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 If you don't want to pay the fee to go to the highest floor of the Hancock, a hack was to go to the Signature Room and order a drink, appetizer, or whatever.  You got the same view and at least something
for your money.  An employee told me that the best time to go is just before Sunset, he swore you could see ghosts floating around ChicagoHedge (we didn't call it that then).  Never made the effort to do that.

As a native Chicagoan, I've been to the Signature Room exactly two times that I can remember.  Once because a friend wanted to have a birthday drink there.  another time was for a date.

both were F-ing lame.  

Most Chicagoans only do stuff like this when they have friends from out of town visiting.  Oh, and the Sears/Willis Tower has or had a similar room.  We ended up there one New Year's Eve and it was also...lame.

Shelves and Steaks

 I did a couple of things around the house.   First, I finally used these shelves I bought at my in-laws bi-annual yard sale.   

I've always wanted to set up a coffee bar (with hidden liquor bar components) but didn't have the chance to do so until now.

Next, I created this shelf from a shelf we used on our old sectional.  The kids destroyed the sectional and parts of it are in the Master Bedroom and Kid's room.  

Finally, here are some steaks I grilled for Nightingale's 49th birthday.  I thought about buying some lobster tails but as I have never cooked those before, I didn't want to screw up a $29/lb purchase.

The Interview

 I'm writing these entries as they happen and as I have time to jot things down but I may not publish until months from now (or ever). Note: This post was written when the events were still fresh.  I waited for a while to post this because I didn’t want to risk my job-hunting efforts.

So the interview with No-Name Software Company Adjacent Company came and went.  As far as I can tell, it went well.  At the same time, there wasn't any moment I could point to that said "Yes they want me" or "No they won't hire me".  

As far as interviews go, this one was painless.  I took the lead and asked him to describe the role beyond what the recruiter told me and factoring in any changes in the Job Description (JD) since initial posting. 
 

The interview was conducted by a nice enough fellow who wears the title of Director but is really just a techie who has been doing this far too long.  We of course ran out of time before he could ask me any significant questions, had he the desire and ability to do so.

Best case he is kicking the can down the road and setting up a technical interview where I can really show my knowledge of the No-Name Software platform.  It seems all their products integrate with it so my knowledge gives me a leg up on other candidates, at least on paper.  

Nightingale has given me permission to stop job hunting and focus on being a SAHD.  We were good savers and she now has a good paying job in a low-cost-of-living state.  That said, I would like my own income and to keep padding our retirement funds.  

BTW, this role turns out to be more implementation consultant than customer solution oriented.  Honestly, I can do it if they give me a chance.  I really just want to be able to add to my resume and be able to subtract some of the pointless contract work I had to take on.

No-Name Software Company Adjacent

  I'm writing these entries as they happen and as I have time to jot things down but I may not publish until months from now (or ever). Note: This post was written when the events were still fresh.  I waited for a while to post this because I didn’t want to risk my job-hunting efforts. 

Near the end of last year, I interviewed for a job that I really wanted.  It was No-Name Software Company Adjacent, meaning my experience with that software platform would have been advantageous.  I had three rounds of interviews only to return from the holidays to a "We've made the decision to continue the process with another candidate"  only to see the job reposted on LinkedIn less than a month later.

This year has been even stranger in the job hunt because I had a few recruiters reach out about positions that weren't actually available yet, or the movement stalled or the Job Hunting Gods just want to fuck with me.

'bout to drop a sic album

My options are in-house at a law firm (or if I'm lucky, an in-house at a non-law firm), working for a consulting company, or one of the rare No-Name Software adjacent opportunities.

Even during the Remote Heyday, most law firms require you to live in a state where they have an office for tax compliance reasons.  And now they are pushing back to the office at least in Hybrid Mode.  

The consulting companies want someone with my No-Name Software Company experience, but not my Corporate America experience, because they want to take advantage of less seasoned employees.  And if we are being honest, a lot of people I've worked with over the years work at these places and they simply do not like me.

Finally, there are the No-Name Software Company Adjacent roles which are harder to find and I've already been passed up on 2-3.

I'm interviewing for one of those tomorrow but I have so little hope that I haven't even mentioned it to Nightingale.  Besides the usual lethargic haze, the cadence on this one has been abysmal.  It's a little fuzzy when I actually applied but I recall when I got a call (Sept 7th) from the in-house recruiter, my thought was "Wow I applied 2 weeks and I'm hearing from you now".

We had a call but ran out of time.  He did say he would present me and hope I moved forward.  When I didn't hear from him on Monday as he suggested, I reached out Tuesday via email.  He didn't respond until Thursday saying that he hadn't heard anything but would ping the person.

I waited until the middle of this week to send a "Hey what's going on" in the cacophony of Corporate America speak.  He responded EOD and said the directory wanted to interview me and set it up for tomorrow.

A couple of things.  The pace he responds to emails is ridiculous.  That tells me that he is inefficient, his company can't get things done in a timely fashion, or both.  

He declined my request for some pre-interview coaching so I don't really think I'm gonna ace this interview.   

Overcoming Home Stretch Complacency

 Two additional items to check off my ToDo List.  Yesterday I painted the Ultimate Playset after powerwashing and preping over the weekend.  

When the set arrived, the builders put it together and did some painting.  Most of it was pre-painted but apparently, there are some components that don't get painted until post-assembly.   It didn't take long for the paint to start to flake and chip.  I suspect it was because they rushed it trying to make up for their Colossal Fuckup of not having the Playset ready on time.  

Note: Those three boards look bad but they are just dirty;
They were the only ones that didn't need painting

I don't have the exact timeline and am too lazy to look it up, but at some point, I went to a local paint franchise and asked if they could sell me smaller sizes of the paint I needed for both the workroom and the playset.  They were able to do so.  I can only assume their business model allows them to do this on the assumption I'll come back for all my paint needs (I will) or the Big Box stores are lying when they say they can only sell me a gallon of some paint that  I only need 8 oz.

To Review:

Home Stretch Complacency.  

"The symptoms of HSC are, after spending years on a difficult and time-consuming renovation project, crashing on the last lap. That final room doesn’t get done, the trim doesn’t go up, and the primer doesn’t get painted. You sink into lethargy and just live with it."   Brooklyn Row House

For the Playset, it started out as just a few flakes off one or two boards.  But over time, it became more and more.  

For the WorkRoom, even painting a small 9 sq ft section like this still involves prep work and mess.  I washed the floor and taped the wall.  And even though I was careful with the paint, I still got some on my hands and it wasn't easy to get a good clean stroke.  But then again, it's just a workroom and it will be fine.  

The nice thing is that Farrell Calhoun Paint was able to make it happen.  You cannot tell that these are different source paints.  

Keeping Busy

 While Nightingale is away at her new job, I have been trying to keep busy and be productive by working on projects around the house.  The weather is more favorable and I can do outdoor things in the morning before it heats up, then switch to inside stuff just before picking up the kids from school.

• 
  patched a small dent in the kids room wall 
• painted scratched paint in the master bedroom 
• various garage organizations/cleaning/purging  
• installing bike racks
• Cut some dead tree limbs 
• cleaned and polished printer stand

It might be hard to notice but the stand looks much cleaner and has a darker finish.  I don't dare try to sand, stain, and seal this antique.  

There are many more things on my ToDo list.  Some are actually quite ambitious.   Stay Tuned.