My monkey

I'm thinking Selim's middle name should be monkey.  He has taken to tree climbing with a passion.  When he gets next to a tree, he is looking for a way to get up.  He can climb the small Japanese maple in our front yard now. 

Our lilacs are blooming, as are these small purple bulb flowers that I planted and can't remember what they are called.

Yesterday Nedim was involved in organizing the inaugural Turkish / NH cultural day.  There is a group of Turkish business men who have been organizing events with politicians in New England and this was part of their endeavor.  Nedim left early yesterday morning to help set up and Selim and I drove over later on.  We got to the State House just as the event started.  There were speeches, music, tables with tourist information and examples of tile work. They had food to feed the legislators and it was delicious.

It was so fun to see Nedim in his element.  He was helping with the food, making introductions and just doing his thing.  I love seeing him happy and involved.  Selim got in to the act by helping hand out plates and trying to keep the wind from blowing around the napkins and utensils.

Selim and I walked around the Capitol building and Selim told me to take a picture of the eagle, a detail of the entrance arch, and the bell.

And then I took a few more, just because.

When that was done, Selim and I headed up to the Ashram.  Selim is staying for a few days but I was there just for the overnight.  I had to get back home today because I had a interview for the Supervisor position at work.  On the drive east today, I stopped at a small garden center that Mom had mentioned and picked up kale, spinach and parsley 6-pack flats.  I figure these will be my insurance in case the seeds I planted don't come up.  I need to get out in my garden to weed.  I take inspiration from Mom's Buddha garden under the apple tree.  It is so pretty.

But to the interview, I think it went well.  I met with an Adjudication Manager and an Assistant Director.  I've been there long enough to know them by sight and make small talk, but I have not worked for or with either of them.  The interview felt conversational and my answered flowed from one topic to the next.  They seemed happy with my answers and I felt like I conveyed what I wanted to.  I should know by the end of next week or the beginning of the following if I made it to the second round of interviews. 

I'm so grateful that I had the experience of the interview for the Customer Service Manager earlier this year.  I knew the general process and the types of questions that they would ask.  What was nice about today was the fact that they referenced my resume and what the thought were my strengths.  So I could reference past work experience and know that they had an idea of what I was talking about.  Interesting that both of them picked up on the HR in my past and pointed out how they thought that was beneficial.

I went into the interview wearing a suit that Selim had helped me pick out, that had been too snug to wear when initially purchased.  But it felt fine today and it gave my a physical confidence that I hadn't expected.  I was happy wearing it and that was a bonus.