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So it looks like my networking letter worked -- at least to some extent!

As of right now, I have either already had or I've scheduled five interviews in a period of seven days! I waffle between cautious optimism -- because every interview increases my chances of finding the Right Thing -- and relative pessimism -- because I've been here before and things withered up and blew away one by one back then. But mostly I want to stay realistic... and very selective, because this is the last time I want to do this job search thing for a good, long while. Not only am I too old to job-hop anymore, but looking for a job is exhausting, both physically and mentally.

Yesterday I talked with two people at a local casual gaming company (no, not the one that assured its staff that their jobs were secure one week and laid them off the next). One interview was for a product manager position and one was for a producer position. It became apparent to me in the first 5 minutes of the first interview that, as much as I like the hiring manager (I've worked with her before), that particular PM position was not for me. So off I went across the hall to talk about the producer position -- and within the first 5 minutes of that conversation, I knew that I'd love the job... and be good at it. It calls for the perfect combination of creativity, organization, team work, leadership and passion. And the thing I love about casual gaming (other than the fun and addiction) is that *I* am their prime demographic! Most casual gamers are women over the age of 35 -- so why not have a producer who is, as well?! I'm definitely looking forward to hearing about that job and hope-hope-hope to continue in the interview process. Cross your finger (or drueck die Daume) for me!

On Thursday I'll have a phone interview with the museum -- a one-of-a-kind museum -- for the position of Director of Educational Outreach. Oh man, what a job that would be! Suffice it to say that growing up in Berkeley in the 60's might add to my qualifications for that one...

On Monday I'll interview for a producer position with a handheld gaming company. While their products are pretty much for kids (which is good), they're strictly licensed properties and strictly entertainment -- not even edutainment. I might have a problem with that over time... but we'll see. For now, I just want to hear more.

And next Wednesday I'll interview for a marketing/product development position at a start-up that makes a really, REALLY cool device that's like a portable pen-sized and shaped scanner. It's an absolutely awesome piece of hardware (and software) with some amazing applications in the education arena. I'm totally intrigued and can't wait to find out more about both the gizmo and the company.

And in between those meetings I have a few networking meetings at various Starbuck's with friends and co-workers who have friends and co-workers who know of a friend or co-workers who's looking for someone like me.

And I thought I'd spend the week cleaning out the linen closet and dusting the tops of picture frames! Ha!