(no subject)

18 minutes to my weekly group meeting. After that, time to go to my informative about the Technical Editor position. I'm kinda excited and a little nervous, but i'm pretty sure i can do this job without significant problems, and it'd be a chance to get to do something which both kept me busy and let me do something less tedious than testing Office.

Got shot down on the Game Designer spot:

I apologize for the late reply, there has been an enormous amount of applications for the Games groups, I am in the process of responding to all of them. Thank you for your interest in this position. I appreciate that you took the time to send your resume in, Microsoft strongly encourages employee growth and self-development.  At this time, it doesn't seem that your background meets the minimum position and/or level requirements, so we won't be moving forward in the process. The team is looking for prior experience in designing a team sports title, that experience is pretty critical to their projects. Best of luck to you in your career development, let me know if I can answer any questions.

Yeah, you could answer a few questions. It's a level 57 gig, do you really think you're going to be able to get people with significant design experience on products which got built for that salary range? If you required previous experience of this nature, why didn't you specify so in the description? What's my Backyard Hockey design proposal anyway, if not a team sports design? If you've been so swamped with applicants, why has the position been open since last August? Get realistic, and be real with people who express an interest, will ya?

Anyway, i'm stoked about possibly getting to write again, so this isn't going to phase me at all. Their loss, not mine.

(no subject)

Well, just got back in from talking with Liz' pal Jo, who's filling a Technical Editor position. I think it went well- almost instant rapport, good communication. I came away with the clear idea that she's running a busy group with lots of things to work on and would like to expand to a staff of a few, rather than the two she has now (including the open slot). I think i left the impression that it's chaotic here, i'm bored with having nothing really productive to do, i could do the job and actually enjoy it, and that i'd be a cool person with whom to work.

If not this particular slot which she has (there was a candidate going through a full interview loop today), then when she gets headcount, i suspect i'd hear about it. We'll see.

A late birthday present for me!

No, you haven't missed my birthday. There's still lots of time to get cool swag to shower upon me as i turn 35- it's the 16th of April if you're keeping score. Great Big Sea are coming to Seattle for a 24 April date at the Showbox in Seattle. For other GBS tour dates, click here. If you're not familiar with GBS, why not? They're a folk-rock quartet from St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador (note: this is the new official name of the province) which do contemporary arrangements of some traditional songs from the Maritimes, covers of some new tunes (including Run Runaway from Slade and End of the World by R.E.M). These guys played at the Bumbershoot festival this past year in Seattle, and they're incredibly high-energy and put on a great show. If you get a chance to go see the boys, go- you'll enjoy it.

Another Chance for Sale and Pelletier?

See for yourself here. As is common with MSNBC articles, you'll need to scroll past some adverts to get to the body of the story. Annoying, isn't it?
It would appear that this is the story which just won't go away. They should just give them their gold medals (and let them keep the silver ones as well!) and move on before the taint of potential scandal wrecks the whole thing.
I still think her open-ice hit ranks as one of the best body-checks i've ever seen. It's almost a shame that Don Cherry isn't part of the CBC team doing the broadcasts from Salt Lake City- i could just hear Cherry ranting about Ms. Sale as if she were one of his beloved "Kingston boys." If you have no idea who Don Cherry is, you need to let me know and i'll find a Hockey Night in Canada tape to send you. Don Cherry, who used to coach the Boston Bruins, is one of the most outspoken, jingoistic, bigoted stereotype of a commentator you'll ever encounter. Ron MacLane, who i greatly respect as a broadcaster, is his standard "straight guy." Cherry is just so politically incorrect he's absolutely hysterically funny to listen to.

And a bit more...

This time, courtesy of our friends at CBC.
By the way, Jamie Sale is from Red Deer, Alberta, about as great a hotbed of hockey as you'll find. Now we know where she learned to body-check.

Didier Gailhaguet said judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne was pressured to "act in a certain way," but denied there was any wrongdoing on the part of the French Figure Skating Federation.
"Some people close to the judge have acted badly and have put someone who is honest and upright, but emotionally fragile, under pressure," he was quoted by Associated Press. "She is a fragile person and I think she has been somewhat manipulated."

For the rest of the story, click here.