I just got word this morning that I am being hired as an IT Security Analyst by a prominent local university. I cannot tell you how excited I am, for all sorts of reasons. It will be good to be employed again, and the fact that I will be in a permanent position at a university (and that it pays more than what I made at my previous job) just makes it all the better. Right now it looks like my first day will be in mid-March. They will be contacting me with more information and sending me my orientation packet soon. The university HR department is going to conduct an orientation program at some point for new employees, and obviously I will be attending that.
Ok, I have fought with this file and with various downloads from CNET to try and edit it and convert it to MP3 and, after much swearing and fighting and whatnot, I finally got an MP3. This is the recording Geoff made of the anthem in today’s service at church. It will be one of the anthems in the wedding in November. I love this piece. The performance is excellent. The recording is poor. My apologies for the recording quality. There are a couple of points in there where something bumps the mike and it gets a little loud.
I had my interview at Major Boston Area Music School yesterday and it went really well. I’d be downright shocked if they don’t call me back for an interview with the higher-ups next week. They’re looking to hire for 3/1 which would mean NO MORE COBRA PAYMENTS. The man I interviewed with yesterday would be my boss and we got along well. I was there for an hour and twenty minutes. I think, based on what I observed, that they’ve narrowed it down to probably me and one other person. But, that could be wishful thinking.
Anyway, keep your fingers crossed. As soon as I know if I’ve got the next interview I’ll post here.
Geoff and I have been on the hunt for the perfect purple beverage for our wedding cocktail. We’ve come up with some good ideas so far but every time we see an interesting article online we tend to check it to see if there’s a good purple drink. Simple purple alcoholic drinks that don’t involve muddled out of season fruit seem to be elusive.
Anyway, I noticed this little article on Boston.com and perused it thinking there might be something useful in it. What I found was this… monstrosity. I know I’m a vegetarian and thus more likely to think this is nasty, but Geoff agreed with me on this one.
The Abbatoir
The Abbatoir Cocktail... coming to a slaughterhouse near you!
$9, The GallowsIn the mix:
¾ ounce savory mixture (veal stock, caramelized onions, and olive brine pureed and double strained)
¾ ounce Quinta do Infantado tawny port
¾ ounce Batavia Arrack
¾ ounce Lillet Blanc Shake and strain. Garnish with lemon peel and cracked pepper.
Bar manager April Wachtel says that the veal stock is a “shocker” to many customers. “No one has a clue what it will taste like . . . the mouth feel is very lovely. You might think it will be gelatinous, but it’s not.”
Bottom line: The veal stock, onions, and olive puree makes for a sturdy, rich backbone in this savory sipper. Never mind the drink’s not-so-appetizing name, another word for slaughterhouse.
VEAL STOCK? Oh, nasty. NASTY. Rest assured we won’t be serving any of this, or anything even remotely like it, in our home or at our wedding. Just… no.
Geoff submitted some more photos to Boston.com and they were accepted to the multiple pet homes section. We obviously qualify under that section, so they took two of our pictures to add to the album. They are in the links below.
Things seem to be moving along with the job search. I had that interview on Friday and it seemed to go rather well. Also, the university I really want to work for is checking my references and doing background checks, so I would say that looks like it is going well also. Like I said, hopefully I will have an answer within the next few weeks.
Yesterday I was asked by a member of our church if I could help out with the Cub Scout Pack that is affiliated with our church. I said that I would gladly help, and then we talked a bit about things that I might be able to help with. He didn’t know that I was once an Eagle Scout, so when I told him that he was even more pleased.
Speaking of Eagle Scouts, I myself was quite pleased to see this recently, a young man who was an Eagle Scout testify against discrimination in Iowa. It is actually quite moving, and the young man was a superb speaker.
Addicts are often good at hiding their disease. Some can go years before the extent of their addiction is revealed. Sometimes the addiction ruins their relationships, their job, their finances, etc.
Our FURminator addict waits patiently for his turn.
Bucky, also known as Buckminster Charles the III, is the eldest of our pack of furry kids. He rules the house with a mixture of patience, nose baps, and the unabashed understanding that he is simply master of all he surveys by virtue of being a cat. We are simply his staff and, while he loves us and we can occasionally itch that scratch he can’t reach, we primarily exist to feed him and shower him with praise.
Then we brought home the Furminator and everything changed. We’d been looking for a way to more properly groom Smoky. Smoky is allergic to, well, just about everything, and is also prone to overgrooming himself and, um, hairballs. So, we thought that a good grooming tool might be just the thing to help minimize the hairballs and the overgrooming.
Smoky, our allergic Tux kitty and original recipient of the FURminator.
Smoky likes the Furminator just fine. Bucky? Well, that’s a whole different story. He’s an addict.
He quite literally comes to us each and every day and demands to be groomed. This, in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. Bucky is, we think, part Abyssinian. He’s got a double coat that’s very thick and while he’s perfectly capable of grooming himself, in his old age, he’s discovered that it isn’t as much fun as it used to be.
Once he discovered the Furminator, all bets were off. He will keep us from our job searching at the computer. He will bat at us, sit on our keyboards and hands, even swat at our faces until we find the Furminator (it is never far from reach) and groom him until he is happy with the results. He does this every day at least once a day. There is no escaping it. If he had thumbs he would do it himself, I think. But alas, this one evolutionary development keeps him from truly taking his destiny in hand and ruling the house.
All this being said, he does look like a glossy and fabulous new kitty. We absolutely recommend the Furminator. Just be prepared. There may be a 12 step program in your cat’s future…
That university that I was REALLY hoping would hire me? Well, it looks like they may just do that after all. They called me to sign some release forms so they can do my background checks, and they asked for some of my references so they can go ahead and talk to those people too. It is my understanding that they only do this for the people that they have decided to hire, so that has got to be a good thing. Who knows, maybe I will have a job offer within the next two or three weeks? Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Major Music School where I had an in person interview called me and asked for an in person interview on 2/11/11. It’s for a completely different position that I applied for back in November, a potentially more interesting position than the one I already interviewed for. Keep your fingers crossed, people. I am really looking forward to this!
