here be a lusty wench

Arr, 'tis International Talk Like A Pirate Day, mateys. And you best believe I made mention o' that when I sent a note this mornin' to me old director wishin' him a happy birthday. (Drink up, me hearties!) I'm not expectin' to get any message in return, but when I don't, it won't be because I was afeared.


I have, by my scale, lost about three and a half pounds in the past few days -- which, you know, on a person of my size is not nearly as much as it is on these skinny girls who have to make an effort to lose three pounds and fit into whatever. So I've never, I mean to say, really thought of three pounds as an amount that can make a difference between fitting and not fitting, at the point where I am. But damn if my Suit Of Victory (see last week re: unexpected good fortune) doesn't fit a little better today. Also, my cute shoes seem to fit better this morning than they did last Thursday; what's up with that?

In conclusion, best pirate dialogue ever:

KING: ... When your process of extermination begins, let our deaths be as swift and painless as you can possibly make them.
FREDERICK: I will. Would that you could render this extermination unnecessary by accompanying me back to civilisation!
KING: No, Frederick, it cannot be! I don't think much of piracy as a profession, but contrasted with respectability, it is comparatively honest. No, Frederick, I shall live and die a pirate king!
-- The Pirates of Penzance (the one about duty) (emphasis added)
(yes, yes, I know, but the subtitle is "or, The Slave of Duty")

another winnar iz me

So I got to the interview exactly on time, despite the wretched traffic (where is everybody going at 3pm on a Tuesday?! Don't they have jobs?), and I felt like it went well.  But again, hard for me to say.  I met three people -- the person who would be the leader of my team, her boss, and his boss -- over a period of two and a half hours.  I felt like I was talking a really lot, but on the other hand, the point of the interview isn't for me to listen, right?  Not mainly.  I mean, they were asking me questions, and I was answering them thoroughly.  I just don't like the feeling that I'm babbling, which I tend to feel whether I'm babbling or not.  But I'm supposed to hear from them within about three weeks.  Fifteen people being considered for three positions; I don't hate those odds.  Think happy thoughts for me, please.

But hey, the sharp suit and cute shoes have done good things for me so far.  This time last night I had no curling teams, and now I have two (one for the Inaugural and one for the Capital League).  And, after the interview and some dinner with cmshaw, I popped over to Best Buy to try to get a DVD player -- and after a conversation with a very helpful salesindividual (blah blah blah blue ray; blah blah recorder vs. player; "The thing now is the upconverting DVD player -- it heightens the signal, so it plays a regular disc with higher definition."  "But only as much as your TV screen can show you, right?"  "Exactly.  Hey, a customer who understands the technology."), I came away with a DVD player originally priced at $129.99 -- now priced at $99.99 -- open box item, but no damage and no parts missing, marked at $84.99 -- salesdude says, unsolicited, "I can do better than that for you ... how about $69?", to which I said Done.  And then when he was scribbling in the new price on the open-box sticker and he wrote in $69.99, I said "Well, $69.99 is $70."  He says Yes, I suppose it is.  I say "So $68.99 is $69."  And he changed it!  Hee.  Plus tax, of course, but still, I am victorious!  And, and, for an extra bonus, I got a $10 gift card for buying that brand of product.  So I ultimately got the $130 product for $64 and some change.

The way things have been going for me, I'll have to concentrate on not expecting to get the job; also, I could maybe buy a lottery ticket.  :-)

[ETA:  two out of three thank-you notes written.  The first, most junior, person never actually mentioned her last name (and was going to give me one of her cards at the end of the interview, but then didn't), so I've resorted to asking the middle dude to let her know I appreciate her time as well, etc.]