I just peed my pants.
Well not literally, that would be gross, but I am that excited.
I just finished a GREAT lunch meeting with the man I hope will be my next boss.
The 78-minute meal flew by in about seven seconds, at least for me.
I warmed up with a reference to his favorite baseball team, then quickly got down to business.
On page 19 of "How to Get a Job through Comedy" it says when you get an audience with the Pope, don't waste too much time on "a rabbi walks into a bar" jokes.
Several times during our discussion, he said "that's a really good point."
Not, that's a good point, but that's a REALLY good point.
Wow!
Yes I realize it is way too early to get excited, but hey, at this point in the poker tournament, I'm all in.
If nothing comes out of this, I will be no worse off than I was yesterday.
My favorite Dylan quote of all-time just could be, "when you ain't got nothin, you got nothin to lose" and when it comes to a job...
... I got nothin.
In case you were wondering, lunch was very good. He had the snapper, I had the Cobb Salad.
Several, as in at least 10 times during the meal, his phone buzzed.
He glanced down to see who it was about six times -- who's counting -- but he picked up the phone exactly none of them.
So either that's a great sign or he was really enjoying the snapper.
I made sure to order dessert (and Cappucino) to prolong the meal (and discussion).
Plus he was paying.
At one point I mentioned that I've been writing a blog on my journey through unemployment.
I figured it would show that I am creative and highly motivated.
I was hoping he wouldn't ask for the link -- which he didn't.
(I would hate for the 11th sentence on my 17th entry to cost me a job, but he seemed genuinely impressed, so mission accomplished.)
After I finished my final bite of Sweet Potato Pie, he asked me to handicap the upcoming baseball season.
I guess my opening comment paid off too.
As we left to get me to my next meeting, he said to make sure I stopped by his office on the way out.
Good sign, right? Or did he just want security to know where I was?
Either way, I am having a great day.
I can't wait for dinner.
I’m not sure yet if that's a light at the end of this unemployment tunnel or a locomotive train, but one thing for sure...
...this is going to be a VERY important week for me.
Tomorrow I am headed east for two days of meetings with a company that I am VERY excited to be meeting with.
CAPITALS can be VERY effective.
Day 1 is with a bunch of executives and the head of human resources.
Day 2 is with the President of the company.
I hope I have two clean white shirts.
From my standpoint, this process is simple.
They say, “would you ____?” and I say “YES!”.
Ok, maybe the blank part is important (and maybe it isn’t).
The other twist in my week started today with some email dialogue with a local company.
Last week they posted a job that speaks right to my background.
If it was 10 years ago.
I felt kinda dirty today pitching my “25 years of experience”, “relentless work ethic” and “passion for the business” as something they could definitely find valuable.
Sales has never been my forte.
But it had to be done and for now, I have a feeling that they are at least considering me for the job.
A job that they would probably rather fill with someone straight out of college.
Either way, after throwing my lines out for the last 15 months, it feels great to finally see a fish.
At least they look like fish. It’s getting cold out here.
Part of my day today preparing for the big trip was making a stop at my mother’s assisted living facility. For those of you who have been kind enough to read all of my blogs, she is doing GREAT.
(If you missed it, this is probably my favorite previous entry:
http://myjourney-unemployed.blogspot.com/2010/01/mom-me.html)
Sorry for that. The rest of this blog will be commercial free.
At the end of our visit, which included her telling me that she was just asked to be part of a choir AND she told me that she is the best trivial pursuit player in the building AND she needs a green outfit for the St. Patrick’s Day Party, I asked if I should keep my soul patch for the east coast interview.
Granted, there were probably about four million more important questions that I could’ve asked her, but style is important, right?
“It looks like you might be on the other side.”
Huh.
Did my 80-year old mom just call me gay?
Not that there is anything wrong with it.
“No, it just makes you look like you could have piercings or tattoos.”
Oh. Ok. I think.
She went on to say that this job would make everything complete in my life and that it’s time for me to take care of myself instead of taking care of everyone else.
With that kind of passion, maybe she should be interviewing for the job.
Mom is always good for a positive reinforcement and today’s trip down Optimistic Avenue ended with her giving me two thumbs up.
To be honest, it really doesn’t take a whole lot of a lead to get me excited about working again. But as I said, this long distance opportunity has got me VERY excited.
I know it could be a long fall if things don’t go well this week, but I’m drinking from the half-full part of the glass and wishing for the best.
Whatever that is.
Gotta go. It's time to shave.
When my father passed away nearly eight years ago, I lost a lot.
I lost a friend, a father, a fan, but most of all I lost a voice of reason.
Many of our conversations included nothing but sports and “how are you”, but somehow I ALWAYS walked away learning something.
I learned that reading an online newspaper wasn’t as informative as getting the ink on your hands.
I learned that non-fat frozen yogurt was good for you, but ice cream wasn’t.
But most of all, I learned about life.
One of the many lessons that I still use to this day is when there is a big decision to be made, take a piece of paper and write the good things in one column and the bad things in the other.
Majority wins.
Well, it’s not always that simple, but it sure does make sense.
In the last eight years, I’ve had several opportunities to apply his words, even without being able to hear his voice.
A month after he died, I was offered a job to work for his old company. It would’ve meant relocating, my wife leaving her job and my family taking a leap of faith.
Honestly, I think the job offer was a coping mechanism for the owner of the company. He and my dad had been friends for more than 40 years.
I got cheated. He was only with me for 35.
I thought long and hard about making the change, but ultimately, the bad outnumbered the good and I took a pass -- a decision that proved to be correct.
Throughout my current days as a member of the unemployed, I have searched for faith in any shape and color.
If you are not careful, EVERYTHING seems like a sign.
Today it was more than a sign, it was real. A real job interview -- my first since becoming unemployed 14 months ago.
It was for a job with a hunting company. A good friend of mine works there and he suggested me for the job.
In case you missed my Blog #14, I a Jewish and this just in, Jews don’t hunt.
I took the interview knowing that I could certainly do the job, but I didn’t know if I really wanted it.
The interview went very well, the company seems sharp and the job would definitely help pay the bills.
But there was a moment midway through the interview that really caught my attention:
“If I gave you a gun, would you shoot an animal?”
Whoa.
I’ve been asked a lot of questions before, but never that one.
My immediate response was “it’s not at the top of my list”, which is true.
Now don’t get me wrong, I would pretty much eat anything that was put on my dinner plate, but how it got there is another story.
Honestly, I don’t know the real answer to his question.
I’ve never tried hunting and I really don’t miss it. I know A LOT of people enjoy killing animals, I just may not be one of them.
While a formal offer has not been extended to me, I left with the feeling like the job could be mine.
If it is, I guess it’ll be time to take out the pen and paper.
Thanks Dad.
