Thursday, May 24, 2007

Here's an update ...

Well, for some of you, this is an update. For others, this might be the first you're hearing of this. If that's the case, I apologize. It's not like I'm trying to hide this from anyone. In fact, I've been more open about this than I have anything else in my career. It's just that I've been really busy and actually haven't talked to many people lately.

So what's this big news that I've kept so hush-hush? We might be moving -- again. Not like staying in Cenla moving, but actually leaving Cenla moving.

I know. I know. We just moved here. We bought a house. I like my job. All positive things. So why am I looking to leave? Well, like many things in life, it's complicated.

There's an opportunity in Shreveport at The Times that is essentially what I'm doing now -- prep sports -- but would be a little less pressure and a little less work. It wouldn't be an assistant editor position, which means I'd be working 40 hours a week. There are many benefits to this -- spending more time with Elizabeth, not wearing myself out, having more time to spend relaxing, etc.

In and of itself, this job wouldn't interest me. While there are some good benefits to taking the job, I'm not exactly looking to leave Alexandria. I've known about this job for awhile, and it didn't intrigue me enough on its own.

So what changed? It's a family deal. My brother-in-law is opening his own physical therapy business, and he approached Elizabeth about being his business manager. While she loves her job, her background is in business, and I think it would be a great opportunity for her. Needless to say, I believe it's something we should at least consider.

So we're considering. And still considering. Right now, we're just in a holding pattern. After officially applying for the job in Shreveport, I was told the managing editor would get with me this week. Since I hadn't heard from him, I sent him an e-mail today, and he told me it'd be next week before he could review my clips and get back with me. So we're waiting ...

Like I've told the few people I have been able to talk to about this, I'll keep people informed during this whole process. I'm not looking to hide anything -- from my family, from my friends or from my employers. All of this is on the up-and-up.

My biggest problem is a lack of patience. Honestly, there are benefits to either one of these jobs. I'd be happy either way. I just want an answer. I want to move forward. If we're going to Shreveport (or Minden or Homer or wherever we end up), I want to get started on that as soon as possible. If we're staying in Cenla, I want to give my all to that. So sitting and waiting isn't my best ability. But that's what I'm doing. When I hear something, you'll hear something.