Our Friends Weigh In and the Job that Wasn’t
I’m not going to get political here. I simply won’t do
it. But I will mention that I can get along with almost anybody, whether it’s a
yellow-dog Democrat or the leader of the county Tea Party group.
---
Steve, we’ve decided to move to Chicago.
“But Dave, you know who is from Chicago.”
Steve, I’m from Chicago. Born right off the
Miracle Mile in Passavant Hospital. I love North Carolina barbecue as much as
the next guy, but I just don’t feel right without a four-pound slice of
Chicago-style pizza, or my Vienna Beef hot dog dragged through the garden.
“Your wife will never go for it.”
Actually, it was her idea.
(Stunned silence.)
---
Glenn, I think we’re coming back to Chicago.
“I’m telling you, Dave – with a Masters in IT? You’ll be
able to write your own ticket. This city has so many jobs right now, we can’t
fill them. It’s crazy!”
Okay – it’s the last week of April, so I have just my exams
to finish, then we’re going to start working on getting me up here, right?
“You got it. No problem. You’ll be working the second
your resume hits the internet.”
---
(May 15th) Hey boss, I’m enjoying my position,
but we’ve decided to move to Chicago. I can do my job remotely, since I have
three monitors and we’ll have high-speed internet. My Blackberry can call
India, and I have a hands-free handset. We’re good to go.
“Great. But we may need you to come down here once a
month or so, just to check in and get all the updates.”
No problem. We’re going to move up to Chicago on July 1st.
(June 23rd) “Bad news – you’re not going to be
able to work remotely. The big boss said no when I asked him last night.”
You asked him last
night? We’ve been talking about this for over a month. We have the moving
date set and the truck on reservation…
“Sorry. I never said it was a sure thing.”
---
Hey Dan – I notice that you’re still showing our rental
house here in North Carolina. Is there any possibility we can stay until the
end of July instead of moving out June 1st?
“Funny you should ask that – the people who want to take
the house are wanting to wait until August 1st, but the owners don’t
want to lose the rent.”
Tell you what – it’s going to cost me a few hundred
dollars to move the truck date, and we’re going to lose the apartment we wanted
in Chicago, but something’s come up with my work and we need to stay until the
end of July. That work for you?
“Excellent. We’ll get it worked out then.”
---
Uncle Bob – good news! We’re moving to Chicago!
“You’re not going to move up here without a job, are you?
Times are tough, you know. Make sure you have a job first.”
I hear you. But I have friends from my old high school in
Naperville who work in IT, and they’re saying that with my experience and the Master’s
degree, I won’t have a problem at all.
“Yeah, but you have a wife and kids depending on you. Don’t
do anything until you have that job in place.”
Uhm, yeah. Okay. But we have to be up there in September
so that the kids can start school.
“Well, you can’t be driving 800 miles back and forth for
a job, right?”
Of course not. That would be ludicrous.
