Topless and Luckless

Yes, they are ripping the roof off our house as we speak (so to speak). Five guys showed up with dirty boots, hammers and ladders and away they go. They checked in the attic- our whole roof probably needs to be replaced, but we somehow doubt that will happen since our slumlord doesn't really care what happens to this house. Rumor has it he paid it off years ago so now anything he makes off it is pure profit.

Went to a career seminar yesterday, it was awful. The guy wrote a book - here's the link:

Luck Is No Accident

It's all about how he can take credit for being so clever as to have the job he has now, but he told us a story that sounded like pure luck to me. He said the day he lost his internship, he ran back to his school to ask if anyone could find him another one, and he just happened to run into someone in the hallway who knew about an opening. He called the place and just barely made it under the wire for the deadline for an interview. Well, he ended up getting the job, but tell me that's not luck-! I mean, if he had been an hour later, even a few minutes, he might not have gotten that interview.

Some of us are not so lucky.

I did like that he showed a Monty Python clip during his seminar, but then he didn't really deconstruct it at all. I mean, the Vocational Career Counselor basically steers the client into an only marginally-different job, and to me this is classic for what these people do. But he didn't even comment on it.

Anyway, my point being, most of that stuff is not useful. He didn't tell me anything I didn't already know- take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, yada yada.

The part where I get stuck is having opportunities come my way. I do everything I'm supposed to- I schmooze, I really do. I'm not afraid to ask anyone and everyone I meet if they have any leads for me. But so far, no job.

Oh yeah, the other great news of yesterday- one of my competitors is interviewing at my alma mater. I don't even have any interviews (yet???), but a friend of mine at the school sent me an email to let me know that he had seen this guy's seminar advertised. Lovely! Just what I needed to hear.

Hope you all had a better day yesterday than I did.