Reflections of the Unemployed - Week 15

It has been a busy week, beginning with meeting my future daughter-in-law's family at her Graduation party. All went well and I was informed I passed the "mother-in-law" test by her parents. I went as myself with peace sign earrings, tattoo in plain sight, and my camera around my neck with the idea that they would get a true impression of who I am right off the bat. I believe its important to "just be yourself" in all situations. If people like me, great, if they don't, its their loss because I'm a very kind and compassionate person. Which may have something to do with why, on Wednesday, I was informed that I got the job that I interviewed for last week.

On Monday, I found a gold mine of old friends on Facebook and spent Monday and Tuesday catching up with old acquaintances and some very close friends. One being my best bud from the time I was about four or five until girls started becoming gross. We talked about how I gave him a black eye with a baseball and beat him up in his drive way (I really am a nice person). I recalled camping out in our back yards and sneaking across the street to share popcorn in his tent and I'm meeting up with one my long lost friends on Monday for coffee that just lives up the street.

The highlight of my week came Wednesday when I got the call offering me the job. I calculate that the odds by how many interviews it took to land one job, is much better than the odds of actually getting an interview. 41 applications+ 2 interviews = 1 job. The key for me was to get the interview but with the internet being so impersonal, I didn't meet anyone filling out an application. There was no one to hand the application to; no one to get that "first impression".

Thursday I met with an online group I met on "Twitter". Quadsville.com is similar to other online communities like Facebook and Myspace but its our very own local, online community. Now that I am employed there won't be much time for that because I'll be on the road during the week. I hope that more of those opportunities will take place on weekends.

I started my orientation today and as I suspected, my trip to Des Moines was as liberating and my free spirit flew high. My radio station carried me 100 of the 168 miles (thanks F106.5). Although at one point, I swear I hear a "Twitter" chirp during one of the tunes. I must have been experiencing "Twitter" withdraw. I was astounded to find "Wi Fi" at the rest stops and if I didn't have a mission I may have been tempted to stop at each one to squeeze in a "tweet" or two. However I only stopped at one, to grab a snack out the vending machine and while there, I updated my status on Facebook, checked the radar and I only tweeted twice (I swear).

Another change but disappointing was the disappearance of "Stucky's"; an interstate Icon for road warriors back in the day. They have now been replaced by BP gas stations and "Adult Superstores" ( I wonder how they compare to "Walmart Superstores" are they a "one stop shop too"? can I get a gallon of milk there?)

I made pretty good time, despite taking the wrong exit (even if it was in familiar territory as I was leaving town). I discovered "rear view mirror" photography, without looking through the view finder and snapping random pictures (I was driving after all). It was amusing to see how they turned out and a few good ones.

Leaving Des Moines I was headed into a storm so I took my time, trying to stay behind it because I had a wiper blow out. Had I not been cleaning the windshield so much because I was taking pictures out them, I may have been able to avoid that.

I manged to stay behind the storm and arrived home without incidence. Next week I will leave Tuesday for Cedar Rapids, Iowa and return home on Saturday. And there in lies the transition from an "unemployed" genre to "Week 1 - A Travelog".

Peace
Liz