Judging Books

If you run over to my friend the Magazine Man's blog and look up an entry entitled "23 Skidoo" you'll find another one of those polar differences between he and I.

To wit: He hates to be underestimated.

I love it.

It's one of those things, being underestimated is, that allows you freedoms you never thought possible. Sitting off in a corner, watching the world go by, no one really paying attention to you because you're a dullard, uninteresting, stupid, incapable or otherwise.

Then, if you are not all these things, and more, you can from time to time emerge from the shadows to prove the world wrong to the slack-jawed amazement of all but the truly perceptive.

Of course, this sometimes works in reverse. I was at a job interview a few years ago, one in which farting noises did not play a part. There it was explained to me that having a good sense of humor would indirectly benefit my chances mightily. The crew I would be working with was friendly, close, co-operative and mostly, funny. It was how they got their work done so well every day despite huge obstacles and more than your share of corporate pressure. It was a great relief valve.

This was no problem. I thought I had a sense of humor. Trouble was, I was in interview mode and could not for the life of me, break out of it. Every sentence contained phrases such as "present as well as future benefits" and "streamlined workflow" and "creative potential" when they should have really just had the word "Nantucket" in them somewhere.

Long story short: the interview went well and I sold my basic competence. I got the job and it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling and fun of my career and will probably always occupy the top five spots. Never did, though, convince the interviewer that I could lighten up and fit in with the crowd.

Her comments follow:

"And I will never forget meeting "Caustic Bunny" for the first time. And he is absolutely right: I thought he was possibly the most humorless person I'd ever met. So I can be wrong sometimes."

Thank goodness she reads.