Highs and Lows

There will be highs and lows while I search for a new job. Today, I'm feeling the lows. I've emailed many people trying to get a foot in the door at companies I've applied for. And none of them are responding. I'm refreshing my email page the same way people pickup a phone to make sure it's working when waiting for a special someone to call. I feel like that guy on a Friday night hoping someone will call me out to go out on a date -- but nothing. Instead, I'm on my own just reading a book, watching a movie, and tending a farm.

Why Watch?

Why watch? Why not?

1. This is Batman
2. It's animated
3. It's a musical
4. The main villian is NPH (Neil Patrick Harris)

Enjoy!

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Rough

Ugh. I received the following email from RealNetworks:

We wanted to follow up with you on the status of your application for the G&L Accountant position, requisition # 1489. After evaluating all candidates for this position, it’s been determined that your background is not a match for the specific requirements set forth for this position. Accordingly you will not be considered further for this particular opportunity.


This is the ONE position I've applied for which I'm completely qualified. But it is one of the first jobs I applied for. My resume didn't contain a lot of key words from the job description. I mean, I knew I should tailor it to the position - but I neglected to use a lot of the same phrasing. Live & learn, ya know? Still, this whole experience is really rough.

Can't wait for this weekend to get started. I'm watching Mr. Manny Pacquiao's fight tomorrow night. He's an extraordinary boxer and well worth the money spent for pay-per-view. Doesn't hurt that he's Filipino - the closest I'll get to see a top notch Chamorro fighter.

And, on Sunday, celebrating Thanksgiving early with G's family. Her mom will be in the Philippines on the actually Turkey Day and her oldest sister usually spends that day in Oregon. I don't mind celebrating early with them all 'cause it's the getting together that means a lot to me - more so than having it on the actual day.

I've been listening to the Glee soundtrack nonstop since buying it the other day. I downloaded the three bonus Target songs illegally. But, it's all good - I'm completely enjoying listening to this bad boy.

Ugh. Again. Still thinking about that email from Real. And being passed on the Dendreon position. It's been a rough week of rejection for me.

A little too green

Darn. The hiring manager at Dendreon just called me to say that they decided to go with another candidate. I was "a little too green" for them.

*sigh*

That's just too bad. I'm really feeling down about it. I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off. Oh, wait. I don't have a job.

Aaaaand... I'm hooked.

Darn friends who play that Farmville game on Facebook. I finally figured it out this weekend and I spent WAY too much time trying to understand it, accepting gifts I've received from friends, and putting together my farm. I understand why folks get all into it. It's kinda fun. Although it really made for a very lazy weekend. Bad me. But, thankfully, I decided to plant crops which take a day to harvest. So that'll force me to stay off the farm.

Speaking of Farmville, one of my neighbors is Cicely. I did a search on her blog of all "Farmville" references to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing. AND... she's a neighbor of mine now. AND, more importantly, it's her birthday. I won't be another b-day wish on what's sure to be a flood on her Facebook wall. But I do wish a Happy Birthday.

(I just did a mini-cabbage-patch-type-dance in honor of her special day. But not the running man. That woulda been way too far.)

Oh, Asians...

I had a great interview today at a biomedicine company called Dendreon. They've been researching and developing a treatment for prostate cancer. They're very close to commercial distribution, maybe starting sometime in 2010. There are just a few more stages of testing before FDA approval.

I met with five different people today - the HR recruiter, senior accountant, controller, the other financial analyst, and the director of finance (again). I had really good interviews. Everyone seems to feel part of the team, professional, and very supportive of each other. This is exactly what I'm looking for... to be part of a professional team.

The senior accountant was kinda funny. He pulled an HR "no no" during our interview. He asked, "So, are you Chinese too?" ...as in, are you Chinese, just like our controller? (whom I hadn't met yet) I told him no, that I was of Guam (Chamorro) descent. Was that enough? Nope, he also asked if I was married. As in, do you have outside commitments that would prevent you from working overtime and extra hours? I told him I was engaged and he said, "Oh, maybe we'll be invited to a party!" Oh, great.

The Asian question wasn't a big deal because he's Korean, and, well... you know. These Koreans. They'll just get up in your business sometimes.

Won't find out if I get the job until maybe 11/13. Yep, Friday the 13th.

Meeting Up

Sometimes, when I meet up with people I haven't seen in awhile, they apologize to me and say, "Awww, dude. So sorry I haven't stayed in touch! We'll have to do this more often." Well, all you gotta do is contact me. Think of a thing to do (lunch, drinks, sporting event, etc) and give me a time & place.

No need to apologize for having not seen me in awhile. We're ALL busy. We ALL have separate lives. And, even if you're not busy, you CHOOSE how you want to spend your time. If that means watching TV with your hand in the waistband of your pants, then, well, that's what you do. But don't say sorry. If we were to go around apologizing for everything we didn't have time to do, we'd all be friggin miserable.

I don't mind initiating with people. I don't really care if other people don't initiate with me. I truly believe life is what you make of it. If I want to see you, I will reach out to you. If I don't, I won't contact you. You won't contact me. And we'll never see each other again. Plain & simple.

I'm very happy with where I am in life. Oh, yeah. Minus the jobless part.

Sunny Day

What's that I see? Out in the sky... I think it's... yes! The sun! OH GLORIOUS SHINY PRETTY SUN!!!

I've been at Starbucks for a little over an hour and I'm thinkin, damn, wish I was out runnin. I think my mechanic's gonna take until 2pm to finish (needs parts to arrive). That's a whole three hours away. Should I go get a loaner car and just come back? Hmmmm.

To be continued. I think I'll work on some unemployment stuff first and then review in a bit.

...to be continued.

Panic Attack

I seriously had a panic attack today. Just a mini one.

I had a great lunch with an old classmate. She's trying to hook me up with a Revenue Accountant job at Razorfish. She works with another classmate of ours. Later in the afternoon, I emailed both of them to try to plan a lunch with the three of us. I also mentioned applying for the job. This other guy emails me back and says I better put my resume in ASAP. He said, "...there’s already been some interest in the position, internally and with some former employees." Oh, dude. Already? For some reason, I imagine myself as the only one applying for these jobs.

Then, an old coworker called me about the open Financial Analyst position at Dendreon, a biotech company. I applied there last week. She said she's been nagging the hiring manager about the position and he just talks about how super busy he's been. He said it's really tough going through the hundred plus resumes.

DUDE.

Seriously, the moment she told me that, I started having a mini panic attack. I've been focused only on myself that I've neglected to acknowledge that I'm actually competing against so many other people. The economy is a stinker. People are getting laid off. We're ALL looking for jobs.

SO. HARD. TO. BREATHE.

I'm a little better now but, still, I'm so scared about the future. I don't want to be jobless anymore. I want to work again.

Good news is, my old coworker friend is scheduling a coffee meeting for me with the hiring manager. I'm going to try to do a lot of research tonight, preparing for my little meeting.

Another day

I'm off to pickup G from her work. I know she doesn't want me to go out of my way to go downtown and pick her up when she can easily take the bus. But, I dunno. I like picking her up especially with all this time on my hands.

How did today go? I drove G to work, came back and attended a webinar on identifying my ASSets. Got my ass on the road again and went to the World Wrapps at REI to meet up with my cousin at 11:15. I hadn't seen her in awhile. Although we went back & forth several times on Facebook email last week confirming the date, time, and location, what happened? I got stood up. I waited for half an hour. Nothing. She didn't show up and I couldn't get a hold of her on her phone. Neither calling or text worked. Luckily, I was able to have lunch with G & her sis. While with them at Ivars (where their nephew hooked us up with fish & chips), I got a text from Jenny apologizing for missing our lunch. She was in a meeting and didn't have her phone with her. Really? C'mon, yo. That makes me feel shitty. Luckily I wasn't upset - it's just sad that people neglect others. We'll try again in November.

After lunch, went home and was online where a good friend told me about an accountant position open at her work. Awesome! I'd love working with her 'cause she was always a great classmate. I sent her my resume even without reading the job description. I just want to work again!

I then watched History of Violence (another great movie) and then took my nap. And, now... it's time to pickup G. Yet another day in the life of the unemployed.

Rain, rain, go away

It's raining cats & dogs outside, yo. Ruined my plans to have a nice run here at Greenlake today. I'll just have to run at the gym later tonight.

Leaving Starbucks now to go next door to pickup my t-shirt and bib for Sunday's 5K run. Man, I can't even remember the last time I did one of these events. All that matters to me is finishing. And making sure to be right back running on Tuesday. And eating a little better. Taking baby steps to losing weight and being healthier. I will do it. For realz.

Overqualified

A phone interview with OpenMarket results in me realizing that I'm overqualified for that position. I must remember not to apply for a position just because it has "Accountant" in the name.

I submitted my resume for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I LOVED how, after submitting my resume, I was taken to a screen which took parts of my resume and placed it in a different application-type format. Ah, Mr. Software, aren't you a clever one? It was smart enough to know what part was my name, address, phone, and email info. All that was pulled correctly. It then tried to pull my work experience & education and put it into two separate tabs. I had to modify some of the data but it was very cool how it got most of the formatting correct. Yay technology!

Tomorrow, I'll be applying for RealNetworks. I already have my resume and cover letter completed. I passed it on to my Real friend to provide me with feedback before my official submission.

For next week, I've already got two other companies lined up to apply to. First will be City of Seattle Light (Senior Accountant) and Dendreon (Financial Analyst). I have old coworkers who work at both places. For Dendreon, my friend had this to say:

"The hiring manager here is very nice, very easy going. I like him. The work style and the culture here are pretty much like AV, people here are very nice and friendly, please keep in mind they do cuss a lot, in a funny way :), I hope you don’t see that is a problem for you. I have no problem with that, but some new employees I see they feel a little uncomfortable. Other than that, this is a great place to work."

Trust me. I've read that cussing part over & over again. I can't get enough of it.

Getting a little help

I had a webinar orientation meeting this morning with an outplacement company, Drake Beam Morin (DBM). Now I can start using their job placement services. That means improving the marketability of my resume. Thanks in advance for the help I really need.

I withdrew myself as a candidate with Windstar Cruises before scheduling a second interview. After looking into other more interesting positions, I decided that it was best not to waste their time or mine. I have an opportunity here to take my time and look for a job I can enjoy.

I've got a phone interview scheduled with OpenMarket this Thursday. If the recruiter likes me, she'll pass me on to the hiring manager. And if they like me, I'll get an in person interview. And if they like me at that point, I might shake their hands. A hug would be inappropriate.

I'm listening to the web-only performance of Christopher Cross on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Sailing. That's just a classic chill song that makes me go, "Awwwwww." I remember N'Sync performing that song. And thanks to the magic of YouTube, here it is:



Haha... Justin with his bleach blonde hair. I always knew that kid was going to be huge.

Bad news reversed by good news

I was really excited about the Real Networks opening. Then I found out from my friend who works there that their HR department couldn't find the position in their open positions list.

That was the bad news.

Devastated.

Then, my friend finds out today that another finance position (AP) is almost filled (extended an offer to someone) and that they're JUST now starting to look for a general ledger accountant.

That's the good news.

And I'm happy again.

Opportunities

I've got Facebook and Twitter. But, for some reason, I'm not really up for sharing my employment search on either of those social networking sites. I do feel like writing about it but I'll keep it isolated to my blog and all two people that read this.

The opportunities I have lined up right now are these:

1. Wind Star Cruises, Senior Accountant: My old HR manager referred me to this position. I submitted a weak resume but was still asked in for a job interview. The job is actually a new position with an entirely new accounting group. I'm not sure I'm up for this right now. I'd rather join an existing group as a replacement. I'm thinking of bailing on a second interview 'cause I know for sure I don't want this job. But I wouldn't mind using this as a practice interview.


2. OpenMarket, Mobile Commerce Accountant: The company sounds great. An old coworker of mine works here and she really wants me to join their team. Also, someone I know works for OpenMarket's parent company. And he says he'd work for them if he were me. I just think I might be overqualified for this position and might be taking a step backwards. That's probably not good for my future. I submitted my resume and now working on a questionnaire they sent to me.


3. Real Networks, General Ledger Accountant: I was reviewing texts on my phone that I never responded to and found one from my friend who works at Real. I thought, "Hmmm... let me see if they have any openings" and, whoah, there's a job opening. And, dude, the responsibilities totally match up to what I had been doing at Active Voice. I'm so excited about this one. I asked my friend to check when the posting closes. I hope I have time for a professional resume review before submitting to these guys.


4. Bill and Melinda Gates Foudation, Senior Accountant: Now this one. Wow. This would be a dream job. These guys are the mother of all non-profit organizations. They do so much for other groups. I'd love to work for these guys. But I've never worked for non-profit. A candidate with any non-profit experience would have a total advantage over me. I know someone who works here but don't know them well at all. This will be tough to get an interview but I'm so hopeful for an opportunity here.

I like how all these positions have just fallen casually into my lap. I feel blessed to have these options for now without having even actively looked.

Hopefully in a week, I'll have an update on all of these.

Yummy

Just finished eating pizza at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. Dude. Sooooo good. The most important ingredient in a pizza is the sauce. And this had such a great sauce in its pie! Mmmmmm...

Family Fun

I had a really great time in Bremerton today. I always love visiting my mom at her place. But, even better, my brother had a chance to drop by for lunch. He brought along my 2-year old nephew Brandon, 4-year old niece Savannah, and 5-year old niece Sierra. I don't think I've seen these kids since Christmas. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Uncle Rodney. My sister also dropped by with her little five-month old chihuahua, Slushy.

The longer I don't see the kids, the more tighter the hugs and the more sloppier the kisses get. I couldn't help but just hug the heck out of all three of them. They're all so adorable. My little Sierra is such a little smart alec. Lucky, it never got to the point where I needed to discipline her. She stayed within the "get scolded" boundaries and remained cute within the couple hours I saw her.

Savannah is talking so much more than she ever has before. She's been the quiet but strong one out of the three kids. I can tell she'll be the protector for the kids.

Brandon's just fearless. No problems playing with Slushy... and, in fact, no problems playing with the neighbor's fenced in little yapping dog. Brandon just went to the barking dog, put his hand closed, and the dog stopped barking & was happy to get notice.

You know how people always categorize kids like, "Yeah, when he grows up he'll be..." this or "When she's in high school, she's gonna be..." that. When people talk like that, I'm always like, "How the heck do you come up with these predictions?" Well, now, I think I get it. There's just something you see in little kids that reminds you of the kids you grew up with.

And, on a random note, I hope I can positively influence these kids in the next few years to become something they can be proud of in the future. Yes. Random.

Ending > Start

My first week of unemployment ended better than it started. Those first two days of just lying around watching movies and TV and doing absolutely felt not-so-great. People have been telling me it's okay to be lazy for a bit. But, for some reason, I couldn't get beyond the thought that I need to be doing something.

The week has been full of some fun/rewarding activities:
--Watched the Mariners play (lose) on Tuesday night.
--Thoroughly cleaned the upstairs portion of the house on Wednesday.
--Made a delicious salmon dinner Wed night for M&E. I'm normally modest about my culinary skills but, damn, that meal was really delicious.
--Met up with an old coworker for lunch on Thurs then hung out with another ex-coworker for a couple of hours at Pike Place Market.
--Late Thursday night, met up with an old classmate for happy hour at the Taphouse.
--Had lunch with a close friend on Friday afternoon. Although he was still working, he spent two hours catching up.
--On Friday afternoon, went for a run/walk/a little more running/mostly walking at Greenlake. Signed up for the 5K Dawg Dash next month on October 18. Finally - motivation to run.

And, I spent a few hours here and there working on my resume. I'm off to a great start and hope to be finish with it by Monday morning. I'm applying for that Senior Accountant position at a cruise line company. If it pays well, I'll be more than happy to take a job there.

How have I felt this week? I'm aight. It's kinda lonely since I'm used to being around coworkers during the day. The days I've taken off in the past have either been for school, medical appts, sick days, or leisure days with G. It's been awhile since I've had this much alone time. The key will be for me to get out of the house. The thing I don't like about that is spending money to do things. Like eating out, going to coffee houses, gas money to travel, etc.

I gotta find out how other people (without kids) spend their times of unemployment. There's so much time to do things. How do you all spend your time? Actually, I don't think unemployed folks read this. So that's a rhetorical question.

Megan Foh-hoh-hoh-ox

Oh, not uh. No way. Dude.

I just googled the Internet to try to figure out who Jimmy Fallon will be having as guests next week. When I'm in New York. And attending his show. On September 24.

On Thursday, September 24, Megan Fox is scheduled to be Mr. Fallon's guest. Megan. Frickin. Fox.

Would my baby blue tux be a bit too much to wear? I'm thinking so. But still. I really hope she's really the guest that night. That would be so rad. Radical. Dude.

Damn you Google

Dangit. I googled my name on Google (uh, duh) and found a ton of my tweets up on the results. Dude. That sucks. Or IS gonna suck when I start applying to different places. I'm changing my Twitter settings to "PRIVATE" right now and then working on cleaning up those links such as:

@RealJessicaAlba Alright, Mizzz Alba. Enjoy Star Trek tonight and make sure you let all of Twitter know what you thought. Later!

Yes, future employer, I stalk fake celebrity accounts.