Insomnimusing: Allons-y!

I promised I'd tell about the job once it was decided. Today, I got the job. :) A few weeks ago I was in my editor's office, and while looking through the paper he noticed an ad for the editor's position at one of our sister newspapers. The next day I asked him what he thought of the idea of me applying for the position. I was nervous - I tend to underestimate my own qualifications (though not my abilities). I realized that I was as qualified, if not more, than other editors in our group have been, so I decided to go for it. A couple of weeks later I got a call from the publisher at the other paper asking for a phone interview. He said they'd received dozens of applicants, and from those they'd narrowed down the group and would do phone interviews to get down to a final three or four. The phone interview went well, but at that time, he told me that the senior reporter at that paper had applied for the position as well. That made me REALLY nervous. Not only would she...

It's Flashback Friday with The Outfield's Your Love!

This video was produced as a response to the NOM Gathering Storm commercial. I'm not linking to it. You can Google it if you're interested. It's not about special rights - it's about equal rights.

This soooooo rocked back in the day! It's Billy Squier's The Stroke!!

My job interview had been rescheduled for today, but I got a call from the publisher this morning telling me that he couldn't be there - again. He said he'd considered having me talk to some of the other managers there, but he didn't think that would be fair to me - and I agree. So I'll wait for it to be rescheduled again. Maybe it's a good thing. With these false starts, my apprehension is lessening, and it's possible that it could even work in my favor. I wonder if the other finalists are facing the same thing? Not having my interview allowed me to be stress-free today, so I got to watch both of my football games simultaneously. I'm getting better at that. I watched the Barca/Bayern game without sound, because it was in Spanish, in one window, while Liverpool/Chelsea played in the window next to it. Bayern managed to pull out a 1-1 finish, knocking them out of the Champions League tourney, but saving face a little after that dreadful 4-0 loss in the first ...

I had planned to spend last weekend cleaning the house, but when I got distracted by a friend overseas and got into a 10-hour long conversation, housework kinda fell by the wayside. Well, there were no distractions this weekend, so the kids and I got to work - and all did not go smoothly. Gin was transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer, but short stuff couldn't quite reach everything, so she decided to climb up onto the washer to get it. She fell in. And the door was locked (our laundry room is also our half bath). Munch came running upstairs to tell me that her sister was stuck in the washing machine. I grabbed a paper clip and straightened it out to unlock the door. Sure enough, she was in there, one leg bent in half inside the washer tub with her foot folded behind it and one leg sticking straight up in the air by her shoulder. (I considered taking a picture before freeing her, but then I decided that might be kind of mean. Hehe.) I had her put her arms around my neck,...

Here's a fun flashback for you - Stacy Q's Two of Hearts! Claaaaaaaaassssic 80s pop!

I was supposed to have an interview for the new job I'm going for today. But after I got all ready and drove all the way there (shaking like a leaf, mind you), I was given a reprieve. The publisher's mother had been taken to the hospital earlier, so he was with her and out of the office. At least I got to drive there and find out exactly how to get there. It might help alleviate some of my nerves next time. Not much, but some. I really don't know why I'm so nervous. I don't even know if I want it anymore. I know I want the bigger paycheck and I even want the job itself, but with an in-house person in competition for it, I don't want to go into a hostile situation at work every day because someone thinks I've stolen her job. It was bad enough when I was in a hostile situation every day at my own place of work because someone THOUGHT I wanted her job. Of course, I suppose that means I can live through it. And if I get it, I'll be the woman's boss, so s...

So, what a nice weekend..... The kids did get a little too rambunctious and test my patience a bit on Saturday, but it was smooth sailing after that. I got to watch two football matches on excellent streams; I finished off my wine (must start a new batch); I moved one step (or more) closer to a goal; I got to have dinner with an old friend I haven't seen in nearly 20 years ..... I probably should have been writing all this down as I went along, shouldn't I? Is it ok if I play catch up now? Friday - It was Thursday evening when I was chatting online with an old friend from high school when he said he was coming up from Virginia the next day to Ohio to see his son. He suggested we find something fun to do and catch up a bit. The girls were supposed to spend the night at their dad's, so I thought, "great, no problem, I'm actually free." Well, Friday morning I get a call from their dad telling me he can't take them. Typical. I tell him I already made plans, an...

If your mother is a citizen of the United States at the time of your birth, then YOU are a citizen of the United States at the time of your birth, regardless of WHERE that birth took place. As a U.S. citizen at the time of your birth, you are a NATURAL-BORN CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES (the term is meant in contrast to "naturalized citizen," which is a citizen of another country at birth who later *becomes* a U.S. citizen, or of course "noncitizen," which would be someone who never became a U.S. citizen). If a pregnant American woman is on vacation in England and gives birth, that child is still a natural-born citizen of the United States. Such an occurrence would never preclude that child's eventual eligibility to become president of the United States. That would be absurd! Now as far as I'm concerned you can make all the arguments you want about Barack Obama, but the whole "birth certificate" controversy is stupidity at its finest.

YAY IOWA! Is this a changing of the tide at last? Also of interest: Reaction in California

It's time for Flashback Friday again, and this week it's Dan Hartman's I Can Dream About You!

Well I found out in my phone interview that my primary competitor for the new job is an employee already working there. That's bad on two fronts: A) reduces my odds of getting the job, as she'll have the advantage of being "in-house"; and B) now if I WERE to get the job, I already know that I'll be walking into a hostile situation because one of my employees will be hating me because I've taken the job she wanted. Crap.

I made the first cut for the new job I'm seeking. I've got a phone interview in less than 13 hours. The publisher said the preliminary phone interviews are expected to narrow the field to three or four. I'll keep you posted on my progress, but time for bed now.

This week's Flashback Friday is Adam and the Ants with Goody Two Shoes! What a fun song! Bonus performance video below! 1982 'performance' of Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant on the TV show 'Solid Gold'!!! Remember that show? :) (I say "performance" because it's one of the most hideous lip-syncs I've ever seen!)

Good news in New England as the Vermont Senate passes a bill to legalize marriage in the state. Votes are set in New Hampshire and Maine as well. Another good article on it here. As usual, the opponents of this measure are basing their arguments primarily on religion, so of course I had to register at Boston.com just so I could throw my two cents in on the matter as well. I reiterated what I said in this post about the religious argument against gay marriage, namely that CHURCH LAW DOES NOT APPLY. Church law is not relevant in the question of legalizing gay marriage because it is about STATE LAW, not doctrine. Religion is as irrelevant in this argument as it would be in any other LEGAL issue. Can you IMAGINE if we had to consider church law in every legal case?! What a nightmare that would be! And which religion would get to have the final say in the matter, anyway? We don't have a state religion. There's an amendment specifically forbidding that. Until such time as that am...

I had a decidedly unpleasant flashback today. I was watching a TV show online, and I suddenly caught notice of the background music. It was a song that I'd only heard in one context before. It was on the last CD that my former love made for me, just a short time before he left me. He was at that time finally fully admitting his love for me, which I'd waited so long for. It was a game for so long, his tap-dancing around telling me that he loved me. So much so that I would tell him I loved him, and he would reply, "tap, tap." We both knew what it meant. But he'd finally been able to break through that. He said that it was hard for him as it had never been before, because it meant so much more with me somehow. I heard that song today, and I suddenly came very near breaking down in tears. That loss I'd dealt with for so long - it's been 10 months now - it all came rushing back. I was able to suppress it. I wanted to choke it back. I've moved on. I have no ...

I got to watch one and a half footie matches today, so my day started well, despite the fact that I had to work. I got to watch all of Inter Milan's victory over Reggina (or should I say IBRA Milan?) and the first half of Liverpool's hearty trouncing of Aston Villa. I can't say I'm overjoyed about Liverpool's victory (I AM, after all, a hardcore Man United fan), but I certainly enjoyed watching Inter's win. They're my second-favorite team (behind my Red Devils, of course), and I'd love to see them win Serie A. The pressure's on my Man U boys now in the Premier League, with Liverpool edging closer and closer. I so want to see them finish off this season with the quintuple cup wins! What a great first full season of European football that would be for me! (I just started this obsession of mine last May, you know. But it's my drug, and I was instantly addicted.) I was playing on my Facebook tonight and came across a couple of fun little nuggets to s...

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My little Munch turned 8 on Friday. She's my youngest, and they're growing up quickly. I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is looking forward to the day when they're grown, because I feel that I've been only 'mom' for so long, and I've had no life of my own. Of course, the natural mommy in me is also a bit sad to see them growing so quickly, and I'm sure I'll miss the days when they were small. They're all doing so well though, and I am proud of that. Gin has turned into quite the little reader. It seems she always has a book with her to read in the car. And when she's not doing her chores or homework, she's reading at home too. There are some advantages to having disconnected the cable several months ago, that's for sure. I think it's been a big contributor to her reading. Munch once again demonstrated her kind heart and generosity. She got some money for her birthday, so of course, she bought candy. She shared this wit...