Greg_A

We walked along the water’s edge, my love, you and I Our souls entwining drawing cruel fate ever nigh Watching the white tipped waves like beats of time An impossible dream, love, our only crime We watched the setting sun turn the water crimson fire And wondered at the portent of burning desire Never braving the dangers of passion's burning flame And denied our hearts that were too wild to tame All too soon our time was forced to end And you were taken from me like petals on the wind

An ongoing collection of poetry I've written over the years.

Congratulations on the interview going so well! It is very encouraging that they want to bring you in to talk more details. I know a lot of people think phone interviews are easy, but I sometimes think they are even harder than the face to face ones since you have to carry the entire impression with just how you are speaking. So way to go on wowing them enough that they want to go that next step! Lots of luck on all of the other interviews too!!

Happy Birthday Marky!! Hope you have a great one!

Funny you should ask - I just got done hiring a replacement for my department so I just spent time interviewing several people. And I'm in banking too! Couple of tips I can give you from the other side of the table, don't be afraid to take a few seconds to formulate your thoughts on the hard questions. I'd much rather have someone pause for a few moments and give me a well thought out response than for someone to just start rambling on trying to cover their nervousness. Don't just sit there in silence though, but instead say something like That's a good question, let me think about that for a moment. Look for ways you can show the manager what you can do for the company, department, etc. in your answers. Don't just answer that you are energetic, but reply that you are eager to dive into projects and make a difference. Telling me you're a hard worker is nice, but if you back it up by telling me how you spent x number of hours to finish a job, assignment, group project, whatever ontime and before the deadline shows me you can back up your claims. Telling me you are eager to learn is fine, but telling me you scour the Wallstreet, Forbes, etc for trends shows me you are serious. I'm sure you get the picture. Be prepared to be in a group interview too. These days it's much more common for the manager to have another dept head, trusted staff member, HR rep, etc in the room with you. And they are all going to be firing questions at you so try not to let it rattle you. And since it's pretty common to have multiple people in the room interviewing make sure to bring several extra copies of your resume. More than likely they will already have made copies, but it shows you anticipate problems if you have copies ready for them. And by the way, don't forget the influence the receptionist has in your overall interview too. I usually do ask the staff in the waiting area for their impressions about my outside canidates who come in to interview. There's also a ton of little things that are mentioned in all the interview tip sites that are still true. Be prepared to ask a few questions about the company and position. Don't be afraid to ask why the position is open - department expanding or did someone leave. Be well groomed, dress professionally, if you wear cologne make it sublte. Turn off your cell phone before you even enter the building. Get there a few minutes early, but try to avoid getting there too early since that puts pressure on the interviewer to meet with you and you don't want them feeling harrassed. Even though you have given them a resume, still be prepared to complete a job application so have all the usual info ready just in case including references and their info. The final tip I can give you, follow up your interview with a thank you note or email! Good Luck!

This is off topic - but oh my god! I love both the Belgariad and the Mallorean series by Eddings!!!!!

Well, I did try and warn everyone that this wasn't a feel good story.... Sorry, kind of tongue in cheek response there. But to comment on a few of the points you listed: You need to remember the events in this story happened quite a few years ago. Cell phones, texting, IM, etc - all those instant means of communication weren't all that available then. I also changed Alex's job in the story in a misguided attempt to "protect" his identity (which he laughs at me for now). His real job had him working nights and weekends. As a Banker (boo hiss) I worked days and thru the week. Our time off never meshed. So trying to do a long distance relationship when we would never see each other just wouldn't work for us. You might have noticed reading the story I'm a little high maintenance.... lol Also, I was willing to give up my job and follow him to his new city. Alex couldn't accept that though. At that point in time he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed me somehow. And so even though I was willing to start over career wise, Alex couldn't deal with the guilt (misplaced in my mind) and I couldn't convince him otherwise. And finally, Alex and his partner are still very much a part of my life. Thanks for reading and commenting Lisa! Feel free to ask other questions if you want - PM me or post in the thread in the GA Stories Discussion. I don't promise to answer anything thrown my way, but I'm pretty good about answering most. I doubt anyone here will come up with something that wasn't asked in my Group! lol

Thanks Conner - I appreciate it. I always try to keep the sentiment of that poem firmly in front of me whenever I reflect on the events in this story. Granted, at the time it wasn't really what I was thinking, but looking back now it certainly helps.

Thanks Frosty! I love ya Baby Girl! And yes, I agree, it was worth it - and always will be!

"Zach, can you come into my office for a few minutes?" Zach looked up as his supervisor Barb called to him from her office door. Nodding his head affirmatively, Zach got up from his desk to follow Barb into her office. Zach vaguely wondered what Barb wanted to talk to him about. He wasn’t particularly concerned though. Zach knew he did a good job and he also knew that Barb was genuinely pleased with his work. More over, he and Barb were pretty close and Zach didn’t see any of the signs that Bar

Eight years have passed since Alex and Zach finally worked thru starting a relationship. Things finally seem to be falling into place in their lives and their love when fate steps in. Alex and Zach both learn what it means to love someone so much that you have to let them go.

I agree with everyone else - very good poem. You have a gift for capturing emotions and conveying them with your words. Feelings of insecurity have to be universal, and yet you still manage to convey those feelings in a personal, unique way. Good job!

Is it wrong that most of my favorite quotes come from Dilbert books? My favorite is probably: "When did ignorance become a point of view?"

Hey Lisa! Thanks for sticking with the story till the bitter end! lol Seriously, I'm glad you liked the story and thanks so much for all your comments along the way. I always love hearing what people thought about A&Z as the story progressed. And to answer your question, no the sequel isn't your classic happy ever after story. Please keep that in mind if you choose to read Was It Worth It (when I get around to posting it that is!) Trying not to give away too many spoilers, but keep in mind if you choose to read it that Alex and Zach will always love each other no matter what happens in life. And at least at some level, they will always be together. Thanks again!

Yeah - it was a difficult chapter to write. I think it was important though. Hopefully it gives a little insight into some of the inner workings of Zach's brain. Maybe sheds a little light on why Zach acts the way he acts, is so unsure of himself, and in general, is Zach! As always, thanks again for reading. I love hearing what people think of the story as it progresses!

I think you have to stand in line to hit the ol' parents. lol Seriously though, what can I say. They were a product of their times, history, etc. I may not always like the things they do, but well, they are parents and I do love them. I just keep my distance is all. Thanks again for reading and commenting!

How long will Zach stay relaxed? Hmmm - if history is any guide about 30 seconds! lol Thanks for reading my story - it means a lot to me that you enjoyed it enough to comment!

Wow! Thank you so much for all the kind words. I really do appreciate it. And as always, I love knowing what the readers are thinking when they read A&Z. It's funny you say you liked the flashback scenes - others have mentioned the same thing. The funny thing is it only came about because I messed up when I started writing the story. I started in the middle and had to figure out a way to bring in past events. Funny how accidents turn out to be something positive! And for the record, I don't even want to guess where Cindy picked up all her info. And she'd make me blush to high heaven if I asked her! Thanks again!

Happy Birthday Rustle!!!! Hope you have the best one ever!

Hey Conner! As always, thanks so much! And, uh, yeah, the last chapter is long. I thought about splitting it in two, but then I'd have the whole stigma of having 13 chapters! lol Seriously though, I couldn't really find a breaking spot that worked for me the way I wanted it to. And I told ya Cindy would grow on ya! lol 'K - maybe that's a bit much, but I love her in spite of her trying to run my life for me.

Zach woke with a slight start, shaking himself awake before the nightmare had barely even started. He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed and noted there were still several hours before he would need to wake up for the day. Then Zach glanced at Alex, smiling slightly as he gazed at the sleeping figure next to him. Zach gently disentangled himself from Alex’s sleeping embrace and quietly crawled out of bed, trying not to disturb Alex’s sleep. As he felt Zach rise, Alex woke and sleepily s

As always, thanks for following my story Lisa and all your comments. I really appreciate it! As far as Zach's family, well, what can I say. Not making excuses for them, but they were a product of the times, their location, and their upbringings. I make references that the story is set in the heart of the midwest and the attitudes towards being gay is more than a little behind there. And I never really come right out and say this in the story, but the time setting is 1989/1990 and things were more than a little arch conservative at that time. But I agree, they certainly didn't handle the news all that well, and Zach pretty much knew how they would react from the beginning. Still, even expecting, it was quite a slap in the face for Zach. And for the record, as far as catching my typos - please dont ever stop!!! lol I don't mind at all when you, or anyone else actually, points out where my brain slipped right on by an error. I tried to fix the errors from the original posting of A&Z as I brought it over to GA, but obviously I missed a few. This is why I'm not an editor! lol Thanks again Lisa!

I like the smell of several of shampoos by suave, but Ocean Charge has to be my favorite! (I went and checked the name - how gay am I??? ) I could sniff at that all day!

Thanks so much Conner! I really appreciate you following the story like you have and all your kind words too! And your favorite part is Mike getting his nose splatted? Hmmm - ok, so I kinda liked that part too. Maybe it's a guy thing??? lol But for me, the very last line of the chapter has to be my favorite part. But that's cuz I'm letting my inner mush factor show thru!

As always, thanks so much for sticking with the story Conner! And for the record, I think you have to stand in line with the I love Jason fan club. Everyone loves him for some reason! lol Me too, so it's all good. And what can I say about Cindy? She's a force of nature, abbrasive, outspoken, and I'm sure you can come up with a lot more words for her too. But she does have a heart of gold and genuinely cares about Zach. And Alex too really. I know she can be hard to like, but she is a fiercely loyal friend. I promise, in real life, she grows on ya! lol