So, Bush is retired and he has a ranch.
Q: Why hasn’t he gone riding yet?
A: He’s afraid his horse might throw a shoe.
Rimshot! You heard it here first. Not sure if I’m the first to think of it. For the record it’s 12:42 PM Pacific time, January 23 2009.
Yes, in case you haven’t been following along, I’m on the layoff bandwagon. This is a touchy subject for people, dare I say, most people. I guess that’s one of those things that makes me “different”, because I don’t get touchy about it. I mean, it’s not like you have a dozen bodies burried in your basement or something. You got layed off. Why the shame? Layoffs happen. Then, there’s the whole “I’m nervous about the interview” thing. OK, I’ll admit, I get a bit nervous about that. I’m normal in that regard. I have a way of dealing with it that works pretty well for me though. It works like this:
I go in thinking, “what’s the worst thing that can happen to me in this interview?”. Well, the worst thing that can happen in ANY interview is you don’t get the job. But wait, you already don’t have the job. The worst is over. What is there to worry about? The interview is nothing but upside. At the very least, you got out of the house, and you maybe even got some free coffee in the waiting room. Not too shabby. You got to meet some interesting people. You got to find out what it looks like inside the building with the green tinted windows. You got to see the view from the 28th floor. It beats the crap out of watching daytime TV or playing lotto.
It’s like lotto, with much better odds. In fact, most people will eventually win this game. Imagine that. You buy, say, the equivalent of 500 lotto tickets and you get a winner. A lump sum is not allowed, but the annuity payout is pretty sweet. You’ve won before, you know lots of people who win, and the odds say that you’ll eventually win. What’s not to like?
So that’s how I rationalize away interview nerves. It works for me. If it doesn’t work for you, just try something else. It can’t hurt to try. There’s nothing but upside. After all, you already don’t have a job.
Apparently skateboarders are draining pools at foreclosed properties. When I saw this article, I immediately drew a connection to the infamous “green pools” that are a breeding ground for West Nile virus in the Summer. I say, let the skaters have at it. As long as they agree to waive liability, they are providing a valuable public service draining the pools, and having a ball at the same time. You’ve got to love it when a problem like this solves itself. Of course, the mainstream will never agree with that approach, so these kids have to look over their shoulders all the time.
