I got nothing done this week because very nearly the whole thing was spent in protracted IRC-based job negotiations. It was a cool job, for which I was recommended by a friend, and the company seemed very interested in me, but eventually things fell apart over salary. The job would have had us moving from our current, very inexpensive, location to a new, integer multiples more expensive, location where only I would have had a job, and the offered salary was clearly tailored for single person or a couple in a dual income situation.
With the job market like it is, I was unwilling to make such a move. The person I was talking with seemed quite surprised and confused by my stance and insistence on more money before I'd say yes; I was shocked and angered by his seemingly harsh attitude and dismissal of my concerns.
The punchline is that he was willing to agree to hire me but give me a reasonable amount of leadtime for my wife to try to find a job before expecting me to move up there, but he only told me this as negotiations were in full-on implosion mode. Suddenly everyone's positions made sense to everyone, but it was far, far too late.
During the dark days of 2003 this would have been catastrophic instead of merely disappointing, but still it seems increasingly certain that my destiny is to be a walking, talking cautionary tale for the benefit of others.
