New Glasses, But Not New Job

Well, like a fat bridesmaid with a skin condition, the insurance company that I interviewed for yesterday sent me an email today stating that I was not insurance material. It wasn't really a surprise and at the same time, it was slightly disappointing. I think if the job was indeed going out on the field and settling claims fairly, and to the customer's favor, then I would probably do well. But the reality of it is, I would be working for the company, therefore I should be trying to save the company money, not giving it away.

I guess I'm free to talk about it now, but it's nothing new from what I mentioned yesterday, except that the insurance company was Farmers Insurance. There's even an entire website dedicated to putting the company down. And after reading some of the job descriptions, I wasn't really sure if it was something that I could do. I mean, I'm a big pansy. I like to entertain, nuture, and grope. I'm not really the cutthroat type at all. I guess it's back to the job boards.

------



So I got my new glasses today, and I feel like I'm looking through magnifying glasses. They look better than my current glasses in the sense that they don't make me look like a tard, but they feel very different. As the folks at Lenscrafters said, they're the trendy look. I'm thinking, "I'm not trendy or current. I'm reliable and boring!"

The new Ray Bans are a little odd, and everytime I look in the mirror I try to see if the rectangular shape does indeed enhance my face. Or make it stand out. It sure is giving me a heck of a headache though. I'd imagine I'll be braindead by the end of the day.

------

Speaking of dead things, my wife accidently closed the car door on her pinkie today, and it's a gorgeous shade of black now. She was hopping in pain up and down the street, and her Dance of Pain was too animated for me not to laugh insensitively. Hey man, picture Napolean (she was holding her damaged hand under her jacket, so she looked like Napolean in stance) hopping around looking like she was doing a rain dance with a full bladder on hot coals. It's all that.

Well, I have to go stare at something neutral to calm my brain now. Maybe a wall or something. That sounds good.

Fun with Photo Booth

Some are older, and some taken today with my new glasses. I used an EyeToy Camera for the PS2 for this.

The Interview

That's pretty much been the gist of my day. The job that I applied for two days ago has an all day on-site interview event today, so I spent most of last night slightly off because my sleep schedule was completely out of whack. Then I woke up today, kinda took my time, got into my monkey suit, and went for the interview. So I was thinking that they'd be some delay, maybe a bit of waiting time, but no. This other guy and I who went in at the same time got signed in, and whisked away to another room with computers. Introductions were passed around as I practiced my art of "instantly forgetting names as soon as I learn them." I was just born with it.

Anyway, I felt pretty manly for a second because I had already filled out an online application, and the other guy hadn't. So I got whisked away to another room with more computers, and I had to go through a profile program thingy. I didn't worry too terribly much about it, since I've taken them before. They ask you pretty basic questions to weed out the doofuses and whatnot. So I got signed in, and I'm taking the first part of the test.

It's a personality test of sorts. Do you lose your temper? Do you volunteer to help? When was the last time you volunteered to help someone else, etc. I answer the questions somewhat honestly, though I'm pushing the confidence bit a little more than I really am. No one wants to hire a mouse. Especially one who seeks constant approval. So I'm breezing through it, la la la.

The second part was when my edges of my eyes started to throb. It was to do with following policies and rules, but no, it wasn't that simple. It was deductive policing sorting. If a person has Health Plan 1, they can either have Dental 1, but not 2. Optical Plan 1 or 2. So if they had a pet monkey with rabies, what plan must they have to get their shot? That sort of thing. And they threw different situations, not just the health care bit. I struggled a bit through it, having to utilize that peanut that's been dormant in my noggin. There was also a time limit before the program kicked you out, so I couldn't use all my toes to aid with the questions.

The third part I was bleeding from my ears, and I suffered a fair amount of hair loss. It was freakin' problem math. Percentages, fractions, all in story form. I had to quickly remember how the hell to do math, and it's really tough when there's a timer and you have to keep wiping your nosebleeds and tears from your face. I even got kicked out from the last two questions because I had run out of time.

I thought I was done for, and yeah, I was damned surprised when she told me that I had passed. By then I was so happy that it was over that I didn't even care why I was even there. But they lead me to another room and three managers proceeded to mentally rape my fragile mind with THE INTERVIEW.

I stuttered, stumbled, and mumbled my way through the interview, and though they didn't seem overly impressed with me, they didn't hate me either. It's a matter of, if the rest of the day everyone sucked big ass, then I might have a chance. They said they'll keep in contact with me, which means I'm not out of the game, but I'm not in the ball park quite yet.

So I got home, being unable to really focus on anything after that experience, and later tonight, I was reading about the position online. People who have worked for and with claims adjusters. The news was downright depressing. The insurance company I applied for has the worst customer service - bottom of the barrel of insurance companies. They leave their customers unhappy. Even worse, there was even a lawsuit filed by its employees against the employer for failing to pay overtime wages in CA. The turnover rate is high, working overtime is common, and the push is to save the company money.

But you know, I'm trying to take this all in stride. I'm not working for the company as of yet, and damnit, if I had to deal with those things, then I'll deal with it then. We'll see what happens.

Job Hunting, Kid Mentality, and Feeling Blue

Okay, can't spend forever blogging - a lot of serious work to be done here.

The miscellany things first.

Using Firefox right now because Safari's in dire need of a software update. It's been freaking out with gmail, blogger, and oh, well, basically everything I use. They'd better do something about it or their going to lose me fast.

Today was a really nice day, in the fifties or something, and the sun was even out. Did I see any of it? No, I had a killer headache that floored me. It's either I didn't get enough sleep - which punishes me by giving me crippling headaches, or I'm sensitive to light, thanks to those nice phobophobic genes that I've inherited from my Mom.

Anyway, after lunch I slept for about four hours, and the rest of the day I'm just feeling a little zombified, looking like it too. I was snappy with the kids, which was a shame because last night we had such fun - it was like hanging out with two mates except I don't usually change my mate's diapers. Anymore.

Back on task.

Yesterday I submitted two applications for full time positions, one at a Apple Retail store as a Creative, and the other to an insurance company. Not selling it, but rather being a claims rep. There's an open job thing with the insurance company tomorrow, so I'll be going there as well. Dunno, a lot of really uninteresting and ill fitting entry level jobs out there. I can't help but feel like I've really screwed things up, venturing back into videography and overbooking my ass. Stress is definitely creeping into my head because the videos are piling up, the money is running low, and the medical bills are oddly adding up quickly. Our electric bill came and I shat blood when I saw it. $230 plus. Who does that? What the hell did we do in the house? I thought I turned off the frickin' time machine before we left for the day. Damn time/space power hog.

-----

The kids have been rather cute - it's always fun to listen to toddlers try to make sense of the world through their words. Often their logic is something so basic and refreshing that I envy them. Other times it makes no sense at all.

Our thing lately is identifying each other.

Wife: (points at Zoe.) What's Alex?

Zoe: Boy-ee!

Wife: (points at Alex.) What's Zoe?

Zoe: I Girl!

Wife: (points at Zoe.) What's Daddy?

Zoe: Daddy a Man!

Wife: (points at Zoe.) What's Mommy?

Zoe: Mommy a Lady!

Wife: (points at Zoe.) What's Ma Ma (Grandma in Cantonese)?

Zoe: Ma Ma Mango!

We don't know where she got that from, or what Grandma is that particular tropical fruit, but there you have it.

The other thing Zoe's been doing is strange introductions.

Alex sits up in the car seat.

Zoe: Oh hi there! What's your name?

Alex: I'm Alex.

They're practicing their social skills, but perhaps the best thing I've heard is them telling each other that "I loves you."

-----

So I got my driver's license renewed, and the damn DOT managed to squeeze 10 bucks for a "late penalty", because my license had expired for four months, and that somehow causes the state to lose money or something. It's just absurd. I haven't scanned my ID yet, but my new photo is atrocious. I'd like to deny that that's my face, but I know that bloated chipmunk who's got chestnuts stuffed in his cheeks staring back at me is indeed, me. It's like I'm doing a permanent Brando impression.

------

But that's it. I think I've got to send out form letters to my clients, informing them of new due dates. I'm screwed and I've gotta get my ass in gear.

Celebrity Lookalike

Oh boy. Aren't we absolutely vain?!