A Semi-Cryptic Explanation

 I should explain about the new job.

Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from a recruiter for a placement service.  She found me through my posted resume.

Thursday afternoon, I met with the recruiter, filled out a lot of paperwork, and took an accounting test.  As I worked on the computer-based test, which was challenging, I heard the recruiter chatting me up to the employer she had in mind.  (I also heard some other job-seeker indignantly complaining that the requested paperwork was an invasion of her privacy.  She wanted a job, but how dare they ask for her social security number, or to see her ID for the I-9 form?  Good luck getting a job, lady.)

Friday at 8 AM, I met with the assistant controller of a national firm with a large presence in Tucson.  Friday afternoon, I came back and met with the controller.  I left an hour and a half later with a start date, and some tips on what to study during the two week notice period I insisted on giving Mal.  There was never a formal job offer.  It was assumed I would take the job for the salary I had previously mentioned, plus benefits.  It's not even a temp-to-hire situation as originally planned, although I will be on probation for 30 days.  That's fine.  I don't plan to screw this up.

This whole thing hit me like a ton of bricks.  I felt as though I was deserting Mal and Worldwide Travel.  "Oh, God, what have I done?" is basically what I thought, how I felt.  But this is the right thing to do, and Mal's been great about it..

I won't be naming my new employer here, because it's a business where security and confidentiality are taken seriously.  (No, it's not Raytheon.)  I probably could tell you the exact business name, the line of work, even the building it's in, and chances are good that nobody would mind.  Still, this is an important opportunity for me, and I don't want to do anything reckless.  You know how confessional I tend to get in this journal.  Rather than constantly trying to figure out where the line is, what to say and what to keep confidential, I'm drawing a line that's very conservative and easy to observe.  Let's just say that it seems to be a good, ethical business with good, ethical people.  And oh, yeah--it's even a short commute!

In other news, the car that John drives 20 miles each direction to get to work, my mom's old 1984 New Yorker, needs $500 worth of brakes and probably the same again in engine work.  John is going to try to baby it along for another couple of weeks, until the rest of the insurance money comes in and I get my final check from Worldwide Travel with all the vacation pay. But then it's got to be replaced!  John was hoping to spend money fixing up the house, but it's more important that he not be driving a deathtrap on his long daily commute.

So what does it all add up to?  A heck of a lot of change in our lives.  In a period of about eight months, I'll have gone from accounting student to CPA candidate, small company bookkeeper to large company accountant, Saturn driver to Eagle driver.  John will have gone from L&J to unemployment to this other company (still on track to be hired on when the temp contract runs out), and from driving a 21-year-old hand-me-down car to...what?  I'll let you know when we get there.

Karen