Dear Job Blog,

I've had a hard time putting in words what I've been wanting to say to you for the last couple of days. I found a hypertext internet site that gave me the words I had in my head but couldn't let out. Though the words aren't original, the sentiment is. I have always loved you and there's a chance for reconciliation further down the line, but right now we just need some time apart. Anyway, here's what I've been meaning to say:

I have been seriously looking back upon our relationship and getting very clear on what I need and desire out of a relationship.

The conclusion I have come to is that we are too different in both our personality and our desired lifestyles to be able to successfully live together with joy, bliss, good communication, and interaction.

So basically what I am saying is that I would like to 'cancel' my invitation for you to visit. I feel at this time, that I need to move on with my life, and having you come and visit would not serve any positive purpose. You need to accept that this relationship is over and open yourself up to receiving the blessings of the universe...

I think we both need to let go of the past, be grateful for what we had for a time, learn from our experiences, and move on from there.

Dearest Job Blog, we have been through a lot together... I have a learned a lot about myself, as you have learnt a lot about yourself.

I wish you joy, I wish you happiness, I wish you heaven on earth. Please trust in yourself and the Universe enough to take some deep breaths, and start looking to find and create joy in your life. It is there... simply step out and claim it.

Blessings to you... Be the light!

So I had an interview today for a job as a secretary (well, Secretary II, to be precise -- I guess I tested out of having to take Secretary I) in an office in the UI's College of Education. The interview went well: I wasn't forced to tell the interviewer that I maintain a website called asstastic in my spare time and the interviewer seemed to react positively to my insistence that I was a self-starter.

The only real snag during the interview was when she asked what I did at previous jobs when there were lulls in the workload. Figuring that this probably wasn't the time or place to be frank (how could I know if she'd take the term "wank off" at face value?!), I told her that I usually worked on longer-term projects or replied to e-mails. She explained that the job had times, especially during the summer, when the office workload sometimes dwindled to nil and that she liked it for the secretaries to look as if they were working. That's right, don't actually find more work, but do whatever you do to kill time on the computer while looking busy. Thinking of Darren Chapman, I tested the waters with a Non-Threatening Interview Joke: "So I shouldn't put my feet up on the desk?" Ha ha's all around.

So I may be a Secretary II by this time next week, which means the Job Blog could be put out of its misery as well. Believe me, my fingers are crossed more than yours.

This weekend I went canoeing with Maggie, her mother, and a German chemist who was in town for a borate conference. His rowing skills were a perfect complement to his chiseled Nordic good looks. Highlights of the trip included the drive past the nuclear power plant and the time I picked up a large, smelly, dead fish with my oar and made everyone look before hurling it back into the water.

Well, another fourteen days has passed with exactly zero job offers. This whole college-degree-gets-you-a-leg-up concept seems to be vastly overrated.

I broke my only New Years resolution on July 1, which was to have an income by July. If you're wondering how I eat and live and stuff without any money, well...the fine people at Citibank are "helping" me in that regard and I have hives over 17.99% of my body because of it.

On a related note, I've been getting tons of credit card applications in the mail. Decent ones, too. I even signed up for a second card that hopefully will turn into my only card -- it has some absurdly low interest rate to match the absurdly low credit limit I qualified for (well, "qualified" in the same way that some kid always gets to qualify for the kickball team by being picked last). The company called to verify my application and a humorous (to me, probably not to them) exchange took place.

PROVIDIAN REP. : "I just need to verify a few things on your application."
ME: "OK."
PR: "Are you currently employed full-time, employed part-time, or unemployed?"
ME: "Well, I just graduated and I'm searching for a job right now."
PR: "So you're unemployed?"
ME: "Well, I'm searching for a job."
PR: "OK, and you listed your household income as $25,000 per year. Is that correct?"
ME: "Yeah."

Sincere apologies for my extended absence. For those of you wondering if my silence meant I had found a job, the answer is a resounding "no."

Well, it's Thursday again, which means it's time for the final installment of Marion's June concert series Marion By Moonlight. Tonight our apartment will be filled with the sounds of Bryce or Billy Janey (I forget which one, it doesn't really matter since they both play the blues). Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend, as I have an appointment with outdoor theater on the lawn of Brucemore. FORTUNATELY it looks like Marion will bring back their August concert series, Hot August Nights...

For those planning on attending CR's Freedom Festival, prepare to old mystery case files prime suspects walkthrough celebrate your American right to nupro all natural dog supplement live your life free of government intervention by observing the Festival's new ban on hard-shelled coolers. We all have had to make sacrifices in the name of security over the last few months, and no one should be upset that their beer-drinking rights are curtailed TEMPORARILY while Cedar Rapids officials pursue those that would wish cooler-induced harm on this great Festival of Freedom. Personally, I'm going to remember that terrorists win when they disrupt my way of life (especially my beer-drinking life), so I will be ignoring the ban on coolers and participating as in years past. It's what Lee Greenwood would want, God rest his soul.

Another Thursday, another night of PURE ROCK FURY in Marion Square. The Large Midgets were a little more progressive than last week's cover band, pulling out hit after hit from the Spin Doctors, Goo Goo Dolls, and (the one that brought the pavilion down) U2. I spent the day moving large, heavy works of art.

So, YDL problems fixed (damn Disc Burner), I'm now spending my time concentrating on more tangible concerns. I made bread today and cleaned the cat's litter box.

Kinda related: the Hy-Vee on weekday afternoons is a virtual singles club with oversized t-shirt attire required! That is, if you can ignore the mothers with five screaming children, each of them running around with their own kiddie-cart, filling it with nothing but Boo Berry and chocolate milk...

The highlight of the trip came in the form of a mom and her several children were walking into the store as I walked out. It was kinda raining, and it thundered rather loudly. The kids screamed and started running across the parking lot to get to the Hy-Vee entrance faster. Mom, obviously worn thin by years of watching her kids run away from her, yelled after them, "Yeah, you must think that's REALLY FUCKIN' FUNNY, huh?!" I sure did.

Well, this is the week -- find a job prospect or start trying on aprons for a job at Olive Garden or Applebee's. My new year's resolution was to have an income by July and I'll be damned if I'm going to renege on that now...

If there are any Linux nerds out there willing to help me with my Yellow Dog Linux 2.2 install problems, take a look at the errors here and let me know what to try. I've already tried everything, so take that into account with your recommendations. Take out the ATi and USB cards? Done it. Tried to install with 2.2 kernel instead of 2.4? Yeah, that too, and a million other things -- I'm stuck.

And the Job Blog has it's first heckler.

Happy birthday to dear friend and petty thief Scott Iverson. Beer and laffs will be had later tonight, making this day a radical departure from many others in the life of this unemployed oaf.

Well, the first installment of Eastern Iowa's biggest summer concert series Marion By Moonlight has come and gone. Even though tonight's performance concluded mere minutes ago, I find myself longing for JUST ONE MORE cover song. No doubt I will wake myself up in the night humming "Signs" or maybe a Doobie Brothers song. "China Grove" anyone?

Tasks to complete today:
- Search for jobs (DONE)
- Feed the cat (MAGGIE DID)
- Chase the cat (IN PROGRESS)
- Go to post office, return DVDs to Blockbuster, check out more CDs from public library
- Browse and perhaps purchase (on credit) A+ study guide
- Reformat old hard drive, mess around with YDL 2.2
- Eat dinner

The public library's most recent donations:
- Quasi / Field Studies. Reminiscent of recent Elliott Smith.
- Eno/Cale / Wrong Way Up. Just getting into this one.
- Big Star / #1 Record/Radio City. Catchy early 70s guitar.

There is a FANTASTIC segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon about the US's obsession with beer. I am about to go crack open my first Beck's of the day (or maybe finish off the Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout that's lingering on the bottom shelf...) because all the talk is making me quite thirsty, but wanted everyone who loves beer to tune into WSUI. 910 on the AM dail, or listen with RealPlayer (like me!) here: wsui.uiowa.edu

In other news, I've been reading a book on Chicago labor history during the Great Depression and have also completed several small organizational tasks.

Hello content-seekers! The Job Blog is an attempt both to fulfill my duty as a member of the Content Webring and to do something with the massive amounts of time I currently have on my hands.

Check back for frequent updates on my currently unrewarding job search. Find out how this local college grad whiles away the daylight hours and attempts to remain socially productive!