I walked in the house this afternoon and checked the counter for my mail, and there was a letter from 1-800 CONTACTS. I figure it’s pretty customary for a company to call you if they want to hire you and send you a letter if not, so right away I prepared myself for the worst. I’ve included a copy of the letter below. Please note: My own commentary is in brackets throughout the letter. 😊

May 12, 2003

Dear Joseph,

Thank you for your interest in the Customer Service position at 1-800 CONTACTS, Inc. We are excited about the large number of people who would like to work with us [because it means you can pick all the really great people and drop the losers like me, right?].

After consideration of all resumes, applicants, and interviewees [is that even a word?] we have arrived at a hiring decision. We try to choose those who best “fit” the job [what are you saying, that I’m fat?] based on experience, skills, etc. At this time, regretfully, we are not able to offer you a position. However, we will keep your resume on file for future openings that match your qualifications [you only said that to be nice].

1-800 CONTACTS is a fast-growing company, and we look forward to expanding our limits [sounds like you have a great company, but if you’re still trying to make me feel better, it’s not working anymore]. Thank you for taking the time to apply for employment with 1-800 CONTACTS [you’re probably only grateful because you’re going to sell all of my personal information to the highest bidder] and best wishes for success in your job search.

Sincerely,

Michelle Cloud
Recruiting/Training Coordinator

I wish I could say I’m angry, but if I was being proactive I would have a job by now. I’m starting to feel really frustrated with the situation, because I know I could get a great job, but what if I’m being too picky? Should I just apply at four thousand places and take the first one that calls me back? Is the job market such that hand picking a job is just not possible? 

It’s official. Tonight I was granted FTP access to the Union server. You can now view the most recent Union beta at www.union.utah.edu/beta.

I spent a couple of hours up at the UPC office today. They did some major remodelling over the weekend. A couple of walls have been removed and the whole office seems a lot less cramped. It also seemed brighter somehow. I think I will really enjoy working there now. It’s a much more comfortable space.

I also mowed the lawn today. UGH 😕. I don’t think it was mowed for over a month. I had to empty the bag almost once every row! I hereby solemnly vow not to let it go this long again. 

In May the flowers start to bloom
And birds begin to sing.
With many colored crest and plume
They celebrate the spring.

The trees begin to sway and dance
When moved by slightest breeze.
And though it’s hard to tell first glance,
The sun seems more at ease.

In May the world is ’wakening;
Indeed a special time.
But though the prose is in full swing,
Don’t misconstrue this rhyme.

For this is not about May trees,
May birds, May flowers fair.
But reason for the placement of
A holiday that’s there.

For when the world was wont to frame
A day our moms to praise.
It chose a month with careful aim;
Ensuring it conveys:

A boundless grace, a beauty sweet,
A kindness true and fair.
A perfect peace, a joy complete,
A love beyond compare.

Today I want to wish my mom a very happy Mother’s Day. I know I’m a pain sometimes, but I just want to let you know you’ve been the best mother anyone could ever hope for. I love you! 

Well, the Kentucky Derby was a lot of fun. As always it lasted less than two minutes, but had an hour and a half of commentary. 😊

Funny Cide is the name of the horse that won. The most notable thing about Funny Cide is that he’s the first horse bred and raised in New York to win the derby since 1929! I was rooting for a horse named Atswhatimtalkinabout, but he didn’t do so well. You can find more information about the derby at kentuckyderby.com. They even have a replay of the whole race in streaming video. 

Well, after finding out that everyone but me (As I type this there are 8 comments on my post from May 2) seems to know that Vector Marketing is not a good place to work, I’m feeling somewhat sheepish. :)

I have now applied at 1-800 CONTACTS, where I could start full-time making $8.50/hr. From what I understand, they have an on site chef, and the food is free on the weekends. On top of that, bread, cereal, fruit, and beverages are always free. They also have massage tables in the break rooms and a fitness center. They require six months of customer service experience and 35 WPM typing skills. I have almost double of both so I’m really hoping they will consider me. The $8.50 would be a pay cut for me, but the full time hours would more than make up for that. They also claim to have “frequent reviews”, so hopefully I could get a raise after being there a while.

Have you heard of this new thing called Trillian? I guess Stuart started using it last week, and the other day a friend at work (Cole) told me he’s been using it and loves it. So I finally decided to download it, and now I’m absolutely hooked. Trillian is a really slick little tool that allows you to log into the four major instant messenger programs (AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN/Windows Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger) all at once. It also has a somewhat decent IRC client built in. I personally think the basic look of Trillian is quite ugly, but the good news is it’s skinnable. The skin I’m using makes Trillian look exactly like MSN Messenger 5.0, so I feel right at home using it. In the past two days I’ve already installed it at work, at home, and at Janene’s house. I will probably install it up at the Union building the next time I am there. If you’re into instant messaging, I fully recommend that you start using Trillian.