The Interview

It’s a nice morning here in LA. And I had a nice flight out yesterday. I was quite surprised, taking off from Willard Airport, to realize just how flat Central Illinois really is. Of course, I knew it was flat; I’ve lived there all my life. But I never had the privilege of seeing so much of that flat ground at one time before—not that I can remember, anyway. I took a few pictures, but they won’t be ready until I get back home to the proper wires for transferring photos from the little lady’s camera. We’re very lucky that I don’t have my own camera, because sometimes I suspect that I would take pictures incessantly. Maybe I’m turning Japanese?

I was talking to Esti on the phone yesterday about the “four fathers” bit, and I realized after a moment that I do, sort of, have four fathers. Number one, of course, would be Dad. And then there is Esti, who has been quite fatherly to me in certain areas, especially concerning issues of higher education, financial responsibility, and the search for professional employment. Next is PJ, the man who often called me “My son…” when discussing our areas of mutual insanity. Actually, he talked (at length) about the destructive impulses that we both shared, and told me that he admired me because I was able so often to refrain from acting on them. He told me about the bad consequences of acting on them when he had, and he told me all about how alluring those impulses could be when he didn’t act on them. The impulses were almost always related to pursuing women who were better left alone. And finally, the Fourth Father would be one of the assistant managers from the Ribeye, who mentioned something to one of the waitresses just before Father’s Day about having no children. I looked him in the eyes with the best sad puppy face I could manage and said, “How could you say that, Dad?” An inside joke was born. I don’t have a picture of the man, but he’s bald as I’m sure I will be. So I do have forefathers 😉

I’m gearing up for the interview, less than two hours away from now. I looked at a nice room in an apartment yesterday. Less than $500 for the room, private bathroom, access to laundry and kitchen facilities, and shared living space (two patios). To top it off, it’s at the foot of a mountain range and has a park right across the street. It’s only five miles from my potential place of employment, so I could easily ride a bike every morning to get a good workout and reduce my carbon emissions. I’ll be sure to let you all know as soon as I know more!