So Here's the Dilemma

Here's the dilemma.

My mother really wants me to apply to OT school this fall because, in her mind, this job-search thing isn't working so well right now. In order to do so, I need to put in at least, at least, forty hours of volunteer time at various OT places asap. I've got, like, two to three weeks to fulfill that requirement. Yes, this was a recent development because no, I do not usually procrastinate this much.

In job-searching news, I had an unexpected phone interview today that I should be hearing back about tomorrow. Fingers crossed I made a decent enough impression for a follow-up. Seriously. Are your fingers crossed? A "yay, let's talk some more" email would mean that I would need to be available for several more phone/on-site/etc interviews in the next few weeks, as their deadline for their latest group of hires is basically the same as when that OT app is due.

This wouldn't be so nerve-wracking {actually, I lied, it probably still would be, but hear me out} if there wasn't also this opportunity to go down to SoCal for a bit next week and see all the besties whom I haven't talked to in-person for twelve months. I really, really, really want to go, but I'm not sure I can afford to be "unavailable" to all the above responsibilities for a full seven days. That's a long time in these circumstances. And I'm pretty sure if I go up to the madre right now and asked if I could go away for a week, I'd be given an incredulous look of "are you serious?" and an emphatic "you CAN'T be serious." I did check airline prices to see if I could come back up a few days earlier and they're doable, so we'll see if that makes a difference. Sigh.

So that's where we're at right now. With the Internet being the way it is, it might not be the best idea to post this publicly {sheesh, job people can be good at finding things. kudos to you guys if you're reading this}, but I really don't know what to do, so I'll lay it out there anyways. Help.