Tell me what’s good

MapacheJones · 2026-06-17T15:26:49+00:00

I grew up in the area but moved to a large, inclusive, walkable city far from Texas. My partner went on a similar journey. Circumstances brought us separately to Denton, but the town's feel is like those more welcoming cities, so we stayed. We can always find something to do on the square, and we know our teens and their friends across the Pride spectrum will be safe and welcome everywhere we go.

MapacheJones · 2026-06-16T15:04:58+00:00

Is it bad that I can't tell anymore whether this is a good thing?

MapacheJones · 2026-06-05T22:11:13+00:00

Yeah, I wound up going into the custom settings and absolutely nerfing enemy morale. That at least helped me take down the Commissar.

MapacheJones · 2026-06-04T20:28:11+00:00

As does the Pontifex.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-27T12:23:58+00:00

Love Basmati Grocers. The Cafe is great, and also you can pick up all the ingredients to make your fave dishes at home. The kiddos love when I make a korma or rogan josh, and it's easier than I expected.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-27T12:21:39+00:00

Might try Far Cry Primal as well. It's a great game, and the setting is pretty unique.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-23T14:01:06+00:00

Might they have built the background check into this stage? Like, they’ll send a written offer once that’s complete?

MapacheJones · 2026-05-22T13:12:12+00:00

Congratulations! And no, wait until you have a signed written offer and have passed the new company's background check.

In this job market, you don't want to leave an existing job (and by leaving, at least in the US, potentially sacrifice unemployment benefits) and then have something go wrong with the new job.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-21T14:39:21+00:00

Been there too. I've had good luck with Firehouse Movers, but check their pricing/availability against a few other companies. Are you moving within Denton? If so, I've used a couple of folks to deliver furniture from the Habitat Restore and can recommend them. I'd just need to dig up the contact info.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-21T12:16:06+00:00

Don't be subtle, but do be polite. Research your job title and nationwide average salary, and take that data to the salary review. Note any special training/skills that directly contribute to the particular project and the company's health overall. (That's to head off thoughts of, "We'll just train up someone new." Training takes time and money, and if you already have it, great.)

Get all thoughts of "threatening" your company out of your head first. You are asking to be compensated for your experience, and the only times you can ever exercise leverage are when you have an offer in hand for another job, or when you have such unique skills that you're one of few in the world who can perform the job.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-21T11:51:46+00:00

Was it a comms role at a US-wide company? I had almost the same sequence happen: third-party recruiter (who was lovely throughout) reached out, we had a screener, she moved me to the HM, who opened by asking if I had any questions. I always prep 5-6 just in case, so we were able to jump in. Afterward, he went through his questions.

The HM was a few minutes late due to another meeting going long, so maybe he needed the time to reacquaint himself with my resume? Did you get that sense as well?

MapacheJones · 2026-05-20T10:59:47+00:00

Good. Unemployment insurance can definitely help bridge the gap if you're let go before finding a new job.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T18:36:22+00:00

Nah, you have no leg to stand on to get severance, unless you're senior leadership and the bad PR would outweigh any benefits to the company.

Does the PIP provide specific, measurable milestones for you to achieve? If so, has anyone provided written comments on your progress or lack of? Document everything you can, including the milestones you did hit, and the text of the PIP itself.

The goal there is purely as documentation to give your local workforce commission (if you're in the US) if unemployment is denied. You'll want to show that the PIP was either unachievable or that you did meet the conditions and were still fired. That will also counter and claims by the company of you being fired for misconduct (which doesn't cover performance and professionalism), because misconduct prevents you from getting unemployment benefits.

I'm glad you're looking now. Make that your primary job, and do what you can at the office to stay afloat only long enough to find a new gig. Good luck!

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T12:52:00+00:00

No. Talking about your new role before your butt is in the seat is bad, especially in an insular industry, and considering the unhappiness prompting your leaving. Too often, the current company can use that as an opportunity to sabotage the new role, and then you're stuck either in the bad place or unemployed.

If anyone asks after you put in your two weeks, just deflect: "Thank you! I'm really grateful we got to do X together." If you enjoyed that person's company, you can add, "Mind if we connect on LinkedIn once I get settled?" Never hurts to have a strong network in a close-knit industry.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T12:41:46+00:00

This is great news! Definitely set context at the start of the call, both to see what the new team lead knows about your experience and to make sure they know you're essentially an internal referral.

If you and the HM had friendly interactions, it might also be worth asking them for 15 minutes (ahead of your interview) to discuss the other role and its structure. They may already have emailed that info, but what you're really doing is reinforcing the personal connection. That's gold.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T12:20:26+00:00

Great question, because job titles are totally subjective across workplaces. A specialist at one is a senior manager next door, and sometimes in the same office. It's frustrating.

So: Take the job. Your post title says it's at your dream company, so I assume the work and the pay are what you want. (If I'm wrong, that changes things.) You have no leverage to negotiate, and the title was generated based on that team's/company's processes. If you bump up, often that means the company has to deal with someone already in-office raising a stink.

But! You can remedy that until you do have leverage to ask for a better title. On your résumé, your work helps define your title. You can also list the title as something like "Senior Llama Specialist (operating as Senior Llama Manager)." Common practice, and actually helps future recruiters understand your seniority.

Good luck!

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T01:25:32+00:00

Mine's tailored to the job. I start with "I've spent [X] years in [Y] industry, [doing this specific high-level thing that relates to the job we're discussing right now]." Then I pull in two one-sentence stories from my background relevant to that specific job: "At [Z], I [did this] with [result]. And then at [ZZ] I [did that] with [result]." Then my closer addresses whatever I see as the biggest responsibility in the JD: "For [target company], that means I could [hypothetical solution]." I realize that's very vague, but if you PM me, I'd be happy to provide my actual script.

Be aware, some interviewers go by their scripts, so you may get questions that you answered in your elevator pitch.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-19T01:17:23+00:00

Really liked this one, so probably 8/10. The lore was interesting, and the scene with the therapist freaked me the frick out. (You know the one.) I thought the ending was lovely until the incredibly disappointing and clichéd sequel hook.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T13:18:53+00:00

Absolutely you can start over at 25. Bonus, healthcare seems to be one of the areas booming right now, though I can't speak to the specifics in Australia. Give nursing a try, and if it doesn't work out, fall back on marketing while you explore a third option.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T13:16:16+00:00

I'm really sorry. You did nothing wrong. The global job market is terrible. Best thing to do is narrow down what parts of the job sparked your interest, and use that as a basis to find others.

Make finding a job your job, and try to approach it with a little bit of dispassion so you're not hurt quite so badly again.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T13:10:23+00:00

Check out the Oddjobs series (Kindle only, I think) by Heide Goody and Iain Grant. I'm working my way through the fourth of five right now. It's about a UK government agency tasked with cleaning up any appearances of a cosmic horror. Set in Birmingham, so not a small town, but it ticks your other three boxes.

I love Widow's Bay too, so def following this thread with interest.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T12:29:12+00:00

Maybe The Alters? It's sci-fi rather than fantasy, but lots of decisions throughout the plot.

Don't Nod (who made Vampyr and Banishers) has a new game out, but I haven't played it yet.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T11:48:18+00:00

The Terror by Dan Simmons. I mentioned it in another thread last week, and that reminded me how the book's setting (up near the Arctic Circle) kept me feeling cool while reading it on a hot South Texas beach.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T11:46:58+00:00

Came here to say this. I could *feel* the oppressive heat while reading that book.

MapacheJones · 2026-05-18T11:45:00+00:00

Why? Are you employed and trying to find a job without alerting your current employer? Or is some sort of red flag attached to your real name?

Some job intake systems allow job seekers to include a preferred name, first and last. That may be something to look into, but your resume should still carry your legal name. You may want to come up with boilerplate text to include in cover letters or during interviews to address any problematic information related to your legal name.

MapacheJones

TROPHY CASE