I've been meaning to make an effort to post more (yet again), so today I start with a note for fans of the Dark Knight - Target's $1 section included little $1 notebooks with Batman (Bat-Man? The Batman? Sorry, purists, I'm unclear on proper form).

sj, much house-ma.

Tom, I was checking out the 3 new photos on Facebook last night (but was tired and forgot to comment there), they're really great. I love the light in the one with the statues, and the colors in the market stand are so perfect a person would be tempted to think you'd posed those peppers. Keep up the awesome work (and the sharing, yay!)

I just click what I like on Tumblr and reblog, it's often not until I've shared that I realize a photo is yours, Tom. But there is something about them, a certain quality of vision, that catches my attention first, and then I look at the source. The market one was one of those--"That's a Scola." And yup, it is.

sj, all possible calmness and luck to you on the house.

Hey, everybody. Sorry for the inarticulate. Happens.

Eep! Got a job offer! Pending official letter. BUT...now I have to try to negotiate and I am so bad at it. What they offered was basically my current salary +3.5%, though they did offer a pretty good signing bonus. However, having talked to a coworker who moved over there, I know he's getting at least a few more K than that (though IIRC, his signing bonus was a bit less) (He didn't state actual numbers, but when we talked around it that was the strong impression I got). Also, I figure a 3.5% raise is not out of the question at my current job, in the next month or so as we do reviews.

SO, what do I ask for?

No advice whatever (I'm useless at the salary games myself), but w00t! Go you!

remember, bonus is a one time thing. bigger salary is the gift that keeps on giving. I'd push for bigger salary and smaller signing bonus.

To amend Omni's advice. Push for the bigger salary. Let them counter with a smaller signing bonus if they want. No reason for the idea to come with you. If you agree to that let it be in response to a concession that they asked for.

Ok, so how do I ask? Call? Email? I need a script, I hate this kind of thing!

Breakfast today (right now, what? I sleep late):

Jalapeno/cheddar bagel grilled (no toaster, Foreman grill instead) with cream cheese, peppered turkey slices, sliced sweet onion, and fresh roma tomato slices.

Also, salary ~ma meara! No advice on how to handle it, I suck at that too.

meara,

before your got the job, did you have an idea of what kind of salary you wanted? is there a way for you to find out how much others are making salary wise?

I am of the opinion that most places offer a salary (in professional positions) that are suggestions and that you should come back with a figure that is 5-10% higher than that.

In terms of language:

Thank you very much for the offer, I am very excited about the possibility of this position. The salary quote is a bit lower than what I was expecting, I was wondering if a higher salary was negotiable?

The above might sound too tentative (my first drafts often do), but what if you start there and see what they say?

Have a figure in mind in case they ask in response.