The Big No.

It has been five weeks since my interview at the design firm.  No call backs.  No emails.  So I knew at some point bad news was coming.  This morning on my email were those not so fun words:  we have decided to pursue further talks with other candidates and are not interested in offering you a position...  What a wonderful way to say Merry Christmas.

I am excited and thankful that I got this interview, and knew it was a long shot - all of my interviews are long shots since I am looking to change industries.  But I did not get a second interview, so they must have known for some time that I was not the one.  It would of been a bit more polite to tell me around the beginning of the month instead of the Friday before Christmas.  Did they not think of this?  Or were they more like... let's ruin that guys Christmas weekend by letting him know he's not wanted.

I'm done talking about interviewing.  I'm done blogging about it.  It just makes me feel worse about it.  Not sure how I will find a new job, but I need to do something different since sending cover letters & resumes is not working.

I'm done blogging for the year.  I might post some photos, and I will definitely play lots catch up on the many blogs I have not had time to read.  Thank you all for reading and commenting.  It has been a good year of meeting some of you, and getting to know the rest of you.  

Merry Christmas.

Step Tagged Me.

Thanks to Step Right Up for tagging me a month or so ago.  I'm slow to getting to this.  So I guess I need to do some alphabetical list of things about me.  Here goes...

Anchor Christmas beer is something I look forward to since the taste changes every year. 
I am totally obsessed with Baseball. I spend way too much time discussing the game with my brother, my pals Jason and Luke, and my White Sox family (the people we sit around). LP gets tired of it really quick. 
I love dogs, but I have always owned Cats.
I enjoy DJing... spinning records, but have not done much of it since moving to Chicago (outside of my house).
The Electric Company was one of my favorite shows as a little Niner.  So was the Muppet Show.
People who ride Fixed-Gear bike drive me nuts. Grrrr.
I do not Gamble, at all.
After reading and watching High Fidelity I wanted to quit my job and open a record store.  It sounded perfect to me.  If I did not have to earn an income, it would still sound perfect to me.
So many I's in this post... me me me.  It's getting kind of dull.
James is my favorite band of all time... but I bought my fist record in 3rd grade and it was by Jefferson Starship.
Do you remember the Spin Doctors and "Pocket Full of Kryptonite"?  Sadly, I do - I saw them at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA when that song was big.
I have a strong need to go to London... and love LP.  That reads weird.  Those are two different thoughts.  Although when I do go to London, I'll still love LP - but I do not have to go to London to love LP.  Next...
I am a sucker for chick flicks, and some Musicals.
I miss NYC, but I also realize I miss more the time in my life when I lived there.
I've applied three times to work for Oprah, but never heard back.
LP hates when I drink PBR because she says it makes my whole body smell like cheap beer.
I was never a strong Reader, and I have really struggled because of it.  I try to read the paper every day, and tackle the pile of books I have at home.  Just writing this blog has helped me with my vocabulary building.
I started Skateboarding when I was about ten years old. I still have three skateboards... but as I get older I need to talk myself into getting on it so I don't forget it. And now being in Chicago there is six months in the year I cannot skate. (I bet you thought I was going to write about a scooter for my letter s.)
I do not have any Tatoos, nor do I want any.
Remember Urge Overkill?  I do.
I've never been a big supporter of Valentines Day... it rubs me wrong for some reason.
It's all about the White Sox for me when it comes to Chicago baseball.  Yet I'll always be a Giants fan too.
I'm still waiting for XTC to tour... which will never happen.  Sadcakes.
I drives me nuts when LP blasts "Youth Gone Wild" in the car.
I have yet to go to the Brookfield Zoo. The Lincoln Park Zoo is fine, but everyone says the Brookfield Zoo is better.

As I usually do... I choooooose to tag no one... because I am no fun.  :)

A Thoughtful Gift.

Yesterday I got a call from my father-in-law in Memphis... and he was bubbly, bouncy, and very excited to tell me that he got me a really cool gift. He had just been at a pancake restaurant in Memphis and saw Willie Mitchell sitting at one of the tables. Knowing that I am a Willie Mitchell fan (he was a big part of the Memphis soul sounds in the 60's & 70's at Hi & Stax) he went over and introduced himself to Willie and got an autograph for me. Willie just happened to be in the Memphis paper that same day, so he signed the article. My father-in-law then went back to work and scanned and emailed the autographed article to me before he popped it in the mail.

I am lucky to be one of those people who really likes his in-laws... they both a good people with hearts of gold.

Favorite Albums of 2007.

Year 2007 is almost finished... so this means it is time for my annual list of my favorite music of the past year. A year that saw terrible sales, more downloads - but some fantastic releases and reissues... especially the Brit Box on Rhino (even though it is not perfect, it is a lot of fun). I was a little bummed out that I did not find more jazz releases that really grabbed my attention... but indie rock and electronic sounds seemed to keep me more than happy.

The biggest disappointment has to be the unlistenable comeback release from Siouxie Sioux - what a complete bummer of an album. My favorite reissue was the expanded version of Culture's 1978 masterpiece "Two Sevens Clash." And the two singles that were listened over and over and over by me were easily "Drivin' Me Wild" by Common with Lily Allen and also Modest Mouse's "Missed The Boat."

My Favorite Albums of 2007...
1. Band Of Horses "Cease To Begin" (sub pop)
2. Menomena "Friend And Foe" (barsuk)
3. LCD Soundsystem "Sound Of Silver" (dfa / capitol)
4. Bishop Allen "The Broken String" (dead oceans)
5. Jay-Z "American Gangster" (roc-a-fella)
6. The Broken West "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" (merge)
7. The Narrator "All That To The Wall" (flameshovel)
8. Justice "Cross" (vice/ed banger)
9. Oh No "Dr. No's Oxperiment" (stones throw)
10. Radiohead "In Rainbows" (self released)

and the +10:
Battles "Mirrored" (warp)
Budos Band, The "II" (daptone)
Clientele, The "God Save The Clientele" (merge)
Feist "The Reminder" (cherrytree/interscope)
National, The "Boxer" (beggars banquet)
Okkervil River "The Stage Names" (jagjaguwar)
Om "Pilgrimage" (southern lord)
Pharoah Monch "Desire" (src/motown)
Rhianna "Good Girl Gone Bad" (def jam)
Stars "In Our Bedroom After The War" (arts & crafts)

One Month.

Saturday marked one month since my interview at the design firm. Yes, the same firm that called me for an interview and then it took five phones calls back to them (over two weeks) for them to call me back and set up a time. One month with no feedback or response in any way. I understand it was a little stretch for me to land this job - I had the skills, but a background in a different industry... so it was up to them to decide if they had the time to deal with my learning curve. But it's been over a month - and no word always means no job. Sorry, but it does.

Sure, it's disheartening to not get picked, or even make it to round two. I'm excelling in getting knocked out at round one for many different reasons, but the number one conclusion is my changing industries. It is frustrating that every company I have interviewed with takes over a month to get back to me, and most only do it after I make a few follow-ups, and then request some kind of conclusion / verdict.

How hard is it to send a quick email, or make a quick phone call to let a candidate know they were not chosen? This is why companies have a HR department. Rejection blows ass... but sitting around waiting for an official rejection is not good for one's mental health. Maybe they are waiting to tell me on Christmas Eve?