Oh man, what a day

Unemployed update: I had a job interview today! It could have been the light at the end of my jobless tunnel but it turned out to be depressing enough to make me watch 2 1/2 hours of the learning channel (What Not To Wear and 17 Kids and Counting). Here's the story...

So about a week ago I applied and got an interview to be a "Waddler Teacher". This is cutesy daycare code for "1 year old watcher". I've nannyed before and 1 year olds are totally fun (learning to talk, walk, eat solid food- it's adorable) so I was moderately stoked.

My interview was at 10:30 today and I decided to leave myself some extra time to sit and read at the Starbucks across from the daycare. I tried their Vanilla Rooibos Tazo Tea Latte, which was pretty good but really sweet. Among the cast of characters at Starbucks were a Grandma who was unsure of how to order a hot sandwich ("Do I get it out of the case myself or do you get it for me?"), a mom with her two kids ("We're going to the pet store. No, not to get a new hamster, just a new hamster wheel. He's running free right now" and the little girl says, "Hamster hamster hamster hamster"), and a guy shout-talking into his cell phone about some kind of business stuff ("Yeah, dude, first you have to open the document and then you can edit the content! Totally, I know, it's crazy!"). It's safe to say that I made some SERIOUS progress in my book.

When it was time for my interview (actually 8 minutes early because I'm good like that) I walked across to the daycare, which has a hilarious name but I won't reveal it because that would be mean. The SECOND I went in the door I knew this was not a place I could be. I went down the stairs to a stuffy, crowded basement (basement means no windows). There was one huge room with about 50 kids in it from age 1 (my guys!) to about 6. But there were no walls between them! There were bookshelves dividing the screaming 1 year olds from the screaming 3 year olds. Guess what: bookshelves are not sound proof, especially when they are only 3 feet tall. Surprising, right?

The sullen goth teenager told me she would get "Sherie" for me (I made this name up, don't worry) and I heard Sherie shout-talk (another shout-talker?!) that she, "couldn't leave the classroom right now". Yes, the classroom partitioned off by half-walls of cubbies and bookshelves. Totally passive agressive and totally someone I want to be no where near, especially in a basement with a goth teen, screaming kids, and (coming soon, I'm sure) puke or poop. 

Sherie eventually met me in her office and before she could even sit down I told her that I wanted to come in person to tell her that I had taken another job and was sorry to waste her time. Total lie! But what else was I going to say?! And then she asked me, "Oh, where will you be working?" Uh oh...I made up something about a Childcare Center on Queen Anne and bolted. 

Bullet Dodged. Peace out daycare. Having no job is better than having you.