More writing

I'm up to 2k of what might become "Scorpion in Amber" - if that wasn't such a cheesy title, but this morning, that symbol showed up in my head and, hey, it's fantasy, and fantasy can be cheesy. Again I'm dealing with a soldier who has PTSD, and it's dark and brooding and pretty intense. So much for writing "lighter" stuff, but since some readers prefer me writing "dark", this is one for them. For others, it might be too much.

I'm slowly uncovering the bones of that project, a curve in the tone here, a guessed shape just under the surface, the mind, it works on where to dig and how and will it be a reptile, a bird or a mammal. I have no clue. Some stories need to be chiselled rather than hewn out, one hundred words at a time, sometimes less. It's likely NOT going to be novel-length, unless I finally find an external plot and the intrigue I want gets more complex. Right now, I have 2,200ish words, so that means, somehow, I wrote 1,300 words yesterday.

Sock Boy is his odious, odious self, taking my ideas, wrapping them up in four hundred words of badly-written blabber and then they go up as top stories on the website to hit a few thousand eyeballs a day. But that's OK, I know whose idea it is, even if I don't get even a byline. The editorial morals/manners/ethics in this place have hit rock-bottom and continue to dig. Hard and fast. I've given up on this place, so I only come here with an ironic/sarcastic smirk glued to my lips, and that's about it.

I told the Awesome Place that I won't be coming to their second interview since I already signed a contract with Other Place. I see in my inbox that there's a response from the guy who was going to interview me. I'm scared to open it. Funny, how I struggle coping with disappointing other people.

Okay, I got my colleague to read it. Urnkg. I could have gotten the job. Then again, that was my gut feeling, too.

I did 1,200 words yesterday. Whoot.

Author interview

Ralph Gallagher of the Dancing Dove Blog has interviewed me. I think most of that even makes sense.

Find the interview here.

Also, friend this guy, he's nice.

Derivatives are derivative

Looking good on the interview front - I'm invited back for a second interview, and this time I even know what derivatives are. I'll also look at a job with Major Rating Agency. Making sense of financial gibberish is my bread and butter.

I was kind to sock boy (as if he deserved that) and called him to a face-to-face meeting rather than send him an email, cc'ing my team leader, our superior two steps up, HR and a couple other people. I may have struck the hornet's nest, but then, somebody has to tell him his attitude sucks.

For the moment, I'm entrenching into cold war tactics with him. Let's see who has more courage and guts. I've taken down bigger and better enemies. I even did the calculation of how much I need to make to pay off the mortgage while job hunting. I could meet the payments on a job at Starbucks, which is good to know. Most likely, I could foot the bill if I significantly ramp up my coaching activities.

That's something to look into if I don't get any of the three jobs I'm currently pursuing - all of which pay way more and at least two of them are with way better companies. I'm getting tired of this trainwreck.

Interesting tidbit of the day: sock boy was brought in to "increase productivity" - that's funny, we're doing the job of six people with two old hands (one of her last week, and counting down the minutes), and a newbie who has no clue yet.

So clearly the way to address discontent, frustration, overwork and totally FUCKED work processes (we all share an inbox now and nobody has any visibility what needs doing) - is to bring in some ugly mothereffer from outside who tells us we suck.

Baby, your drill instructor impersonation makes me laugh.