(no subject)

Be with those who help your being.
Don't sit with indifferent people, whose breath
comes cold out of their mouths.
Not these visible forms, your work is deeper.

A chunk of dirt thrown in the air breaks to pieces.
If you don't try to fly,
and so break yourself apart,
you will be broken open by death,
when it's too late for all you could become.

Leaves get yellow. The tree puts out fresh roots
and makes them green.
Why are you so content with a love that turns you yellow?

- Rumi; adapted by Coleman Barks

A Letter To Employers

Dear Prospective Employers,

I would like to call your attention to a few things, with regard to some of the habits you have when writing your ads that are rather, well, poor, and what they say to prospective employees.

1.) You do not list where you are located. How am I supposed to know if you are close enough to me to consider applying? You may be a fantastic fit, but if you're out on Cape Cod, and I'm in Pepperell, this is just not going to work. It is then a waste of my time to draft a cover letter and send my resume, and a waste of yours to have to read this and perhaps contact me.

2.) You give me no information regarding your company. If I do not know who you are or what you do, I cannot make an informed decision if our interests are in agreement. If you are, say, a biotech company, you do not want some New Age hippie working for you (not that I am, mind you, but the example stands). Likewise, you also effectively knee-cap me in any effort I may make to read up on your company beforehand. This does not bode well for your ability as an employer to give me the necessary information I need to do my job. Actually, it rather tells me that I'm going to waste a lot of time hunting down information that I should be given right up front, and probably getting spoken to on a regular basis for taking too long to do my work, despite your failure to provide me the necessary tools and information I require.

3.) You don't even make the effort to run a spell-check when you place your ad/Your punctuation is atrocious/you use capitals in middle of sentences/you otherwise horrible mangle the English language. Maybe you think this demonstrates how much you need the skills of a competent office manager and appeals to some maternal "Oh, they need me!" instinct? Honestly, what it says is that I'm going to spend a lot of time correcting your mistakes because you can't be bothered to take two seconds to look over your work. You are going to expect me to do everything for you, and probably bitch at me because something's taking too long, when I'm running around cleaning up after your lazy, self-important ass. You don't give a crap about me, your professional appearance, or the integrity of your business, and are probably going to spend a lot of time making my life miserable and not even going to bother to pay me enough to put up with it.

The list goes on, but these are the key points I see regularly. Please, people. I know it's an "Employers Market", but at least make an effort to pretend that you have some semblance of sense?

Sincerely yours,

~SP

Stuff Schlepping Update

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned about moving my collection of stuff and things from storage?

Well, here's the deal. On October 16th, I will be making with the rental of a U-Haul to move not only my stuff from storage (currently located in Stoneham...I love the rates listed...ALL LIES!!!!) to here in Pepperell, but will also include the side trip of moving Rellik_canard out of the Wolfeden and into Mighty_1's, as well. Happily as this is primarily a storage unit move, most everything is in boxes already and just needs to go from Point A to Point B. There are, however, several pieces of furniture involved (beds, kitchen set, couch, and a piano), as well, it's everything I own.

At this point in time I'm figuring the usual "get truck and meet at 10 AM, move stuff, will provide pizza/beer/other nibbles for those what can't have pizza" plan. Order of arrangement has not yet been determined, as there may or may not be an additional stop involved. Otherwise,that's what I've got.

At some point I'll need an official head-count so I know whether or not I need to start panicking. ;)