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Write Me! MiXiM

             
January 12, 2001  North Country Job Search

Monday
I finally got home to stay. I guess you know how much I have been looking forward to it. But this is about the part that I have not really been looking forward to. I have to find a job. I don't have to look today because I just got here, but I have plans.

I have a job starting as soon as the weather is good. I will be building andor repairing buildings with Pete. Just like most people up here, he hasmany occupations to keep busy. Right now he is building rustic furniture out of logs and branches. I can hope that he will have a few odd jobs outin thesnow. That would be fun.

A local electrician asked me if I would be looking for work, last fall. I wasn't then, but hopefully he will have some work now. Terry is a cool guy. I think he would be good to work for. But last I heard his plan was to be in Belize in January. He should have paid me to go with him.

I made maple syrup one day last year. It was fun, and I would like to doit again, so I am trying to break in to the scene and get myself a situation, as they say. I have to call my neighbor who makes syrup and see if he has any friends that need help. Plus, I have the name of a guy who was advertising for help last fall.

There is a ski area that I have heard is always hiring. We will see. I don't know what I would do at a ski area, but work is work.

And then there is always the paper.

Tuesday
I drove all over the county this morning. Snow Ridge, the ski area is almost an hour from my house. I filled out an application only to find out thatthey weren't hiring right now. I thought they were always hiring. I shouldhave listened to Rob. He is also looking for work. I feel kind of bad competing with him, since I am more qualified for everything. I had been thinking that he didn't have a job because he was lazy, but now I am starting to see that there just aren't any. He has applied everywhere that I will.

Anyway Snow Ridge wasn't my last stop. I drove up to Rob's house in Carthage, and we went and worked out at the gym on the military base. He says he had permission from a recruiter, but that wouldn't save my ass. It is scary enough driving onto Fort Drum, without getting out of the car, walking through a door marked, "I.D. required," and then just acting normal running on thetreadmill and lifting weights. I was hyperaware of my eyebrow ring and hairclip, not to mention my long hair in general. It is so obvious that I don'tbelong.Don't fret, there were no incidents.

I called the maple guy from last fall and he wasn't in. I was supposed to call in the evening but I got distracted. 

I bought two papers.  The Lowville Journal and Republican and the Carthage Republican Tribune. Do the names of local papers really portend to the political scene?  Even if they don't I was disappointed all the same. It seems I have a shot at being a part time farm hand, if I only had years of experience, or I have my choice of assembly at home jobs. In a few weeks I will be desperate enough to call one of those long distance numbers for info, but for now,no.

Wednesday
I think the longest it has ever taken me to get a job is a few weeks, but is usually a matter of hours or a day. I have been spoiled. I was bummedthat there was just nothing in the paper. I have to get down to business.

I called Pete today because I forgot the last name of my maple syrup neighbor. Pete says if there is a good crust on the snow, we can go drag in some trees and strip them. I say good, that's the only part of  furniture making that sounds like fun. He'll have work as soon as there is a nice day.

I called Terry, and left a message. He hasn't called back so I guess he is Belize.

And I remembered to call the syrup guy from last fall. He was kind of strange. He was really chatty, though he said flat out that he didn't have any work. So I didn't feel much like chatting, since it wouldn't help, but I humored him. Finally he said, "tell me more about yourself." So I mentioned working at Unirondack. He perked right up, " I thought that Nate Cole was in charge there."  I may have been too harsh in correcting him, since I wasn't so chatty, "Nat Shed, you mean." I could see the mistake really. Of course the guy is UU, Unitarian Universalist, aspiring to be a Quaker.  He had been to camp in the last few years so I am sure I have met him. Eventually, he said I could travel around the state and look for new stores to sell hissyrup. I said that wasn't what I was really looking for. And he accused meof being misanthropic, well... he didn't say misanthropic. I really didn'tfeel like chatting. I finally pried out of him right where his farm was,so I couldtell UUs where to get UU maple syrup. If you want UU maple syrupjust askme for a map.

Thursday
So my plans are not working out. I will have to try something new. I hadan appointment in town this morning, so I stopped into the Manpower Office.I have always been confused about how a temp agency could be supported uphere. I was all primed from the syrup guy so one of the first things I didwas mistake a manpower lapel pin for a flaming chalice, the symbol of UUs.I hope that didn't make the wrong impression. I can't see how she could holdit against me unless she thought that I was confused, because she was confused,but I wasn't confused, only she was, even after I explained. Maybe she willhold it against me just for confusing her. That would be wrong though. Anyway, I have an appointment for three and half hour application/interview/skills test/safety training. She said that most of the jobs were in Lewis county and most of them were industrial wood working/sanding, i.e. making bowling pins at AMF.

Friday
I am not out of pajamas, at 1:20 PM, but then clothes are overrated. I have been cleaning since 8. It is worth mentioning, that I had a guest Tuesday through Thursday, and three more guests will come today for the weekend,ok, five if you count the dogs. It's not an excuse, but maybe I will lookharder for a job next week, when I don't have guests.

So wish me luck, and pass the word that I am looking for a situation, ifyou happen to run into any syrup men from Lewis County.

MiXiM


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