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Possible job openings

So at work there are some new management positions available.  The descriptions for the jobs say that they’re really hands-off and are really “management” positions.  I don’t really have any qualifications for that sort of thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of things I can say, but I’m not confident about it.  Like budgets.  I have ZERO experience with budgets.  Fortunately I have no doubt I can learn.

So there are is a job coming up called “Applications Manager” and it would be in charge of SAP Basis, Database, Groupware (aka Lotus Notes) and Web Systems.  I think this would be a GREAT job.  I’ve been doing the technical end of this now for eight years for this one company.  I realized the other day that I have 15 years of Information Technology experience. How about that?  Want another one?  I started programing 25 years ago.

So its a good job.  A very good job.  And there are plenty of other people applying for it who, I have to confess, are probably better than me for this position.  But this is the last time I will say that.  I want to project an air of confidence.  See, I’m going to apply for this job.  And I want to do well at it.  I think I’m good enough that I have a reasonable shot at the job.  I mean, it wouldn’t be rediculous to see my name on the list of applicants.

But I don’t think I’ll get it.

I was talking with someone today who was saying that there are a lot of good reasons to apply for one of these jobs.  The most important being that it gets your name in the heads of the “powers that be” so when they start thinking about who might be good for a new job your name will pop in their heads.  I guess I can buy that.  I’ve already spoken directly with my supervisor about it and he knows I’m interested in more responsibility, but I think that by trying to get a job like this I will be addressing a far larger audience than just him.  I need more than just his support to advance.

So, now I have to brush off my resume and make sure its accurate and up to date.  I also have to review Interview Etiquette.  I’ll need to get a new suit and practice interviewing and going over how to make the points I want to make.  I want to go over my answers to the most common questions and have good answers ready to go.

I saw today where Rogers Cadenhead was talking about how to participate in a media interview.  Someone was interviewing him for some article.  His point was that you should have five points that you keep coming back to.  No matter what the question is you should somehow bring it back to one of your five points — even if it has nothing to do with the question. 

I bet that’s helpful.

Anyway, the bottom line is that while I may not be bubbling over with confidence that I can handle having 15 people reporting to me there’s a second job that’s coming up.  Its something like Manager of Web Development.  That sounds like fun to me.  It sounds really interesting and something I can do.  There’s some stiff competition there because the people who are already on the team will be interested in applying, but I think I would have a better than average shot at it.

Also, I haven’t gone after something with gusto in a very long time.  Its like asking a girl out in a way.  As long as you keep things casually it doesn’t hurt so much if you’re rejected.  I suppose I’ve been anxious about what will happen when they turn me down. 

I guess I’ll have to be a mensch and apply for the job.

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So sad

A family friend is having a birthday party for her son tomorrow.  Her son is turning five years old and they have invited my kids to come spend the night in a “camping” party!  How exciting!  Seriously, the kids are pumped to go sleep in a tent in their buddy’s backyard.

But I had to bring the tent over tonight and set it up for her.  Now I like her very much but it sounds like she missed the planning boat.  Who the heck plans a “camping” party but has no tent?!

So we hung around over there for a while setting up the tent and visiting.  After the tent was up and we were visiting Gracie came up to us softly whimpering and crying.

It was so sad!  I had no idea what happened.  Normally if she’s crying and wants to be picked up its because she’s fallen or someone hit her or an anvil dropped on her head or something.  But she was fine!

Eventually she started pointing to the tent and making snivelling noises.  She was upset because she thought we were going to sleep in the tent!!

I had no idea she was so badly affected by camping!

Amazing.

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re: Werewolves

re: Werewolves

At the end of the show, during their overall summary where they try to impress you with how serious their topic is they mentioned the number of American casualties that resulted from Nazi insurgency: more than 40.

I was stunned. No, really. Only 40?!

Not really much of an insurgency if you ask me. The Iraqi insurgency seems to be far more effective in killing soldiers, citizens and hostages. I wonder where the vast differences come from?

Are the Iraqis more intent on resisting occupation than the Nazis?

Were the Germans more fed up with Nazis than Iraqis are with the insurgency? So they got less help from the locals?

Are they less prepared?

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slate article

Sunny Side Down. Why 1.4 million new jobs haven’t ended the jobless recovery. [Slate Magazine]

 

I think things could turn around for Bush.  This is bad news.  The trouble is that the things Kerry is using to attack the Republican administration can all be fixed. 

The economy?  Its already turning around.

Iraq?  Sure, things could get better there if they stopped making so many stupid mistakes.

John Ashcroft?  Well, they’re pretty much screwed as long as he’s in the administration, but everything else can turn around.

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Werewolves

Last night I recorded a program off the History Channel.  Its called “Nazi Guerrillas”.  Its about the guerrilla tactics used by the Germans at the end of and after World War II.  In light of how things are going in Iraq I’m interested to see what happened at the end of WWII.  It sounds like attacks went on for years.  There were guerrilla teams set up at the end of the war to harrass the advancing allies and to gun down collaborators. 

They were called “Werewolves”.

Fearsome, eh?

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I know its only six dollars a month…

Sure enough I called Verizon and told them I wanted the lower rate. At first the balked and didn’t want to give it to me.  When they figured out that I might drop my service and go with Yahoo!-SBC or Cable they gave me the $29.95 per month rate.

BOOYAH!

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Bogus

I think I need to let Verizon know that I’m unhappy with this latest change: http://www.verizon.net/fusf

It looks like its out of their control, but they need to know that I’m dissatisfied with it. It pushes my bill much closer to the cost of cable, which can be somewhat faster. I wonder if I should threaten to change providers unless they lower my bill. I’m paying $37 a month for it now. I bet I can get it lower

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What’s Family For?

A picture named doonsbury_6_26_04.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there was a topless photo of her on the internet somewhere, too

“Ma Larkin” from “The Darling Buds of May” is also in the new Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban. She’s the awful Aunt Marge. Here’s what else she’s been in: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0274913/

HA! She was in the 1986 movie, Little Shop of Horrors! Don’t remember her? I didn’t either. She’s the mother of Steve Martin as the Dentist. Her picture hangs on his wall.

People get credit for things like that?

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Green Zone

Today, in a surprise move, the US handed over limited power to the Iraqi interim government two days ahead of schedule. Honestly, I think that was a good idea. There’s a better than average chance that the rebels would have been planning something spectacularly awful, so I think moving it up by two days was a good idea.

Do you remember the Frank Herbert series, Dune? In the first book the ruling house stayed inside the capital city. The city had giant walls to keep out the huge sandworms and to lessen the impact of massive sand storms. It also gave them lots of control over who came and went. But the royal families holed up there completely separated from their subjects or charges.

And that’s what the “green zone” in Baghdad feels like based on news reports. It sounds like they’ve made this one sector very secure and the foreign nationals rarely leave it. I haven’t been there so I don’t know, but that’s what it sounds like. It really reminds me of Dune. It sounds very isolated. But I guess its that isolation that protects the residents.

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