Sigh, weird week. Happyland isn't that happy today. Moving right along...
I don't watch the crap on TV that too many people watch. Among the things I never watch: Two and a Half Men, Dancing With the Stars, Survivor, American Idol, The Real World... I did watch some late episodes of The Hills to see what that was all about (nothing, apparently) and I do watch Bethenny's show. What can I say, she's interesting.
Unfortunately, joblessness has freed a lot of time in my TV availability. I like A&E's programming... First 48 and Intervention are fascinating, and the "reality" in this reality TV does not appear contrived like the reality in most mainstream programming such as those above and elsewhere.
Lately I've caught a couple of other A&E programs: Storage Wars and Hoarders. Last night it hit me that there are connections between those two shows.
As some of you may know, I am interested in the tenets of minimalism. Both of these shows have links to this philosophy. In each, people have too much crap. In Hoarders they drown in it. In Storage Wars they abandon it.
There's a problem here. Why do Americans collect so much stuff? I remember George Carlin's routine about buying bigger houses to "hold your stuff." Carlin knew that we are bamboozled by consumerism. We're trained, indoctrinated to get more crap. And it's a sucker's game. I always love this quote from Tyler Durden in Fight Club: "The things you own end up owning YOU."
In both those programs, that's true. In Hoarders, consumerism has created a mental illness. The program says 3 million Americans do this. I can remember two neighbors growing up who had this problem. In some cases the hoarding is brought on by some other emotional/mental trauma, but consumerism has to share some if not all blame. We're taught that having stuff = success or accomplishment. So we go to work under any circumstances to ensure that we have enough disposable income to acquire "stuff."
BTW... who coined the phrase "disposable" income? That causes me to shake my head. Are we so callous that we trade the short time of our existence for something "disposable?" What's wrong with this picture?
In Storage Wars I wonder about the people who are having their former possessions treated as a treasure hunt. I've used storage before, and in almost every case the need to go that route was precipitated by a difficult event. People use storage because of a move, but that's usually the best case. Other times, they are having family problems, money problems, or just in general have made some iffy decisions that force the use of storage. Every time I see someone on Storage Wars throwing out boxes of toys and clothes it makes me uncomfortable. Because to them, that stuff is garbage. Yet to the person who put it there, it's the pieces of their lives. And that's not garbage. But it is very, very sad.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 55: Really? 55?
That seems like a lot of days...
Well, the bad news is that I got two turn-down notices today. The good news is that at least these places are bothering to let me know.
That's been just one more casualty of our societal slide the past decade or so... a lot of this is a downside of the wired world and "social" media. Really, it should be called "anti-social" media because the net (ooo, "net," clever!) effect has actually been to make us less connected. Now, we "connect" through the Web/e-mail/FB/Twitter et al... when was the last time you sent someone a hand-written letter? Writing a few lines in a card doesn't count.
I love the Internets, but for all the ways it allows us to interact, it also puts up some fences.
Professionally, and with the jobs situation being so dire, it's meant that job seekers carpet-bomb potential employers in a way that snail mail didn't. You can apply a lot more easily to the longshot job in Denver, LA, NY or wherever... you don't have the printing or shipping costs. Put a package together, hit send. Done.
So the recipients of this, who in snail mail might have gotten 90 percent local candidates, now get a lot more from beyond their immediate area. And whereas some people would not even bother to produce a physical application, now any and everyone can just e-mail a try. A lot of the bombarded HR people along the way have just been overwhelmed and so can't spend time sending personalized responses to candidates they pass over.
Some places send back an acknowledgment as soon as they get your application. A lot of that is automated, although yesterday for DreamJob I got a brief but direct response from (hopefully future boss). That's pretty rare.
The notices today, one was a form letter, the other was from a real person. Hey, the news wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I respect that they at least let me know.
A while back I had a series of interviews with GiantCorp. and I really felt like a contendah. Obviously I didn't get that but the process was without a doubt the most professional I had ever been involved with.
So.
These are headachey times. I think it's the heat and a little bit stress. One of my favorite sayings is to tell people to get out of their own heads... it's basically a variation of the idea of "walk in the other person's shoes." I think it's a good exercise to get some different perspective, but it isn't easy to sometimes completely change your worldview. In my case I need to not be too freaked out about the fact that it really is Day 55. It's not easy, but by thinking of it and putting too much weight on it it can really serve to amp up the fear. Not like we don't battle that enough as it is.
With that in mind, today's song submission. Give it a chance, it works...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
Well, the bad news is that I got two turn-down notices today. The good news is that at least these places are bothering to let me know.
That's been just one more casualty of our societal slide the past decade or so... a lot of this is a downside of the wired world and "social" media. Really, it should be called "anti-social" media because the net (ooo, "net," clever!) effect has actually been to make us less connected. Now, we "connect" through the Web/e-mail/FB/Twitter et al... when was the last time you sent someone a hand-written letter? Writing a few lines in a card doesn't count.
I love the Internets, but for all the ways it allows us to interact, it also puts up some fences.
Professionally, and with the jobs situation being so dire, it's meant that job seekers carpet-bomb potential employers in a way that snail mail didn't. You can apply a lot more easily to the longshot job in Denver, LA, NY or wherever... you don't have the printing or shipping costs. Put a package together, hit send. Done.
So the recipients of this, who in snail mail might have gotten 90 percent local candidates, now get a lot more from beyond their immediate area. And whereas some people would not even bother to produce a physical application, now any and everyone can just e-mail a try. A lot of the bombarded HR people along the way have just been overwhelmed and so can't spend time sending personalized responses to candidates they pass over.
Some places send back an acknowledgment as soon as they get your application. A lot of that is automated, although yesterday for DreamJob I got a brief but direct response from (hopefully future boss). That's pretty rare.
The notices today, one was a form letter, the other was from a real person. Hey, the news wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I respect that they at least let me know.
A while back I had a series of interviews with GiantCorp. and I really felt like a contendah. Obviously I didn't get that but the process was without a doubt the most professional I had ever been involved with.
So.
These are headachey times. I think it's the heat and a little bit stress. One of my favorite sayings is to tell people to get out of their own heads... it's basically a variation of the idea of "walk in the other person's shoes." I think it's a good exercise to get some different perspective, but it isn't easy to sometimes completely change your worldview. In my case I need to not be too freaked out about the fact that it really is Day 55. It's not easy, but by thinking of it and putting too much weight on it it can really serve to amp up the fear. Not like we don't battle that enough as it is.
With that in mind, today's song submission. Give it a chance, it works...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 54: Sunny with a chance...
OK, I've backed way off the details phase of this project. Probably a little superstitious about "jinxing" something. I know logically that is ridiculous, but still...
Today I heard back from someone about something. Yes, vague. I had an awesome interview a bit back that I was pretty sure was going to work, but I think I finished second in that race. It stung a bit because I think I was really close. And it would have been a great fit.
Not as good a fit as this, however. This would be an abso-fricking-lute HOME RUN, all caps, period.
***
I asked for a little help recently from someone who had access to some of my work that I no longer had access to. I asked for certain specific things, and I guess I'll just have to be thankful that I got any assistance here at all, but I didn't get but a couple of the specific things I asked for. Half of what I got was completely unusable. And I think most people would (if they knew the details) completely realize that these things were unusable from the get-go. Frustrating.
***
BTW, to the 2 or 3 of you who stumble across this (and I know someone is out there, because the stats tell me I get visitors and I have made sure to *not* include my visits on the scoreboard)... feel free to comment or provide feedback. If there's any way to make this a conversation or useful instead of just a rant, that'd be great.
***
It's hot as heck in Gawd's Country. The 100-degree temp didn't break until late last night. And we've still got two months of this ahead. It's reminding me a lot of 1980. I don't really think I'm a summer person. I like a lot of things about summer, but the heat is just not my thing. I got spoiled my summer in 00 when I was on the beach. That.
***
I've got a story idea, and I think it could be a book. Odd, I don't really love fiction and might read one work of fiction a year typically. But I've read two in the last three weeks. I think I'm looking for some pointers. I read "2030" by Albert Brooks and it was fun, rolled through it quickly. Sunday I finally got my hands on Stieg Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and finished it earlier today. It was a great "summer" read.
***
Another thing rolling through the brain pan yesterday was a rant of sorts about personal goals and what we should want for ourselves, or at least, what I want for myself. It's percolating.
Today I heard back from someone about something. Yes, vague. I had an awesome interview a bit back that I was pretty sure was going to work, but I think I finished second in that race. It stung a bit because I think I was really close. And it would have been a great fit.
Not as good a fit as this, however. This would be an abso-fricking-lute HOME RUN, all caps, period.
***
I asked for a little help recently from someone who had access to some of my work that I no longer had access to. I asked for certain specific things, and I guess I'll just have to be thankful that I got any assistance here at all, but I didn't get but a couple of the specific things I asked for. Half of what I got was completely unusable. And I think most people would (if they knew the details) completely realize that these things were unusable from the get-go. Frustrating.
***
BTW, to the 2 or 3 of you who stumble across this (and I know someone is out there, because the stats tell me I get visitors and I have made sure to *not* include my visits on the scoreboard)... feel free to comment or provide feedback. If there's any way to make this a conversation or useful instead of just a rant, that'd be great.
***
It's hot as heck in Gawd's Country. The 100-degree temp didn't break until late last night. And we've still got two months of this ahead. It's reminding me a lot of 1980. I don't really think I'm a summer person. I like a lot of things about summer, but the heat is just not my thing. I got spoiled my summer in 00 when I was on the beach. That.
***
I've got a story idea, and I think it could be a book. Odd, I don't really love fiction and might read one work of fiction a year typically. But I've read two in the last three weeks. I think I'm looking for some pointers. I read "2030" by Albert Brooks and it was fun, rolled through it quickly. Sunday I finally got my hands on Stieg Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and finished it earlier today. It was a great "summer" read.
***
Another thing rolling through the brain pan yesterday was a rant of sorts about personal goals and what we should want for ourselves, or at least, what I want for myself. It's percolating.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day 51: Caring?
Mini-rant TK...
OK, so, groovy job prospect out there. Something I'd be great at, matches my abilities, and for a great employer. In putting together the application, I need some recent writing samples.
Now, I've got tons of copies of things from 2+ years ago, but seeing as how I didn't anticipate getting laid off in May, I didn't actually preserve copies of the dozens of press releases I wrote the previous two years. Still, no worries, right? Contact former employer and ask for e-copies. I know they have them, I archived them. The entire process could take as few as 2 or 3 minutes, and at most 10-15 minutes.
Still waiting.
Is this caring behavior? Not to me it isn't. Color me damned disappointed.
OK, so, groovy job prospect out there. Something I'd be great at, matches my abilities, and for a great employer. In putting together the application, I need some recent writing samples.
Now, I've got tons of copies of things from 2+ years ago, but seeing as how I didn't anticipate getting laid off in May, I didn't actually preserve copies of the dozens of press releases I wrote the previous two years. Still, no worries, right? Contact former employer and ask for e-copies. I know they have them, I archived them. The entire process could take as few as 2 or 3 minutes, and at most 10-15 minutes.
Still waiting.
Is this caring behavior? Not to me it isn't. Color me damned disappointed.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Day 49: Probed
Holy Toledo...
Just applied for a job back in Dallas that included two tests. The first was a timed aptitude test that had math and word problems. The second was the kind of psychological examination that had questions like "I am interested in the feelings of my co-workers."
Well, yeah, if psychotic co-worker is armed and dangerous, of course...
If any of y'all have seen "The Parallax View" and remember the test they gave to Warren Beatty, you might know what that felt like.
Anyway, heard from a West Coast prospect last night that was a no-go. Pity, I would have been great at that.
So, it's 10 a.m. and that was a grinder. Time for some breakfast. The good news is that I'm rolling so I'm going to try and knock a couple more out today.
Just applied for a job back in Dallas that included two tests. The first was a timed aptitude test that had math and word problems. The second was the kind of psychological examination that had questions like "I am interested in the feelings of my co-workers."
Well, yeah, if psychotic co-worker is armed and dangerous, of course...
If any of y'all have seen "The Parallax View" and remember the test they gave to Warren Beatty, you might know what that felt like.
Anyway, heard from a West Coast prospect last night that was a no-go. Pity, I would have been great at that.
So, it's 10 a.m. and that was a grinder. Time for some breakfast. The good news is that I'm rolling so I'm going to try and knock a couple more out today.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Day 47: Independence
Threat of rain here in Gawd's country...
Found a good prospect out west this morning and did the do for that. Perhaps because it is Independence Day the karmic forces will align.
I've been sleeping heavily the past few days with very vivid but strange dreams. Maybe I should watch "Inception" again.
A high school classmate posted a group photo of my senior class and tagged me in it... except that guy doesn't look anything like me. Could it be me? He looks kind of snotty. I hope that isn't me.
Lately the muse has not been hanging around much. I expect better days this week.
Today's tune is "Something's Got to Give" by the Beastie Boys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teQqelBTw7g
Found a good prospect out west this morning and did the do for that. Perhaps because it is Independence Day the karmic forces will align.
I've been sleeping heavily the past few days with very vivid but strange dreams. Maybe I should watch "Inception" again.
A high school classmate posted a group photo of my senior class and tagged me in it... except that guy doesn't look anything like me. Could it be me? He looks kind of snotty. I hope that isn't me.
Lately the muse has not been hanging around much. I expect better days this week.
Today's tune is "Something's Got to Give" by the Beastie Boys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teQqelBTw7g
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Day 45: Daze
It's really hard for me to focus the past few days. There's too much in my brain right now. One of the worst things a job search generates is this fear of rejection. It's like being a dweeb kid and trying to make those first steps to lose your awkwardness and ask out a girl, speak out in class, go out for the team... whatever it is that you're too scared to try.
I've heard from a handful of outlets who I have applied to. The good news is now I know. The bad news is that the kind of places that are professional enough to respond even with a rejection are the places you really want to be. LocalGiant is one of those.
Sigh.
I have to make myself write. It's difficult because a few days ago I got a little mad at myself for holding back. I think the people who are able to just rip it and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but are the people who resonate. Yet I am fearful. Why? Because in some cases that truth follows you around and can be used against you. Ask Bill Clinton about "I didn't inhale" or "I never had sex with that woman." The truth-tellers get punished one way or another.
Geez. I'm gonna hit the bike in a little while. Hope to clear out the cobwebs a bit. I need a breakthrough.
I've heard from a handful of outlets who I have applied to. The good news is now I know. The bad news is that the kind of places that are professional enough to respond even with a rejection are the places you really want to be. LocalGiant is one of those.
Sigh.
I have to make myself write. It's difficult because a few days ago I got a little mad at myself for holding back. I think the people who are able to just rip it and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but are the people who resonate. Yet I am fearful. Why? Because in some cases that truth follows you around and can be used against you. Ask Bill Clinton about "I didn't inhale" or "I never had sex with that woman." The truth-tellers get punished one way or another.
Geez. I'm gonna hit the bike in a little while. Hope to clear out the cobwebs a bit. I need a breakthrough.
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