much better!

Oh yeah, this is much better. I resized my name in photobucket so it's not quite so large and obnoxious! (Not that I'm obnoxious...)

The Job Search

So how's the job search going? Ha...that's a funny question. So far, I've submitted lots and lots of applications, and not heard back from any other them. Well, I take that back, I did get a call today saying that they would be on the look-out for my application.

It all started when I didn't get the position at Western. That was fine, because it was a position that I really didn't feel right about anyway. From the beginning, it was just a filler application; I knew it wasn't what I should be doing. And then I submitted one to the Juvenile Justice department, and I haven't heard anything from them. I'm not sure if they thought I was over-qualified, or if it's because of the hiring freeze for nearly all state positions.

So I submitted an online application to Cracker Barrel. I got a call asking me to come in and fill out a paper application. I did that. They interviewed me on a Tuesday, said they would talk to the scheduling manager, and call me in a couple days. Fast forward two weeks. I call to see why I haven't heard anything, and I'm told that they just aren't hiring right now, but they'll call me if they need me. One, don't tell me you'll call if you won't. Two, don't call and ask me to come in for an interview if you aren't hiring. Three, why post online that you need employees if you don't??

Last night I submitted resumes to 8 places or so, in addition to the others that I've been submitting here and there. Today, I put in four at Pardee Hospital, and three at Mission. Sean's aunt knows people at Mission, so she gave me some numbers to call. One lady called me back and said she was keeping an eye out for my application, and would try to set me up an interview. I also mailed in an application for a probation officer position. It opened on Tuesday and closes next Tuesday. That's actually the position that I'm most qualified for.

All in all, I'll keep searching, and try to keep my head up. It's just easy right now to get discouraged. I keep thinking about the fact that we get married in a month, and if I don't get a job, we can't make it. We literally have no income. It's hard too, because I really don't know what I want to do. I would love to work with juveniles, or at-risk youth. On the other hand, I have research ideas for prison systems and socialization. I'm also interested in studying the public perception of male nurses. I think in the long run, I just have to push through until I can go back to school for my masters. I have so many studies I want to do; I just have to get to that point in life first.

What a run!

I'm at Sean's for a couple days, so I decided to go for a nice run out the road yesterday. It's about a mile and a half to the stoplight right before the campus where he has class, so I timed it so that I could run to campus, and then he could bring me back.

It was a wonderful run. I was in a long sleeve tech shirt and a skirt, and I even got a little warm. The whole time, I had a clear head. For me, that's a big deal. I always have some kind of thought running through my head, but not this time. My feet kept going, but I didn't have to focus on anything except getting over when cars would come by.

All in all, I kept a pretty decent pace. I'm normally a 10:40 pace kind of girl, but I did 1.5 miles in 14 minutes. That comes out to about a 9:40 pace. And I didn't even feel like I was running hard. Granted, the last half mile was a slight downhill, but nothing too crazy. Even for the small uphills, I would be at the top before I even knew what was going on.

It was a "deer" moment for me. I felt fast, and good, and like a real runner. I loved being outside. I loved the motion. I loved that I wasn't thinking about the job search. I was just running. And it was good.