It's truly a small world

April 20, 2009

George Noory, the host of the radio program Coast to Coast AM, says there are no such things as coincidences.

Then today was a weird and fortuitous day that was meant to be, I guess.

I started scanning the employment ads this morning on a journalism Web site when I came across one seeking senior copy editors at The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. That’s a long way away, but the little kingdom has been getting lots of publicity lately for its opulence.

I immediately thought about my daughter Rachel, a marketing representative for a Los Angeles architect, being in that very Middle-Eastern place this week on business.

I read the ad and part of it stated, “Chief copy editors who have taken buyouts or who have recently retired are especially encouraged to apply.”

That seems to be addressing me personally, I thought. So I sent out a cover letter and resume for the heck of it. What a great life adventure that would be, to work in Abu Dhabi for a year or two. That would be something I never expected in my life.

Anyway, I shipped off an e-mail to Rachel who, as aforementioned, is in Abu Dhabi. I told her, “You wouldn’t believe where I just sent a resume for a job – Abu Dhabi, a newspaper called The National. I figure you might be visiting that area often for the next couple of years on business, so why not get a job there?”

Amazingly, 10 minutes later I got an e-mail from Rachel saying, “I was just at The National.” (More than 7,000 miles away, on the opposite side of the globe and we have near instant communication. What a changing world it is.)

The phone rang minutes later and it was Rachel calling. The signal was a little weak, but I could hear her pretty well. “I was at The National this morning. I met with the features editor – she’s an older woman from America. I can’t believe it. I have to go back there tomorrow, so I’ll tell her you sent a resume.”

Can you believe it?

We chatted some more about her stay there and what a great experience it is. She’s of the opinion that I wouldn’t want to live there. “Would mom come, too?” she asked.

“Rachel, I wouldn’t move there permanently, but I wouldn’t mind working there for a year, or two, or three, maybe make some pretty good money,” I responded.

What a bizarre occurrence. What are the chances of sending a resume to an exotic place half a world away and having your L.A.-based daughter be at that newspaper as the resume arrived? Too crazy.

What would be more crazy? To get a reply from The National and an interview. Stay tuned.

Also, on the proud Dad front: Son James called to say he’s been appointed a co-captain of the John Carroll University hockey team next season. What a kid! Kudos to James!

All in all, it was a pretty good day.