Crushing headache today after a long and deep sleep without any Trazodone or distilled spirits. In fact I haven’t had any distilled spirits since the weekend. (It is now Friday.) A couple of beers last night at Randolph’s in DUMBO. Very hoppy beers, I think, and my headache today—peaking between 10am and 2pm—was some sort of allergic reaction. I took a can of IPA home with me and drank that around 3, fearing the worst, but maybe the ‘hair of the dog’ worked this time. It cleared up just in time for me to engage in an hour-long text chat with one ‘Sally’ at Hoolio (code name in this blog), which seems to be my prospective employer. More about that later.
I felt very pleased with myself last night and this morning for having shuffled off to the nruns party at Randolph’s. Feeling fatigued and bleary-eyed from a disturbed sleep cycle, I’d made up my mind by 3pm Thursday (yesterday) that I wasn’t going to go to the party. Then I noticed it was raining outside, and thought, wouldn’t it be terrible, if they had all the balloons and streamers and party fixins out, and only a dozen people showed up? So I would go and and add my heft. But I wouldn’t go too early. No, I’d get there after 7. As things happened, it was closer to 8. The F train did not stop at York Street. Went straight on to Jay St/Metrotech. Big station, I did not know what to do. Must be a long walk in the rain, up to York St, I thought. Found the F train going the other way, and its next stop was York. After that, and the block-long upwards-incline ramp (I was panting) to the street (Jay St still), I knew my way under the bridge overpass and to the beer hall, just a block away. Passed Stephen Bonnet, who recognized me at a distance even with my yellow slicker hood up. We slapped palms, high-five.
Quite a turnout. Geoff Vincent, Jen, John Liu, Steve, Jasmine, some people I know but don’t know the names of. I asked Doug Olney who that cycling guy was whom I’m always talking to. Turned out his name was Mark and he was there too, not three yards away. I didn’t realize he was bald. Outside he usually keeps his pate covered with a do-rag or Italian cyclist’s cap. Very pale, no doubt very blond when young. Long Polish name. Well, we had another good conversation, carrying forward the one we had on Saturday when we were waiting for the last 10k runner to reach my split mat. Jen was giving out tokens for the game machines and I played three games of pinball on the Jurassic Park machine. Hadn’t gone pinball since maybe Newport Avenue, playing with Colin Flaherty.
Strangely I seem to have been selected for a horrible nothing job that pays me maybe a third of what I’d usually be offered (for jobs that don’t pan out or that die with their departments in a week or two) but must be very undemanding. Copyediting but really mostly proofreading. Infra dig, but I could not take anything stressful just now. An international corp owned by subcontinentals. They must have wanted me very much. Or maybe they’re hiring a half-dozen people. Or the sluice gates have opened all over, employment-wise, and it’s a bull market for hiring now, thanks to the booming markets after the Trump and GOP wins two weeks ago. They gave me some bank account numbers to pay off my Chase Amazon card so I can buy needed equipment. New equipment. I think a laptop and/or tablet. Bluetooth headset. Magic mouse? Is that for real?
I am surprised, relieved, astonished, though only in the same way as with Mr Trump’s win. I don’t trust any hiring process anymore, and yet…the mind reels with calculations. My net “income” will more than double after this. There will be no fear about not paying the rent and utilities. Still ekeing out a bare existence, but expenses will not increase.
Around 2pm I got myself a $15+ pizza from Mangia and gobbled it down. Previously had a Starbucks coffee and coffee cake. Living large. Watching videos with Lawrence Brown and Evan Edinger.
