I got up at 8:00am and was ready for my interview at 9:00am. Eric was still sleeping when I left the apartment. I went to APPLE ONE, the employment agency, which is just five minutes away. I got there a few minutes early for my 9:30am appointment.
First, I had to fill out a bunch of forms and sign my name about 30 times. Then, I had to watch a video, while wearing headphones. The video was all about safety on the job, what an employee is and is not allowed to do while on the job, etc. After I watched the video, they said I had to take a test. I figured it was a typing test, or testing me on some software. No, it was a test about the video I had just seen. There were questions like:
What is the proper way to retrieve something from a high shelf? (1) stand on your office chair; (2) get a stepstool; (3) stand on a strong box; (4) all of the above. I guess I don’t have to tell you that the answer was (2). I actually got three questions wrong. Don’t ask me how! I guess I either wasn’t concentrating when I was watching the movie, or I answered the questions too quickly. I asked them which questions I got wrong, because I was dying to know, but they said they couldn’t retrieve the information.
Anyway, after that quiz I was interviewed for about an hour. That went well and the woman who interviewed me thought I would be good for three positions they were trying to fill. She told me I had to take the software and typing tests, but she was sending them to me in an email and I had to take them at home!
She said I had to finish them today. I told her I was a little rusty on EXCEL and POWERPOINT, because I hadn’t used them in a while, so she said she would also send me the tutorial. She said she was also going to send me the tutorial for OUTLOOK, because I had never used it, although it is very similar to the email I currently use.
I came home a little after 11:00am and found Eric laying on the floor watching TV. I was hoping he was either out job hunting or riding. Unfortunately, he was doing neither. I told him that I needed to study the tutorials and take the tests – all in the next few hours. I told him that I really needed to be alone, because I couldn’t concentrate if there were any distractions. I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride, but he didn’t want to, so he just left.
I had no idea where he was going. He did take a printout of addresses I had given him for sprinkler companies in the area. I figured he was going to make some cold calls to see if they were hiring. I noticed after he left that he didn’t take Betty with him and didn’t think he had any way of finding these places without the GPS system, so I didn’t know what he was going to do all afternoon. I called him to tell him to come back and get Betty, but his phone was turned off.
I figured I’d better get started, so I took the tutorial for WORD and then took the test. I got 27 out of 30, which isn’t bad.
Next, I took the tutorial for OUTLOOK. Some of it was similar to regular emails, but the scheduling and calendar features were much more sophisticated. I liked it a lot. There was no test (thank goodness), so then I took the typing test. I typed 99 words per minute with one error. Last time (in December) when I took the typing test for the other agency I did 100 words per minute with no errors, so I actually did better in an office than I did at home!
Next, I took the EXCEL tutorial and then took that test. I got 29 out of 30. It really helped that I took the tutorial first, because a lot of the functions were fresh in my mind. I don’t know that I would do as well tomorrow, because I’ve already forgotten a lot! This kind of software is something that you need to use a lot in order to remember anything.
Last, I took the POWERPOINT tutorial and then took that test. I got 26 out of 30. I was never that great at POWERPOINT, because I didn’t have to do many presentations for my boss, and when I DID, they were very simple, just bullet points or plain text.
I learned a lot taking the tutorials, but I don’t think I’ll remember any of it unless I start to use it soon!
It took me almost three hours to take all the tutorials and tests. I wasn’t done until after 3:00pm. I was exhausted and had a little headache. Too much time staring at the computer and using my brain!
When I was done, I called my sister, Lenae, and spoke to her, my nephew, Eddie, and my niece, Keri. I miss all of them so much and wish they would come visit!
After that I watched today’s episode of DR. PHIL and Eric came home. He told me he went back to the union, hoping to find out about work. The guy he needs to speak to wasn’t there, so he waited around, but the guy never showed up. At least he wasn’t watching TV in the dark.
He asked me how I did on my tests. I told him I did well. He said he wasn’t surprised. He’s so sweet and so supportive of me. I try to be the same for him, but it’s just not working. I can't get him enthused about riding, no matter what I (or anyone else) says.
We watched TV and I worked on the computer, paying bills and answering emails. Eric and I had a long talk. We talked about riding, about my finding a job, about his finding a job. We talked about leaving San Diego and moving to North Carolina. I told him that I was willing to go, if he would make the best of the situation here for the rest of the year. He seemed to hear me, but I don't know if he will be able to do it.
Then, out of the blue, he said he wanted to walk up the block and go to LA DOLCE VITA for dinner. I didn’t really want to indulge in Italian food, but I was so happy he wanted to do SOMETHING that I happily agreed.
We walked up the block and had a delicious dinner. They have a great salad bar with a tomato bisque soup that is to die for. Eric got the chicken cutlet parmigiana and I had lobster ravioli with scallops on top. The creamy sauce on the ravioli and scallops was so delicious. I only ate 2 scallops (and gave Eric the other two) and ate two raviolis, because I was so full from the soup and salad and Eric only ate his spaghetti and a little of his cutlet. We brought the rest home!
When we got back we watched an episode of MONK that neither of us had ever seen. It must have been on this fall when we were still living in the RV and we missed it. What a thrill to see another new episode. The new season just started, so we got to see another new episode on Friday night, while we were in Malibu. We watched it with Jerry and he really liked it!
Eric fell asleep soon after MONK and I stayed up to watch MEDIUM, another favorite of mine. I thought about the interview and the tests and I hope they will find me work very soon. I am also hoping Eric will ride tomorrow. I'm hopeful about the future. I am very optimistic that things will get better very soon.