Diary of the Great Chicago Unknown...

July 15, 2007 – Chicago Watch Day 1:

Wow – Rick just found out that several jobs have opened up in Chicago, and he’s going to interview for a few of them and see what happens. It would be pretty cool to live near Eric for a while (although the winters would be a serious weather shock after living in Austin for so long). But I’m not getting my hopes up yet…

Chicago Watch Day 25:

Well, Rick had a couple really decent interviews and it looks like he’s definitely in the running for one of those Chicago jobs. Okay, NOW I’m getting my hopes up… if we lived in Chicago, we could hang out with Eric and sneak into his condo when he’s at work and rearrange all his furniture and steal all his food. (Or, you know, the box of pop tarts, carton of soy milk, and two bottles of water that pass for “food” at Eric’s place…)

Chicago Watch Day 47:

We just got back from a trip to Chicago, and we looked at some condos while we were there. There are actually TWO condos available in Eric’s building – one two doors down from him, and the other right next door. The one next door to him is awesome – I am SO gonna be Eric’s next door neighbor. (I’m not getting ahead of myself here, am I? I know, I know… I shouldn’t get my hopes up…)

Chicago Watch Day 60:

Great. Just great. They gave one of those jobs to some guy who moved to Michigan, but he begged them to let him do the job from his new location. And they’re actually going to let him try it for another quarter or so… whatever…

Chicago Watch Day 100:

Well, it looks like Chicago is off the table for now. But only temporarily. There’s a chance they could hire Rick NEXT year, like some time around February or March…

February 2008 – Chicago Watch Day 357:

The Chicago possibility is looking VERY good right now. Like practically certain. So we’re looking at condos in Chicago again – unfortunately, the two right next door to Eric were bought (by the same person, no less – they’re remodeling to create one giant supercondo). But I saw a place I LOVED on Bosworth – awesome kitchen, pretty big master bedroom, an extra room so Rick can have his home theater, a roof deck, and a one-car garage. AND it’s in our price range. We should know something within the next couple of weeks…

A Couple Weeks Later – Chicago Watch Day 784:

We STILL don’t know anything…

Chicago Watch Day 800:

Okay, there’s some kind of hiring freeze on all the Chicago jobs. They’re still THERE, but no one is being hired to fill them. Of course, this means that once they’re UNfrozen, there’s a chance we could still be moving to Chicago.

Chicago Watch Day 1245:

Well, we’re buying a new house here in Austin, so I guess we’re giving up on Chicago. I’m sad, but it’s my own fault – I really shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up…

Chicago Watch Day 1500:

I’m afraid to even say this – Chicago is looking like a definite possibility again. Rick had a GREAT interview for a job up there, and it actually looks like he’s not just in the running, but he’s the frontrunner. (But I will NOT get my hopes up again. I’m not doing a THING until we know for sure.)

Chicago Watch Day 1756:

We’ve had confirmation that Rick IS the guy they want to hire – the hiring manager said so himself. So all we need to do now is wait for the human resources department to get all the paperwork together and send Rick the offer. As long as the offer is good, we SHOULD be planning for a move soon!

Chicago Watch Day 2000:

Who is working in that human resources department? Monkeys? Garden slugs? Tree sloths who do nothing but hang upside down and chew on leaves??? Seriously – how long can it possibly take to finish up that paperwork?

Chicago Watch Day 3412:

I’m just going to be patient. That’s all there is to it. Patience. Deep breaths. Peace. Serenity. Patience…

August 12, 2008 – Chicago Watch Day 5479:

WHERE THE &#$% IS THE &#$% OFFER????