A few weeks ago I scheduled an appointment and met with the CEO. He's an unassuming, friendly, "everyman" kind-of guy. He was a bit distracted, as I had (unknowingly) chosen the appointment an hour before The Great Cafeteria Talk.

The Great Cafeteria Talk? That same morning, perhaps even within an hour of the meeting, we all received a meeting notice: "New Roles and Responsibilities" -- and a muffled hush fell through the building, like dark wool. There was plenty of activity, as people began gathering in offices, closing doors, or outside the entries, where rumors float and dissipate like the cigarette smoke.

At the appointed time, everyone clumped to the cafeteria. They announced a reorganization, and most of the people I worked with now work for someone else. Although nothing changed in my chain of command, by the end of the day I was notified that two of my projects had been "resolved".

Hah! A great time to meet with the CEO!

In my meeting, I pitched some ideas -- he seemed to listen. I told him I was ready for something new, I talked my boss up and said he could take on additional responsibilities. I talked about a job I had applied for in San Francisco. "Oh yes, I'll put in a good word for you," he said.

Nothing's come of any of them.

In my recent marathon of PBS television shows, I took in a show about the guy who mapped the human genome, and looked for genes such as those that cause mental illness. I missed some of the details (I was on the phone babbling) but the show went into eugenics -- gene modification for desirable traits.

Could this be applied in breeding traits to be CEO (or President)? "Leadership qualities" (however you want to define those) such as: Intelligence (*of course*); factors like Strength of Character, Integrity, Honesty and... Extroversion.

It got me thinking about how these factors would be applied to myself. I'm not the most extroverted. I've had several careers, and many many jobs. Truth be told, I've never particularly liked any of them. Although my resume is ready to go, I've felt ill in the little time I've spent looking on-line for jobs. I'm no spring chicken. I would be a reject in career darwinism.

So, my current thinking is that I'm going to ride the horse until it drops.

Maybe it won't be so bad. This afternoon, I was pulled into two meetings, and assigned two new projects. Job security for another six weeks at least...!

Tomorrow, I'm meeting with a banker. He tells me over the phone I should qualify for a new mortgage that is several hundred dollars cheaper a month than what I currently pay. Seeing is believing, but if true, this will help get matters in order.

And on an unrelated note...
Last night I had a terrible nightmare. In my dream, I was old -- I don't know how old, but older than now! -- and I was deliberating whether or not I should move to Los Angeles to be near my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. They were all I had left. I hate L.A., but I decided to move there. When I moved, I found that if anything, things were worse. My sister and her family had become complete strangers.

I didn't sleep at all after that.

And on that happy thought... I'll turn on the tv to see what can give me nightmares tonight. Maybe a talk show on what Bush's "faith-based initiatives" have done for gays or something...

Hmmm.... Maybe I better not...