Heat wave blues

I lied when I told my friend I wouldn't be sitting at home in a "mope fest." So far it's true. I took a cold shower and layed down in the dark for a while. It's hot and my face is wet from the tears and the sweat.

I didn't get the job. No big deal right?

I agree. I shouldn't take it personally. It seems that everyone in the state of Oregon is looking for a job right now, it's all just par for the course.

But. I'M QUALIFIED.

I've been running down the checklist in my head, trying to figure out what it is. Why I'm not getting any bites. Is it my age? Should I be disclosing my age in interviews because employers think I'm a lot younger than I am? Is it the way I interview? Do I smell bad? Do I always have something in my teeth? GAH.

I used to take getting a job for granted. It was really easy for me. I would turn in my resume and usually get a call back the same week. I would listen to my friends complain about not hearing back about anything or getting rejected. I would put a hand on their shoulder and buy them a drink and secretly pat myself on the back for being so lucky and awesome and employed. Now I'm that friend and all of my employed friends are probably thinking the same thing. They should. They should enjoy it while it lasts.

I don't sleep much anymore because there is always a job to apply for. There is always a job site I haven't perused all the way through. Craigslist used to be my friend and then it stopped posting jobs everyday and I thought we had something. Now it never returns my phone calls.

I go in and out of sleep, dreaming of showing up nude to job interviews while everyone stares horrified at me and I just stand there and go "what?" Rachael Ray cooks "Wurst Burgers" and I watch WALL-E on the movie channel for the 30th time. I'm getting tired of the Baskin Robin's "ice cream cake" commercial, but I still laugh every time because laughing feels good and dancing robots let me briefly forget that I can't pay my rent for August.

I know all of this will pass. I know things are meant to be and that I have to get through this challenge in order for the good stuff to happen.

I know that there is a pot of gold at the end of that top ramen rainbow. I have to believe that.

Oh for crying out loud!

I'm annoyed. This woman whom I sent a resume to teach in her preschool, sent me a list of survey questions to answer before she offered an interview. She just wrote back and thanked me for my "interesting answers, but due to the great number of more qualified candidates I am going to have to wish you the very best as you search for a better match for your skills & talent." Excuse me, but what does my "favorite food" and "last costume worn for halloween" have to do with my skills and talent? I HAVE A FABULOUS RESUME LADY, its too bad you won't get the pleasure to speak in person with me!

Gah. PEOPLE.

You not cookin'!

Your hand in mine

This chair is comfortable but it sure is hard to get out of!

First comes marriage, then comes the camping trip. As a couple, we decided that we needed to work on our outdoors skills, primarily in the camping realm. Since we started dating, we've been on a total of four camping trips (including this one) and each time we've discovered a few things that needed tweaking. Each time we've learned a lesson about some aspect of our experience (more of this, less of that, or warmer clothing is a MUST) and vowed to do better next time. This time, we were three camping trips smarter and decided to go at it for two nights at Timothy Lake. Neither of us had been there before but it seemed to be a nice idea since it was a good distance from Portland that felt like we were "in the middle of nowhere" but close enough for us not to get sick of riding in a vehicle for too long together (give us a break, we're both only children). We decided to scope up two campgrounds: Hoodview and Gone Creek, both were about a mile apart on the same route and on the lake. Gone Creek was nice but there were a lot of RV's which signified elderly people to me, so I instructed Conor to go to Hoodview. That one was nicer for me and had more open spots. All of the lakeside spots were taken so we opted for one further back from the lake, but closer to the road. Once we unpacked, we enjoyed ourselves by the campfire and commenced to the eating of camp food (hot dogs an hamburgers, because that's what you do) and "enjoyed being away from it all."

As with every camping trip, there is something to be learned, and this is the latest on our list of things that will thus be improved:

1) We hate being away from home. One night is enough. We've always known this detail yet are somehow in denial and every single time we leave on vacation, we try to ignore this and always remind each other that we hate being away from home and become homesick. STICK TO THE OVERNIGHT RULE!

2) You can never have enough blankets.

3) Pretend it is always Winter wherever you go because apparently its cold even in the summer.

4) You can never have enough ice.

5) Always pick the most secluded spot. OR, opt for the campground that is walk-in or pack-in/pack-out. Camping near other people results in loss of privacy and overhearing people's random discussions about arbitrary shit that you could really go your whole life without hearing.

On our last night of the trip, Conor got really sick and we left at about 6am to get home so Conor could barf in the privacy of our own home. We're not sure why he got so sick, it could be a multitude of things, maybe even swine flu, WHO KNOWS. I just know that I'm one more camping trip smarter and we still have leftover snacks from our trip to keep me happy until the weekend.

Mission accomplished