Once upon a time in a kingdom far from normal there lived a old bearded bald man. He lived a quiet little life of desperation trudging a long way to and from work every day. He had a beautiful wife and two wonderful little kitties, and every day he had to go to work he missed them. One day a fairy god-friend popped out of the forrest and said, “Oh you poor old, cranky, ugly man, what foul fate has befallen you? You should travel to the little brook not far from your home and there you will find a new job and all will be well, though I can't promise your hair will grow back.” So the bearded bald man visited the little brook and. . . .

It was a Tuesday; it was a sunny and beautiful day, if you go for sunny winter days, and I was getting into my car, having just wolfed down a hasty lunch, and began my trek to a job interview. Last week a buddy of mine dropped me a line about a position at his company that just opened up; I had looked at it and had mixed feelings, for it was advertised as a “contract-to-hire” position. The rest of the job description looked not only acceptable but nearly desirable. I was a good fit for what they wanted, and having a buddy on the inside wouldn't hurt. After much discussion and much thought I decided I would carelessly throw my resume at them and see what happens, figuring that getting an interview would at least give me an opportunity to discover more information about the nature of the “contract-to-hire” status.