Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The holiday lull

The interview I had two weeks ago went well, although they said they wouldn’t have a decision until after the new year. In a way, that was a relief, because I did not have to spend the next few days before Christmas waiting to hear, but now I’m waiting on pins and needles until I hear. We head down to Disney World on the 8th, so if I haven’t heard by then (I hope to and I hope that it is good news), I’ll bring the laptop down to be able to check email, etc. I’ll have my phone, of course, but being able to check email will help, too.

I had a good Christmas and it was nice to spend time with my wife and son. He stayed home from daycare on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, so he was home for 5 days in a row. He got a little off of his routine, but we’ll get him back into it just in time for the trip. When we get back, we’re going to try some changes with him, so we’ve been warning him for a little while now that some things will be different when he gets home.

I’ve done some work on the project I’m doing and done some job searching, although there’s not that much going on at this time of the year. I have applied to a few things, so the search hasn’t completely been suspended for the holidays, but it is going slower. I will ramp up the search quite a bit when we get back home.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Whatever it takes

I applied for a position with the state community college and university system here that required a certified typing test. I took it at the state workforce center nearest me and I passed on the first try (had to do at least 45 word per minutes and I did 48 wpm). I use a combination of touch typing and looking at the keys, even after almost thirty years of typing, but when I’m on a roll, I feel like I’m typing a blue streak. Apparently not, according to the test, but, then again, I type faster when I’m typing as I think, rather than as I read something that needs to be typed. Also, once I get into a groove, I think I’m quicker too.

My interview tomorrow is starting to nervous me up a little bit, but a part of the tension is because the weather is supposed to be bad here. Not as bad as in the southern part of the state, but still, I have to drive across the Twin Cities to get to the interview and then basically drive back during the beginnings of rush hour. It is definitely worth it and I hope that it is the first of many, many times that I make the drive.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Project work continues

I had a meeting today on the project I’m working on. It was great getting back into the swing of this kind of research and work. I definitely was energized by the meeting and I’m looking forward to working on the project next week.

I also have a third interview for a full-time position next Friday, so I’m hopeful that will come through. I don’t want to get too excited yet, because I feel like that jinxes me and I don’t get the positions I get really excited about. We’ll see how it goes next week
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Slow news weeks

With the holidays coming up, I figured I would keep looking for a job, but not have much success or interest from companies for interviews until after the New Year. Strangely, though, I’ve had several phone and in-person interviews, some of which have not panned out, and others I’m still waiting to hear about. I’m definitely not complaining, but it’s funny that the period I thought would be slow has been pleasantly active. Hopefully, something will come from this flurry of activity.