So I was feeling bored last night. My friend, Ted, had sent me an url for the "am I hot or not" site. Apparently, he had posted his picture. So, as I looked through, I noticed it was a pretty cheesy site for which the rankings depended on A)how much like a sorority chick you looked like and b) how scantily clad you were. Well, I did a photoshoot awhile back for this guy up in Milwaukee in exchange(the wanna be sleazy, wanna be goth grandson of the insane old lady I lived with) for him moving me the hell out of that town and back to Chicago. Most of the photos came out pretty badly but there were a few decent ones there. One of them was a really tasteful one of me with a rose next to me. I submitted that one. It got rejected. Too racy. Well, I saw a lot of pics a lot more racy than mine....ones with girls in bikinis in really suggestive poses, girls in see through dresses, a lot of stuff that was a lot more overtly sexual than my picture. I then submitted another picture. Go here and please be nice to me. I mean, come on my vanity is on the line here! :P

So I bought this book yesterday, "Idiots guide to corporate politics". Go ahead and laugh. Rob already did, and I suppose I would too if it weren't me. It actually has been helpful though, in figuring out how to deal with stuff, as well as put a lot of past conflicts into perspective. I know at least how to deal with it if the same scenarios that came up at my old job.

It also is a good way of helping me with the anxieties I started getting around jobs. Which is good in and of itself, since I never used to have that until I moved to Chicago. I don't particularly agree with meds and it's nice to see that some reading, and a lot of writing in my secret diary actually help put stuff back into perspective.

So I went through this rigorous Waldenbooks interview process. Now, retail is one of the most horrific things that I can imagine doing but we're moving soon and I need to pick up some extra cash. Rob and I went out to Woodfield Mall. I put in an application at Waldenbooks. The application seemed a little excessive for what was a bookstore job but fuck it, I filled it out and turned it in. I talked to the manager. She was short handed and didn't have time to talk to me, so she scheduled an interview. She was very friendly, and we talked a bit about animation and books and other interesting subjects. I was optimistic. So, I made the trek out to Schaumburg the next day. I got there a few minutes early and asked for her. The girl at the counter flippantly told me"she went out for coffee, she'll be back in awhile. "then turned around and ignored me. No "have a seat outside" no " look around, she'll come get you when she's ready" nothing. Um okay. That was weird. Then she came in, and I walked over to her. I wasn't all the way over to the counter when she said " I'll be with you in a while" At this point it was definitely time for the interview. Okay, now that was just damned rude. But I looked around for another ten minutes when she came out and met with me.

We sat down and she began the interview. She hadn't retained too much from the day before and it was intensive as any office interview I've ever had. Scenario questions, life experience questions, going rigorously over every detail of the job I'd possibly have, constantly probing me to see if I could find any questions. (Come on, it's retail, how complex can it be?) She seemed impressed with me. I wish I could say the same for her. Additionally, she wanted me to be her day shift person and come in at 8 AM. 8 AM! The damned store doesn't open until ten. Besides, I wasn't willing to be in Schaumburg at 8 AM for fifteen bucks an hour, I sure as hell am not going to do it for seven bucks an hour. The whole reason I considered a mall job was because they don't even open til ten AM, I figured it would give me some later hours.

Then she asked me to take a phone survey when I got home. She said she would check my responses and get back to me. So I took the survey. It was an honesty test. It was absolutely vile. If I'd known what the questions were, I wouldn't have taken it. Now, I expected a few questions like that, but it was about a hundred questions about lying and stealing, almost entirely. A lot of them were similar, phrased in subtly different ways obviously intended to catch you in a lie. Many of them were phrased really awkwardly where it could have a couple different meanings, with the only options being a hard lined yes or no. (Come on, if you're going to ask my moral opinion on a complex situational question at least do the strongly agree->strongly disagree five answer option.) The fact that they asked so many of these questions to challenge my honesty, everything from if I would steal from work to if I would take a sick day as a personal day, and everything in between, gave me a sour attitude toward the company. I think those tests are really damaging to moral. I would rather have a company do a criminal and credit check, and call a few references, than to ask those stupid questions that are intended to come up with a "psychological profile" (I'm sorry, but only a professional can do an accurate psychological profile, and you can't do it via automated system).

Oh well. I have other things lined up.