Life

[Dewar]

I have a hard time with Christmas, but I'm trying to get back into the spirit this year. I got me a (tiny, fake) tree!

 

 

 

Yay!

 

I was really feeling the Christmas spirit this year starting in about mid-November, but sickness and work have managed to pound it out of me. I just want this season to be over with.

[Nachimir]

A lot of my friends are now settling down and becoming preoccupied with kids, mortgages, etc. I'm happy for them, but I still don't want any of that. I'm not sure it will ever make sense to me. I'd been umming and ahhhing about moving to a new place, and after thinking on it for a while then concluding "It's probably just me" at first, I sought advice from close friends and a few new acquaintances I've met through them:

 

"It's not a very friendly city".

 

"Yes, dating really is a bit weird here".

 

"When I first moved here, I spent six months crying and thinking I'd made a terrible mistake. I'm still not convinced I haven't".

 

"It's weird moving to somewhere where everyone is twenty".

 

"After the first year, I gave up on dating here. I'm just here for the job".

 

The city is full of students who are now decidedly too young to hang out with. Above 25, everyone seems to have moved away or settled down, and now I'm far enough beyond that age range, it's becoming really noticeable. I finally understand the chronically single men and faded, scatty alcoholics I met while growing up here. Screw this, I'm going to go somewhere else. Probably the middle of nowhere next to some good mountain bike trails, and when I get bored of that, the biggest city I can afford.

[syntheticgerbil]

More complain time. I've now applied to so many jobs that I have started accumulating junk calls to my cell phone and scam or bait and switch low wage e-mails. That's what I get for trying I suppose and trusting job sites to apply. They steal my info and sell it. I'm at the end of my rope, I haven't even seen anything I'm very eligeable for in months besides the Retro job, which isn't happening if their silence is to be trusted.

 

I think next month the emergency unemployment benefits which I have lapsed in to will be cut nationwide. Time to go back to the jobs I was doing when I was 17. Nice to see I wasted nearly a decade of my life.

[Roderick]

That's terrible, Synth. Bah, I hope you land a job soon.

[Twig]

I'm basically right there with you. Maybe a little more luck with finding potential opportunities, but they never pan out. Got an interview tomorrow... Bleh.

[Ucantalas]

...

I hope you guys both get jobs soon. And that everyone else gets what they want. ^{I just want people to be happy...}

 

 

So now I head off to my first day of training. And of course last night had to be the night the people in the apartment above me decided 3AM was a good time to move furniture. ...so... tired...

[dibs]

On the flip side, I was supposed to be intervewing a graduate yesterday for a software job. The jerk never showed up and hasn't communicated.

Kids these days, sheesh.

[syntheticgerbil]

Thanks guys. Seems like a lot of people I know are in the same boat when it comes to video game/tech/art jobs. Hope you find something soon Twig, sad that Dallas job didn't work out (yet?). I like Dallas.

[tegan]

My doctor called me to ask me to come in for an appointment, which has never happened before and makes me nervous. They say it's about insurance stuff with the company that handles my disability benefits.

[Dewar]

I would be suspicious as well. Maybe ask for more details about what they want to do?

[Twig]

Thanks guys. Seems like a lot of people I know are in the same boat when it comes to video game/tech/art jobs. Hope you find something soon Twig, sad that Dallas job didn't work out (yet?). I like Dallas.

BLEH. That Dallas job. They never said no. So I kept waiting for a response, poking them every now and then. "We don't know, yet." Over two months of that. All right, fine. Eventually they tell me they might have an opportunity for me. So they call me two weeks later (after Thanksgiving break), and it's a mini-interview for a position I never applied for. All right, fine. They don't usually hire for specific roles, it's mostly general, but this time they are because of a specific contract. All right, fine. Except it's a position I don't feel qualified for. I don't care, I can learn fast, so I'm okay with that. All right, fine.

 

Now I'm waiting to hear back from them again. I really want that job. Even if I have to do this thing I wasn't expecting to do, I'm hoping I'll eventually be allowed to branch out.

 

In other news, the interview I had today seemed to go well. But I've said that a thousand fucking times so who knows.

[Roderick]

Hang in there, Twig.

Yesterday I sent out my first real manuscript to a bunch of publishers. I've done my groundwork and think I'm bringing them a good proposal. It'll be awhile before they respond, but it's out! It's out of my hands! That's that!

[Twig]

As expected, despite feeling good about the interview, I got rejected again.

 

It's good to be alive.

[Roderick]

Hang in there! What bold steps could you take to make your future happen? Always remember: hoo-ray for you!

[Twig]

I suppose I could give up on doing what I want to do and instead devote my life to doing something that's way easier but I hate because it gets me money.

 

Or I could move back in with my parents because I'm going to reach that point soon where I have no money to survive on my own anymore.

[Roderick]

I moved back in with the folks last year, used it as a launching pad for getting affairs straight and my focus back, and then I got a job within a year. It's not the worst move to make! I'd hesitate to fold and do something you hate for cash, but there might be a road in-between.

[dibs]

Moving in with parents can be a self esteem hit, but it can also provide you a nice warm place to really concentrate on what you need to do to get that dream job.

[Patters]

A lot of my friends are now settling down and becoming preoccupied with kids, mortgages, etc. I'm happy for them, but I still don't want any of that. I'm not sure it will ever make sense to me. I'd been umming and ahhhing about moving to a new place, and after thinking on it for a while then concluding "It's probably just me" at first, I sought advice from close friends and a few new acquaintances I've met through them:

 

"It's not a very friendly city".

 

"Yes, dating really is a bit weird here".

 

"When I first moved here, I spent six months crying and thinking I'd made a terrible mistake. I'm still not convinced I haven't".

 

"It's weird moving to somewhere where everyone is twenty".

 

"After the first year, I gave up on dating here. I'm just here for the job".

 

The city is full of students who are now decidedly too young to hang out with. Above 25, everyone seems to have moved away or settled down, and now I'm far enough beyond that age range, it's becoming really noticeable. I finally understand the chronically single men and faded, scatty alcoholics I met while growing up here. Screw this, I'm going to go somewhere else. Probably the middle of nowhere next to some good mountain bike trails, and when I get bored of that, the biggest city I can afford.

 

As always Nach, you are always welcome in Manchester to visit or what not. It's full of students but also professionals and postgrads. 

[Twig]

If I have to move back in with my parents, in a city that I hate, in a state that I hate, over half a continent away from all of my friends, I will lose everything. I will be an empty shell of a human being. I don't want a nice warm place to concentrate on getting my dream job. My dream job won't happen for years to come, unless I get really, really, really fucking lucky. Besides, I'm not even trying for a dream job. I'm trying for a job in the vague direction of my dream job, expecting to get experience and eventually make it there. And I mean like really super fucking vague direction, because mobile game development is literally the last thing I'd ever thought I'd be doing when I started my masters three years ago. And it's clear people who make non-mobile games don't give a fuck about "experience" with mobile development. But whatever, ignoring that, I've applied to dozens of places, only gotten responses from places I'd never choose to work at, sans the one in Dallas, and gotten almost a dozen rejections after making it to the on-site interview phase, and more than that prior. Every place I apply to that I'd CHOOSE to work at either doesn't respond or says no weeks or months later without ever even talking to me.

 

I mean I'm just repeating stuff I'm sure I've said in here before. It doesn't matter. I know I'm good enough for these things, but for some reason I can't prove it. So I'm clearly broken. Fuck it.

[Roderick]

Then that's not an option, probably. Damn you, US, for being so large!

[Twig]

Um oops I did it again. I've been doing a good job of not falling into the black hole of negativity, yelling at myself every time I feel it happening. Not as a matter of holding it all in until it explodes, as they say, but more to just force myself to be optimistic. But I guess I'm tired or something, so I pooped a doop all up ins.

 

TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY.

 

Dallas still hasn't said no, and my current recruiter (easily the best and most helpful one I've had the pleasure of using so far!) had a meeting today with a company situated in China, looking to start a branch here. He mentioned the possibility of me having to live in China for a few months, to which of course I said "YES PLEASE". Nothing guaranteed - not even giving them my resume is guaranteed at this point - but still. That'd be rad.

[Roderick]

It'd be a great experience to live abroad in an unfamiliar culture, hope you get it!

[Zeusthecat]

I recently got a new 2013 Toyota Prius (now I'm officially full hippy) and I've been really impressed by the technology built into the car. The most surprising thing was when I got a text message and I was able to tell the car to read it to me which it did flawlessly and in a sweet robot voice. So this weekend we were driving to Trader Joe's and I wanted to show this feature to my wife. So I told her to send me a text message so my robot car could read it to us and she forwarded a recent message from my mom which is shown below. I'm not sure if this will provide any entertainment without the context of the situation but hearing a robot read this to us was one of the most hilarious things ever. And note that this was in response to a one line text message from my wife.

Hi, I've been out once 2 a quick look/Xmas shopping. I had not realized that the Barbie horse came without a Barbie until I got ur text 2day and I looked real hard at the pic u sent me of Ayla pointing 2 the Barbie horse and stable! I wonder if they make a Barbie with horse. I also wonder if I went online and ordered if I would b more successful finding 1. I have been hampered (of course!) since last Wed early morning by the MOTHER of all UTI's! I am on my 3rd antibiotic 4 it and the culture and sensitivity results STILL aren't back so we know which antibiotic will actually kill the bacteria. Then, of course, I was getting ready 4 the Grinch party last nite and 2day I am still in p.j.'s since we were up late cleaning up after the party and hauling stuff in2 the house. Ugh! Still bringing in food utensils, projectors & stuff now/today. We had about 100 people there. It was a huge success and everyone had a blast. My union friend, Lety, cooked 4 it (her 3rd time- everyone loves her Mexican food). She made shredded green chile chicken and shredded red chile chicken, rice, beans, salsa, macaroni salad, calabacitas, etc. I bought 5 huge pumpkin pies at Costco and a 1/2 sheet cake. It ALL went, but was the perfect amt. It took a lot of planning. Now, as I recover 2day, I can start looking toward the last sprint to Xmas!

[elmuerte]

you know how many trees were killed to make your car? well? do you?

[Zeusthecat]

My car contains the souls of at least 13 dolphins.