Tuesday, April 06, 2004
I finally get some time to sit down in front of a computer and write on here. Since the last entry, I've had four interviews, a wedding, five nights stayed in four different hotels in four different states, and many long hours in a car. The four interviews did not include the one I mentioned in my last entry that was scheduled but never confirmed. It is still not rescheduled. I do have an interviewed scheduled tomorrow for a different company. I'll go into that later, probably.
On the thursday before my California trip, I was planning on staying overnight at my parents so my dad and I could leave early Friday morning. I spent Thursday taking care of things that needed taken care of before I left. Right before I had to leave to go to my parents, I got back-to-back calls about potential jobs. The first one was from a recruiter about a position in Iowa. I don't know how I'd feel about moving to Iowa, but that doesn't matter as I got word a few days later that the company wanted something with more experience than I have in a certain area. The second one was from a HR person from a company I got really interested in at a career fair recently. The job would be about three hours away from here and would require relocating, but that's half the distance than most of the positions that I am up for. Plus, it is still in PA. I scheduled an interview for this past Monday, which was great since last week was already pretty much booked with two interviews and the end of the west coast trip. He also emailed me some documents I was to have filled out and return as soon as possible. I figured I could take care of them that night at my folks. Unfortunately, my parents laptop didn't have a current browser on it (they use it only for solitaire and casino games) so I was unable to access hotmail. So I was going to have to access my email sometime while either in CA or Vegas.
The flight went without a hitch. Except for waiting in line for an hour at the rental car place, the trip out went totally smooth. We found the hotel in Santa Monica without any problems. We were two blocks from the beach and we could see Santa Monica pier from our hotel room window. We went to the dinner for all the out of town family that night which was interesting because it was mostly the bride's family which was half taiwanese and half chinese. The families all got along great. The next morning I woke up early and walked down to the beach and the pier. It was cool out. People from sunny climates would have called it cold. I spent twenty minutes watching a guy try to go swimming. He would step into the water, act like he was about to dive in, realize the water was freezing, and back out. Later on, I met up with Joe who started out my tour of LA by taking me to the place that screams California cuisine. I'm kidding. Breakfast was great. Although, the whole time, the IHOP section of Dennis Miller's Off-white Album was playing through my head.
As Joe mentioned in his blog, we went to an amazing music store. If I wasn't out of work and a day away from Vegas, I would have left that place needing to buy new luggage to carry everything back. If Bill ever went there, he would never leave. That is, if he didn't have a heart attack caused by utter joy upon entering the place.
At Joe's, I logged into my email to try and get those forms done and discovered that they weren't simple forms like I was expecting. They were long forms that took over a hour to complete. So I gave up on it until I got back to Pittsburgh.
The wedding was held at a Californian-Japanese restaurant in the Hollywood Hills. The outside had a amazing view, but it was nothing compared to inside. The wedding was held in a outdoor courtyard. In the middle was a japanese garden, complete with small pond filled with big fish. The tables were set up on the outside edge of the courtyard. The ceremony was held on steps going down into the garden and we later ate dinner in the same seats as we watched the ceremony. The ceremony was simple. One of the bridesmaids looked like an asian Hilary Duff. Unfortunately, it would seem their ages were as similar as their looks. The dancing portion of the reception was fun, although considering the time alloted for that part was short and the dj should not have wasted TWO songs on teaching everyone The Hustle. One song teaching everybody the Electric Slide was bad enough.
The next morning we went to a brunch at a restaurant near the hotel that had an ocean view. It was a fancy buffet that even included mussels and some sort of shrimp and calamari dish. I made good use of the station where they sliced off ham and beef for you.
After brunch, my dad, brother, and I drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Aladdin hotel, which wasn't even open the last time I was in Vegas. Spent most of the night at the blackjack table and was ahead for a while but finished a little behind. The next morning we all walked along the strip and stopped at various casinos. Made a good portion of my money back. We were only in Vegas one day, so I didn't have much time to do anything. Next time I go, I want to go with people who hadn't been there much so I can do more exploring. I've been to Vegas twice so far and still haven't been to a show.
While I was in the hotel room, a recruiter called about a possible job in Frederick, Maryland. It seems to be essentially the same thing I was doing at my last job.
For dinner at Vegas, we went to In-N-Out burger, which seemed to perfect the idea of the simplified menu. The non-beverage part of the menu consisted of exactly four items: double cheeseburger, cheeseburger, hamburger, and fries. Last thing we did before heading to the airport was go to what, so far, is my favorite casino: New York, New York. One of the things there was a bar based on the movie Coyote Ugly. They have bars that are essentially designed to also be stages. A female bartender was up on the bar pouring free shots directly into customers mouth. I would like to see that place at night when it was crowded and rowdy. Unfortunately, it was about 5pm on a Monday, so the crowd wasn't really getting into it. Also, my stomach was so stuffed from dinner, I don't think I could have handled the free shots.
The flight back was a red-eye. We were in the second row of the section of airplane, so not only did the guy in front of me lean his seat back all of the way, almost breaking my portable dvd player in the process, he also had his feet up on the wall in front of him, pushing back, causing his seat back to go back even further than necessary and it rocked everytime he adjusted his position. Also, the seats were so narrow that my brother and me couldnt' sit straight side by side without my shoulders being wedged between his shoulders and the wall of the plane. It wasn't the worst flight I've been on, but it definitely wasn't as pleasant as the flight out.
I got back to my parents at about 7am-ish and slept til 1:30. I then had to try and take care of the stuff I needed to take care of for the job interviews the next two days as well as the one on the next monday.
The interview on Wednesday was just a preliminary interview in Columbia, Maryland for a position in New Jersey. It went well, although the company only had one open position for which I could be up for. That interview was held at a open house career fair for the company's jersey office and had me wondering if they intentionally told the girl sitting at the sign-in table for the event to show as much cleavage as possible with business attire and then lean forward when potentail applicants were standing right in front of the table.
I stayed overnight at a hotel near Dulles Airport. I ended up getting a handicap room. There was no tub in the shower so a wheelchair could be rolled straight in. The bathroom didn't get flooded as much as I thought it would.
The interview on Thursday went really well. An interview goes really well, I way I see it, if the interview seems to be more about what happens when you start working there instead of why you should work there. I was driving back from the interview, the guy who had contacted me about a job in Frederick, Maryland called me. He wanted to know when I could come in for an interview. I told him I couldn't do it until the next tuesday (today) unless I could come in right then. I was about 39 miles past from Frederick. I pulled over at a McDonald's and waited for him to get back to me. He called back and said that I could do the interview then. I changed my dress shirt and neatened myself a little in the McDonald's restroom and headed back. The interview was on a army base and I had to drive through a security gate, leave my cellphone at the front desk of the building and walk through what was for the most part a head-to-toe amusement park turnstyle. That interview also seemed to go really well. Also, of all the MD/DC/VA locations I could work at, it would be about my favorite. I drove home and spent friday and saturday doing follow ups to the three interviews and getting stuff ready for the interview on Monday. I also went to see Unbridled at a small country bar in the middle of nowhere as well as played poker with Bill and some of his cousins. I came out slightly ahead in the poker game, which was a nice change after Vegas. The interview on Monday went great. I really like my chances. The company is great and stable and the benefits are excellent. The only drawback is that I would have to relocate, but the relocation would be less painful than any of the other out of town positions.
After I got back yesterday, I got a call from a local headhunter about a position downtown. This morning I got a call to schedule the interview. It's tomorrow. If that goes well, I could have to make a decision between a good job and not move or a great job but I would have to move. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Anyway, that's been my last two weeks. It's looking more and more like I will have a job offer before my unemployment runs out.
On the thursday before my California trip, I was planning on staying overnight at my parents so my dad and I could leave early Friday morning. I spent Thursday taking care of things that needed taken care of before I left. Right before I had to leave to go to my parents, I got back-to-back calls about potential jobs. The first one was from a recruiter about a position in Iowa. I don't know how I'd feel about moving to Iowa, but that doesn't matter as I got word a few days later that the company wanted something with more experience than I have in a certain area. The second one was from a HR person from a company I got really interested in at a career fair recently. The job would be about three hours away from here and would require relocating, but that's half the distance than most of the positions that I am up for. Plus, it is still in PA. I scheduled an interview for this past Monday, which was great since last week was already pretty much booked with two interviews and the end of the west coast trip. He also emailed me some documents I was to have filled out and return as soon as possible. I figured I could take care of them that night at my folks. Unfortunately, my parents laptop didn't have a current browser on it (they use it only for solitaire and casino games) so I was unable to access hotmail. So I was going to have to access my email sometime while either in CA or Vegas.
The flight went without a hitch. Except for waiting in line for an hour at the rental car place, the trip out went totally smooth. We found the hotel in Santa Monica without any problems. We were two blocks from the beach and we could see Santa Monica pier from our hotel room window. We went to the dinner for all the out of town family that night which was interesting because it was mostly the bride's family which was half taiwanese and half chinese. The families all got along great. The next morning I woke up early and walked down to the beach and the pier. It was cool out. People from sunny climates would have called it cold. I spent twenty minutes watching a guy try to go swimming. He would step into the water, act like he was about to dive in, realize the water was freezing, and back out. Later on, I met up with Joe who started out my tour of LA by taking me to the place that screams California cuisine. I'm kidding. Breakfast was great. Although, the whole time, the IHOP section of Dennis Miller's Off-white Album was playing through my head.
As Joe mentioned in his blog, we went to an amazing music store. If I wasn't out of work and a day away from Vegas, I would have left that place needing to buy new luggage to carry everything back. If Bill ever went there, he would never leave. That is, if he didn't have a heart attack caused by utter joy upon entering the place.
At Joe's, I logged into my email to try and get those forms done and discovered that they weren't simple forms like I was expecting. They were long forms that took over a hour to complete. So I gave up on it until I got back to Pittsburgh.
The wedding was held at a Californian-Japanese restaurant in the Hollywood Hills. The outside had a amazing view, but it was nothing compared to inside. The wedding was held in a outdoor courtyard. In the middle was a japanese garden, complete with small pond filled with big fish. The tables were set up on the outside edge of the courtyard. The ceremony was held on steps going down into the garden and we later ate dinner in the same seats as we watched the ceremony. The ceremony was simple. One of the bridesmaids looked like an asian Hilary Duff. Unfortunately, it would seem their ages were as similar as their looks. The dancing portion of the reception was fun, although considering the time alloted for that part was short and the dj should not have wasted TWO songs on teaching everyone The Hustle. One song teaching everybody the Electric Slide was bad enough.
The next morning we went to a brunch at a restaurant near the hotel that had an ocean view. It was a fancy buffet that even included mussels and some sort of shrimp and calamari dish. I made good use of the station where they sliced off ham and beef for you.
After brunch, my dad, brother, and I drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Aladdin hotel, which wasn't even open the last time I was in Vegas. Spent most of the night at the blackjack table and was ahead for a while but finished a little behind. The next morning we all walked along the strip and stopped at various casinos. Made a good portion of my money back. We were only in Vegas one day, so I didn't have much time to do anything. Next time I go, I want to go with people who hadn't been there much so I can do more exploring. I've been to Vegas twice so far and still haven't been to a show.
While I was in the hotel room, a recruiter called about a possible job in Frederick, Maryland. It seems to be essentially the same thing I was doing at my last job.
For dinner at Vegas, we went to In-N-Out burger, which seemed to perfect the idea of the simplified menu. The non-beverage part of the menu consisted of exactly four items: double cheeseburger, cheeseburger, hamburger, and fries. Last thing we did before heading to the airport was go to what, so far, is my favorite casino: New York, New York. One of the things there was a bar based on the movie Coyote Ugly. They have bars that are essentially designed to also be stages. A female bartender was up on the bar pouring free shots directly into customers mouth. I would like to see that place at night when it was crowded and rowdy. Unfortunately, it was about 5pm on a Monday, so the crowd wasn't really getting into it. Also, my stomach was so stuffed from dinner, I don't think I could have handled the free shots.
The flight back was a red-eye. We were in the second row of the section of airplane, so not only did the guy in front of me lean his seat back all of the way, almost breaking my portable dvd player in the process, he also had his feet up on the wall in front of him, pushing back, causing his seat back to go back even further than necessary and it rocked everytime he adjusted his position. Also, the seats were so narrow that my brother and me couldnt' sit straight side by side without my shoulders being wedged between his shoulders and the wall of the plane. It wasn't the worst flight I've been on, but it definitely wasn't as pleasant as the flight out.
I got back to my parents at about 7am-ish and slept til 1:30. I then had to try and take care of the stuff I needed to take care of for the job interviews the next two days as well as the one on the next monday.
The interview on Wednesday was just a preliminary interview in Columbia, Maryland for a position in New Jersey. It went well, although the company only had one open position for which I could be up for. That interview was held at a open house career fair for the company's jersey office and had me wondering if they intentionally told the girl sitting at the sign-in table for the event to show as much cleavage as possible with business attire and then lean forward when potentail applicants were standing right in front of the table.
I stayed overnight at a hotel near Dulles Airport. I ended up getting a handicap room. There was no tub in the shower so a wheelchair could be rolled straight in. The bathroom didn't get flooded as much as I thought it would.
The interview on Thursday went really well. An interview goes really well, I way I see it, if the interview seems to be more about what happens when you start working there instead of why you should work there. I was driving back from the interview, the guy who had contacted me about a job in Frederick, Maryland called me. He wanted to know when I could come in for an interview. I told him I couldn't do it until the next tuesday (today) unless I could come in right then. I was about 39 miles past from Frederick. I pulled over at a McDonald's and waited for him to get back to me. He called back and said that I could do the interview then. I changed my dress shirt and neatened myself a little in the McDonald's restroom and headed back. The interview was on a army base and I had to drive through a security gate, leave my cellphone at the front desk of the building and walk through what was for the most part a head-to-toe amusement park turnstyle. That interview also seemed to go really well. Also, of all the MD/DC/VA locations I could work at, it would be about my favorite. I drove home and spent friday and saturday doing follow ups to the three interviews and getting stuff ready for the interview on Monday. I also went to see Unbridled at a small country bar in the middle of nowhere as well as played poker with Bill and some of his cousins. I came out slightly ahead in the poker game, which was a nice change after Vegas. The interview on Monday went great. I really like my chances. The company is great and stable and the benefits are excellent. The only drawback is that I would have to relocate, but the relocation would be less painful than any of the other out of town positions.
After I got back yesterday, I got a call from a local headhunter about a position downtown. This morning I got a call to schedule the interview. It's tomorrow. If that goes well, I could have to make a decision between a good job and not move or a great job but I would have to move. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Anyway, that's been my last two weeks. It's looking more and more like I will have a job offer before my unemployment runs out.
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