The Written Word

This Blog article at Forbes.com, “Why Older Workers May Not be Getting Hired,” harkens back to several topics covered in Richard Bolles’What Color Is Your Parachute? Both the 2010 and 2011 editions speak specifically to this and related issues. Resumes have been changing as the job market and business hiring practices are changing.

When looking for a job, it really does help to be able to concentrate on where you want to get and what skills you have to offer when you get there. The resume should tell a prospective employer that you have the personal and job-specific skills needed to do the specific job that the employer needs done, as well as the flexibility to learn, adapt, and expand those skills and abilities as the job changes.

Occasionally I post to my Blogspot page, listing some of the things that have been happening. It is that time, again: Update!

It hardly seems possible that this is the last day of the work week. What with the holiday on Monday and the no-work day on Tuesday because of the power outage, I hardly feel as though I have done anything constructive, in spite of being busy for most of Thursday. I do look forward to the weekend, though, and making more progress on sorting and shredding papers and cleaning up my office. The living room is more uncluttered than I’ve seen it any time since we carried boxes from the basement to the main floor in advance of river flooding, this spring. Just in case.

Thanks to Janni Simner, whose "Crossings" is in WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN (Holly Black & Ellen Kushner, Eds., release date 05/24/2011) , I had an ARC of the anthology for an all-too-short week.

In the mid-80s, I read the two original Borderland anthologies, Borderland and Bordertown,* but I don’t recall reading any other books in the series (see The Borderland Series–Wikipedia). It’s not that I didn’t read urban fantasies, then–I certainly did–but I never have read a lot of short stories. More likely to buy a novel than an anthology of shorter works. This anthology includes poetry, short stories, and a graphic story.

What had stuck in my memory all those years was the bleak dystopic quality of the stories, the shattering of dreams blended with bittersweet resignation. Janni’s story, "Crossings," which is in the upcoming Welcome to Bordertown, fits that same pattern, although I found that I liked the bittersweet taste to this one.

Considering Welcome to Bordertown as a whole, I found a lot of leavening in the loaf. Jane Yolen’s poems are always wonderful, and I would have ordered the book for her work alone, but I found a number of other gems among the stories I had time to read.

One that I recommend especially is "A Tangle of Green Men," by Charles de Lint, about a life worth living. I was surprised by it, since de Lint is not one of my favorite authors. Lovely! The other story I wanted to mention, "The Rowan Gentleman" by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, struck me as a rollicking adventure combined with a satisfying romance.

I’m looking forward to sitting down and reading the entire book, when it’s available, from the front page to the last.  I’ve got a pre-order in at Barnes & Noble for the Nook edition.

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*Borderland (1986) and Bordertown (1986), Terri Windling and Mark Alan Arnold, Eds.

I’ve begun adding photos of this year’s tulips to my shop at RedBubble, and my schedule has started to open up, again. Gorgeous flowers, this year, but between the cold weather and the wind, I expect the blooms won’t last as long as I’d like.

Just as a reminder: since I switched to a cell phone, my business is no longer listed in the current Yellow Pages, but the number is still good: 701.235.7452

Downtime is important for people, as well as machines. We need regular repair and maintenance. Between vacations, try setting up an "artist date" or blocking out a few hours of "me" time, each week.

Relax, catch up on sleep or reading, or do something outside the routine (or outside of your comfort zone). Visit a zoo or library or college campus. See something new (movie, art gallery, museum, etc.). Have fun!