Best Christmas Present Ever

So yeah, maybe that sounds a little melodramatic, and I know I said that I would not discuss work on this blog but I am gainfully employed once again. I have the world's best recruiter. You know how I work with several different ones, right? Well, the recruiter who landed me this job knocked my socks off. When I first met her, she was in a bit of a panic and was vetting my credentials for another job. I didn't feel comfortable working with her at the time, but a contact is a contact so I kept her card and made sure that I kept her updated. I didn't get the job she had met me for and I kinda figured that would be the last I heard from her. A few weeks go by and I take a look at her website. Hey, what do you know? There's a couple of positions listed right there that would be perfect for me. I called her and let her know that I was interested. I don't know what happened on those jobs, but a week after that she called me and said that I had a job interview the next day with a high profile firm. And she wanted me to get the job. I mean, she called me and prepped me, and prepped me some more. She wanted to make sure I was ready for this company. Oh, and I have the best references too.

The first interview was a piece of cake. The second interview was tricky because its always difficult to schedule around the holidays. By the time the second interview happened, my recruiter was sunning on a deck chair at some timeshare on Maui. But that doesn't mean I wasn't going into this interview cold. She called me the night before from Los Angeles to prep me some more. I've heard of some recruiters who never stop working, but this was ridiculous. It was Christmas and she was travelling. She could have taken a break. I'm reasonable, I would understand. After the second interview, the client made an offer, and that's that. No more talk about work.

Last week, we went to the best first-birthday party I can remember. Enzo J's first was pretty good, but this party had Santa Claus. And Foxy won first prize in a baby foot race. Of course it helped that she was the oldest of all the babies there, and that she could actually run. There were activities for the parents too, which I thought was pretty nice of the host to plan. By the time we arrived at the party, Ali and I were pretty mad at each other. Me because Ali can't ask for proper directions (i.e. proper street names and building numbers) if her life depended on it; and Ali because I kept reminding her of how many times I'd asked her to please get directions before. We lightened up pretty quick though. The birthday girl was subjected to the Trial of Mochi. At least that's what I'm calling it. Apparently, it is a tradition in Hokkaido to see how far kids can schlep four pounds of mochi on their backs on their first birthday. This birthday girl couldn't stand up with it, let alone walk. How embarassing!

Foxy now calls me Daddy, which is better than Mommy and just tonight she started saying her name. She's learning fast, but just when you think she can't get any faster, she does. She now copies me and Ali almost immediately. So now I have to watch what I say.