Silver & Lilac

I snagged a job interview for a tutoring position with a business called Club Z! 

This excited me, because I wanted to tutor, and to gain teaching experience. 

I should have considered the interview’s location with greater care, though, and tried to negotiate one at an office closer to home. 

Leaving home this morning, I caught the trolley, and was down at the Douglas Road metro before ten. Took the train to Dadeland North, and caught the 104 to West Kendall. 

Oh, how seriously I underestimated the infinite, amorphous placelessness of that area! I’d surmised that none of the westbound lines would swing anywhere near Tamiami airport, so I braced myself for a 30-odd block walk.

By the time I reached SW 110 Street, I was feeling the heat and fatigue. No problem, just keep moving, get past the airport, all is well.

And then I saw the airport: fenced in, no sidewalk after 147 Avenue, no way of seeing how or where to go. 

By this time, the heat—magnified by the tarmac and concrete—had me in agony. Not since 1983 had I felt so overwhelmed by it. So, I made a call, left a message on voicemail—and turned back. Stopping at a BP station just up the road, on SW 118 Street and 147 Avenue, I bought a bottle of water, sat down (the station had a mini-bistro inside, with tables and chairs), and drank.

A liter of Zephyrhills, and several pages of Dinty W. Moore later, I got up and made my way back to SW 104 Street. For some reason, the walk back went more quickly, not to mention more breezily—and, after reaching a bus stop, I rested and caught the eastbound 104.

Life lessons learned here? Maybe these things:

• If an interview is in a remote place, see if you and the interviewer can meet at a less distant place. This is especially crucial if you’re not familiar with the area, or if you don’t have a car. What looks like a simple point on a map can take more time and hunting than imagined. 
• If you cannot swing an interview at a closer location, plan ahead for the trip, and plan to leave early. Research bus and train routes; ask friends if they can give a lift from your last transit stop, and if possible, a lift back. Worst case scenario: arrange for a taxi ride, and make sure to tip well.
• Hydrate, wear comfortable shoes, and make sure you’ve got the following things in your messenger bag: Sunscreen, lip balm, an umbrella or rain poncho, your cell phone, a flash drive, and your resume. Sunglasses are also key.
• If you still cannot make it to the interview, try not to kick yourself. Think about what you need to do when your next job interview takes you to a remote area. And if anything about it feels out of place to you—if it leaves that Too Good To Be True taste—consider looking elsewhere.

If y’all have any insights, friendly words, or stories to tell, please: feel free. 

Today, I had a job interview, at the local MetroPCS store.

I’d just had a nerve-wracking morning: inadvertently knocking over three nested bowls and a tureen, and having to clean the mess left from their crash-boom-bang on the tile floor. (The tureen, and two of the bowls—one a lovely, amber glass bowl with an iris pattern—had belonged to my grandmother.)

Add to this the fact that Tenshi was extra-rambunctions, and that I had to clear everything out in two black bin bags—I wanted to cry.

Instead, I cleared out what needed clearing, showered and fixed myself an iced coffee. After that, I got dressed, put everything I needed in my messenger bag, and took the trolley to Miracle Mile.

The interview itself took 15, maybe 20, minutes. The managers were pleasant, and I managed to get them to laugh a bit.

But after leaving—and a poppy bagel with a shmear—I began reading a book on essay writing by Dinty W. Moore.

And not only remembered slogging through the college admission essay I’d sent to Bennington (in days when dinosaurs ruled the land), but every job interview I’d ever endured.

And it occurred to me why I’d found interviewing for work so awkward: it was not unlike all the stuff I had written to please and/or flatter a teacher.

Yes, I know that for a job interview you have to promote yourself, and come in with a good pitch for your skill set. But there’s a difference between letting a prospective manager know why they should hire you, and parroting, in rote form, what you think they want to hear.

to be continued!

writeoneleaf:

Tumblr tells me that Write One Leaf has two messages, but when I try to read them, all I see is an empty page. So if you asked us a question and you haven’t heard back, this may be why, and I would encourage you to ask your question again.

^pages about + ^ask + ^random + ^{f^} + ^{t^}  | ^{sponsors You Are a Dog [kindle]}

 ”You have—one.unheard.message.”

The generic female voice intones, threatening me with a blurt-out from some telemarketer or other—or worse, a robocall from said telemarketer.

Perhaps, I think, I’ve won some prize: a gift card, or a check for $500.00. And for a split second, I daydream: summer in Sitka, gazing at the glacial blues of the northern Pacific from a stateroom window. Or, perhaps, a seven-course dinner, complete with wines and cigars, at The Forge. Foie gras and white truffles, a 1928 Chateau Latour…all mine, mine for the asking.

And then I remember who, where and when I am—deleting this audio-mirage, pressing seven, then the star key.

More than you know, and in spite of all my ups, downs, reversals and breakthroughs.

Y’all, are, every one of you, more than welcome to join me on my dream porch for sweet tea, converse, and stargazing.

I’ve been going a little gonzo for crime drama these days.

This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had the bug; as a child of the 70s, Quinn/Martin was part of my vocabulary. As for shows, I can reel off a litany: McMillan & Wife, The FBI, Columbo (Memory Eternal, Peter Falk), Mannix, McCloud, Banacek…

And although I was not a particular fan, I knew my mom adored the Law & Order franchise. (Used to tease her that if they came out with a Law & Order channel, she’d upgrade the cable subscription!) And—Lord only knows why—every Monday at 10, she had to watch CSI: Miami.

Still, when I caught a Criminal Minds marathon on A & E, I was knocked for a loop. Seriously knocked.

And like a good latecomer, I’ve been playing catch-up by any means available, so as to get up to speed by September.

I’ve also gotten a madcap idea, courtesy of the compilation Rock & Roll Cage Match. (Cool book, by the by; the essays are fun, smart, and make for fast reading!)

Take your favorite crime drama characters—old or new school—and ask yourself: who would reign supreme in a battle royale? (Key word here: characters.) What are the characters’ strengths, weaknesses, quirks, et cetera? Which factors determine the victor, and why?

Trust me, this is not going onto anyone’s permanent record. And I’m not looking to press-gang anyone into responding.

But if you’re a crime drama fan, and you have characters you’d like to see facing off, drop me a note…

mandevouringmanmydear: