And when I went back to drop off my lease application, I got super lost
in Florence and found everything I could ever want in a city. It really
reminds me of a less affluent Farmington Hills in that there’s stuff
from Florence all the way to Cinci, unlike Lafayette where there’s big
gaps of wide open suckiness between here and Indy (or even the next
city over from Lafayette). There’s a mall, a Dunkin Donuts, a Best Buy,
plenty of restaurants, a Dunkin Donuts, a whole stinking mall, a
Meijer, a Target, and did I mention that there is a Dunkin Donuts
there? Yeah, it has one of those too. I can’t wait to live there!
Oh yeah
Step 2, Place to live
Today I took a half day off work to drive down to Florence, KY (not
Florence Italy, that would be a long afternoon I imagine). I had my
sights set on three apartment complexes, and Jacqui volunteered to come
along for the ride. All three places had 2 bedroom apartments, pool,
clubhouse, pet policies, A/C, washer/dryer hookups, laundry rooms, and
dishwashers. All were listed in the same price range and all within 3
miles of each other and right off Highway 42 which my new job is on. So
the challenge was to figure out what set them apart.
We went to The Vineyard first.We were greeted by Amanda who was quick
to get me set up with initial paper work and a bottle of water. We then
toured the apartment and club house. All the while she was very excited
and very energetic. She also quoted me a price that was about $50 less
per month than what was listed.
The second place was a smaller community than the other two. The office
manager was the only one there and when I had called earlier in the day
I had to leave a message so I figured she might be tough to get a hold
of in the future. Nothing really stood out here, and the price was
nothing special.
The third place, The Trails of Saddlebrook, gave The Vineyard a run for
the money. Same price as #2, except that you could get a 13th month
free spread out over 13 months so that dropped the rent somewhat, but a
newer complex, nicer clubhouse, and it had a place you could go and
wash your car. The apartments were also slightly bigger, but the 2
bedroom will already be way more room than I need so that didn’t factor
into my decision. What was also nice was that you could get an
apartment without a fireplace. I really don’t need/want a fireplace.
Wood is such a pain in the butt and then you’ve got an unevenly heated
apartment.
So it came down to #1 and #3. #1 had the advantages of an indoor hot
tub, lower cost, and a more young, vibrant atmosphere. #3 sported the
car washing area, the no fireplace option, and is newer. My gut told me
to go with the Vineyard so I did. It also works out that it is within
walking distance of a certain pastry shop that I have missed so much
while spending time here in Lafayette. Tomorrow I should have a new
address and can start to set up things like cable, internet, and
electricity. Who knows, I might really pull this all off before April
11th.
Say Goodbye to Slim and Trim Will
There is a Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to work and it is in Florence!!!!?
Are you for real?!?!
If you grew up when I did you probably remember asking people "Are you
for real!?!?!" whenever they would make an incredulous claim. Yeah the
person was real, yeah, what they were saying was probably the truth,
but you still had to ask. I miss those days.
Now I use words like "incredulous" instead. Yeah it makes me sound
older and more mature/refined, but I can still hear my younger self
inside yelling "IS HE FOR REAL?!?!". There’s no real point to this
post, just some nostalgia.
Deflated, but not Defeated
This past weekend was the IU Open. I drove down with Ben and Pocket
Friday night and we all (8 Purdue fencers, plus Brittany, Whitey, and
Gabe) stayed at Bruno’s place Friday night and had a grand old time.
Saturday I fenced like I’m supposed to. I finished 6th out of 19 which
is right about where I should finish considering the skill level of the
five fencers above me. It felt good to fence well at a tournament again
this year. I didn’t renew my C, but it’ll happen someday. Big Joe
earned his B in a well fought match against Bill and Jay.
After a nice relaxing dinner at Bucceto’s,
a pizza place… before I go on I must mention that the wait staff was
all female and all very attractive, and not in the fake Hooter’s way,
but in a girl-next-door way, and they were very friendly too. I wonder
if it just worked out that way or if they specifically hired them that
way. Anyway we drove back to West Lafayette and it was late so I stayed
at my place instead of continuing on to Monticello.
In the morning I went to my parents place, we went to church, brunch,
and then came home. My brother fell asleep and the three of us all
played Pente. Pente is tough with just two people, but three is
downright hard. You opponents either need to mess up big time or you
need to set up a win that would require more than two stones to block.
I stuck around for dinner then headed home. I picked up a futon cover,
bag of beans for my re-acquired bean bag chair, and a mini ironing
board from Meijer on my way in.
Today I will accept my job at NAS (which stands for North American
Stainless, not National American Stainless as I mistakenly said
previously), and I’ve pretty much pinned down my apartment that I want
to live in. I only wish I could go down to see it before next Tuesday.
I’ve still got some ends to tie up for RCF, but it’ll get done.
Audience Reminder
This is just a reminder that this web log is intended for my personal
group of peers. I do encourage others to read it, however this blog
rarely gives the whole picture. My goal is often to illicit a response
or to start a conversation, or just unload some emotion as was the case
last Friday when I got an unpleasant email. The problem has since been
resolved and I was able to reach that resolution by approaching the
situation with a level head.
So please don’t stop reading, but please recognize the context as well. Thank you! And if you are looking for my portfolio site, it is at http://professional.will.read.name/ when it is up and running.
Today’s Excitement
Yesterday I was excited about the prospect of having my very own
business cards. More than anything else that this move means for me,
business cards. I’m weird. I know.
Today it is being a part of a new fencing club. I don’t have to worry
about the old politics of PFC (instead I get new politics). I also get
a coach, and a new take on running a club. It’ll be good input for my
own coaching growth and in my RCF running endeavors.
Tonight I’m heading to IU for a fencing tournament on Saturday. Some of
the fencers of yore will be there, namely Bruno and Whitey. No Purdue
foilists…AGAIN. I hate fencing alone. Hate it.We’ll see how I do, I
really want to at least earn a D to know I’m not a total fencing
blunder on the strip. It’d kick butt if I renewed my C but I don’t feel
it happening.
I wonder what part of my job/location change I’ll be excited about tomorrow…
OMG OMG OMG
Apparently, this is what happens when you’re away from your phone from 6pm until 9am the next day. Heaven forbid people go do stuff with their evenings.
Good morning, Will.
Tried your phone again and got the "full" message.
We’ll need to speak with you today — preferably early in the day — about the offer at NA Stainless. Companies tend to withdraw offers when candidates go incommunicado at this point in the process. Also, I understand there is a strong 2nd choice candidate they were weighing in deciding on you. If you don’t respond pretty soon — like today — NA Stainless is likely to go with the 2nd guy.
If you have an issue with the company or the offer, you need to let me know. ([Recruiter] left for vacation today.) I can’t address anything I don’t know about. [NAS Human Resources Director] called us yesterday wondering why we couldn’t reach you for an answer. We had to tell him you seemed to have disappeared and were not taking voice messages. That kind of thing tends to make an employer reconsider his decision.
It’s easy to think that once an offer is made, it will hang out there for as long as the candidate wants. Things usually don’t work that way. The offer will go away if the company thinks the candidate is playing games. Keep in mind, our credibility with the employer is your credibility. When we tell them we can’t reach you, they understand that we certainly are trying hard and you the candidate are just not responding.
When we speak with NAS today, we’ll have to tell them you’re refusing messages and not responding to emails like the one I sent late yesterday afternoon. In all likelihood, they’ll take that as a sign that you’re not interested and go ahead with the 2nd guy.
If you’re no longer interested, courtesy would dictate you letting everyone know what you think. It’s never a good idea to burn bridges.
Thanks, Will. Give me a call.
[Associate Recruiter]
I want this job and told the HR guy I’d get back with him Monday. And who is this "strong second candidate"? The guys at NAS told me flat out that I was the only person who had all the skills they were looking for. OMG OMG OMG.
EDIT: I’ve spoken with both the Recruiter and the NAS HR department and everything is in order for me to officially accept on Monday, they are not going to replace me with Guy #2.
The Beanie Results
So I wore the beanie out tonight. For those of you who don’t know, a
beanie is a hat with a propeller. Mine happens to be very colorful and
has a llama on top too.
Well the end count was that guy spun the propeller way more than girls,
like 9:1, so single ladies, this is the hat for you. I think part of
the problem is that on a whole, women are either my height or shorter,
so it is hard for them to see that high, let alone interact with it.
Nads, I just might get that black blinking bow tie…
A week ago…
Last week Wednesday I got a call from a recruiter, today I got an offer
from NAS. Last week I was sitting there wondering how I’d pay for RCF,
this week I’m sad to let it go but know it’ll be in good hands.
I got the offer today. It was slightly less than what I was hoping for,
but still above what another job offered me back in December. I like
the people, I like the attitude they have for the company, I like the
growth. I like the location. I can’t wait to live near Cinci and work
close to Louisville.
The beginner class will be in the hands of Brandon, who just finished
the beginner class, but is also the best new fencer I’ve seen in my 6
years. As long as he can find someone to continue to challenge him
he’ll be amazing. I still need someone to teach Foil II, but I don’t
think it’ll happen, so it’s refund city. I had three signed up for that
class too. *sigh*
But yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, made this kind of
life path altering decision based on a weeks worth of events. It’ll be
interesting to see how it pans out. I have to accept the job and I
think they’ll have me out there on April 11th. If I don’t have a place
lined up they’ll put me up in a temporary place for a month, and
they’ll help me with my rent here in Lafayette.
So that’s kind of my life. It feels.. good. I’m not the least bit
worried, I’m not really sad, I just feel good about it all. I think
that’s how things are supposed to feel when you’re making good choices,
or when you’re dumb and ignorant. Cactus tomorrow to celebrate!
