classic

Mahna Mahna

who's the man?

i am.

got the job.
sucessfully negotiated a higher salary.
got an office.
and i have 24 days of freedom before i start working!!

so ... looking into trips to hawaii or central america (maybe mexico). any recommendations?
it has to be relatively cheap - i'll be using school loan money i haven't used yet, so the cheaper the better.

i won't have a real vacation for at least a year, so I think i should get away for 7-10 days while I can. maybe just a week followed by a week of camping when i return?

all that and other good things.

life, at this moment, is very enjoyable!!

anew

feels like life is turning a corner. things feel more certain, more grounded. i like that. i need that. the things i want in my life are beginning to appear.

two words: top candidate. i found out yesterday that i am the top candidate for the project mananger position at the consulting firm i have been interviewing with. this, as far as i'm concerned, means i'll be getting an offer next week after my final interview. this means i can finally FINALLY stop being so concerned about money all the time. not that i'll be raking in mass amounts of cash or anything, but i'll have a salary that actually pays the bills and leaves some room for paying off loans and saving. i like the firm a lot too. it feels good there. they have a great culture and work philosophy - at least for a consulting firm. i like the people. i like the location. so ... if all goes well ... i'll be employed full time starting in sept.

which means ...

regardless of the outcome, i'm quitting my internship next week. i hate it there. truly hate it. it's killing me and sucking out my soul as it happens. no more. 6 months has been long enough. i learned what i went to learn and there is nothing there for me now. good riddance.

so ...

assuming i get this job and i have 3 WEEKS to spare, i will decide next week (after an offer is made/accepted) if i want to hop on a plane and go somewhere to relax before heading into a new chapter of life. where would i go? i want to go to cuba, but there's not enough time to figure out the details. alaska? hawaii? bali? brazil? or do i stay here, go camping a lot, go to burning man and lay low?

aside from all that, there are some other things in my life that i am very excited about at the moment. these things are going to be left under wraps at the moment, selectively revealed. i like keeping some things to myself ... projects, collaborations, connections ... things that bring me both inspiration and joy. more to come.

one thing i need to do is change some lifestyle habits ... get off the computer more, stretch more, more awareness of eating slowly and intentionally. my RSI is bugging me lately and that is a good sign that i haven't been paying attention to my body. i'm looking forward to having some time off from work to be outside and get back in touch with myself - celebrating the good things in my life, right here, right now.

this is it.

update:

interview went very well, i believe. what i know now is that i am one of the top two candidates and i will find out today or tomorrow if i am the number one candidate after yesterday. if so, i will be called back for one final interview next tuesday to meet with one more SVP that i would be working with a lot. seems like that would be a formality as she would just have to meet me and say yea or nay, but if the other 4 have already chosen me as #1, then it seems likely the job would be mine.

so ... now i wait ...

for those of you i am about to rock ...

i salute you.*

today is my second interview for a job that i really want. i found out last night that my interview is essentially with 4 top dogs of the organization. i feel ready, confident, on top of my game. i generally do very well under pressure and in interviewing and public speaking. i was thinking last night that i can't remember any job that i actually got into the interview phase that i didn't end up getting an offer for. perhaps that's just really good selective memory.

when waking this morning, it occured to me that how i perform today may very well dictate my future. perform well (i.e. be myself) = a high probability that i'll get the job i want and start, for the first time in my life, moving toward a career (ewwww!). perform not so well (i.e. be unfocused, dispassionate, etc.) = a lower probability i would get the job and then have to do something that i don't at all want to do ... look for another job! (double ewwww!)

so i've decided i'm just going to get the job. more over, i'm going to be offered a good salary and i'll end up with 3 weeks or so before i have to start - during which time i'll dip in to my school loan money a bit and go travel somewhere.

so now that that is settled ...

actually, the advent of that occuring will be more relief than i can describe. there has been so much psychic energy tied up into 'job search' for so many months now, it will be a great relief to have that done with.

i am going to miss a summer full of 4 day weekends, however.

there's a bunch of other stuff i could blather on about and will soon. my RSI has been bugging me for the past week, so i'm limiting my computer use to let it chill out.