Day 3 at Census Training

I actually like the whole census thing. Once you get past the really bad script they are meant to read, I could probably have a good time doing this kind of work. The girls who sit near me are great. They are like me. Give us a good teacher and we'll ace the class. Give us a teacher who reads from a script and we'll get it.
The script the trainer is reading from is really bad. He's just reading words on the page as he was told to do - even in the practice session.
Today we have to bring in our schedules for next week. Next week is a killer for me. I really can't give any hours to the project.
Off to day 4. At least we get outside.

First Day of Census Training

The sheer number of forms we had to fill out to become a census worker boggles the mind. It was around 15 documents with form numbers like D-186F. and OF-306. If it wasn't so painful it would be comical. SNL has to do a skit on it.
The scary part is this may be the beginning of the US becoming a 3rd world country. I'm reading Collapse by Jared Diamond. I'm starting to see a bigger picture and it's scary. We are moving closer to a socialist government. With 1 in 6 people working for the government because they have to manage the forms alone - you can easily see where this is going. My census gig will last about 4 weeks.
The entire training part with all the existing forms and fingerprinting could have been done in 3 hours with the right presentations and script. It was just all wrong. This is an opportunity. It's almost as if I want to start working on Census 2020 from a consulting standpoint.
BTW I liked the people in my group. They would have been my friends in school.

Going for Census Training

Last year right before I started working a consultant at Medco I saw an ad for people looking for work, to take the census exam. It was pretty much the same "speaks to me ad" I saw to organize my meager finances.

And now I'm not sure why I've agreed to be a Census taker. It sounded like a good idea last year when I couldn't find a job. But with several offers and potential offers, it probably is an inefficient use of my time.

For some reason I'm fascinated about the census process. Many years ago I was in a bookstore with a man I had just met and we selected books for the other to read. I gave him The Fountainhead and, I think, The Count of Monte Cristo. He gave me Dead Souls (Gogol) and Lolita. Dead Souls is a Russian novel about a man who visited landowners and bought the serfs who had died since the last census since they were still considered living until the next census.

I called to sign up for the test but never bothered to take the practice test. I thought how hard could it possibly be. It was easy. But, I only completed 22 of the 26 question test and was pretty pissed. It's been 30 years since I took a test and forgot the rule of looking at the answer before reading the question. So I like a moron, solved the problem rather than get the answer. Multiplying 3 digit numbers is a little time consuming. Before they grab my paper I filled in the rest. I signed up to take the exam again before I got my score. It turned out that the first time I took the test I got a 92 (2 of the 4 quesses were right) and the second time it was 96. I think the question I got wrong was the management question. Oh well.

The census bureau has called me seven times about this $18/hour gig. And finally, over 14 months since I took the test, I'm going for census training at the mall. Why we need 4 paid days from 9-5 to ask a few question to our neighbors is beyond me. It must be like sexual harrassment training at ad agencies. It gives us fodder to elevate our clever factor. And since it's a Federal job I need to be fingerprinted. Well, I peed in a cup for the freelance gig at Medco, I guess I can be fingerprinted.

Jobs Jobs Everywhere

The WIN dinner goody bag had a Glamour Magazine. The libra horoscope said I was going to have lots of money next month.

First I thought it was because we are selling our Fire Island House and the closing is the end of April. But then I finally got a call from the Census and I'm to take training next week. Then I applied to a job on Craigslist and I really hit it off with the owner. I love this guy. The whole interview process was like dating. He really liked the way my resume looked, great phone call, the in-person interview was like a great date, the offer came with us having to sign a contract. It's work-from-home advertising for really interesting clients.
Then Wendy the events planner who did WIN asked me to help out with a few more events. Then Jenn asked me to interview to cover for her at Bayer.

But I'm sad about Fire Island. I'll never own a view like that again.

WIN for Wendy

On April 9 I did some work for Wendy to get into work mode. It was a Women In Need fundraising event targeting the fashion Community. Vera Wang was there, Gayle (Oprah's friend), Iman, and a few others.

The balloon event was pretty interesting. They sell white balloons for $100 and giant gold ones for $1000. Tables bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of balloons. The weights didn't hold them down and in some cases knocked over glasses. It was pretty successful.

And the best part, I got a call to begin work at census 2010 and the perfect PT job with Bill as an account manager. I go for training in a few weeks.

Economy is changing and census jobs aren't rigged.

SNL at 12

Last night I watched a DVR'ed Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey - my latest funny person starred. I started thinking about 7th grade. I was 12 and everyone talked about Saturday Night Live. It wasn't yet known as SNL. That happened when I stopped watching.

A classmate of my brother's was a boy named Craig Cohen who's father had something to do with NBC and therefore SNL. I always wanted to go to a taping. Now at 47, watching Tina Fey my idol, I really wished I was in the audience.

My friend Marla hopped on a plane to chicago to see Oprah. Maybe it's time.

WIN and Wendy

My friend Wendy is an event planner and asked to help with the WIN fundraiser last night at the Waldorf.
1100 people attented including Gail from Oprah, Vera Wang who has a hearty laugh, Iman and table 29 who bought so many balloons we had problems with the balloon weights.
WIN stands for Women in Need. It's a fashion charity. My favorite was learning about the Bloggers table. I wish I knew who sponsored it.

Note to headhunter

Because I can't sent this, I thought I should get my thoughts out on the blog.

You only have one chance to make a first impression and it looks like I blew the interview.
It wasn't the work portion in question, but I know I came across as bland. I was wearing the wrong clothes – (I was coming from my mother’s house). I was so boring – even I wouldn’t hire me. And the funny thing is that I'm multidimensional. On the question of what do you like to do, I drew a blank. I’m so focused on getting an assignment that I forgot all the fun stuff. (Goldsmith, reading, knitting, travelling, Mesopotamia, walking ie.)

Have you ever done a do over interview?