It's been a while, I apologize

I'd like to be able to say here that I stuck to my diet, and continued to lose weight over these past few weeks, but that didn't happen... I've gained about 2 pounds back and I'm not doing too much to reach my goal of 155 by September either.

I feel like I'm in a major funk. I don't feel like exercising, I crave carbs and sugar... I sit around on the internet for the majority of the day and I wait until I absolutely HAVE to get up to get out of bed.

I'm thinking I may have very mild depression. I felt very similar to this while I was up in Seattle. I don't care to do anything fun, but it's not so bad that I neglect other duties in my life.

I didn't get that job Olivia had tried to set up for me. It went to a girl who already worked at the store.

A couple good things have happened though. Matt got a few unemployment checks, so we haven't gone under quite yet... unfortunately he quit applying for benefits so we won't get anymore checks. He did get accepted to PCC and will restart the EMT program, which is better than Clark's program becuase it will go from Basic to Intermediate and then he can apply to the paramedic program afterward. Here in Vancouver, you have to have one year of EMT-B experience before you can move up, but there are no jobs for EMT-B's in this economy - the ambulance services cut back employments so they are only taking paramedics.

Also, I've started applying for just about every job I'm qualified for on Craigslist, and last week I got a hit! They invited me back for a job-fair open-house interview thing. There were twenty of us there and we were all competing for two front desk jobs at their hotel.

I had originally applied to the ad because whoever wrote it seemed really cool -- it wasn't stuffy and I actually laughed when I read it! They wanted a cover letter that was "fun or even funny" because their staff like to have fun and it was such a breath of fresh air to not draft a formal CV. What was even better was recieving the invite to the open house. It gets frustrating to send out so many resumes and not recieve even a "thank-you but...".

So I prepared for the interview by doing some research on the hotel and was pleasantly surprised -- I expected a place very much like the others: a sterile, hospital-like big-box hotel like so many I've stayed in. Instead, I found a bright and colorful inn smack dab in the center of a bustling part of Portland - it was pure Portland: orange walls, local art, jars of candy all over the lobby, the funkiest carpet I've ever seen, and every room is a suite with a kitchen and stove. I WANT this job. I don't care how far away from home it is, I want to work there more than anything else.

So yesterday was the big day. I took a total of three buses and a max to get to the hotel, which took me two hours. In a car on a clear-traffic day, it's only 12 miles and a 20 minute drive. I got to the hotel with about ten minutes to go and sat in the lobby with about twenty other hopefuls. They set out some refreshments and I got a cup of diet Coke along with a couple Ritz crackers, a piece of salami and some cheese. Then Denise, the General Manager came in with her crew and positioned themselves around the room and the masses swarmed. I decided to wait a little while before meeting any of them. It seemed like too many of the people were jumping down their throats, and they seemed more the laid-back type of group so I sat and observed for the first twenty minutes.

There was a couple of points at which I felt like this was a waste of my time - that I wasn't even in the running for this job. But then I actually talked to one of the other candidates and she was really cool (though she smelled sweaty... poor thing) and then talked as a group with the front desk guy Tim, who was really fun. At that point, I saw a spot open up to talk to Brandon, the Front Desk Lead and it had been over an hour since the interviews started so I decided I should take the opportunity to sit with him. Tim had told everyone that Brandon was a brownie-hoarder, so I told him that as part of our small-talk and he said his true weakness was cookies. Well, I make MEAN chocolate-chip cookies from scratch and didn't hesitate to tell him so. He wrote that down on his notepad next to my name. Then we got into the the basics - my work history, customer service experience, whether I knew the area, my availability etc. He talked about the same amount of time that I did, about the duties and the guests and how great the staff are. It was short and sweet, which was perfect for me -- I had seen so many people talking these guys' ears off - over ten minutes each, and they were forcing their way onto all four of them!

I was really hoping to come across as humble, friendly and willing to work hard, not aggressive and pushy and overqualified like some of the others came across to me.

Anyway I came back into the room and the front desk manager Angela was free to talk to so I mosied on over to sit with her. She was so nice, but she was also a much better interviewer than Brandon -- more structured for sure. She asked what brought me to the hotel besides the job interview (...uh... that's the only reason, but I love the hotel!) and then asked me, if I were to describe the hotel to someone, what would I say? (Hmm... very colorful, like retro funk threw up all over the place, awesome lobby, great personnel, it feels like home instead of a hospital, it's right next to the trendiest area full of shops and restaurants to explore, plus it's on the streetcar line which takes you through all of downtown Portland and connects to MAX and other buslines so all of the city is accessible..) she loved my last line, "If you're looking to experience what Portland is all about, this is the place to stay." Then she went through the basics that Brandon had touched on, customer service experience, availibility, plans to go back to school, etc. She said the people they're losing were some of their best -- big shoes to fill.

I could fill those shoes. I've got the drive, and I'm willing to learn! And I think she saw that -- at the end of our talk she said they'd be calling people back within a week and she told me that I'll be recieving a call.

OMG REALLY!???!?! I sincerely hope it wasn't just something they tell everyone. I really hope she was genuine and, having interviewed a lot of people before me, meant what she said. I thanked her warmly as I got up, and, with that as my high point, I went to the bathroom and walked out. I had considered possibly speaking to Denise as well, but there looked to be a line of people waiting their turn and it was nearly six so I left.

I'm wondering if I should send a thank-you note to the people I interviewed with. I have their email addresses, and something short and sweet would keep me in their mind, yes? Might as well give it a shot...okay. Thank-you notes sent!

I wish I could've done more, but it's in their hands now. If nothing else it gave me some interview experience. But until I know for sure, I'm going to continue to prepare as if the job is already mine. Gotta learn more about the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood, and practice other interview questions that may come up.

Anyway, after I left the hotel I took the bus back to the MAX, but was unsure where to get off. I made my best guess then headed toward where I thought the station would be but over-shot it by a block. I ended up at the Roseland theater and had to walk north one block. Well, I passed by a small group of black people, most of whom were sitting on a bench but one LARGE women who looked like a prostitute was standing. I had my iPod on almost full blast and was lip-synching as I passed them, but could feel their eyes on me. Suddenly the lady starts YELLING at me. Like, FULL volume. She called me a bitch or some such, then told me in black-girl slang that I need my skirt shorter, and my pumps with the flowers do not match my shirt. When I kept walking away, not acknowledging her in anyway, she yelled "babygirl!" at my back, and said I could "learn a thing or two" from her...

Fashion advice from a prostitute? Laughable.

Anyway, it's taken me six hours to write this entire post, and I'd like to wrap up by saying this won't be the end if I get rejected. I've promised to find a job this month and I intend to do it. Not only do we need the financial support of atleast one income, Matt's chances of getting a job to conform to his school schedule this fall is slim...

I'll write again soon, count on it.