Miles driven today: negligible
Temperature outside: negligible
I've had a lot of interviews before and this one, at 9 hours long, was certainly the longest. In a traditional interview, you get asked all the standard questions:
Who's your role model?
Why did you leave your last job?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why are you showing me a scrapbook of your trip to the Everglades?
My very worst interview was for a position at the new Walgreens store opening up in Marquette several years ago. I had decided to delay grad school for a year and save up money so I applied for really anything there - the person who looks at your blurry pictures, the person who puts the wrong shade of lipstick on you...whateva.
My then-boyfriend drove me to the closest existing Walgreens store 60 miles away (because apparently interviewing candidates in a construction zone is "unprofessional"), where they had me take a test, told me that if I was selected for a minimum wage position, I would have to train 5 days/week for 4 weeks at this store 60 miles away from my house even though I didn't have a car, and asked me all the standard questions that make both the interviewer and the interviewee want to pull out their teeth.
Highlights:
Interviewer: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Me: Well, I'd really like to go to grad school and study gender history. I love learning and I'd really love to get a PhD.
Interviewer: And then would you come back to work at Walgreens after you get your PhD?
Me: [cocks my head to the side and raises an eyebrow as if I'm not sure I understand the question; pauses for a moment]
Me: [slowly] Well I'd have a PhD; why would I want to work at Walgreens?
A million little interview angels lost their wings at that moment and crashed from the heavens, clawing at their breasts while curses flowed freely from their lips.
That interview, to the detriment of everyone involved, continued for another 15 minutes before they wised up and realized I was not ready for a career in anything.
Chicago. The Windy City. Hog Butcher for the World. The Big Onion.
The Christkindlmarkt was dope as the current Pope. There was Gluhwein, there were gingerbread cookies, there was a ton of sausage. Christmas was in the air. And so apparently was cheese. I'm a massive fan of cheese. I love looking at cheese. I love thinking about cheese. I don't love smelling cheese because it doesn't smell great. But I do love talking about cheese. And so, apparently, did the rest of the Midwesterners milling around me. Actual quotes overheard at the Christkindlmarkt from individual conversations:
"You want cheese?"
"Oh they have cheese dip. I've got to stop and try this cheese dip."
"Let's go to the cheese."
"Do you have any cheese for your pretzels?" "Nein." "[sad face]"
I also saw this:
It feels good to be among my people again.
I went to Millennium Park to do the touristy things and take the picture of myself reflected in the bean-shaped mirror:
...and discovered that Chicago understands the importance of place names. Names imbue meaning. They connote subtleties of history and the values that shape the surrounding community. They inspire individuals to greatness so that they, too, might have a fountain or alleyway bear their name and become a physical reminder of the impact that individuals can have in shaping our world. Naming places after people honors them by preventing their memory from being swept into the dustbin of history and ensures that their legacy endures. Chicago honors the people most impactful to shaping our community values: corporations. If you're lucky enough to visit this land that reflect timeless values, might I recommend:
Temperature outside: negligible
I've had a lot of interviews before and this one, at 9 hours long, was certainly the longest. In a traditional interview, you get asked all the standard questions:
Who's your role model?
Why did you leave your last job?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why are you showing me a scrapbook of your trip to the Everglades?
My very worst interview was for a position at the new Walgreens store opening up in Marquette several years ago. I had decided to delay grad school for a year and save up money so I applied for really anything there - the person who looks at your blurry pictures, the person who puts the wrong shade of lipstick on you...whateva.
My then-boyfriend drove me to the closest existing Walgreens store 60 miles away (because apparently interviewing candidates in a construction zone is "unprofessional"), where they had me take a test, told me that if I was selected for a minimum wage position, I would have to train 5 days/week for 4 weeks at this store 60 miles away from my house even though I didn't have a car, and asked me all the standard questions that make both the interviewer and the interviewee want to pull out their teeth.
Highlights:
Interviewer: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Me: Well, I'd really like to go to grad school and study gender history. I love learning and I'd really love to get a PhD.
Interviewer: And then would you come back to work at Walgreens after you get your PhD?
Me: [cocks my head to the side and raises an eyebrow as if I'm not sure I understand the question; pauses for a moment]
Me: [slowly] Well I'd have a PhD; why would I want to work at Walgreens?
A million little interview angels lost their wings at that moment and crashed from the heavens, clawing at their breasts while curses flowed freely from their lips.
That interview, to the detriment of everyone involved, continued for another 15 minutes before they wised up and realized I was not ready for a career in anything.
 |
| Annnnnnnnnd, let's move on |
 |
| Are you sick of the snow GIFs yet? ME NEITHER. I'm glad we can agree on something. |
I spent a day wandering around the downtown and nearby neighborhoods and because the holiday season is upon us, Daley Plaza featured the Christkindlmarkt.
 |
| Donations to those who would like to keep the MAS in CHRISTMAS can be made to El Fondo Para Tacos y Margaritas Para Amy y Sus Amigos |
"You want cheese?"
"Oh they have cheese dip. I've got to stop and try this cheese dip."
"Let's go to the cheese."
"Do you have any cheese for your pretzels?" "Nein." "[sad face]"
I also saw this:
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| Can it be? The holy grail has been found in Chicago?!? |
 |
| I swear, I have no idea why Google Drive is doing this. This is the GIF that keeps on GIFing |
 |
| I'm doing it right, RIGHT? |
Chase Promenade South
Boeing Gallery North
Exelon Pavillion SE
BP Bridge
McDonald's Cycle Center
The next time you find yourself in AT&T Plaza, be sure to honor the brave men and women corporations who continue to inspire Chicagoans by leaving their names upon this fair city.
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| Oh, and go to Haymarket (whose name means nothing whatsoever so don't bother looking it up on Wikipedia) for the delicious beers and vegan chili |
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