January 28, 2011

This was the end of a looong day. One of the craziest days I’ve had in recent memory. Up was down, black was white. Travis and I went to a place in Midtown ordered a pitcher of beer and some not-for-beginners food. I got the deep-fried Buffalo chicken sandwich with fries. For dessert, a cookie with ice cream and whipped cream on top.

I decided to celebrate my new-found employment by taking the day easy. First things first though, I had a barista interview that day to cancel.  After sending off the interview cancellation, I realize that there is a voicemail on my phone. It is from one of the women who works at the place that just hired me. She apologized profusely and said that her father (the CEO of the company, currently on business in Korea) doesn’t want to fill the position they offered me until June. I was furious! I had already canceled an interview. My hopes for a brighter tomorrow had been dashed. Now I had to frantically e-mail the barista  job and ask them if they would still meet with me. I ran down to the bagel store to grab some breakfast before getting ready for my interview. When I get back to the building, my key doesn’t work. Inexplicably at that. I stand there in the freezing cold, jiggling my key in complete confusion. Am I using the wrong key? What the hell is happening here? I buzz apartments in the building, finally finding someone to buzz me in. My keys work on the rest of the doors, just not that all-important first one. I get to my apartment and break down in tears, but I can’t cry! I have an interview! I get myself together, get ready, and head out. I get down to the coffeeshop, still in a frantic state of mind. The manager at the coffeeshop doesn’t interview me FOR AN HOUR! Just because I’m unemployed doesn’t mean I can be treated like that. Finally he sits down and straight-out offers me the job for $7/hour. That’s not even minimum wage in New York. What are tips like? Horrible. He doesn’t even give me a chance to turn him down, he says to come in on Tuesday to train. He gets up to walk away, then turns around and says, “Oh, what’s your name?” What the heck? He didn’t even know who I was? When I finally leave, I realize there is a missed call from the temp agency on my phone. When I finally get a hold of my recruiter he tells me that he had a job for me, but he had to find someone else to take it since I didn’t answer my phone. AAAHHHH!!!! I head home. Again, my key doesn’t work, and this time, no one in the building will buzz me up. I don’t have the super’s number since I’m technically not on the lease. I call Travis all upset. He makes a couple calls, and an old man shows up to let me in. When I get inside my apartment, I call Travis back. I tell him how horrible my day has been. “Deep breaths. It’s okay. More opportunities will come along. I’ll head home in an hour or so, we can do whatever you want tonight. Just relax. It’s okay.” I know this is cheesy, but life can sometimes feel like a roller coaster, but Travis is my seat restraint. I sit down to drink a beer, knit and watch some Law and Order. I almost instantly get a phonecall from this strange foreign doctor who wants me to come in on Sunday to interview with him. I agree and quickly look him up on the internet. There are a slew of reviews that say that he is arrogant, condescending, an asshole. Just what I need, another crazy doctor making me hate my weekday life! An hour later, Travis comes home, again he is calming me down, saying everything will be okay. I’m still upset about my day, but we head out for dinner. As I’m putting my coat on, my phone rings. It’s the guy from the Real Estate company that had hired me the day before. He apologized PROFUSELY for the confusion, but told me that his sister (who had called me that morning) was mistaken and thinking about another position. The position I had been hired for was definitely available and being offered to me. “I don’t want to commit to this to have it taken away from me again,” I say sternly into the phone. “I promise you that will not happen. I’m so sorry for the confusion.” So I took the job. I tell Travis and he laughs, “I’ve never been hired, let go, and re-hired for a job within one day.”
“I don’t know if I’m skeptical or happy about this,” I say.
“You’re happy, okay. You have the job. You are happy.”

So, I guess I’m happy.