I think I just tanked an interview

[Catseye3]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Simply being treated respectfully at a job I hate would be a huge improvement over what I'm in now, so I don't give a shit.

Very sorry to hear that. Big bummer, to need to escape a bad situation by going to a slightly less bad situation.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Mik said in I think I just tanked an interview:

But...that is not what you want or are willing to do. Your current position is not going to fire you. They already would have.

Yeah. And apparently a handful of folks have moved to different states throughout this mess, and there are another handful of people who are in very bad demographics for the virus and have told their managers they would not be at all comfortable with returning. I think leadership is now at least vaguely aware that they'd have a big problem on their hands if they forced people to return. So we're probably safe for a little while. I keep squirreling money away in case the hammer drops and they pull some shit with me regarding unemployment.

Fun times.

[Jolly]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

@Mik said in I think I just tanked an interview:

But...that is not what you want or are willing to do. Your current position is not going to fire you. They already would have.

Yeah. And apparently a handful of folks have moved to different states throughout this mess, and there are another handful of people who are in very bad demographics for the virus and have told their managers they would not be at all comfortable with returning. I think leadership is now at least vaguely aware that they'd have a big problem on their hands if they forced people to return. So we're probably safe for a little while. I keep squirreling money away in case the hammer drops and they pull some shit with me regarding unemployment.

Fun times.

‘He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune’. - Francis Bacon

[Aqua Letifer]

@Jolly said in I think I just tanked an interview:

‘He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune’. - Francis Bacon

Meh. I don't really buy that.

Life's got a handful of plates on sticks. Gotta keep 'em all spinning at a rate you're happy with, and that'll change over time.

I hate my working life these days but I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit back and do nothing to change it. Expect weird updates in the next 18 months.

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Expect weird updates in the next 18 months.

As if the last 16 years have been "normal."

[Aqua Letifer]

@George-K said in I think I just tanked an interview:

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Expect weird updates in the next 18 months.

As if the last 16 years have been "normal."

My wife knows full well how weird I am. The trend will continue!

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

My wife knows full well how weird I am.

Of course she does. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn't have married you without knowing that!

[Aqua Letifer]

@George-K said in I think I just tanked an interview:

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

My wife knows full well how weird I am.

Of course she does. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn't have married you without knowing that!

She's part of our D&D group. She can hang.

[Aqua Letifer]

Ho Ly Shit.

Got an email out of the blue from an old employer. They want freelance help.

Might be able to build on that, either there or elsewhere. At the very least it would prevent an employment gap after my absolutely inevitable firing, and get me some street cred with my old industry again.

It would fall in line perfectly with my plan to work only for myself by the time I'm 40. Good enough place to start.

My old boss's email was so nice I wanted to cry. I got on well with him and his son. They paid basically nothing but the job was great and I was proud of the work.

Regarding that, and my 40 plan: Whoever said that folks tend to get more conservative as they get older was full of shit. What they really mean is that people lose motivation in the things they used to love, and that's one way of making excuses for giving up on yourself. Security, right? Well, some of that is okay. Having a family necessarily means that you have to live less selfishly. But my mom sacrificed too much. She put up with too much shit to make our lives comfortable and it really screwed our family up. She wasn't okay, so neither were we.

Right now, without even trying, I have enough money to easily buy a flagship Leica and a handful of their lenses, and I can't remember when I've been more miserable. At my old job, I could barely afford clothes but things were fine. Even great sometimes.

I'd very much like to re-up on poor, please. Show me where to sign.

[Catseye3]

@Aqua-Letifer Eep! That is really great. Talk about timely!

There is something priceless about a pointer that tells you you're on the right path, ie your memory of being proud of the work you did for your old boss. I'm thinking you reeaally needed this right now. So like, thanks, Universe!

Despondency and anxiety are blue-ribbon energy killers.

As probably millions are discovering right now.

Speaking of, I think a thing that also happens as people get older is the plain old diminution of energy. I'm struggling with that like mad right now. Everything is an effort, that shouldn't be. Sometimes I watch other people bustling around living their lives, and I feel like I'm on the outside of the candy store, looking in.

Best good wishes that this offer pans out for you, Aqua. Hugs.

[Mik]

Excellent news, but it’s not an either-or thing. What you go for is the satisfaction AND the money. It’s out there. Find the industry that pays top dollar for what you have to offer.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Mik said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Excellent news, but it’s not an either-or thing. What you go for is the satisfaction AND the money. It’s out there. Find the industry that pays top dollar for what you have to offer.

Yeah, I know that's true. And I've got a plan for it—basically how to find what works and what doesn't. I'm also not going to be destitute or anything. Just gotta readjust some.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Catseye3 said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Speaking of, I think a thing that also happens as people get older is the plain old diminution of energy. I'm struggling with that like mad right now. Everything is an effort, that shouldn't be. Sometimes I watch other people bustling around living their lives, and I feel like I'm on the outside of the candy store, looking in.
Best good wishes that this offer pans out for you, Aqua. Hugs.

Thanks, Cats. If it helps—it certainly helped me—maybe stop trying? Really though. Just let yourself be and have fun for awhile instead. "Do you" as the kids say. The motivation comes back after you stop being so hard on yourself.

[Catseye3]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

Thanks, Cats. If it helps—it certainly helped me—maybe stop trying? Really though. Just let yourself be and have fun for awhile instead. "Do you" as the kids say. The motivation comes back after you stop being so hard on yourself.

Yeah, maybe . . . Something to think about.

[taiwan_girl]

Good luck Aqua!

However, I have always say that luck is opportunity meeting skill.

And I think that you have both!!!!!!

[Axtremus]

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

She's part of our D&D group. She can hang.

Always thought there should have be a story in Big Bang Theory about one finding a spouse from one's D&D group.

Good luck with your job situation.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Axtremus said in I think I just tanked an interview:

@Aqua-Letifer said in I think I just tanked an interview:

She's part of our D&D group. She can hang.

Always thought there should have be a story in Big Bang Theory about one finding a spouse from one's D&D group.

Good luck with your job situation.

Meh, it's common enough. I can't tell you how many spouses I know who met their significant other at a con, renn faire or D&D group. Big Bang Theory is like the movie Waiting: they think they're emphasizing things when the truth is well past what's portrayed. It wasn't written for that group; it was written for a mainstream audience who's outside of it. For something more accurate, read Kitchen Confidential or watch some Dungeon Dudes.

Thanks, @Axtremus and @taiwan_girl .

[Catseye3]

Found this, and it reminded me of your late trevails. Written by Arthur Conan Doyle in The Sign of Four. Don't know if he was referring to himself or a character in the book:

"“My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.”

[Aqua Letifer]

Yeah, it's Holmes' quote.

[89th]

Nice update, man. I know personally how your values line up and am thrilled it leads to improved satisfaction. I have a feeling I know which employer this freelance work would be for... cool stuff.

I agree priorities change when you have a family and kid, and agree with @Mik that there’s a good balance out there. It’s One of the nice things about this country, and I know some other countries as well, that you can pursue both happiness and gainful employment.