why he's doing this or what he hopes to gain from these actions.

I personally think Patt has some kind of brain tumour. It matches similar stories of people suddenly undergoing extreme personality changes within a matter of months. We've known Patt for years and this is completely uncharacteristic of him.

That being said, good luck trying to convince him to see a doctor and/or get an MRI scan done. I'd talk him but again, I don't to risk him hunting me down and stabbing me to ribbons. My health may be poor, but I have no desire to die just yet.

Oh well, it was nice knowing you Patt.

How I spent Victoria Day

I'm not sure how it works in other countries but in Canada, we got Monday off because of something called Victoria Day. I actually have no idea who this Victoria is, or why she's important but what is important is that I got the day off.

Now my fellow Canadian followers are going to crucify me because I don't know the significance of Victoria.

Though, it's not like I was taking a break from much anyways. Things have been fairly quiet around here. So I decided to spend my "day off" in class. A class that by the end I'll have spent close to $300 for.

No, it wasn't for school. And if it wasn't for a few Psychology friends asking me to join, I wouldn't have bothered. See, a few of them are gun enthusiasts, and despite the regulation, the course taking, the bureaucracy, limited number of legal guns, and fairly high costs, many Canadians still enjoy shooting and owning guns.

Not unlike with paintballing, there's a reason why I prefer to shoot virtual, online targets than a real gun. It's because it's a lot cheaper. But hey, I decided to be spontaneous, learn something new, and maybe one day I'd like to own a gun for whatever reason.

Also it makes for blogging material. One of the things about having a blog is that it has been constantly forcing me out of my comfort zone so that I'll have unique and interesting things to talk about.

Even if I do prefer to not go outside with sunlight.

How I suffer for my blog. I had to be there first thing in the morning at 9AM to learn about non-restricted firearms in Canada. We sat down and were shown various types of shotguns and rifles, how to identify them, how to safely examine, load, and discharge cartridges, what to do in situation X and Y, how to properly store the gun, etc..

And then after about 5 hours we were administered a test.

The written exam actually wasn't so bad. Though I failed the practical exam the first time. I accidentally misread the calibre for one of the cartridges due to its age and tried to load it into the wrong rifle. I had received so many demerits from that one error that I had to redo the entire exam later.

Meh, I didn't want to own a shotgun or a rifle anyways.

I passed the practical exam later on, with no other problems and was now able to own non-restricted firearms in Canada (after I submit all this paperwork to the Canadian government so they can issue my license). But I was serious when I said I don't really want to own a shotgun or rifle.

What I'd prefer to own one day is one of the restricted handguns, specifically a 0.44 calibre magnum. Why? Because it's 0.44 calibre. I'm serious. I just like the number 4 and this is the only gun with double 4's in the calibre.

Also, all handguns are restricted. If a handgun is not restricted then it's prohibited. If it's prohibited it means as a mere Canadian citizen, I can't have one.

Unsurprisingly, miniguns are also prohibited class firearms.

So after lunch we spent another 4 hours learning about the various parts of a handgun, how to safely examine, load, discharge rounds, what to do in situation X and Y, how to properly store handguns because they require double the pre-cautions of non-restricted firearms, etc. etc..

I'm serious. If I had a handgun that was loaded and/or improperly locked and/or stored in an improper container I could get fined several grand and/or get jail time. Also, I need a permit anytime the thing leaves my home. Lots of hassle. 

Finally, we write the tests. And for whatever reason I managed to get 100% on both the written and the practical exams.

Aced it where it counted.

So I have the paperwork ready, proof that I passed the necessary exams, all I need to do is mail this in and wait several months for the Canadian government to look it over. Or I could be like my friend, and constantly call them non-stop, day after day, asking if he could help them or if he missed any information.

They mailed the license to him in a month.

Well I'm in no rush, it's not like I have the money to afford a gun anytime soon. Still, I think it be interesting to have.

A Vacation

The idea of traveling has always appealed to me. I like visiting new places, seeing cities that are actually alive and not dead compared to mine. But the cost of traveling anywhere is anything but appealing. I guess I've been fortunate that my parents have always been willing to pay for virtually everything whenever we've traveled.

Still, I've always wanted to travel on my own, I just could never afford it. Nowhere that far anyways. But maybe it's a good idea not to travel that far, get some practice running around on your own first somewhere closer to home.

Better to say this in your own country rather than in a foreign one.

So when my friend Erin invited me to stay at her apartment for a week or two it was quite tempting. She lives a province over, so a roundtrip ticket would be less than $400. I don't have to spend additional money on room and board, we both know the her city decently well, and she's a good friend. So it's not like I'm going to go there and wake up in a dumpster with both kidney's missing.

And before anyone tells me to make a move on her, I'm fairly certain that she's not into men. If you know what I mean. It's a shame though, I think she's kind of cute.

Even if she does dress like a hipster.

The idea is to head out sometime near the end of June, celebrate her birthday with her, and then head back home. I've actually already ordered and received her birthday present. I'm still looking into plane tickets and she's looking into booking time off.

And I think the time away from home would be good for a bit. The last time I was on my own for an extended period of time from my family was back on an old school trip years, and years ago. It's not like I have a full-time that's preventing me from going anyways.

 

And the one that I wanted to hear back from has still been silent.

If anyone has any traveling advice they want to share it be appreciated. Same with living with someone else for the first time. Because asides from family, I've never experienced anything remotely similar to a roommate. And I'm not even a roommate in this situation, more of a guest I guess. 

The Waiting Game

I don't enjoy sitting around waiting, and that has grown exceptionally true in recent years. And not just in the sense that I don't like having nothing to do. If possible, I want things to be done and over with, out of sight and out of mind. If there's a way to speed things up then I will generally go and do it.

But right now, I'm stuck in that very predicament. Which is why I don't have a proper blog post at the moment.

Looks just like me, if you could get a cup of juice to steam.

I have projects that are on standby because of things out of my control, I'm waiting on emails and phone calls from a few other people, I have projects that are delayed because of aforementioned emails and phone calls, so on and so forth.

Hopefully something happens soon. I'd rather talk about things that are ongoing in my life.

The Job Hunts

It's no secret that I've been looking for more work. Despite having both my fast food and my marketing job there are still massive chunks of my day that probably could be spent doing something that is guaranteed to give me a paycheque at the end of the day.

As much as I'd love to spend more time in bed, I should be more productive. My Mother has also been really pushing for me to get another job during the day. Mentioning that X is currently hiring and really desperate for workers. Y is currently hiring, you should send a resume.

I really would not want to work at Starbucks though.

Ideally, I want to spend all my daylight hours working and nighttime hours working on my online projects. So I have been looking for other jobs, or at least things that would look good on a resume. I've been in touch with a few friends and they've directed me to various places and after throwing my resume around I finally got a response.

It wasn't much, certainly didn't pay much besides a small bursary at the end of the summer, but it would look good. An association for Parkinson's needed a researcher, or rather, someone to read through a ton of papers and see if anything important was inside.

It was like I trained for this job my entire University career.

At least I'm putting my education to good use.

I had to bus, and I hate busing. I'm also fairly certain it looks odd to bus around wearing a tie. Even worse when it's windy and your tie whips around your face in the open. But so be it, how else was I going to make it to my interview? Walk the entire way?

Actually, I missed the final bus to get my interview. Google maps said it would take 20 minutes to get there on foot. So I did the only thing I could do, I started jogging in the general direction of the building with my tie flapping about in the wind. I was late, but at least I made it.

I thought the interview went well, better than any other interviews I've done in the past few years. And a few days later, I got another email saying that they wanted me.

I actually did it, I finally got an internship of some sort.

I go back next Thursday to finalize some details and sign some papers. But it's nice to have something go in my favor. Again, I don't get paid, all I get is a small government bursary but hey, I'll take what I can get.

I'm still waiting for replies from a few other emails. There's one opportunity I really want to hear back on because it sounds like it pays well is a great for work experience. Fingers crossed for me.