The Interview.....

So last Friday I finally got to go for the interview I had been waiting for 2 weeks for.  Job hunting like on line dating and rightmove feel just like an extension of shopping to me.  Maybe I am a bit weird but I like doing it.  It has the same thrill of the chase as ploughing through the bargain bucket in tescos searching for hidden gems and the same high of excitement when you spot something with good potential and you snatch it up before anyone else can.  Alright its not exactly like that because ultimately you can't go for the 50k a year job with a CV that says stay at home mum for the last 4 years but you know what I mean.

I had left my search criteria quite open in the fact I wasn't too specific on role, distance or wage package and this allowed me to trawl through about 150 jobs on the Reed Accountancy website.  I beefed up my CV with my newly acquired qualifications and set about registering myself once again.  Alot of the jobs advertised on these sites seemed to be posted through recruitment agencies and while I know that there is slim chance that the jobs they are advertising actually exists I still set about writing polite covering letters and sending off my CV.

To my surprise I got 2 responses back, which in this day and age is a bit of a miracle, one was from an agency wanting to get me on their books. Fine who knows something might come of it. The other was from an agency phoning me to tell me their client wanted to see me..! Really ! Crap I have nothing to wear.  "The company are holding 4 interviews next Wednesday you need to be there at 4" Really ! Crap again. I can't make next Wednesday as the car is being serviced and MOT'd and I have no transportation.  "Oh" says the lady from the agency, "i'll have to let me client know you can't make it and I will call you back" well I was pretty convinced they were just going to say, never mind will see so and so instead as they will probably be able to make it. But miracle no 2 happened and she called me back to say they would see me on the Friday instead and could I make it for 10am.  I nearly kissed the receiver, of course Jessica no problems, yes send me the details by email, I'll be there with bells on.

So I spent the next week and a bit determined to find something in my wardrobe that was suitable and would mean me not having to spend any money and getting lectured on interview techniques by the 13 year old (they'd just done this as a topic in PSHE and she was full of tips and bright ideas, firm handshake, smile alot and remember to make a good impression within the first 30 seconds otherwise you just may as well give up).

The big day arrived and to say I was nervous was an understatement, I was sweating just standing in my bra and pants trying to do my hair and every time I put any make up on my face it just melted right back off again.  I chain smoked two cigarettes on the way to their office and then berated myself for going in there stinking of fags (so off putting don't you think).  Gave my firm but not to firm handshake and smiled my brightest smile possible.  The first thing the guy said to me was "don't worry we're not going to eat you" to which I replied "it would be a bloody hard job if you tried" hhmmm not a particularly good start I feel.  I then spent the next half an hour trying to explain why I wanted to leave this fantastically convenient and well paid job of mine to end up working full time with out so much more money.  When directly asked "are you only applying for jobs so that you can get out of the house for a bit?" I infactically answered yes but realised quite quickly that this was probably the wrong answer and made short sharp work of taking my foot out of my mouth and returning my brain to my empty bimbo head. They seemed nice enough people and also a worthy company to work for but his parting words to me as I was heading out the front door where "we had many many high calibre applicants the fact you have been able to get an interview was a good achievement" Brush off words if ever I heard them, oh well applied for another 15 today so keep your fingers crossed for me ..:0)

Can anything else go wrong ?....

How can so many things be breaking around the house all at the same time.  First it was the bed, which decided that now there is only me in it, that it should just fall apart.  Then the shower in the en suite packed up rendering the second bathroom almost completely useless, must call plumber but not quiet ready to take out a second mortgage just yet, then the best one of all Ninja managed to get himself completely twisted and stuck in the seat belt of the car. 

Now don't get me wrong seat belts are never a bad idea, but I never realised how much of a not very good idea they could be too.  It was an uneventful trip home from the school run as usual and as we pulled up home, Ninja started getting fidgety. I stopped the car in the drive and began unloading the tons of stuff I always manage to accumulate during the day to take in to the house. On my way back from the first offload I realised Ninja hadn't got out of the car and called to him in an impatient tone to get out, I was replied with a soft wimpery voice "I can't mum, I'm stuck". Of course, harsh as it may seem (other mums back me up here please) I didn't believe him and so went to the boot to grab the second load and take it in to the house.  As I turned around from the second off load I realised that Ninja still hadn't left the car, and I started to get really impatient.  So went to get youngest out of his chair with thoughts of just leaving Ninja in the car to get on with whatever silly game he thought he was playing, but as I bent down to open the straps on baby's seat and peered in to the car I found Ninja with the look of pure panic on his face, being squished up against the back of the car seat....."I can't move mummy, every time I do it just gets tighter"  Oh crap..!!  Now having finally realised that actually he was telling the truth and wasn't just trying to wind me up, I ran round to the other side of the car to where he was sitting and desperately tried to untangle him. It was useless, for every move I made it either hurt him or pulled the seat belt tighter. I took a deep breath, I'm either being stupid which is why I can't untangle him or I am in too much of a guilty flap, I know I'll grab mooki, she'll be clear headed and probably see what the problem is with out any difficulty.  Ran in to the house screamed her down from her bedroom and then tried to explain to her the problem while Ninja was still in the back of the car now crying "get me out get me out".  When she saw the mess he was in her first reaction was "you'll have to cut in out" ok great it wasn't me just being stupid he was well and truly stuck. At this point I seriously considered calling 999 fire and rescue (well 6 firemen turning up would probably have made a seat belt being ruined worth it :0)) but while I was uming and ahhring the pros and cons (ie wasting important fireman's time so I can simply oogling them) Mooki ran in to the house and grabbed the scissors.

The moment of his release was a precious one in my memory banks. His sister and him do not have the greatest of relationships at the best of time but the action of her "rescuing" him cemented something both in their hearts which will never be removed.  I watched with soaring pride and emotion both their responses to him being freed and they were as close as brother and sister can be at that moment, I don't think anything could have dragged them apart from the cuddle they gave each other. It was a horrible and amazingly wonderful five minutes of my life.  Only made slightly sweeter by littlest one pointing at the harness in his car seat saying "stuck stuck"

So now I have a missing seat belt at the back of my car, and it needs its first MOT this year so that's just another unnecessary bill to get sorted that's already been added to the pile of them sitting on my desk. Away though I am glad it happened because since then Ninja and Mooki have given each other alot more respect and the love within them for each other is deepening.

Silver lining and all that eh !!