Startup-a-what?!

Sometimes, in order to work somewhere like this...
















One has to endure something like this:


I went to a job fair called "Startupalooza" last night that took place in Pioneer Square, one of my favorite Seattle neighborhoods. After working at Microsoft in the morning and solidifying a freelance film production job (12 short training videos) in the afternoon, I pushed an already-harried day further and made my way downtown. Needless to say, by the time I got to the job fair, I had a massive headache and was pretty frazzled -- partly, I'm sure, due to the fact that I'd eaten a total of one apple all day.

I was fine with my crazy schedule and had even planned in advance for it. ("Breathe deep...") It was the call from Kat at 5:15 that did me in: "Don't forget about Open House at the school tonight at 7:00..." Dammit! It's not that I'd forgotten, it's that I'd planned the day from two sides of my brain -- I knew I had the job fair and I knew I had the open house; I just somehow didn't synthesize them to the exact same time on the exact same evening! We live a good 45 minutes from Seattle -- more during rush hour -- and when Kat called I was at Elisabeth's, having just spent a few "spare moments" (ha!) shopping for some groceries for a primary stocking of her new kitchen. She lives 30 minutes north of Seattle -- and the plan was for us to head to Pioneer Square together, then she'd wait for me while I schmoozed and begged for a job, and then we'd go out for dinner. (An evening at Pioneer Square is considered a definite event around here!) That plan never materialized, of course. Instead, I hastily apologized and got in the car, heading (no -- inching) for Pioneer Square. I finally arrived, slapped on a trendy green suede blazer and an admittedly forced smile and boldly entered the lobby, where it was wall-to-wall sweaty people, all vying to speak with the high and mighty hiring officers.

Is this what speed dating feels like?

I found the company I really wanted to talk to -- they make devices that read and digitize printed documents and are looking to go into the school market -- and waited patiently to talk to the head of HR who insisted that I'm "perfect for what they're looking for and definitely want me to come in." (I'll believe it when it actually happens.) And then, as hastily as I arrived, I left, tossing resumes in other companies' in-boxes on my way out.

It was 6:14 and the Open House was a good 45 minutes away. 'If the Seattle traffic cooperates,' I thought, 'I can make it...' which I did, slipping into "class" an acceptable 35 seconds late. Because we have twins in the school, Tom covers one schedule and I cover the other (otherwise, he could have gone to the open house while I went to the job fair). By 9:00, as I walked to the car, having still eaten only an apple all day, my headache was raging. Just to add some excitement to my day (pfffffft!), I didn't see a curb and ended up falling like a complete buffoon, scattering papers all over the street. I got in my car, surprised myself by bursing into tears and then uncontrollable sobs, which I managed to get under control by the time I met Tom for a bite to eat -- which could have been a very enjoyable experience if we hadn't been in the midst of a stupid, dismal fight.

Today promises to be better... but only because I'm locking myself in my office, so there aren't as many opportunities for disaster.