I officially own my own little geometric shape. The welcome wagon left me a fruit basket yesterday.

So I'm about half way through my second week at work and I must say I love it!!!! I mean I seriously adore the position.

I love the people in the office, the type of work we do, and the way we do it. I felt comfortable, accepted, and at home within the second day and confident in my abilities by the end of the first week. I already can joke around with my coworkers/boss and we've all found several common interests - the coolest of which being a similar taste in film.

I even like my little cubicle. It has a window on one side that looks out on some trees (...and another company's loading dock, but I'll take it anyway) and I put up some pictures and have made it my little nook. Joy!

What's kind of rough though is they definitely are throwing me into the deep end, and I don't get the feeling that I'll be wadding in the kiddie pool any time soon. I mean by the end of the second day I was already being sent tasks by every member of the office (note, there are only seven of us total right now, but still...), being given several big projects by my boss, and being sent tons of emails everyday with information to keep our database up-to-date.

I mean...wow.

Not that I'm complaining. Much to the contrary I'm thrilled. I love that everyone feels confident enough in my abilities to trust me with so much work. Plus I've always said that i would rather be busy than bored, so it's all fitting with that theme.

And apparently I'm impressing my boss by being able to keep up with things as well as I have been. Yesterday she jokingly told me that it's all my fault that I've been getting so much work, because I've proven that I can handle it. I find that funny cause I don't really think I've been working all that hard. I guess I just can't help myself in the over reaching department.

Oh, and then there's the head guy who is very intense, but in a good way. On my first day he pulled me into his office to tell me that he, my boss, and the other important person who hired me were all really impressed by me during the marathon three hour interview and found me to be rather intelligent (great compliment), and that because of that they were expecting me to really learn our rather complicated database system as soon as possible so that I can figure out some ways to make it work more efficiently for us. Mind you, our IT guy hasn't been able to do this in about four years so.. no pressure.

And speaking of no pressure from my head guy, he also told me yesterday that if I can figure out how to customize the database for us I'll get a big bonus. You know why? Cause if I do I'll be keeping them from having to bring in a consultant from the company that made the database, since the company claims that it has to be done specially.

I don't know whether to be complimented by the fact that he thinks I am that damn good, or worried that he somehow thinks I'm capable of such silliness.

But I'll try for it. And try to get used to the mountain of work that I apparently am going to be getting every week. And keep working to the best of my abilities.

Cause I really like this job Lucky Readers. This fast, this strongly, I truly do.

So on my first day, do I take a shiny apple for the boss lady? Is that proper form?

So in a mere 33 hours guess what I start? It's super exciting!!!!!

I GOT A JOB!!!

'Bout damn time if you ask me. My first day is Monday and I am beyond relieved. I need the money and the ability to do something different with my days besides helping my mom around the house and looking for jobs. Seriously, that got old real fast.

The job is with a small but really chill company and its in the entertainment vein so that's exciting. And it's at he same desk every day, which after a couple of the job interviews I went on is a huge relief. I'm just super pumped and feeling like an adult without feeling old so I'm thrilled, thrilled, thrilled!

Oh! Oh! And don't forget, this job means that I can realistically think about going back to Vegas with Neat and getting out to Chicago finally to see everyone who I miss so, so very much, which are two of the most exciting thoughts ever! Hooray!!!!!!!

But what people say about dates and jobs is totally true; you need one to be offered one. I've gotten tons of semi-real calls/e-mails from legit companies, and the boss that I worked for most recently (ya know, the one who wants to hire me but just doesn't have the work) now wants me to do things for pay. It's great in theory, but enraging in the sense that I spent six months hoping and wishing and laboring for the chance to even get one of those, and now they come pouring in just days too late!

Grrr.

Still, I'm super pumped and can't wait for Monday. I just hope I don't embarrass myself or something. Not that I would, knock on wood. It's just how these kind of situations usually play out in my head. What can I say, I'm paranoid. Just part of the crazy I guess.

Anyway, wish me luck Lucky Readers! Hopefully I won't need too much of it...

Nothing beats the hobo life/Stabbing folks with my hobo knife. Oh, no need to worry, I'm just having fun with you no-bos!

So I think I'm gonna find out what it's like to be a hobo soon. Check that life goal off of my list now!

Remember that one job I thought was going to come through and be awesome? Well...it didn't. But I did get an oh-so-not-really-useful "Two members of my board of directors saw some of your work and said to hire you immediately, but we just don't have work for ya so suck it! Ha ha! Oh, and that hiring bonus for the month you worked without pay...yea you only get that if you are fully hired, so you get jack. Tee hee! I'm such a cad!"

I may have paraphrased.

But now I'm going to get to take this setback as an opportunity to put all my belongings into a giant hankie and tie the ends to a stick so that it makes it easy to throw them into a moving train car as i run alongside it, trying to get far enough ahead of it so that I can jump in without hurting myself so that i can ride the rails to my next adventure. And on the way I can do jigs for lunch meat and swap stories for sponge baths. Wee hoo!!

In reality I'm totally not mad at the dude I want to be my boss. Actually, I respect him bunches for being straight with me every step of the way. It's just rough as shit to have someone tell you that they love your work and they are completely impressed by you and to have it not count for anything.

Even rougher (albeit positive in it's own right) thing I found out from this whole job experiment is that I really, really like the advertising end of marketing. I mean, I knew I enjoyed marketing, but I didn't know what direction I wanted to go with under that umbrella besides definitely not sales, so knowing this is great. But knowing that this is what I want makes it that much tougher to have it held just out of my reach...taunting me.

It's like when I'm playing with a string with my cat.

Ohhhhh poor Kendragon! Is the great-job-in-the-field-you-love too high? Maybe I'll lower it just a bit...OH!!!! Too slow!

And yes I still have the street team job with the radio station, but I really don't like it. It's not so much the work that sucks, but rather the horrible inconsistency of it. I mean, I can't even pay for my gas with it, which was why I took the not so great job in the first place. That and I thought it would be a good "in" at a radio station, but that's proving to be a bad plan since no real jobs are ever posted.

Sigh.

So I'm still, still, STILL looking for work and going out of my gourd. But I may have a lead, knock on wood, and that'll be nice if that comes through, knock on wood. I just can't go on anymore bad interviews.

I went to one last week for a "marketing" company. You know, the crappy sales companies are getting really good at making themselves sound like legit marketing firms. That's how I get to these interviews in the first place. Then I figure out during the process that the company is either crappy or basically a pyramid scheme. Par example, at this interview I laughed as I stated how silly I think it is that sales companies try to pass themselves off as marketing firms. Ya know, thinking that someone in HR for a marketing firm would understand my frustration. Instead I get a blank stare as the woman who I soon learned was a complete and total ditz says, "But...marketing is sales."

UGHHH!!!! It's like saying that a bus is a Porsche! I mean yes, they both get ya to where you need to be... but a bus is about getting you there with the huddled masses while a Porsche moves an individual with speed and class. It's just...not the same!

But anyway, I'm going crazy and poor at the same time. It's getting rough to do anything involving money right now, and to make things worse Neat is already talking about going back to Vegas and really wants me to come with her since we had such an amazing time, which I would love to do, but can't afford without a job, so...hooray.

The whole situation I'm in is just depressing. Luckily it's not triggering the crazy, but I'm terrified that it will. I'm just thankful that my friends and family have been great and awesome and patient with me. I mean, my dad has really started to step up to the plate, my mom and her fella have been wonderful since I've moved back in nearly every sense of the term, and my friends are trying to be really chill in their own little ways. I mean, it may not seem like a huge thing to everyone else to have your friends buy you a drink cause they know you can't afford a second one (that's right, I only allow myself one drink when we go out and that's only when I can get it for $5 or less CAUSE I'M POOR!!!!), but it's a biggie to me.

Speaking of family, my sister, her boy, and the kiddies came out between Christmas and New Years and it was amazing fun. Except for the night when I got woken up with one of the littl'uns puking next to my head and then proceeding to do the same down a hallway which I didn't know about until I slipped in it. Umm gross. And a nice reminder of the joys of parenthood. but besides that it was a great trip and I was thrilled to see them. i love that bunch of people more than I can say, y'all.

So now I will end this whining session. Wish me luck Lucky Readers as I try to find a job, which hopefully will not take another six months.

Ugh. Depressing.