Bemused and Bereft

 Two interviews today -- third ones -- and while they went well, they did not include job offers (or rejections).  While I guess that is good, it was also somewhat frustrating obviously.  To be sure, I think deep down I expected this, but... oi.  Everyone tells me "patience, grasshopper," which is somewhat amusing, as anyone who has spent 20 minutes with me knows that patience is simply not in my makeup.  Alas.  I guess I have not been looking for jobs as aggressively as I once was, or should have been, so... back to that.  Also need to call and figure out my unemployment status... to which I am not looking forward.

Probably because I was somewhat down, I went out with a friend for dinner, even if it meant going to Lakewood (parking really is an issue there, especially with my Behemoth).  It was funny, because we meet some other friends of his while walking, so we had a partiee carree for dinner.  We went to a BBQ place on Madison, which was fine, but one of his friends was originally from Sweden, and he has not adjusted to American life.  For instance, we split an appetizer, which to him was an entire entree.  Of course, everyone else in the restaurant was also ordering dinner, and those portions... well, we reminded him about the expanding American waistline.  Other stuff -- his fondness for walking, how most of Ohio is not like Lakewood (it has parking) -- also amused us, and when I suggested he do some American things, like eating at Golden Corral (which he thought was Coral) or going to a county fair... well, it was suggested that I take him to one, as I have the vehicle for it, and was a more suitable cultural ambassador.  I guess there are career opportunities here, as well...

Opinion | Democrats and Republicans Are Living in Different Worlds - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I thought this was interesting, at least the first part, though it sort of went off the rails.  That said... this could be me, but I believe the shift of men to the right is a natural extension of the leftward shift of women.  Simply put, if one party pushes for one group (and by implication pushes down on another), members of other groups will swing to the alternative.  I for one do NOT think this is good; a party that is pro-male or pro-female will develop tunnel vision but I can also see how it is easier just to mine votes from the existing mine, rather than dig a new one.