I am really terrible at being unemployed. I can't seem to enjoy it the way I used to when I was in my 20's. Knowing it puts a strain on my partner is the downer. Personally, I wouldn't mind skipping a bill or two, but I suppose that's not on when you're thinking about buying a new car or a house in the middle distant future. Lord, I hate this being responsible sometimes! I couldn't even use my time off properly until I secured a new job.
As always, I eagerly tuned in to Iron Chef on Saturday night. It wasn't an especially yummy contest, though. It was based around beef cheeks, not a cut the average American household knows much about. I learned a couple of interesting tips, though. The secret in making the beef cheeks (hohoniku) tender is using tea leaves in the pressure cooker. Num, num. I know you'll keep it in mind next time you grab a few cheeks for dinner.
Sunday, I wanted to hang out online and chat. Sadly, there was a cable cut in the area and Mindspring went sproing. What a great time to start working on my new idea for the main pages of my web site, I said to myself in half-hearted tones. Naturally, I sat staring at the screen completely devoid of ideas. All I really wanted to do was browse the web or talk. I try not to go psychotic when the connections are down but by Monday evening I was reduced to sporadic grunts of anguish whenever John tried to hold a conversation with me.
Despite this personal tragedy, Monday morning I dutifully phoned the travel agent placement service and asked to be set up with an interview. My headhunter, Kim, said she had the perfect job for me and enthused all over the place about it. I was dubious. It was much further north than I'd said I wanted to work, it was corporate and leisure instead of being just leisure, and it didn't sound so great to me. I agreed to interview there, though. After all, I can't hang around waiting for the right non-travel job to turn up and I know I'll need training to pursue what I really want. The interview was on Tuesday. They offered me the job today.
I took it. They are pleasant, relaxed, and definitely on my wavelength, at least as far as I can tell from one 2-hour interview. Two of the four agents are science fiction fans, which seems quite a good sign to me. The dresscode is extremely casual which makes me happy. Besides, I can't lose, really. I got a week's vacation, I'm going in at my same salary, and I'll get to commute by train which I find relaxing.
Dang, now I've got to finish the Dog Personality Test!
