UM Interview

This morning I had my interview with University of Michigan. It went well. They sound like they got their act together in comparison to my previous IRB. They've been electronic for 3 years. I'm a long shot to get the offer due to being in LA.

No word from JVS which is not encouraging on many levels.

Very tired so calling it a night. But at some point I'm going to post about a co worker of mine as I'm trying to make sense of her.

Ho hum

Still at my temp assignment. Spent most of the day stuffing envelopes. Not the most stimulating activity. Though I'm glad to have a place to go everyday, I'm looking forward to doing something a little more demanding and for some better pay in the not too distant future. Tomorrow I have an interview with the University of Michigan and apparently I'm still in the picture for the Jewish Vocational position as the HR Department was out all last week. Truth be told, I would like to stay in LA rather than make another move. At the risk of sounding like Po Bronson, I would like my time out here to have some sort of purpose. If UM offers me the position, I'm going to demand they compensate me for all moving expenses.

ON Craigslist, there was a job listing for the IRB at Children's Hospital LA. The same position I interviewed for last month. I wonder if they hired someone and they didn't work out; or everyone they interviewed last month wasn't suitable; or if one of the staff members who sat down with me last month gave notice and quit?

Magic

Robin Thicke has a new single out--Magic. I think it has potential to be this summer's quintessential song. I love it--has such a late 70's feel good disco soul vibe to it.

No pity party tonight

Uneventful day at work. It's a bit of a grind, but comforting nonetheless. Watched the Idol final tonight--terrible show, all those boxing analogies were just overkill and bringing in Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Webber to coach just reinforce how old and tired the show is right now. I voted for Cook (first votes of the season) but I suspect Archuleta will win.

University of Michigan IRB contacted me--they want to interview me. I've decided that if they do offer me the position I'm going to demand they pay for my move to Ann Arbor. I've learned my lesson.

At times, lost and adrift

Over the past few days, feelings of being lost and adrift have really intensified. What am I doing here? How did I end up doing IRB work for 9 years? Why am doing clerical temp work right now? In truth I've not lived up to my potential and my talents and I'm paying the price for drifting through life. Not sure if it's fixable. I've put up a lot of walls in my life and I fear that they're so high I can't get over them. Well, don't we all build our own prisons? Just some remain with their fellow mates while others tend to dwell in solitary confinement more often. Pass me the stale bread and filmy water.

The new assignment

On friday I returned to my first temp assignment,now in the Membership Department. I'm not fully set up but they kept me busy with data processing. They're still vague as to why the person I'm replacing went on leave and how long she'll be out. There is a big backlog of work so I should be kept busy. The woman who sits next to me is kept occupied the entire day fielding phone calls from new members. I wonder if at some point they're going to be put on the phones? Not sure how I feel about that. The most interesting material I processed were Leniency Committee disposition letters. Members who fall behind on their dues have a mechanism to appeal for leniency in paying up back dues. They write letters (full of emotional appeal from the few letters I glanced) at and the Committee meets every two weeks to consider each case. Sounds a lot like IRB, but with more drama and hopefully more straightforward rules and regs. I'm going to investigate this Leniency Committee--sounds like the kind of work I can administer.

Last fall before I landed the UCLA job I interviewed for an IRB job at Cedars Sinai. They never contacted me for a follow up interview. I'm not sure if it was because they felt I wasn't a good fit (and if their culture was similar to UCLA, I wouldn't blame them) or because I was in New York at the time. I just applied for an open IRB Analyst position. I've got nothing to lose. I'll be curious if they call me or not.

Smoldering hot all weekend. I'm wrapped up in the book Pictures at the Revolution by Mark Harris, which profiles the 5 Best Picture nominees of 1967 and how Hollywood and the American Cinema were and were not changing during this time. I remember when I first became an old film buff in the early 80's and how I disdain the cinema of the 60's as too modern. Now it's vintage history and I'm into it! I also amused myself with watching John Garfield in They Made Me a Criminal and watching the TCM documentary on Garfield's life which is an extra on the Postman Always Rings Twice DVD. Next weekend I might just watch Force of Evil and Body and Soul. Garfield was so ahead of his time and such a dynamic, sexual performer. Here's a tribute:

Better day

Much better day today. For starters, I got out of the apartment. Several times in fact. I checked my NY unemployment card--money was deposited into my account. Yay. Best of all, the agency called me. I'm to return to my first assignment for an open ended gig. I'm to fill in for someone going on leave. I'll be in the Membership Department rather than Residuals. Not sure what exactly I'll be doing, but I'll be occupied 5 days a week for a little while, which is better than sitting at home surfing the net and applying for jobs, amongst other sundry duties. Best of all, I want to work at this place and this is a foot in the door. The agency told me that my supervisor on first gig recommended me to the Memberships Department, so I guess I made a good impression. Hopefully the work will be interesting, but pleasant.

I went to the vintage clothing/used clothing store on Fairfax in my quest to find a hat. No luck. Emile, my friend at the Kosher Newstand and fellow refugee from Michigan, suggested I try out a couple of places on Melrose near Martel. Looks like I've got places to go this weekend!

Had dinner with my friend John at Swingers Diner at Beverly and Laurel. Swingers is connected to the motel where I stayed last summer and this past December. I felt I've come full circle. I really do like the Fairfax, Grove and Miracle Mile areas of LA.

A wasted day

This morning I woke up, logged on to the net, checked my status with NY Unemployment and my claim was processed and approved. Unfortunately later in the day I got a form in the mail I have to complete and then NY sends the form to my last employer to complete. Since this was sent out before my telephone conversation tuesday I'm not sure what to do. So I finally step out of the apartment and go to an ATM to see if there's any money on the card account they sent me. There isn't. The NY website is down right now so I'll have to check back in the morning. Perhaps they don't deliver the funds until the end of the week? Or is there still more red tape to go through? If so, looks like I'm going to have get off my ass and harass agencies until they give me a long term assignment.

I'm rather loss and adrift right now. Don't know what I want to do. In one way I've regressed to my early 20's when I was working part time jobs in a microfilm place (mornings) and the UM Survey Research Center (evenings), while I spent my afternoons sleeping and playing solitaire. Yes, I pulled out the playing cards this evening and played solitaire while watching A Shot of Love and America's Next Top Model. What do I want to do with my life? Part of me just wants some job in a pleasant office where I can do organizational, project type work for 35-40 hours a week then be able to go home and pursue my esoteric interests and be left alone. Not very ambituous, but really, I just want peace and quiet in my life and plenty of time to dwell in my own self absorbed little world. I admit it's rather sad and lonely goal in life, but I've accepted my lot in life. Anyway, I'm sure this feeling will pass.

Some good news--my former boss in NYC got a job offer at another IRB, this time on her side of the river. I'm so happy as she enjoys IRB work and she'll have an easier commute. Hopefully they'll treat her better than what was dealt to her during her last 3 months at WCMC. One nice thing--she sent a broadcast email to everyone in our old office--good to get Arlene's contact info--I sent her lengthy email. Hopefully she'll respond.

I finished White Dog--very intellectually stimulating novel. Gary's ability to put across his ideas in such clear and succinct language is quite intimidating and I feel totally inadequate in detailing my response to the book other than to say it was well worth reading.

Not sure what to read next. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. As the cliche goes, if I want something I have to go out and get it because I'm surely not going to get anything just sitting in my cave playing solitaire and watching trashy tv shows.

Freestyle

One of my favorite things about New York City is that it was one of the homes for Freestyle music and Freestyle is still loved amongst those who loved it most back in the day. What is Freestyle? It's a latin based electronic dance music--loads of hooks, chord changes and electronic effects. Some of it sounds very dated, but it's great, addictive dance/pop music. It never became as popular as hip hop and pretty much died out in the early 90's. But in NYC at least, you can still hear Freestyle on a couple of radio stations and one station, KTU, at least the last I heard, would play blocs of Freestyle on weekends. Here's my favorite freestyle song: Silent Mourning by Noel--love the footage of him dancing on the roof--I really miss seeing those water tanks on NYC rooftops.

Bad Sun, the Moon

For my second post I attempted to embed a youtube but failed. Now I have the patience and certainly the time to read the help section. So here's a link to Bad Sun by The Bravery. This is the Moon version of the song which is just as catchy, but the production and musical arrangement are superior.

Should have looked it up

Stupid me. I got it in my head that Molly Malone's was at 3rd and Fairfax and I ended up missing Pawbox and Johnny Nails. Of course I could have looked it up, but I walked out of my apartment and headed over there on foot. It wasn't there so I walked down Fairfax until I got the shabby and run down rest home at the corner of Fairfax and Colgate. I concluded that maybe I should have headed in the other direction. I turned back and didn't find it. When I got home I looked up Molly's--it's at 6th and Fairfax, a half block from the depressing rest home. Idiot. I didn't feel like hiking back over there. So I'll try some other time to catch Mr. Nails. May be just as well--I should be watching my expenses.

I called NY Unemployment today and I think I got my benefits payment situation untangled. Hopefully. The woman I spoke to sounded like she's utterly bored with her job. She told me I would get benefits for this past week. But I wouldn't be surprised she said that to get me off the phone so she could shut off her computer and head home (it was getting near 4PM in NY when I called). I'll check the website tomorrow--I'm not up to going there tonight to find out she may have lied to me. I sure have trust issues, don't I?

Didn't do much in terms of job hunting today. I registered at the USC site and applied for a position. I'll go back to the site tomorrow--it just occured to me that USC has a Cinema Archive--I really belong in such a setting.

I have a new momentary quest now that my Molly Malone's/Johnny Nails expedition proved a bust. Instead of getting drunk, I want to buy a vintage hat. Everyone in LA is wearing them. I'm meeting a friend at Swingers thursday for dinner. Perhaps I should go to this Vintage clothing/second hand clothing shop at the corner of Fairfax and Oakwood before meeting up with him. If it's cheap, stylish and it fits, I'll buy one. And probably feel like a fool 6 months later.

To the next adventure

My latest assignment ended today. No surprise. 7 hours of envelope stuffing, labeling and sealing. None of my agencies had anything lined up for me. So back to the internet (with frequent breaks for surfing) tomorrow to job hunt. If I don't land an assignment for Wednesday, I'll have a choice to make--Idol or Molly Malone's. I just realized that I never properly celebrated getting fired--namely, getting blasted drunk out of my head, which I haven't done in a long time. There's a bar near where I live called Molly Malone and who's playing there but none other than Blake's guitarist, Johnny Nails, and his band. I've become quite a fan of Johnny Nails as I subscribe to his fan email list. His bulletins are beautifully written full of wry, off the wall, yet accurate observations and musings. He's got good stage presence so I ought to check him out up close and besides, I owe it to myself to get suitably smashed. But I'm addicted to Idol, but at this point it's going to be David vs. David, I got my boards to read the summaries and you tube to watch the performances. But I end up having someplace to go Wednesday, then it's Idol, but if not, then I really should drag my middle age carcas out and about for one night.

By the way, I'm reading a very interesting novel written in the late 60's--White Dog, by Romain Gary. He was Jean Seberg's second husband and an acclaimed author in his time. I can understand why. White Dog is a very readable yet intellecutally engaging novel about a stray dog, trained to attack and kill Blacks, who shows up at the door of Romanin Gary and Jean Seberg while they're in LA as Seberg is making a movie and getting further involved with radical chic causes. I'm about 60 pages into the book and it's going to be pre-occupying my mind for much of this week.

Envelope stuffing

Well my one day temp assignment is now a two day assignment. Instead of doing mail mergeing, I stuffed envelopes friday. But there's so many invititations to send out for this benefit golf tournament and only one temp on the job, me, that I'm working tomomorow. No complaints here. The office is quite pleasant, 3 blocks from home, and I'm up on the top floor with a window view of LA east of La Brea. Hopefully it will be more clear tomorrow than it was on Friday so I'll be able to see Mt. Angeles in the distance.

Phillipe's

Unlike yesterday, in which I gave a very convincing performance as a shut-in, today I got out. Registered at a temp agency and later in the day, I got a one day mail merge assignment at a non profit office 3 blocks from home. Who knows, maybe I'll get a longer lasting assignment starting next week.

But highlight of the day was going downtown to Union Station and walking over to Phillipe's, an old school LA restaurant--home of the famous French Dip sandwich. I loved the place. You get in line, order your food. It's served within minutes, you pay your bill then you take a seat at a communal table. I stuck with the basics--a cup of Chili, a beef french dip sandwich, a dill pickle, and a pepsi. It was filling, tasty, and affordable for an unemployed guy like me. AFter eating, I walked around the place--it's simply and sparsely decorated with early to mid 20th century LA memorbilia. I felt like I was back in the hey day of the film noir era (being near Union Station helped--that was the site for important scenes in two of my favorite noirs--Criss Cross and Too Late for Tears). Anyway, before I left I bought a roll of Life Savers and briefly chatted with the candy counter cashier. She was very friendly and urged me to come back. She didn't have to persuade me because that's what I intend to do. Here's a link to their website:

http://www.philippes.com/

Lame day

Sad to say, I didn't do much today. Got up,surfed the web, took a nap, surfed the web, then summoned the energy to shower and shave and take a walk. I was about to write that I didn't even speak a word out loud today, then I remembered that I called University of Michigan today to find out whom to send a cover letter to. Whew, at least I spoke to someone, but otherwise, I was pretty much a shut in.

I'm not handling unemployment well, am I?

A better day

Today was certainly better than yesterday. I filled out paperwork at a second temp agency and set an appointment for a third agency this thursday. My first temp agency got word I applied for a position at my recent assignment and they told me they would push for me (of course they got their own reasons, but that's reality). I applied for a couple of positions at University of Michigan which would suit me well. I got some replies to one of my posts at IRB forum. And someone called me back from this office where I want to apply for a database administrator position but their notice lacked submission directions. Hopefully I impressed them with my attention to detail. In short, I was acknowledged today and that's always a good ego boost. I'm sure I'll be in the dumps tomorrow.

American Idol was pretty lackluster tonight. David Archuleta has a really good tone to his voice, but his performances are so robotic. Fortunately he appeals to a very easy to please audience, but unfortunately, his audience is also very fickle and most of them will outgrow him. I hope Jason Castro leaves--he has a genuine persona (especially in comparison to Archuleta) but I get the feeling he wants out of there. But I suspect it will be the end of the road for Syesha, but I've been thinking that for a month now and she manages to hang on.

Well going to get off the net now and finish up Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel. Haven't read it in years--still a good story and now something of a time capsule of what hotels were like in the 1960's. Given my taste in popular fiction, I swear I must have been a mid 20th century American housewife who died far too young and immediately took possession of my baby soul because I sure like my Arthur Hailey, Harold Robbins, Grace Metalious, Sidney Sheldon and Jacqueline Susann!

Adrift

I don't take well to being without work. Spent much of the day in a state of low level depression. The deep set morning fog didn't help matters either.

Dropped off my application at my last assignment and went to the Jobsource office in the building. The front desk person gave me a lead on a position at Jewish Vocational Services, though the lead did not provide info on how and where to submit a resume. I called, left a voice mail, and I doubt I'll get a callback.

The computers are still down at the agency so I called the downtown office. The guy who answered offered me a data entry position for $12/hr at some office downtown with the shift starting at 6AM! I passed. How depressing that jobs pay that low for such an absurd hours.

I'm tempted to call Cornell and ask for my job back. Fortunately I got an email from my former colleague Lucie which drummed some sense into me for the moment. Apparently my old office is a revolving door as people are getting hired and quitting soon afterwards. Alas, the physicians at the med school wimped out about having a meeting to resolve the situation at IRB.

I posted two topics at the IRB Forum. At this point, they're still waiting to be approved. I suspect they won't because even though I was as neutral as possible in presenting my topics, the discussions forum seems really focussed on helping IRB administrators deal with immediate problems and not to think critically or analytically about larger issues. Micro vs. macro.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to summon the energy to contact a couple more agencies. Though I wonder if it's worthwhile if all I'm offered are low paying data entry jobs with lousy hours. Work can provide dignity yet it strips it away.

Job hunting again

My assignment ended friday and the agency had nothing new. So I'll be spending this coming week hunting for work, contacting agencies and essentially existing in a state of worry.

NY threw another wrench my way, though understandably so. They need verification that I was employed January-April so tomorrow morning I'm sending off copies of my pay receipts. Hopefully it will pass muster and there'll be no more roadblocks to getting unemployment when I need it.

I'm filling out a job application for the firm where I was at the past 3 weeks. One fo the forms I must fill out is an authorization for a background check. What a shame that matters have degenerated to such a degree. Everyone is so risk adverse these days. Yet another symptom of why the US is in decline.

I've registered with IRB forum. I've got some questions for the IRB Professionals. I wonder if any of them will respond. Most likely I'm lighting the match to burn the remainder of my bridges to the IRB world. At this juncture, I think the only IRB related job I could obtain would be with an organization that seeks to reform/overhaul the IRB world and I doubt any such organization exists.

This promises not to be a good week.

Will we or won't we?

At the assignment all week we were told that friday would be our last day and that there would be no more work. Well today, a new temp came on board and he told me that the assignment was indefinite. WTF?! Anyway, it made for a weird atmosphere at work today as now no one knows if tomorrow is the last day or not, and whether anyone will be asked to stay on. If some of us are asked to stay, I wonder what the criteria will be?

I'll find out first thing tomorrow before I fill out my time sheet. After all, there's a checkbox indicating whether the assignment is complete or not.