SITC aka Sitting in the City

These job interviews will be the death of me.

I just keep telling myself that all this walking is helping me lose weight.

I am sitting in a courtyard, smoking, because I have nothing to do until my interview at 2pm. I have to leave early, because I never know how long it will take to hoof it around. Thankfully, there is a coffee shop on every block, so I'm never parched, but rest rooms are harder to come by.

I love being in a city.

It's so different than suburbia or rural hell. And so far, it hasn't been bad finding my way around, even if I look like an ass twisting my google map on my phone around, as I try to get my bearings.

I'm afraid I won't get one of the 3 jobs I really want, and will end up settling for one I don't.

It's hard when the income generation is on your shoulders alone. You know when it comes down to it, you have to suck it up.

It's been stressful with my family here. After two months alone, I forgot what it's like to constantly be pestered. And it sucks.

Free-spirited HR/Recruiter, available to talk your ear off available!

Seriously, interviewing drives me batty.

I have had over 30 phone interviews, 9 face to faces, and more this week.
Why does it take 4 people at the same company to interview me? Either you like me or you don't.

And of course, the offers first to roll in are the companies I like least. So it makes me neurotic that I will have to settle for something I don't want.

Job interviews are sales. You sell yourself like a hooker. Or like when you're dating.

I do it backwards. I tell them how great I am, what I bring to the table, that I am good for office morale due to my wit, and then I tell them that I will take all my vacation time and not work at the office more than 40 hours a week. So if it's an issue, it's not a fit.

At my age and level of experience, I know what I want and what I don't want. The company is interviewing for me, just as I interview for them.

Two questions I always ask, are "tell me why I would want to work for your company" and " what are three characteristics of someone who is successful in this role".

They love when you ask questions, and most people have a hard time with that, since they want to know the compensation and benefits. But I like to turn the table and make them sell me on why I should take the job. It shows I'm not disparate, even if I am, and that I know my value. With less experienced recruiters and hiring managers, it's easy to run your own interview.

All I can say is that my feet hurt from so much walking. I am limping around the house after walking around the city for two days, and I will be doing it again the next two days.

I hope this is over by Friday.

A mothers responsibility...

Today, I would like to talk about rape.

As a mother of two sons, though still young, I recently had a discussion with them about how to treat women.

You always open doors, pay for dates, are honest and never cheat.

And when you are being intimate, if a girl says no or stop, you stop. You don't pressure, you don't give guilt trips and you don't violate her boundaries.

Many women are raped, whether it's an attack by a stranger or date rape. I was raped at 13. To this day, only a handful of people know because at the time, I was young and scared, and didn't want the police involved. I also felt guilt, because I put myself in a bad situation. So I thought it was my fault.

Now, as the mother of a 13 year old, I realize how unprepared I was, and should have never blamed myself. It affected me for years after, when it came to dating. I felt sick any time a boy wanted to date me or kiss me. I was scared.

Rape is rarely reported. I know this first hand because I know several people that were date raped.

To my sisters who did report their rape, I am proud of you. You were stronger than I was. And you are brave.

To all women, no matter the age...
Never go out alone at night. Be aware of your surroundings. Take a self-defense class, because you can't always get to a gun or gazer, and pepper spray expires very quickly or malfunctions. In self-defense, they can teach you how to get out of any hold you may be put in.

If you are raped, don't bathe. Go to the hospital and call police. Ignore the media coverage because people are insensitive. Go through therapy to make sure you regain your sense of security.

To mothers of sons...teach your children well. Have that discussion with them to put women on a pedestal and treat them respectfully. We are responsible for installing rights and wrongs.

What is it about the city?

I've been job searching.

The one I had turned out to be a load of crap. Not the job itself, as that was perfect. Bit I worked for an idiot.

So I've had about 30 interviews, either phone or in person this week. I don't mind the interviews because really, it's quite simple. I have an excellent background and I am who I am. At my age, I'm comfortable enough in my own skin to be myself, and confident enough to know that an employer would be lucky to add me.

But, there never seems to be a perfect job.

Either there is a long commute, not enough money or retarded people.

The trifecta of employment woes.

I have a good offer on the table, but it's for a large company that likes uniformity.

As we all know, I don't blend in to the wallpaper.

I have some others that are promising, but it's hard to decide. Thankfully, I moved to a place where my skills are in demand. It's the choosing that always gets me.

In other news, my husband bought socks for our Choodle. And a pool. I'm not kidding.

I was a little amused and I think I lost some respect for manhood.

If he buys a "murse" and starts carrying it around, I may leave him.

And finally, my furniture and all my stuff arrives tomorrow!!! Stuff makes me happy. I won't lie. I'm slightly shallow. I just want my bed and my tv.

My body is sore as hell.

So, one of bf's, Val, came out for the weekend.

We had so much fun.

Friday night, we went and had dinner. Afterwards, we decided to just get lost trying to find out if there was a downtown/nightlife district of Brentwood.

We found out there really isn't, although, we found a mexican restaurant that looks worth a shot, and a cute restaurant/bar with outdoor space. Then we got lost.

I casually mentioned to Val that this gas station we passed looked like it had the "Turkey Hill" logo on it, and she yelled, "STOP!!! GO BACK! IF THEY HAVE THAT LOGO, THEY SELL Turkey Hill!!!"

So I pulled a U-turn, and went back. We were pretty upset when they didn't have the original flavors, and left. When this happened, I forgot to turn my headlights back on.

So, we get about a block down the road, and a cop has someone pulled over, and he stopped and shined his flashlight on me. I didn't know if that meant I was supposed to pull over or what. So, I kept going. I realized it was my headlights that were off, and flipped them on. But it was too late. Another cop car trailed me and pulled me over. The problem was, that Val and I couldn't stop laughing! I didn't even care that they pulled me over, because I knew I wouldn't get a ticket, and it was hilarious. So, of course, I explained we were lost, and frustrated, so the officer gave me (wrong) directions to get home, and off we went.

Then yesterday, we went shopping to this great outdoor mall called, "The Streets of Brentwood". The only thing they were missing was some sort of shaded area that you could sit and listen to live music and drink a refreshing alcoholic beverage in the courtyard. They had a lot of great stores, but several things pissed me off.

First, Bath and Body Works has got to get back some of their original scents for body wash. They all smell the same, and too sweet. I like the handsoaps scents better than the body wash! So I had to pay more money to buy the premium stuff.

Secondly, barely any of the stores carried an XL, and they all ran small. So I want to know where the hell all these XS or XXS people are, because it looked like their sweaters and shirts were still pretty unsold. If they want to sell clothes, then sell them in the sizes that people actually wear!

It was a great weekend, and I am so tired and sore after all the walking we did, that I will collapse tonight. This week is going to go so fast!