Be careful what you wish for
by Richard PerkinsToday I write about the cost of counting chickens before they hatch. About one week ago I wrote about a third round interview with a solar PV company that I thought had gone particularly well. When I got an email from the hiring manager saying he wanted to make me an offer, I thought surely the job I’ve been seeking for two years by some counts was finally within my grasp.
I unwisely noted that landing a full time job right at the beginning of NaNoWriMo would complicate my writing goals. Although I didn’t actually say it, there was some implication that remaining unemployed during the month of November would make it easier to finish NaNo.
Hmm, perhaps someone was listening. Anyone who’s been paying any attention to the financial sector in the past month may already have an inkling about what’s coming next. With world economies still wondering when the sky will stop falling, cash hard to get and getting harder every day despite the promised bailout, a lot of companies are “rethinking their hiring strategies for the time being.”
The short version: the hiring manager who wants to bring me on board as quickly as possible suddenly needs to resubmit and rejustify his requisition. They haven’t called it an official hiring freeze yet, but for the purposes of me finding gainful employment in the month of November, it may as well be.
In further proof that even a class four hurricane has a silver lining, at least I get to continue slogging ahead on the new book for NaNo! The manuscript is at just over 13,000 words tonight, which isn’t too bad for the end of day 5. As I mentioned in a previous post, the main character is a secret agent caught in a crisis of conscience when he falls for one of his targets. Here is just a little taste for those of you who can’t wait for me to start posting the new series in the Writer’s Lair.
Ambush. He let the acrid word settle on his tongue, rolled it around his mouth and decided that it fit the situation all too well. The raiders had set up their attack in the narrowest part of the migration where the wagons would be strung out in single file. Then they had triggered a rock slide, cutting the wagon train two. In the calm, calculating part of his mind that analyzed such things, Mikel had to approve of their tactics. Now they could thin out the isolated groups with less threat from a coordinated defense.
The wagon train they had attacked had four cargo wagons, one crew carrier and a maintenance vehicle. The raiders would expect teamster drivers for each of the wagons, a handful of hired mercenaries, and some fat merchants. With enough patience, superior numbers and the advantage of position, they could take a wagon train like this with minimal losses. All things considered, it was a good plan. Of course, they had overlooked one detail.
They thought Mikel was a simple teamster. It was an honest mistake.
In a way, I guess I was just asking for enough time to finish this story before having to get back to real work. Next time, I’ll be more careful what I wish for 
