Today required more time management than most of my COVID-19 days – which isn’t saying much. When you’re unemployed and limited in your social engagements, it’s easy to lack urgency on most days. Laundry can always be done tomorrow, walks can be taken or skipped, books can be read or not. I have tried to maintain some type of a schedule: wake up, feed cat / feed Matt, long walk (or maybe run), job search or read or write, lunch, lift if it’s a lifting day, more job search, feed cat / feed Matt, second walk, read/write/job search, bed. More or less. Sprinkle in a healthy dose of lamenting the past and fretting over the future at unanticipated hours throughout the day and wasting time on the internet, and that’s pretty much my day. Every day.
I started this post in the second feed cat / feed Matt part of the day. By the sound of Nick wolfing down his food, he seems to be feeling better. Of course, I always worry about him. He’s outlived two other cats that I’ve had, and seems healthy (aside from the bad vision thing). I know he can’t last forever. I worry about the stress of at least one more move. I digress.
I had a mid-morning interview with a United Way out in Washington, just outside of Seattle. From what I can tell, it’s a cool town and a good position. As much as I’d like to stay in a warmer (and cheaper) climate, I’d take this job if offered it. The person I was talking to said they have a lovely climate and all 4 seasons (we have a long hot summer here in Memphis). Because of the mid-morning interview, I turned my long walk in to a mostly run. I still did a little over six miles, but ran about four of them. It felt good to not be in pain for once – I think my strained achilles or whatever I had has, for the most, part healed.
The interview went well. What was supposed to be a half hour turned in to an hour, and it sounds like I’m moving on to round two. It’s funny, I used to get nervous about these types of things, but having gone on the interview circuit last year, I really don’t think too much about them. I do my research and let the rest take care of itself. With all of the uncertainty about the job market, it’s been nice to land a few interviews. I’m still working the freelance angle because, well, this is just round one at these places and I expect the competition to be tough.
The interview and getting groceries were the two big items on my to-do list for today. Which seems absolutely absurd. “What did you do today?” “I had a job interview and I got groceries. Oh, and I fed the cat and fed myself… all in all, I’d call it a win.” That small sense of accomplishment feels like it deserves a beer and some time to unwind – again, absurd.
… and just like that I’m tuckered out. I have a handful of “I shoulds”: I should make dinner (pesto salmon), I should look for jobs, I should try to get another walk in; I should keep pushing the freelance work…. I should stop this mundane post. A nap might be more of an accomplishment.