Good news trifecta

Last weekend I was looking for good news. Could you blame me? I was battling a cold, had to withdraw from Austin because of my knee, and had a job in limbo. Well, here we are a week later, and I think I'm in a better spot across the board.

1. Coughing and congested all week, I am finally feeling 100% again. Perhaps it was the super spicy Chinese hot pot last night helped clear up anything that was left. I slept like a baby last night for the first time in six days. It was fantastic.

2. I got my refund yesterday from the Austin Half-Marathon. That was a bit of a downer. It means it's 100% official that I am out of the race. On the bright side, I went to the orthopedic yesterday and he said everything from his examination and the x-rays look fine. I have to set up an MRI for next week, but he's guessing that it's not any kind of major injury and can probably be treated with therapy and an anti-inflammatory. He also gave me a very spirited "our main goal is to get you running again." Sweeter words have never crossed the lips of a doctor. So there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

By the way, Thanks everyone for your help with the IT Band issues, especially Nikki and J. I'm starting to work these all into my routine...you know once I finally get back into one.

3. I have a job, but it was not as easy.

First, I had a second round interview at another agency since I still hadn't heard from my president on whether there would be work for me to do at my current place. I liked the new place well enough: it would be a nice little pay increase, it would be a different kind of client, and the team was really smart. I wasn't 100% sold, but I was mostly there. I talked to my recruiter afterward and she said that I essentially had the position but they needed to get budget approvals first. So I had to wait until Friday for a final word from them.

Second, out of the blue my boss's boss from my previous job calls me on Thursday and offers me my old boss's job. It would be a promotion and a significant raise. I would work with my old teammates, with the same client, for an industry that I already knew. I couldn't dream up a better situation to walk into. Sweet Jesus was that tempting. To be promoted to that level so early in my career is impressive, and the raise would be higher than most people could match. And nevermind that the benefits are great and the office is much closer to my apartment than my current place.

My hesistation to immediately say yes was that I left this agency because I wasn't happy with the environment. I need a place that I can look forward to coming into everyday, and I didn't have that anymore at my old agency. The pay was great, the people where great, but the client was slow and demanding, and the agency as a whole just felt stuck in it's place (it's kinda hard to describe unless you're in the industry).

Third, and also on Thursday, my president calls me in and says that he has finally secured business for me to work on. It would be a toy brand and I would have the lead on the account for the next few months while he found other people to work on it. Of course, this was great news, but also made for some serious decision making.

After many talks with many people, I had come to a clear choice and had a meeting with my president yesterday before lunch. I told him that given my choices I wanted to stay there because I enjoy working at the place and that fulfills my #1 priority. On the other hand, I had some pretty good offers on the table from other agencies and I would have to pass those up in order stay there. We talked through all my options and concerns and were able to come to an understanding that I'd continue to stay happy.

I left that meeting relieved that I had a job and that I didn't have to pack up my stuff. But on the other hand I was pissed off that I passed up the bigger pay and the higher title--God did that piss me off. So much so that every time I saw my president yesterday I didn't know whether I should give him a hug because he worked hard to find me a job quickly, or flick him off because he kept me from getting more money. The end result was a determined avoidance of the man for the rest of the day.

So that is the good news trifecta. I am much, much happier than this time last week. And, as some bonus good news, I just checked on our new computer and it arrived in Newark, NJ this morning from Shanghai (via Anchorage and Indianapolis)! It should be delivered by early this week, a couple days ahead of schedule! Woo hoo!

One last note: good luck to the people running for the golden ears, ducks, and dogs (I assume that's what Goofy is) this weekend in Disney! It is the most magical race in the world, so remember your cameras. Also remember to take your sleeping pills because you have to be asleep by 7pm to make the 2am wake-up call. Be strong Nitmos and Moon!