Rumble Rumble

In one month, I will be back on US soil. I have mixed emotions about it. I get more miles. I get to see friends and family, get to take a tour of the Plains states seeing said friends and family, get to see one or two of my furballs, get to talk to some sales reps who can tell me more about their jobs to see if I can handle being one myself, get to try on some wedding dresses, see the reception site in the evening, talk to the photographer, even maybe get a massage and a haircut - just a trim, mind you, until I figure out what to do with it. I might even get some cheese curds and a Maid-Rite, and I have high hopes of being able to breathe normally through both nostrils again. But it's all at the expense of leaving Sarajevo, and Wiley, behind. Both are somewhat temporary, but four months is still a long time...in between my arrival and Wiley's arrival, I will have moved from one state to the other and hopefully started a job or two. The roses will bloom in Sarajevo, making it smell wonderful, and Wiley will get to go on more hikes with my camera, and he will be the one to see the majestic mountaintops through the viewfinder, not me. (I guess now we'll see if it's the camera or the person that takes the great shot.) However, I've learned one very important detail about myself: without a goal to work toward, retirement in my old age is really going to bite. (So yes, I will have one.)

And speaking of biting, I really hate writing cover letters. I'd be good at many things. I have a steady job history (been with the last employer 8 years), I'm a fast typer, can use many computer programs, know how to use databases, and have even managed and trained a team of people - attorneys, no less. Think that's easy? Just take a look at Dan and you'll see the egos that are out there, and I've had to deal with that - CONSISTENTLY. It's not much fun to argue with someone and tell them that they're wrong, but I've done it, and I've done it tactfully. I can pour on the sugar like you. would. not. believe. But cover letters remind me of chewing mud (don't ask) or what I imagine struggling to down sawdust must feel like. You want someone. I want to work for you. Here are my qualifications. Like what you see? Then take a number to come talk to me. If I'm not working for you, then you can bet I'm working for your competition. So would you rather have me in-house making you money or taking money from you because I'm working against you? But no. I have to have a format. First paragraph: say where you heard about the job. Second paragraph: explain why you're right for the job. Third paragraph: close the sale. Tell them when you'll be calling to talk about an interview. Sign it however you wish, just make sure everything is in the full upright and locked position to make the landing a pleasant one.