First Interview Frenzy

I went to work last Friday thinking it was going to be a pretty calm day after I got my two articles for Monday written. Turns out it was quite the opposite. As I’m about to scarf down a handful of almonds followed by a mango smoothie, my phone rings. I think nothing of it because I could tell that it was from the client’s office, and assumed it was just my contact calling. It wasn’t. It was a Major from the Air Force, calling me just like he said he would, about a project I am to interview him about. I didn’t think he would call me this early because he had just gotten back from being on leave. But he did. And I learned a valuable lesson.

So, I’m all over the place, trying to think of what to say next. “Oh hi Major Lincoln! So good to hear from you!” I say in an overly cheery voice. And I was happy to hear from him because I had a deadline for this story, and I was nervous about whether he would be mean or not. I mean, I've never known a major from the Air Force, or anywhere for that matter. I was pleasantly surprised however to find that the Major was perfectly pleasant to speak to. Unfortunately, I was perfectly unprepared.

So I bumble through my words as I speak to this man who is someone you shouldn’t bumble your words with. He’s part of a very prestigious, life saving project that I’m suppose to interview him about, and I sound like Rain Man. “Uh, major, hold on a moment while I get my questions.” I say as I rustle through papers. I realize I need to get myself together before doing this interview. “Hi, Major Lincoln, can I give you a call back in five minutes? Would that be ok?” He says sure and I say “Ok. Thanks. I’ll call you back in five minutes” I say stressing the five a little more than needed.

So I chug down a little more of the mango smoothie and as fast as I can, I scarf down the rest of my almonds. Still hungry but feeling a little better I find my notes with my questions, which are practically nothing. Just the Who, What, Where, and How. So I think of a few more questions and write them down.

Feeling more confident, I dial his number. “Hi Major Lincoln.” He says hello and I get right to the point. “Okay let’s start with why this project began. Why this instead of traditional method of delivering blood to those in theatre?” Wow, I surprise myself at how professional I sound. I really got it together quick. I’m such a professional. Never doubted myself for a minute. Well, maybe for a minute.

I finish the interview and take a deep breath. I did it! My first interview since I've been with Lockheed Martin. And it was successful despite my rough start. I'm still hungry so I go to the kitchen to buy some trail mix from the company vending machine and finish eating. I stop and think for a moment realizing that I must NEVER have a mishap like that one again. What if he hadn’t wanted me to call him back? What if he had been a total jerk? After this experience I will make sure I am prepared next time. I won’t make assumptions and I will put important calls on my calendar. I mean I generally put EVERYTHING on my calendar, including when I should take my next allergy pill or Tylenol if I’m having a headache (it’s not good to overmedicate). So, it’s not like me to not put important things on my calendar. I very rarely make that mistake. I definitely won't make it again and I’ll definitely be sure to eat breakfast first thing before any interview because I’ve learned this – conducting a kick-ass interview and hunger just don’t mix.

Waiting for My Destiny

Last Friday as I sat at the bar of my neighborhood Mexican restaurant Los Tios, waiting to pick up the chicken quesadilla I ordered, I couldn't help but notice all the groups of people, mostly families and young couples with kids enjoying themselves. It made me feel as though I should be doing something more than eating takeout alone on a Friday night. Then I got to thinking, wait a minute! I'm a 36, not 26, and clubbing or doing something else wild on a Friday night isn't really what I need to be doing anyway. Unlike when I was 26, I am striving toward a specific goal, to get two of my children's books published by this coming October and to hopefully sell a ton of them during the holiday season. To accomplish this, I don't need to be partying; I need to, even on a Friday night, keep working toward that goal doing market research and anything else that will help me get to that goal. My life has been pretty good, but I want more out of it than what I've been given - a lot more. I've realized that I've got to stop expecting my life to be like that of those colleagues and friends who are social workers, teachers, nonprofit managers and such, because unlike them, once I am published, my daily life will be nothing like theirs. I would like what I consider a "normal" life but I have to face the fact that my career aspirations aren’t "normal" therefore my journey getting there won't be like everyone else's. I've been temping for a little over a year now, and I'm really tired of it. REALLY tired of it. But I have to work to pay the bills, and if I decide to self-publish my book I have to work to save enough money to do it. There is a chance that I may get a publisher, I think my stories are good enough to get a major publisher, but I’m not going to count on that. I’ve read too many stories of people getting 20 or more rejections before getting a publisher, and I’m not willing to wait that long when I can do it myself in a matter of months. I know that the success I seek is going to happen for me, everyone keeps telling me that my writing is great, but it just seems so far away. But if the old adage, "a good thing is worth waiting for" is true, I must be on my way to something REALLY good. I haven't lost faith, just patience, which has always been a challenge for me. But I guess if Toni Morrison waited until she was 39 before she won her Pulitzer, I can wait another year or two, or three, or even four, to become a best selling millionaire. But damn it if I'm not raking in the dough at age 39 in four years, I'm going to try out for the Rockettes, which was the dream I had at 16, and maybe I'll make history and become the first 40-year old Rockette. I did win a sexy legs contest once, it could happen! I mean, you gotta have a back up plan right? But just in case the Rockette thing doesn't work out either, I'll make sure I have a second backup plan that includes a real career like teaching or something, because I wouldn't want to end up in the loony bin, which is where I would probably end up, trying to be a Rockette at 40 years old. So for now, I'll try not to jump out of the 10 story building I'm temping in and just be thankful I've got work - no matter how mind numbing it may be. I promise that you won’t hear about me on the evening news, my patience isn’t up yet. I do however plan to be on the evening news one day, but in a very positive way - after I've sold a ton of books! It’s going to happen, I’m just in a bit of a rut right now, but some way, some how I’m going to make it happen . Just you wait! I know God wouldn't put the desire in me to do it if he didn't want it for me. Knowing that is what keeps me going, and what makes me know without a doubt this is what I am meant to do.