I hate this fucking business

Ideally, I would have rolled over to another project at the firm I was at last week right after my project ended. That was what everyone wanted -- me, the firm, the agency, and the folks working the project I am supposed to roll over to -- but the partner whose approval is needed to add people to that project didn't get the word, apparently. Everyone agrees that project needs more people, but first they need this partner's approval. Not forthcoming so far, weeks into the process.

So I've been applying for backstop jobs, and this is where how this industry works has been working against me. Every agency has an A list -- people they go to first because they know them and those people usually work for that agency. They go beyond the A list only when they have to. I have worked for so many agencies, I don't even know if I am on an A list anywhere. Maybe two agencies. Unfortunately, the four jobs I have applied for in the last week are with agencies I have either never worked for or haven't worked for in many years. Needless to say, I am 0-for-4. Which sucks. It's not like these were primo projects. They were projects I was totally willing to jump from when my rollover comes, even if it meant completely burning my bridge with that agency. These assholes won't even give me the opportunity to abuse them, damn it!

So, I remain unemployed, and increasingly nervous. Something better happen soon, or else I'll have to start robbing liquor stores, and .45 ammo don't come cheap.

Man, I hope being competent doesn't make me unemployed

Today, about half of the people on the project were rolled to a different, non-privilege project. They apparently were deemed not capable of making decisions on privilege or writing privilege log entries. They probably weren't, as most temps aren't. We do too much dummy priv on most projects -- temps are told that if they see a lawyer or the word "legal," priv it. So they do. Temps who actually understand privilege are more unusual, and on a privilege project, dummy priv folks are useless.

On the other hand, we have about two weeks left on this project. The folks who just got rolled to another project are being told four to six weeks. Will people who can't do priv be working after I am done? Could happen. There are no guarantees. There is a rollover opportunity now. There might not be when my part is done. It sucks, but that is the way it is. We will keep our fingers crossed.

That was quick

Wow. After last week's gig met a premature demise (at least from my perspective), I figured I was toast. The staff attorneys said they wanted to roll me to another project. Taking into account rule number one, I assumed they were lying. As it turned out, I did get rolled to an existing project, started Tuesday. OK, always good to be working, right? Well, I wouldn't know. We got the email today (I hate it when they break up with you by email) letting us know that when we finished the batch we were working on, we were done, project over, bye bye, don't let the screen door slap you in the ass on the way out. Didn't even get pizza. Of course, we did get ice cream, but that's because the building management company held an ice cream social in the lobby as a Memorial Day kind of thing. I don't think they did it because they knew we were about to get shitcanned.