This is a quick post to let you know what's been happening with me lately. I had a nice short (and cheap - I got a good deal on Hawaiian Airlines which now flies directly to Sydney) trip to Hawai'i recently. I thought that Oahu would be very spoiled, like Australia's Gold Coast, but I found it very easy to get away from Waikiki and see the lovely Windward Coast and North Shore. This trip was primarily about extending my US permanent residency status for another year, "just in case." If I can afford it, I'm thinking of attending the AALL annual meeting in San Antonio next year.
After getting back, I caught a nasty very draining cold. Today I'm having a busy day trip to Melbourne, where I'm going to be having no less than 3 job interviews. One is as a law librarian in a big law firm, the other two are for special librarian positions, doing business research. It's going to be tough, having 3 on in one day, while battling a cold. But this will save me airfares between Hobart and Melbourne. What is the etiquette of shaking hands at a job interview if I have a cold? I would like to warn them about this and give them the option of not shaking my hand. On the other hand, I intend to mask my symptoms as much as possible during these interviews, and I know that a nice firm handshake is important part of making a good first impression. I have no illusions that any of these interviews will result in an offer, but it is still a sign of progress in my job search, and an indicator that it was the right decision for me to widen the geographical scope of my job search.
