Catching some sun rays

I enjoy reading outside when the weather is half decent.  Living in the RV any time I am outside the neighbors all stop by and want to visit.  I have had a difficult time and way to tell them I really just need to read.  I am not interested in staying cooped up in the trailer either.  I used to have a coffee shop or two with big patios and good coffee, but stopped hanging out there for numerous reasons this fall.  So I have been in search of a place where I can read the paper, read some assignments and catch some sun.

When I lived in Denver my favorite library of all time was in Highlands Ranch.  I still drool over this library.  Big outdoor patio overlooking mountain range.  Indoor tables and big windows with views of the mountain range.  A quiet room with no phone and no computers.  Small group rooms with views of the mountains.

My current location is far from the mountains and does not have much view of the rolling hill country.  Last week I decided to try the local library.  I found a table under a large skylight and started to do some work.  It was interrupted by the sound of someone snoring.  The snoring went on for the next half hour.  I get it, the library is quiet and often peaceful and that is what some folks need to fall asleep.  It is easy to fall asleep in the library, but the snoring made it difficult for me to focus.

As I was walking out there was a young woman with her toddler daughter, or appeared to be her daughter.  The woman was sitting at a computer in the major walk way with her back to the walk way. Her pants were covering less than half of her buttocks and her panties left her buttocks exposed.  I contemplated telling the woman, but left that to the young girl she was with.

It was all I could do to wait until I returned to my car to bust out in laughter!  The snoring was one thing, but the view on my way out just sent me over the edge.  It was a riot and I felt like I was in some time warp. I have not been back to the library since.  Instead I have been spending time in the chain coffee shop.

Interview Drama

If something is going to go wrong it all happens in the Interview process.  I have begun actively searching for another position and had an interview yesterday.  It was a 4 hour interview that consisted of a panel interview with the staff of 10 or so, a counseling simulation, a 30 minute presentation and a final interview with the director and associate director.

Tuesday night on my way home from my full day of volunteering my car broke down.  I made a turn and heard a big commotion.  I made it home and at first glance a belt came off.  I had a relative who lives in town put the belt back on for me and in a hot minute the belt was back off.  The following day I had it towed to a shop.  Come to find out the motor fell off, in layman's terms.  Off to the car rental shop I go.

Wednesday was spent getting the car to the shop and waiting for any fatal diagnosis.  I had errands to run in Austin and my relative took me to town to get things done.  Later that evening I was at a Workforce Solutions Office making final adjustments to my presentation.  Since my computer is a Mac and I would be presenting from a PC I wanted to make sure the presentation would work.  I touched something under the computer desk and the computer turned off and I lost all the work I had been doing the past 2 hours!  Mac has this wonderful thing called Auto Recovery where it recalls what you were working on when the computer suddenly shut down.  PC does not.  Back to the drawing board!  My brother suggested using Google Drive to see if they have a presentation program.  They do.  It worked fabulously!!!  At the interview the agency has a tech guy who was going to help me get set up and make sure my presentation worked.  He had never heard of Google Drive and he did not have to convert any files and I didn't get frazzled with the technical problems.  It worked like a charm!!!

Thursday I was back at my all day volunteer job with minimal drama.

Friday was the BIG Day!  I had all the documents I needed completed.  I stopped at the gas station to get gas.  I could not get the gas door to open.  A young man drove up and he had a fire fighter symbol on his shirt so I asked if he could help me and explained it was a rental car.  He could not get the gas door to open and determined the lever was broke.  Whew, it was not just me!!!  I went back to the car rental and told them my dilemma and they sent me off in another car.  He could not get the gas door open either.

I arrived in the town of the interview in time to make copies of the documents I needed, to have a relaxing lunch and make final changes to my presentation.

The panel interview went okay.  I have trouble remembering the second part of two part questions and this time had decided if I was unsure if I had answered the second part of the question I would ask.  Since I volunteer at this agency, and have for three years, I knew all the staff.  I commented it was the first time I had seen so many of them together at once.  I think the counseling simulation went well.  The presentation went well.  There are a few things I might do differently if I had the opportunity.  The final interview did not go so well and based on some of the things the interviewers said I am relatively sure I will not be offered the job.  The job description talked about "outreach" and when I showed up for the interview was given a recent organizational chart and recognized this position would be responsible for supervision of the counseling interns.  I am not certain I have the proper credentials for this.

Interviews are stressful enough.  On Wednesday I was not certain if my car could be repaired.  It is important not to appear desperate during an interview, but I am desperate.

I have a few applications to finish completing.  I am disappointed, but I'll dust off and get back out there.