Hi, Everybody! (a la Dr. Nick)
Chugging along here in the 'Burgh. Put some pics on our site, which (very) loosely chronicle the events of the last two months. Yes, I now realize that "livingroom" is one word. Do not make fun of the sleep deprived! At least I spelled "studious" correctly, although it looks very, very wrong.

Rick's the studiest! Stoodiest!

I am enjoying my job at the coffee shop, despite the 2nd degree burns and the 4:45 wake up call. But believe me, as soon as the next offer comes around, I am on my way. See ya latte, Coffee Tree!

Surprisingly, I'm getting a strong response to my resume. I say "surprisingly" not because I am surprised that I am getting response, what with my fine, well-rounded educational and professional background. (Any hiring managers out there?) No, I'm surprised because I'm getting response NOW, after a year or so of searching. As I told my friend Brendan, I guess people really don't respond to out-of-town resumes, even if you state (in big, bold letters) that you are relocating at your own expense.

No matter. I have a couple of nice leads that I am hoping will come to fruition soon. One opportunity that sounded particularly intriguing to me was with a company called Edulink, Inc. They're a Pittsburgh-based company that creates ASP solutions for secondary and higher education institutions to help them keep track of human resource information, such as Act 48 hours and applicant tracking. They're looking for grant writers. The position is base plus commission, but there are no set quotas for proposals, and you can work from home. I'm waiting for an interview--I want to see if it's something I can do for secondary income--it seems so interesting. Plus, I think it would be great experience. There are a ton of fundraising and grant writing positions here in Pgh. Also, I mentioned to them that I've done training on ASPs before, in case they might need someone with THAT expertise. (Someone's gotta teach these HR people to use their fancy applications.)

Pittsburgh Technical Institute also contacted me about a couple of positions. I'm meeting with them on Saturday at their job fair. Networking my buns off, too. Joined the Pittsburgh chapter of ASTD and will be attending their social next Thursday, which happens to be at Valhalla. My friend Krista says I should establish some type of secret signal with Rick that means "get THIS GUY another beer."

Speaking of Rick, he is doing well. Happy to be working. Looking to make some changes at Valhalla, as apparently their sales are too low, and their food, liquor, and labor costs are too high. His GM told him "do whatever you want." Welcome aboard, Cap'n Dick! (Rick's nickname at Great Lakes, for those not in the know.)

It's 8:18 p.m. It's my bedtime. Man, that sucks.