TheBanyanTree: Happy Halloween!

[Margaret R. Kramer]

The last two out of the eight people crammed into the small house next door
are in process of moving.  Yippee!!!  It’s been a long year with those
morons living next to door me.  I often wondered if there was air in their
skulls instead of brains.  Well, no one in this neighborhood are going to
miss them, that’s for sure, especially me.

Joe and I picked up my ancient, but very wonderful Toro snowblower this week
from the repair shop.  I’ve had it since 1991 and it came with the house my
first husband and I bought.  It was in desperate need of repair, so Asher
and his friend Tim heaved it into the flower van and I took it to get fixed.

Three weeks and $341 later, it’s home.  It should work great this winter.
Now, we probably won’t get any snow this winter, so I won’t be able to put
it to the test.

It was expensive to fix, but it’s still cheaper than buying a new
snowblower.  Plus, this one is very large and powerful, and a similar model
would probably cost over $1,000 to buy new.

It was rainy and icky most of the week.  It finally stopped raining today,
but it’s cool and windy.  Asher and I raked and bagged the wet leaves in the
front yard this morning.  I was going to pulverize the leaves in the back
yard with the mower, but it wouldn’t start, probably because it was too
cold.

It’s supposed to be warmer and sunnier tomorrow, so I’ll put it in the sun
and see if that helps.

On the job front, I applied for a job that I really wasn’t qualified for,
but using the shot gun approach, I shoot my resume off to any employer that
looks half credible.  This one called me last week, and I got an interview
scheduled with a HR person.

It was a horrible interview and I really didn’t think I’d have a chance, but
they called me back and scheduled an interview with the hiring manager.

The interview was on Friday.  It went OK, but it was obvious my background
and skills didn’t fit the job.  The manager shot me a dirty look when she
asked about me being laid off.  Gosh, I hate that.  Some people look at me
like I’m a dirty dog, because I lost my job.  I have to get used to it, but
I just hate it.

It was obvious that the interview was tanking and I tried really hard to
save it, by bringing up other situations that were similar in my previous
job.  But, no go.  It’s so hard to continue the interview when it’s going
down the tubes, but we got through it.  I’m sure it was difficult for her,
too.

I think they’re desperate to fill the position.  There were originally four
people on the team and now there is only one.  And he had the flu yesterday
and wasn’t able to help the manager interview me.

I pleaded once more in my thank you note to her and now I’ll let it go.  And
move on.

I don’t have any interviews scheduled for next week.  There is a job fair on
Monday and I’ll go to that, even though the companies that are going to be
at the job fair aren’t in my niche.  It’s just good practice, and who knows?
Maybe it will be better than I think it will be.

I’m becoming a LinkedIn addict.  It’s kind of like a professional Facebook.
I joined about a million different groups and it’s amazing the amount of
activity there is.  I did get a line on a couple of jobs through LinkedIn,
but I’d have to turn into a road warrior, and at this time, I’m not ready to
do that.  I’m gradually trying to build up my tiny little network on
LinkedIn.

I’m getting better at keeping anxiety and fear at a low level.  I’m still
not sleeping very well.  Part of it is those stupid hot flashes and the
other part are dreams of failure.  I really hate being without a job.  And
it’s affecting my sleep.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year.  I’m ready to get my fingers moving
across the keyboard.  I really enjoyed doing it a couple of years ago, and I
think it will be just the creative outlet for me this year as I keep up with
my job search.

Well, tonight is Halloween.  The boys carved their big pumpkins and they’re
set out by the front door.  As usual, I bought more candy than I’ll ever
give out.  I bought some cheap frozen pizzas, because everyone will be too
excited to eat.  It’s going to be a cold night for the little goblins, but,
at least, it’s not raining.

And when all the trick or treaters are tucked into bed, recovering from
their sugar highs, we will get an extra hour of sleep as we go back to
standard time.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com
www.polarispublications.com

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band. 
-George Cooper