Ups and Downs

Well, today was my second day of job hunting. There weren't many new targets on my radar, although Josh and I did wander into an Old Navy that had a "We're Hiring" sign and were able to get the manager's information and a number to call. Other than that, we just revisited the GameStop on South Canal that we visited yesterday. I got to talk to the manager, Peter, and gave him my resume. He told me that he actually had four openings coming up and that I should print out an application and bring it back in, that he would be there until 5:30pm if I could get it there. This was really encouraging news because just yesterday the employee there had told me there were only two openings. The progression of improvements in my prospects for getting a job at GameStop really served to lift my spirits and improved my outlook a good deal.

I left GameStop feeling pretty good about life and so I ventured over to Wicker Park to return my application to The Exchange, which is similar to GameStop but with DVDs, records, and CDs, and any game for any system since the NES. I walked in and handed my application to Rick (I got his name right this time) and did my whole "I'd love to work here so if you have an opening soon, let me know" spiel. He actually told me that they had another store closer to where I was staying and that he would fax my application and resume over to them. And if they had another opening sooner, then I would hear from them, too. So, in addition to the GameStop news, now I had better prospects with The Exchange as well. I felt like maybe God was really wanting me to work for one of these places.

I went back to the Lofts in high spirits and then trekked out to Columbia College to meet with my discipler, Steve Ng (ning). We walked around the Columbia buildings looking for students to interact with, but because of the nature of the city and campus, there really wasn't a central location to set up and just interact with a ton of students. So we went to an Asian restaurant and Steve convinced me to try sushi. While I was somewhat not enjoying my sushi experience, Steve asked me about my life story, what my expectations were for project, and what would hold me back from enjoying project to the fullest. It got pretty real pretty quick and I told him all the hopes and fears I had for myself. And I got to hear Steve's story and we formed a bond as brothers in Christ to help each other out. It was a really cool experience, even if it did cut to the core of my being.

After talking with Steve, we made our way back to the lofts, where I finished my GameStop application. By that time it was 5:10 and I had roughly 20 minutes to get from my apartment to the store, a walk that normally takes 26 minutes. I ran/jogged pretty much the whole way there, a distance of about a mile, which was something I hadn't done in quite a while, despite my constant attempts to get in the habit of running. I made it to the store out of breath and sweating with barely 2 minutes to spare. And what should I find out but that Peter had left at 4:00 because it was a slow day. This was the first discouraging blow of the day, because I wanted to make a good impression by getting my application in quickly - I had just talked to Peter that morning.

I offered to give my application to one of the workers at the counter, but the guy told me that if I really wanted the job that I should come back tomorrow and hand it in in person. He also showed me the paltry amount of applications they had gotten so far, which I suppose was encouraging. The other fellow behind the counter, Angel, who I had talked to yesterday, then unknowingly delivered the second discouraging blow, by saying that Peter probably wouldn't be hiring for "three weeks" so I had plenty of time to turn it in. Little did he know, that three weeks is way too far in the future to be any use to me if I got the job.

So now, I'm not sure where God wants me. I'm sure if he wants me to be at GameStop that he will sweep the "three weeks" under the rug and help me gain rapport with Peter so that I could get the job quickly. And if he doesn't want me to be there, then one of my other leads may pan out. All I know is that I have no control of where I'm going, so all I can do is give my path over to God and let him lead me.