Does anybody read these?

Job hunting...

Is it just me or is job hunting a lot like a pick-up game of dodgeball on the grade school playground? The competition is fierce. You know you could be good at it if someone picked you for their team. The cool kids are the captains, of course. One by one, they pick all their cool kid friends. You, along with everyone else, stand there waiting patiently, thinking "Pick me, pick me."

That's how I feel when I'm looking for a job. Now that I have an address and will be a semi-permanant resident of The Music City next week, I am starting to really attract attention. And there are plenty of jobs listed online that I can apply for. Once I get down there I'll really start networking and meeting people and making the connections that I need.

I am a writer. I said when I got to Nashville I was going to write. You'll remember last fall I'd decided that I was done with nonprofit fundraising. But you know what? I am good at nonprofit fundraising. My last job just sucked. My boss was too busy to work with me and didn't give me the information I needed to do it on my own. It didn't help that there wasn't a lot of untapped potential here in rural Ohio. It's different in a big city. So, anyhow, here I am unemployed, seriously starting to panic about the lack of funds that I'm going to be facing soon enough. I figured rather than be unemployed, I could look at some nonprofit gigs. I know how to do the work. And frankly, that system that we used at my last job really works and we could make a lot of money if we follow that plan.

So, I have been applying for fundraising jobs too, especially ones that have a PR component to them. I have an interview next week that sounds very promising. And this morning I got an email about another open position that would be really, really cool. I'm definitely not going to say anything until I've talked to the Executive Director in case anything she's told me is proprietary, but let's say if I get this, all my hopes and dreams for starting my own company would start to be realized. I'll just have to work my ass off to make it happen. Not that I ever thought it would be easy. There are several jobs that I've applied for recently. Some would be excellent opportunities; others would just put food on the table.

Another project that I've been working on, that at this point has no intentions of putting food on the table, is my other blog. I snagged this space a while ago, with no idea of what I'd do with it. Originally I thought it might be a place where folks could submit gigs or something like that. Maybe I could put celebrity snark and my sightings about town (in a way that doesn't burn bridges). However, the current use for it will be that I am going to put everything I see, hear and even smell from Fan Fair next week. I'm just going to cover the whole event like a "real" journalist. After all, you never know who might see it. I got so many compliments about my review on Kenny's show last week. (Hey! That's where I could put that for all y'all to read!) I had a few people tell me if I weren't a journalist, that I should become one. But luckily, I am one, and that's where I'll keep you posted on everything you NEVER wanted to know about country music.

Thanks again to all of you who have been praying or sending good thoughts up for me. I really appreciate it. I'm still scared shitless about moving and not quite sure how I'm going to make it, but I know God will look out for me and listen to all our prayers. I hope you all know how nice it is to have so many people who believe in me. I never would've had the courage to pursue my dreams without that.

And I'm hoping if it doesn't work out, one of you will have a couch I can sleep on!!!

posted by Laura at 1:24 PM