I have an interview

at Blackburn Correctional Complex tomorrow morning for a librarian position, so today I decided to check out and read Jill Grunewald's book 'Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian'. That is #29 out of the goal of 24 books this year. Yay! And it was written by a fellow graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Library Science.

2026 Reading Challenge Update

I'm pretty happy with how things are going. My aim was to read 24 books this year. I've read 19; I'm seven ahead of schedule, and I'm working on another three or so. I've read each month, so Goodreads has given me an 'achievement' bookmark for each one. There are 174 days left. Here is what I've read so far, in reverse order:

1. Supervisor, Manager, Leader: The Basics of Being a Boss by Mike Kraus
2. Knock 'Em Dead 2016: The Ultimate Job Search Guide by Martin Yate
3. 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions by Ron Fry
4. Can I Recycle That? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics by Jennie Romer
5. The Inspired Houseplant: Transform Your Home with Indoor Plants from Kokedama to Terrariums and Water Gardens to Edibles by Jen Sterarns
6. House Plants for Every Space: A Concise Guide to Selecting, Designing and Maintaining Plants in Any Indoor Space by Green Interior
7. The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age by Toni Gattone
8. The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook by Melani Sanders
9. Painting in Watercolour: Practical Techniques and Projects for Beginners by Wendy Jelbert
10. All These Ghosts by Silas House
11. I Need a Job!: Be Noticed. Land the Interview. Get Hired. by Gary Burnison
12. CV Handbook: A Curriculum Vitae Owners Manual by Will Coghill Behrends and Rebecca Antony
13. The Everything Guide to GLP-1s: Lose Weight, Build Healthy Eating Habits, and Achieve Lifelong Weight Management by Kayley George
14. What Color is Your Parachute Guide to Rethinking Interviews: Ace the Interview and Land Your Dream Job by Richard Nelseon Bolles
15. A Good Apology: Four Steps to Make Things Right by Molly Howes
16. On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg
17. Why Your Resume Isn't Working: And How You Can Fix It Now by Wendy D. Steele
18. Unmasking Adult Autism: Embrace Your Autistic Identity, Overcome Executive Dysfunction, and Empower Your Neurodivergent Self by Neuro Nurture
19. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women by Sarah Bargiela

Five more to go. Let's see if I can go beyond that. Hopefully! I've got two works of fiction I'm working my way through (these are almost all non-fiction). One is The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. The other is Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory by Iddo Gefen. I'll be happy to add those to the list, as I do non-fiction much more easily than fiction these days, alas. I don't know why.

A month later, and it's been a bit dire, but I'm okay

32 job applications put in with:

• 4 rejections
• 2 interviews scheduled
•     1 completed (and it was for a library!) 
• 26 up in the air

2 job skill webinars scheduled

• one completed (on résumé building)
• one on Tuesday on strategic upskilling

1 job fair scheduled (March 24th)

2 Career counselling sessions attended through the UK Alumni Career Centre

Of the 61 books I currently have out from the Lexington Public Library:

• 19 books relate to job hunting
• 9 relate to getting particular library jobs [as subject matter]
• 5 relate using mindfulness for work or to prevent burnout

I also bought the 6th edition of the classic What Color is Your Parachute? (used, from Better World Books) because I'd seen a companion at Barnes & Noble called The Job-Hunter's Workbook, and I'd been intrigued by the exercises. I have an old copy of WCIYP? (I think it's 2012), But this was different. So I got both and returned the copy of the text back to the library, getting both of them used for less than what I'd have spent on the workbook on its own there at Barnes & Noble, and then, also, for less than that one book, I added What Color Is Your Parachute? for Retirement. The whole order was just over $20, and considering that it includes two $1 donations, that's pretty decent.

The interview this week went really well. I did a little stumbling here and there verbally, but never once said the word 'thing' instead of a specific noun. I was not nervous at all. I felt prepared. I was very excited about the position, as it served a particularly overlooked population. We'll see how well it goes. I really think it would be a good fit for me and vice versa, fingers crossed. In the meantime, I have another interview scheduled for this coming Wednesday.

I'm also starting to volunteer with our state talking book library, which creates and distributes books for those with low vision or other disabilities that prevent them from using standard books (including dyslexia or ADHD). They start you out as a proofreader, and that sounds exciting, where you compare the text with the spoken word to catch any errors.  Eventually, you may go on to narration if you like. This gets me out of the grind of looking for jobs at my desk, only requires an hour or two a week, and offers a remote option for proofreading, so I could do it even once I get a job.

My unemployment appeal was accepted, but the hearing date hasn't been set yet, so I have not been receiving payments. On the one hand, I am old enough to draw my pension, but I'm not at full retirement age for the plan (65), and my birthday falls right into next month.  So, if I take it now or anytime in April, it is substantially less than in May, and since it works just like Social Security in that once you draw it, the amount that you draw it at is what you get for the rest of your life, which is less if you draw early. I confess that I'm really angry that I'm in the position that I'll likely have to do this, shaving hundreds of dollars A MONTH for the rest of my life from something I earned because I lost my job this close to retirement, but not close enough. Considering the difference between 58 and 59 was about $400, I think it could have been substantial. But it happens a lot. My mom lost hers right as she hit 62, without a pension. She drew Social Security early and was on unemployment at the same time.

Unfortunately, even if I win the appeal, that'll likely put me over the income limit (no doubt in April), and I'll lose my insurance (Medicaid). I'm likely eligible for subsidised health plans, but it'll still mean a significant portion of my premium going toward a less robust plan.  On the other hand, it's better than the COBRA option, which costs over $ 1,200. If I had kept my insurance, which admittedly, I'd met my out-of-pocket, but oh my, how would I have done it short of draining my retirement?

I did call every creditor I could, pushed back as many bills to late April or May that I could (most worked with me), and then took enough out of my retirement to pay the rest of the bills for March and get into April so that I'd have a place to live, a phone, car insurance, etc.  It didn't throw me off Medicaid (it was under the limit), and then the day after, I pulled the money out, and after a month of daily paperwork, I was approved for SNAP, so I was afraid the distribution would mess all that up. Still, it apparently didn't matter as it was a low amount and wasn't recurrent. I have not gotten the EBT card yet. Fortunately, a couple of friends have helped with food during the month when there was nothing at all coming in.

The last thing I did with my final paycheque was to pay for my storage unit, where almost all my things actually are, so I wouldn't lose it at the end of the month (you only have three days to pay past the due date), leaving me about 32 cents in the bank. I've never been what you'd call financially comfortable, but this is the first time in a very long time that I haven't had a paycheque coming in to fill things back up. So the distribution really was the only way to go, especially since the SNAP application was going so slowly (they tell you to upload a document, but then you have to call requesting why--in the last case, it was because work had signed a form with a computer-generated form rather than a person signing it. Once I took the distribution, I had to send in the stub, a statement, and my 15-year-old printer just died. I saved a signature file and used it, since I couldn't print and didn't have time to go to the library to print the one sheet and then take a photo to upload to the Commonwealth's website. It is an image of my actual signature, not a computer-generated one.  It was, fortunately, accepted.

I hope that means everything has gone through. I have worked hard to get all of that through. People who complain about SNAP have no idea how difficult it is to get and keep the benefits. I have had two friends on disability who have had it. Both got less than $20 a month. One had to fax his renewal, and we spent weeks trying to get it to them (this was before the upload option) and had to actually call the governor's office at one point, finally, only to discover that the machine was broken--had been for months, and then by the time we were able to get in the other route, it was too late and they lost that. I've found the upload process easy; it's just the sheer amount of paperwork. And I've filled out a form saying I'm already registered to vote twice online, yet I still got a form today that I'll mail out Monday. I'm very grateful they've awarded it to me. I hope to use it soon. Having no income at all for over a month, with no savings, nothing, was hard. I had just what I had in the bank from my last paycheque, plus the final one, 3 days' work [they paid me a full day for the day they let me go], plus 3 days' worth of PTO. If it weren't for my retirement savings and the fact that I rent from a friend rather than a complex, I'd be in a much worse position. I don't have much in my retirement, though, not what I should. So hopefully this won't last long.

In the meantime, I'm actively looking, and I'm staying upbeat. I'm really trying to get back into librarianship again--it's where my passion lies, after all, and my skillset is the greatest there. Here's hoping I'll be back in a library soon.

And just in case you hadn't noticed it on the sidebar, here's my résumé.

Twenty-four

Citation: 24. Get That Job: Interviews--How to Keep Your Head and Get Your Ideal Job. London: Bloomsbury Business, 97 pp. 2022. ISBN: 978-1472993298.

Well...

Feeling a little bummed about the phone interview today, which I think I really did badly on. I can do the work, I look great on paper, but interviews of any sort - especially by committee - make me very nervous, I tank, and I just sound like a babbling idiot. I finally got a phone interview with UK for a job I really want and most everyone who knows me seems to think I would be great at it - especially nurses, the main patron of this position - and I really think I blew it. But I guess it's best to consider it practice and analyse what I did badly and how I could have done better, for next time. I will eventually convince someone to hire me and let me show them what I can do. And who knows, maybe they'll give me that chance despite it all. After all, I came out of my interview with the Shriners folks convinced I'd done badly, they hired me, and I worked there as a librarian for twenty years. :)

Well, I am the proud renter of

a storage unit. I went with Space Center Storage over on Stone Road. I tried first over on Richmond Plaza, which is closer to my current apartment, but they showed me the 10'x10' unit and it simply wouldn't be big enough, but the 10'x15' would be, and they didn't have any climate-controlled ones available. Because the items I need to store include books, art, and furniture, it's important for the temperature and humidity to be controlled. I set it up so the monthly rental fee and insurance (required) come directly off my debit card, in case something happens and I might otherwise miss that date. I also got a heavy-duty lock from them. I almost got some boxes but decided to check out U-Haul and they have them much cheaper. I'm going to go over there in a little while and get some boxes and tape. Needless to say, those were on the list from last week, which got interrupted by appendicitis. So if I take what I had left, let's see what else there is [with a couple additions]. I'd like to complete all of this by tomorrow evening:

1. Tour and rent a storage area for the move.
2. Obtain or at least line up some boxes.
3. Work on reducing/weeding books.
4. Take out the trash and recyclables.
5. Do some cleaning.
6. Do some job hunting.
7. Write up my notice for my apartment manager in preparation for the move, to be given on Sunday.
8. Pay my COBRA bill so it's in time for August.
9. Create a timeline/Gantt chart for the move.
10. Finalise my list of what from each room will go to the house, and what will go into storage.
11. Research movers, as neither my friends nor I, can handle the big stuff.
12. Find a missing book from the library that is camouflaged among mine.
13. Do laundry.

I did get a little rest, too, sleeping later than I planned today and taking a short nap later after coming back from the storage place. I haven't slept much this past week, we had an incredibly busy week (over 100 in clinic each day except Friday, and over 200 on the schedule for Wednesday). Next week is slower (yay!) and I'm off Friday for the delivery of the furniture over at YKWIA's. On Monday I have a phone interview from the University of Kentucky Medical Library for the nurse liaison librarian position I applied for in the spring. :) My boss is aware, and I'm going to have them call me on my lunch break.

Okay, I'd better pay my COBRA now (so there's time before the end of the month for it to credit), it was the main reason for getting onto the computer this afternoon, although I did want to blog, too. Then I'm going to go get those boxes and do some work on the apartment before running over to a friend's house to help him feed the animals and check on him since bending is not an option for him still. Have a good weekend!

So...

I've been so busy taking care of various things that this evening I found an email from yesterday afternoon offering to do a phone interview for a job I applied for this spring with the university that is a medical librarian position working to meet the needs of their nurses. I replied this evening to express my interest and arrange a time.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I can't sleep

I woke up a little before 4 am, after falling asleep about 8 pm. Today I worked from 8 am to 11:30 am, then came home, got into Spanx and pantyhose (which is a little harder than it sounds, as I'm not as limber as I once was), and then headed to Owenton via the Interstate. Big mistake. I thought, well, I'm on the eastern side of Lexington so it will be quicker to take the Interstate rather than the road I'm familiar with, Highway 127, which is accessed by going through Frankfort. The drive up the Interstate wasn't bad at all, although there were backups in the other direction due to construction and possibly a wreck. But then I got off at the exit for Corinth and took three winding and terribly maintained roads which had the posts for guardrails, but no actual guardrails, through Grant and Owen counties. At one point Google Maps had me take a right on a road that was at a 45-degree angle to the one I was on, and it was so small it didn't warrant a yellow line, and thank goodness I had the Google Maps on because I would have been totally lost. I never drove that much on the eastern side of the county, after all, and I was a child when we lived in Grant County at Dry Ridge and near the boat dock on Williamstown Lake. Finally, I was within a mile or two of the library, and I wound up behind a tractor in a no-passing area. But he eventually left the road, and then I drove right by the library and had to turn around at the Save-a-Lot. :)

So I was a few minutes late despite leaving work earlier than planned. But the director was great. I told her I'd had some trouble with the roads, and she was horrified I'd come that way, and when I told her about the tractor, she smiled and said 'Welcome to Owen County.' She had a great sense of humour, and we chatted for quite awhile before the actual interview questions were asked. It was the best interview I'd had in my entire life, really, and I think part of the reason was I was speaking with one person in a conversational way, as opposed to a panel whose members are reading questions off a sheet and scoring me on little sheets of paper, like they do here. I mean, yes, she had the questions laid out on paper, and I'm sure I was being scored mentally, but it was different, and she was very personable. She actually told me that I had all the qualifications they were looking forward to. I came out of the interview feeling very good, and really wanting to work there. There are a lot of potentials there for helping the community. For example, one of the largest employers is about to shut down, and librarians--and especially in this position, which is the electronic resources coordinator, whose main job is to teach people how to use technology, which we all know is vital for finding a job these days. I could really help people and make a difference, and I understand what it's like to lose a job after years of service. I know how important that job search is, and how frustrating it can be to have to do everything online--and I have the tech skills. For many people there, the library has the best internet connexion in the area, as some still have slow connexions or none at all, in such a rural area.

There are some cons, though, like the fact that it starts a full $5 an hour less than I've been making an hour, although that may be somewhat negotiable. I knew that out in the rural areas that would probably be the case, although it's better than the jobs Jessamine County, which is adjacent to mine, ever offers. I might be able to get a dollar or so more, maybe. Also, there's the drive, a full hour or so away from my apartment, and I am not in a position to move, as I have people here that I consider family who needs me. I went through about a half a tank of gas in one trip up and back. That's a lot. I usually fill up every week and a half. They do have benefits, but the health plan is high deductible, and so medical costs would be higher, although they do have a health spending account, and I believe she said they contribute a certain amount in addition to what the employee does. But monetarily, I just don't know if I can make it on this job.

She said she has one more person of the seven applicants to interview and would make a decision on Tuesday evening who the top two candidates would be, and she wants them to meet the board on Friday. I told her that I do have an obligation planned in addition to a morning of work, but I would see if I could make arrangments should she pick me (which I am fairly confident that she will). She would then make a decision at the end of that week. I looked at the board members listed on the website when I got home, and one is a Cobb, so either she or her spouse is most likely a relative through my great-grandmother's family. I don't know if that's a plus or a minus, but it could go either way.

So I took Highway 127 home, and they've done a lot to make the road safer. It's even three lanes in some so you can do more passing when needed. I got on 421 at Frankfort, but made a mistake and kept going straight when it turned off towards Lexington and took 60 to Versailles and then to Lexington, which was longer, but I was able to go Man O'War instead of through downtown. On the other hand, the main snag was when I was within a block or two of home, as there was a wreck at Easthills that slowed everything to a crawl there towards the end. I left Owenton about 3:45 and got home at 5:25 as a result. I think it would be safest to allow an hour and a half each way. So that's three hours or so of driving a day. That's a lot, although we have demonstrated 127 is the way to go. Anyway, I guess I'm trying to figure some way to make this work, as I would really like to accept the job if offered, but that's my heart, not my head talking. I just don't know if I can do it from a practical standpoint. So I guess it's not all that surprising that I'm up and can't sleep.

I'm up in the middle of the night as usual

Because I fell asleep at 7:30 and couldn't keep my eyes open any further. I woke back up at midnight. I have that interview tomorrow, so I figured I might as well get everything ready for it, rather than try to do anything early in the morning when I'm usually rushed. I:

1. Updated my résumé to reflect the professional certificate I got today from the state of Kentucky. The Professional Librarian Certificate is used primarily for public libraries in Kentucky to ensure that librarians in the commonwealth keep up their continuing education and are qualified to serve in public libraries.
2. Updated my curriculum vitae to reflect my work with Doody's Core Titles this spring and the upcoming publication of a book review that has been accepted and for which I just finished the proofs.
3. Printed out copies of the résumé, my references, and my updated curriculum vitae (not likely to come up with a public library, but one should be prepared).
4. Assembled everything together in a portfolio, put a paper pad in it, and put some of my business cards in the portfolio, along with a pen.
5. Got all the essential stuff into a small(ish) black purse to match the portfolio and my shoes.
6. Plugged in the computer to let it charge. It's got a great battery and had 6 more hours of charge, but I wanted to top it off.
7. Found my Spanx and the box of nude pantyhose I'd bought for the occasion and laid them out.
8. Steam ironed my suit, took off the tags, cut open the slits, and put the extra button somewhere safe, then hung it back up.
9. Put all that away, or in the case of the iron, let it cool in the bathroom.
10. Took my night meds, checked my blood sugar (which has run really high all day, no matter what I tried). Took my long-acting insulin and a little of the short-acting as well, as I was in the 300s. This morning I was over 400. I can't afford to have it up tomorrow when I really have to be at my best cognitively.

I've been listening to music the whole time, and so it hasn't been too bad. Tomorrow's plan is to go to work in the morning until noon, come home, get in my suit, and then head to Owenton via the Interstate so that I can be there by 2 pm. Wish me luck! Now I'm getting sleepy again, so it's time to get back in bed and try to sleep. Good night!

Note to self: Get gas in the morning before work, so that you don't smell like gasoline for your interview. :)

Ah...

So Friday wasn't too bad, really. Work was much calmer than the rest of the week, and we worked at a steady but relaxed pace. I left at 5 pm and went and got a friend who had taken a bus to an appointment that didn't happen (but I was more annoyed at that than he was), and we went and got another one, and I dropped them off and came on home, and I stayed up till (get this) almost 11 pm (although I was just heavy-lidded and falling asleep quickly). The rest of the days this week have mostly been about 8:30 pm as far as bedtime, I've been exhausted (to the point that while I met my goals the other day on Habitica, I fell asleep before checking off the boxes, and woke up 10 minutes after the start of a new 'day' (which I've got set at 2 am), so my little avatar took damage--and so did everyone else I game with. I felt so bad. It's just been hard to get everything done that needed to be done lately.

This morning I called A at 6:30 am, picked him up at 7:30, took him to work, got a couple of cheese and egg biscuits and a parfait at McDonald's, and came back intending to go back to sleep. But I laid in bed from about the time I got home (8:30 am) till about 9:30, and decided to go ahead and get my day going. I went to Costco, intending to get some light bulbs and a couple of other things, and spent more than I meant to, but everything I got was quite useful. Well, maybe not the cheese bagels and tomatoes, but they're yummy nonetheless. Then I went to the library, where I sheepishly turned in most of the books I had (most of which were overdue, including one of two interlibrary loans I'd gotten for a friend, who'd taken off the papers that have all the information on them that the ILL department uses. I had most of it to give them. It so embarrasses me that he does that, and I know they're not happy with me. He wants to see the covers. I tell him not to do it. He almost ripped the cover off one, because they changed how they do it, so instead of having two sticky labels, they wrapped the cover in a piece of paper that was carefully taped. I am beginning to think that should they ever let me borrow again, I should remove them myself, carefully. The man mangles anything he tries to remove (paper from a notebook, or my favourite, the DVD envelopes from Netflix, which we just leave to me now). Anyway, I apologised, left the other books in the book drop, and slinked away without mentioning in any way that I am, indeed, a librarian. And with all the overdues, I checked later after everything got checked in, and I owe $6.30, which is actually less than I expected. The interlibrary loans are $1.00 a day. One was still before the deadline, but one was due the 25th. :( I got it from him on the 26th or 27th, but I literally was just too wiped out to take them back during the library hours, and didn't just want to dump them in with the papers just sitting inside the books. Also, they had a 'read off your fines' thing going on through the 31st, and while I planned to do that, I just decided I was too tired. So I'll happily pay the fine.

Speaking of public libraries, I have an interview about an hour's away up the interstate on Friday afternoon, and got permission to leave work at noon so I can get there before 2 pm. I'll probably come home, change clothes, and go straight up there. It's Owen county. My dad's family, the Duncans and the Cobbs, have lived in the Owenton area for generations. I'm interested to know more about the library. I never visited the library there as a child; I don't know much about it, actually, and I should educate myself on it before I go. I also need to e-mail a confirmation that I will be coming.

I went to the grocery a little while and got some veggies for a tray for the game, some cheese, some crackers, and some dill dip, so I'm good for the game tomorrow. And I spent four hours today doing the notes. I came back and collected the trash and recyclables from various containers and some horizontal surfaces, and I now have quite a load to take out. I had to take a break, though, before actually taking the bags outside, as my back was bothering me. Mainly I've been doing better with my back, although that workout on Thursday made muscles in my lower back and buttocks scream, because they apparently didn't know they were supposed to do anything. I didn't make it to the gym at the complex today (there was a pool party going on early afternoon that was intriguing, but too many people for me, I think, being a shy introvert who would have stood around, not eaten hamburgers or hot dogs, would have had to slather on a ton of sunscreen, and gee, talk to people). It's not my thing. I am glad the complex did that sort of activity, though. I wish they'd have a yard sale. They did that every year for several years while I was at Speedway and working on Saturdays. Now I could participate, and I have plenty of stuff that needs to go, if I can part with it.

Okay, as much as I hate to admit it, those bags of trash and recyclables are not going to take themselves out. I should get up and do that, so they're taken care of and I can tick that off my busy day list.