Day Five Hundred and Sixteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Worked on TV Show

I woke up early to try to get some cleaning and clearing out done. I didn’t manage to get too much done though. Although I don’t have to leave too early since my call time is at 10:30 AM, I did want to make sure that my car is clean.

They are renting my car as a picture car again. I will get $35 for that. The car will be parked but can be seen in the background. Sometimes, I’ll have to actually drive around and other times, it will just be parked. They put on fake licence plates over my own if necessary.

A while ago when I had brought it to set, I hadn’t washed the car and the transportation guy was upset. There were other cars that hadn’t been washed either. So since then, I always make sure that it is spotless when I know that I will be getting paid as a picture car.

Busy Traffic

Although I had left in plenty of time to get to set, traffic was bad. It wasn’t really rush hour and yet it was slow going. There are still construction sites blocking the roads even though you would think that by now, they would be finished that kind of outdoor work. I did get to set ten minutes early though so I was fine.

There were only around twenty extras today. Some of them had started earlier in the day. Only the six drivers, like me didn’t have to come in until later. I recognized a couple of other people who had worked as a driver the last time.

Waiting in Extras Holding

They didn’t need us right away so I spent the time reading my Voiceovers for Dummies book and chatting with a fellow extra. My voice over class starts this week so I want to read up on it as much as possible.

At one point, one of the background took out his guitar to show one of the stars of the show. There was an impromptu brief concert for us. This particular person is quite talented. Although I haven’t been to one of his concerts yet, I do get emails from our mutual agent about the gigs. I was glad that I got a chance to finally hear him.

Before long, it was lunch so we never did get called to work. We had a really great meal from the catering truck. This particular catering company always does a really good job and I look forward to working on this show, just for that very reason!

Brief Work

They finally called us to do a little work later in the afternoon. Luckily, it wasn’t raining. It looked like it might start to rain. It was chilly though and the wind made it seem colder. I was bundled up in at least 4 layers so I was fine.

All we had to do was do a bit of street walking. We would cross the street and then stop and look at something in a shop window. By the time we did that, ‘cut’ was called and we had to do it again and again. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. We probably did that particular scene with maybe 8 takes only.

As we approached sunset, we knew that we would be getting wrapped soon. Sure enough, as soon as it got dark, they decided to call it a day and let us go home. I was glad. I wasn’t sure if we would be working after dark or not. If it’s an exterior scene, they are at the mercy of the sunset time.

We got wrapped. I suspected that it would be a short day. I didn’t care because I would get my 8 hour minimum plus the car rental fee anyway. I waited for them to take off the fake licence plates and then signed out.

Visit My Aunt

Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to stop in on my Aunt. I didn’t want to call her until I knew that I would be finished. I went to get some take out fried chicken and brought it over. It was nice to have this unexpected visit with her. After that, I drove home. I was happy that I got a day’s pay and the car rental fee today.

Day Five Hundred and Fifteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to UBC Volunteer Gig

It was a beautiful sunny morning again as I ran uphill to UBC. I was happy and managed to run at a fairly fast pace. I wondered how much more of this beautiful weather we will have before it turns to rain.

Call from Extras Agent

I checked my phone messages and saw that my agent had called me. I called her back and she said that she wanted to book me for tomorrow on a show that I often work on. I was pretty happy to hear that.

I still have one cheque to pick up from my agent and then I will have this one to come. I will also get the money from my weekend job as well. It’s not a fortune but it’s better than nothing.

Participated in UBC Medical Study

I had signed up to participate in a UBC medical research study a few weeks ago and the day has finally arrived. This study is for Parkinson’s research. I have to admit that I was inspired to do this study because of Michael J Fox and Linda Ronstadt.

This study was a little more involved than the usual research studies I volunteer for. This would require at least three hours of my time. I booked it on the same day as my volunteer gig since it would take place at the UBC hospital.

I was going to get a PET scan. The researchers wanted to compare brains with Parkinson’s disease with normal brains. This would entail my lying on my back and having my head being scanned. They put a mold over my head that hardened into a mask which would hold my head in place while the scan was going.

Some people feel a little claustrophobic and I have to admit that I did feel panicky at times. Putting my head in a small scanner was fine at first but then later, I did feel confined. I didn’t want to not finish the test, so I concentrated on distractions and drifted off to sleep. I kept thinking that I was awake and conscious but in reality, I did sleep a bit so it made the time go faster.

Before long, I was woken up by the researcher. I was so surprised that 90 minutes went by quickly. I thought I was conscious the whole time, but I had fallen asleep. They gave me the mask in case I wanted to decorate it or whatever. After I completed the study, I felt good. I was eager to run home.

Ran Home

After I finished the PET scan, I ran home. It was still gloriously sunny and the leaves were beautiful colors. The golfers were out in ‘full swing’ but not at their best. I managed to pick up 3 golf balls that they hit out of the course!

I don’t know why but I was really tired when I was running home. I was running at a much slower pace at a slight downhill. I ran at a faster pace going uphill this morning! I wonder if the radioactive drugs in my system were affecting me. The researchers did mention that I should drink lots of water to help flush them out of my system but they didn’t say anything about them affecting me physically. It’s doubtful that they would have thought I’d be running 6 miles home though either!

No Call Back for TV Commercial

I had emailed my friend to see if he or his wife would be working tomorrow with me. They are not booked. I also asked him if his wife got a call back for the TV commercial we had both auditioned for. He said that she got the callback and was just awaiting the details.

I knew then that I did not get a callback and that made me sad. I had really hoped that I would get at least a callback. If I haven’t heard by now, I know that I was not on the short list.

I am happy for my friend, if I’d want anybody to get that commercial, I’d rather it go to her than anybody else. She is quite successful with booking TV commercials. She has chosen to remain non-union which means she can also work on non-union commercials if she wants to. I can’t do any non-union work.

I did check off the box that asked if I was willing to do extra work on the commercial so there’s always that hope. They won’t be filming it for two weeks so I can cross my fingers for that.

Day Five Hundred and Fourteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Cleaning and Clearing

I continued on with my cleaning and clearing out project this morning. I didn’t have much chance to do much of anything on the weekend since I was working. I managed to fill some of my closet with the clothing I had taken out of it when it was being repaired. I was able to prune some of it down and put it in my donation bags.

I still have a long way to go but as long as I keep at it, I should be able to meet my goal of discarding a lot of it by the time my clutter organization class ends in early December. My next step will be to clear out my entertainment unit and place a free ad in Craigslist.

Ran to Police Station

I desperately needed a run today. I hadn’t been able to run for three days and I was chomping at the bit. I had to apply for a criminal record check at the police station so I thought I’d do the short run there. It was a fairly flat course and I was able to run at a nice pace.

I needed to get the criminal record check in order to volunteer at a school for Junior Achievement. This was the first time I’d ever needed a criminal record check. I guess this particular school where I am going to make a presentation requires them. The BC government just announced that volunteers will no longer have to pay for these types of criminal record checks but it won’t come into effect until after I need it.

Free Movie Screening, Dallas Buyers Club

I ran to the movie theater that was screening the free movie preview of the Dallas Buyers Club. I really wanted to see this movie because there has been a lot of Oscar buzz for the performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. They both lived up to the hype.

This movie is based on a true story. Matthew McConaughey lost 50 pounds and Jared Leto lost 30. They both play AIDS patients. They made a remarkable transformation into the people they portrayed. I’m really glad that I got to see this movie.

Chat with Old Co-worker

I invited my old co-worker to the preview screening so that we could catch up. We hadn’t seen each other in almost a year. The last time we had talked, she had been completing her studies and working on a contract position with the federal government.

Now, a year later, she has completed her course and the contract has ended, so she’s looking for a job. She hasn’t started her job search in earnest yet. I thought I’d get some tips from her about job hunting. We are both over 50 years old and have several years of experience in the financial services industry. We face the same kind of challenges.

We both used to work together in the financial services industry many years ago. After our firm closed the office in Vancouver, she went to another firm. She was there for four years before getting laid off. This was at the start of the recession.

She got a package from the firm and then was able to collect employment insurance. By the time she decided to start the job search, it had been a year and a half since she last worked. With all of her contacts and experience she was able to get six interviews. Unfortunately, none of them turned into job offers.

What she did say was that she discovered that work gaps were the worst thing to have on a resume, recession or no recession. She was told by somebody that job seekers who had just gotten out of prison had a better chance of getting a job than those with long periods of unemployment. We laughed about that but that really startled me. If that’s the case, then I’m in trouble.

Despite 14 years of experience in the financial industry, she was discouraged that she couldn’t get a job there anymore. She said that the industry had changed so much. There were so many mergers lately which turned into loss of jobs. Of the positions that remained, the people were required to do much more work to make up for the lost positions. She decided to go back to school so she could get into another industry.

So here she is now. She finished her program and is now looking for a legal administration position. What amazes me is her sincere optimism. She has the wide-eyed positive attitude of a young grad. I could really learn from her. If any employer can recognize what I see, they’ll be glad to hire her.

Day Five Hundred and Thirteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Early Morning Bus Again

I got up early again to catch the bus to across town to BCIT, a technical college to go to my acting gig. This time, I was a lot less anxious because I knew how long it would take and knew where I was going.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I regretted that I would be missing my weekly run and my free yoga class at Lululemon. But I don’t often have much work these days, so I have to take advantage of any work I can get!

Second Day of Acting Gig

I got to BCIT in plenty of time again. This time I felt like an old pro and was chatting away with my friend before we began. I was paired up with a different evaluating pharmacist than yesterday. He was just as nice to work with as yesterday’s one.

In addition to the acting scenario that I would do with the pharmacist, today I provided a little feedback to them. I can’t provide feedback on the answers that they give since I know nothing about pharmacy but I can comment on their communication skills. For the most part, they were all friendly but professional so I didn’t have much to comment on. If anything, they were a lot friendlier than the ones we encounter here in Canada!

Our scenario today was more difficult than what I did yesterday. Today, I played a Mom picking up a prescription for her baby daughter. The pharmacists had to do an information intake where they ask me several questions that they need answered in order to fill the prescription.

Then, they consult with their pharmacy reference book to check the prescription. The prescription that they are given was incorrect and they are supposed to notice the mistake. Then they are supposed to say that they have to call the physician to have the duration of the medication corrected.

The first pharmacist picked up on the error right away and did the scenario flawlessly. The evaluating pharmacist and I thought that this would be the same with the others, but in the end, very few of them did it correctly. I was surprised with the different outcomes they came up with. It gave me a sobering thought as to the gravity of what could happen when an error is made by either the doctor or the pharmacist.

Today went a little faster than yesterday. Since there were no lunch places open on campus today, the company brought in pizza. It was eaten up quickly. We had some time to relax before we went to do the afternoon session. We had had 17 pharmacists in the morning and now the afternoon we would have the remaining 13.

The afternoon went a little slower than I had hoped. Finally, we were finished. In the two days, we had gone through 60 scenarios. I really hoped that the pharmacists were helped by this two-day course. Their exams are in two weeks.

I was chatting with one pharmacist who turned out to be from Egypt. I remembered when I was in Cairo years ago and got sick. I was taken to a pharmacy and was surprised to discover that the pharmacist there was able to give me medication that would have been prescribed here. I told the pharmacist that I thought that he was the best (he was) and wished him good luck on his exam. He told me that he had failed the first two times which surprised me. He seemed like such a nice guy, I really hope he passes this time.

Quick Trip to the Mall

After I signed out, I decided to make a quick stop at the mall. I rarely ever go to malls but since I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d just have a quick walk around.

I didn’t stay there long. There were simply too many people around. I guess I’m not used to the crowds. The only mall I go to is the one where I go for my free yoga class and when I go, it’s before the mall opens, so there aren’t many people around.

Despite it being Sunday, the skytrain and bus home was crowded as well. I was really getting weary so I was glad when I got home. I’m really glad that I got to work the two days and I hope I can work for the firm again when they do another course in the spring.

Day Five Hundred and Twelve of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Early Morning Bus

I got up early to catch the bus to across town to BCIT, a technical college. I was excited because I have two days of work this weekend. Today is the first day. A few months ago my fellow acting friend forwarded me an email about this gig.

This firm simulates part of the pharmacy exam. Foreign students are tested with simulated scenarios between pharmacist and patient. The examining board evaluates these pharmacists on how they interact with the patients, whether they react correctly.

The firm hires actors to play the patient. The actor is given a scenario and acts out with the pharmacist. There is a bit of improvisation involved since we go along with how the pharmacist reacts to what I say and how they proceed.

There are other gigs like this for other medical professionals as well. Again, the actor is given a scenario and the student or professional are evaluated on their diagnostic abilities and how they deal with the patient.

The firm had asked me if I had acting experience in this kind of work. In the past, I have played hospital patients on TV and movies. And I was also a mystery shopper, which is similar. I was hired and looked forward to working this gig!

First Day of Acting Gig

I got to BCIT in plenty of time. All of the actors and evaluating pharmacists were in a room to sign up and get some training. There were at least a couple of other actors that I recognized in addition to my friend.

The people who were taking this course were pharmacists from outside of Canada. In order to practice in Canada, they are required to do an exam. For whatever reason, there is a fairly high failure rate for these foreign students. This firm provides them with practice scenarios just like the real exam. After the pharmacists take this course, they increase their chance of passing considerably.

This is similar to prep courses that prepare students for exams like GMAT, MCAT, etc. This firm specializes in this verbal pharmacy exam and provides students with the several actors and pharmacists that the real exam would have.

Every room had an actor and evaluating pharmacist. Once a buzzer rings, the pharmacist enters the room and has seconds to read the scenario before the actor knocks on the door and it begins. This is similar to a real-life example when a patient approaches the desk at a pharmacy or drugstore and the pharmacist counsels the patient.

The first pharmacist that entered was from Japan. I only knew this by her name and accent and the fact that I used to live there. She was extremely nervous and read the scenario wrong. It took her a while before she calmed down and was able to do the scenario correctly. We went back and forth and then a bell rang signally that it was over.

Then, the evaluating pharmacist would provide the pharmacist with feedback. In the real exam setting, the evaluating pharmacist would not provide feedback, but would only be writing down their evaluation. This was a valuable part so that the pharmacist would know what they were doing right, wrong and how they could improve. The bell would ring and then they go to the next station and do a different scenario with a different actor and evaluating pharmacist.

Today, my scenario was easy. I played a pharmacy technician who had overstepped their bounds and was counselling a patient even though I am not licensed to do so. The pharmacist was required to act as a managing pharmacist and make me understand what was wrong and make sure I would not to do that again.

It was interesting to meet all of these pharmacists. They were from all over the world. I felt humbled because I know how difficult it is to get a pharmacy degree. I know I couldn’t have done it. They were pharmacists in their own country and then they came to Canada with the hopes of practicing here but first must pass this difficult exam.

It was a bit of a grueling schedule, for the pharmacists and also for us. It was easy for the actors and evaluating pharmacists because we had the same scenario for the whole day. The pharmacists were thrown a completely different scenario every seven minutes. We didn’t have any break until lunch time. After a short lunch, we did the same thing with more pharmacists for the rest of the day. I really enjoyed this acting gig! I will be working tomorrow, doing the same thing, with a different scenario.

Big Clean Up

After I got home, I needed to relax and unwind from the day of work. After a while I did some more cleaning and clearing up of stuff. I managed to get rid of 3 large bags of garbage and 3 bags of recycling. I also went to one of my stalls in the parking garage and swept up around it. There was a lot of leaves and dust and it took me a while.

I felt really proud that I was able to get rid of so much in a short time tonight. I have a lot more to get rid of but every time I manage to throw things away, I feel as if I’m accomplishing something.

Day Five Hundred and Eleven of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Donation Day

I woke up early this morning to do some last-minute cleaning and gathering of donations for the Salvation Army and First United Church. I had intended to donate on Monday, but I didn’t get my act together until today. I had bags of toiletries, books and clothing again this week.

I managed to get a car trunk full of stuff to donate today. Some of it had come from my friend. When I dropped it off at the church, one of the volunteers said that she remembered me from last week. She asked me if all of this was from a group, but I said no, just me and some from my friend.

She thanked me profusely and it made me feel good. I resolved to donate even more the next week. Now that the cold weather is here, I have more of a motivation to find my winter clothes to donate.

Canadian Citizenship Ceremony

Today was my old co-worker’s Canadian citizenship ceremony. I had gone to other friends’ citizenship ceremonies in the past and was happy to do so. Besides her boyfriend, her boss, another old co-worker of mine, was also there. It was nice to see them both.

Another friend who had gone through the same ceremony last year had said that it had been a short ceremony, but this one was quite long. At the two-hour point, I knew that my parking time was almost over so I had to leave. I just missed getting a ticket, the parking attendant was walking close to my car but stopped when he saw me.

I was glad that I went. It was so touching to see these new Canadian citizens. It made me proud to be Canadian even though I could barely remember the words to the national anthem. I took lots of photos and even video for my friend so that her family overseas could see it.

Dropped Off Keys

I dropped off my new exterior key to my friends who hold a set for me. My friend lost his full-time job over a year ago. He had been looking for another full-time job but I was told that he has abandoned that idea and has begun his own company. I’m not sure exactly what it is he does but he does seem optimistic and content.

I wonder if I should consider self-employment more seriously. I have tried to a home-based eBay business but it never generated the kind of income that I could from a full-time job. The advantages are obvious, the flexibility of a schedule being foremost in my mind, but I don’t know if I could find anything that I could that would make me enough money.

Maybe I can get some inspiration and tips from this friend. I will keep an eye on how things are doing with him. It’s a shame that I missed the small business exhibition yesterday. It might have given me some good ideas.

Blood Donation

In addition to the bags of clothing, books and toiletries donated this morning, I went to the blood services to donate blood. The last time I tried, I got rejected because my iron was a little low. Since then, I asked my doctor, who was not that concerned but said that it was okay for me to take iron supplements.

This time, I was told that I had a healthy iron level and could donate. I was finished in short order. I had read an article in some running magazine that runners were susceptible to low iron levels. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to keep running but still be able to donate blood on a regular basis too.

Day Five Hundred and Ten of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Picked up Set of Keys and US Mail

It was another beautiful sunny day. I had a lot of errands to do today. First, I drove to my friend’s home to pick up my US mail. I hadn’t seen him since his wedding a month ago.

My friend had lost his job a few months ago. He had been applying to lots of jobs since but has not been able to find anything. I asked him how his job hunt was going but he said that he has put it on hold. I guess he can’t be too concerned about finances that much because they are going on a honeymoon to Hawaii this weekend.

I asked him if he has deposited his wedding gifts into the bank yet. I gave them a cheque but I have not noticed it in my bank account. He said that he has not. I was surprised to hear that. Why wouldn’t somebody deposit cash and cheques right away after a wedding? It’s been almost a month since the wedding! So that means I have less money than I thought. I’m glad I asked so I’ll make sure that I won’t go overdrawn on my account.

I then drove to my building’s management company so that I could get copies of the new key to my exterior door. We have been having break-ins so they decided to change the locks. They had scheduled two times where I could exchange the keys at the building, but the first time, it was taking forever before I had to leave. The next time, I would not be at home. The re-key would be soon, so I decided to just make the trip to their office. And besides, their office is close to where I had to pick up my mail. I’m glad that I got those errands out-of-the-way.

Car Trouble

While I was driving, my car went into neutral. I was going up a bit of an incline and I was losing ground fast. I got all panicky because there was somebody behind me. I was able to get my car into the right lane but wasn’t sure what to do. I finally decided to shift it into first. That got my car going again.

I was freaking out a bit because of this. Why was my car going out of gear? Was this a serious problem? I decided to drive straight to my mechanic’s. Luckily, he was able to take a look at it right away.

In the end, he did not seem overly concerned about it. He said that this being an old car, 1985, it was not unusual for it to experience little hiccups. He checked my oil too and said that all seemed to be okay. I was relieved to hear that everything was probably okay. In any case, I decided to put my car back in our parking garage.

The whole time I was so anxious and worried. The last thing that I need to worry about right now is car trouble. As it is, I’ve put my oil leak problem on hold until early next year hoping that I’ll have a job by then. But I can’t hold it off forever.

Picked up Movie Pass

I ran over to a friend’s office to pick up a movie pass. I got an email from her asking if I was interested. I was! Her office is not too far from me. I felt pretty good running this afternoon. I still felt a little pressure in my Achilles tendon area.

Picked up Junior Achievement Package

From there, I ran downtown. Although it was fairly sunny, there were pockets of fog. I really noticed it as I ran across the bridge. I reached the downtown Junior Achievement office to pick up a course package.

I also needed to get a special letter so that I could request a criminal record check. The next school that I will be presenting the financial literacy course requires this check. Once I have the letter, I can apply at the police department.

Too Late for Small Business Fair

I had signed up for a small business fair that was to be at the Fairmont hotel. I would only be able to visit the exhibitors before it closed. When I got to the Fairmont hotel, I discovered something I didn’t know, there are three Fairmont hotels downtown!

The first Fairmont hotel was not the one. I had asked a hotel staff member and he acted a little arrogant. I went to the second hotel and it wasn’t that one either. I can’t believe that I didn’t write down the address. Finally, I found a paper that had advertised the fair. It confirmed that it was being held at the third Fairmont hotel.

By the time I had reached the fair, it was over. I couldn’t believe it. I heard a little bit of the last speaker before everybody started to pack up. I looked for the exhibitors hall and there, too, they were dismantling their booths. I can’t believe that I missed this event just because I didn’t realize that there were three different Fairmont hotels!

I was a little choked that I had missed this fair. I would have liked to have seen booths based on small business. I have been to these fairs before and they are usually interesting and helpful.

Attended The Mid-Life Affair Health Show

I met up my friend to attend the Mid-life Affair Health Show at the Trade and Convention Centre. I won a contest for two tickets to this show. Regular price was $79.99 each! I had heard of this show and would have made plans to go, had the tickets not been that high!

This show was good but I doubt that I would have attended if I hadn’t won two tickets. There was a healthy turn out, despite the tickets being so expensive. It went quite late into the evening and I was tired after all of the errands that I had done today. I was glad to go home after it all.

Day Five Hundred and Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Woke to Gloriously Sunny Day

I was really happy to see the sun this morning. I ran to my friend’s to pick up my keys. They hold an extra set for me. Because of security issues, our building is re-keying the outer door. I have to get my two sets of keys from my friends so I can exchange them for new keys.

Ran to Class

Although my Achilles tendon was giving me pain, I resolved to run to class, especially since the weather was so nice. I managed to zone out any pain or pressure and just enjoy the scenery.

I heard on the news that Vancouver has had over two weeks of consecutive non-rain days. Considering that this is October already, that is quite a big deal to us! When it’s not raining, I can run faster and am not distracted with the rain and wet ground. Running in sunny weather does really make me happier, too.

Clutter Organization Class

We had a full house at the clutter class today. Usually one or two people are missing for whatever reason. I have not missed a class. At this point, I’m really trying to make an effort to go because any encouragement that I might get to deal with my clutter problem the better.

I didn’t get to do as much organizing as I had hoped to do this week. I also failed miserably in trying to stop myself from acquiring new things to add to the clutter in my home. We are required to document our progress. I don’t know why I seem to revel in acquiring things. Our class pointed out that it didn’t matter if we acquired free things or spent money for things, it was the accumulation that was the problem.

Quite a few psychological issues of mine have been revealed because of my hoarding problem. I have always had a mild OCD problem. I get all frustrated because my quest for perfectionism makes me dwell on the organizational aspect of it instead of the disposing of things right away. I also have an ADHD problem. I will try to work on organizing and disposing but will get distracted with something else, causing me to abandon the job at hand. Most of us in the class have these and other problems.

Ran to Massage Therapy Appointment

After class, I ran straight downtown for my appointment at the massage therapy academy. It was a little more crowded on the sidewalks because it was after school and work for some people. It was still a beautiful sunny day by the time I got there.

I was lucky to get a free appointment with one of the students. Tonight’s student is more advanced than my previous ones. She will complete the program in just two months. I could tell the difference right away. Whereas the other students were a little more hesitant, this one knew right away what the therapy would be for my Achilles tendon and hamstring pain. She had the confidence to do the massage therapy quickly and unhesitatingly. I did feel better at the end of the session.

Attended Opening of The Running Room

I rushed to my neighborhood to go to the opening of The Running Room store. There was a run, a 5 K or 2.5 K. It would cost $10 and all the proceeds would be going to charity. In the end I did not sign up since this massage therapy appointment came up.

I went to the opening to finally meet the founder of The Running Room, John Stanton. The Running Room is a retail store for runners. It sells everything you could ever imagine needing for running. There are several stores and he flies all over visiting races and stores. He’s also a best-selling author of running books, of which I have a few. He is really a running visionary and I had wanted to meet him for a long time.

He was a very nice guy and I took a few photos. I told him that I couldn’t race because of my injuries and he presented me with a medal anyway. I was really thrilled to meet him and I’m glad that I came to this opening.

Hope Turns to Reality with Amazon

Yesterday, I had been so excited about the prospect of working for Amazon in downtown Vancouver! Today, news reports said that there would be 100 job openings, not the 1000. I was disappointed.

I went to the job postings page again and was dismayed to see only the highly technical jobs there. I wondered if they would ever post any support jobs. How could a huge building like that only house highly technical IT jobs?

Still, I’m going to keep watch on the website. Although they might only be initially hiring 100 people, they building does have capacity for 1000. Surely I could find some job that I’m be appropriate for! I can only hope.

Day Five Hundred and Eight of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to UBC Volunteer Gig

It was another foggy morning when I began my run to UBC for my volunteer gig. I couldn’t complain though, because at least it wasn’t raining. We have had foggy weather for quite a few days now. I wore my head lamp while running just in case some driver did not notice me crossing streets.

I was happy to run uphill to UBC. I felt a little pain in my Achilles tendon and in my upper hamstring but not enough to stop. I just felt great running at a good pace and getting my blood pumping.

When I arrived at UBC, I was given a textbook on the American revolutionary war to read. I had a choice between that textbook and one on metaphysics. I almost laughed when they offered me that one! So history it would be.

This session, I was trying to be a little more aware of the mic positioning when recording. Although I’ve recorded books in a recording booth for several years, I think it will be different to do voice over commercial work. I considered shaking it up a bit and reading in a different voice or accent but didn’t want to annoy the visually impaired student who would be listening to my recording. I’ll be starting my commercial voice over course soon.

Good Run Home

After I finished my session, I came out to sunshine! I was so surprised that the fog had burned off. As I ran home, I wished I had packed my sunglasses after all. I didn’t experience as much pain when I was running on a slight decline and I wonder why.

I didn’t encounter any fellow runners on the way home, but there were several cyclists. Sometimes I wish I could get back into cycling so that I could even entertain a thought of entering a triathlon but then I remember the several times I was almost hit when I tried to cycle to work. That was years ago and I still haven’t summoned up my nerve to try again.

Announcement of Amazon Office Opening

I was quite elated when I read about Amazon opening an office here in downtown Vancouver. The article said that they would be occupying a large new building downtown and that they would be hiring over a 1000 people.

They also mentioned that this building would exceed the size of the new Hoot Suite office on the east side. The Hoot Suite building and the recent job fair was a big splash in the media. I wasn’t really aware of what they did until I asked my friend if he tweeted 24/7? He said that Hoot Suite allows him to schedule his tweets whenever he wanted. Doh! I had no idea! I’m such a newbie with twitter. Anyway, it did give me a better idea of what Hoot Suite is about. Maybe some day I will feel confident to apply there.

I went to the Amazon website to see if they have posted any job openings yet. Right now, there are only highly specialized, highly technical job openings. I was disappointed. I couldn’t even understand the job listings even despite that useless IT certificate I have, too.

Still, I still pinned on to the hope that there might be some ordinary jobs in that new building. I decided that I would keep an eye on the Amazon job postings from now on. With all of my years on eBay and buying on Amazon–surely that would count for something?

Is a Reunion Worth it?

I was trying to think of ways that I could get an ‘in’ into Amazon. I remembered that an old boyfriend from years ago worked as a VP at one point. I remember being surprised to see that. When I was going out with him, he was a lawyer who specialized in maritime law.

I wondered if it would be weird to contact him. He lives in Seattle and I am going there next month. I wondered if he would think that I was just contacting him to try to get back together, which is not on my mind whatsoever. I have to admit that I would be curious to see how his life had turned out. But I would not want to give him the wrong impression.

I checked out his LinkedIn account and saw that he has not been with Amazon for over ten years now though he did still belong to some Amazon alumni type of group. In the end I decided to just forget it. It’s just not worth it.

Ran to Pick Up Contest Win

I was happy to find out that I had won two tickets to a health show, called The Midlife Affair. I decided to run to the radio station to pick up the tickets. The tickets cost $79 and I’m not sure why.

It is a show at the trade and convention center downtown. There will be exhibitors and guest speakers on health and wellness issues for those middle-aged and over. I found that the website was rather vague. It did list the guest speakers but I was still not sure how it could warrant such a high price.

There hasn’t been much publicity on the show either. I did read some where that warned you should buy your tickets early so you won’t be disappointed by a sell out. I don’t know of any friends who are attending. I hope it will be good. If it isn’t, I’ll just leave early.

Day Five Hundred and Seven of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Closet Organizing

I woke up this morning ready to finally face my closet. It has now been a few days since my friend came over to fix it. I thought long and hard over the weekend about how I wanted to organize it.

Despite all the thought, I was still not sure how to maximize the space this morning. I don’t want to stick things in there and forget about them like I had before. I also didn’t want to put things in there that would be difficult to have access to.

I still have a way to go before I’ll get it fully stocked again. I really want to do this right this time. I don’t want to have to re-do everything later on because I did this hastily.

Donations

Today I had intended to gather up more donations for the church but for some reason, I couldn’t get motivated to do much. I had told my friend of my plans to go today. She called today and asked me if I wanted to pick up some donations from her.

At that point, I hadn’t gathered enough stuff to warrant a trip. I decided to postpone the trip until later in the week. I told my friend this. I asked her if she could wait but she didn’t want to wait and have it taking up room in their home. She decided to just donate it to one of the many donation bins in her neighborhood.

I am disappointed in myself for not keeping to my plan. I should have done enough work this weekend so that I’d have enough to take to the church, but I didn’t. I have to make sure that I do what I planned this week. I need to get as much stuff out of here as fast as I can.

Ran Downtown

I ran downtown this afternoon. I hadn’t taken this route for a while. There is a lot of construction on the bridge and part of the sidewalk was torn up. I was forced to run on the road with only a thin tape between me and the fast cars whizzing by.

Although the dangerous exposed distance is not really all that far, I felt uncomfortable. I think I’ll avoid this bridge until the construction is done. The two other bridges I can take are a little farther out of my way, but it’ll be worth it.

This was not an easy run for me. I started to experience pain in my Achilles tendon. This was not my usual pressure, this was actual pain. Still, it didn’t hurt enough for me to stop running.

Free Movie Screening, Robert Redford, All is Lost

I went to see a free movie preview of Robert Redford in All is Lost. I saw it with a friend who I haven’t seen in a while. She has been busy with her job. I wonder what that is like. It’s been so long since I experienced that–being busy at work.

Her husband lost his full-time job over a year ago. I wonder if it has been stressful for them. I see him working on his LinkedIn account all the time. I wonder if it has helped him or not.

Apparently, he has decided to go the way of many long unemployed people, myself included, and try to be self-employed. She said that he seems to be upbeat about the prospects. The good thing is that they still have her salary. I wish I had somebody I could depend on for financial support but I don’t.

The movie was about a sailor who runs into trouble. Robert Redford is the only person in the movie. The whole time I was watching the movie, I wondered how they were able to film it. I also marveled at how Robert Redford looked and how he was able to act in such a physically demanding role at his age.

Apparently, this is a Hollywood version of what might happen. A guy sitting beside me kept laughing though I didn’t know why. After the movie, I ran into friends of mine who are boaters and they also had issue with a lot of the scenes. Still, it was entertaining enough for a non-sailor like me. I’m glad I won the pass.