Overworked and Underpaid

Greg and I are still struggling along in this economy; I’m working full time to pay our bills and Greg’s part time job is covering play money/ soon to be saving for rent money. Every year we go camping with our friends in some random spot in the NW and this year is no exception. I really can’t overstate how excited I am to have a few days off from work to hang out and get silly in the forest.

One problem that often comes up is food. Last year we tried a co-op situation, which ended up with me cleaning and Robin cooking. That sucked. We’re going to try again this year by ourselves and see how it goes.

Menu:
Thursday dinner - dutch oven chicken pot pie, premixed salad
Friday breakfast - premade pancakes, eggs and sausage + coffee
lunch - leftover pot pie + chips
dinner - (light dinner)
Saturday breakfast - cereal (cinnabunnies?) + coffee
lunch - the rest of the bread, cheese, fruit, chips
dinner - dutch oven french onion soup
Sunday breakfast - oatmeal + coffee

Things we need:
Paper plates, forks etc
tub for things that we have to wash
2 gallon water x 6 (washing + drinking)
12 pack soda
24 pack beer
Booze with Robin and Este
Soap + sponges + paper towels
dutch oven
frying pan
knife + cutting board
water bottles x4
cups for booze
ice (dry)
box for dry goods
cooler for fresh goods
two loaves of bread

So, Kris said that he’d be here by 9am to set me up to work. It’s 9:02 am and I am blogging from my laptop because he has not setup my logins because he is not here yet.  

I got a job I got a job I got a job!

I am the new office manager / bookkeeper / hot drink maker at OpenSourcery. Work starts Thursday.

Hey Greg, now it’s your turn!

While I am waiting to hear back from The International School, I am hopefully having a phone interview today. I whined and cried and Kris mentioned that they need a bookkeeper at OperSourcery. It’s out of my normal range of skills, but I am learning that my degree is absolutely useless and I need to try to look for jobs that I normally wouldn’t. So, we shall see how it goes.

Well, Greg and I finally heard back from the DPO about the jobs via a form email. Both of us were not hired. I think that I am a little bit offended by the way that we were told, both by email and that they were not personalized. There were only 10 people who went in to interview so I really think it’s the least that they could do.

Well, more than a month after applying, The International School in Portland asked me to come in to interview for the position of Administrative Assistant to the head of the school. The interview will be Thursday at 1pm. I’ll probably wear exactly the same outfit as the DPO interview because it was very comfortable and cute. We have not heard back from the DPO yet and honestly I don’t expect to until Thursday or Friday.  Greg’s resume has been passed on to SEIU.

My first interview, the one for the Regional Field Organizer position at the DPO is finished. I spent 45 minutes speaking with Meredith Wood Smith, the DPO Chairwoman, Trent Lutz, the executive director, and Autumn Wilburn, the field director. It was very relaxed, full of laughing and jokes and fun stories. So, I feel good about it. I think that I did as well as I could and answered questions completely. I hope that they feel the same way that I do. 

I am certain that Greg, once he returns from the East Coast, will post about his talk with Kevin at Our Oregon and the “fucking job fair”. At the beginning of May we both also applied for two openings for Regional Field Organizer at the DPO, thanks to a tip from Lynne (thank you so much!). I felt fairly nervous when I went to the DPO website to check about the job status and saw that the application date was extended, but in the end I have received the coveted interview scheduling form letter! Yes! So, given a choice of Monday to Friday, I chose Tuesday or Wednesday at 11 am. I didn’t want to seem to be putting off the interview, but Greg won’t return until 10:30 Sunday night so I thought Monday morning may be a bit rough. This is a really great job doing more or less what I would like to do with my life for great pay and benefits. I hope that I don’t blow it!

So, things to do (this is my homepage so it’s a great place to make a list): 

1. Haircut
2. Wax eyebrows
3. Buy something to wear! (Or at least a blouse, because I have a nice black skirt)

The job hunt has begun and I have officially sent out 3 resumes. First, of course, to Apple. Tech work is my secret passion and I would love to spend time diagnosing and fixing computers (not to mention employee discount!). Second, Moonstruck Chocolates is looking for a receptionist. This doesn’t seem like a good way to loose weight, but I thought that I would apply anyway. Last, I sent a resume to an A/V provider firm. They do conference and A/V management for hotels in the Portland area. I think I could do that! 

As far as political jobs, I have found many openings on Craigslist but they all seem geared for university students or recent graduates. In any case, my interests do not include fundraising.

With Oregon unemployment at 5.5% in February according to the U.S. Department of Labor, this should be an interesting experience.

As we start hunting for work back home in earnest, we will post about our adventures here. Until then, keep reading Chuhi.