Getting a Job Round 2

I made a follow up call up to the Gazette Monday. Chris explained to me that I had written "good English" in my piece, but I had failed to write a newspaper article. The grammar in the article was great, the sentence structures was fine, the over all structure of the story was perfect, but the leading sentence would never be seen in a newspaper article. He needed someone who had a nose for a story, someone who could see the headline and bust out a great lead paragraph and then just monkey around with the English for the rest of the story. I had attempted to stay true to the tone of the reporter when I had typed it up and my goal had been to write "good English," which is something I've been working on for years now and it hasn't come easily (some of you might point to this blog as an example, but I have so many things to edit and re-write in a day that sometimes the blog does get the short end of the stick, and I'm sorry about that). So I had accomplished my goal, but that wasn't all Chris was looking for, which is too bad because the other half of it I think I naturally have. I think I can read a report, find a story, and be entertaining and concise when I write about it. All this aside, Joe, the publisher, wanted to meet with me and Chris wanted to give me another editing test. This time I needed to focus on the story.

I was up early this morning. Only four hours of sleep the previous day put me to bed early and allowed me to get up several hours before I my meeting with Joe and the second editing test. I took a nice morning run on the beach. I think my runs (typically mid-day) have really been helping me pull through all of this as well as support from Jackie, my family, and my friends. The sand under my shoes is constantly shifting, but I try to find the most well packed path as I jog next to the ocean. Before passing the spot that I was attacked by a dog on my first run I still pick up a rock or a handful of sand.

 After a long shower and a fresh shave, I start dressing. There is a lot of concern and frustration at the Gazette with their turn-over rate. People just have things come up and skip town, then they have to go through the hiring process and the long training process to get a new person up to speed. Chris keeps saying "We'll lock you up in a one year contract." I'm fine with that. I'm actually trying to make it clear that if things go well and the job is a good fit for me that I would be interested in spending at least two years with the Gazette. With charcoal grey pants, a white button down, and a blue tie I think I'm ready. I went out a bought a dark blue tie yesterday. I feel like a dark blue tie might help impress upon them a sense of stability, seriousness, and lack of whimsicality, things I imagine they would like after having to deal with so many people just taking off.  I immediately and unconsciously counter this image by taking a heavy real feeling pellet gun that had been confiscated from one of Jackie's students ages ago from my desk drawer (apparently no one ever claimed it) and started aiming the gun at the mirror pretending to be a FBI or CIA agent, or at least a man who needs to dress sharply and carry a gun. Following my better judgment I only take a notebook and the Kindle to the interview, leaving the toy gun behind.