Back in the day when I was working, it always seemed like the short weeks, the ones with a holiday Monday, lasted longer than the full weeks. Well, I may be working on finding work but this week seems really long for some reason.
It’s not like there were any big happenings to speak of. My Mom and I had limited on-the-road adventures – just a few trips to Ingersoll and back from groceries and/or supplies and a run to Zorra’s Brush, Leaf and Yard Waste Depot, or as we like to call it, “The North Dump.” We did visit Value Village and a couple of thrift stores in Ingersoll. I also helped her with some home improvement projects around the house, including successfully plugging some holes in our shed’s roof and mowing the front and back lawn. Unfortunately, we also had to change the batteries in our smoke alarms after the “low battery” alarm went off in the middle of the night on two consecutive nights.
On Tuesday morning, however, I went to the head office of Shelf Life Magazine to visit editor/publisher Paul Sutter. While I was there, I picked up several new titles to read and review as well as copies of the August/September issue of Shelf Life. In addition to reading some titles to review for future issues, I have also been working on updating the website. I am hopeful of completing the update tomorrow but until then, check out the Shelf Life website for excerpts from previous issues.
On the job hunt front, I applied for four jobs this week (with another two to do this weekend). I also remembered that I had taken an aptitude test about a month ago to see what other employment opportunities I might be good at. While I don’t think I’ll pursue a career as a beautician, I did notice that the test results included working at a museum (they gave an actual job title but I can’t remember what it was). I decided to combine my background in customer service and communications with my love of local history and sent a cold call email to about nine museums in the surrounding area. I’m not sure if this will lead to anything but it can’t hurt, right?
I will say that my top priority probably should be updating …or rather completely revamping my LinkedIn account. See…and this is why I am extremely discouraged right now…I thought I had spent months, even years, trying to promote myself on LinkedIn as a communications professional, with maybe a side of marketing and, more recently, content creation. As it turns out, I have failed miserably in that regard. No wonder I’m not getting any job interviews. Apparently, someone reading my LinkedIn profile sees me as having branded myself as a daycare operator…in Alberta! (See the image to the left.)
In all seriousness, even if somehow they took me being a former Communications Coordinator – Writing or a former Associate Communications Specialist as running a daycare, I went back and checked and sure enough, LinkedIn lists me as living in…drum roll please…Ontario!!!! Someone is definitely barking up the wrong tree.
Speaking of trees, last weekend, I heard Gavin DeGraw’s I Don’t Want To Be on Sirius XM’s Road Trip Radio Channel. Of course, fans of the show, One Tree Hill, will recognize the tune as the theme song. When I heard the song, I took it as a sign I should start watching the show again, something my friend, Kelly, another OTH fan, concurred with. I remember watching the first few seasons when it aired but I guess around Season 6, I stopped, but I’ve always meant to go back and finish up. I watched about five episodes last weekend and need to continue.
The only issue I have with starting at Season 6 is I’ve missed “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” (Season 2, Episode 19) in which NASCAR driver Jeff Burton makes an appearance and instantly becomes the star of the show.
(Oh come on, like you weren’t expecting me to say that. It’s not like it’s even just Roush Racing’s Jeff Burton, it’s Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton when he was driving the #31 Chevrolet!)
I was talking to my “good buddy,” Jason, aka Jay the Snake, aka Kurnado, aka THA’ KILLAH!!!, aka Spatchula, aka a bunch of other nicknames that I’ve probably forgotten. We were talking about something I saw a few references on Facebook about: the return of Myspace. Now, it occurs to me that rumours regarding a social media platform surfacing on another social media platform might be fake news.
However, I have to admit that as much as I don’t really think the world needs yet another inane, divisive social media platform, I might be able to find myself getting behind Myspace. Of course, this is only if it was less of an endless feed from people I don’t know, companies I don’t care about, memes and jokes more offensive than funny, and references that I never post about but somehow show up anyway. Instead, I’d want more of a “Hey, here’s content that my friends are posting… (and not just reposting from other people’s accounts) – I’m seeing what they did this past weekend, or I’m reading what movies they watched, what music they’re listening to, or what shows they’re binging.”
There has been discussion that Myspace will not be using algorithms. From what I can tell, that means that they won’t be using algorithms to decide what you see. It will be more organic and that can only be a good thing.
I don’t care about seeing some post telling me why some celebrity hates people who aren’t on the same side of some social issue as they are, I want to know what my friends are up to. I want to see them posting photos celebrating a birthday. I want to read their blog about an achievement at work.
Oh…and unless the current President of the United States of America friends me on mySpace, the words “Donald Trump” should appear NOWHERE on my feed.
I don’t know…thoughts?
I can’t say that my week was completely void of excitement. In addition to Jason continuing to send me voice messages on Facebook Messenger telling me about the happenings in his life, I received a lengthy voice message from my friend and former Coles co-worker, Lyz. I may have scared her off by replying with the equivalent of an hour in reply. If anyone has any thoughts on anything I have written on this blog (or previous ones), feel free to drop me a voice or text message on Facebook and I’ll TRY not to go on too long in reply. (P.S. Shout-out to my friend and also former Coles co-worker, Jenn, for suggesting the #readJohnsblog hashtag).
Before I go, I have one question (and it’s a legit question) for anyone still reading this far. For me, I’m on LinkedIn all the time, hoping to see if someone has checked out my account (and then hoping I can actually see who that person is). For you gainfully employed folks, how often do you check LinkedIn?
Back in a week with more. Until then, take care of yourself and each other. (Wait…I’m closing with Jerry Springer taglines?)
johnmilner.ca 