Hmmm...
There are some further thoughts about Uncle over at athena71 - feel free to read and comment. I'm beginning to wonder if there's a nanonovel in all this, somewhere? And whether that is what I will end up publishing? Rather than my pirates - who still want to be written about, but who deserve a great deal more thought than I've given them so far. And Uncle, despite him being a taciturn bugger, is shouting louder than them, at the moment.
Pesky characters. Why do they never behave the way you want them to?!
While I'm on the subject of writing, I've found a new writer at fanfiction.net Mariagoner , who I think is rather good. Her latest offering is the first chapter of a piece about Vaan, Penelo, and Larsa. It made me smile :D
And also on the subject of writing, I've suddenly found myself writing bloody job applications! On Monday, JB sent me a link for a job at Liverpool Uni, which looks a bit like the one I went for with the Faculty of Health last year. I tinkered a (very) little with the application I made for that one, and asked Wayne to look it over. Of course, he pulled it to pieces, but that's kind of why I ask him to look at my applications - because he spots the things I'd never see.
Towards the end, he said the only point on the person spec I hadn't really addressed at all was the one about working in a political environment. I couldn't remember anything about 'political environment' in the spec, so went to get my copy. They were for two different jobs with the same title, but in different areas of the University! The one Wayne had found has a deadline of tomorrow, so I worked my socks off this afternoon getting it done and e-mailed off. The upside of this one is that it has essential and desirable criteria - and I can meet both, which would give me a good chance of being appointed at the higher end of the scale. The downside is that it's only for a year at most. I hadn't realised that - it may be too late to ask Mark if I could go for it as a secondment. Anyway, I'm hopeful of an interview - and we'll take it from there.
The deadline for the other job (which is permenant) is next week, so I have time to think about it.
I've gone for a different approach with this application. After wading through loads of applications in the last couple of years, JB said she wished people would say - this is what you're looking for, and this is how I meet it - rather than loads and loads of narrative (which was my previous style). I've gone for a comprimise - I've put each criterion from the person spec as a sentence, and then put some narrative about how I meet it. I've also been able to take each point of the job description, and show how I've already done similar work! The important thing at this stage is meeting the person spec in order to get an interview, but it's nice to know I can do the job, too!
And, talking of interviews, Billy had one today for his training post. Hopefully, he'll get in - he's so enthusiastic about getting started, it would be a real blow if they knock him back. Of course, something else will probably come up, but he'd feel discouraged. He had a real song and dance trying to find the place, though! Still, he got there, eventually. He looks so smart in a shirt and tie - awww. But, he said none of the other people there were dressed as well as he was - they were all in jeans! Oh, well - at least he has some ties, if he ever does need them.
Spent a bit of time chatting to JB, yesterday. I really don't know what I make of my relationship with her. I can talk to her too easily to be able to say I dislike her - and yet her very existance irritates me too much to be able to say I like her! How can you be irritated by someone's existance? What does that say about me?! To say it's unfair is an understatement of the hugest proportions.
Well, I'm off to bed, soon. Night, LJ!
Pesky characters. Why do they never behave the way you want them to?!
While I'm on the subject of writing, I've found a new writer at fanfiction.net Mariagoner , who I think is rather good. Her latest offering is the first chapter of a piece about Vaan, Penelo, and Larsa. It made me smile :D
And also on the subject of writing, I've suddenly found myself writing bloody job applications! On Monday, JB sent me a link for a job at Liverpool Uni, which looks a bit like the one I went for with the Faculty of Health last year. I tinkered a (very) little with the application I made for that one, and asked Wayne to look it over. Of course, he pulled it to pieces, but that's kind of why I ask him to look at my applications - because he spots the things I'd never see.
Towards the end, he said the only point on the person spec I hadn't really addressed at all was the one about working in a political environment. I couldn't remember anything about 'political environment' in the spec, so went to get my copy. They were for two different jobs with the same title, but in different areas of the University! The one Wayne had found has a deadline of tomorrow, so I worked my socks off this afternoon getting it done and e-mailed off. The upside of this one is that it has essential and desirable criteria - and I can meet both, which would give me a good chance of being appointed at the higher end of the scale. The downside is that it's only for a year at most. I hadn't realised that - it may be too late to ask Mark if I could go for it as a secondment. Anyway, I'm hopeful of an interview - and we'll take it from there.
The deadline for the other job (which is permenant) is next week, so I have time to think about it.
I've gone for a different approach with this application. After wading through loads of applications in the last couple of years, JB said she wished people would say - this is what you're looking for, and this is how I meet it - rather than loads and loads of narrative (which was my previous style). I've gone for a comprimise - I've put each criterion from the person spec as a sentence, and then put some narrative about how I meet it. I've also been able to take each point of the job description, and show how I've already done similar work! The important thing at this stage is meeting the person spec in order to get an interview, but it's nice to know I can do the job, too!
And, talking of interviews, Billy had one today for his training post. Hopefully, he'll get in - he's so enthusiastic about getting started, it would be a real blow if they knock him back. Of course, something else will probably come up, but he'd feel discouraged. He had a real song and dance trying to find the place, though! Still, he got there, eventually. He looks so smart in a shirt and tie - awww. But, he said none of the other people there were dressed as well as he was - they were all in jeans! Oh, well - at least he has some ties, if he ever does need them.
Spent a bit of time chatting to JB, yesterday. I really don't know what I make of my relationship with her. I can talk to her too easily to be able to say I dislike her - and yet her very existance irritates me too much to be able to say I like her! How can you be irritated by someone's existance? What does that say about me?! To say it's unfair is an understatement of the hugest proportions.
Well, I'm off to bed, soon. Night, LJ!