Job hunting is like dating.

Do they like me? Do I like them? Are we a good fit? Could this be the "the one?

The correlation between job hunting and dating struck me as I fretted over the fact that I didn't receive an offer post-interview last week. The truth of the matter? It wasn't the right fit. Maybe 80%. That's not good enough, self! I'm looking for a job that meets all my requirements. So why did I wait by the phone hoping for a call? It's basic human instinct: we want people to want us. Despite the fact that I didn't want that job I didn't want them to reject me. Oh, no. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny and choose to reject the offer. Classic dating story.

Since the job hunting/dating correlation is so vivid (at least in my mind) I've decided to continue the logic and apply some great dating advice to my job hunting. For example:

• If they're not interested in you, it wasn't meant to be (apply advice to example above). It's not fun to hear "no" but we must make peace with reality and bravely accept rejection. If my prospective new employer isn't thrilled to have me on board, well… that's not where I'm meant to be… or where I want to be. I'm all about the situation where we're both excited I got the job.
• Be yourself. So maybe I could charm an interviewer and tell them stories about imaginary feats. First of all, I'm a bad liar so that won't work. Second, if it did, I'd get caught as soon as the job began. Just like when you start dating: after a couple of months dirty secrets start coming out. It's only a matter of time. Be yourself from the beginning! Then it's much easier to identify a good match when it exists.
• Be patient. Desperation is your worst enemy; be it the job hunt or the romantic chase. Think about how many people jump at the first offer and end up in a sub-par relationship. Like Mom always told you, just keep putting yourself out there and the right one will come along eventually. For me, this advice has been applicable: Since that job passed me up I've discovered other options with excellent potential. What if I had received an offer? What if I'd said "yes" out of desperation? WHERE would I be now? Headed for a break-up secondary job hunt in a year. Nope, better to wait for the right fit to come along so you can form a healthy long-term relationship.

What other pieces of dating advice apply to job hunting? I have a feeling this could just go on and on…

Patriotism lives in my iPod.

Is there anything more red, white and blue American than country music? No. Nothing. Not peanut butter, not hamburgers. Country music represents the absolute essence of my personal patriotism.

I'm not a typical country music fan. See, I'm a city girl. However, despite the living locations I've chosen over the past 10 years, I'm originally from small-town America: Redding CA. That's pure NorCal. Here people drive pick-up trucks, talk about their horses and are proud of their prize cows. At least 4 of my relatives have chickens running around on their properties. Wearing Wanglers, boots and a shiny gold belt buckle is not a fashion crime; in fact you might get complimented. So, if you consider my roots I feel I have a genuine claim to be a country music fan.

It all started with Willie Nelson. When I was a little girl my Mom used to cue up "Stardust" whenever we departed for a road trip. I've got a nostalgic love for Willie now: in fact, when I lived in Argentina he made me cry. Actually, when I lived in Argentina most country music made me cry. That's because country music simply doesn't exist outside of the USA. The only way I would hear Willie or Shania or Sugarland was via my own personal importation. On days when I felt extra homesick, I'd navigate my iPod to a country mix while hustling through the streets of Buenos Aires. In those moments, I'd feel like my own culture flowed through me and gave me definition. No matter where I am, what language I speak or how I'm dressed some things will never change: I'm an American. And I've got an iPod full of country music to prove it.

Last week I had the great pleasure of attending a Toby Keith (and Trace Adkins!) concert. First of all, it was a blast because I went with my fantastic cousin Keri and made a couple new friends. Second, it was a bit of a personal celebration for me. I think that going to a country concert is about the most patriotic activity I've ever participated in.

We sat in the back of the pick-up truck tailgating and drinking whiskey while watching cutoff blue jeans and cowboy hats stroll by. But the most beautiful moment of the night was the finale: at the end of the concert Toby sang "Courtesy of the red, white, and blue" and suddenly a burst of flag-themed confetti flowed through the sky on the cool, dry NorCal breeze. It was a beautiful moment: Standing with my arms around my friends, listening to that deep voice singing about the USA I felt grateful. These are my roots and this is my culture, and I'm proud to admit I'm a country music fan. It might just be the most patriotic thing about me!

El Diccionario: an Argentine vocab compilation

Working in an office filled with Argentines for two years meant I received a unique vocabulary expansion opportunity. Since I am a curious human being, I was always asking questions and attempting to understand the chatter taking place around me. As a result, I discovered I was expanding my vocabulary daily. In order to remember the random things I learned, I began compiling a dictionary. The majority were slang phrases and a large percentage were, um, uncouth. Some were just plain odd. I mean, no one teaches you that having "crocodiles in your pockets" means you're a cheapscate in Spanish class.

Cleaning out my work files the other day I stumbled across "El diccionario" and thought I'd share. Just for fun, here's the clean(ish) version:

Chasco = gag gift
Puntillista = meticulous/fussy in a good way
Prolija = precise, put-together, perfectionistic
Mañosa = meticulous in a bad way, control freak
Copada = Cool
Dar bola = pay attention
Telgopor = polyfan = poliestireno =Styrofoam
Gruñóna = grumpy
Autobomba = self-propoganda
Bombacha = girl undies
"Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres" = "Tell me who you hang out with and I'll tell you who you are"
Zapar = jamming (only with music)
Caño = pole
Zanja = ditch
Cambalache = kitch
Cachetazo = slap
Cachete = cheek
Entrometer = meddle, interfere, intrude, barge in
Bostezar = Yawn
“No es grupo” = no es mentira = it's not a lie
Sigla = Acronym
Codito/Amarete = cheap or Gaista = Jew
Cocodrilos en el bolsillo = crocodiles in your pocket (cheap)
Plomo = “staff” at a concert or an insistent person or a boring item
Lamer = to lick
Camionera = truck driver’s mouth (for a girl)
Hueca = Hollow
Huevadas o coludes = idiotices
Alcahuete / Buchon = tattle tale
Versero = liar, able to speak in lyrical, lying verse
Una pinturita = something that works really well/is great
Calzones = men’s undies
En Babia = spaced out, like you mentally went to Babylon and got lost
Arropar = cover yourself or to cuddle
Rrogar = to beg
Clueca = body doesn’t work right anymore / old and broken-ish
Estoy subido en una palmera = mentally hanging out in a palm tree = in my own little world
Carajo = ship lookout
Te manda al carajo = they sent you on a wild goose chase
Fuiste al carajo = got lost in nowhere
Erizar = to make stand on end
Bochinche = lotsa noise
Que cara de orto tenés! = you've got a pissed off face
Forro = person who doesn’t have any value (this is quite rude)
Fogoso = hot in bed (meow)
Zafa = in the middle
Mocos: Boogers
Metejon = someone you like, a "crush"

Want the dirty version? Just ask. (Although most of you who would care probably have heard it all already, jaja!)