Mid-Week Bullets, Now with More Bull in These Foolish Things

• If only you could see me right now. My hair has been up in an excruciatingly messy topknot for two days now while I finished up this “interview project” for Company #3. I don’t look like myself at all. I don’t know who that person is? I could also tell you that I haven’t showered in days, but I did shower this morning because I felt so gross. Still, I put my hair right back up into the messy topknot.

• I should do RADs on these companies I’m trying to court (and vice versa). Maybe call them RACs? Rate-a-Company? I don’t know. Actually, it would be a good idea to do that so I’d have some kind of record, you know? Some kind of comparison in addition to the spreadsheet I’m keeping notes on. Spreadsheets are gross. But I always seem to get the jobs where I have to continually use them. Bleah. Now is the time for me to figure out how I can go the rest of my life without having to open another Excel spreadsheet.

• The project I submitted was due at 5pm today. I’d gotten the assignment at the VERY end of the workday on Friday and spent the weekend doing some casual research. These projects seem to always go the same way every time. I take some time to digest what they are asking for. In this case, it was SO vague - and that was intentional because they want to see which direction I’d take it - that I spent a lot of extra time sort of crafting the layout in my mind and then sketching out the layout in a Google Pages doc. Anyway, three-ish days laying out the format and doing some competitive shopping, then more comp shopping on Monday (more on that in a sec), and then ALLLLL of the presentation last night and today.

• I was up until 3am last night for various boring reasons, but it all pretty much followed my process, so it seemed normal. My creative process works better with a looming deadline like that. I panic in the middle of the night because I HAVE to get some sleep and then I get up three hours later and spend the time alllllll the way up to the deadline banging the presentation out.

• Only this time, I sent in the presentation an HOUR before deadline to show them that not only can I hit a deadline, I can send my project in early! Boom.

• My actual interview is not until next week. That’s my own fault. I offered up days that would make this company (and let’s call this company The Cutie Pie Company because the product is just so damn cute…I’m not even kidding) think that I’m still so busy with my current job (where I’m not even working anymore) that I had to carve out days where I could call in sick to take a day to interview.

• And after all of THAT, I have to be honest, after all of my research I’m not so sure of the stability of this company. The CEO is this young, young woman - think Sarah Blakely of SPANX when she was just starting out - who started the company out of her mom and dad’s garage and has gotten a few magical breaks and is now doing a pretty huge business and has had to expand into bigger and bigger offices, etc. etc. and yet the product, as CUTE as it is, needs some refinement and innovative expertise. And that’s where I’d come in, of course, but it’s a matter of whether I want to take that risk. I do believe that the in-person interview will be very, very telling. It will def need a RAD/RAC.

• So while I was out doing my research, which is the part of every job that I love, which is the part where I go out and shop the competitive market, which means that I’m out SHOPPING (!!!), I was able to do some shopping for myself. During my research I found some adorable clothes that will be perfect for The Cutie Pie Company interview! I’ll have to tell you all about the outfits later (yes, I bought a couple of different options because, hell, who needs money?) because I’m so tired because I stayed up until 3am last night.

• Need to write about the other companies: The Big A is out as of last entry; Dream Company seems to have ghosted (because like dating, the ones you like the most always disappear); The Outdoor Adventure Company has disappeared as well; and tomorrow I have a phone screening with The Licensing Group, and you know they’ll like me because I have tons of experience with licensing projects (but as soon as I start to fall in love with them, the power will shift, right? So maybe I just never fall in love with them, mmmkay?). Ugh. This truly IS dating.

• In actual human dating, Captain K is still sniffing around, texting me here and there, asking me when he can see me again. Every time I answer something like, and I’m paraphrasing, whenever you make a fucking PLAN he seems to back down. What is with EVERY INTERACTION WITH EVERY ENTITY I’M TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH? How is is possible to not align with so many things?!! It’s just weird because I’m trying but I’m not really trying THAT hard with anything because in the end, what does it matter anyway?

I WAS DYING OF CANCER ALL OF LAST YEAR!!! WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN ANYMORE?

• I’m tired. I’m going to bed.

Nighty-night my loves,
GS