Cafe Hitch-hike

2004-05-25

Joe Paterno says "hi"

I hit the ground running. Piles of work awaited at the public library. I also got great news about the City Hall's vendetta against that library. Hooray, everybody's job is less stable. The City determined that the library has to pay them rent. Rent? With what? Library overdue fees? Yeah-fucking-RIGHT! Nobody gossiped about it yesterday, but maybe it was because I was whizzing around getting caught up. I learned about this in mid-flight, when I saw the City's notice posted on a staff bulletin board.

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The book I'm trying to read now is House of Bush, House of Saud. You don't have to be affiliated with either American political party for it to make your hair curl. The book discusses super-powerful forces and businesses that heavily influence current policies.

It made me feel oh-so tiny. I'm just a girl with a ghetto-billy background. There is no money in my background or great families or secret societies. Any one of the people discussed in the book make more money in one day than I could make in 5 lifetimes. They have economic power that makes my head spin, along with the social/business ties that exponentially expand their influence.

Agh, so read it! I honestly don't think the author is some Democrat-liberal out to muckrack. It is also well-cited with strong sources.

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So, today I was acting like James Bond and shit whipping up stuff for a dossier. You see, I have a job interview tomorrow evening and Thursday. I was trying to scout information about the place, its people, and its claims to fame. Tomorrow evening, I will be having dinner with a library director and his assistant. I will also be staying in a hotel room close by; they offered because it doesn't make sense for me to drive there for dinner, drive back home, and then drive back the next morning with bad traffic to the interview. The next day, I will get the full frontal assault with a full-day interview (that is how they do it in academia).

Agh, I bought a new suit yesterday for good luck.

I also have to prepare a 20-minutes speech discussing how the hell I plan to do my job. I came up with something clever (so none of you steal it, hardy-har, just drop me a line, tell me you used it and how well it worked!):

"How do I plan to promote the library to students as a place to be?... I will do what Joe Paterno did at Penn State soon after he was hired as head football coach. According to my former landlord who attended there at the time, Paterno personally visited every dormitory, athletic team, and student organization on campus. He introduced himself and told each of them they were invited to the Penn State football games... Needless to say, Paterno enjoyed a successful career on and off the field, and now their newest library was built thanks to him." (True story!)

Okay, that's not the full or exact transcript of my presentation but I will weave this idea into my presentation. Besides, I was told that people like stories!

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So, I've got to make a good presentation, a good impression, and all that jazz. I've gotta make like Rico Suave but not too suave-ish. There is so much to consider that it gives me vertigo to think too hard about it. That's why it's a good thing this whole deal smacked me immediately after my vacation. I wouldn't have enough time to panic over it.

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While I was gone, a college I interviewed with last summer in the Carolinas called me. I winced. I interview okay with them and had a good rapport with the staff. I don't want to move to that area and told myself I couldn't handle another major move all by myself. Seriously, my moves to college and the Detroit area felt like like the sound of Freddy Kruger scratching a chalkboard ALL the time, day and night. I did it all by myself, on a shoestring, and with no people I knew. I wanted to move to Carolina at the time because I had a beau there. He's no more, and now I've got John up here. I guess I don't have to explain everything behind that notion; in short, the moves were just too painful.

It was so nice to know I was still wanted and thought of on a personal level!

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Okay, I've got to go. Got plenty to do. I hope everyone is doing well; I'll try to glance your way!!!

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