What a cool video: The Inner Life of the Cell. You'd need a semester of biology class to understand what's going on, but the pictures are awesome. Like they took an IMAX camera inside a cell. They're explaining how a white blood cell "knows" when it's time to leave the bloodstream and move toward an infection. At first it's specifically about that and farther in it becomes a little more "let's show you all around the cell, skyscraper view to worm's-eye." Very cool.

So I'm working on this impossibly long and complex job application, and I need some advice.

1. Many of the questions are some variation of: "Identify your level of experience doing X," where (1) is "I've never done it", (4) is "I've done it independently and without supervision, and (5) is "I supervise people who do it and get asked questions as an expert".

The position in question is not a supervisory position. Would it be safer to answer 4 to questions where I have been doing this for a long time and am expert and do supervise people?

2. The application format is weird. It will have 2 or 3 questions in a row of the "Identify your level of experience doing X", to which you are clearly just supposed to reply with a number, and then there will be a question that says, "Please provide a narrative supporting your answer to the above question, including information on the circumstances, the complexity of the work, the length of time, and the organization where the work was performed."

But it doesn't say WHICH above question, and the preceding 3 are all about different things. Do I assume they mean just the one question previous? I'm very confused.

3. What would you think someone meant when they said "liaison work"? Because they don't define it and I'm not sure what they're getting at...

BBCA question: Was there a second season/series of Viva Blackpool? Tivo caught one for me that a) I haven't seen before, and b) doesn't match the summary of any of the episodes described on the BBCA episode guide.

Congrats, Lyra Jane!

Bah. I wrote a whole reply to Consuela, and then the site crapped out for a minute. To recreate: I don't know about #1, because I'm assuming that you don't want to look overqualified? For #2, I'd just talk about the immediately preceeding question. Is there no rhyme or reason to which questions have the followup? I'd figure those were the more important questions. #3, I'd talk about any time you're mediating between different functions. From my own experience, I'd talk about coordinating/disseminating/gathering information from different internal departments, as well as being a key contact for a vendor.

Thanks, Jesse, that seems sensible. I'm all worried about this one because I'd really really like to get the job.

It would get rid of the ickiest parts of what I do, would allow me to ride my bike to work, and would allow me to work a 9/80 workweek--thus getting every other Friday off. Given that I already work 45-50 hour weeks, this would be a huge improvement in my quality-of-life.

I am guessing that with the first part - it is safe to say supervisory - because the word expert is used - so it claims the higest level of knowledge. howevr, you might want to mix a 4 in - if you haven't supervised somedoing that in awhile , or just started superviseing for a balance thing.

in this part( 2nd question) are thing so unrelated that they don't fit together? is there a way to emphsise the parts you know well in a coherent narrative?

and I'l go with Jesse on part 3, since I had no answer of my own.

Jesse, there was a stand-alone Blackpool special last season in England, whchc is probably what you've Tivoed off of BBCA.

BTW, it is a happy day. I am reading a book - I was going to make brownies - and found a truffe brownie mix from TJs. It is very good ( i never buy brownie mixes) easy and good . and there are still ingredients to make brownies from scratch in the cupboard.

Last night I met a woman that hates to eat the food in the pantry- because it means she has to go get more. In the case of brownies , it almost makes sense. except then there would be no brownies

I need to go to TJ's, and to the bike shop, but I really need to finish this application. Argh. I so hate doing resumes and applications!