Postcards from the Imagination

Spent two hours at second temp agency today. Typing tests. Software tests. And this one made me film myself speaking directly into a webcam using the following prompts:

My name is ___________ and I'm applying for positions as...

The job I liked most was...

The reasons I liked it were...

My primary strengths are...

An example of a time I was recognized for going above and beyond with a customer or co-worker is...

It must have taken me an hour to get through the thing without tripping over my words or getting stuck. Ephemeral public speaking I can do. Reading poems I can do. Making a commercial of myself is so patently absurd I barely managed it. And after all that they offered me a job as....oh, wait, no job. 

If there's an upside it's that they offer medical, dental, and prescription benefits for about $27/week. Good news since the 7-day refills I got on two (generic!) prescriptions today cost me $43. Who knew keeping one's head out of an oven could cost so much. But in order to get said benefits, I need to work. They've got plenty of jobs out on the West Coast, but they're just starting to 'build a presence' here, so it's wait wait wait.

More of the same tomorrow, but at a third agency.

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.