Nursing My Arm and Myself Back Into Action
I apologize for being a lazy blogger. I've gone and missed CHTT, I haven't kept up on the news and I still don't have much going on, but I'll give you a little recap of the last week.
Monday
I drove to Toronto for two "PR" interviews which were really sales positions. The first was completely commission-based, which makes me skeptical. I hate having to act as if my attitude is the determining factor in how many people I can sell to. It just isn't. I may be the most exuberant and positive person in the world but I still won't be able to sell you something you don't need. "Would you like to buy this Q-tip? It's only been used once."
Even though I spent an hour on google maps trying to figure out a solid route, I still got lost going to the second interview -about a half hour outside of Toronto, I rolled into Oakville. I knew something was off. I called and explained the situation, then got there late, no big deal. The interview seemed like a score. I had answers to all the questions but got tired explaining what I'd do for each hypothetical situation. Questions like: "what weaknesses do you have to work on?" and "are there situations where you've gone above and beyond your call of duty?" tire me out. I asked the interviewer how many people they had interviewed: "Fifteen." And how many were going to get the job? "Five." "So my chances are one in three? That's not bad." "That's if you're going by numbers," he answered. I still wonder what else you could be going by if you're calculating ratios.
Stayed in Toronto at a hotel where Blondie, an old friend that I lived with in university works. Another friend, The Bad Monkey was down from Ottawa so we went off to a jazz club, listened to music, and chatted the night away. When we came back to the hotel, we were going to order pizza but the next thing I knew, it was...
Tuesday
Drove The Bad Monkey and Blondie into our old town and had a fresh greek salad to satisfy my appetite and my need for vitamins. We all met up with others and it was just like old times, except different because now we're older and things have changed. Not all of us are friends like we used to be, there are new people, and now the Bad Monkey is a successful working man who sanitizes medical supplies in a hospital. It is a high-stress job which requires utmost speed and organization or else people die. The Bad Monkey thrives on the adrenaline.
Later that night there were some of us exiting an apartment building. I was at the bottom of the stairs. Odd was at the top of the stairs. Odd had had a drink or two too many and I guess the stair slipped out from under him. In slow motion he went headlong down the stairs before I knew what was going on. First I saw sparks and then felt that my arm was the only thing Odd could catch as he went down. I was yanked down with him at an incredible rate and we went tumbling. For a moment, we didn't move. I actually thought maybe he was dead but my arm was also tangled in the mess and then all of a sudden the pain hit me. It wasn't broken but I hugged it with my other arm and just rocked myself on the stairs. It was an injury alright.
Wednesday
Went for breakfast at the best cheap breakfast place ever. Everyone can make eggs, sausage, homefries and coffee but when you do it for a low price and it still tastes fresh, that's magic!
Breakfast was pretty much the highlight of the day. My arm still hurt, but I got some advice about exercising it from someone who said it was probably a stretched tendon, which "never heals". Great, so my arm was toast forever! No, apparently I could rebuild the muscle to hold my shoulder in place but it would be forever stretched.
That evening, I got out the elastics and put one end on a doornob and the other on my arm. Painfully, I worked it out. I should have been watching to make sure the elastic didn't slip off the nob of the door but I got an embarrassing wake-up when it SLAPPED THE HECK OUT OF MY FINGERS!!!
Thursday
Got an oil change and applied for part time jobs. Not much luck is happening since my last job fell through. I got some advice from my teachers advising me how to take rejection more professionally. The employers looking for an intern suggested I have a long way to go. They thanked me for the CD but said they wouldn't need any of my assistance, thank you very much. I went back to the drawing board. I decided I wanted to go back an volunteer at the place where I did my Co-op. I liked it there. Of course I need cash but a first step is just being busy and getting experience in my field.
I went for a some Poker with Andy and other gentlemen. I made an excellent bluff with a jack-five offsuit, but besides that there was no more glory and I lost two rounds. We went back to Andy's and watched hockey. Andy likes to predict winning teams for the series. I told him he should be a statistician. He said he'd only do it if it got him on hockey sportsdesk. Even though I don't know anything about hockey, I also chose teams to predict who I thought would take the series for fun. So far, 4/5 of my teams are winning including Colorado, Anaheim and San Jose. I forget who else I picked but Andy has it all written down.
Friday
Today I realized I should enjoy this unplanned holiday while it lasts. My shoulder felt better. I went over to Trash's house and saw her adorable nephew, who is a chilled-out one-year-old with excellent style. The little guy can already walk and wave. He didn't say very much to me but I still felt like we bonded as Trash pushed him in his cart for a stroll around the park. Trash pushed him on the swing made him giggle. I took responsibility for her dog, which happens to have the same name as Maddy and played endless games of fetch.
It was a sunny, beautiful day so I sat outside reading a Trudeau (ex prime minister of Canada) biography and soaking up the rays instead of wasting the precious hours sending out cover letters which seem to go nowhere. After being a grumpy old man to Chloe on MSN, she sent me a sweet audio message from halfway across the world telling me to smile which cheered me up. I had dinner with my family and enjoyed spending time with my sister, who will go to Africa soon. Tonight I sat down in my home movie theatre to watch Sin City, which was the perfect way to find exactly what I wanted: some impressive comic book style. I am a fan of Frank Miller, and I thought some scenes in the movie were very Tarantinoesque, which I got a kick out of.
Originally I was going to go to the place that I just graduated from to pick up assignments and track down old computer files and work out in the gym but then I thought: some other day.
Today's break from worrying was much needed to give me a reason not to be so bitter about my as-yet unsuccessful job-hunt. It's only been a week of no school and no work, which isn't so bad but already I am losing my mind.
Tomorrow I will venture out on the tractor with my pops to cut some branches off trees that interfere with his harvest route. Playing music, reading, writing and keeping as busy as possible as to stay away from "the rut" are also part of the agenda. It's easier to get a job when you have a purpose. I plan on keeping active.
filed under Personal Diegesis
Monday
I drove to Toronto for two "PR" interviews which were really sales positions. The first was completely commission-based, which makes me skeptical. I hate having to act as if my attitude is the determining factor in how many people I can sell to. It just isn't. I may be the most exuberant and positive person in the world but I still won't be able to sell you something you don't need. "Would you like to buy this Q-tip? It's only been used once."
Even though I spent an hour on google maps trying to figure out a solid route, I still got lost going to the second interview -about a half hour outside of Toronto, I rolled into Oakville. I knew something was off. I called and explained the situation, then got there late, no big deal. The interview seemed like a score. I had answers to all the questions but got tired explaining what I'd do for each hypothetical situation. Questions like: "what weaknesses do you have to work on?" and "are there situations where you've gone above and beyond your call of duty?" tire me out. I asked the interviewer how many people they had interviewed: "Fifteen." And how many were going to get the job? "Five." "So my chances are one in three? That's not bad." "That's if you're going by numbers," he answered. I still wonder what else you could be going by if you're calculating ratios.
Stayed in Toronto at a hotel where Blondie, an old friend that I lived with in university works. Another friend, The Bad Monkey was down from Ottawa so we went off to a jazz club, listened to music, and chatted the night away. When we came back to the hotel, we were going to order pizza but the next thing I knew, it was...
Tuesday
Drove The Bad Monkey and Blondie into our old town and had a fresh greek salad to satisfy my appetite and my need for vitamins. We all met up with others and it was just like old times, except different because now we're older and things have changed. Not all of us are friends like we used to be, there are new people, and now the Bad Monkey is a successful working man who sanitizes medical supplies in a hospital. It is a high-stress job which requires utmost speed and organization or else people die. The Bad Monkey thrives on the adrenaline.
Later that night there were some of us exiting an apartment building. I was at the bottom of the stairs. Odd was at the top of the stairs. Odd had had a drink or two too many and I guess the stair slipped out from under him. In slow motion he went headlong down the stairs before I knew what was going on. First I saw sparks and then felt that my arm was the only thing Odd could catch as he went down. I was yanked down with him at an incredible rate and we went tumbling. For a moment, we didn't move. I actually thought maybe he was dead but my arm was also tangled in the mess and then all of a sudden the pain hit me. It wasn't broken but I hugged it with my other arm and just rocked myself on the stairs. It was an injury alright.
Wednesday
Went for breakfast at the best cheap breakfast place ever. Everyone can make eggs, sausage, homefries and coffee but when you do it for a low price and it still tastes fresh, that's magic!
Breakfast was pretty much the highlight of the day. My arm still hurt, but I got some advice about exercising it from someone who said it was probably a stretched tendon, which "never heals". Great, so my arm was toast forever! No, apparently I could rebuild the muscle to hold my shoulder in place but it would be forever stretched.
That evening, I got out the elastics and put one end on a doornob and the other on my arm. Painfully, I worked it out. I should have been watching to make sure the elastic didn't slip off the nob of the door but I got an embarrassing wake-up when it SLAPPED THE HECK OUT OF MY FINGERS!!!
Thursday
Got an oil change and applied for part time jobs. Not much luck is happening since my last job fell through. I got some advice from my teachers advising me how to take rejection more professionally. The employers looking for an intern suggested I have a long way to go. They thanked me for the CD but said they wouldn't need any of my assistance, thank you very much. I went back to the drawing board. I decided I wanted to go back an volunteer at the place where I did my Co-op. I liked it there. Of course I need cash but a first step is just being busy and getting experience in my field.
I went for a some Poker with Andy and other gentlemen. I made an excellent bluff with a jack-five offsuit, but besides that there was no more glory and I lost two rounds. We went back to Andy's and watched hockey. Andy likes to predict winning teams for the series. I told him he should be a statistician. He said he'd only do it if it got him on hockey sportsdesk. Even though I don't know anything about hockey, I also chose teams to predict who I thought would take the series for fun. So far, 4/5 of my teams are winning including Colorado, Anaheim and San Jose. I forget who else I picked but Andy has it all written down.
Friday
Today I realized I should enjoy this unplanned holiday while it lasts. My shoulder felt better. I went over to Trash's house and saw her adorable nephew, who is a chilled-out one-year-old with excellent style. The little guy can already walk and wave. He didn't say very much to me but I still felt like we bonded as Trash pushed him in his cart for a stroll around the park. Trash pushed him on the swing made him giggle. I took responsibility for her dog, which happens to have the same name as Maddy and played endless games of fetch.
It was a sunny, beautiful day so I sat outside reading a Trudeau (ex prime minister of Canada) biography and soaking up the rays instead of wasting the precious hours sending out cover letters which seem to go nowhere. After being a grumpy old man to Chloe on MSN, she sent me a sweet audio message from halfway across the world telling me to smile which cheered me up. I had dinner with my family and enjoyed spending time with my sister, who will go to Africa soon. Tonight I sat down in my home movie theatre to watch Sin City, which was the perfect way to find exactly what I wanted: some impressive comic book style. I am a fan of Frank Miller, and I thought some scenes in the movie were very Tarantinoesque, which I got a kick out of.
Originally I was going to go to the place that I just graduated from to pick up assignments and track down old computer files and work out in the gym but then I thought: some other day.
Today's break from worrying was much needed to give me a reason not to be so bitter about my as-yet unsuccessful job-hunt. It's only been a week of no school and no work, which isn't so bad but already I am losing my mind.
Tomorrow I will venture out on the tractor with my pops to cut some branches off trees that interfere with his harvest route. Playing music, reading, writing and keeping as busy as possible as to stay away from "the rut" are also part of the agenda. It's easier to get a job when you have a purpose. I plan on keeping active.
filed under Personal Diegesis
posted by sirbarrett at 10:27 p.m.
9 Comments:
Sounds like a very busy week indeed.
I hope your arm feels better soon.
As for worry, when I think about something, it usually turns out 99.9 percent of the time, to be different from what I worry about.
try to stay peaceful!
if i could keep track of my week as well as you, dear sir, i would give up my day job and be a Personal Chronicler of Things Great and Small. i heard it pays well, see. hope the arm is doing good. equator kisses on it and all that.
while you are waiting for a job, play the 85% game i play too. You have to keep yourself happy or at least content, for 85% of the time. That means, 8.5 days out of 10. The rest 1.5 day you can wallow. But then you have to start again. And you have to make a plan with things to do for the next day. And follow it.
Sounds good? I promise you, if you do, you'll get used to feeling good.
hope your arm is feeling better.
enjoy your days of non work, for when work starts, you will yearn for today. stay positive and be happy. either way, the day is going to pass, and, good luck for your job hunting!
I hate it when that happens...
It's instinctual. One time some friends took me roller skating. Turned out to be nothing like ice skating, at least to someone with zero experience. Before we could even get to the rink, I suddenly started to go over backwards.
One of my buddies was in arm's length, and with zero thought involved, I grabbed him! I had him by one arm, he did several wild flailing motions. In this case it was just embarassing, and kind of a good thing, since neither of us fell!
darius just made me laugh. all too graphic!
i hate it when that happens too...lmao at darius....comes to toronto....where mitzzee lives, doesn't hook up...what gives DUDE! work #, cell #, do you need a formal invitation....i'm not trying to seduce you, just have a drink. lmao....just razzin ya :P
salad can satisfy appetite?
barbarafromcalifornia -the arm is 99.9 percent better. Good point about worries. I'll worry about something other than worrying.
transience -Maybe I should look for a job like that.
chloe -The game's going well. I am slowly learning how to plan things for myself in the absence of imposed deadlines.
mistipurple -Too true. I either complain about being too busy or not busy enough but today, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. There is more than enough to be happy about.
darius -Lol. It's often easier to know when someone is tugging at your arm than when they are pulling your leg.
mitzee -I blame not contacting you on your phone and the fact that you actually have a job. I guess you are well aware that the ball is in your court now with all the messages I leave you. I WANNA COME THIS WEEKEND!!
nabeel -No, you're right to be confused. What I really need most times is a big hunk of meat, preferably still bleeding slightly. I live for steak and hamburgers, however, I also have a fetish for gargantuan greek salads.
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