Back to home today, feeling... apprehensive. I have this built in clock, or clocks maybe. They tell me when it's time to get up, go to sleep, eat. When it's time to leave a party, how long to wait before giving the punch-line, when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. By paying attention to these clocks, or rather by not paying attention to them, and letting them run on their own, but always with an ear for the alarm, you stay in the tao. The slack.

So now I know it's time for me to look hard for a job. Like for reals.

But here's my confession: I've never actually had to look for one really before. I've gotten almost all my adult jobs through referrals and good timing. Now I've got to go and knock on faceless doors and talk to people in suits and use words like "skill-set" and "deliverable" and "leverage". "Leverage"!

The other day, Erin and I played a bit of Scrabble at the local Starbucks, while behind us, a would-be employee faced the hiring squad. Of course, my eaves were fully dropped. After being informed that there were no wrong answers, the inquisition decided to skip the formalities and go for the jugular. "Why would you like to work at Starbucks? What makes you feel you would be right for us?"

While perhaps there are no wrong answers to this question, I can also think of no possible right answers either. My mind automatically spins out of control in a what-if vortex. Heads for the meta-meta questions I suspect they're asking. What kind of answer is best? Corporate? Rebellious? The people asking the questions don't look high enough in the food chain to do the hiring, and one has a clip board. The questions, Voight-Kampf like, are written down for them, and so like the replicant V-K test, this one must also be designed to provoke a specific response. But which counter measure will work best against this corporate ruse? My mind reels.

Of course, the jobs I'll be applying for will hopefully be far less corporate, unless Nike has an opening, but still, it's the same game isn't it? I'm nervous about being put in play, but ready to get off the bench.

Recite my Sun Tsu. Arrive early, know the territory, know my adversary, myself, think about committing my stroke.