In Which Our Heroine Overcomes Assorted Obstacles

Obstacle number one was assembling exhibits for an upcoming trial and working with a client who provided ninety gazillion documents, not including the ones I actually needed.

Obstacle number two was having my workplace invaded by a horrific stench that resulted from maintenance personnel opening a decades-closed sub-sub-basement.

Obstacle number three was an If Bunny in the shape of an interview and then a job offer for a job that wasn't right for me. The job was one I could have done, but there were reasons why I needed not to jump at it like a wallflower being asked for the last dance of the night. First, the pay rate was not only $3/hour less than I'm currently making, it was as an independent contractor, which would have cost me an additional $75/week. Second, although I don't have a problem taking a part-time job, I do have a problem taking a part-time job which has such an irregular schedule that Mom can't depend on me while she tries to find someone else. Finally, the instant start gave me the problem of not being able to wind things up for Mom.

So I have to keep looking, and trust that I'm worth hiring, despite the fact that I haven't been asked to dance in a long time.

Requiem for an If Bunny

I didn't get the job. It's okay, though, because there were some drawbacks, not the least of which was leaving Piggie Pie alone in the house for 11 hours Monday-Thursday and having my water-walking schedule messed up. I think Doc's going to be more upset than I am, because she is the one who told me about the job, and I would have been working right down the hall from her.

The feeling of rejection is still there, but not nearly as strongly as it was the last time I was on a concentrated job hunt. Part of it is that I know I did a good job at every step of the process, and part of it, I think, is that I might have grown up a little since 2001.

I do have to keep looking, but for now, I shall be thankful for the job I do have, the opportunities to keep looking, and my incredible support system of friends, family, and one crazed small dog.

Mailboxes and If Bunnies

The driver who hit my mailbox fell asleep at the wheel about 12:30 a.m. In the realm of odd coincidences, she both lives at the apartment complex where I used to work and has the same insurance company I do. Snoopy gave me an estimate for the labor, Plaid Jammies is going to pick up a new mailbox at Ace, and hopefully State Farm is going to pay for the whole thing.

On Veterans' Day, I had an interview for an administrative assistant at a local college. The benefits are good, if pricey, the time off is stellar, and the commute is hideous. I didn't know until the end of the interview that I was one of only four people offered in-person interviews, but after an e-mail yesterday, I now know that I'm one of two people to be asked for second interviews. Eeep. If (big, bouncing If Bunny) they offer me the job at the higher end of the salary range, I'll probably take it and split the extra money between gas and maybe one day at week at doggie daycare for Little Miss Piggie Pie.

When I got home tonight, there was a message on my machine for a phone interview for a position I applied for a few weeks ago, so that's another If Bunny.

Also, today was a horrible day at work, thanks to a family tragedy yesterday, the details of which I just learned last night and am still trying to process; a bitchy field examiner from the VA; a monster masquerading as opposing counsel and topped off with a brainless client. I really needed my workout tonight.

And juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust to make a liar of me...

Bigfoot is frisking around like a puppy (granted, a puppy with lousy hips), asking for thirds on dinner, picking playfights with Littlefoot, jumping up on the bed to soak the comforter with doggy-scented rainwater and rolling over for bellehrubs.

I love seeing him like this, but now I'm really damned if I know what to do.

Return of the If Bunny

Yes, just when I thought there was no more uncertainty in my life, an if bunny hops into it. I might have my Copaxone tomorrow to take on the cruise. Then again, I might not.

Ah well, I'm off to pack. See you after the 10th!

Attack of the Zombie If Bunny

Yes, just when I thought the If Bunny of the job at WestLaw was dead, it rose from the grave. Yesterday afternoon at work, I got a phone call from the recruiter at ThompsonWest, who told me that they'd been authorized to hire a second publishing assistant and the interviewers had specifically requested me.

After a long talk with Mom, an exchange of PMs with Maresche (the one who told me about the job) and a night of sleep, I called this morning and accepted the job. I need to fill out some forms and take a drug test, and they will run a background check, but since I don't have any kind of criminal history and I plan on refraining from poppyseed bagels this weekend, I should start on July 30th. Mom is pleased for me but worried for the office, which I understand. I am very pleased that it's looking as if she & Vegan Lawyer will be able to stay in the office--apparently, the university has no immediate plans for the space.

VL was nice enough to say that the office won't be the same without me, and Goldilocks threatened to bring ropes, nails and glue to work on Tuesday, so she can make it impossible for me to leave. :-) Snoopy had left for the day by the time I found out, so I don't know if anyone will tell him before I come back. Neither of my brothers answered their cells, so if they don't call me back before I hit the Submit Post button, they risk finding out here. *grin*

I'm scared and excited both, and awfully glad I have five days of relaxation before I go back into the office and run around like a headless chicken cleaning up my desk and getting everything shipshape for after I'm gone.

Cleaning tomorrow seems like a simple and quiet thing to do right now, lol.

ETA: Mom surprised me this morning by bringing me a lemon pound cake as my birthday cake and a loaf of her wonderful banana nut bread because I'm having company. I can't wait to cover the cake with sliced fresh strawberries!

Pupdate

I got a call on Friday that I didn't get the job with WestLaw. 'Sokay, I had made up my mind that this wasn't the right time for me to take the job (but yes, I wanted to be the one turning it down--such is vanity).

Bigfoot's tail has been rebandaged, and will stay that way until it either heals or needs to be removed. Dr. Bob was pleasantly surprised to see that the bone wasn't exposed even though Bigfoot had removed two of the sutures. I think Bob could tell I was on a thin edge, because he made a point of reassuring me that it wasn't my fault. Until the tail heals, I need to change the dressing every other day, adding a splorp of antibiotic ointment with each dressing change. In addition, Bigfoot is now wearing a size 30 Elizabethan collar, the size they use for Danes and Mastiffs.

The huge collar presents a challenge for dinnertime, but I swear my puppymonster is strutting as if he'd suddenly been promoted to Really Big Dog.

The Adventures of Stubby

Yup, Dr. Bob took two inches off my heart dog's tail, and he's home safe, sound and sulking. The white-wrapped stub looks pathetic, sticking out of the end of Bigfoot's plumy tail, and he's doing his very best impression of a miserable dog rug, flat on the floor. Because of the slightly elevated liver values, he's got antioxidants to take in addition to the antibiotics & pain meds. Tomorrow he will day-board at the vet's, then Amy will be here Friday to stay with him and I will be here Friday night. Starting Saturday morning, Amy will be with him 24/7 and she'll take him in on Monday for a bandage change.

I'm not sure how the interview went--it lasted for 40 minutes, which I hope is good, and they said I'll know in ten days to two weeks. The If Bunny hasn't left quite yet.

I woke up at 4 a.m. with hives and a migraine, probably from stress, so getting up at 5:40 tomorrow will probably seem like sleeping in.

The If Bunny Grows

For an admirable explanation of what an If Bunny is, see Sherri's comment.

My own particular If Bunny is the possibility of a job as a publishing assistant. Back when I went to the Lushie meet-up, Maresche said that she works for a firm which does law books, and I half-jokingly asked her to let me know if there were any openings. Less than a week later, she e-mailed me and told me they were hiring. I put in an application on June 8th, and yesterday I went to their Cleveland office for a number of tests. I must have passed, because when I got home tonight, there was a message on my answering machine to call them Monday to set up an interview.

I'm excited but very nervous.

Whoa

A big IfBunny just landed on me. I'll probably be running around chasing my tail for a few weeks...