I HAVE AN INTERVIEW!

Yes, folks, yours truly has a job interview.  I am super excited to get this chance.  I have applied to roughly 20 jobs and have received only this interview.  It has been a long process so I hope this is the end of my job hunting journey!

Christmas

There are three shopping days left before Christmas.  And as the nightly news shows scenes of crowded malls and packed highways my thoughts fall on a homeless man that my mom and I encountered on the way to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with my dad.

We were driving through Indianapolis and the GPS got us turned around and we began heading south instead of north.  At the first exit we got off in order to get back on the interstate heading in the right direction.  We happened to be the first vehicle stopped at the stoplight at the end of the exit ramp.  Standing there at the intersection was a homeless man.  He was missing his right leg and using crutches.  He held a sign that said "Homeless and Hungry".  Instinctively, mom and I reached to lock the doors.  But the man looked so sad.  He looked beat down, worn out.  It was at that instant that I knew that the GPS was not at fault for our wrong turn.  We were sent in that direction by God.  I felt it in my heart and so did my mom.  I began scrounging through our purses so that we could give something to this man.  If we had been staying in Indianapolis I think we might have invited him to Thanksgiving dinner.  However, we had to settle for the seven dollars that I had in my wallet.  Mom rolled down her window, handed him the money and he said "God bless you and have a happy Thanksgiving".  Behind my sunglasses, I began to cry. 

During this busy time of year I pray that everyone remembers what Christmas is truly about.  It is a Christian holiday but it is not about being Christian.  God GAVE us His only child not only so we could be forgiven for our sins but also because He loved us.  It is the GIVING that is important.  So this Christmas I ask that everyone, employed or not, give to those you care about and those in need. 

Finding Other Blogs

While I have a lot of time on my hands, I've been trying to find other interesting and helpful blogs to read.  I would like to find something that focuses on friendships.  You know, how to find them, nurture them, help them grow.  Everyone always dwells on finding and keeping sexual relationships, but I find those much easier to deal with.  Friends, on the other hand, are much more difficult.  There is no clearly defined way to begin or end a friendship.  One doesn't typically break-up with a friend, even if that would be appropriate.  If you can't tell I've hit a rough patch with a close friend and am looking for advice to deal with it. 

Movie Friday

During my period of unemployment, my mom and I have resurrected our old tradition of movie Friday.  We started this my last year of law school when a new movie theater opened up down the street and I had each Friday off from classes.  The beauty of movie Friday is that we attend the super early movie that starts anywhere between 10 and 11 am.  It only costs $5, there are plenty of open seats and you get to wear sweatpants!!  Yes, this is the magical draw of movie Friday; I do not have to put on my nice jeans, cute shoes and attractive sweater in the hopes that a single guy will take the seat next to me.  I can be fairly confident that the only other people who are going to be in the theater with us are individuals from the local senior center.  It is AWESOME! 

Unfortunately, movie Friday was put on hold when I took up a part-time job my last semester and continued while I studied for the bar.  Finally after all of our travels this fall, Mom and I settled back into our routine.  Last week we saw Everyone's Fine.  Spoiler alert:  everyone is NOT fine.  This movie was horribly sad and depressing.  And scarily honest.  It was like watching a family down the street, which is probably what made it so hard to sit through.  This week we saw The Blindside.  Although it was also a tearjerker, it was refreshing to see the selflessness that humans are capable of.  I definitely walked away with a renewed faith in my fellow man and a renewed obligation to giving back.  I am super excited for next week because we are seeing Did You Hear About the Morgans?  Finally a movie that should be nothing but funny. 

I will miss movie Friday when I get a job, but it will be well worth the sacrifice.  Hopefully Mom will be willing to trade in movie Friday for movie Saturday!

A Lead!

I finally have a lead on job!  It may not turn out, but it feels good to know that I did so well at a past job that the Director is still thinking about me and my job search.  I would love to work at this place!  The attorneys are great and the dress code is amazing!  (It's always the little things, right?) 

Employment Websites

Question to anyone out there who might read this blog...are employment websites that require a paid membership worth the money?  In my ongoing job search I have ran across many such websites but I am weary about signing up.  Each one promises big returns, like a job in 2 weeks, but there are so many that it is hard to figure out if they are all being truthful.  And even if they are all accurate in their advertising, which one should I go with?  Lawcrossing appears to be the best, but they also charge $49.95 a month if you don't sign up for a 6-, 12-, or 24-month plan.  I understand that if you are just trying to change jobs, and thus still receiving a paycheck from your current one, that this may not be bad.  But for people like me, jobless and with student loan repayment, this is a HUGE financial commitment. 

Christmas Cards

Since the presents are wrapped, yesterday was spent writing Christmas cards.  For me, it was simple.  At least number wise.  I had 15 to mail out.  The difficult part came in writing sentiments.  Does anyone else have a problem doing this?  Or has law school stunted me emotionally so that I don't know how to put feelings onto paper?  What should have taken a half hour took me 2.  I would start with a very merrily written "Merry Christmas" then ... nothing.  Do you tell them to have a Happy Holiday?  But that seems like you might not want others to have a Happy Holiday.  Do you put in a few words about yourself?  "I graduated law school, passed the bar, and now can't find a job!"  But that seems like a little too much information (and it is slightly depressing).  How do you bridge that gap?

I get some Christmas cards that are eloquently written.  They balance the good wishes to me with the information about them and it makes me extremely jealous.  The only way to feel better after opening that card is to open the photo card of a couple with their dogs.  You know the type.  They are married but don't have kids so to get in on the whole photo Christmas card bandwagon they take a photo with their dogs.  Every year that I don't send out that type of card, I feel good about myself.  It's the little things in life, right? 

So in the end, I stuck with the tried and true method of Christmas card signing.  I used an interesting ink color and put two explanation points at the end of "Merry Christmas".  Hopefully my friends will understand that the card itself is a sign of my appreciation of them.  And even better, hopefully they will appreciate the fact that I spared them from the photo card of me and my dog that I could have sent.