<p>I’m starting this week’s post with a moment of silence ‘cuz I think that the world could use one right about now……………………. OK</p>
<p>Can someone make these planes go faster? I’m ready to get home!</p>
<p>Charlie Hayden, RIP!
<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube;
<p>Aliceinw – Your kids need embedded GPS chips. Is it by design that they try to stay 12,000 miles from each other at all times? 
Oh and, Namaste… now go home! ;)</p>
<p>Tx5 – Nice GF parents is always a plus. My D’s BF’s GF’s parents were always exceptionally nice. Does your family tell you on a daily basis just how right you are? Read on…</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2 – OK, the American Girl store has gone to a new level of creepy… they have a “bakery” where you can by a cookie for you and a matching smaller one for your doll… they do realize those dolls aren’t real, right? Tell D we said Hi! (or “Hey!” in my part of VA).</p>
<p>VAMom2015 – Glad that the travel Guardian Angels were looking after your DS! These days, you need all the Guardian Angels that you can get! My dad hiked many sections of the AT trail, but not the whole thing at once. I helped my mother clean out his office this past weekend and now have several of his AT trail guides and topographic maps.</p>
<p>Jackief – I was joking with DW this weekend that I was going to cut out the ceiling in my “Cave” and put in massive shelves for all of the records that we rescued from her dad’s house (he was a DJ) and books, etc. from my dad’s office (he was a pack rat). Thanks to dad, I am now the proud owner of several books on mathematical functions (dating back to the 50’s), at least 10 different types of graph paper, handwritten calculus and linear algebra equations, and (wait for it…………) a sextant!</p>
<p>In post-college news, D2 got a call back from the company in NYC. They said that there was a problem because she did not have the required 1-2 years of experience. As she was thinking “You knew that from my resume before you had me come to NYC for the interview,” they told her that they want her to do research for them so badly that they are going to re-write the job requirements to meet her experience and plan to send her an offer letter today (it has already been approved by the Director)! So, as tx5 pointed out, D2 has graduated from “Bride’s Maid” to “Potential Bride-To-Be.” As part of the interview process, D2 had to write a research paper that was essentially a financial analysis. They told her that her paper won over the other two candidates with finance experience because she went beyond just the numbers and was able to explain the historical / cultural significance of the numbers and what it probably meant for future spending. They said that they were specifically looking for someone who would catch that perspective and not just the numbers, so her History major served her well. The company is UK based and the awkward, CC-relevant part of the interview was when they told her that “Princeton is a nice college, but it isn’t Oxford.” She’s not sure if they were jerking her chain or serious, so she just smiled, nodded, and said something the effect that it does have much more history. Being UK-based also means that D2 would be working in England some which she sees as a plus. This opportunity is a big deal for a child from a hometown of < 1000 people. I have one happy little girl (and, by extension, parents). However, she may have to give up on her “below the Mason-Dixon Line” rule. I’m not sure if the basis of that rule is culture, climate, or availability of real sweet tea. Yeah, it’s the latter. ;)</p>
<p>In the meantime, she had 2 in-person interviews in DC this week. One was at one of DC’s major museums which she would love. She texted me from DC and said that if she got a job there, there were some apartments next to her hotel that looked nice. I looked them up on-line and sent her a text back… “Those are condos that start at $400,000 and go up from there.” Reply, “Oh, Just Kidding.” ;)</p>
<p>She also had 2 more phone interviews with a certain company located near YDS. She had to write a case study this week based on a scenario that they gave her and is supposed to get a critique today. She’s not very confident. D2 is anything, but “Miss Finance” and the case study required her to research Mutual Funds about which she texted me… “This is hard, but kind of fun.” Because of her lack of finance background, she was worried about one of the interviews with one of their Hedge Fund managers, but said that he was very nice and really tried to sell her on the company and Austin in general. It’s funny, she is liking this job and what she hears about Austin more and more, but still thinks that taking it would make her feel like she was “selling out” and following the money instead of her heart. To mitigate that, she has decided that if she takes a “generic” job then she is going to find an organization about which she cares and volunteer with them.</p>
Next adventure began when he missed his connecting flight (still don’t know story on that one, since he had plenty of time, although I think it involved not being at the gate early and an oversold flight). Luckily two others headed to the same location were in the same boat. Got ticketed to another airport with a drive to the final destination. Guardian angels were continuing to work their magic, as they met a recruiter at the destination airport headed to the same place and offered all three a ride. So it all worked out well, considering all the issues (remember his cat like ability to land on his feet)!</p>
(He has 2 semesters left b/c of the co-op program being 5 years.)</p>