2.7: One for the scrapbooks

Dreams are powerful images. They come to us when we are vulnerable and not in complete control of our minds. They can combine any random image or thought from our mind into any narrative or expression. They can mean anything, reveal your fears, desires or hopes.

Or they can be a bunch of random shit.

Two nights ago, a chase through a tall apartment complex and a game of Risk aboard a sinking space-submarine, for instance. Um, yeah.

Last night I had a dream where got beaten up by Kyle Sanderson. Now, usually in one's dreams one could properly defend oneself, but apparently he was really mad about something. I was pretty upset, myself. I haven't even seen Kyle in a while, and even then it's mostly running into him randomly at Sheridan. Let alone had him kick my ass... which he it came to brute strength he probably could (although don't underestimate my submission abilities.)

Several weeks ago, the week after I was handed my crushing fate at the Halloween kiosk, I was passing a jobsearch kiosk in the B-Wing at school with Mansoor. My eye was caught and I asked promptly for an application. I even went so far as to walk home - in the rain - to retreive my resume and have a preliminary interview with them.

I haven't specified what position that is, although many people know by now. I wanted to avoid getting excited about it as a matter of superstition after what happened to the kiosk. When I was told the kiosk was shutting down, my first thought was "oh, cruel irony... I was so proud of this job," and had indeed spend the previous saturday night boasting of it to all my friends. Guilty and humble, I kept a tight seal on how much I would discuss this particular opportunity, and didn't even write the report on the eventual interview that netted. The secrecy doesn't quite seem necessary anymore.

Two fridays ago, I got a call from HMV Canada saying they wanted to have me in for an interview. The interview was for the following Monday at 3, between newspaper work and Law & Ethics class. I arrived promptly and was asked to wait and mull around the store. In my mulling, I ran into Andrew, a friend of mine from class. "You cutting as well?" I mumbled an answer. Eventually, the manager approached us, "Okay Scott, you're up. Andrew, you're next." He nodded. "Touche."

The interview, I felt, went well. I had taken the time to prepare myself and learn a few of the products that were on the "Top 10" shelves at HMV, including Fergie, Timberlake, Gnarls Barkley, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, X-Men 3, etc etc... they asked what my favourite movies were, I told them Adaptation and Back to the Future. They asked who directed BTTF and I told them Robert Zemeckis without missing a beat. They asked who wrote Adaptation and I told them "Charlie Kaufman." Then I paued and added, "with his fake brother Donald." Sometimes, my smart-assedness may border on the extreme. I gave them an overview of my availability, and just before leaving they asked me for "The Task" - find one ______ DVD and bring it to the manager. In this case, it was Tae-Bo, and I did. He told me they'd be in touch either way, so I could at least look forward to not being left in the lurch.

Coming out of the interview, I ran into Joe and Perrin and regaled them with the saga of my tumultuous employment history. We waited for Andrew and went back to school.

Then I sat and twiddled my thumbs for well over a week.

And then just a little after eight tonight, I got the call that said "HMV Canada."

I answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Scott? This is Lindsay from HMV, I'm calling to offer you a holiday position?"

Bam!

So yes. Yes. Employed! Okay, so yeah, as I was made aware from the very beginning, it is only a Holiday position, but if they really like me, they'll keep me on. But right now, I'll at least be employed solidly through November and December.

It's been a weird few months for me. I got and left two jobs in two weeks. It was by the grace of serendipity (and Mansoor and my mutual desire for drinks,) that I got this job and then I spent a nerve-wracking three weeks waiting to hear. I don't mean to be cocky, but I can say this (as I told Perrin,) I've never interviewed for a job and not gotten it. This statistic is a bit misleading, but it's the truth:

-In 2004, I interviewed at A&W. They hired me, but for whatever reason I spaced out and didn't take the job.
-In 2005, I was asked to take a job as a porter at Classic Bowl. When they pick your name out of Major Youth bowlers at random, the interview process can't be too strenuous
-In September, I signed on with both Tim Hortons (hired me that day) and Boogie Wear (no interview.)
-And now this. I guess my biggest challenge now is to live up to whatever I said during the interview about my ability to interact with customers.

I know a lot of people who go to a great number of Universities and colleges all across Ontario, from Ottawa down to Niagara College (according to Facebook) and beyond. And whenever you are catching up with someone you knew in high school and asking them (as you are required to) how their experience is going, they always rave about how awesome the campus is, how much they are learning, how much they love their situation or a certain class or professor and how peachy everything is. Now just once I'd like to hear someone say, "You know what? It fucking sucks. This is not at all what I expected. I totally regret my decision to go here. I'd rather be at any other university in the world than this one. How dreadful!" But nobody would ever say that. Not because they don't mean it, but because who wants to say that? Who wants to be such a drag? Come on.

There's this show on the Comedy Network. It's the latest in their experiments with no longer being about Comedy and things that are funny. I saw it two years ago in CommTech. Mr. Andrews had some involvement in its development and they were shopping it around. It's not really my thing, but then again, I also don't think it's a good enough example of what kind of thing it is for whomever it's for. Two guys have to compete in picking up chicks at some sleazy nightclub and are awarded points while 5 dudes watch from a secluded location. Ah... yeah.

It could work, who knows? But I still don't get why it's on the Comedy Network.

There was a little more, I think, for tonight, but I'm tired and have a review to write, so let's leave it at this already-swollen post and keep on rockin'
-Scott