Day 234 - No Explosions

I had my weekly status update with Richard today. He was out yesterday (our normal meeting day), so it was rescheduled for today. We did it in his office.

At Steve's urging, I didn't confront him with anything, including his suggestion that I come up with a list of improvements I should make in order to be more successful in the position. (That list of improvements mostly had to do with him, but that's another matter.) I kept things cordial and professional, and let him drive the meeting. He did not bring up the argument we had last week, so I didn't need to press him on anything.

He gave me a list of tasks to do in this down period (there are no projects going on, although there are a couple that are moving toward the approval process - and my two construction guys are on furlough for a few weeks). Most of the tasks involve marketing and outreach. These are areas I would be good at in an urban setting where we're trying to reach clients who read newspapers and have Internet access. Unfortunately, in this community we need to find ways to reach clients who are not connected to the outside world, people so poor that even a daily newspaper is a luxury that they can't afford. That makes marketing very difficult, short of going door to door. Even renting a booth at the county fair isn't necessarily going to reach the right people.

Did I mention that I have no budget for these marketing activities?

If you have any suggestions for how to get the word out in the community, please feel free to comment below or send me a private message. I'm going to talk to the local radio stations and see if I can get some public service announcements out there. I also need to update the home page of our website to make the Veterans Home Repair Program more of a splash on the front page.

I have the interview at the college on Thursday. I'm trying to keep my brain in a good place so that I can make the best impression. I've never had an issue going on an interview (my theatre background helps me when I'm front of an "audience") and I need to keep believing that this job is meant for me.

For those of you who have already given me some tips, encouragement, and support - THANK YOU!!! The positive energy got me this far - let's take it all the way!

Spark On, Friends!