Unemployment Day 13: Step Away From The Donut.

Observations while killing time between interviews:

Clearly it's been a while since I job-hunted. My Interview Dress is decidedly snug. Maybe that's got something to do with the obscene number of Krispy Kremes I've consumed lately, but it's their fault--they keep giving me the game cards, and I keep winning a free dozen. So I absolve myself from all responsibility here. :)

I know I've said it repeatedly, but: DAMN I'm glad it's not last year. I was just reading something that reminded me of that time, and it just made me grateful all over again to be where I am instead of where I was.

Yesterday I went and had my blood tests. I got a really good phlebotomist, and she was actually able to find a vein in my hand--but it was one of the veins they used when they took my gallbladder out, one of the (many!) veins that infiltrated and swelled my hand up like a water-balloon. And do you know, it's seventeen months later, and that vein STILL hurts like hell??? I've got this itsy little puncture, but underneath the skin, it feels like somebody stepped on it.

My first interview went well. It was with an agency, so they have a lot of contract jobs, and they'll probably be able to place me soon. I asked them for a week first--I figured that would give me time to hear about the other job, and to have a few more days off. They gave me two proficiency tests: Windows XP troubleshooting and Mac OSX Admin and Use. Predictably, I did much better on the Mac stuff, although not as well as I'd have liked. I was pretty grim on the XP test, but there was a lot of stuff on that test that I can't imagine ANYONE would know offhand. And the recruiter said the average score was 61%, so obviously it's a difficult test. We won't talk about what I got, except to say that it was substantially below average. They're going to give me access to an online self-study program, which will help me a lot, I think. (But I'd rather work with Macs anyhow.)

Outrage of the day: Parking for one hour and ten minutes: SIXTEEN FREAKING DOLLARS! Needless to say, I'm leaving early for the next interview and looking for a parking meter.

And a final thought:
Pantyhose are eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil.

Two hours til the next interview!