rmd | Updatey update.

So, it's been a little over a month since I was informed i'd be laid off effective 2/28/11. I figured there wouldn't be much action on the jobhunt front during the holidays since the wheels of 'arranging to exchange money for labor' tend to move slowly around then in the land of non-seasonal work. But now that we're into 2011, I've started kicking things into gear a bit more. I had a not-entirely-unsuccessful 2nd interview at one place where I didn't throw up or pass out or anything, so I'm presumably still in the running there. I've tossed my hat in the ring at a few other places. I've got my resume up on dice.com and have gotten a few nibbles for contract work (which I am not currently interested in [1]) and at least one FTE position that is a bit beyond my current geographical search area[2]. Nothing from the one recruiter I've talked to, and no answer from a couple of places I tossed my resume a couple of months back, before I got the layoff announcement. I've also gotten a nibble from the professional services group from a network gear vendor who has local offices, which is a bit outside my current sphere of greatest clue, but I'm looking forward to chatting about it with them regardless. So... things are progressing apace, I think. It definitely sounds like the general tech market isn't too bad -- several of the laid off folks who are out the door already or soon have things lined up either now or starting soon. I wouldn't expect things to move quite so fast for me since there are fewer senior neteng positions out there so that even if there's the same rate of churn, you're not going to see as many openings.

While there is a lot about startup culture I like, I really am not a good fit with a small startup -- you have to reach a certain size before you have a network that needs someone like me.

I continue to be nervous (my mood swings wildly between "woot! I'll get a job soon and with the severance $$ we can buy a new couch and stuff!" and "oh god, we'll be eating nothing but ramen and peanut butter in a few months and by september we'll have to move into a cardboard box under a bridge!"), but generally hopeful.

On the other hand, my Mini is sick. I went out to start it up this morning and only some of the diagnostic lights went on when I turned the key, and when I attempted to start the motor, the power window sputtered downward a few millimeters each time I tried to crank the engine. This is not the normal behavior for this car. Since it's fucked up electrical stuff, I'll probably take it to the dealer -- minis are getting more common now that they've been out there for a few years, but they're still not as generally-well-known as, say, a honda accord. So I'm thinking for something that out there, the bmw/mini techs are probably a better bet. I suppose I'll have to have it towed over. I haven't talked to them about it yet.

For today, I snagged

clauclauclaudia and we pushed the mini out into the street and I started the truck and parked it on the street and then, with the help of a neighbor who happened by, we moved the mini back into the driveway. (My driveway is serial, not parallel, access.)

I have discovered a new form of crack. Or rather, new to me. I took advantage of some of the Baen free CD stuff (posted at thefifthimperium.com, which Bean appears to be turning a blind eye towards if not actually endorsing) and read Weber's "On Basilisk Station" which was, as expected, crack like popcorn fun of Horatio Hornblower in spaaaaaaaaace...

Also, if you like peculiar dry humor in the form of John Hodgeman and audio entertainment in the form of podcasts, you might enjoy the Judge John Hodgeman podcast. Each episode, Judge Hodgeman hears and decides on a case brought by two listeners. Past cases have involved "Does a room in this couples' dwelling constitute a 'den'?", "Should fiction include parentheses?", and "Are machine guns robots?"

[1] As part of my general risk aversion when it comes to employment-related stuff, I'm looking for an FTE not contract position. If I'm still unemployed in a few months, I'll certainly be revisiting the idea of contract work.
[2] I'd love to have a very short commute or a T commute. I'd settle for something within the general rt 128 area. In a few months, I'll be willing to go out to 495. Wait a few months beyond that and I'll be looking at things in NH. Relocation, however, is off the table for a few years, at least.
[3] And yet I have never read more than a little of "Infinite Jest"