Something That Happened.

Art -- specifically, films, even ones made for television -- can be dangerous to a relationship. Granted, the culprit was not your typical Hallmark movie, The Burning Bed or some other similar lesson in infidelity. No, this was truly a work of art: the 1973 television (mini)series Scenes from a Marriage, directed by that famous Swedish auteur, Mr. Ingmar Bergman.

Magnatune Song of the Day. I see those words every day, a subject among many subjects in my Gmail Inbox. A free MP3 download, each and every day of the year. Songs I rarely listen to (though maybe, just maybe, I will now that I'm making such a big deal about them in this post).

Huntsville seems like it could be a wonderful place to live, for many people. For me? I believe it could be. I could get along fine there, just as I could get along fine just about anywhere (except, perhaps, that hostel in that movie Hostel). I'm highly adaptable, you know? Hell, I lived in frat houses for more than a dozen years!

There are problems, though, and The Employer simply isn't providing the incentive to overcome them. For one, they're simply not offering The Girl enough money (or time) to consider this offer seriously. Though they flew us out to Rocket City for a day, they haven't exactly been generous (or even fair) in the past. I believe The Girl deserves an employee who recognizes her talents -- simply telling her she's doing a fine job would go a long way toward that, but perhaps that's too much to ask for. She should at least be paid better than she has. This company lays off employees, distributes their work to The Girl, then compensates themselves while expecting The Girl to take on much of the work of her former associates. All with hardly a pat on the back (and honestly, I don't know if she even gets that), and certainly without being paid more.

So I wonder: Does she really want to work for this employer any longer? There's also my own situation to consider. Ultimately, it's The Girl's decision as to whether she wants to continue working, but the reality is that she won't be leaving without me, and I don't see how I could leave my mom here in the nursing home. I would have to know that we would have enough money to be able to import my mom once a suitable nursing home is located. I'm also starting to get a real relationship with my dad, too. And I have friendfamily (yes, I intended that to be one term) here in the Los Angeles area that I'd find it difficult to leave (even though I haven't visited them much recently, truth be told).

It'd be really difficult for me to leave, and  The Girl would need to receive some measure of due respect from her employer before seriously considering whether to up and leave. Treating employees with respect year-round seems rare these days, but I don't think it's too much to ask for. And the fact is, The Girl likes (most of) her associates, including the HR rep who spends a great part of the day on a smoke break (and sends much of her own work The Girl's way). There are just some key individuals who really seem clueless about The Girl's value to the company, individuals who ultimately make those decisions regarding The Girl's compensation. Individuals who rarely work directly with her but who make the most important decisions affecting her career (such as deciding whether she's valuable enough to be included in the group of employees invited to Huntsville)!

Just got back from Rocket City, USA. That's Huntsville, Alabama -- it's often referred to as Rocket City due to its role as a key player in NASA and the space program's history. Though the Saturn V rockets that carried the Apollo astronauts to the moon are no longer being built there, the city is still home to some government agencies and a few high tech businesses. The city also has the world's largest (and/or most-visited) space exploration museum.

Anyway, The Girl and I were flown out there by her employer; they want us to consider moving there. The office in Beverly Hills is closing down and some of the employees are being offered jobs in Huntsville.