Battle Kitten: Ascension

[Jean]

2 hours ago, fleaball said:

Time to go on a crash diet so I can buy smaller clothes before I get the job!

 

 

...kidding. 

 

 

...but also wishful thinking.  

 

But also, why not? Not the crash diet, of course, but building a healthy habit. Gotta make those two weeks go by fast. ;-)

 

Also, I don't care if they need to have champaign and foie gras in their tummy before they can put their brain on, you did it and that's what matters.

 

[fleaball]

It is 5pm and I’m beyond ready for bedtime. I also want to go to Target and get a really soft and warm-looking blanket but that would require pants and going outside. Plus the cats would get stuck in it all the time and I would be sad. 

 

52 minutes ago, Jean said:

 

But also, why not? Not the crash diet, of course, but building a healthy habit. Gotta make those two weeks go by fast. ;-)

 

Also, I don't care if they need to have champaign and foie gras in their tummy before they can put their brain on, you did it and that's what matters.

 

Yup! Making a list of healthy stuff to buy when I go grocery shopping after therapy tomorrow. I should probably practice quick and easy lunches and snacks in case I get this job.

[fleaball]

Here’s a fun question: why do people seem to think I’m Brazilian all of a sudden? I had a Lyft passenger on Sunday who said my name and then “Brazil?” In the middle of the ride, so it’s not like he was just confirming my identity. My name is Irish in origin. Common enough here that people don’t comment on it other than to tell me I spell it wrong () but still definitely not like anything I’ve ever seen in Portuguese. And then today my Uber driver to the interview just straight up launched into conversation in what sounded like Portuguese, which I speak nothing of. I can recognize a few phrases but that’s it. She didn’t ask if I spoke it, just rolled right on. I don’t think I look Brazilian; I’m so pale I practically glow in the dark. So this is confusing to me. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Brazil is extremely ethnically diverse. They have far more designations for skin color than in the U.S. Whereas we might distinguish between black, white, and brown, they have at least five if not more categories for skin color in the daily language. Being pale doesn't automatically mean you don't look Brazilian, there are people born and raised there as white as you or me. Now as to why they assume you are Brazilian specifically, I got no clue. 

[fleaball]

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Brazil is extremely ethnically diverse. They have far more designations for skin color than in the U.S. Whereas we might distinguish between black, white, and brown, they have at least five if not more categories for skin color in the daily language. Being pale doesn't automatically mean you don't look Brazilian, there are people born and raised there as white as you or me. Now as to why they assume you are Brazilian specifically, I got no clue. 

Yeahhhh I forget what my point was supposed to be but it definitely wasn’t to sound so “I’m white, how dare you?!” 

[fleaball]

Aaaaaand healthy grocery shopping is not happening today because why should anything go as planned?

[Jean]

Because Salad-Kitty says so ?

 

 

[fleaball]

Salad Kitty should do my shopping for me. I walked into the store, saw that all the apples I like were bruised and rotting, and walked out of the store without looking at anything else and just cried in my car before coming home.

[Jean]

3 minutes ago, fleaball said:

all the apples I like were bruised and rotting

 

You know what? F... that store!

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

7 minutes ago, fleaball said:

Salad Kitty should do my shopping for me. I walked into the store, saw that all the apples I like were bruised and rotting, and walked out of the store without looking at anything else and just cried in my car before coming home.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that wasn't really about the apples. You've been burning up your emotional resilience on simply surviving with your family. Then you had all the stress of the interview prep, then the actual interviews. You were so out of spoons that by the time rotten apples came along you were filled to capacity with BS-putting-up-with-ness and some of that stress had to come out as saline through your tear ducts.

[fleaball]

Just now, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that wasn't really about the apples. You've been burning up your emotional resilience on simply surviving with your family. Then you had all the stress of the interview prep, then the actual interviews. You were so out of spoons that by the time rotten apples came along you were filled to capacity with BS-putting-up-with-ness and some of that stress had to come out as saline through your tear ducts.

Oh yeah, even as it was happening I was like “I guess I’m having a bad day.” I also realized that launching into trying to buy and cool healthy food on top of all those things you mentioned was probably terrible timing and I should have made a more realistic/less blindly optimistic plan. 

[Owlet]

2 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that wasn't really about the apples. You've been burning up your emotional resilience on simply surviving with your family. Then you had all the stress of the interview prep, then the actual interviews. You were so out of spoons that by the time rotten apples came along you were filled to capacity with BS-putting-up-with-ness and some of that stress had to come out as saline through your tear ducts.

If it makes you feel any better, lately I've been losing my shit as soon as I walk in the door and feel a cat biscuit or piece of kitty litter underfoot. Or any kind of sticky patch. Or puddles. Heck making the bed nearly reduced to me to tears the other night. So bruised apples seems a good enough reason. 

[fleaball]

Blah. Wanted to go driving but this mood won’t go away. Instead I’ve been rewatching Queer Eye and I managed to take out a bunch of trash and recycling, put away clean laundry and put the dirty stuff in the basket instead, scare the shit out of the cats folding up the squeaky ass ironing board and get it out of my room, and make chicken nuggets. Not what I planned for today at all, but I did productive and necessary things while wanting to hide in a blanket fort and I’m taking the win for today. Fuck it. 

[RES]

9 hours ago, fleaball said:

I’m taking the win for today

As you should, that's a total win!

 

flea is awesome!

[Bean Sidhe]

First off.. Yay on the job interview. You did great. They are probably waiting to hire until after the first of the year so they don't have to do the yearly bonus for a person that has been there 5 days or whatever.

 

As far as the apples.. I get it. Since I finished my final, I have walked in the house every night and just stopped. I barely eat dinner and then I just sit down and have like 0 energy left. The apples were one more damn thing, and sometimes, we just can't take more. Hopefully your feeling better than you have and the next few weeks goes better.
 

You are still winning, even if its not everything you wanted to do, your still doing something.  *hugs* Flea

[TimovieMan]

2 hours ago, Bean Sidhe said:

They are probably waiting to hire until after the first of the year so they don't have to do the yearly bonus for a person that has been there 5 days or whatever.

Most companies have a policy where new employees need to have worked there for a number of months (often six) before qualifying for an end-of-year bonus.

 

More likely is that they don't want to start someone new one week before they close shop for the holidays, or alternatively: they want to give themselves a bit more time to get everything set up internally.

Plus it's often more convenient for them to start new employees just *after* a holiday period, or at the beginning of a new month.

[fleaball]

Yeah they said it was because people were in and out on vacation so they couldn’t regroup to make a decision til they’re all back. Which is fine, I didn’t really expect to walk out with an offer and a start date of Christmas Eve. But it’s still a bummer because they seemed like they were rushing to get the position filled and then suddenly “okay it will be at least two weeks before you hear from us.” Womp. 

[fleaball]

Bought some new shirts online at Target and picked them up today. Just put one on and it feels huge on me despite being the right size. Realized it feels gigantic because I’m a fucking idiot - as I’ve gained (a lot of) weight I haven’t bought new clothes so I’ve just been wearing all the same shirts from like 50 pounds ago. These new ones feel huge because they actually fit. u__u

[fleaball]

On today’s episode of Help Flea Adult:

 

I never actually sent thank you emails after the interviews last week, and I haven’t gotten to it for the interviews this week because I didn’t want to send them to the less important people and not the more important ones. Do I send them all at once now and pretend that it’s totally normal to send them a week and a half later (the Internet recommends no later than 24-48 hours post-interview) or do I just not send them to anyone and just cross my fingers that no one else has interviewed and sent thank yous?

 

I know we’ve talked about this before and iirc the general consensus was that no one here has ever sent them before and you’re all obviously employed. But I’m stressing out about it again because it’s a thing you’re “””supposed”””” to do and I didn’t do it but I don’t want to lampshade the fact that I never got around to it by being so late about it either. (I did write them for the first three people, but I left them in my drafts folder to sit on and send the next day and then... didn’t.)

[NeverThatBored]

I've done thank you notes after interviews! Usually via email though. I personally probably wouldn't send them this late because I'd also feel weird about it. On the other hand, I doubt they'd get your thank you notes and be upset about them, so there's probably no harm in still sending them?

[Jean]

5 hours ago, fleaball said:

Do I send them all at once now and pretend that it’s totally normal to send them a week and a half later

 

It's totally normal to send holidays wishes to people with whom you are in line for a job. You can take the opportunity to thank them for the interviews while at it. ;-)

 

[TimovieMan]

2 hours ago, Jean said:

 

It's totally normal to send holidays wishes to people with whom you are in line for a job. You can take the opportunity to thank them for the interviews while at it. ;-)

 

^ This.

 

It it weren't the holiday season, I'd probably not send them this late (it's not like they often get mails like that anyway, so I doubt they're expecting them). But now that it's Christmas and New Year's season...

[Severine]

21 hours ago, fleaball said:

Bought some new shirts online at Target and picked them up today. Just put one on and it feels huge on me despite being the right size. Realized it feels gigantic because I’m a fucking idiot - as I’ve gained (a lot of) weight I haven’t bought new clothes so I’ve just been wearing all the same shirts from like 50 pounds ago. These new ones feel huge because they actually fit. u__u

 

 

Dude you were used to something and it took a while to switch to a different thing. Just human nature. 

 

13 hours ago, fleaball said:

On today’s episode of Help Flea Adult:

 

I never actually sent thank you emails after the interviews last week, and I haven’t gotten to it for the interviews this week because I didn’t want to send them to the less important people and not the more important ones. Do I send them all at once now and pretend that it’s totally normal to send them a week and a half later (the Internet recommends no later than 24-48 hours post-interview) or do I just not send them to anyone and just cross my fingers that no one else has interviewed and sent thank yous?

 

I know we’ve talked about this before and iirc the general consensus was that no one here has ever sent them before and you’re all obviously employed. But I’m stressing out about it again because it’s a thing you’re “””supposed”””” to do and I didn’t do it but I don’t want to lampshade the fact that I never got around to it by being so late about it either. (I did write them for the first three people, but I left them in my drafts folder to sit on and send the next day and then... didn’t.)

 

I agree with Tim and Jean - you could still send them because it's the holidays, plus you did just finish your final round of interviews so they might think you just waited until all interviews were done, or something. I don't think it'll look weird. But I also don't think it'll look bad if you don't do it. I've been in hiring positions before and I can't remember a single time we ended up discussing whether or not people sent interview thank-yous as a hiring factor. Like, it never even came up in discussions.

 

I still think thank-yous can be a good thing, but it is never an essential thing IMO, and it really depends on the person. So especially given that half the people you interviewed with weren't even people you'd be working with and were clearly just being asked to talk to you because they had to check boxes that you talked to X number of people and not because they were actually really involved with your hiring process, I think you could safely skip it if that lowers your stress.

[Sylvaa]

27 minutes ago, Severine said:

I still think thank-yous can be a good thing, but it is never an essential thing IMO, and it really depends on the person. So especially given that half the people you interviewed with weren't even people you'd be working with and were clearly just being asked to talk to you because they had to check boxes that you talked to X number of people and not because they were actually really involved with your hiring process, I think you could safely skip it if that lowers your stress.

 

This. If you want to send any out, I'd focus on anyone you would directly report to. The higher ups, depending on company size, probably won't even think about it. 

[fleaball]

Valid points on all fronts. I'm not going to do them, even though it's going to weigh on me forever that I didn't. Because I stared at gmail for about an hour trying to get myself to do it and getting super anxious over "what if it's too late?? what am I supposed to say now??" and basically the anxiety over never doing them is less than the anxiety over doing them super late so that option wins. 

 

Haha but fuck, now I'm like "wait but they all gave me business cards, what if it was a test??" They all also told me to contact them if I had more questions; I don't think they necessarily expected or are waiting for an email with followup questions, so of course my brain just decided there's no other reason for them to give me business cards unless they were looking to see if I'd do thank yous?

 

Fuck it. If they were then I still failed that test by waiting so long so I'm not going to dig myself a hole by doing it now so they can just think "well that was clearly an afterthought. No points for you." 

 

Fuck anxiety. So much.