Well, it's August...

...and I've been out of work for 1 whole month. Wow. I've changed my morning routine a bit...I think I'm getting to be like those baseball players that keep the same underwear on so they don't mess up a loosing streak. Except with clean undies. And instead of trying to win a baseball game, I'm trying to get gainfully employed. So I've switched up the routine, looking for the magic combination--do I get up, get a shower & then log on to the internet? Or do I get up, go work out at the Apartment's workout room, then come back, and start sending out resumes? Or do I need to get a cup of tea & sneak up on the online job listings when they're least expecting it?

See, I know that I'm employable. I know that if I can just get a call for an interview, I've got a 95% chance of getting the job. It's just getting them to call me. I've filled out several cover letters this morning, and will fax them off in just a bit--and I've had a bit of fun with them. I figure that my professional, boring, run-of-the-mill approach to a cover letter doesn't seem to be working, so on a couple today I've had fun. One was for a Matchmaker service....I figure that since I don't exactly have any matchmaking experience, I need to show them a bit of my personality. Who knows....they may be the ones to call me back!

I know I shouldn't be worried--after all, I only started faxing/sending stuff out last week. Some of the jobs I've applied for were open until last Friday, which means they'll get all the applications they've received & start going through them today. I guess I could start sending my stuff out on hot pink paper. It would get their attention, at least....I may need to resort to that. Or, showing up & putting on a puppet show. I draw the line at dummies, though. They freak me out.

On another subject--Carowinds was a whole lotta fun on Saturday. Yes, it rained. At times, it rained a lot. In fact, it was pretty much pouring as we got into the last car on "The Hurler." (A great wooden coaster--it is in the section of the park that used to be "Wayne's World" themed...now it's Happy Days/50's & 60's themed, but I guess they figured "The Hurler" was a better name than "Fonzie's Revenge" or "What Happened to Richie's Big Brother?") Now let me give you some stats: "Hurler" is a wooden coaster, with an 83' lift hill. Not the biggest, but certainly respectable. It goes 50 mph, and the ride lasts about 2 minutes. It's got a lot of airtime on it, and is pretty smooth for a wooden coaster. So now you've got the general picture of the ride...now add pouring rain. Yes, we got on a coaster and proceeded to ride at 50 mph through some respectable rain drops. Ever put your head out of a car going 50 mph while it's raining? Well, don't. Why? You can't see a thing. We both had our eyes closed because getting hit on your eyeball with water coming at you whilst going very fast is not fun. It actually kinda hurts. But man, oh man, I think that was one of the best roller coaster rides I've ever had. We knew we were in for a time when we were soaked before we even got to the top of the lift hill. By the time we were going down that first hill, our eyes were closed, and I was slipping around on the seat because it was so wet. My eyes were closed, and the airtime was amazing (you get the best airtime in the back seat--where we were--on wooden coasters), and the rain made the coaster go just that much faster. I was laughing & giggling so hard, I was afraid I would wet my pants. Not that it would have mattered any...no one would have been able to tell.

We proceeded to walk around, in the rain, and rode a few other coasters, eventually drying out. Then it was "Borg" time. It was about an hour from the time we got in line to the time we got off the ride. Not bad, considering this coaster is a huge deal for Carowinds. It was a trip watching the coaster go over & around us as we waited in line (Carowinds likes to build the queue lines through the rides...it's kinda cool. You can see the people's expressions as they fly by you. You just hope that they don't get sick as they pass.). We get to the end of the line, and take our seats. They have over-the-shoulder harnesses that are weighted down and strap across your chest (I can imagine these are something that fighter pilots wear in their planes), and then a restraint comes up covering your lower legs & knees. Then you're tipped backwards. So now, we're strapped in, held in, and facing upwards as the car begins to go.... We go backwards up the lift hill...we can't see a thing but the sky above us (thank goodness it's not pouring!). If you tilt your head up, you can kinda see the track in front of you...then it's gone, and you realize it's because you're being flipped over, and going down the lift hill and oh my God, there's the ground, and I'm going so fast, and I'm not sure if I like this, but oh yes I do, and now you're back on your back, flying up & over...you can see the people in the chairs ahead of you because you're doing a loop-the-loop, and now you're flipped back over, watching the faces of the people standing in line, and YEE HAW! you're going down and zooming around...and then it slows down...you're on your back again, stopped, waiting to get pulled back into the station. It was something else. I'm not sure that I would be ready to let go & let my hands & arms go out in front of me like Superman (like some riders were doing). I think next time I ride it, I may still be clenching the straps on the shoulder harness (now I know why they put those there....) but maybe just a little less tightly.