tomakeanoffer | [Friday Survival Post]

Welp, we know what day it is, yeah? Here's to hoping everyone is well and that things are being kind to you.

So, if you are not familiar, this post is
• for being excited about the things you've done this week
• for asking for help if you need it
• for venting about anything that mind need to be flailed over (but do let us know if you just need to vent, or if you'd like advice).
• for showing off something cool you've done/made/experienced this week.
• for being generally enthused and excited about things that have happened.
• for just being thrilled that you survived.

Come drop into the comments and let us know how you're doing and how things have gone. If you need cheer leading or anything, feel free to say so, or if you just want to vent and don't want any advice or anything, let us know.

I do ask that if you have any triggering topics, that you mention them in the subject line, or first line of your comment. This is just so people can make informed decisions on what to read and keep everyone okay. <3 Thank you so much.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

analise010

Yesterday was a Bad Brain Day for me, but I've come out on the other side with a plan. I have a GREAT job interview on Tuesday and, as much as I want the job, I'm trying to build myself up so that I don't fall apart no matter what happens. But honestly?

eve tired

From:

alexseanchai

I feel you

♥ & *\o/*

From:

alexseanchai

it's now under a week until Current Hosts can no longer host me

I thought I would have something solid at least lined up by now

(both on the job front and on the housing front)

I am in with a legal-profession recruiting firm that's actively looking for paralegal and legal-assistant type jobs on my behalf and also I am applying to places through ZipRecruiter et all

and I put in an application with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's Metro HomeShare program and also I am bothering people on Portland Queer Housing Facebook

but none of that is solid yet

(and I don't have any money for three to five business days probably, most of which is already accounted for, and I don't want to rely on the other big deposit I'm expecting—mid-October—for anything but 'emergency fund' and 'buy car maybe?')

I'm working on stuff for starting my own business but I have 0 capital and -1 spoons and

oh and I can't even apply to the goddamn fucking Target as a goddamn fucking seasonal without a goddamn fucking permanent address, the site specifies 'permanent' explicitly

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

(hire me for proofreading or editing? paypal.me or ko-fi?)

$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

From:

mdlbear

+ our newest (broke) household member moved in on Saturday.
~ Wednesday I did a take-home test for the job I had a phone screen for last week. It was easier than I expected, but I probably didn't do well enough regardless.
+ My trigger thumb is actually getting better. Had a PT appointment this morning.
+- Some (but less than I intended) progress on my new "business" website, https://computer-curmudgeon.com (comments welcome)

From:

teaotter

I survived a mid-week work conference in another town. I didn't get anywhere near enough sleep, but I found an amazing riverfront park and conservation area that I got to hike in, so that was awesome.

I had my first official session with my new therapist, and I think things are going to go well. She seems nice and insightful and apparently she will write me a letter about our session which I'm kind of excited about. I am tentatively hopeful.

From:

alexseanchai

site looks good! my critique mostly boils down to "this is not my aesthetic", I think, which is...less than valid by way of suggesting improvements, you know?

From:

alexseanchai

\o/ hiking in nature areas is always lovely, I've found

(now that I am not compelled by parental desire to go do it, anyway, and providing I am physically up to it)

From:

magistrate

I'm so sorry to hear that. Housing and money stress is so debilitatingly stressful, and I hope things resolve for you soon. :(

I don't know if you want commiserate-y advice, so I'll spoiler-cut (highlight to read) this: I spent a while homeless-and-couchsurfing and looking for work, and really stressed because I felt like I had to find a place to live that would allow me to get to wherever I got a job on public transit, and needing to get a job before I could afford a place to live. And needing some kind of address before I could even apply to things. What I discovered was that you don't need a permanent address, even if they ask for one – you need an address where you can receive mail. It's not like they'll have you under surveillance to make sure you stay there. I asked a friend if I could put down their address on my applications just for the purpose of having an address to put down, and that worked fine. I don't know if this will work with all employers, and it requires a bit of money to get started, but I have a friend who exclusively uses a PO box as their address, even on things like their driver's license; they've never been blocked out of a job from it, as far as I know. (They can't reliably receive mail at their apartment because of awkward housemate situations.) Again, it requires some monetary investment to get the PO box in the first place, but it goes to show you that in a lot of cases, the "permanent address" thing isn't entirely non-negotiable. ...a lot of times, the things that look required on applications aren't, really; I got the job I currently have by essentially lying about my income history because the application literally didn't support a true answer. In that it wanted my wage history and offered options for me to disclose hourly and salaried rates, but I'd been working entirely on commission for a couple of years. I gave my best approximation of the answer, and it was fine. So, the advice: don't let the explicit instructions scare you off. A lot of the time, they don't actually matter.

From:

alexseanchai

*nod nod*

I'd already got as far as "put down

alatefeline's house on the Target app", in consultation with them last night. Problem is I do not actually have that address in my possession. (I know how to get there. Mostly. Not which stop to get off the bus at, and not the street name or house number, but I know how to get there.) I assume they will check their Discord messages at some point today and thus be reminded they said they'd write it down for me last night.

Thanks :)

From:

niqaeli

Hey, re: permanent address, a small PO Box is not that expensive, it is very useful to have a permanent address that is not your physical living address as that can change variously for various reasons and furthermore you can give strangers on the internet a PO Box to mail things to without telling them Where You Live.

If that sounds useful, I would be happy to sponsor 6 months or a year for a small box for you -- hit me up in my email with your general location in Portland and I'll see if I can find an office that doesn't have a waitlist.

$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

From:

mdlbear

Thanks! It's not entirely my aesthetic either; someone with a better design sense than mine pointed at the template and said "that one!"

It'll get there eventually, I hope.

From:

fred_mouse

Two comments, one trivial one about layout, one reflecting on me as much as it does on you:

1. the text next to the cat picture is wrapping weirdly, so that 'problem?' is off to the left under the cat image. (I'm using Safari)

2. I really liked the line about the curmudgeon being the person who gets annoyed at your computer so you didn't have to, but I almost didn't get there because something about the tone of the previous paragraph had me really really off-side. And I can't point at what, just I was leaning back in my chair with a 'Oh, I've worked with People Like You, NOPE' reaction. For context -- I'm middle-aged, female, have worked in science and/or tech support since 1993 (starting while I was at uni) and have been dealing with old white blokes who disregard me because I'm small and female, or because I don't have a PhD, or because I'm not Their Kind of scientist (I'm a statistician).