A Dream Derailed

I'm not gonna lie to you: that was as tough a loss as this Cowboys fan has ever had to suffer through. Change a play or two, pick up a flag or three, and Dallas is the team moving on to the NFC Championship game -- not the low-class, lucky big mouths who call the Meadowlands Swamp their home.

Looking back, Tony Romo made a huge blunder by going to Mexico during the bye weekend with Jessica Simpson. What happened to the free agent wonder who ate, slept, and breathed football? We hardly knew ya, Tony. Sure there were some key drops, and the pass protection broke down late in the game when they could least afford it, but Romo simply didn't make the plays he was making during the first three-quarters of the year when they built their 12-1 record.

Now it's another offseason of doubt, second-guessing and scrutiny. It's a long road ahead just to get back to the playoffs, where more than ever the Cowboys' postseason drought will be harped on ad nauseum, which I think is Latin for " a lot."

I had a bad feeling about this game all week, and all my suspicions proved true. The only thing left to do is move on, stay away from sports talk radio and the submoronic New York fans (not you, Jim!), and get on with your life.

Speaking of which, I did just get some good news on the job front. Last Thursday I had yet another job interview, this one with a major financial company to work on their research reports, full time, 9 to 5, the whole nine yards. Had a good meeting with my contact, and then took the proofreading test -- a 4-page report that the guy said should take 45 minutes. It was tricky, but when I handed it back to him he told me it looks like I got almost everything. I felt pretty confident because, hey, that's what I do. Out of three interviews at financial companies for a proofreading position, this was the only one that asked me to take a test. How they make an informed decision without administering any kind of test is beyond me, but that's their tough luck.

Ironically, the freelancing lately had slowed down to a dribble; first Christmas week and then New Year's week passed by without a nibble. So I applied for unemployment benefits, qualified for them, and was fixing on trying to get by on a fixed income for a while. I figured if I could get a few off-the-books editing projects, things wouldn't be too bad. But working for a living is the way to go.
Friday I was on my way down to Varick Street for my first freelance assignment in weeks, had just gotten off the train and was walking down Prince Street, when I made eye contact with a woman who looked quite familiar. As soon as she passed, it hit me: that was Bjork, that crazy Icelandic singer with the anger management issues. But she looked real cute and kinda gave me a nice smile. As I passed her, I saw a few other people doing a double take. I asked a real cute Asian girl -- the city is seemingly full of them these days -- if that really was Bjork. She thought it was, and so I had my celebrity sighting verified. If I wasn't headed to work, I should have struck up a conversation with the Asian chick -- or Bjork herself, for that matter. Oh well, what's another missed opportunity in a lifetime full of them.

While I worked the morning going over a few catalogs, etc., another agency called and asked if I wanted to work another proofreading job in the afternoon. I said I did, and after I got out at around 2:00, I headed uptown to a place on 27th street and worked from 2:30 to 7:30. It was a boring job going over pages and pages of mutual fund reports, and it was on my way to this place when I got the call saying the investment house wanted me to start right away, this coming Monday. It's a 3-month project, with a 6-week review, but it was stressed that there's a good chance it could turn into a permanent position.

So I started this morning, jumped right into it, going through a 70-page research report, then a bunch of chapters for upcoming reports as the time flew by. Got some good feedback already. It's all right up my alley, all the stuff I did while toiling for The Wall Street Transcript came flooding back to me, and so I feel very suited for this position.

All I can do is my best. Which is more than the Dallas Cowboys can say this morning. Ouch! That hurt to write, it's painful to read, but one way or another it had to come out. I'm ashamed of my team today, and that's the worst thing a sports fan can say about his favorite team. If it was any other team but the Giants, it wouldn't hurt nearly as bad. But it was and it does.