I was in Boise today and did sort of a pre-interview with the former boss of a friend of mine. If I were to get this job, I'd have a decent, 40-hour workweek, make exactly the same money I'm making now, and I'd be working about 2 miles from our new house. It would be so nice. And I've received some roundabout feedback that I made a really good impression and that he thinks he'd like to hire me. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be done noncompetitively, so now I have to stress out about the whole application process. It's all done online, and a freaking computer rates your answers and decides if you are (a) qualified for the basic duties, and/or (b) among the highest-qualified applicants. I could heave, because the whole thing is a total crapshoot. Anyway, it's nice to be wanted, right?
In the meantime, I've scared up about five weeks of full-time work, so it looks like I'm going to be rejoining the ranks of the employed. My total lay-off? Three weeks. That's almost like no vacation at all...