Sunday, December 05, 2004

Dr. Livingston, I Resume?

We're turning resumes for a flock of folks. In preparation for the new contract, we are mapping everybody on the current contract--and some bodies who are still coming aboard--to new job descriptions.

Here's an interesting question. If you give 600 people two versions of a template, and tell them to return their updated resumes within 48 hours, how many versions will they return? If you guessed two, you're not even close. I'm no math major, but bitter experience tells me it's a darn sight more than two. I take consolation in the conviction that having given the same group a single template would have yielded the same astounding variety of formats. I was raised in an agricultural area, so there is some comfort in realizing that "plant a little, reap a lot" works in other areas as well. But "reap" rhymes with "sleep" and the abundance of the former is taking its toll on the latter.

Today was a mental health day. Although I planned to go into the office, I called in well this morning. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe it was the sunshine. Maybe it was the truck that needed unloading. Maybe it was ... well, maybe it was just a good idea.

Joan worked today. She intended to come home, heat some soup, and crawl into bed. Instead, we lured her to our friends' house for homemade rotis, lentil soup, a salad of tomato wedges with red onions with herbs and olive oil, a potato dish, an okra dish, and papad. That's something I have yet to see the fine folks at Campbell's wrap in tin. Good food, good friends, and good conversation. It's a fine ending to a weekend.

Since we're ending on a high note, I won't mention that both Katie and Nimisha beat me in backgammon this evening. That way, I can salvage my bruised ego. You didn't hear it here. Thanks for understanding.