Idle hands are the devil's tools

I took up knitting in the Peace Corps as a form of relaxation. Ha! That's a joke. Without someone to guide me, I spent long, arduous hours staring at the picture books trying to make sense of them. Since I'm left-handed, I had to reverse the images in my head, and I thought I would go mad with confusion.

Eventually, I got the hang of it, but I'm not sure I could ever call it a relaxing hobby. The problem is that, as in life, I am constantly seeking out a new challenge. I can do stockinette stitch until the cows come home, but where's the adventure in that?

Once I start a project, I have to finish it as quickly as possible. Partly it's wanting to have a finished product. But also, once I've figured out a pattern, it loses its zing. I finished this knitted Elvis wig (a birthday present for Allison) in three days. Once it was done, I had the inevitable disappointment of having nothing else on the horizon. The thrill is gone. I guess it's time to learn to crochet.

Life in a temporary world

I had a dream last night which pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about the working world these days. I dreamed that my newest temp job was to squeeze myself out into lemon juice to provide to thirsty workers in Antarctica.

The experience I've had so far has been somewhat bittersweet (like lemon juice). On the one hand, I'm making money, keeping busy, and meeting new people. On the other hand, I recognize the work for what it is - pure drudgery. And since I'm not getting consistent work, the money is barely enough to sustain myself.

I was able to book three jobs last week - two at the Chamber of Commerce and one answering phones for a consulting firm. In one, I sat for hours on end without the phone ringing. In the other, I spent 8 hours comparing 2 26-page printed speadsheets. Only one was sort of in alphabetical order, so I had to look at one, find the corresponding match in the other, and highlight it. Ours is not to reason why. But I actually used up an entire highlighter and had to ask for another one after 7 hours. I'm fairly sure this would be a job in hell, and yet I think I preferred it to staring off into space practicing how I would answer the phone if it ever rang. "Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment."

Apparently I did my job right, because the Chamber of Commerce was so impressed by my highlighting abilities that they called me back in for a two-day "special project" this week. I got there bright and early on Monday, and waited 20 minutes for my supervisor to come in. The work she had for me wasn't bad - at least there were no highlighters involved - but it was clearly not enough to keep me busy for two days, or even one really. I'm not good at stretching out mindless work. I'd rather get it done and move on to the next thing. I managed to make it last until 5:00, hoping she could come up with something different the next day. Instead, she said she wouldn't need me. So I'm out another day's pay - the price of efficiency.

I stopped by Manpower after work Monday to let them know I'd be available the following day. They didn't have anything, but told me that they had submitted my resume for a 6 week job covering someone's maternity leave. It was a 50% pay increase, and I was excited about the prospect of having something steady for a short period. Unfrotunately, it didn't work out. The hiring firm looked at my resume and said I was overqualified. Well, duh! It's a temp job - it's not like they're paying me any more money because I have a Master's degree. You'd think they would be grateful for the bargain.

Manpower offered me another position, but I vacillated because it was a 12-week assignment, a 40-minute commute, and less money. Now I'm afraid they won't take me seriously for other offers. It's a strange dynamic there. It's a staff of two - Person A who likes me and Person B who doesn't. Both are friendly when I call, but it's clear that Person B would rather see me dead than get me a job. OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. Still, my heart drops when I call and Person B answers the phone. I know I'll get no work that day.

On the bright side, having no steady job allows me the freedom of moving about. I'm in Roanoke now to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and have taken the whole week off. Happy Turkey Day!

My birthday and other depressing observations

After 2 weeks of hiking recovery (yes, my knees still hurt), I decided last week that I needed to start setting some goals. I had given myself a deadline - I would wait until the day after my 35th birthday, and then I would walk into Manpower and get a job. My brother said I should allow myself an extra day of recovery - a stay of execution, he called it. But when I realized my birthday fell on a Friday, I decided to take action. I went to Manpower the day BEFORE instead, hoping to secure a job for today. It turned out I had to make an appointment to apply for a job, and this is how it came to be that I spent my birthday morning filling out paperwork, taking tests on Microsoft Word and Excel (the CS master's degree apparently meant nothing to them), passing a typing exam despite never having learned to type, and watching a video on sexual harrassment in the workplace. Two and a half hours later, they pointed to the door and said they'd be in touch.

I get the impression that they aren't too interested in helping me out since I'm pretty overqualified for the positions they have, and I made the mistake of being straightforward about looking for other work. Still, it IS a temp agency, so I can't imagine that they only want employees they're going to groom long term.

The rest of my birhtday was nice - dinner with Gilbert, Jen, and Amelie and a movie with Jen.

This morning, I got up early and called Manpower when they opened at 8 to let them know I was available. They said they didn't have anything but would note that I called. A few minutes later they called back with a one-day job answering phones for The Chamber of Commerce. I was out the door within a few minutes and at work, a 5-minute walk away, by 9:00.

Just a few days ago, I was saying to Jen that the perfect job for me would be to sit around and answer ridiculous, obscure questions about pop culture to callers. Why is my brain filled with useless information? Why do the names Marisa Tomei, David Thewlis, and Daphne Zuniga pop into my head the moment I need them, but the whereabouts of my keys every morning are a mystery that takes 30 minutes to solve? Imagine how smart I could be if I could CHOOSE what my brain would remember. What if I didn't know by heart my phone number from when I was 8 years old? What if I couldn't name all the actors on Three's Company? No use crying over spilled potential I guess.

In bizarro world, my day at the Chamber of Commerce was much like my dream job. The only difference is that people called asking ridiculous, obscure questions I couldn't answer. Where is The Messiah playing this Christmas? How much should I pay my bookkeeper? How do I open a bed and breakfast? How many eggs does a pigeon lay? OK, I made that one up, but the answer is two in case you were wondering.

Still, the calls came in slowly, and I had time to read a whole Premiere magazine. So not a bad day, all told. Sadly, the regular receptionist is coming back tomorrow. That means I'll be getting up early again to call Manpower. Hopefully that pop culture job has come in. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hiking Stats and Photos

I thought it was about time I post some pictures from my hike. After attempting a run earlier today, I'm starting to wonder if it will be my last. It's two weeks later, and my knees are still stiff and sore. Even walking and yoga antagonize them. Of course, laying like a lump on the couch hasn't helped either.

Anyway, this is Tina and I on Springer Mountain on Day 1 of our hike. For the rest of the pictures, check this link:

Hiking Photos

I also kept some statistics while we were backpacking, and I thought they would make a good summary of our experience. With no further ado:

Hiking Stats

Number of days hiked: 45
Number of "zero days" (no progress made on AT): 4

Total Distance Covered: 459.5 miles
...with a pack: 382.5
...w/o a pack: 77.0

Average miles hiked/day:
...with a pack: 9.8
...w/o a pack: 12.8

Pack weights:
...initial: Tina - 49lbs, Amy - 45 lbs
...after 2 weeks: Tina - 39 lbs, Amy - 41 lbs

Longest day:
...with a pack: 17.7 miles
...w/o a pack: 19.1 miles

Shortest day: 0.2 miles (Day 1)

Animal encounters:
...deer sightings: 2
...bear sightings: 0
...number of times bears probably walked by us while we were looking at our feet: countless
...number of times Bigfoot attacked our camp: 1
...men in speedo sightings: 1
...number of times mice ate our food while hiking: 1
...number of times mice ate our food while in town: 1
...number of beestings: 2
...number of yellow jacket stings: 3

Highest elevation: 6643'

Biggest ascent in a day: 4700'
Biggest descent in a day: 4400'

Coldest temperatures:
...daytime: about 35F
...night: about 20F

Number of automatic rifles pointed at us: 3

Number of times we mumbled "fried chicken" to strangers at road crossings: countless
Number of times we actually ate fried chicken: 2

Equipment:
...number of days wearing full raingear: 6 (one for warmth only)
...number of days Tina's first set of raingear lasted: 2 (see picture in link)
...number of days hiked with a broken water filter: 15
...additional days hiked with a dirty water filter that may as well have been broken: 11
...number of days hiked with a broken Thermarest: 15
...number of days hiked with a barely functioning stove: 27

Brushes with "Trail Magic" (finding food or drinks at a road crossing or shelter):
1 (3 Busch Lights in a Dale Earnhart cooler)

Longest stretch without resupply: 75 miles
Longest stretch without showers: 7 days (twice)

Number of Episodes of Project Runway we were able to view while hiking: 2 whole, 4 partial (one on mute at Dot's Inn - see pictures)