Job Update

Aaron's interview went very well. The offer has not been made yet, as things will have to go through human resources before that can happen, but we'll just say that the interview was less of an interview, and more of a product and market familiarization. The market looks a lot better than the report Aaron got from the market analysis firm led Microboards to believe.

Mark told Aaron that he had 200 resumes on his desk for this position, and when he thought about having to interview all these people, none of whom he knows, he thought of Aaron. With Aaron, he would know exactly what he was getting, and although they could get someone else for far less, they'd rather have someone they know can perform who can jump right into the position. They did talk salary a little bit, and it would be hard to say no to what Mark is thinking they would offer. It is really a sales position, so it would start off with a nice salary, then decrease when commissions get built up a little. It has some great potential.

The only hard part about the whole thing, in my mind, is the travel expectation. It could be as high as 40% at times, especially for the first two years. My thought is that Aaron is currently so frustrated when he comes home from work that he isn't emotionally able to spend quality time with the kids. If he were in a job he liked, even if he is gone 40% of the time, there will suddenly be 60% more time that he is happy coming home from work, right?

This is going to be a hard decision for Aaron. He'll be giving up the privilege of coming and going as he pleases, friends he's had for 11 years, and knowing what to expect. On the other hand, if he turns down this job, he will go into Microboards hating it even worse the next day. I think he should go for it.

The Competitor

Last night at around 9:30pm, Aaron got a message from the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Primera, one of Microboards' top two competitors (Microboards used to be a distributor for Primera, but when Microboards bought a manufacturing facility and started building competitive products, Primera cut them off). He said he's looking for a Business Development Manager for Latin America, and thought Aaron was just the person. It isn't for their CD/DVD line, but a label printer line. Microboards briefly explored the market last year, but the president didn't want to put an investment into developing it, so it never went anywhere.

Aaron responded that he'd like to talk, and Mark emailed him right away to ask him if he was available to go to PACK Expo in June in Mexico City, and could he come over today or tomorrow to talk? Aaron emailed back that he is available during the trade show, and sure, he could find time to talk today. They worked out the details this morning, and Aaron has an appointment to meet with him at 4:30pm.

Aaron has a number of questions for Mark, so this isn't a done deal. Not only does Aaron not have any idea how much they will offer him, but he is wondering about the viability of the Latin American label printing market. This label printer is for food items, in particular items that don't have large runs, like specialty foods or local brands, where it is more cost effective to put a label on a package in-house. When Microboards explored the market, he bought a market analysis from a firm, and it didn't look like it was terribly huge worldwide. It was just a preliminary analysis, and not a terribly thorough one, so it is possible Primera has better information.

The company is in Plymouth, at the 494/394 junction. It is a 40 minute drive from here when there isn't traffic. Aaron doesn't like the idea of a long commute (neither do I), so we'd probably move to Minnetonka or Wayzata if he takes it.

Keep him in your prayers this afternoon!

The Interview *UPDATED*

Aaron had his interview on Monday. He and the Director of Marketing were very much on the same page. She asked him a lot of questions which allowed him to demonstrate his knowledge of the industry and his competence in marketing. After asking him some questions about how he would handle some lead-generating, she started taking notes, as if he were a consultant, rather than an interviewee. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure he was more suited to her position than the manager position for which he was interviewing.

Along with that small detail, she is a 35-year-old single mom who looks like a model. He wouldn't feel comfortable burning the midnight oil with her. He does believe the company has the right culture and the right product. It just wouldn't be quite the right fit, most likely.

He is supposed to hear from her within the week. But, unless they were to come up with a different position for him (which was not discussed), rather than the marketing manager position they are hiring, he will probably not take it if it is offered.

*Update 5/20* Aaron got an email today, and was informed that they are going to continue interviewing other candidates for the position. Aaron is not surprised.

Random Stuff

Aaron's interview was postponed to Monday, so there won't be any news today.

Tristin auditioned for a solo in "For the Longest Time" for his Spring Choir Concert. He got the longest solo in the song! He's really excited! That probably means he has a shot at getting into Show Choir for next year. Auditions for that are on the 20th of this month.

I'm giving a talk on the blessings of the priesthood on Sunday. There was obviously a lot in general conference to gather from, but if you have any talks or scriptures you want to direct my way, I could use more quotes.

I feel like it has been raining forever!! We're getting a little case of the grumpies in our house. Mommy included. I should take the kids for some playtime in the Lion's Den after lunch, before William's recorder concert this afternoon and let them run off some energy.

Job Interview

Aaron had a phone interview with Gov Delivery's HR screener last week, and got a call for an in-person interview for the Marketing Manager position. He scheduled it for Thursday at 3pm. We're not sure whether it will be a position he will really be interested in or not. The Marketing Director is actually less experienced than he is, so it might not be a good fit. She doesn't have an MBA, either, so it might be awkward for her to hire him.

We'd have to move to the St. Paul side of town if he got it, as it is in downtown S.P. Therefore, it would have to be a really great fit, as well as have a really good compensation package. Selling this house wouldn't be easy, and Realtor fees will eat up a lot of the equity we have left in the house in this declining market.

I was excited about this interview until I wrote about it. Now, it doesn't seem so exciting.

Puberty

I bet that, upon reading the headline of this post, you assumed it was going to be about one of the boys. Well, you were wrong.

I had my annual exam a couple of weeks ago, and I had been feeling a small, tender lump on my breast that week, so I told my doctor about it. He figured it was just a milk duct acting up. He didn't do a very thorough exam, like I have had in the past. He is a family doctor, not an OB/GYN, and he seemed like he was uncomfortable throughout the entire exam. So, when the lump got bigger over the following two weeks, I decided to go see an OB/GYN.

The appointment was yesterday. Dr. Freitas did a thorough exam, like I remember having in the past, and she could feel the lump. It didn't feel like a milk duct to her, so she set me up with a mammogram and ultrasound to explore it further. She said it was most likely just a cyst. While I was there, I also discussed my issues with my IUD and too much bleeding, and she offered up a possible solution. She gave me a sample pack of a low-dose birth control pill, and said that often just one month on the pill will allow enough estrogen to get back into the lining of the uterus that it will regulate and shorten my bleeding. If it reverts, then we can do it again after my next annual exam.

Anyway, back to the lump...

I went to have the mammogram done yesterday afternoon, which wasn't nearly as bad as I have heard from other people. Other than the part where I had to stand half-naked in front of a lab technician, it was not at all uncomfortable. There was a lot of waiting involved for both of the labs, but after two hours, I sat with the radiologist, who took the ultrasound from the lab technician, and showed me what we were seeing. He showed me that the bubbly-looking stuff was the normal layer of fat under the skin. He then showed me what normal breast tissue looks like. Then, he showed me what the lump looked like. He described it as a "knotty area," and it didn't have a layer of fat over it, under the skin, like the rest of the breast (which would explain the tenderness). This started to worry me, but then he explained that it was merely "prominent breast tissue." He couldn't explain why it was there, just that it was perfectly healthy breast tissue. It finally occurred to me what he was saying...

My breasts are growing. Hahahahaha! Maybe all of the pimples I've been getting over the past few months should have tipped me off. After 14 years of having babies, my body has decided to resume puberty at the age of 34. Hahahahaha!