So I realized what bugs me overall about my team member -- I don't feel like she appreciates the fact that I hired her (when I was made to create a position for her), so I wish she appreciated literally anything at any point. She's on every fun committee, is barely in the office 9-5 (she doesn't have enough work yet), blah blah blah. That one (legit!) email was just One More Thing.

I required pie. Fortunately, that requirement has been met.

Hooray pie!

I can see how that would rankle, Jesse.

Not like I've done any work myself aside from several meetings this morning. I just did a copy-and-paste task I really could have delegated, but figured I was better off doing that than doing nothing...

Welp, rejected for the most recent job I applied/phone screened for, damn it.

Already had pie for lunch.

Did NOT expect this rejection to lead to actual factual ugly crying, but apparently I am out of cope.

Ugh, I'm so sorry, Plei.

Job-hunting is such a demoralizing task.

I'm sorry Plei.

Last time I had to job hunt, I had padding because I'd been laid off from an FTE position and got a package. This time, there's no padding at all (in large part because of huge medical expenses) and I'm far less optimistic about my prospects than I was when I started out last time.

I mean, I had suffered from the delusion that 7.5 years at a major company and a decent-sized network would help me get something decent and that particular delusion has long since vanished in the face of the realities of a niche skillset.

So I guess it's time to pull the trigger on Operation Sell the Car and then pay off as much of my remaining personal debt as I can with whatever proceeds I get. Pity. I love that car.

Job-hunting is terrible. It's like having a job you hate and not getting paid for it and also carrying around a giant ball of stress. Extreme sympathies, PMM.