Busy day!

Today was a busy day. I woke up at 10:45 a.m. - get used to it!

My daughter was still sleeping so the computer was all mine. I checked a couple of sites right away, checked my email, and chatted with Tami from Ohio.

I was suddenly sleepy so I walked away from the computer and climbed back in my nice
bed. There was a song on the radio that made me sad, and these days with no job, it doesn't take much to feel that way.

Quickly I bucked up and jumped out of bed. Ok, I remembered I had to get to the bank to deposit my Christmas money that was supposed to be for a new kitchen floor, kitchen countertop and sink. Now, it is my mortgage payment.

This actually turned out to be a productive day. I filled out the bank deposit, completed two rebate forms for $6.00 each (one per household, so one is going to Mom's in Ohio). Please don't tell Gillette. I also put the completed job application for the community college in an envelope, addressed it and stuck the entire lot in my purse.

My first stop was to the bank. I presented my deposit to the very nice teller, Michelle, who promptly stated that because I am a valued customer of Bank of America, that I was entitled to transfer any credit card balance to this new card at a rate of 2.9% for one full year. I told her I'd consider it, and thanked her for the information.

Receipt in hand, I walked over to the customer service side of the bank and wrote my name legibly on the sign in sheet. I noted that the three people ahead of me did not sign in, but I guess it didn't matter because they were being taken care of. I, however, follow the rules.

A very nice woman came out, shook my hand, and guided me to her office. I then explained to her that I was not working and no longer had direct deposit to my checking account. Then, with sad eyes, asked if she could please waive the monthly fee that goes along with that action. She smiled, tapped a few keys on the keyboard and said, "Yes, I can do that for you until May." She then also told me about the credit card, and was thoughtful enough to call another office to see what my payment would be if I were to actually take advantage of their offer. Since I was pre-approved I would have no paperwork to fill out. I could do it over the phone!

I indicated I would think about it. Since that time I have thought about it and I am going to call her in the morning and have this balance transfer take place. I know, it's not zero percent interest, but it will save me a bundle for the time being. When I am actually working again I can make a double payment and get the card paid down quickly.

I left the bank and headed to the post office for my 3 stamps. No incidents there to report. All went smoothly and I headed off down the road. I turned into the shopping center so I could go to Target and while passing Pier 1 saw a 90% off Christmas sign. I parked the car and made my way through the doors. Oh what a deal! I bought 4 adorable glass candles packaged in a nice Christmas box, and 2 stocking holders for my mantle. Seventy dollars worth of merchandise for a whopping $7.62. I am ahead of the game for next Christmas!

The topping on the cake for my day...I voted early for the Presidential primary. I'm thrilled to have done this with my daughter. I want it duly noted that we agreed on our candidate!

OH! My gosh, I nearly forgot. I had a job offer today! Before you breathe a sigh of relief bear in mind that if it was spectacular I would have led off this posting with said information!

The job was for a Block Clerk for a car auction company. It was one day a week and paid $80. Imagine my disappointment. Unfortunately I did not accept the position. Something better will come up, right?

I'm still angry that I wasn't born rich and have to go through this whole job thing. However, I shall persevere!

Better things will come. Now...I'm off to check Craigslist.

My first day here - Tuesday

Ok, it's my first day here. I'm testing the waters to see if 'blogging' is something I find rewarding or if it's just going to be another annoyance in my life!

Is "blogging" a verb? I know Google seems to have become one. "Hey, I googled you today!"

Anyway...a day in the life of a job hunter. *sigh*

This morning I woke up at 10:08 a.m. Oh I can see your faces now thinking she slept until ten!?
I was awake until 4 a.m. After a long conversation on the phone with a friend in Pittsburgh, I finished Sue Grafton's latest novel: T is for Trespass. Reading is a great way to pass the time when you have a lot of it! I read between 4 and 5 books a week.

Back to my day. My cat came into the bedroom to say good morning. We spent several minutes talking. Ok, I spent several minutes talking to her. Telling her how beautiful she is and how much I love her. She replied with a heartfelt purr.

I then hopped out of bed and headed to the computer room to begin my daily search on the Internet job sites for meaningful employment. As I rounded the corner to the room I heard the steady clackity clack of the keyboard and realized the best seat in the house was already occupied! My daughter had taken to roost.

It happens!

Since I had to wait my turn, I cleaned the kitchen, folded a load of clothes, and threw another load into the dryer and tossed another load in the washer. (Thank God I didn't have to pound them on a rock at the river!) Then, I got dressed and left the house. I headed down Old Hickory Blvd, turning at Juarez - a shortcut to Lebanon Pike. Traffic was light as I made my way to the little side right behind Two Rivers Ford. There's a backroad that connects to McGavock Pike that allows me to avoid the traffic. I cut over to Two Rivers Drive and made my way to Briley Parkway and the exit for Opry Mills mall.

It wasn't difficult to find a parking spot in the middle of the day, so I parked at Bed, Bath and Beyond and made my way inside. They still have clearance items from Christmas! My palms were sweaty. I showed great restraint as I perused the candles and gift sets from theYankee Candle line. I dragged myself kicking and screaming from BB&B and headed out into the mall. I window shopped at several stores, and walked into many more.

If you've never been to Opry Mills in Nashville you don't know that it's huge! It boasts over 200 retail stores, along with fabulous restaurants, 20 movie screens plus IMAX theatre and the famous Bass Pro Shop! It's a shopper's paradise. 1.2 million square feet of shopping, dining, and people watching. One lap around is a mile.

I bought a soft pretzel across from the Old Navy store. No butter. Finished my walk and made my way out of the mall.

When I got home I decided to vacuum and dust. Not sure why they call it "dusting" when I'm actually removing the dust and not adding it.

The computer was then mine! I checked my email - bellsouth and yahoo. I finished an application for a job as a Student Support Specialist at a local community college and checked the Center for Non Profit Management website for today's listings. With nothing interesting there, I pushed back my chair and headed to the kitchen to begin dinner.

I breaded pork chops, boiled potatoes and made nice salads.

Dinner was a hit, and hit the spot. I curled up on the couch; watched the end of Wheel of Fortune, showed what a half-wit I am by screaming out my answers for Jeopardy and dozed intermittently.

Being unemployed is tiring. I don't think people realize that.

Eventually I made my way back to the computer and brought up the Jobslink website. Nothing new there that was going to help me. So...I chatted with my friend Tami.

Now, after chatting with Tami, and some guy from Knoxville - I'm back at the jobsites. It's 12:37 a.m. - Thursday!

I do my best work at this time of night.