It's Official!

Remove the "provisional," I got the official you-weren't-imagining-it offer today, and I accepted it. Starting Monday, I am employed again. Thank you all for the support and good wishes; it's been a long four months, but at last I return to the land of paychecks and benefits.

That alarm is going to be such a shock, though.

Meanwhile, I saw this today, and had to laugh.

Either someone at Wilson's agrees with me that peas=summer, or at least they understand how I feel. Mmm, peas.

Hmm. There seems to be something on my tail.

 Oh well.

Provisionally, Whew!

Wasn't today the longest day? I had the attention span of a gnat, kept eating and eating, got very little done, and was busily checking and re-checking e-mail. At 4, I finally decided I'd better throw the towels in the washer, and when I came back up, there was a message on my phone. Argh! The first time all day (other than showering) that I was away from the phone, and then she calls? Figures!

Anyway, I called her and got her voice-mail, but she called right back and detailed the offer*, and It Will Do. Will I be throwing money here there and everywhere? No. But it's actually a bit more than I was making at the last job, even without considering that the last company was laying off and this one is hiring. And benefits and all! Whew.
*She's going to e-mail it, too; I want to see it in print!

Not only that, she asked if I could start June 4th. Oh, must I have some more time off, and this time without job-hunting? Well, if you insist! Whatever works for you! Whatever will I do with ten stress-free days? Off to fantasize ... and put the laundry in the dryer.

The Today Update

I got some really cute pictures of the cats today, and I can't wait to ... what? What did you say? That there's bigger news than that today? Why, what do you mean?

Oh, the interview? Oh, yes, that. Well, sure. And you want to know about that before you see cat pictures? Even really cute cat pictures?

Well, okay. No accounting for tastes.

I'll cut to the chase: it went well. Very well. It started with how impressed they were with the editing test I did last week, and ended with her stating her intention to talk to the woman in HR about sending me an offer. That kind of well.

In fact, it was less like a tell-me-about-a-time-when-you interview, and more like she wanted me to understand the company, what they do, and what I'd do there, so I could decide if I want to accept their offer. I'm not sure she asked me a single direct question, other than a semi-joking, "So, have I scared you off?" toward the end. And my answer to that was no, so we'll see what the offer looks like, and go from there.

Now can I show you cats?

This last one, of course, is not a cat, it's a car I was behind driving home today. I was puzzled when I first saw it, since snoozing and driving are not usually that similar.

After being behind her for a few miles, though, I started to see the similarities. Your average Boston driver in a 35 mph zone will do about 42. She was doing 29. Zzzzz.

Complaints About New Blogger, with bonus cat photos

Swistle touched briefly in her post today on the new Blogger interface (the behind-the-scenes part of the blog), specifically about how much she hates it, "even after giving myself time to get used to the change since I always initially resist change". That made me laugh first because I'm exactly that way myself, and second because I have been keeping a list of all the things I hate about the new Blogger interface, so I wouldn't forget any when it came time to post complainingly about it. So I think now is the time! If you don't care, just nod and go to the end for the cat picture (and a little news).

In no particular order:

• The Preview feature shows the post filling the whole screen (no sidebar), and without the title. Or in other words, not at all like it will look when published. Helpful. The composition pane actually looks more like the final product than Preview does.
• There is often an extra space at the beginning of paragraphs. This is one of the Twelve Approved Ways to Drive Your Proofreader Insane.
• If you add in a bunch of pictures and then dare to move any around, it completely messes up the spacing between them, leading to vast spaces that you can't see or delete in the composition pane.
• Speaking of photos, mine often will appear in the pop-up upload window the right way up, but appear in the post sideways. I have to go back, re-load the picture, tell it to turn clockwise, tell it to turn counterclockwise, then insert. This may be something funky from Picasa, or something between Picasa and Blogger, but it's all Google, it should work together, just fix it!
• When I upload a bunch of photos, it assumes I want to insert them all at once, and I have to de-select all the ones I'm not ready for.
• Then, when I go back to insert the others, the photos are often not visible on the pop-up. They're there, they can be selected and added, I just can't see them, so I can't see which ones are which. Very helpful.
• And even when you've added the photos to the post, they stay in the pop-up window. In case you want to put them in a second time, I guess, like I do that a lot. Maybe I should start?
• The calendar is Monday-through-Sunday. I believe I am not the only person who mentally defaults to a Sunday-to-Saturday view. That's the way we do things in my country, and seeing it another way messes with my mind something awful. (The Boston Ballet's website does the same thing. Perhaps it's supposed to be cool and European? It isn't, though, it's just annoying. For that matter, the BB's website is so incredibly unfriendly that every year I call to get Nutcracker tickets instead. And you know I will always do things online instead of calling if at all possible. [This week I had to file my Unemployment by calling, since the website was having technical difficulties, and it was just so much more annoying.] But trying to get seats in a specific spot in the theater is, I have found, not possible online. Whereas the phone people are wonderful and friendly and helpful and everything phone people should be and almost never are. To sum up this incredibly long digression on the Boston Ballet: the website is an uncategorical FAIL, but the phone center people are all WIN.)(Whew.)
• This one is a tiny change but continues to stymie me: In the toolbar at the top of the composition pane, the button to add a link used to be a couple of little chain links, like this: . It's for links, it's a chain, get it? Well, in the new interface, they replaced it with the word Link, there in the middle of all the symbols, and my eye keeps skipping over it. It's been a month or more since they forced the new interface on us, but I still keep looking for the chain. I link a lot, and it's pretty annoying.
• When I'm looking at the posts that exist for this blog, if I switch it to only show posts that have been published (as opposed to drafts), I can't search. I have to be on All Posts to search. (I initially thought you couldn't search posts at all, which I do a lot, and I was pissed! But it turns out you can ... just not everywhere, which is weird.)
• Finally, I was typing away one day when Google logged me out, mid-sentence. WTF? I had to reenter my password, and it lost the last bit I'd written. It hasn't happened again, but once was enough to make the list.

There! I feel better. Feel free to unload your own rants in the comments if you like, on whatever subject is irking you.

I promised cats, so here we are:

She is hoping that the magical fluff powers of her tail will protect her from me and my evil intentions.
He is asleep.

Oh, and the news? The company where I had the two phone interviews and the editing test has called me in for an interview. You know, the traditional face-to-face kind. Wooo! Wednesday afternoon. Which means I will be taking a sleeping pill tonight and tomorrow night.

Something to Tide You Over

I'm pretty tired tonight:

•  I'm finishing up a bunch of laundry, which involves many stairs, and tonight also involved some flooding and a malfunctioning washer; lifting clothes out of water and wringing them out is surprisingly tiring, if you've never had the experience and were wondering. 
• I have cramps, and a partial headache probably caused by them, though also possibly influenced by the weather system pushing its way through (Severe! Thunderstorm! Watch! proclaims the weather channel).
• I spent much of the day quasi-working, on the editing test from the 2PIC. I'm out of the practice of work. Brain cramp!
• Also, Carlos has the random meows tonight, and he is Driving Me Crazy. Apparently I am not spoiling him to his satisfaction tonight. Brat.

So! Watch this instead! Cats playing tetherball, how can you go wrong?

Progress and Regress

I guess if I had to chose, regression in knitting is preferable to the job-hunt, but I'd much rather have progress on both fronts. Such is life, though.

I had to frog the shawl, and will be re-starting it presently. I'd gotten it to 60 rows, which looked like this:

But if you look closely, you might be able to tell that one side was fine and the other had some problems. My stitch count was off by 2 on the right side, and I couldn't tell where I went wrong. What it meant, though, was that these two elements, which should have been identical:

Well, they aren't, are they? That wasn't the only spot, either. I considered my options, discarded the "tink back ten rows stitch by stitch" because believe it or not I value my sanity, and tried the "rip and pick up" method. My assessment was not favorable, though, and I decided that it would be better to start over. So here we are again.

Since I only messed up one side of it, I was really wishing there was a way to rip one side and keep the other, but there are limits even to the magic of knitting. Sigh. I'll get my money's worth out of this yarn, for sure, in terms of knitting time per dollar.

Meanwhile, I heard from the 2PIC that they want me to do an editing test. I assumed (there's that word) that they would have me come in to the office for that, but no, they're going to send me an actual document and have me edit it. So if I don't check in for a day or two, you'll know what I'm doing.

I also missed a call tonight from the agency about the temp job I interviewed for, so have to check in with her, too. Since things are progressing with the 2PIC and it would be "permanent" and with benefits, I think I'll turn down the temp job if offered ... but it's not an easy decision to make. My career path has been so rocky in recent years, I'm rather nervous of the repercussions of decisions I make now. You just can't know.

Updates: Knit and Job Search

Before I get to the knitting and job-searching updates, let me show you the one photo I took outside today. It's raining and not particularly picturesque, but when I saw this sign, I felt I needed to capture the moment.

It's hard to see, but the top portion says Bradlees. According to Wikipedia, Bradlees closed its last store eleven years ago, after declaring bankruptcy in 2000. I remember when there were Bradlees stores around Massachusetts, but I hadn't even heard of Fretter. Again according to Wikipedia, they closed their stores in 1996. The store currently in this plaza was a Target, but the sign is stuck way in the past. So I wondered, have they not updated the sign? Or has there been vandalism? Who would steal a Target sign? Unless the point is to reveal what's underneath. Thoughts?

Anyway, back to the updating. On Monday I interviewed at an agency in Boston, as I mentioned, so that's the less-scary type of interview. It went fine, and there's been no progress yet. Then yesterday, I heard back about the temp position I mentioned week before last. I had kind of given up expecting to, because the agency woman stressed that they were looking for someone right away*, and would I be able to schedule an interview with just a day's notice, and so on, making me think that when I didn't hear anything for over a week, they were passing me by. But no, apparently not, and we set an appointment time for an interview today.
*Not the only thing she had wrong, as it turns out.

Once that was scheduled, I e-mailed the HR woman at the company where I've had 2 phone interviews*, apologized for pushing, and asked if I was still under consideration because I have this other opportunity, etc. She replied right away that I was, and she would check with the director about their next steps.
*Or 2PIC, for short.

Today, I went trotting into Cambridge (thank you, GPS, for helping me after my wrong turns), and made my way to the appointment, which was near the Cambridgeside Galleria (so I parked there, is why I mention it). Since I don't love driving into the city, as I've mentioned recently, and since that part of Cambridge might as well be Boston for driving/commuting purposes, I was very pleased to hear that their office relocation, which the agency had told me would be in a few months, is actually happening sooner than that. The boxes all around the office were a big hint! And in fact, they're looking for someone (some two, actually) to start at the new location, which is appreciably closer to where I live, plus has free parking. Much better!

It is still a temp job, slated to go through September. The work itself sounds fine, proofreading, mostly for formatting, and they promised to keep me busy (to which I gave my standards reply, I'd rather be busy than bored). Being a temp job is a strike against it for me, and the pay isn't great (tho' better than unemployment). Of course, there's always the possibility of getting another position there once this contract is up (and they've had time to see how wonderful I am). The 2PIC job is "permanent" but as I have painful recent experience to illustrate, permanent doesn't mean what it used to. I e-mailed the woman there again, and haven't heard back. And there we stand.

So I'm knitting! The second sock is ready to start the heel flap, and I also started a shawl. Here's a better picture, or rather two, of where I am now with it:

I like the top picture for the color and texture, but the flash one shows the holes a bit better. Blocking this one could be very interesting, I think. The pattern is "Bigger on the inside" from Knitty, and it's a Doctor Who homage (in, of course, Tardis-blue yarn). I'm in the Time Vortex section, which you knit from end to end before picking up stitches and knitting the Tardis* part down. So cool! The yarn I'm using is the Blue Faced Leicester from Blue Moon Fiber Arts that I picked up at Webs in February. I was delighted when I realized that I had this on hand. Such a Tardis-y blue!
*Can you believe that Blogger's spell-check doesn't recognize "Tardis"? Of course, it doesn't recognize "blogger's" as a word, so I suppose I shouldn't expect much.

So far so good, and I will keep on keeping on. While trying not to think about job-search things that are all In Someone Else's Court, or about other life things that are too much to think about, or the weather, which continues cold and rainy even though I put in a specific and pointed request for warm and sunny. Who's in charge of that, anyway?

Today In Brief, Yesterday's Lilacs

I just have to start by saying that I'm sure I've made it clear over the years here how much I love babies. Love them, all babies, the end.

But. Today, with my window open, I'm getting a clear view (audibly speaking) of a crying baby across the street. I can't actually see through the tree, but from the proximity and direction of the sound, it seems that someone is sitting with the crying baby on the porch. Baby cries, soothing voice says, "I know, you're tired!" Repeat. And I'm about an inch away from calling out the window, "Hey, here's an idea! If the baby's tired, maybe she should be taking a nap, like in a crib? Instead of hanging out on the porch crying. JUST A THOUGHT."

I know, it sounds harsh. But damn, a crying baby that I can do nothing about? Nails on a blackboard.

This makes me sound quite cross, and actually I've had a good day, but what's a blog for, if not venting small irritants? (At least with the baby, I feel some sympathy. Little yapping dog that never shuts up? Not so much.)

I spent part of the day in Boston. I got a call last week from an employment agency, and went in to meet with them and talk about me. (Fun, right?) I went in early, had lunch, then since it was a really nice day (best weather in a while), I sat in the sunshine in Post Office Square and people-watched, knitting, until time for the interview. (Some city pictures to come, but they're still in the camera for now.) There was live music playing on the other side of the park, and while I was thinking about my employment history and what I'm looking for, as one will before an interview, I realized they were playing "When You Wish Upon a Star". Pretty perfect! I am wishing and hoping a lot these days. The interview went fine, so we'll see if they come up with anything. I still haven't heard anything further from the two-phone-interview company, which is painful but not necessarily a dead end (yet). Waiting is so hard, though.

Yesterday I visited some friends who live in Jamaica Plain, which for you non-locals is either near Boston or part of it or something I don't understand. What I know is that there is no real direct way to get there from where I live, and it took me years of fumbling and bumbling before I learned the way to get there (I am Not Good at city driving). I should say, I learned *a* way to get there, and unfortunately for me on Red Sox game days, it's through Kenmore Square. I did remember to check before I left yesterday, and since the Sox were in fact playing, I tried to go around without much success. I got to a point where I was no longer sure of the best way on my own and tried the GPS, which first tried to send me along Memorial Drive (which was closed for a charity walk) and second really, really wanted to send me through Kenmore, which no, even I know that's not a good idea. It was annoying. On the way home, I took the twice-as-long-mileage way, out route 9 to 128, which I am perfectly comfortable with and doesn't drive me to the edge of frustration.

The day was worth it, though. A good group of friends, celebrating a birthday, and with a nice walk through the Arnold Arboretum next door, to look at the lilacs. They bloomed early this year, so they're already past peak, but they're beautiful still, and smelled so good! I will leave you with their photos (mostly lilacs, but a few other flowers), and be back tomorrow with city pictures and discussion of a Tardis shawl. Tune in!

Peace, out.

Wednesday: Knitting, Reading, No News

For a day that included nothing further on the interview/job front, it was actually a pretty good day. Oh, chilly, yes, no sunshine, yes, and most of all no news about the possible job, but hey, I read and enjoyed not one but two books I've been eagerly anticipating for some time, plus a friend came over to hang out and knit for a while--and I got my sock to the toe, too. Here it is yesterday, whereas now it is awaiting its moment of kitchener glory.

I have a few more photos from yesterday. I noticed this sign, and am terribly curious about what the sign said before they covered a spot. _____ Real Estate?

Then there was this sign:

And I know I have a problem with being over-literal, as well as with nit-picking, but doesn't that imply that denim and lingerie are not clothing? And if they're not, what are they? I mean, lingerie could be considered unclothing, I suppose, but denim?

Now, have you ever seen a duck cross a busy street? Did they use a crosswalk? Because this one did.

Finally, lilacs in the rain.

It wasn't a driving rain, but it was a very persistent drizzle. Which, given the forecast that the rain would end mid-afternoon, was a trifle irritating to me at five PM, and again at seven PM. Just saying.

*****
The hockey blog Puck Daddy links to, and comments on, hockey-related items around the web. And this kind of commentary is why I love reading them:

Horrible editorial letter of the day: This guy thinks the Canucks should change their name because there are no real Canucks on the team. Right. And I don't think any members of the San Jose Sharks even have gills.

Right?

*****
Finally, have you seen this video? Fabulous family sings along to Bohemian Rhapsody on the way to school? Oh, just watch it!

Love!