Running out of things to moan about
The weekend, for most folks, is usually a much anticipated time reserved for leisure and pleasure - time with the family, time with the friends, time at the beach, you get my drift. When you’re not working, and you’re as prone to fruitless anxiety as I am, the weekend means no chance of progress on the job front and just a couple of blank days of stressed hand wringing. And when the clock struck five on Friday and I still had no job offers on the table, I prepared myself for a solid 48 hours or so of sulking funk.
But despite my pessimistic inclinations, this weekend has turned out pretty damn well. I wrote a few days ago of my obsession with the local fauna here in Oz. Well, we ditched Z for our first trip into the bush and he missed out on the roo sightings. To rectify that, on Friday we took a trip up into the hills east of Adelaide to Cleland Wildlife Park to give him an up close and personal look. I know that it’s really little more than a souped up petting zoo, but feeding and petting kangaroos and wallabies in their native habitats is slightly more compelling than feeding an overweight goat behind a gas station. Z, disturbingly, didn’t seem to appreciate the difference between a six foot tall marsupial and Timmins. It’s probably a good thing that he’s a handsome lad.
Also this weekend, Z’s started to crawl - something that I’ve been pushing him to do for the last several weeks. Something that I would now like him to stop. I once heard someone, a comedian or something, describe toddlers as being programmed to destroy themselves and our role as parents to stop them from doing so. Well, that’s coming pretty close to home as I’ve spent the weekend pulling Z away from dog water, power outlets and the gas fire.
But what made my weekend was a surprise phone call on Saturday afternoon. I had been to what I thought had been a successful interview on Thursday. The interviewers said that they were pleased and that they would let me know one way or another by the end of the day on Friday. That deadline passing is what had thrown me into such a spiral of grumpiness to begin with. But they came through on Saturday with apologies and a job offer. I think (and I write this whilst knocking on 
wood with crossed fingers, a challenge) that with a contract in hand to consider that I’m beyond the threat of jinxes, so I can tell you that I’ve got an offer to work as a writer. It’s not particularly glamorous work, nor the most fascinating. But it’s work. As a writer.
If you had asked me two-ish years ago what I would like to be doing today I would have said something about living near the beach with Dr. O’C and our first child and writing for a living. Well, we’re getting there.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’t “Moanin’” is available from Amazon
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Popularity: 19% [?]
BRILLIANT. I had a feeling, when I sent you all that advice about job interviews, that you weren’t going to need it.
Doesn’t life have a lovely way of working out?
Trish’s last blog post..The Kept Writer
01 Jun 2008 at 1:55 pm
well that is great news about the job! i was going to comment the other day about how most of my jobs have pretty much fallen into my lap or been fairly easy to get as well. i think the stress of looking for one for any length of time would get to me too, so this is very cool for you. : )
about the crawling thing–yes, your carefree days of being able to set him down and walk away for a moment or two are over! for about the next two years . . .
mjrc’s last blog post..Thanks to You, Now I Love These Songs, Too
01 Jun 2008 at 2:12 pm
Congratulations on the job! That’s great news!!
My condolences regarding the crawling.
01 Jun 2008 at 3:07 pm
Holy McBloodyJesus on a bicycle! Suit plus job-as-writer makes me wonder. Um…ad agency? Or, maybe a technical writer?
If it’s an ad agency, Uncle Headbang can give you a pointer or two. If you’re game.
Maybe the suit wasn’t so bad after all.
headbang8’s last blog post..Geek Antiques
01 Jun 2008 at 8:47 pm
No suit required for this job, headbang. Though methinks it helped at the interview.
I’m being intentionally vague about the exact specs of the job for a reason, folks. One likes a few secrets
01 Jun 2008 at 11:20 pm
Congrats! Working as a writer can either be totally awesome or totally … not. I hope it’s the former for you.
courtney’s last blog post..Remember When I Used To Post More Than Once a Week? Ah, Those Were the Days.
02 Jun 2008 at 1:14 am
And you didn’t mention it on the phone!!!!! Banging on and on about babies who crawl and kangaroos yadayada and NO mention of a JOB OFFER!
Just for that I am not going to say ‘congratulations, I told you so or you deserve it’. Totally NOT going to say it.
arizaphale’s last blog post..*Sigh*
02 Jun 2008 at 2:14 pm
Sorry, Arizaphale, when we spoke, without the contract in hand (or Inbox) there was still the potential for jinxing!
02 Jun 2008 at 3:21 pm
But bitching and moaning is so much fun!
Congrats on the job offer, and living the dream. Or at least inching your way towards it while simultaneously padding everything for miles and learning how much babies like to pull things down, preferably onto themselves.
02 Jun 2008 at 10:45 pm
Yay, Chris! Congratulations! I’m telling you, if things keep on this way for you, you’re going to end up doing the sappy-sweet-i-love-my-life posts I’m prone to once in a while. I mean really, living by the beach with a beautiful woman, a gorgeous child, and a gig as a writer?! If it weren’t for the pictures, I would think you were making it all up.
Congrats to Master Zach on the crawling, too. One of the parenting books I read, the author’s mom had all boys, and by the time he reached five years old, she made him wear a football helmet at all times. I have seriously considered it for Grant!
Jessica K’s last blog post..Watercolor #1
02 Jun 2008 at 10:46 pm
Rock on, man! That’s great news!
Gypsy’s last blog post..Always look on the bright side of life
02 Jun 2008 at 11:20 pm
Excellent news on all fronts. Congrats. Watch that kid now - crawling is a whole new ballgame. They get into everything!
BTW: Moanin’ is one of my all-time favorite jazz tunes. Great choice.
03 Jun 2008 at 4:14 am
Fantastic news about the job, congrats.
As far as crawling: How do you stop a baby crawling round in circles ?
Nail its other hand to the floor.
Ha, ha, ha. Just kidding. I think.
Vixen’s last blog post..Minute By Minute
03 Jun 2008 at 7:31 am
well done you THCS
03 Jun 2008 at 7:35 pm
At first, I highlighted this paragraph:
“I know that it’s really little more than a souped up petting zoo, but feeding and petting kangaroos and wallabies in their native habitats is slightly more compelling than feeding an overweight goat behind a gas station. Zach, disturbingly, didn’t seem to appreciate the difference between a six foot tall marsupial and Timmins. It’s probably a good thing that he’s a handsome lad.”
And I was gonna say, “This is why I read you.”
But then I read the stuff about Zach crawling. And I couldn’t decide which was better. And then I read the stuff about GETTING A JOB AS A WRITER. And I let out a whoop! at my computer. And I am not at home snuggling with my laptop like usual, but rather, in public. Yay me.
So then I left this mishmashed comment. But mostly I wanted you to hear the whoop.
maggie, dammit’s last blog post..She’s okay.
04 Jun 2008 at 7:55 am
Nicely done, sir - truly.
05 Jun 2008 at 1:07 am
Congratulations on the job! That’s fantastic news.
Maureen’s last blog post..John Major speaks out against 42-day detention
07 Jun 2008 at 7:02 am
Ahh look at the lovely green grass! Wanna send some rain down Victoria way? Beautiful!
Agnes’s last blog post..Aussie support act announced for Sigur Ros tour
07 Jun 2008 at 9:48 pm