I just got back from a trip that marks a major milestone in anyone's adult life, although it is usually a milestone experienced at 18, or 22, or maybe 27 for most other people: I just got back from my first job interview. I don't want to go into too many details here because, surprisingly, right after I finished my job talk, a member of the audience came up to say hello and that he enjoyed my talk, and then said "So, if you get the job, is the Schaackmobile comin' to LA?" I was kind of caught off guard, and a little bit terrified that my trailer, and my blog, were colliding with my attempts at professionalism. The answer, of course, is yes! But I am just hoping that the faculty don't hold my unconventional living situation against me in their deliberations. Suffice it to say, the interview was really fun and the school was awesome. I will leave it at that for now, and will keep ye devoted reader updated on any news, probably via regular human interaction and not blogpost.
While in LA, however, I didn't just interview. I also seized the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from grade school-- Joe Daniel. I hadn't seen Joe since the day we graduated from eighth
grade, in June 1989 (so more than 21 years ago, when he went by Joey). Although we were good friends, we were only friends at school and never once had visited each other's house or met each other's parents, or hung out outside of school. So when school ended, so did our interaction, until earlier this year when we were united by the wonders of Google (remember? before there was Facebook? You could google people?) Anyway, when I found out I had the interview in LA, I gave Joe a call to see if he wanted to get dinner and see some music, and it turns out that, just like back in grade school, he is still a reliable co-music lover (he gave me Appetite for Destruction on tape, probably sometime in the 7th grade, so he knows good stuff when he hears it). We ended up going to a great, small, old venue in Hollywood called the Hotel Cafe and saw a fantastic performance by a band called Ragnar. (I have to say, I took it as an auspicious sign when I saw a poster for Todd Snider's next show in LA as we were leaving the theatre-- it is always nice to see a familiar face when you are nervous
about something and it gave me a great sense of calm before heading home to continue prepping for the big day). Ragnar was charming, and they played all kinds of funny instruments like the chalkboard and a children's Playskool xylophone, in addition to accordion and more mainstream instruments like piano and bass guitar. It was excellent, and made me feel like I was making the most of being in LA, even though I was really not there to explore the city. We talked about our impressions of 3-6th grade before it got late, and I am looking forward to continuing the parade of memories next time we get the chance to hang out (you know, things really start to get cookin' when you hit 7th grade and, frankly, after hearing Guns 'n Roses, life got a lot more interesting...) Great to see you Joe!
While in LA, however, I didn't just interview. I also seized the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from grade school-- Joe Daniel. I hadn't seen Joe since the day we graduated from eighth
grade, in June 1989 (so more than 21 years ago, when he went by Joey). Although we were good friends, we were only friends at school and never once had visited each other's house or met each other's parents, or hung out outside of school. So when school ended, so did our interaction, until earlier this year when we were united by the wonders of Google (remember? before there was Facebook? You could google people?) Anyway, when I found out I had the interview in LA, I gave Joe a call to see if he wanted to get dinner and see some music, and it turns out that, just like back in grade school, he is still a reliable co-music lover (he gave me Appetite for Destruction on tape, probably sometime in the 7th grade, so he knows good stuff when he hears it). We ended up going to a great, small, old venue in Hollywood called the Hotel Cafe and saw a fantastic performance by a band called Ragnar. (I have to say, I took it as an auspicious sign when I saw a poster for Todd Snider's next show in LA as we were leaving the theatre-- it is always nice to see a familiar face when you are nervous 
about something and it gave me a great sense of calm before heading home to continue prepping for the big day). Ragnar was charming, and they played all kinds of funny instruments like the chalkboard and a children's Playskool xylophone, in addition to accordion and more mainstream instruments like piano and bass guitar. It was excellent, and made me feel like I was making the most of being in LA, even though I was really not there to explore the city. We talked about our impressions of 3-6th grade before it got late, and I am looking forward to continuing the parade of memories next time we get the chance to hang out (you know, things really start to get cookin' when you hit 7th grade and, frankly, after hearing Guns 'n Roses, life got a lot more interesting...) Great to see you Joe!
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