Yet another update

Just got an email from the guy in Germany and he informed me that the guy in Hawaii has decided to decline the position afterall. So assuming he gets his declination letter to the hiring office within the next day or two, I should be receiving a formal offer soon. I'm looking forward to getting final resolution to all this very soon so I can start sleeping again.

No Update Yet

Still haven't gotten any official word from Germany. If they take much longer I might have to go to Hawaii...

A miracle?

I received an email yesterday from the hiring guy in Germany telling me to expect a job offer in the next day or two. Apparently they worked an arrangement to bring both me AND the other guy on board. I'm still waiting for the official notification but but it looks like I may have received a miracle...

St Patrick's Day in Venice

If you follow my blog or my website, you know that I'm very fond of pub hopping in Venice. So we decided to jump on train with a couple friends of ours, Danny and Adriana Arrowood, and hit Venice for St. Pattie's Day. We had to catch the last train home so the night ended way too soon but it was fun nonetheless. Here's a few pics:



Me and Danny getting into the spirit


Some guy from Chicago that we met


Heading back to the train station, feeling wee














"I want you...to have another Guinness!"

Fate, thou art cruel.

I just got word that the guy they selected for the Germany position changed his mind at the last minute and decided to accept it.

We're going to Hawaii.

I <3 Vino

Yeah so I'm making the most of my remaining few weeks in Italy by drinking as much vino as possible. I'm saving the really really good stuff (Brunello, Barolo, etc), but am still getting the most out of my viniculturo. I'm currently on a 2003 Sangiovese and it is very good. Once I get to my next job - whether Germany or Hawaii - I intend on cutting out the wine almost altogether so I'm getting as much as I can for the next 3 weeks...

In Vino Veritas!!!!!!

Update

Still not sure on the Germany position. However, I spoke with the hiring supervisor up there yesterday and he informed me that he's about 90% certain that the guy they selected will turn it down. If he does I'm all up in it. I should have an answer by the end of the week hopefully. This is really getting tiring.

"As Thib's World Turns"

Well, here we go again. This is getting to be quite a soap opera. Just as I finally accept the fact that we're heading to Hawaii, there is another development that threatens to derail it. This one is actually kind of humorous:

Remember the GS11 position in Germany? Well, as it turns out, it went to someone else up there. Not the inside track guy, but someone else. As it turns out, I was selected as the 1st alternate which means is he turns it down, it's mine. I figured that there's no way the guy they picked would turn it down but I spoke to a guy in his office yesterday who informed me that he also was offered a GS12 position in...wait for it...Hawaii. So he might not accept the Germany position.

As you can imagine, I'm on pins and needles here waiting to see what he does. Hopefully he won't take a long time to decide as my start date in Hawaii is right around the corner.

Stay tuned...

The countdown is on

As it stands now, my start date in Hawaii is April 7. I have to admit that I'm still hoping for some kind of miracle but not counting on it. I have so many different wines to discover and so little time...

I've had it.

If you've been following my job situation, then you know that my job has been converted to a GS11 position. Being that I have actually been in the position for the past 6 years, I would normally have the inside track for it. However, the hiring official decided to hire someone else. I accepted another contract position in Hawaii but I continued to nominate myself for other GS positions both here and in Germany as we don't want to leave Europe. Most of the positions I put in for, I was a little underqualified for so I didn't expect much. However, there is a GS11 position similar to the one I do here that recently opened in Heidelberg, Germany.

I put in for it and was not surprised to find out a few days ago that I made the initial referral list. So yesterday I received a call from an acquaintance up in US Army Europe Headquarters. He called to tell me that the head guy up there was pulling strings to get one of his guys in the position. Now this happens all the time so I wasn't surprised. But he went on to tell me that he knows of at least 2 people (me and another guy) who submitted for it and who were much much more qualified for it. Apparently, the guy who is in line for it has only been at this job for a little less than a year and is only a GS9 (I'm a contractor, but I'm considered a GS12 Equivalent). He suggested that me and the other guy submit a grievance if this guy gets the position. I briefly considered it, but in the long run, it'd be a big mistake for one reason. The head guy who I would filing the grievance against is a full bird Colonel and is a very powerful man in this theater. He controls all the people who work for the Army in Europe in my particular career field. So if I ever want to come back and work in this theater again someday, filing a grievance against him would be a big mistake. I know what you're thinking - he's a Colonel so he won't be there forever, right? Well, it just so happens that he's been there more than 7 years now and will probably be there until he decides to retire someday. And then he'll get a cushy civilian job and stay there until he dies.

So in case anyone is missing the irony here, let me spell it out for you; I had the inside track for the position here but I lost out to someone who was supposedly more qualified. I am probably the most qualified guy for the job in Germany but will probably lose out to someone less qualified who has the inside track.

I've had it. The GS system sucks.

Aloha!

It's definite. We'll soon be trading "Ciao" for "Aloha" and calling Pearl Harbor, Hawaii home.

More details to come.

Job Update

I might have a final announcement on Hawaii later today.

Stay tuned...


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