Mole, Margaritas and Making Connections Jonelle Strickland (M.A. '09, MFA '09) reminisces about the importance of staying connected

As I was having lunch with my former administrative assistant to celebrate her new job–one year after I’d made the awkward phone call telling her that she would not be needed at the office come Monday, because the office was, unfortunately, closing–I thought about how I had hired her in the first place. Smart. Disciplined. Always willing to go the extra mile whenever a compassionate first impression to a seasoned customer interaction was needed
–how on earth did I find her?

I thought about how I had hired her in the first place. … how on earth did I find her?

While my taste buds lingered on the mole coloradito, a dish fabled to contain over 200 ingredients in the City of Oaxaca, where I’d had my first taste and instantly fell in love, the imported version–this day delivered via Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen on Glassell Street in Old Town Orange–brought with it a slew of memories, not only of travels long gone, but also of the nature of memory itself, specifically how it mysteriously weaves in and out of our everyday moments.  Where did I meet my assistant?

… poring over hundreds of resumes, each with its own painstakingly prepared cover letter and list of referrals, I had in front of me, the perfect candidate. Now all I had to do was ask her to send in her resume.

Not surprisingly, through a personal referral. She went to my aunt’s dojo. So days, if not weeks, into my search process for a new assistant, which included poring over hundreds of resumes, each with its own painstakingly prepared cover letter and list of referrals, I had in front of me, the
perfect
candidate. Now all I had to do was ask her to send in her resume.

I took a sip from my jalapeño margarita thinking first how the heck did it taste so good–it was made from jalapeños!– followed by
how the heck did I get so lucky?
At that point, I decided to share my wisdom. “Make friends with everyone,” I found myself saying over the course of our celebratory and long-overdue lunch. “But more importantly, stay in touch with everyone because you never know when you’ll find yourself needing a referral.” As the words left my mouth, I caught myself in an ironic betrayal of my own situation. What was I doing to stay connected these days? And where was I looking to stay in touch, perhaps even meet some new faces?

As the words left my mouth, I caught myself in an ironic betrayal of my own situation. What was I doing to stay connected these days?

The answer, I realized, was sitting right in front of me at an upcoming event that also involved the option of adult beverages. Chapman,
my alma mater, was hosting an Alumni Summer Bash on Thursday, July 28 from 6 – 9 p.m..
And it actually sounded pretty fun. Beer from Bottle Logic Brewing? A tour of the new Musco Center for the Arts?–a center I’d first noticed when my daughter asked me if she could jump over the huge metal fence, a tantalizing earthen pit on the other side; it was Musco Jr., still in utero, and we all wondered what the pit would become, most of us residents and probably a few students too, hoping for a new parking garage…
c’est la vie!
We have resorted to taking our bikes.

… whether as an employee or an employer, because a fun evening out certainly beats a pile of resumes, right?

To be truthful, this empty lot was still my idea of Musco Center until last Sunday’s lunch at Gabbi’s, even after several glossy flyers and digital versions had been sent to my mailboxes, enticing me to visit. However, after this Thursday, I am proud to say, the mysterious pit will no longer be a figment in my imagination, as my family and I are all set to visit Musco Center for the Arts for the first time, in person, as participants in the
Alumni Summer Bash
. And I look forward to seeing you there! Because, who knows, maybe someday you’ll need a referral too–whether as an employee or an employer, because a fun evening out certainly beats a pile of resumes, right?

Jonelle Strickland  (M.A. ’09, MFA ’09) is a first-time contributor to Chapman’s blog. She is a Chapman alumna of Wilkinson College where she completed her M.A. in English and MFA in creative writing in 2009. Jonelle is the proud mother of two daughters and spends her free time telling stories–this month as a finalist for the Summer Writing Contest, co-sponsored by 1888 and JukePop, for her entry 29 BBQs, a serialized comedic novella/satire on the Newport Beach transient population. Jonelle can be reached via Facebook, or you can catch her this Thursday at Chapman’s Summer Bash.