And now, for something entirely different (and pure fun)...take a look at this kid!

Is she amazing, or what?

I learned of this audio/video mash-up on radio station KINK FM in Portland. I love the (rather haunting) lyrics to the Snow Patrol song, which I’ve included below...

Chasing Cars + Every Breath You Take = Every Car You Chase

Chasing Cars

We’ll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don’t need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don’t quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They’re not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we’re told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that’s bursting into life

Let’s waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we’re told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that’s bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They’re all I can see

I don’t know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things
Will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I’m a big fan of the First Amendment. So finally, after a lifetime of thinking about it, last year I sent in my money to the ACLU and became a card-carrying member. Actually, it wasn’t long after I wrote a blog entry here entitled “Freedom of Speech” that I decided to sign up.

The reason I mention this now is that, quite recently, the topic of free speech entered my life as it pertains to this website. To wit, I have received the feedback that I might want to re-think my decision to discuss my job-search activities on these pages.

Upon hearing this person’s opinion, I admit to feeling mildly embarrassed…and well as somewhat stunned by the unexpected criticism. My initial reaction was to think “ohmygod, I must be f%*#ing up!” I also began wondering if I was, perhaps, unintentionally sabotaging my search for a new position. I immediately reacted to this individual’s viewpoint by un-publishing several recent posts that mentioned my job hunt and some experiences I had had during my travels.

However, in the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about my reactivity, and have re-read (several times) the posts I am now hiding from view. And, you know what? I actually think they’re pretty harmless. In these entries, I have talked mostly about myself (which is, after all, what I do here), about the exhausting nature and uncertainty of the job-search process (this is a secret?), and offered up some personal observations of events that have happened while I’ve been on the road.

IMHO, I’ve not harmed any person or organization. And, when I’ve tried to have a little fun by talking about the peculiarity of some things I’ve encountered along the way, I’ve taken care to leave unidentified the person(s) or group(s) involved.

It was quite some time ago now (in “First Do No Harm”) that I addressed the whole area of blogger ethics, examining my own behavior and motivations in publishing this work. At that time I specifically discussed my personal philosophy, including “ …[having] no outright intention of embarrassing, attacking, angering or hurting” anyone. And, really, let me reiterate: I certainly have no agenda to offend, attack or harm anybody here, including myself.

I hope that you, having found your way to this obscure little corner of virtual reality, will remain open-minded enough to allow me this minor self-indulgence (existing wholly apart from my professional existence) called TechnoMonk’s Musings.

This last week involved two out-of-state interview trips: activity that is extremely exhausting! There’s just so little left of me that my blog-life is suffering tremendously. I apologize.

I appreciate it immensely that you keep checking back to see if there’s another new posting here. Yes, eventually, there always is.

The trip to Kentfield, California, last Friday seemed to unfold quite positively. I have a good feeling about the College of Marin and the possibilities of taking on a position there. Of course, with any job-search activity, the word to the wise is: expect the unexpected. Rarely does the process go entirely smoothly. I anxiously await news from the south.

I must mention: there was a glitch in the travel on Friday. My plan was to fly to San Francisco, take a shuttle up to Kentfield (north of the city, across the Golden Gate Bridge), then do the reverse process following the afternoon of interviewing. It all seemed so easy. (Well, it was to be a long day of travel and stress, but other than that…) The fly in the ointment turned out to be the shuttle service: an outfit called Marin Door to Door. They have a good, and confidence-inspiring, website and telephone-message system. When I called to book the reservation, the person on the phone seemed quite competent, knowledgeable, and accommodating. They called me the night before to confirm my ride from campus to the airport in the evening. (I had been instructed to call them upon my arrival at the airport for pickup.)

Ah, but when I did arrive at SFO, things started to totally unravel. They had typed in the wrong flight number for my flight, and although they had recorded the correct arrival time, they chose to believe their erroneous information regarding flight number and insisted that they weren’t expecting me until two hours later. When I patiently explained that the error was on their part, that I had indeed arrived exactly when I said I would, the gentleman (HA!) became quite agitated. This started a series of several contentious phone calls that lasted until I was finally picked up, almost exactly two hours later than I had requested. The process involved us shouting at each other over the phone at one point, including the flat-out admonition to me that I should be more careful about giving them the correct information when making a reservation!

The experience also involved a driver from the airport to campus that spoke no English. None. Consequently, I had very little confidence that I was going to end up in the right city, much less the specific campus I had requested. He was able to punch the college’s address into his GPS device (I think), but quickly got lost. Somehow, within minutes of us heading north on the freeway, we were off onto surface streets, turned around, and headed south toward San Jose. I know the way to San Jose, and it’s not in the direction of Kentfield! But could I communicate this to my driver? No way. All he could say was, “sorry, no Englais.”

Somehow, we made it. However, the entire scenario was repeated coming home as well, and involved, at this juncture, another company representative hanging up on me as I was calling to inquire about the status of my ride during my evening commute.

Next time: I’ll rent a car.