Since Nobody Asked

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Where have I been lately? I'm glad I asked. It's been so long that I've forgotten what I've shared and what I haven't, but this is my second month of unemployment and I still don't like it. I swear I had more free time when I was working.

I spend at least thirty hours a week online looking for jobs (in case you've been gainfully employed for the past decade or so, all job hunting is now done on the internet). The few times I've ventured out asking for applications, they told me to go home and apply at their websites.

Applying for a job online takes about three hours, including the personality profile. After spending all that time filling in little boxes, you get a message that says "thank you for revealing all your personal information, now click here to fill out the application for the company you thought you were applying to." Another three hours of filling in boxes and answering psychologically tricky questions and you get a message that says "there are currently no jobs available in the category you applied for, but we like to have a pool of applications on file in case an opening does occur. Thank you for your interest." Then it's on to the next listing and the dance begins anew.

A big problem with online job searches, is that a lot of phishing scams pose as job openings. It's fortunate that I created a new email account specifically for my job search or I might have been had. When an email appeared in my regular inbox that said "you applied for this job and we need more information," I realized what was going on. Thank Goodness.

Anyway, what free time I have, I'm still working on the new novel, as well as a sequel to Eaters, fittingly titled Eaters II. I'll try to blog again soon. Until then, I hope you have nice weather and time to enjoy it.

--Stephen P.

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