Apparently.
Decision on New England opportunity is delayed until at least May 15. Potential visit to West Coast opportunity is not going to even get scheduled until next week, earliest. Both of these I knew last week.
But I was fully expecting to hear a yes or no from the Midwest opportunity Tuesday. Then it slipped to Thursday (yesterday). Now I hear that there is still no decision, and won't be until end of next week, soonest.
Aaaaaaaaaah!
In the meantime, my agent (er.. recruiter) fell off the face of the earth this week, and has not gotten back to me on two other potential opportunities to pursue.
Someone has pushed "pause" on the cosmic video that is my career search. Say, God, did you, um... need to take an important call, or... maybe you kinda got the munchies, or... what ??? Would you mind terribly coming back and sitting down beside me again, so we could watch together and see where this show goes?
It's getting suspenseful, here.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
optimism
.
unattainable
what's ideal seems far away
yet i won't give up
.
There is just enough promise, just enough affirmation, to help me hold on to what I so hope for long-term. No matter what, I won't let go of my hope, my ideal, my best dream. In no small part because... that ideal won't let go of me.
unattainable
what's ideal seems far away
yet i won't give up
.
There is just enough promise, just enough affirmation, to help me hold on to what I so hope for long-term. No matter what, I won't let go of my hope, my ideal, my best dream. In no small part because... that ideal won't let go of me.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Crawling, Cooking, Concerting
Did many of my favorite things this weekend. :) (and still managed to knock off a fair bit of grad school homework.)
It was St. Paul's Art Crawl this weekend, so I went to that, and as usual walked away with a purchase. This time it was only a buck, though! I need a paycheck before I can spend more. :) A little fridge magnet painting in my favorite colors did the trick. Nothing particularly remarkable this year at the crawl, but, like normal, there were always a few things displayed that made me stand and stare for several minutes.
Sunday afternoon was spent improvising on a recipe out of the newspaper for a southern seafood and sausage stew (after a stop at Penzey's Spices to find a substitute for Old Bay Seasoning, used for crab and in fish boils). I backed way off the hot seasonings, but it still turned out mighty flavorful and a little peppery, yet not too much. Another keeper! The house smells marvelous.
But the highlight of the weekend was a concert by Australian singer/songwriter Sia Furler, sometime lead singer for Zero 7, and now on a solo career. She came to The Fine Line Music Cafe' Saturday night, and I couldn't help myself.. just had to go, absent a paycheck or not.
What a great show! It was opened by "Body Language" a Brooklyn based psychedelic, tropical, neo-soul group (which descriptive attributes they seemed to display only one at a time from song to song, rather than fusing them.)
Sia then same on and had a crazy stage to go with her crazy costuming and demeanor. The band and she wore jumpsuits, and at one point she came out with an elongated Christmas ornament on her head.
For the encore she wore rotating wings turned by a fan, through which bubbles were blown at the audience.
There was a sort of quilt on the floor which kind of went with the jumpsuits, as well as on the back wall with the artist's name spelled out in yarn. The speakers were wrapped in afghans adorned with yarn balls, and even the mike stands had knitted sleeves.
Quirky behavior, no doubt, but man, can she sing, and the new album set for June release sounds like it will be great.
Swell weekend - one of those that leaves a lasting impression. :)
It was St. Paul's Art Crawl this weekend, so I went to that, and as usual walked away with a purchase. This time it was only a buck, though! I need a paycheck before I can spend more. :) A little fridge magnet painting in my favorite colors did the trick. Nothing particularly remarkable this year at the crawl, but, like normal, there were always a few things displayed that made me stand and stare for several minutes.
Sunday afternoon was spent improvising on a recipe out of the newspaper for a southern seafood and sausage stew (after a stop at Penzey's Spices to find a substitute for Old Bay Seasoning, used for crab and in fish boils). I backed way off the hot seasonings, but it still turned out mighty flavorful and a little peppery, yet not too much. Another keeper! The house smells marvelous.
But the highlight of the weekend was a concert by Australian singer/songwriter Sia Furler, sometime lead singer for Zero 7, and now on a solo career. She came to The Fine Line Music Cafe' Saturday night, and I couldn't help myself.. just had to go, absent a paycheck or not.
What a great show! It was opened by "Body Language" a Brooklyn based psychedelic, tropical, neo-soul group (which descriptive attributes they seemed to display only one at a time from song to song, rather than fusing them.)
Sia then same on and had a crazy stage to go with her crazy costuming and demeanor. The band and she wore jumpsuits, and at one point she came out with an elongated Christmas ornament on her head.
For the encore she wore rotating wings turned by a fan, through which bubbles were blown at the audience.
There was a sort of quilt on the floor which kind of went with the jumpsuits, as well as on the back wall with the artist's name spelled out in yarn. The speakers were wrapped in afghans adorned with yarn balls, and even the mike stands had knitted sleeves.
Quirky behavior, no doubt, but man, can she sing, and the new album set for June release sounds like it will be great.
Swell weekend - one of those that leaves a lasting impression. :)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ask somebody older than me, honey...
The internet is a treasure trove of terminal weirdness. The other day I stumbled across a video narrated by the comedienne Anne Meara (of Stiller and Meara) which is all about the sexual activities of senior citizens in assisted living communities. Now, I'll grant you that I'm not so far from being in those kind of facilities myself, but still... it seems a little off the dial to me. Just as it seems unthinkable to one of my kids that I might, um.. well.. yeah. You know. Do that.
Moving along... In the film clip, several elderly residents are interviewed, along with numerous staff, from a Jewish senior living facility (I'm guessing in New York). They are careful to point out that these folks have both desires and rights, even if "we" (in this case the younger staff) think it might be creepy.
Just like beauty, apparently "creepy" is also in the eye of the beholder, and we have to learn to respect the idea that older folks still have needs not unlike those of their youthful counterparts. To help the nursing home staff, training classes are offered on how to respect geriatric passion's need for space. Oy ist mir gevalt!
My favorite line is the opening story Anne Meara tells of the 95 year old woman who was asked "at what age do older folks lose the desire for sex?" She replies: "I couldn't tell you. Guess you'll have to ask somebody older than me, honey."
You go, Granny.
Our youth- and beauty-focused modern culture tends to equate sex with the young and beautiful. The older I get, the more obvious it appears that I have more often than not viewed things through the screen of my own demographic characteristics. Wisdom and maturity probably means that I have learned to see a situation from the perspective of others who are different than me.
Just give me another 20 years or so, and I'll probably understand the whole concept REAL well. :)
Moving along... In the film clip, several elderly residents are interviewed, along with numerous staff, from a Jewish senior living facility (I'm guessing in New York). They are careful to point out that these folks have both desires and rights, even if "we" (in this case the younger staff) think it might be creepy.
Just like beauty, apparently "creepy" is also in the eye of the beholder, and we have to learn to respect the idea that older folks still have needs not unlike those of their youthful counterparts. To help the nursing home staff, training classes are offered on how to respect geriatric passion's need for space. Oy ist mir gevalt!
My favorite line is the opening story Anne Meara tells of the 95 year old woman who was asked "at what age do older folks lose the desire for sex?" She replies: "I couldn't tell you. Guess you'll have to ask somebody older than me, honey."
You go, Granny.
Our youth- and beauty-focused modern culture tends to equate sex with the young and beautiful. The older I get, the more obvious it appears that I have more often than not viewed things through the screen of my own demographic characteristics. Wisdom and maturity probably means that I have learned to see a situation from the perspective of others who are different than me.
Just give me another 20 years or so, and I'll probably understand the whole concept REAL well. :)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Hiring is Casting
Sometimes you meet all the requirements, feel really good about the interviews, and then get told "we really liked you, but... we don't think it's the right fit." That was what happened to me in Toronto.
But what do they mean by "right fit"?
Before a new interview ... or after a good one ... I try to remember what I read in an article a while back. Companies, and the hiring manager, have in their head a mental picture of a person "doing" this job, whatever it is. A screenplay, if you will. When they interview, it's like a casting call. They're trying to find someone who can present naturally to the world what they imagine in their heads for this role.
So, you go in, give your background and experience, read a few lines, and wait for call-backs. You come in again, you read more, you get paired with other actors, you run scenes. More waiting. More call-backs, more grueling situations, a talk with the director. Then.. someone else gets the part. Why?
Because you weren't Meryl. You weren't Denzel.
Marcus Buckingham, co-author of the best-selling management book First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently says that "companies consistently make the mistake of hiring the most talented people but for the wrong job. Two nurses may be equally talented and credentialed coming out of nursing school. One might thrive as a pediatric nurse and the other might thrive as an emergency room nurse. But they could both fail if assigned to the other nursing job."
"Companies that raid the sales force at another company are always baffled when people fail at the same job in the same industry but in a different culture. One employee may feel micromanaged if the boss checks in once a month, another may feel ignored if the boss doesn't check in every day. "
"Hiring is casting. Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are great actors. Who gets the role depends less on their talent than the movie and the role."
In other words, your fit with their mental screenplay. If you are applying for a role and they want Winona Ryder, but you present as Amy Adams... oops. But if they don't have a Winona-type in their pool, and you come across as Keira Knightley, that could be close enough! They can coach the rest.
It's nothing personal, you know? Normal people usually do not get roles "written for them". You know are accomplished. You know are talented. But you are also... who you are.
Joe Pesci reads lines like.. Joe Pesci does. Not like Stanley Tucci does. Amy Adams is not Winona Ryder. George Clooney is not Tom Hanks. Read your lines the way YOU do.
And then leave it to the casting director. 'Cause that's what it is.
But what do they mean by "right fit"?
Before a new interview ... or after a good one ... I try to remember what I read in an article a while back. Companies, and the hiring manager, have in their head a mental picture of a person "doing" this job, whatever it is. A screenplay, if you will. When they interview, it's like a casting call. They're trying to find someone who can present naturally to the world what they imagine in their heads for this role.
So, you go in, give your background and experience, read a few lines, and wait for call-backs. You come in again, you read more, you get paired with other actors, you run scenes. More waiting. More call-backs, more grueling situations, a talk with the director. Then.. someone else gets the part. Why?
Because you weren't Meryl. You weren't Denzel.
Marcus Buckingham, co-author of the best-selling management book First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently says that "companies consistently make the mistake of hiring the most talented people but for the wrong job. Two nurses may be equally talented and credentialed coming out of nursing school. One might thrive as a pediatric nurse and the other might thrive as an emergency room nurse. But they could both fail if assigned to the other nursing job."
"Companies that raid the sales force at another company are always baffled when people fail at the same job in the same industry but in a different culture. One employee may feel micromanaged if the boss checks in once a month, another may feel ignored if the boss doesn't check in every day. "
"Hiring is casting. Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are great actors. Who gets the role depends less on their talent than the movie and the role."
In other words, your fit with their mental screenplay. If you are applying for a role and they want Winona Ryder, but you present as Amy Adams... oops. But if they don't have a Winona-type in their pool, and you come across as Keira Knightley, that could be close enough! They can coach the rest.
It's nothing personal, you know? Normal people usually do not get roles "written for them". You know are accomplished. You know are talented. But you are also... who you are.
Joe Pesci reads lines like.. Joe Pesci does. Not like Stanley Tucci does. Amy Adams is not Winona Ryder. George Clooney is not Tom Hanks. Read your lines the way YOU do.
And then leave it to the casting director. 'Cause that's what it is.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Vindication!
Thanks, NPR. Nice to know that a principle I've held to be a truism for some time, though long misunderstood by the incurious masses, is now breaking into popular culture. :) Vindicated at last!
Some 2 1/2 years ago now, in this blog, I explained my long-held take on (what appear to be) random events. When I occasionally teach a math class that introduces statistics, I devote part of a lecture to showing that "randomness" is not random at all, but highly deterministic. Random number generators are no such thing, no more random than the lottery numbers or shuffled cards are, either.
Intellectually, we wave our hands, make a "simplifying assumption", and deem them so. And in that same spirit, the students often look at me blankly as if to say "yeah? but, so what?"
Okay, sure. I find this stuff interesting. You don't. I get that. That's why I'm the teacher and you're the blankly-staring mutton-headed student wondering if the old guy will put this useless stuff on the test. But now, with NPR's help, maybe a wider audience than just the sorry victims in my classes will get it.
Then, someday, final victory will be mine, when the phrase "That's soooo random!" drops completely out of the modern vernacular.
(I'm practicing to be crotchety, can you tell?)
Some 2 1/2 years ago now, in this blog, I explained my long-held take on (what appear to be) random events. When I occasionally teach a math class that introduces statistics, I devote part of a lecture to showing that "randomness" is not random at all, but highly deterministic. Random number generators are no such thing, no more random than the lottery numbers or shuffled cards are, either.
Intellectually, we wave our hands, make a "simplifying assumption", and deem them so. And in that same spirit, the students often look at me blankly as if to say "yeah? but, so what?"
Okay, sure. I find this stuff interesting. You don't. I get that. That's why I'm the teacher and you're the blankly-staring mutton-headed student wondering if the old guy will put this useless stuff on the test. But now, with NPR's help, maybe a wider audience than just the sorry victims in my classes will get it.
Then, someday, final victory will be mine, when the phrase "That's soooo random!" drops completely out of the modern vernacular.
(I'm practicing to be crotchety, can you tell?)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
All fished out
No more seafood for a while, please. I mean, I love it, but.. during one 36 hour stretch in New England this week, I had:
- lobster roll
- lobster chowder
- sea scallops with shrimp risotto
- perfect clam chowder (NE style, natch.)
- calamari with arugula and a peppercorn aioli
- lobster bisque (the best ever, too. marvelous.)
Oof. Good thing there was a couple ham & cheese omelettes, a bagel with cream cheese, and a stop at Dunkin' Donuts to round it off. The grilled steak upon arrival at home was quite welcome, along with fresh rhubarb crisp from the garden. :) Good, solid Midwestern food.
The place where I interviewed was just about the coolest office I've ever been in. This particular town has a river splitting east and west sides of the city and it is lined for blocks with old textile mills, not used for that since before the Great Depression. This company took over a couple of floors of one, sandblasted down the old brick and iron, laid in new hardwood floors, put in loads of glass, wood, and turn-of-the-last-century green-shaded streetlights for accents, and... wow. A marvelous modern loft feel with a solid link to the past.
Beautiful. Wish I had taken pictures of the inside for you, but that'll have to wait until I'm actually hired. Might have looked a tad funny to snap pics with my cell phone while walking with the CEO to the next interviewer's office. ;)
The rest of the city was classic New England. Loads of colonials and capes. They were a bit ahead of us in terms of Spring, too, as all the flowering trees were in full bloom.
I was on my own for dinner both nights, and for one of them I decided to go slumming, and go off the beaten path a bit. In a little strip mall on the back way out of town, next to a Papa Gino's pizza, was this little seafood joint. Short on atmosphere, but long on value, and peppered with salty NE accents amongst the patrons. :)
But (besides the interviews, of course) the highlight was the hotel. One wall of it served as left center field for the local AA franchise, and I got a room on the ballpark side. The view from my window:
Home runs would wind up on the patio below my window, apparently. Except there was no one there to speak of, given that it was 40-some degrees and rainy.
So the game wore on, I got sleepy, and the grounds crew eventually put the stadium to bed. C'mon, guys, turn the lights off, I'm tired!
But just as I was nodding off, I heard gunshots, and... they surprised me with a fireworks show. Cool!
Thanks for the nice welcome! Does that mean I get the job?
- lobster roll
- lobster chowder
- sea scallops with shrimp risotto
- perfect clam chowder (NE style, natch.)
- calamari with arugula and a peppercorn aioli
- lobster bisque (the best ever, too. marvelous.)
Oof. Good thing there was a couple ham & cheese omelettes, a bagel with cream cheese, and a stop at Dunkin' Donuts to round it off. The grilled steak upon arrival at home was quite welcome, along with fresh rhubarb crisp from the garden. :) Good, solid Midwestern food.
The place where I interviewed was just about the coolest office I've ever been in. This particular town has a river splitting east and west sides of the city and it is lined for blocks with old textile mills, not used for that since before the Great Depression. This company took over a couple of floors of one, sandblasted down the old brick and iron, laid in new hardwood floors, put in loads of glass, wood, and turn-of-the-last-century green-shaded streetlights for accents, and... wow. A marvelous modern loft feel with a solid link to the past.
Beautiful. Wish I had taken pictures of the inside for you, but that'll have to wait until I'm actually hired. Might have looked a tad funny to snap pics with my cell phone while walking with the CEO to the next interviewer's office. ;)
The rest of the city was classic New England. Loads of colonials and capes. They were a bit ahead of us in terms of Spring, too, as all the flowering trees were in full bloom.
I was on my own for dinner both nights, and for one of them I decided to go slumming, and go off the beaten path a bit. In a little strip mall on the back way out of town, next to a Papa Gino's pizza, was this little seafood joint. Short on atmosphere, but long on value, and peppered with salty NE accents amongst the patrons. :)
But (besides the interviews, of course) the highlight was the hotel. One wall of it served as left center field for the local AA franchise, and I got a room on the ballpark side. The view from my window:
Home runs would wind up on the patio below my window, apparently. Except there was no one there to speak of, given that it was 40-some degrees and rainy.
So the game wore on, I got sleepy, and the grounds crew eventually put the stadium to bed. C'mon, guys, turn the lights off, I'm tired!
But just as I was nodding off, I heard gunshots, and... they surprised me with a fireworks show. Cool!
Thanks for the nice welcome! Does that mean I get the job?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Up In The Air
I haven't exactly felt like George Clooney in the recent movie of the same name, but I have sure spent more time on the road and in airports lately than I did while I was working. For the fourth consecutive week, I am off to go have a face-face interview in some other state or province. This time, back to New England.
Jeepers, you'd think after living there twice and fleeing it both times, I would have gotten it out of my system. Still looking for that perfect lobster bisque, I guess. :) This time the trip will be a tad more leisurely, getting there tonight, interviewing Friday, coming home Saturday afternoon. Might just make my way to the coast Friday night in search of a decent lobster roll.
Or not. More likely looking at neighborhoods and commute times.
Hm.. about the same latitude as Milwaukee.. near a large body of water.. wonder what the weather's like? And if the tulips there are as pretty as they are here? :)
Jeepers, you'd think after living there twice and fleeing it both times, I would have gotten it out of my system. Still looking for that perfect lobster bisque, I guess. :) This time the trip will be a tad more leisurely, getting there tonight, interviewing Friday, coming home Saturday afternoon. Might just make my way to the coast Friday night in search of a decent lobster roll.
Or not. More likely looking at neighborhoods and commute times.
Hm.. about the same latitude as Milwaukee.. near a large body of water.. wonder what the weather's like? And if the tulips there are as pretty as they are here? :)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
ministry
.
they also serve who
only stand and make coffee
maybe it's my gift
.
Well, sit and make coffee is more like it. Most of the time is just spent pot-watching. The evangelical church I attend on Sunday goes through about 12 big pots of coffee in a morning.
I think that's a lot for roughly 250 people in attendance. I mean, factor out 70 of those as being too young to drink coffee, and you've got about 1 pot for every 15 people. And how many of those are really not coffee drinkers, and stick with hot tea or water? Hm.
Well, whether or not it's a lot, it sure consumes my Sunday morning when I'm on "hospitality table" duty. The service is at 10, and I start making coffee at about 8:20 AM. I do it continuously for the next 2+ hours, and even when it's crisply efficient, I still sneak in to the service just in time for the sermon.
For a guy who has normally volunteered in roles that are either on the platform or in the classroom, this is kinda different. Very behind-the-scenes, and simple. It's not so bad to just serve quietly, giving people something they take for granted, and which helps build community as they linger around the treat table afterwards.
What can I say? If coffee-making edifies the body, it MUST be a spiritual gift. :)
they also serve who
only stand and make coffee
maybe it's my gift
.
Well, sit and make coffee is more like it. Most of the time is just spent pot-watching. The evangelical church I attend on Sunday goes through about 12 big pots of coffee in a morning.
I think that's a lot for roughly 250 people in attendance. I mean, factor out 70 of those as being too young to drink coffee, and you've got about 1 pot for every 15 people. And how many of those are really not coffee drinkers, and stick with hot tea or water? Hm.
Well, whether or not it's a lot, it sure consumes my Sunday morning when I'm on "hospitality table" duty. The service is at 10, and I start making coffee at about 8:20 AM. I do it continuously for the next 2+ hours, and even when it's crisply efficient, I still sneak in to the service just in time for the sermon.
For a guy who has normally volunteered in roles that are either on the platform or in the classroom, this is kinda different. Very behind-the-scenes, and simple. It's not so bad to just serve quietly, giving people something they take for granted, and which helps build community as they linger around the treat table afterwards.
What can I say? If coffee-making edifies the body, it MUST be a spiritual gift. :)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Misapprehenderating the Bible
Scot McKnight, in his book The Blue Parakeet, says there are five shortcuts we tend to use as we approach the Bible. We see the Bible:
I certainly have fallen victim to numbers 1, 3 & 4 over time, and know many people who run to number 2 regularly, especially under stress. Relevant Magazine this month carried an article that gets to a point I have made for some years now - that we tend to over-apply Bible verses as pertaining to ourselves as individuals, despite their original context and the intended audience when first written. Jer. 29:11 is a prime example, which the article develops in some detail. I'll leave it to the article to articulate the argument.
The point is, when we see in the Bible something we like, we tend to apply it to ourselves personally, whether or not that is appropriate. And when we see something in the Bible we DON'T like, we tend to wave our hands and make a case for why it only applied "back then". We are selective in our approach to interpreting Scripture... when we really need to be principled, and consistent.
Myself included. Which, in seminary, I am just beginning to learn.
1. as a rule book - a guide to proper living so that we do not get off track and offend God.
2. as a devotional book, filled with wonderful promises/blessings to help us handle life.
3. as a mirror, reflecting our image; we look for confirmation in it of our already settled ideas.
4. as a big puzzle - scattered pieces of data that we have to assemble into a coherent belief system.
5. as mainly the teaching of some key figure (Paul, John, Jesus, Moses, Isaiah, David), around which all the rest revolves.
I certainly have fallen victim to numbers 1, 3 & 4 over time, and know many people who run to number 2 regularly, especially under stress. Relevant Magazine this month carried an article that gets to a point I have made for some years now - that we tend to over-apply Bible verses as pertaining to ourselves as individuals, despite their original context and the intended audience when first written. Jer. 29:11 is a prime example, which the article develops in some detail. I'll leave it to the article to articulate the argument.
The point is, when we see in the Bible something we like, we tend to apply it to ourselves personally, whether or not that is appropriate. And when we see something in the Bible we DON'T like, we tend to wave our hands and make a case for why it only applied "back then". We are selective in our approach to interpreting Scripture... when we really need to be principled, and consistent.
Myself included. Which, in seminary, I am just beginning to learn.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Wait, wait, wait (updated) (again!)
In the job search process (at least in my experience), there is more waiting than you ever think there could possibly be when first you estimate how long it might take to land a new job. And I mean waiting when you are actively interviewing, and getting second interviews, and getting flown in, put up in a hotel, taken to lunch, etc., etc. Wait time while busy at it, I mean.
It's not like the time spent waiting when you are first sending out resumes, then following up, but not even getting to the HR phone screen stage. Using a baseball metaphor (since it was Opening Day this week), when you don't get to even leave the dugout, you expect it to take a pretty long time to score a run. But if you are regularly getting up to bat, making good ball contact, even getting on base, and you still wait, wait, wait... it's puzzling.
But, it's also normal. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I'm on day 62 of unemployment, have had in-person interviews at 4 companies, phone screens at many more, and still.. no runs scored. My point here is not that 62 days is particularly long - it isn't. But it's the good amount of activity during such a short time that makes me think that it should go more quickly. Maybe it's like having fast response time on the internet.. it makes you impatient when all of a sudden a web page gets stuck for more than 3 seconds.
Sorry, just switched metaphors. Back to baseball. ;) I suppose I could say that the last two in-person interviews have me currently at second base, taking a substantial lead off the bag. I might just get pushed around to home on either one. And then today I have a 2nd phone screen with yet another company. I would call that one beating out a slow roller for an infield single. :) We'll see if I can steal second with that firm and get an in-person interview out of the deal.
Still, I expect nothing in the way of news until next week on anything. First the hiring manager has to talk to the interview team, then to the big boss, then they have to talk to HR (but only after, of course, they get back from that unexpected out-of-town trip, and have to deal first with a new deadline from the board of directors on that growth proposal...), and on it goes. Just the normal press of business stretches the process out, even if they think I'm the hottest thing out there. They simply can't act as fast as I would like. To quote Michael Corleone: "It isn't personal. Just business."
And after all.. unlike me.. they actually have day jobs.
**********
UPDATE (Thurs PM):
As I said, the press of business stretches the process out. The phone interview scheduled for today got cancelled due to the interviewer getting called away on some other matter. :( I guess in terms of my metaphor the batter struck out so I didn't get a chance to try to steal second; still at first base on that one. It'll be rescheduled real soon, they say. Uhuh.
But, a company I had sent a resume to 6 weeks ago, finally called and acknowledged it today; wants a phone screen next week Tuesday. Okay! Another plate appearance! :)
Good thing, too, because one of the two companies I was on second base with (see main post above) called today to say: "sorry, but.. no." :( Nuts. Picked off at second.
**********
UPDATE 2 (Fri Aft):
Up and down, back and forth, on and off, make up your mind! And in the meantime, how about we wait some more?
The cancelled phone call from yesterday unexpectedly wound up being back on for today at noon. The hiring manager squeezed a half-hour out of his crazy schedule for me, and fortunately I was available. Wow, did we cram a lot into a little space! Pretty exciting call. And they are people of action; before he drops off the call to run to his next meeting, he puts the HR gal on to finish up and arrange for me to fly "out East" next week and have a full day of interviews. Again, wow. Here I thought yesterday that the inning was over, and suddenly I'm on second base, and taking a nice lead off the bag. :) Gotta pay attention in this game!
Good thing, too, because the other company that I'm also still on second base with called. They're going into lock-down mode for 10 days because of some unexpected visit from a rating agency, and... I won't know about anything there until I get back from this new interview trip. Jeepers. You really need a scorecard to keep up.
It's not like the time spent waiting when you are first sending out resumes, then following up, but not even getting to the HR phone screen stage. Using a baseball metaphor (since it was Opening Day this week), when you don't get to even leave the dugout, you expect it to take a pretty long time to score a run. But if you are regularly getting up to bat, making good ball contact, even getting on base, and you still wait, wait, wait... it's puzzling.
But, it's also normal. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I'm on day 62 of unemployment, have had in-person interviews at 4 companies, phone screens at many more, and still.. no runs scored. My point here is not that 62 days is particularly long - it isn't. But it's the good amount of activity during such a short time that makes me think that it should go more quickly. Maybe it's like having fast response time on the internet.. it makes you impatient when all of a sudden a web page gets stuck for more than 3 seconds.
Sorry, just switched metaphors. Back to baseball. ;) I suppose I could say that the last two in-person interviews have me currently at second base, taking a substantial lead off the bag. I might just get pushed around to home on either one. And then today I have a 2nd phone screen with yet another company. I would call that one beating out a slow roller for an infield single. :) We'll see if I can steal second with that firm and get an in-person interview out of the deal.
Still, I expect nothing in the way of news until next week on anything. First the hiring manager has to talk to the interview team, then to the big boss, then they have to talk to HR (but only after, of course, they get back from that unexpected out-of-town trip, and have to deal first with a new deadline from the board of directors on that growth proposal...), and on it goes. Just the normal press of business stretches the process out, even if they think I'm the hottest thing out there. They simply can't act as fast as I would like. To quote Michael Corleone: "It isn't personal. Just business."
And after all.. unlike me.. they actually have day jobs.
**********
UPDATE (Thurs PM):
As I said, the press of business stretches the process out. The phone interview scheduled for today got cancelled due to the interviewer getting called away on some other matter. :( I guess in terms of my metaphor the batter struck out so I didn't get a chance to try to steal second; still at first base on that one. It'll be rescheduled real soon, they say. Uhuh.
But, a company I had sent a resume to 6 weeks ago, finally called and acknowledged it today; wants a phone screen next week Tuesday. Okay! Another plate appearance! :)
Good thing, too, because one of the two companies I was on second base with (see main post above) called today to say: "sorry, but.. no." :( Nuts. Picked off at second.
**********
UPDATE 2 (Fri Aft):
Up and down, back and forth, on and off, make up your mind! And in the meantime, how about we wait some more?
The cancelled phone call from yesterday unexpectedly wound up being back on for today at noon. The hiring manager squeezed a half-hour out of his crazy schedule for me, and fortunately I was available. Wow, did we cram a lot into a little space! Pretty exciting call. And they are people of action; before he drops off the call to run to his next meeting, he puts the HR gal on to finish up and arrange for me to fly "out East" next week and have a full day of interviews. Again, wow. Here I thought yesterday that the inning was over, and suddenly I'm on second base, and taking a nice lead off the bag. :) Gotta pay attention in this game!
Good thing, too, because the other company that I'm also still on second base with called. They're going into lock-down mode for 10 days because of some unexpected visit from a rating agency, and... I won't know about anything there until I get back from this new interview trip. Jeepers. You really need a scorecard to keep up.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Floral Masculinity
I'm convinced that daffodils are male. They are a guy flower, with guy attributes. Up early in Spring, they're unapologetically brash, bright, big and bold. They stand tall & confident, and trumpet their message:
HEY! IT'S SPRING! C'MON, LET'S GO!
Now, I'll grant you, they're not the very first out of the flower bed. They are not the delicate and shy crocuses or snow drops who are up and at their work while the snow still chills the ground. They sleep in a little and lag the girls a bit, sure, but they don't lower their eyes, drop their heads and act all demure, either.
They act like big shots, stand up and holler, and show off for everyone to see. :) Man, if that isn't male, I don't know what is.
I think that's why daffodils are my favorite spring flowers. Really, they're just... one of the guys.
HEY! IT'S SPRING! C'MON, LET'S GO!
Now, I'll grant you, they're not the very first out of the flower bed. They are not the delicate and shy crocuses or snow drops who are up and at their work while the snow still chills the ground. They sleep in a little and lag the girls a bit, sure, but they don't lower their eyes, drop their heads and act all demure, either.
They act like big shots, stand up and holler, and show off for everyone to see. :) Man, if that isn't male, I don't know what is.
I think that's why daffodils are my favorite spring flowers. Really, they're just... one of the guys.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
dawn
.
sleepless night has ended.
despair turns into wonder:
he's no longer... here?!?
.
I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been a disciple and go through the roller-coaster emotions of that Passion Week, much less then to have your worldview turned on its head by the Resurrection. And when the implications of the Incarnation and Resurrection are grasped in the heart by people today... worldviews are still being turned on their heads. Such is the combined import of both Christmas.. and Easter.
He is Risen! :)
sleepless night has ended.
despair turns into wonder:
he's no longer... here?!?
.
I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been a disciple and go through the roller-coaster emotions of that Passion Week, much less then to have your worldview turned on its head by the Resurrection. And when the implications of the Incarnation and Resurrection are grasped in the heart by people today... worldviews are still being turned on their heads. Such is the combined import of both Christmas.. and Easter.
He is Risen! :)
Friday, April 02, 2010
Eliane Elias
Right on the Spring Equinox this year, the first daffodil of the season leapt into service outside my office window. So nice to see you again! And since then, he's been joined by many of his fellow blossom-ers. Love this time of year. :)
These flowers have a good long time to bloom yet, too, given the season. Earlier this week, though, we went down to the Dakota Jazz Club to enjoy something that may be shorter lived than the daffodils.
And sure enough, here was another kind of blossom - the chanteuse kind. This one I'm afraid is near the end of her season, though; not yet ready to dead-head, no no, still lovely but beginning to show some signs of being past peak. Or maybe... like fruit that's just a bit overripe: a little bruised, quite juicy, fragrant, but pretty soon it will start fermenting on the counter.
I will say though, her cocktail length black sleeveless shirred sheath dress did fit... like a dress SHOULD fit... just on a 30 year old. One look at her arms put her well past that age. Yes, I know as a performer on stage you dress differently than you would as a regular person going out, but... the down-to-the-hips hair and the hem-well-above-the-knee-pour-me-into-this-thing dress looked about as appropriate on her as it has on Tina Turner or Cher in recent years.
Unfortunately, the club made explicit statements tonight about no photography, even cell phone photos. I have a feeling the artist wants control at this point of what images get released. So I found one on the web that looked a lot like she looked tonight.. with just a little less wear and tear.
One thing that hasn't faded is the way this woman can play! Holy smoke, she's good. The whole band was. Guitar, bass, drums - every player was a gem. They moved effortlessly from samba to swing to avant-garde jazz to Gershwin and back to bossa nova... all in the same (20 minute) song.
I admit I initially thought of her as the Brazilian Diana Krall, and the blond singer/pianist comparison holds, but that's also where it stops. They are nearly a generation apart in age, Krall is a good player, much better singer and willowy in build, whereas Elias is a stronger player with less vocal ability, and more statuesque in shape.
As usual the food offerings were interesting and delicious. Mine was warm beet salad with goat cheese (and slivers of kumquat for some bite). It made use of red beets, sure, but also golden beets and striped beets, all roasted. Who knew there were so many different kinds of beet? Farmer's market, here I come this season! A marvelous presentation and a great taste.
Later a trio of cheesecakes: Meyers lemon with pistachio, key lime (the garnish of lime slice was carmelized), and chocolate with tangerine zest.
Yummy food, yummy music... too bad it might be our last time at this classy venue. I'm sure Toronto has classy venues, too. :) Des Moines, on the other hand... hm. Well, more on that whole topic post-Easter. For right now I need to rehearse my lector readings for the Good Friday service today at St. Rose's.
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