An Amazing Week or Does Starbucks spike their coffee with Viagra? (by Rick)

It has been quite a week. On Tuesday last I decided that it was time to get away from town and head to Southern Pines. I would stop in Atlanta and see if I could, once and for all, settle the issue of working for G4S (the English company that I had been associated with before). I figured that I would leave on Wednesday or Thursday and try to set up an appointment with G4S in Atlanta on Thursday, Friday or Monday. As usual I got calls for job interviews right to the end. I accepted two first interviews for Wednesday morning, thinking that I would leave on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. I was to meet the recruiter at Starbucks just before the first interview. I met and I went to the interview. As I left the interview headed to the next I got a call from the recruiter; "How did it go?" she asked. "Pretty well I think. But you can never tell." Well apparently it went very well since they told the recruiter that they wanted me. I headed to the next interview knowing that I now had a job offer.

I headed for Atlanta on Thursday morning bright and early. I had my cell phone fully charged and at about 9:00am the daily recruiter calls began. At about 11:00am I got a call from the recruiter that set me up with the second of Wednesday's interviews. It went well – they want to make me an offer. Now this is highly unlikely. Two interviews in one day, both the first interview, both resulting in an offer. What was in that Starbucks coffee? I headed on to Atlanta dumbfounded, but still without confirmation of any G4S interview for either Friday or Monday.

I arrived at the Taylor household around 7:30pm. Jackson and Emmy were still awake and gave me the full house tour. We then sat down for a "dangerous" rendition of Dr. Seuss' – The Fox In Sox. Jackson and I alternated reading every other page. Carol and Jim took pictures. Following dinner, and after the young'uns went to bed my phone lit up again. This time my friend, and former supervisor from the G4S, Bob Thomas was trying to get me in front of the CTO one last time. He spoke to his boss and personally vouched for me – but nothing resulted. I touched base with him the next morning before leaving Atlanta and apparently both CTO and Bob's boss had boarded a plane to Ireland. Oh well I said, I'm tired of waiting. I accepted the better job in Dallas and headed for Southern Pines.

I arrived just in time for happy hour and moments before Karen and Norman. We had a relaxing evening and weekend, aptly reported on by other contributors. On Monday I headed back to Dallas. Having removed my resume from Monster.com, my cell phone was relatively quiet. I begin my new job as a Software Architect on Monday. I will need to consider getting a new car since my 1988 BMW convertible does not have working AC and the top leaks a bit in the rain – the new job is also too far to ride the Vespa. I will keep you posted.