Saturday, January 26, 2008

Garden Report: When the rain quit for a few hours this morning, I was out the door with a shovel in my hand before the trees had stopped dripping, intent on getting my soil amended and putting it back in the ground- I have one raised bed and three planting mounds, for a total of about thirty square feet, from which I always turn the previous year's soil out and sift it back in during the amending process. I got the whole job done in a little over an hour, finishing just as the wind began to push the clouds back overhead. Then, oddly and a little annoyingly, the sun broke through and the generally favorable conditions continued to prevail, meaning I could have taken a little more time at the task. However, the whirlwind approach actually suits me, and anyway one never knows whither the weather will, nay? Want that in English? Insert four dimes, turn handle, wait for translation... Hmm. Came out the same- must have been in English to begin with. Maybe YOU don't speak English?

Library sale: Missed it. Headache tore me from sleep at 3 AM and kept me awake until 7, so I had to make up the missing hours. That's OK, I have all the books I need.

Ponderable: What footwear should I put on for my Monday interview at the Internet giant? The truth is I intend to work in my mock Crocs, but for the sake of professional appearance during the critical first impressions phase I should probably wear something with laces; I am more than happy to make an effort, only all I have in that department are some battered and muddy hiking boots. All my years of skating around the margin of the everyday work world have depleted my wardrobe. God knows what else in my professional profile may be lacking- I suppose the interview will reveal more deficiencies. I do know better than to airily dismiss questions about my strengths and weaknesses as irrelevant and not my business to describe to strangers who should be capable of discerning my true nature, and I'm pretty sure I know better than to sprinkle my conversation with such nuggets as "Yes/No/Maybe, Sir Ma'am or Other." and "Ah, the old say what you're thinking so as to startle the applicant into an untoward disclosure trick, eh?". I am reasonably certain that I know better than to be seen performing an inspection of my interviewer's body, unless I am already getting strong complicitous vibes from said party. Don't look so shocked- that kind of thing does happen and I have been hired by people who engage in it. I say fun can be found wherever you look for it, and most people are a lot more fun than we give them credit for.