Single What? Female...

economic hoo ha

To my left, is the TV. The news is on, and it's all about the "dismal economy". Consumer sales down from 6.8% at one store chain, to 11.4% at another. Best Buy is down 7.6%. And then stocks are down...again...Oil dropped to below $50/barrel (great for drivers!). I even saw a headline on one of those elevator TV's that online job listings are down. (I can confirm that from personal experience, thank you.)

(Please send a hug to my financial planner friend Shawn who I imagine these days wakes up curled up in a small ball wishing it would just "go away!!!!"...or rather, wakes up, hands clenched around the pillow after dreaming that he was strangling bad bank people...George.)

Last night, I was able to indulge in my creative endeavors, performing in the Stories At The Creek storytelling series along with host Brad Lawrence, Jen DeMerritt, Tracy Rowland (ask her about the "bucket of blood for Christmas") Peter Aguero, and one of my fav comics from the Boston area, DJ Hazard.

Today, it was all about the dayjob...as in, my continuing search for a new one.

This has gone on far too long if ya ask me...it's been since the end of March, and while I did qualify for the unemployment extension, that extension ain't gonna last forever. I am sooooooo lucky the man remains employed at this time, but you know, he can't cover everything (much as he would like to).

Most of my days are spent on the job hunt whether it be on line, checking with friends, trying to remember to go to auditions, etc, but today became a day that felt a bit above and beyond.

Here's the schedule for the day:

10:00am: Dropping by the P__ E__ temp agency to sign up. I got through the paperwork and the Excel test before I had to leave for appointment #2. (Will be returning to complete word and power point tests tomorrow at 10am)

11:30am: Interview at N___ (thank you Doug for recommending me). They are looking for an administrative night staff person. It would be a few hours a week, $15/hr, and - major perq - I could do their seminars for free. It felt good, so that may be a nice little part time thing should it work out.

12:15pm-12:45pm: Hot chocolate at Starbucks while I wait for the to look up the address of a job fair my former co-worker Kymberly told me about yesterday during a random subway meeting. I, of course, forgot to write down the address.

1:00pm: Stood in line for an hour trying to get into aforementioned job fair. If anyone needed evidence of the present economic situation, at least when it comes to unemployment: if they needed to put faces to those numbers they've heard about on the news or read about in the paper, they should have headed down to 32nd Street and Broadway, and looked at the line of folks in their best suits and business attire, holding envelopes, folders, and portfolios stuffed with resumes. It brought back images of Depression Era bread lines, save for the fact that everyone was dressed so nicely. There was indeed a TV camera there, and the guy I saw them interview talked about how he had been laid off 6 months ago and was feeling "the dread" of not finding anything else anytime soon.
I thought I had found the end of the line near the corner of 33rd, but then, a gentleman asked me "Did you just join the line?" I replied "Yes," to which he remarked, "You know the line goes around the block...?" I had been fooled by regular folk who had cut through the line to just, you know, walk down the street, leaving me to accidentally cut in line. I hit the corner and found myself facing the continuing line of business-clad folks which, as I walked...and walked...and walked looking for the end, appeared to be about halfway down the street. And, no doubt, during the time I (and the rest of us) stood there...waiting...that line bumped up on to 5th Ave. I was not the only one on my cell-phone goin' "Duuuuude, you should see this line..."
By the time we got into the hotel, we were a) happy to be inside and a bit warmer, and b) expecting to walk into the job fair. But oh no, mon frere, we merely were joining the indoor line. Yes, the line snaked from the ballroom where the event was being held, down the hall and back to a no man's land behind me.
And then...oh yes...then we finally got into the ballroom. It was time to fill out a name tag and get that job, baby!
About 25 companies had tables in there, some had lines behind them, some did not. The MTA was looking for bus drivers, a catering company that works out of JFK was looking for lounge and service staff, and everybody else appeared to be looking for sales people. Sales are important right now as basically, if these companies don't sell, they will not be around for much longer. I am not a sales person. And most sales folks really annoy me (I guarded the main office from LOTS back at City Center..perhaps this is payback). But this did not keep me from giving out some resumes to these companies, and one of them actually seems more promotions than sales. It is a graphics company called Optima Graphics and they need a New York rep to push large banners for large events (they are pitching to the Superbowl and the Inauguration). I found myself intrigued, liked the rep, and suddenly my resume was in his hand!
No one was looking for reception/pres tech/admin/actor people, but they appeared ready to train you for sales. I found myself handing out a good number of resumes...and thinking about only ONE of the jobs I looked into...and really hoping I get this part time night staff position at N___...

2:30pm: I leave the chaos of the job fair and see the line remains long, even though this thing apparently was only going until 3pm.
As I hit the lobby, I check my phone and see that I have a voicemail (like I could have heard the phone ring amidst the job fair hoo ha). I check it, and it is my friend Sam the Ring Man saying hey, if I still want to help him with random secretarial stuff, he'd love to have me come on down. Sweet!

3:00pm: I meet the man at work to pick up music he's found and printed up for Sunday (solo time at church!). I get to hug him. This is good. I also finally get the address of the catering company I worked a gig for a couple of weeks back and am able to pick up a check! YAY!

4:30pm: I walk on over to Tiffany to see if they need seasonal sales people. The floor manager is very pleasant and tells me to talk to the concierge. The concierge, also very pleasant, gives me a card with the internet address I should submit my resume to, as that is how they are handling that. Therefore, flashing my Gehry "fish" engagement ring to prove I know (some of) the product, does nothing. Nor will telling them that I would also could be very pleasant at Tiffany.
It is time to go home...

8ishpm: While typing, I get a call from a number I recognize, but can't think of from where...I wait for the voicemail. I check it, and find out that it is Charlene from the temp agency with whom I worked Credit Suisse. I find myself trembling with excitement over potential pres tech work as she talks about a weekend gig. Turns out the gig has nothing to do with Credit Suisse, but with working for $10/hr essentially helping visitors at the newly reopened Intrepid Museum. They need the same person Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Due to the church gig, I can't do Sunday, but I am apparently on stand-by for Friday and Saturday. In all my years here, I have never been on the Intrepid, so what the heck? I'll do it, AND I'll be getting paid! (if they call me...)

All of this will be very fun to explain on my taxes...

All right, time to hit the Tiffany website...and then a bubble bath...

In the meantime...KEEP PAYING ATTENTION...and do a little happy dance that Obama is already planning to get executive on George's a** by turning over various of W. "orders" (can we really call them "executive orders" if he stole the election(s)?)

Peace --Alex

posted by funkweee @ 3:34 PM