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Job interview disaster, frustrated and skating

A page in the diary "A Day in the Life Of..."
Written by babz 13. Feb 2008 10:13 PM

Last night when I went to bed I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned and went through a period of being extremely angry. See, I got my uni timetable yesterday - a total of 4 contact hours a week for 2 subjects. Each subject has 15-20 hours prep work a week (such is the joy of arts subjects). I got very angry at how I'm NOT able to do at the moment. I know I really need to stop comparing what I do now to what I did when I was well, but I can't help it.

I got woken up waaay too early this morning (well not really that early, just really early relative to the amount of sleep I had and the seroquel I took to get there) by the owner of one of the cafes I applied to. He offered me an interview today, so I got up, made my best effort to make myself look human and went to the interview.

It was a complete disaster. I walked into the cafe, he didn't even introduce himself just said to me 'this is the machine, make me a latte and a cappuccino'. For those of you who don't know about coffee machines, that would be equivalent of me telling you just after you got your licence to get in a car you'd never driven before and complete an advanced driving test. Anyway, I didn't compact the coffee hard enough so they had no crema, the steam wands were much hotter than what I was used to so the milk didn't texturise properly and the cappuccino was too much milk and not enough foam. The latte was barely passable.

I left feeling about 2cm tall - though that's what I get for going to a job interview in a High St cafe (for those not in Melbourne, High St is very lah-di-dah). To make a crap day even better I had parked in a one way street, so in my attempts to go around the block to get back to where I needed to be I ended up about 6 suburbs over from where I should be. I don't live anywhere near the area, so I was completely and utterly lost. I was already upset enough from the interview, so I was driving along screaming and crying about cremas and group heads and freeways. I was so frustrated with myself for so utterly screwing everything up today that I was contemplating taking my car cigarette lighter and burning all around my ankles so that every time I moved in my skates it would hurt like nothing on this earth. Thankfully I forgot about that clever theory.

Eventually my theory of 'if I just keep driving I'll eventually find a main road that I know' paid off and I found myself near my GP - drove back to 30 seconds from where I'd had the interview and finally navigated to the freeway to get me to skating. That lovely trip to 500 metres down the road took me 20 minutes, oh the joy.

Despite said detour I got to skating way early, but I was allowed to use a little part of the rink while the Aussie Skate (the beginners) had their lessons. I skated from 4pm-7pm. I had my first 'close encounter of the cold kind' since I started skating again - that is to say I tripped over my blade and went splat on my face with my chin resting on my knee which had been forced up in a very awkward position. Thank God I was wearing my brace or I'd be being stretchered off by paramedics again. Aside from that, it went OK, although by the end I was having issues, like, moving - it appears in all my efforts to make myself look human for my interview, I'd neglected to eat since 10:30am. Let me give you a tip, your body won't like you if you try and train for 3 hours after eating an apple and a handful of almonds 8 hours ago. Aside from that, everything just generally hurts. My body hasn't done this for a while, so it's in the "WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU DOING TO ME YOU CRAZY LADY?!?!" stage - I think by next week it'll be in the "oh, I know how this game goes" stage and it'll all be good.

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Comments from the community:

Or u could say th interview was an astounding success coz my god he'd b one hell of a prick 2 work 4!
Hey u did MY trick- Im 4eva gettin lost and I'll just keep driving coz I know eventually I'll come across a sign that kinda sounds familiar!

Written by Gyps, 13. Feb 2008 10:35 PM

Babz

You are right in regard to uni - you have to think as the current Babz and not the old Babz who could conquer the world. You will get back there - it is just going to take time. Sounds like you will be busy with uni.

I'm with gyps about the job interview - you learnt a couple of things at the interview and god he would be horrid to work for/with.

Skating - all I can say, yipee you are doing it and I'm glad during your travel excursion, you didn't take out the cigarette lighter. Guess we all have good days and bad days driving. I don't know as I don't drive and rely on my partner to get me around.

Go Babz!!!

Studying1

Written by studying1, 14. Feb 2008 04:25 AM

Hey Babzy

Don't mean to be a dufus but don't understand why your uni schedule pissed you off....unless you wanted more contact hours...but even if that is the case...all you need to do is spend time in the library (esp the common social area of the library) and you will make some buddies there and also get some study done!! Sorry if I sound overly positive...just gearing myself up for spending time in the library this semester as well!!

OK - now - re the cafe interview. Well - firstly allow yourself credit for even attending the interview...and YES...WHAT A TOOL the guy that interviewed you was. As if you want to work for an 'I'm too cool tosser' like that. F*ck him!!!

I have done many years of waitressing and also coffee bar type work in the past - and I know how coffee machines vary and how you do need to get back into the swing of it (and it doesn't take many goes...but is often not the first bloody go ...to get it right...god...he pissed me off just as much as those judgemental ignorant parents you wrote about in the skating). Just to try and make you feel better - I have had all sorts of jobs...some horrendous and some ok and some good. I've worked for wankers and good people...I used to pump fuel at the local servo when I was at school, I've worked in a sandwich place, cafes, restaraunts, bars, jillarood, cleaned, washed pigs!! etc...well that's all I can think of right now...and now I look back on it I can't believe some of the shit I put up with when I was younger...

So...babzy...don't take that git at the cafe personally...he was well and truly just a git..nothing to do with you!!

And...re the getting lost business...well i can also relate to that from living in Dubai - and yes you did the right thing...and you know what...next time you get lost you'll also be ok...cos all you've got to do is sit there, deep breath and keep driving and eventually you will see a landmark or a sign that points you to somewhere that you know...the key is just to make sure you always have enough fuel in the car...and don't panic!!!

Look, Babzy, you're a star - simple as that. Now...I'm doing uni this semester as well..ok!! So we both have to encourage each other...and you know what...despite our fears and insecurities...when it comes to the crunch, we'll both be alright!!

Lots and lots of love

Kimbo the bimbo
xoxo

Written by newlife, 14. Feb 2008 10:16 PM