DharmaSurfing:  Another threat of employment

Hmm, perhaps it’s an idle threat, perhaps it’s just a form letter, perhaps it’s something altogether different.

I got a letter in the mail Saturday from a placement company that handles the hiring for a Fortune 100 company up the road from here.  (You’ll recall I took a Wonderlic employment test given by this placement company for a job with this F100 firm back in December – got a thanks-but-not-now letter soon after.)  Saturday's letters says I’ve met the hiring company’s criteria (yeah, that’s what you said in January already), and that I’ve moved to the next step in the process.  An interview may be possible, but only the most qualified candidates who’ve made it this far will receive an interview.  I can expect a call in two weeks, blah-blah-yada-yada.

Okay, here it is: it’s not a perfect job, but it’s a foot in the door.  It’s the best I’m going to find in this area for another year, and I’ve been unemployed for nearly 10 months; it's in an area in which I'm highly comfortable and I'll be rubbing shoulders with many people with whom I've worked before.  But it could be shift work in IS supporting a less-than-appealing bunch of applications, working with some highly challenging (read: autistic) folks.

I need the job IF I get an interview: I’m bored, we could use the benefits this place offers (which are far better than my spouse’s), the pay will help with building expenses on a new house that we’ve put off this past year.

How am I going to psych myself up without looking either too desperate or too phony?

Yeesh, I’m transparent as hell, my heart’s on my sleeve and in your face all the time.

This ought to be some real good fun.

9:53:51 PM    comment []

Movies:  Secretary

Absolutely loved it.  But then I thoroughly enjoy kooky love stories where oddball misfits meet, find they fit each other perfectly and fall in love.

In spite of the sexual content, there’s a Bennie and Joon-do-S&M kind of attraction here; the love-wary skeptical dominant caves under the firm-but-gentle persuasion of a self-mutilating obsessive submissive, leading one to wonder who really is the dominant between the two of them.  Regardless of the side of the spanking they’re on, these two lovers portrayed evocatively by James Spader (E. Edward Grey) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Lee Holloway) are real works of human evolution and self-discovery. 

One of my favorite scenes has to be when Edward fires Lee; as she reaches out to touch him while declaring her desire to know him, he utterly melts under her touch.  Agh!  Such a look of complete and abject longing!

Worth getting for the collection.  Definitely not for everyone, particularly around children (the R rating is firm here).

Hubby Movie Meter:  He tells me again, You REALLY have dark taste in movies.

4:26:54 PM    comment []

Build-A-Meme Project:  What happens if Democrats return to power? 

Joel asked this very question over at differentstrings.  Good question, but that's a two-part issue and more.

If a Democrat becomes President while Congress remains Republican, we could end up with a bogged down political process (note the use of the word "could" - depends on how centrist the Democrat).

If both a Democratic President AND a majority Democratic Congress gain office, things would move fast but there could be an awful stink from the far right (again, note the use of the word, "could" -- we saw this under Clinton, but it's possible that the Dems have moved as a group to the right since Clinton).

Assuming we can find a dynamic candidate who can work with these realities, what is it that Democrats want that's different from Republican conservatives?  Here's what this registered Democrat demands:

§         Fiscal discipline (including a balanced budget and a plan to reduce/eliminate a deficit as well as a socio-economic opportunity analysis on every new spending request):

§         Sustainable economic development planning (to reduce the volatility of business cycles);

§         Improve relations with global neighbors (to regain our position as an esteemed business partner and leader);

§         Emphasis on two-track diplomatic efforts (to reduce the threat of war; economies cannot thrive under constant threat of instability -- business and government must work together to improve stability);

§         Finding a way to pay for more local policing without increasing taxes (to improve local stability -- the cost of crime may be far greater than the cost of policing);

§         Finding ways to maintain/return key social programs like HeadStart and food for impoverished children without increasing taxes (children who can't read and can't study because they're hungry are far more likely to commit crimes and be a drain on society than productive taxpayers)-;

§         Press for greater accountability from government and business leaders (it's expected from American taxpayers and consumers, after all);

§         Return civil rights to American citizens without reducing watchfulness for terrorist activities (demand improved interactivity and efficiency between federal, state and local agencies on Homeland security to this end);

§         Develop a national health plan which will help those individuals who fall outside employer plans without increasing taxes (cost of uninsureds' illness is already borne by all of us who pay insurance and need emergency services or through losses in tax base -- find a way to pay it forward efficiently rather than inefficiently backend);

§         Work to improve business opportunities for organic food producers, increasing export sales and reducing costs to US consumers (increased export sales = more tax revenues);

§         Promote the concept of federal pollution "shares" on discharges which can be bought and sold, increasing costs to greatest polluters and reducing them to polluters who reduce/eliminate emissions (cost of pollution = tax revenues which act as a disincentive);

This would be a nice start, although it’s not all THIS particular registered Democrat demands.

Regardless of which candidate would make it into office, the two immediate priorites are global stability and the economy – and they’re entertwined.  They have to have the biggest portion of the pie right out of the gate.  A candidate can’t pussyfoot around and take his sweet time like Bush did, extending his honeymoon to 9 months while still formulating policy and making appointments, or there will be another 9/11.  That absolutely will not work.

So?  What did I miss?  And does this sound like a wet dream?  Or does it sound like a viable meme?

12:46:08 PM    comment []