Oh my, Stephanie. That's possibly the cutest pic I've ever seen. I'm feeling overwhelmingly compelled to show it to everyone I've ever met.

So. Damn. Cute.

Erika, I love the cut. Very nice.

Cutiehead babies! Yay.

Heya peeps. How goes your nights?

Aw, cute baby!

I'm in the SF airport awaiting my flight home. I've been in OR on business and visiting my family. My niece is as cute as ever and I love her very very much. My brother and his wife are as annoying as ever. I'm scared they're going to ruin little B. I'm ready to go HOME.

May I grump and whine?

Heya peeps. How goes your nights?

I have dug into my closet and have dug out My Precious Magazines and Comics.

These include the first issue of Warrior to feature Marvelman, the original run of Swamp Thing, the entire run of L&R, the complete run of Miracleman (US), Premiere magazine cover story on Dracula from 1992 with Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman on the cover (Winona sporting the all time sexiest Louise Brooks repro bob vamp look ever), Wet (the magazine of gourmet bathing), Tease (with centerfold of Poison Ivy of The Cramps in full tiki body stocking), Dirt (spin off from Sassy, featuring Spike Jonez et al), LA rock issue of Raygun including stories by Pleasant Gehman and Pamela Des Barres; the Beta Ray Bill saga in The Mighty Thor, entire run of Nexus, Bob Burden's Robot Music (issue 0), Organs and Bongos issue #8 (Ruy Montana Merchant for Today's Cosmic Cowpoke at her Boat Bar in Seattle); Boing Boing when it was still a print magazine, From Parts Unknown #5 (Masked mexican wrestlers with pictorials of girls fighting in wrestling masks. Cover features Beelzebunny vs. Kung Fu Kitty); Girlyhead (jam packed cha-cha issue), Cha Cha Charming (issue 3, sixties girl groups, J-pop), Ranch Romance (40s pulp of western romances); Modern Screen (1954 - Lana Turner's new look); Wrapped in Plastic (Twin Peaks zine); New York Rocker (1980), Hypno (late 80s), Bomp...

May I grump and whine?

Did you check your blood sugar first? I mean are you cranky because you haven't eaten, or is this a serious kvetch based on sound psychological principles?

Susan, ignore Hec. Grump and whine away.

Blood sugar is fine. I probably am panicking on too little evidence, but I'm convinced I'll never get another job, now that I've accepted I need one if I don't want our family finances to go to hell forever. You see, there's no good way to spin what I've been doing the last year in a cover letter. If I handwave and ignore, they'll assume I was fired from my last job. If I just mention freelancing and leave it at that, they'll assume I'm an entrepreneur at heart who won't do good work and will jump as soon as I find a better business opportunity. If I mention anything about the baby, they'll assume I'll be a lousy employee because I have a kid. IOW, I can't win at all. Might as well file for bankruptcy now, because no one's hiring me, and especially not at a level that'll let me turn a profit after daycare costs.

This may or may not be a rational panic. After all, I've only sent four cover letters, all in the last week. Still, I'm so used to being The Goddess at this sort of thing that I was half-expecting a quick nibble for one of the ones I matched especially well. I just got an email from my career counselor friend saying, "Network, network, network." I suck at networking, and don't want my job search to be limited to that handful of UW departments and the like where I actually know someone.

If I mention anything about the baby, they'll assume I'll be a lousy employee because I have a kid.

Okay, I know this one is a fallacy. Plenty of places are pro-parent. You'll be fine, Susan. You might have to wait a little longer, but you'll be fine.

Hec, that sounds like a Trove O' Publications. I just picked up the book of Marvel 1602. V. interesting.

Susan, if I can get a job with having to explain 2.5 years off work with *no* explanation, you're gonna be fine. I understand your fears...and I think they're reasonable fears. But, you're gonna find a job. It takes time, though. Remember, it took my mom 7 months. Try not to be too hard on yourself. I know it's tough...trust me, I know.