Erieversible

One of the dictionary definitions of ‘anticlimactic’ is…”Something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events“.  So why, after months of effort, does the arrival of a job offer feel anticlimactic?

I guess I didn’t expect job hunting here to be so hard, to take so long.  I certainly didn’t foresee the collapse of the world economy, which has seen hiring freezes implemented in so many places.  So, strangely, there’s partly a feeling of ‘but why did it take so long’ foreshadowing the offer.  Which is ridiculous, because it’s a great firm and a great offer!

Anyway, doom and gloom aside, there’s one offer on the table in black and white.  That job is in Buffalo.  And today I interviewed for a local, Erie company.  I felt it went well, but I did advise them of the other offer and they need to move fast if they are to make an offer, because I simply cannot turn down the Buffalo job on a hope.  If I turn that down, and there’s no local offer, then we are back to square one in a declining economy.

Decisions, decisions.  If only one offer was on the table, with no prospect of any others, we’d be delighted.  The Buffalo job is a really good one, and the offer is great.  We’re taking the kids there at the weekend so they can have a look round.  While they will, if necessary, move wherever we deem necessary, I’d love to have them as fired up about it as we are.

But…

…putting the kids through another upheaval is not high on our wish-list.  Both companies involved are cracking employers and I would recommend them to anyone.  (I might name them, after this is all resolved.)  I don’t suppose anybody reading this has anything useful to contribute, such as Saturday’s Powerball numbers?

The money from the sale of the house has been received, converted into dollars and transferred across the Atlantic.  Another couple of little tasks have been sorted out.  So I am now ready to head to the airport.  And I have a day to spare.  I feel a bit lost now.  I might even have time to relax at the hotel this evening.  What will I do until the 13:55 flight to London tomorrow? 

It is good to be finished early.  Although I have to fly to London during tomorrow I’ll make it an official rest day, because the last few weeks have been wall-to-wall activity and once I get to Erie there are so many things to get done.

For the record, the flights off the island I booked for £54.09 last week are now, at the time I am in a position to be sure which one I need, at £101.09 - so in the end I wasted £7.09 which I can live with given the comfort factor that bought me.  It would have been nice to say I actually came out ahead, but it was a close run thing.

So today is not only my last day in the office but also my last full day on the Isle of Man.  Will I ever return?  Unlikely.  Possible, but unlikely.