Phone Home

Yesterday I had quite a series of interesting phone calls pertaining to jobs. The first one I received actually was my alarm clock. I try to sound as perky as possible (having just woke up). The lady on the other end was from a Christian school I had interviewed with over a week ago. It was a really nice, brand new school and the people were nice. However, the pay was ick, had no benefits, and the commute was pretty far. So she begins with the positive..."we really loved you and would love for you to work here...BUT we are afraid your lack of biblical knowledge could be too much for you to overcome in such a short time...but you are on your way. Please apply back down the road." Surprisingly, I wasn't hurt or upset about it. She was absolutely right. I don't know how I wouldn've done when it came to that portion. I just don't have a strong enough background to teach spiritual lessons daily.

The next call came about midday and was one I had been anticipating. After my last elementary school rejection (from McMinnville), I had almost given up home on school district jobs. Yet, that small part of me held out just enough hope to spur me on to apply to still more openings on edzapp (a national educational application system for districts). I even took it a step farther this time and personally emailed some of the principals to let them know that I had student-taught here. A lady from Human Resources had recommended that I give it a shot in order to give my resume a voice and stand out from the stack. I had avoided this tactic thus far as I had been advised early on that it can seem pushy. Well, I am in a pushy mood as the summer is winding down and I need a job. In this case, it thankfully worked in at least one instance. So the lady who called was one of the principals asking me to come in for an interview next week. Woohoo! As my hubby says, "the squeaky wheel gets the oil." (or grease as it were)

The next call I got came much later and was another job interview. It was with a youth employment program in N.E. Portland...a LONG commute from where I live. The job title isn't really that of a teacher though. It is for a Pregnant and Parenting Coordinator, a title that sounds appealing and would utilize my Healthy Start background. The pay is good and the job itself sounded interesting. I'm gonna go and see what its all about at least, but not sure I want it though. It would be one serious commute though, but I'm hoping the MAX (our local lightrail system) goes nearby it.

Anyhow, this series of phone calls got me thinking about how much time I have devoted to job hunting this summer. For the first time, I felt as though I had done enough (for the day at least). We waited for hubby to come home and ate dinner. Since it has been really hot the last couple of days, we've been staying out of the sun til evening. Well, I got the urge to run an errand, so I piled both kids in the car (hubby was too tired to go) and we drove over to the local pool. We didn't go there to swim, just check on the start date for the swimming lessons that begin next week. It will be a great way to get the day started for the month of August. They are gonna go twice a week for five weeks or until I start working. Anyhow, we stayed at the park nearby for a good while. Then I took them over to Baskin Robbins and used up the last of my leftover spending money from my recent Texas trip. The kids hadn't had any in a long time and I wanted to give them a treat. N got some funky blue and white penguin swirl concoction, K opted for rainbow sherbet, hubby selected cookie dough (to go), and I chose the staple of my ice cream cone diet since childhood...orange sherbet. Mmmmm, does a body a good.

After everyone else went to bed, I stayed up watching tv with plans to surf the net on the laptop. For whatever reason though, the internet wasn't working. The connection was intact, but nothing would appear when I typed in an http address. So after numerous stubborn attempts on my part, I accepted that the net was not an entertainment option for the night. Interesting how addictive the internet can be and how odd it feels when its suddenly not available. Just goes to show how much we can take things for granted and forget what life was like before the Information Superhighway descended upon us. What did I do to entertain myself? I broke out my season three of my Little House on the Prairie DVD set. I only have the first three seasons, but still haven't managed to watch them all. I opted for the Blizzard episode. It's a Christmas one and is very joyful and sad all at once. After a good cry, I turned in for the night.

After doing my morning rounds on the job sites and I finish this blog...I'm gonna turn off the computer (I'm on the maind desktop one). Then I'm gonna get the kids over to the park again and enjoy some sun.