Jobs and Gardens

I sat on my balcony and gazed at the morning. It was hot. The sun was shining down brightly, hot, crisp and bright. I spent the longest time just sitting there still trying to convince myself that today was the day to start job hunting in earnest, despite it being Friday.

Nobody calls job agencies on Friday, I could hear Anthony saying to me down the phone. For goodness sakes pour yourself a wine and relax.

I chuckled to myself and thought that if I rang him that is exactly what he would say.

Still, as amusing as it sounded, it wasn’t, actually, helping me any.

LouLou had organised for me to call her brother in-law, Martin, who is an employment agent, quite high up in the company, Managing Director or some such thing, which I didn’t really need to know, and he had asked for me to call on Tuesday or Thursday, as he was busy on Wednesday.

So, I guessed, that I had to call. I might think that I can just call when it suits me, give or take six months, but, apparently, others don’t quite feel the same way. So, best I get on to it.

So, I called Martin. I felt nervous, lack of belief in myself. Just get over it. Think positively. Believe in yourself. Have “front”, put yourself forward, don’t be shy. It’s the people who put themselves forward who move forward and demand to be noticed who always get somewhere.

He didn’t answer, so I left a message. I wondered if he’d call back.

I called (Employment agency B), finally, speak to B, to see if the jobs using SYSTEM S necessarily required prior SYSTEM S experience, even if they didn’t say so. Apparently, they did require it.

E answered the phone. “Send me your resume and I’ll give it a look over and see if we have a position for you.”

“Okay, that would be great.”

“Would you accept a contract role.”

“Yes, sure, a full time contract role.”

“Yes.”

I’d actually prefer a contract role at this stage, but I didn’t tell her that.

Then it was trawling through all the Seek adverts to see what was on offer.

I applied for a SYSTEM S job in the western suburbs. Learn SYSTEM S without any previous experience. The job was a week, or so, old. Why hadn’t I been looking more regularly? Maybe they have trouble filling western suburbs jobs, the employment adverts seemed to indicate that. It seems to be the western suburbs adverts, which are in for the longest.

Then I was sick of jobs and job ads and job applications, but mostly I was sick of the feeling of nervousness it all gives me, so I grabbed my broom and secateurs and headed out to the front garden.

I pulled lots of stuff out of the garden. The fishbone ferns that have infiltrated and taken over like a weed, I have cleared them out altogether.

Martin rang me back, LouLou’s brother in law. He said he could help find me a job. I am to call him next Friday, if he hasn’t called me before then.

(Employment agency B) called me back to tell me my resume was wrong. OMG! And it was wrong too. E didn’t seem so concerned about it, but all I could think was, So do I think she is going to give me a job now? I can’t even get my resume right. Oh fuck it. I am sooooooooooooo slack. I updated it quickly a few months ago for the first job I applied for, and I meant to go back and give it a thorough going over, but of course I haven’t and then I forgot with this latest round of job applications.

Idiot!

The problem being, that the SYSTEM S job I wanted in “the western” suburbs also got the incorrect resume. Piss!

LouLou’s brother in law Martin also got the wrong resume. What must they think?

Oh fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it! All the jobs I wanted got the incorrect resume. Shit! Shit! Shit! I am such rubbish!

I called the electrician to see if he knew a tiler, he did. So I called the tiler and he is coming nest week to fix the tiles in the kitchen, another job off my five year plan. Well, you see, it just dawned on me, limited money withstanding, that if I go back to full time work any time soon, I won’t be able to take time off easily to be here for tradesmen to come and fix stuff. I kind of have to get it done now, before I go back to work.

I got my silicone and got up on the atrium, finally, and re-siliconed the glass roof. It was getting late in the day and I knew that I would still be up there when Sam got here. I’d be in my disposable gloves and I’d be covered in silicone and sweat, so I took my singular key up with me. I’d hear to doorbell and would be able to scamper up the kitchen roof and call over the parapet. He’d hear me from the front door, come around into the lane, I can see the smile on his face now, and I could throw the key down. Easy… and I wouldn’t have to come down.

It was hot and it was awkward. I had to perch on the top of the wall on the boundary between me and the next-door neighbour. The glass roof comes down to that boundary wall.

It didn’t take that long, certainly not long in relation to the amount of time I have spent talking about, stressing, about it, pissing around in relation to it. I did three quarters of the roof, in an hour, of a little more, which was when the cartridge of silicone was used up.

We went to our favourite Thai place in Smith Street for dinner.

The waiter seemed to be a transitioning sex change. She/he was new, neither of us could tell if he/she was a boy or girl. I think he was a boy. But then again, fat is hard to differentiate.

We ordered too much food, as we were hungry when we got there. We had to take the pork belly and greens home with us.

We did a half walk turning down Nicholson Street, because we felt fat. Sam must have been pleased, as he is always trying to cut through one of the cross streets, Nicholson, Rathdown, Lygon, before we get to Swanston and today was the first time I agreed. I’m not really sure why, it must have been a weak moment. We wandered home aimlessly through the streets of Fitzroy laughing and chatting the two of us. The two of us. I like it being the two of us. Him and me against the world, it’s nice. So very nice. We chat and laugh easily.