Interviews, Fun?!? Not really, just a near death experience.

Wooo! Interviews are fun, and stuff like that. Transit, not so fun.

Okay, so yesterday's interview went quite well. It wasn't the most challenging interview I'd ever done, but the questions were very relevant and well thought out. I managed to refer to my portfolio for a couple of items, to back up what I was saying, but I didn't want to go through the entire thing. There just wasn't time for that, nor did the interviewers want to sit there and just be bored to death by pretentiousness. The items I did use, suprisingly, were from my graphic design section... I didn't really expect to rely on those items, but they asked for a time in which I used my creativity to solve a problem. What's more creative than creating posters as a way to increase sales/business?

Getting to the interview was pretty easy. I left at 8:45 from my house, because I wanted some time at the GO station to relax and enjoy a muffin & juice. The trip included 1 HSR bus, GO Transit to Long Branch, and then one Mississauga bus. I managed to get to the company about 50 minutes early for my interview... Mississauga transit's trip planner calculated that it'd take approximately 20 minutes to walk down Courtneypark Drive, from Dixie Rd (where the bus let me off). I don't know how slow they expect people to walk, but it was a 10 minute walk, even wearing a pair of heels.

Getting home should have been just as easy... just reverse the order of transit systems. It was, until my bus got into an accident at Dixie & Bloor. The bus had stopped (at a bus stop), let people on and off, and then, I heard a huge bang. 2 cars collided with each other behind the bus, and because of their impact, they rear ended the bus, hopped the curb, and smashed into a fence. No one on the bus was hurt... the bumper, and lights on the back of the bus had seen better days though. The bus driver has to get everyone off the bus, and he's like, "there'll be another bus" but didn't say when. The drivers of both cars were a bit banged up though, seeing as they'd both impacted the bus, as well as each other.

I made friends with the lady who sat in front of me, and told her I wasn't familiar with the area, and wondered if there was another way to get back to Long Branch GO. She told me to follow her, that she wasn't about to wait for the next Dixie Rd. bus either, that she usually gets off at Bloor anyways. She told me to follow her, and that she'd get me on the right busses to get me home sometime sooner than waiting for the next bus.

I ended up taking the Bloor bus to the Islington subway/bus station, had to pay another fare of $2.75 to use the TTC, and took a bus from there back to Long Branch. There's no direct GO trains from Long Branch to Hamilton, plus my stomach was growling and a headache was beginning... I'd only eaten the muffin, so I decided to get off at Oakville, and buy something to eat. I should have been home by 5 pm (without the accident), but instead I was just getting the train at Oakville station at that time.

In total, 4 different transit systems in one day was interesting, but not very fun.

Sick + Summer = Bummer

Sickness in the middle of Summer?

Apparently it is fully possible for me to get sick at any time, regardless of the season. So far, I've called in sick 2 days this week, and I know that no matter what, I can't afford to be off tomorrow. I have to work. No question about it. While under normal circumstances, I would love to have enjoyed my days off, I instead, have found myself sleeping all day, not eating solid foods, and having a hard time just being awake in general. Overworked? Quite possibly that's why I'm sick.

A Closet Full of Nothing

What to wear, what to wear....?!?

Alrighty, so I've finally got an interview for a co-op position. My newest conundrum is arriving at an appropriate interview attire decision. I'm undecided as to how dressy I want to go, so I have a few options...

1. Wear my simple black dress (one I wore to a prom)with my longer pin-stripe jacket. The long jacket is the only option with this, as there are slits on either side of the knee length dress. Good: it's a tried and true combination. Bad: it's the middle of summer, and I'll die of heat exahaution.
2. Wear my new black skirt with the tulle trim, a black shirt, and my white beaded jacket. Good: the skirt is totally appropriate, might not die in the heat. Bad: not sure if this look actually works.
3. Wear my strapless dress I wore to my Uni. Grad, along with the same white beaded jacket I'd worn with it. Good: I looked good in the outfit back in April '05. Bad: the dress is a floral print... quite bold actually. Doesn't scream formality.

Garrr! Sometimes being a girl sucks. At least I know which shoes I'm going to wear.

Depressed? Why yes, I am...

While I'm usually pretty good with disappointments, seeing as I've been dealt my fair share thus far in life, today's disappointments really got me down. Like usual, I put all my hopes on one particular job posting, and thought I had a really decent chance for it... or at least an interview. I'd also applied for another job at the same time, although I wasn't as attracted to the position. Today, I check the postings, and my applications and note that the less desirable job said NO to an interview. I thought, alright, good - I don't have to waste my energy with that one... I just had to wait on the other posting. Less than 10 minutes pass, and I get my answer on the job I really wanted... a big, fat NO. To make things sting even more, as luck would have it, my classmate beside me, was one of the 3 chosen ones for the interviews. I managed not to get upset at my own circumstance, and I'm truly happy that they decided to interview her - she's totally competent, and she really wants the positon too.

While I wasn't really upset earlier in the day, the more time I've had to think about it, the more upset I'm actually feeling. (I know this is derived from my irrational fear of being stuck at the Depot for all eternity.) Although I know I'm being way too hard on myself by saying this, but being shut down twice within a span of a few minutes, makes me feel as though I'm never going to be quite good enough for any other job. It also doesn't make me want to put myself out there again, and potentially get slammed with another fury of "NOs"

Perhaps a good long bath, a bit of crying, to vent my frustration is the key to getting over this mental block I've now put in place.

Dr. Phil, eat your heart out!

Move over Dr. Phil... Captain Obvious is putting you out of business... well, maybe.

I'd like to believe that part of my charm is my ability to listen, and give proper, sound advice when people ask for it. I try not to judge... honestly - it's not my decision to say what's right and what's wrong for someone else, but I will give my opinion, when asked. I'm quite used to the typical, "how do I know if he/she likes me" kind of advice, but lately, people have been asking things that go beyond my circle of knowledge and experience. That said, I think I've dealt with these queries as unbiased and politely as I possibly can.

Without naming names and going into too many details, I've been asked by several people, for advice on their sex lives... something which I would never proclaim to be an expert on, unlike Sue the sex lady, or Dr. Ruth, for example. I think it's hard to be an expert on a subject when you've just barely scratched the surface, based on your own personal experience. I realise I'm approachable, definitely a forward-thinking feminist, and that I'm a good source of advice (usually) - so I'm wondering, does this make up for my own so-called lack of experience? There's definately some situations that have been brought to my attention, that I know I wouldn't like to be in myself, but is that really enough for me to go on? On one hand, yes I do think that more "experience" (as I put it), would be nice to have, eventually, and would be beneficial when giving advice on said topic, but on the other hand, I'm quite comfortable with my experience status at this point in my life.