Saturday, August21, 2010, 06:41AM

Interview Update - it would appear that I was not hired. A disappointment, but life goes on.

I've been awake since 4 o'clock, online, job searching and completing applications. It's hot in my den, I'm hungry and grouchy.

I was talking with a friend last night and he made a comment about being bored at work. Another friend often complains about her job. I have still another friend who is a stay-at-home wife, no kids, and so very certain that she has all the answers. I'm so very certain she does not.

Every time I hear an employed person whine about some trivial happening at their job, it's like a knife to my heart. I want to just shake them and yell, "GRATITUDE??? EVER HEARD OF IT??"

Yeah, I know, I bitched about trivial stuff when I was working, too, and I most likely will do it again, if I ever get another job. But it's so hard to hear, when I'd be so happy to pick up part-time work right now.

Guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself this morning.

Meltdown!

So, at the interview yesterday, the interviewer asked me what my bottom line salary was, and I told her my ideal was $14/hr. She sort of frowned, so I asked, "Do I have a chance of getting it here?" and she said, "In West Virginia? Honestly, no." Well, at least she was honest, right?

But let's do the math. She said I could probably get $10/hr, so let's go with that. 10/hr x 40 hr/wk = $400 BEFORE TAXES, which comes to something like $330 after taxes. $330/wk x 4 wks/mo = $1320/mo. My rent, utilities, car insurance and COBRA come to $1100/mo, leaving $220/mo for food, car maintenance, gasoline, pet care. That's a whopping $55/wk. Filling my old but serviceable car's engine takes about $28, leaving $27 for surviving. Guess I should be OK with that, at least I can subsist on canned soup. And all that depends on working locally so I'm not using the car too much.

I'm not so much discouraged as I am pissed off, and beating myself over the head for moving here in the first place, and then staying here as long as I have. I know, I really do KNOW, that coulda-shoulda-woulda is a fool's game, and solves nothing, but for right now I'm gonna wallow in anger and get it all outta my system. Grrrrrr.

Postively, Think Positive!

OK, so off I go this morning for an interview with a local employment agency. I'm hoping, of course, that they'll be able to find something or, better yet, have something already in their files for me.

Yesterday, I did get some hopeful news. I was applying for a position with an organization I'd tried with once before, and when I entered my info on the Web site, I got a message that I was already being considered for the position. Cool!

Then, a friend emailed me that her bro-in-law, a fed employee, was looking to hire. I'd already sent my resume, and my friend said she'd recommended me highly. Next step is to email bro-in-law.

Don't want to get my hopes up (again) but need to be positive, right? Right!