Employment: FAIL

So, hey, remember earlier this week when I made a big hairy deal about how I was finally employed and everything was amazing now and then we danced to a rap video?

Well... turns out... I was a bit premature with that announcement.

Had a big meeting with my potential employer, yesterday, to hammer out the details of my new job. It was at this meeting that it quickly became apparent that said potential employer had not been upfront with me on a few key points. For one thing, this job was to be completely "off the books," as in, "illegal." I've worked that kind of job before... Kim's Video in the East Village, which was run by the Korean mafia... and, trust me, it wasn't an experience I'm too keen on repeating. The other issue... and this one is my favorite... my potential employer wouldn't give me a salary quote. Meaning, he wouldn't tell me how much I was going to be making. What he specifically said, which is priceless, was this:

"I don't really know how much you're worth, yet, ya know? Why don't you come work for a couple of weeks so I can judge for myself, then we'll discuss it."

I know, right?

So... yeah... not going to be taking that job, obviously. Too sketchy. A fact that I wish I had discovered a week ago, before I got all excited and shot my mouth off on the internet. That's the worst part... I feel like a fucking idiot for getting my hopes sky high, for bragging about my new-found employment before I actually had all the facts at hand. A dumb move on my part and, believe me, I'm paying for it now in disappointed tone-of-voice phone calls from family members and sad-face icons in Instant Messages from friends.

So... what now?

Well, shit... kiddos... I have no idea. I suppose I'll keep looking for jobs here in New York, at least for a little while. Complicating matters, we're moving out of our apartment at the end of the month. So... I've basically got to find a job AND a new place to live in about three weeks. Which is just so awesome, I can hardly stand it without barfing all over myself.

To tell you the truth... and I never thought I'd say this... but the thought of moving back home to Arlington, TX... where things are NOT perfect, I know, but where things ARE at least a little cheaper and the job market isn't quite as dire... is beginning to hold a lot of appeal. Not saying I'm definitely going to do that, mind you. Just sayin' it has crossed my mind a few times in the past 24 hours or so.

But that's for the future, I guess. Only thing to do now is pick myself up, dust myself off, and get right back on the bucking, snorting bronco that IS job-hunting in a grim economic climate such as this one. Fun times, my friends... fun times and happy days.