There was a help wanted ad in the Globe last sunday for the CIA. Clandestine Services. The job that demanded "superior intellect, ingenuity and courage, facing complex, unstructured circumstances..." That sounded a lot like my kind of work. It was interesting until I ran into the qualifications which included, "Maximum age for entry into the service is 35."
Then paradoxically, "We are an equal opportunity employer..."
Hel-lo Government! "Equal Opportunity" means no discrimination on issues, such as age!
Besides, what is wrong with geezer spies? Do they talk too much? Do they forget their secret codes? Do they nodd-off on stake-outs if the last later than 9:30pm?
So, I had two responses to the ad. One, they don't even understand the definition of EO. Two, the reason we are in such a mess today is that they are a closed shop. They get young people into the organization and brainwash them to do things "our way." By the time they get to be 45 or 50 any creativity, sense of persepctive and autonomy has been breeded out.
According to my research, this is precisely the age group when most anarchists, white collar criminals and terrorists are in their prime. Thus CIA operatives are pitifully outmatched by their non-bureacratic, high risk peers in the enemy camps.
In the mouldy old days, big companies like IBM, NCR, Proctor and Gambel did not hire people from outside the culture. They got people right out of college, fed them the party line and molded them to the culture. When anyone got promoted to a senior staff position, they already had a lifetime career with the company and fully understood the culture, ie,
Good old boys get promoted and renegades get the boot.
But around 15 years ago, things started to change in corporate America. Renegades from IBM and NCR spun off their own companies or joined start-ups. Big corporations and their awkward command and control structures were like huge tankers on the ocean - very hard to turn quickly. The companies with non-bureacratic structures proved to be very adaptable. These new adaptable cultures began to eat the lunch of the big unwieldy firms. For example consider how upstart Microsoft stole the PC operating business from IBM. And how Apple took Xerox discoveries and made many people rich by productizing those ideas.
Pretty soon the old line companies started to open up and let in some new blood. People started jumping from place to place. Companies stopped placing the value on longevity and started spotlighting contribution. Nowadays, nobody talks about "corporate culture," except as a lip service "values" blurb in the annual report. Companies have adopted the EO mantra seriously, to their (and society's) benefit.
In a nutshell, the point is: A truly diverse organization is made up of talented people from all origins and of all ages. Old ones, young ones, Skinny ones, fat ones, short ...you get the idea.
We all know from movies and TV that the FBI and CIA still work under the old bureacratic, command and control style of management. Perhaps the problem with our clandestine operations is that there aren't any old spies with new blood and fresh eyes.
I hear the terrorists are recruiting people of all ages.
Of course, I wouldn't mind having a job where I carried a gun legally, and could intimidate (or even shoot) law-abiding citizens with impunity. But, I still would not apply for a job that required obedience, discipline, ability to keep a secret, or all night stake-outs.
Note: This blog is an equal opportunity rant, no one is safe, regardless of race, creed, breast size, hair color, age, gender preference, or other physical attribute.
7/22/2004
7/16/2004
Crossing Lines
As someone who has not had a pay raise since the year 2000, and who has been unemployed for over a year, I am not sympathetic to greedy union members who aren't happy with a 13% pay increase offered by the city of Boston. I cannot be expected to rally to the cause of the Boston police and firemen unionists who are holding the DNC festivities and public safety hostage in their contract dispute with Mayor Menino. I think the term is extortion.
Like the terrorists, the union leaders have adopted the policy of punishing innocent bystanders in order to make their case with the party they disagree with. They hope that the sensible population will exert pressure on the city to settle the contract dispute in their favor rather than risking the decision of the arbitration process.
On one sense this is not much different than the strategy of those cowardly and deadly attacks on civilians by insurgent militants in Iraq. I am not saying that the union leaders are killing innocent people, but their approach is markedly similar to that of bomb throwers everywhere. They feel that their cause trumps everyone else's rights and interests.
In the WSJ today, a cogent piece entitled "Courage Against Evil", written by the foreign minister of Australia, reminds us that "if we give in to terrorists once, what will be demanded in the future?"
History provides ample evidence that giving-in to unreasonable demands creates more demands. (Anyone who has parented a teenager knows this fact of human nature.)
A line must be drawn. Menino should be applauded for taking a stand. When the spotlight is turned on next week, it is the Police and Firemen who will suffer the blame for disgracing Boston if the DNC becomes a fiasco.
Like the terrorists, the union leaders have adopted the policy of punishing innocent bystanders in order to make their case with the party they disagree with. They hope that the sensible population will exert pressure on the city to settle the contract dispute in their favor rather than risking the decision of the arbitration process.
On one sense this is not much different than the strategy of those cowardly and deadly attacks on civilians by insurgent militants in Iraq. I am not saying that the union leaders are killing innocent people, but their approach is markedly similar to that of bomb throwers everywhere. They feel that their cause trumps everyone else's rights and interests.
In the WSJ today, a cogent piece entitled "Courage Against Evil", written by the foreign minister of Australia, reminds us that "if we give in to terrorists once, what will be demanded in the future?"
History provides ample evidence that giving-in to unreasonable demands creates more demands. (Anyone who has parented a teenager knows this fact of human nature.)
A line must be drawn. Menino should be applauded for taking a stand. When the spotlight is turned on next week, it is the Police and Firemen who will suffer the blame for disgracing Boston if the DNC becomes a fiasco.
7/13/2004
The Big Lie
Last week I took a roll of film in for developing at The One Hour Photo store.
The young girl at the counter asked "When Do you need these?"
I was thinking that she should have said These will be ready in an hour. But, not being in a rush, I told her that tomorrow would be ok.
"Tomorrow, after one o'clock?"
"How about tomorrow morning." I was being reasonable, friendly, agreeable. After all, the sign in the window said One Hour Film Developing. In big letters.
"What time?" she persisted.
"I don't know." I was getting annoyed with the harrassment.
"After eleven?"
"You know, you should really take down the 1 Hour sign. You obviously do not want to even try to develop film in one hour."
Overhearing this exchange, the older gal in charge came over, gave the first girl a let-me-handle-this look. "We can have them done today by 5pm."
"Ok," I said, "Have them ready at 5pm and I'll come in sometime tomorrow."
As I left, the one who had been overriden called after me, "Have a nice day," cooly, not meaning it. Giving me the Look - like I was some kind of unreasonable geezer and she was not a muddle headed, gum-snapping teeny bopper with acne.
I gave her the bite me look, but said "See you tomorrow."
When I came to pick up my film, the photos of my grand kids had somehow gotten mixed-up with the pictures that belonged to a dog breeder. Instead of my cute grandkids at the beach, the photos were these ugly newborn puppies and other offal-eating hounds. It took another day before they could locate my pictures. Funny.
Is it just me? Or is 1 hour photo developing a big Lie??
The young girl at the counter asked "When Do you need these?"
I was thinking that she should have said These will be ready in an hour. But, not being in a rush, I told her that tomorrow would be ok.
"Tomorrow, after one o'clock?"
"How about tomorrow morning." I was being reasonable, friendly, agreeable. After all, the sign in the window said One Hour Film Developing. In big letters.
"What time?" she persisted.
"I don't know." I was getting annoyed with the harrassment.
"After eleven?"
"You know, you should really take down the 1 Hour sign. You obviously do not want to even try to develop film in one hour."
Overhearing this exchange, the older gal in charge came over, gave the first girl a let-me-handle-this look. "We can have them done today by 5pm."
"Ok," I said, "Have them ready at 5pm and I'll come in sometime tomorrow."
As I left, the one who had been overriden called after me, "Have a nice day," cooly, not meaning it. Giving me the Look - like I was some kind of unreasonable geezer and she was not a muddle headed, gum-snapping teeny bopper with acne.
I gave her the bite me look, but said "See you tomorrow."
When I came to pick up my film, the photos of my grand kids had somehow gotten mixed-up with the pictures that belonged to a dog breeder. Instead of my cute grandkids at the beach, the photos were these ugly newborn puppies and other offal-eating hounds. It took another day before they could locate my pictures. Funny.
Is it just me? Or is 1 hour photo developing a big Lie??
7/11/2004
Not My Fault
Accused of conspiring to loot his own company and other serious acts of malfeasance, former CEO, Ken Lay was vigorous in his own defense before the microphones yesterday. He admitted that he accepted responsibility for the disastrous collapse of the company but only in the sense that it happened "on his watch."
He, personally, was not guilty of any crimes nor responsible for the instant ruin of many thousands of employees whose life savings and pensions evaporated as Enron's stock values plummeted.
Lay said that he was responsible only in the sense that he had participated in the selection of Mr. Fastow, who Lay points to as the villain in this affair. Mr. Lay admits that he is definitely not to blame because he didn't know what was going on. He did not indicate any plans to return the $10 million bonus he got just before the implosion. It does not seem to occur to him that if he doesn't deserve jail, then he certainly did not earn the bonus.
Now, today, there is a similar item in the news. The Senate Intelligence Committee reports that the CIA unwittingly deceived the President and his staff about the situation in Iraq. At all levels, the presumption of Saddam's WMD's was simply accepted without critical inquiry. Supporters of Co-Presidents Cheney-Bush have been quick to vindicate the actions of the Presidents, because, "It clearly wasn't their fault." The faulty intelligence is the culprit, not the ill-advised decision to act upon the faulty intelligence.
So, you might ask, "Who's fault is it?" The answer is blowin' in the wind, my friend. It's that big sucking sound that CEO's and Politicians make when they are distancing themselves from accountability. It's the sound of finger-pointing - always to some hapless minion who didn't completely cover his own ass.
He, personally, was not guilty of any crimes nor responsible for the instant ruin of many thousands of employees whose life savings and pensions evaporated as Enron's stock values plummeted.
Lay said that he was responsible only in the sense that he had participated in the selection of Mr. Fastow, who Lay points to as the villain in this affair. Mr. Lay admits that he is definitely not to blame because he didn't know what was going on. He did not indicate any plans to return the $10 million bonus he got just before the implosion. It does not seem to occur to him that if he doesn't deserve jail, then he certainly did not earn the bonus.
Now, today, there is a similar item in the news. The Senate Intelligence Committee reports that the CIA unwittingly deceived the President and his staff about the situation in Iraq. At all levels, the presumption of Saddam's WMD's was simply accepted without critical inquiry. Supporters of Co-Presidents Cheney-Bush have been quick to vindicate the actions of the Presidents, because, "It clearly wasn't their fault." The faulty intelligence is the culprit, not the ill-advised decision to act upon the faulty intelligence.
So, you might ask, "Who's fault is it?" The answer is blowin' in the wind, my friend. It's that big sucking sound that CEO's and Politicians make when they are distancing themselves from accountability. It's the sound of finger-pointing - always to some hapless minion who didn't completely cover his own ass.
7/10/2004
Back from the Sub-continent
We are back from the fetid swamps of Florida. Every day the weather was monotonously predictable. Sunny and 95 degrees from 8am to 4pm, followed by 3 hours of thunderstorms, followed by cool humid evening breezes. If we lived in Florida during the summer, we would have to stay inside all day, like vampires.
We spent most of the time we were in Orlando seeing the kids and grandkids. Orlando is nothing more than a huge tourist trap. The "Attractions" are a rip-off (eg, tickets to SeaWorld for a family of four = $169). Not one but two toll booths are located in the 5 mile stretch between the airport and the city as a testament to the municipal participation in the shameless gouging of visitors. Taxes, fees, car rental packed charges are all part of the game. The hotel charges you a daily rental fee for the in-room safe - whether you use it or not. They also warn you that they will charge an "early check-out fee" of $50 if you don't like the place and decide to move. Unheard of in other places.
I do not plan to go back again, and will instead pay for the kids to visit us here.
We drove down to Vero Beach to re-unite with as old college classmate who has retired there. VB is a nice quiet affluent community on a barrier island off the East coast. We enjoyed our visit there but probably cannot afford to retire to a place where the houses we want to live in cost about two million more than we are able to pay.
As we drove down I-95 south, we passed several communities where where there were large mobile home parks. You know, the type of place you see on the TV show COPS - where they go out to the trailer homes to check on a domestic disturbance report. Invariably, the cops end-up dragging some shirtless (and usually dentally challenged) drunken lout out of his rental trailer in handcuffs and putting him into the back seat of the cruiser.
Yesterday's Boston Globe featured a full color photo of a handcuffed Ken Lay (the former CEO of Enron) as he was forced to make the "perp walk" for the news media in Houston. The only thing lacking was letting him wear a tie and jacket rather than dressing him up in an orange standard issue jumpsuit. Lay is charged with conspiracy, fraud and (shades of Martha Stewart) making false statements. Scary stuff!
The guy turns himself in on non violent offenses, but the numbnuts authorities feel obligated by policy to humiliate him by cuffing him for the cameras. I know a lot of you enjoy seeing crooked CEO's brought low, but I see it as pictoral evidence that our justice system is f*cked up.
If this is the way we treat non-violent rich guys, I shudder to think what they are doing to the poor, toothless, cursing, shmucks who get dragged out of their trailers nightly in Brevard County.
When I am Emperor, people who clearly do not pose a risk will not be cuffed just to embarrass them during indictment. They will be treated with dignity, tried fairly, and then, beheaded.
We spent most of the time we were in Orlando seeing the kids and grandkids. Orlando is nothing more than a huge tourist trap. The "Attractions" are a rip-off (eg, tickets to SeaWorld for a family of four = $169). Not one but two toll booths are located in the 5 mile stretch between the airport and the city as a testament to the municipal participation in the shameless gouging of visitors. Taxes, fees, car rental packed charges are all part of the game. The hotel charges you a daily rental fee for the in-room safe - whether you use it or not. They also warn you that they will charge an "early check-out fee" of $50 if you don't like the place and decide to move. Unheard of in other places.
I do not plan to go back again, and will instead pay for the kids to visit us here.
We drove down to Vero Beach to re-unite with as old college classmate who has retired there. VB is a nice quiet affluent community on a barrier island off the East coast. We enjoyed our visit there but probably cannot afford to retire to a place where the houses we want to live in cost about two million more than we are able to pay.
As we drove down I-95 south, we passed several communities where where there were large mobile home parks. You know, the type of place you see on the TV show COPS - where they go out to the trailer homes to check on a domestic disturbance report. Invariably, the cops end-up dragging some shirtless (and usually dentally challenged) drunken lout out of his rental trailer in handcuffs and putting him into the back seat of the cruiser.
Yesterday's Boston Globe featured a full color photo of a handcuffed Ken Lay (the former CEO of Enron) as he was forced to make the "perp walk" for the news media in Houston. The only thing lacking was letting him wear a tie and jacket rather than dressing him up in an orange standard issue jumpsuit. Lay is charged with conspiracy, fraud and (shades of Martha Stewart) making false statements. Scary stuff!
The guy turns himself in on non violent offenses, but the numbnuts authorities feel obligated by policy to humiliate him by cuffing him for the cameras. I know a lot of you enjoy seeing crooked CEO's brought low, but I see it as pictoral evidence that our justice system is f*cked up.
If this is the way we treat non-violent rich guys, I shudder to think what they are doing to the poor, toothless, cursing, shmucks who get dragged out of their trailers nightly in Brevard County.
When I am Emperor, people who clearly do not pose a risk will not be cuffed just to embarrass them during indictment. They will be treated with dignity, tried fairly, and then, beheaded.
7/02/2004
Photophobia
We are back from a week in Mattaposett where the weather was perfect. Sunny days and cool nights. We rented a place on the beach, well across the street from the beach. We could keep an eye on it from where we sat on the deck, under the shade of a wide blue umbrella, sipping our mojitoes and dipping steamers into bowls of butter. We read. We swam. We sat on the beach for no more than ten minutes at a stretch. We returned as pale as when we left. We like it that way. We are photophobes. EPA's (Exceptionally Pale Americans)
This avoidance of the sun's damaging rays keeps our skin young and beautiful, while our sun-worshiping peer group is starting to wrinkle like the prunes that they eat for breakfast - you know, to stay "regular".
People look us over and challenge us. "You don't look like you've been to the beach!" "Where is your Tan?" "Did it rain the whole time?" "You look different."
Like, maybe they suspect us of going off for cosmetic surgery instead of a relaxing week across the street from the beach. I usuallly lose a few tons of fat by swimming every day, so maybe it looks like I've been to the Lyposuctionist. So, I take these jibes as complimentary even though they're intended to convey disapproval.
Anyhow, we are re-packing and doing laundry in preparation for next week in Florida. For those who would ask incredulously "Why the (bleep) are you EPA types going to Florida of all places? In July of all times!" I have only one answer: Grandkids.
We survive in Florida because of ubuquitous and efficient Air Conditioning. When forced to venture outside, we run to the nearest cool place. We dash across the sand to the ocean, then back to the shade of the poolside bar. We listen in on other people's conversations and then write humorous satires of them when we return home. Some people come home with a tan. I return with my notes and my stories.
===========
Job Search Update.
Activity has dwindled from spotty to zero. There may be a recovery going on out there, but it seems to be passing me by. This may force me to invoke Plan B (Retirement).
I'm old enough. I'm eligible. And Doggonit, they owe me.
I'm thinking of retiring this blog and re-tasking it to focus upon exploits of a retired freelance writer instead of working themes. Any thoughts?
This avoidance of the sun's damaging rays keeps our skin young and beautiful, while our sun-worshiping peer group is starting to wrinkle like the prunes that they eat for breakfast - you know, to stay "regular".
People look us over and challenge us. "You don't look like you've been to the beach!" "Where is your Tan?" "Did it rain the whole time?" "You look different."
Like, maybe they suspect us of going off for cosmetic surgery instead of a relaxing week across the street from the beach. I usuallly lose a few tons of fat by swimming every day, so maybe it looks like I've been to the Lyposuctionist. So, I take these jibes as complimentary even though they're intended to convey disapproval.
Anyhow, we are re-packing and doing laundry in preparation for next week in Florida. For those who would ask incredulously "Why the (bleep) are you EPA types going to Florida of all places? In July of all times!" I have only one answer: Grandkids.
We survive in Florida because of ubuquitous and efficient Air Conditioning. When forced to venture outside, we run to the nearest cool place. We dash across the sand to the ocean, then back to the shade of the poolside bar. We listen in on other people's conversations and then write humorous satires of them when we return home. Some people come home with a tan. I return with my notes and my stories.
===========
Job Search Update.
Activity has dwindled from spotty to zero. There may be a recovery going on out there, but it seems to be passing me by. This may force me to invoke Plan B (Retirement).
I'm old enough. I'm eligible. And Doggonit, they owe me.
I'm thinking of retiring this blog and re-tasking it to focus upon exploits of a retired freelance writer instead of working themes. Any thoughts?
6/22/2004
Staying Tuned
Maybe you will think that I have too much time on my hands when I declare that I am sick of the so-called News media.
I generally read two newspapers in the morning: The Boston Globe and WSJ. The intent of course was to acheive a balanced viewpoint after digesting the editorial predilections of these two highly respected organs of information.
On the "news" pages you might expect to see the same factual items about local and world events. After all "news" should be "facts," right? Then in the analysis and opinion sections, you might expect to read more colored interpretations of what the news means to the reader.
But it does not work that way. The news is virtually indistinguishable from the editorial pages except in the structure of the presentation. Editors filter what we should know about, and slant headlines to ideolgogical ends (i.e., Globe: Kerry=good; Bush=evil. WSJ: Bush=staying the course; Kerry=flip-flopper).
Even on page one, reporters are allowed to speculate on how "underwhelming" the response was to one candidate's speech. And unpopular news - such as the UN oil-for-food scandal, where UN officials are implicated in a corrupt plot to make Saddam rich at the expense of the Iraqi children - is supressed.
And it isn't just the papers. It seems like every time you switch on the TV these days, you are blitzed by the same pictures of some live or dead celebrity. Last week it was Reagan in his prime, smiling and waving. This week it is Clinton, biting his lip, looking chastened, as if that would make you want to read about his life. (No thanks, I already know more about Clinton's checkered past than I can stomach.)
It doesn't matter what channel you watch. They are all alike. You can switch from network to cable and get roughly the same thing. Talking heads spinning their version of what is going on. As if we need to know "What would Laci Peterson think?" Or, those tired out clips of Osama Bin Laden firing his weapon, Saddam having his mouth inspected, and the terrorist training camp clips. It's just tedious. Not news.
For example, I have to chuckle at the 10 O'clock news on Fox. They have an hour to present about 10 minutes of footage on current events. So they fluff up the broadcast with 30 minutes of teasers. The Weather guy grins for the camera, "Will the tornado hit your neighborhood? Stay tuned for details!" An attractive reporter stands alone in front of a building. "You won't believe what happend here to innocent puppies. Details coming up." And so it goes. The ardent news consumer is assailed by non news, commercials and "live", "exclusive" reports. It is a big waste of time. I pick on Fox but it is the same on the other channels as well.
And the cable "talk" shows are nothing but people shouting at each another.
Thankfully we are going on vacation soon, so I can take some time off to lay on the beach and think about Eternity rather than wasting my time trying to understand current events.
Vacation? I know what you are thinking "Don't you have to have a job to get a vacation?" Tune in at 11 for my response.
I generally read two newspapers in the morning: The Boston Globe and WSJ. The intent of course was to acheive a balanced viewpoint after digesting the editorial predilections of these two highly respected organs of information.
On the "news" pages you might expect to see the same factual items about local and world events. After all "news" should be "facts," right? Then in the analysis and opinion sections, you might expect to read more colored interpretations of what the news means to the reader.
But it does not work that way. The news is virtually indistinguishable from the editorial pages except in the structure of the presentation. Editors filter what we should know about, and slant headlines to ideolgogical ends (i.e., Globe: Kerry=good; Bush=evil. WSJ: Bush=staying the course; Kerry=flip-flopper).
Even on page one, reporters are allowed to speculate on how "underwhelming" the response was to one candidate's speech. And unpopular news - such as the UN oil-for-food scandal, where UN officials are implicated in a corrupt plot to make Saddam rich at the expense of the Iraqi children - is supressed.
And it isn't just the papers. It seems like every time you switch on the TV these days, you are blitzed by the same pictures of some live or dead celebrity. Last week it was Reagan in his prime, smiling and waving. This week it is Clinton, biting his lip, looking chastened, as if that would make you want to read about his life. (No thanks, I already know more about Clinton's checkered past than I can stomach.)
It doesn't matter what channel you watch. They are all alike. You can switch from network to cable and get roughly the same thing. Talking heads spinning their version of what is going on. As if we need to know "What would Laci Peterson think?" Or, those tired out clips of Osama Bin Laden firing his weapon, Saddam having his mouth inspected, and the terrorist training camp clips. It's just tedious. Not news.
For example, I have to chuckle at the 10 O'clock news on Fox. They have an hour to present about 10 minutes of footage on current events. So they fluff up the broadcast with 30 minutes of teasers. The Weather guy grins for the camera, "Will the tornado hit your neighborhood? Stay tuned for details!" An attractive reporter stands alone in front of a building. "You won't believe what happend here to innocent puppies. Details coming up." And so it goes. The ardent news consumer is assailed by non news, commercials and "live", "exclusive" reports. It is a big waste of time. I pick on Fox but it is the same on the other channels as well.
And the cable "talk" shows are nothing but people shouting at each another.
Thankfully we are going on vacation soon, so I can take some time off to lay on the beach and think about Eternity rather than wasting my time trying to understand current events.
Vacation? I know what you are thinking "Don't you have to have a job to get a vacation?" Tune in at 11 for my response.
6/19/2004
Fishing
They say a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. I decided to take a day off from not-doing-anything and went fishing yesterday with a group of former workmates from the Urban Diploma Factory. It's been an annual event for them for about twenty years. I have gone along a few times - I think this was my fourth.
The boat leaves the dock in Gloucester at 6:45am, so it is a serious comitment to sign up for the trip. Approximately 25-30 people were on board when I got there. Some of them were looking worried about the fog and drizzle. And the cold. It gets pretty breezy on the water when the sun is not out.
Unlike my historical attendance record at work meetings, I was on-time at the docks. I had stopped at Dunkin Donut for two Boston Kreme donuts, which I refer to as "seasick pills." I have learned that I don't get seasick on a full stomach. Some of the stalwart fishermen were already popping the tops of their cans of bud as we cleared the harbor. Too early for me.
We steamed (steamed sounds more appealing than "dieseled" don't you think) eastward for about an hour. At a depth of about 200 ft under misty skies, we dropped our lines over the side, and to my shock and surprise we started catching fish.
After reeling in what felt like a truck tire I finally landed a big codfish (9-10 lbs easy. For a while it was the biggest catch, but someone on the other side brought in a 12 pounder and my moment of supremacy passed.
I caught 4 more keepers and a few small fry. By the end of the day my arms were so tired that only the vigorous hydration of malt beverages could relieve the discomfort.
It was a good day fishing. Which is second only to winning the lottery.
The boat leaves the dock in Gloucester at 6:45am, so it is a serious comitment to sign up for the trip. Approximately 25-30 people were on board when I got there. Some of them were looking worried about the fog and drizzle. And the cold. It gets pretty breezy on the water when the sun is not out.
Unlike my historical attendance record at work meetings, I was on-time at the docks. I had stopped at Dunkin Donut for two Boston Kreme donuts, which I refer to as "seasick pills." I have learned that I don't get seasick on a full stomach. Some of the stalwart fishermen were already popping the tops of their cans of bud as we cleared the harbor. Too early for me.
We steamed (steamed sounds more appealing than "dieseled" don't you think) eastward for about an hour. At a depth of about 200 ft under misty skies, we dropped our lines over the side, and to my shock and surprise we started catching fish.
After reeling in what felt like a truck tire I finally landed a big codfish (9-10 lbs easy. For a while it was the biggest catch, but someone on the other side brought in a 12 pounder and my moment of supremacy passed.
I caught 4 more keepers and a few small fry. By the end of the day my arms were so tired that only the vigorous hydration of malt beverages could relieve the discomfort.
It was a good day fishing. Which is second only to winning the lottery.
6/11/2004
Another Excuse Not to Work
Thankfully today, is the last day of the Reagan Memorial extravaganza. At first I was appropriately saddened by the memory and passing of the last great Leader this country has had. Now, I am ready to move on.
Our Republican Governor, Mitt Romney has declared this an official day of mourning. He gave all "nonessential" state workers a day off with pay. I think he should just fire all the non-essential workers and cut taxes. But, as usual, he did not consult with me on this decision.
Predictably, the idealogues on both sides cannot stop their partisan yapping long enough to consider the tremendous popularity of Reagan. Look at all the people who cared so much that they would wait hours, and travel hundreds of miles, just to spend a minute in front of a flag draped coffin. (I think it was empty; can anyone prove me wrong?)
For the most part, I remember the Reagan years fondly. We were raising our family, doing well enough to build a vacation house in New Hampshire. Life seemed pretty good.
A life long Democrat, I thought Reagan was wrong about a lot of things (eg, Iran-Contra, bailing-out of Beruit, running up the deficit while giving tax cuts). But I did support the mass firing of the striking Air Traffic Controllers. (Did I mention that I don't like strikers, especially the ones with all those cushy government benefits.) And, his "tear Down this Wall," speech was as powerful oratory as I've ever heard.
He was not perfect, but he had a great sense of humor. He created a semi scandal when he was doing a voice test for the weekly radio broadcast and jokingly announced, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes."
Also he was a courageous Leader. Remember how quickly he recovered from the Hinkley assassination attempt? He was back in the saddle faster than Hopalong Cassidy after a shouldner nick. Certainly the greatest achievement of his administration was hastening the collapse of the Soviet Union. Political opponents cannot take that away from him. I think it trumps any failures of his presidency.
While we are in mourning, let's note the passing of another great celebrity of our times. Ray Charles died of liver problems, but the way I understand it he just did not want to live in a world where Snoop Dog was making more money than him.
Our Republican Governor, Mitt Romney has declared this an official day of mourning. He gave all "nonessential" state workers a day off with pay. I think he should just fire all the non-essential workers and cut taxes. But, as usual, he did not consult with me on this decision.
Predictably, the idealogues on both sides cannot stop their partisan yapping long enough to consider the tremendous popularity of Reagan. Look at all the people who cared so much that they would wait hours, and travel hundreds of miles, just to spend a minute in front of a flag draped coffin. (I think it was empty; can anyone prove me wrong?)
For the most part, I remember the Reagan years fondly. We were raising our family, doing well enough to build a vacation house in New Hampshire. Life seemed pretty good.
A life long Democrat, I thought Reagan was wrong about a lot of things (eg, Iran-Contra, bailing-out of Beruit, running up the deficit while giving tax cuts). But I did support the mass firing of the striking Air Traffic Controllers. (Did I mention that I don't like strikers, especially the ones with all those cushy government benefits.) And, his "tear Down this Wall," speech was as powerful oratory as I've ever heard.
He was not perfect, but he had a great sense of humor. He created a semi scandal when he was doing a voice test for the weekly radio broadcast and jokingly announced, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes."
Also he was a courageous Leader. Remember how quickly he recovered from the Hinkley assassination attempt? He was back in the saddle faster than Hopalong Cassidy after a shouldner nick. Certainly the greatest achievement of his administration was hastening the collapse of the Soviet Union. Political opponents cannot take that away from him. I think it trumps any failures of his presidency.
While we are in mourning, let's note the passing of another great celebrity of our times. Ray Charles died of liver problems, but the way I understand it he just did not want to live in a world where Snoop Dog was making more money than him.
6/09/2004
People Who Don't Want To Work
Nothing annoys me more than people who are willing to disrupt traffic to make their own political statement. On the TV news we see shots of Boston cops and firemen mugging inanely for the cameras, while they carry signs declaiming the lack of a contract. They are threatening to prevent work on the Fleet Center to get ready for the DNC in July if they don't get satisfaction.
Mayor Menino says he has offered over 11% in pay raises. This is apparently not enough for the municipal Patrolmen's Association extortionators. They are picketing even though they are too cowardly to actually go on strike themselves. (Ronald Regan set the very effective precedent as to how you deal with municipal employees who strike.) So instead of laying their jobs on the line, they intimidate electricians and truck drivers to risk their jobs. They call it solidarity, but it is really blackmail.
Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-union. I just think that the union should only exist to protect the workers from being exploited by rapacious management - not to blackmail the citizenry for unreasonable pay raises and benefits.
If I was emperor the rule would be: People who are unhappy with the working conditions do not have the right to block traffic or to harrass others. Shut up and get back to work, or quit and make room for someone who wants to work.
Funny how quickly the Hero status of Cops and Firemen fades when you see them, just like the rest of us, greedy and selfish.
Mayor Menino says he has offered over 11% in pay raises. This is apparently not enough for the municipal Patrolmen's Association extortionators. They are picketing even though they are too cowardly to actually go on strike themselves. (Ronald Regan set the very effective precedent as to how you deal with municipal employees who strike.) So instead of laying their jobs on the line, they intimidate electricians and truck drivers to risk their jobs. They call it solidarity, but it is really blackmail.
Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-union. I just think that the union should only exist to protect the workers from being exploited by rapacious management - not to blackmail the citizenry for unreasonable pay raises and benefits.
If I was emperor the rule would be: People who are unhappy with the working conditions do not have the right to block traffic or to harrass others. Shut up and get back to work, or quit and make room for someone who wants to work.
Funny how quickly the Hero status of Cops and Firemen fades when you see them, just like the rest of us, greedy and selfish.
6/07/2004
The Project Next Door
Ok that fries it. The neighbor’s are having an addition put on. Last week the tree guys came to take down three enormous pine trees that have been over shadowing both of our houses. I was pretty happy about that, since one of the trees was constantly dropping pine sap and dead limbs onto any cars parked in our driveway.
It was pretty entertaining, watching a 70 year-old coniferous work of nature reduced to a pile of wood chips in just a few minutes by three men (two of whom did not speak English) and some big noisy machinery.
Yesterday, the backhoe and the dump trucks arrived.
There goes my nice quiet summer. Reflecting on the nature of work does not take long when you see guys who really are doing physical labor. But the heavy equipment guys make ten times more than office guys and the tree guy says he make more in one day than he made in a whole week as a high wire electrician. He did confirm that the site boss was an asshole, just like working in an office.
But, somehow, going into a nice air conditioned office with indoor plumbing seemed somehow more doable to me than working with big heavy objects and machinery. Even if the wages are chump change compared to a crane operator. I know what you are thinking, comparisons are invidious.
I really need to get a job or join the Peace Corps – anything to get out of here until the construction work is done next door. Anyone need a professional drinking companion?
It was pretty entertaining, watching a 70 year-old coniferous work of nature reduced to a pile of wood chips in just a few minutes by three men (two of whom did not speak English) and some big noisy machinery.
Yesterday, the backhoe and the dump trucks arrived.
There goes my nice quiet summer. Reflecting on the nature of work does not take long when you see guys who really are doing physical labor. But the heavy equipment guys make ten times more than office guys and the tree guy says he make more in one day than he made in a whole week as a high wire electrician. He did confirm that the site boss was an asshole, just like working in an office.
But, somehow, going into a nice air conditioned office with indoor plumbing seemed somehow more doable to me than working with big heavy objects and machinery. Even if the wages are chump change compared to a crane operator. I know what you are thinking, comparisons are invidious.
I really need to get a job or join the Peace Corps – anything to get out of here until the construction work is done next door. Anyone need a professional drinking companion?
6/06/2004
By Their Deeds Measure Ours
Sixty years ago, on this day 6,000 young men were killed on the beaches of France in the D-Day invasion. I was two years old. President Bush wasn't born yet.
In the movie "Saving Private Ryan" the reality of the battle scene was startling and haunting. It made those of us who escaped the horror of battle feel a little guilty to be living in an era where the worst thing we can complain about is that our boss is an idiot and out 401K is not enough to retire at age 55.
Despite terrorist threats, most of us feel pretty secure here in the USA. The freedom and security that was earned by the heroes - those who fought in battle - is appreciated and our job is to be worthy of that gift.
On TV, we see the fields of Normandy where thousands upon thousands of crosses mark the graves of the American dead. This does not include the millions of civilians killed during the war by bombs and in camps. I read in the paper that Russia lost 20 million citizens and that was before Stalin killed a few more million. (By contrast 400 thousand Americans died.)
It is sad to consider the immense amount of destruction and suffering that can be caused by a few evil (or even misguided) men in power.
===========
Job Search Update
The discouraging thing about looking for work on the job boards is that the same companies continue to list the same jobs that were first posted months ago. They have not filled these positions which I have applied to - sometimes more than once. Yet, they have not called me. I am clearly being disqualified on some factor other than experience and knowledge.
Or maybe there are no real jobs. They post a bunch of fictitious jobs to make it look like they are growing, to boost their stock prices. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!
Meanwhile, the tomatoes are planted, the yard looks good, and I have managed to eliminate stress in my life. Well, almost. I still get annoyed when I see squirrels digging up the marigolds. Throwing stones at them is very theraputic, and it doesn't hurt the squirrels either.
In the movie "Saving Private Ryan" the reality of the battle scene was startling and haunting. It made those of us who escaped the horror of battle feel a little guilty to be living in an era where the worst thing we can complain about is that our boss is an idiot and out 401K is not enough to retire at age 55.
Despite terrorist threats, most of us feel pretty secure here in the USA. The freedom and security that was earned by the heroes - those who fought in battle - is appreciated and our job is to be worthy of that gift.
On TV, we see the fields of Normandy where thousands upon thousands of crosses mark the graves of the American dead. This does not include the millions of civilians killed during the war by bombs and in camps. I read in the paper that Russia lost 20 million citizens and that was before Stalin killed a few more million. (By contrast 400 thousand Americans died.)
It is sad to consider the immense amount of destruction and suffering that can be caused by a few evil (or even misguided) men in power.
===========
Job Search Update
The discouraging thing about looking for work on the job boards is that the same companies continue to list the same jobs that were first posted months ago. They have not filled these positions which I have applied to - sometimes more than once. Yet, they have not called me. I am clearly being disqualified on some factor other than experience and knowledge.
Or maybe there are no real jobs. They post a bunch of fictitious jobs to make it look like they are growing, to boost their stock prices. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!
Meanwhile, the tomatoes are planted, the yard looks good, and I have managed to eliminate stress in my life. Well, almost. I still get annoyed when I see squirrels digging up the marigolds. Throwing stones at them is very theraputic, and it doesn't hurt the squirrels either.
6/02/2004
Post Memorial Day Thoughts
Some self-appointed wag sent me an email noting that jobs were opening up every day in places like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Excitement and high pay.
It got me to thinking about the current situation over there. I don't usually use this forum to get political, but I cannot help noticing the big sucking sound coming from Iraq. I cannot figure out if it is the whoosh of US taxpayer dollars being piped into the desert to make us safe from Osama Bin Laden, or whether it is the sound of the Iraqi Governing Council trying to get the hell out of Dodge before the world learns that when you hand democracy to theocrats you get totalitarianism.
In "The Fog of War" Robert MacNamara admits that big mistakes were made during the "Cold War" and Viet Nam, and most of them were because of bad intelligence and the failure to understand the motivation of the enemy. We didn't realize that North Vietnam would never be an ally of China - they had been at war for centuries. They did not want ANY occupying power. Castro had advised Kruschev to go ahead and launch the missiles on the US expecting that Cuba would have been vaporized in retaliation.
There seems to be a general feeling of doom about the future of Iraq. Everyone remembers the pictures of US troops evacuating Saigon which we should recall was followed by the killings of millions in Nam and Cambodia. As soon as we leave Iraq there will be a bloodbath. Those suspected of conspiring with America will be killed or run out of town. In the end, we have not accomplished anything, except to ruin our own economy, bleed our resources, give comfort and hope to our enemies and erode the trust and good will of our allies.
An expensive venture indeed.
It got me to thinking about the current situation over there. I don't usually use this forum to get political, but I cannot help noticing the big sucking sound coming from Iraq. I cannot figure out if it is the whoosh of US taxpayer dollars being piped into the desert to make us safe from Osama Bin Laden, or whether it is the sound of the Iraqi Governing Council trying to get the hell out of Dodge before the world learns that when you hand democracy to theocrats you get totalitarianism.
In "The Fog of War" Robert MacNamara admits that big mistakes were made during the "Cold War" and Viet Nam, and most of them were because of bad intelligence and the failure to understand the motivation of the enemy. We didn't realize that North Vietnam would never be an ally of China - they had been at war for centuries. They did not want ANY occupying power. Castro had advised Kruschev to go ahead and launch the missiles on the US expecting that Cuba would have been vaporized in retaliation.
There seems to be a general feeling of doom about the future of Iraq. Everyone remembers the pictures of US troops evacuating Saigon which we should recall was followed by the killings of millions in Nam and Cambodia. As soon as we leave Iraq there will be a bloodbath. Those suspected of conspiring with America will be killed or run out of town. In the end, we have not accomplished anything, except to ruin our own economy, bleed our resources, give comfort and hope to our enemies and erode the trust and good will of our allies.
An expensive venture indeed.
6/01/2004
The Elixer of Life
I read in the paper today that the former world's oldest person - a woman - has died at the age of 114. The story quoted her relatives as remarking that she loved beer and would order it with every meal.
Now, I don't recall the woman's name or anything else about her life, but if I owned a brewery, I would erect a statue of her in the parking lot to stand as an inspiration to my customers and employees. Of course, I might make her look a bit younger and more buxom.
I would never trivialize this woman's longevity by attributing it to beer consumption, but I think the evidence is compelling.
Now, I don't recall the woman's name or anything else about her life, but if I owned a brewery, I would erect a statue of her in the parking lot to stand as an inspiration to my customers and employees. Of course, I might make her look a bit younger and more buxom.
I would never trivialize this woman's longevity by attributing it to beer consumption, but I think the evidence is compelling.
5/19/2004
Silent Spring
I had some calls - screening interviews - last week for contract jobs doing systems analysis. I was assured there would be requests for in person interviews this week. Hmmn. Today is Wednesday. Is this phone working?
The weather has been fabulous lately, after a rainy start to the spring. I am outside most of the day, puttering, weeding, mowing, and sitting in the shade, marveling at the natural beauty of flora and fauna.
A huge variety of birds pass through the yard if you just sit down for a minute and listen for them. Of course there are our resident cardinals who have built a nest in the very bush that I was planning to cut down - Now, this project is postponed until after the eggs have hatched and the chicks have flown. But there are numerous other species: A Baltimore Oriole was sitting on the cedar fence yesterday. Two red tailed hawks making lazy circles in the sky. A lost Canadian goose flies over, honking desperately. There are also bluejays, crows, doves, robins, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and many that I cannot identify. Their trillings, squawks, chirps, tweets and caws emanate from the trees like the noisy parrots in the jungle. The ambient noise of life. I heard somewhere that those sweet sounds of birds are actually angry threats identifying territories or requests for mating privileges. It sounds more like a racket when you think the songs are being sung by thugs and harlots.
Well, it still beats the sound of phones ringing, the kid in the next cube who talks about nothing but cars, the paging system, and other typical office related sound track.
Other wildlife abound. I throw stones at the odious squirrels - who dig up my lawn in their frenetic search for...what the heck are they looking for anyway? Chipmunks are left alone to scurry and chirp as they please, although my stand of catmint does attract the local outdoor cats. I like seeing them - they chase away most of the rodentia. In the evening, we are visited by skunks and raccoons. One got into the garage the other night looking for food. My three indoor cats sit on windowsills watching the action outside. They are entertained by the reality show being played out.
Work? Yes I'm working. I have a list of chores and tasks. I am also monitoring the neighborhood building projects. Next door, they are setting up the forms for the extended foundation. Someone has to make sure they are doing it correctly. And later, the concrete trucks will be onsite.
I may not be getting paid in the coin of the realm, but the reward of seeing the newly mown lawn and the dark earth of a freshly-weeded flower bed gives one a sense of satisfaction that must be pre-wired into our DNA from ancient ancestors, embedded in our medula oblongata. You cannot get that same satisfaction from a data model or from a meeting that went well.
Cripes, listen to me. I need to get a job pretty soon, or the next thing you know I'll be one of those old guys sitting on a bench seemingly at peace with the world. Who needs that?
The weather has been fabulous lately, after a rainy start to the spring. I am outside most of the day, puttering, weeding, mowing, and sitting in the shade, marveling at the natural beauty of flora and fauna.
A huge variety of birds pass through the yard if you just sit down for a minute and listen for them. Of course there are our resident cardinals who have built a nest in the very bush that I was planning to cut down - Now, this project is postponed until after the eggs have hatched and the chicks have flown. But there are numerous other species: A Baltimore Oriole was sitting on the cedar fence yesterday. Two red tailed hawks making lazy circles in the sky. A lost Canadian goose flies over, honking desperately. There are also bluejays, crows, doves, robins, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and many that I cannot identify. Their trillings, squawks, chirps, tweets and caws emanate from the trees like the noisy parrots in the jungle. The ambient noise of life. I heard somewhere that those sweet sounds of birds are actually angry threats identifying territories or requests for mating privileges. It sounds more like a racket when you think the songs are being sung by thugs and harlots.
Well, it still beats the sound of phones ringing, the kid in the next cube who talks about nothing but cars, the paging system, and other typical office related sound track.
Other wildlife abound. I throw stones at the odious squirrels - who dig up my lawn in their frenetic search for...what the heck are they looking for anyway? Chipmunks are left alone to scurry and chirp as they please, although my stand of catmint does attract the local outdoor cats. I like seeing them - they chase away most of the rodentia. In the evening, we are visited by skunks and raccoons. One got into the garage the other night looking for food. My three indoor cats sit on windowsills watching the action outside. They are entertained by the reality show being played out.
Work? Yes I'm working. I have a list of chores and tasks. I am also monitoring the neighborhood building projects. Next door, they are setting up the forms for the extended foundation. Someone has to make sure they are doing it correctly. And later, the concrete trucks will be onsite.
I may not be getting paid in the coin of the realm, but the reward of seeing the newly mown lawn and the dark earth of a freshly-weeded flower bed gives one a sense of satisfaction that must be pre-wired into our DNA from ancient ancestors, embedded in our medula oblongata. You cannot get that same satisfaction from a data model or from a meeting that went well.
Cripes, listen to me. I need to get a job pretty soon, or the next thing you know I'll be one of those old guys sitting on a bench seemingly at peace with the world. Who needs that?
5/13/2004
Suddenly It's Thursday.
I know a man who has been retired for almost twenty years. He is 82 years old. Once, when I asked him how he passed the time he declared that you can get really busy doing nothing. He claims that the title of his forthcoming book is: "Suddenly, It's Thursday." Now I know what he meant.
When the only events on your schedule are Doctors appointments and getting the car washed, it is hard to keep track of what day it is. Some driven people never know how it feels to do nothing. To those of us with a low sense of urgency, the unscheduled day is a gift from the heavens.
For those readers who have a job, you can understand what I am saying by remembering your last long vacation at the beach. (Not a long weekend getaway or a traveling tour of the sites in Mozambique. These trips have too many time-sensitive moments and they don't give you time to get into a relaxed mode.)
But, if you recall your best long vacation, you remember that around the beginning of the second week, you really got relaxed. You forgot your job, your meetings, your backbiting co-workers, your clueless boss, your inept subordinates. The vacation day consists of napping, eating, drinking, reading and thinking. You lose track of time, because it doesn't really matter what day it is. A good day depends on the weather, not on the vagaries of the next phone call from your idiot clients.
Well, an extended time not-working has the same effect. You develop certain strategies to promote a nice stress-free existence. You shop for food and go to the dump during weekdays. Working people clog the streets on Saturdays trying to take kids to soccer matches, getting to the mall, rushing to the super market. They need to do everything in one day, so they can relax on Sunday. It's dangerous to be on the roads when these frenetic souls are speeding to their destinations, multitasking with cell phones glued to their ears, yakking instead of paying attention to their driving. Busy, busy, hurry, hurry. Too much anxiety in the streets.
So, what happens is, non-working people tend to let the week drift along. You do whatever you feel like doing. Then, at some point you again notice that your wife has taped a list of honey-do's to the beer refrigerator. Some of the things on the list are left over from previous weeks' lists, and now they have exclamation marks, arrows and highlights. And you realize in the interest of harmony, that you better get some things done.
That's when you realize that suddenly it's Thursday. Again.
A year in Blogville
It was about a year ago that I started this weblog. People who know me have been getting email HH Updates for years, and before the internet I kept a typewritten journal through decades of all the previous jobs. I plan to publish it all in my book about leadership. The working title is "I should have stayed in bed."
When the only events on your schedule are Doctors appointments and getting the car washed, it is hard to keep track of what day it is. Some driven people never know how it feels to do nothing. To those of us with a low sense of urgency, the unscheduled day is a gift from the heavens.
For those readers who have a job, you can understand what I am saying by remembering your last long vacation at the beach. (Not a long weekend getaway or a traveling tour of the sites in Mozambique. These trips have too many time-sensitive moments and they don't give you time to get into a relaxed mode.)
But, if you recall your best long vacation, you remember that around the beginning of the second week, you really got relaxed. You forgot your job, your meetings, your backbiting co-workers, your clueless boss, your inept subordinates. The vacation day consists of napping, eating, drinking, reading and thinking. You lose track of time, because it doesn't really matter what day it is. A good day depends on the weather, not on the vagaries of the next phone call from your idiot clients.
Well, an extended time not-working has the same effect. You develop certain strategies to promote a nice stress-free existence. You shop for food and go to the dump during weekdays. Working people clog the streets on Saturdays trying to take kids to soccer matches, getting to the mall, rushing to the super market. They need to do everything in one day, so they can relax on Sunday. It's dangerous to be on the roads when these frenetic souls are speeding to their destinations, multitasking with cell phones glued to their ears, yakking instead of paying attention to their driving. Busy, busy, hurry, hurry. Too much anxiety in the streets.
So, what happens is, non-working people tend to let the week drift along. You do whatever you feel like doing. Then, at some point you again notice that your wife has taped a list of honey-do's to the beer refrigerator. Some of the things on the list are left over from previous weeks' lists, and now they have exclamation marks, arrows and highlights. And you realize in the interest of harmony, that you better get some things done.
That's when you realize that suddenly it's Thursday. Again.
A year in Blogville
It was about a year ago that I started this weblog. People who know me have been getting email HH Updates for years, and before the internet I kept a typewritten journal through decades of all the previous jobs. I plan to publish it all in my book about leadership. The working title is "I should have stayed in bed."
5/07/2004
A Year Beyond Hellhole
On Monday I will be celebrating the 1 year anniversary of my unemployment.
I say "celebrating", because I really do not miss working (meetings, status reports, commuting, deadlines, ego-centric a-holes, unreasonable customers, insufficent resources, striving for excellence, competition and did I mention meetings?).
I do miss the fun things (Interesting colleagues, beers at the pub, travel to user conferences in interesting places, occasionally getting something worthwhile accomplished.) And, I do miss getting paid.
The weekly unemployment check ($500) was great for 9 months. And, since it went away, I am getting pressure to fire (oops, I mean "lay-off") the cleaners who still come every two weeks. And, I have had to cut back on lottery investments and lunches with friends and the increasing headcount of unemployed former colleagues. I keep reading about the hot economy, but haven't felt the warmth yet.
So, I continue to check the job boards, and apply to any Business Systems Analyst job that looks interesting and located within a short commute. I remain calm. Sooner or later there will be opportunities to work. These cycles are immutable and I am confident that I will ultimately return to the ranks of the so-called 'gainfully employed'.
But, with gardening, reading and social activities, I really don't know how I will find the time to work at a full-time job. Life is full of such contradictions, I guess.
Hey, the sun is out, I have stuff to do.
I say "celebrating", because I really do not miss working (meetings, status reports, commuting, deadlines, ego-centric a-holes, unreasonable customers, insufficent resources, striving for excellence, competition and did I mention meetings?).
I do miss the fun things (Interesting colleagues, beers at the pub, travel to user conferences in interesting places, occasionally getting something worthwhile accomplished.) And, I do miss getting paid.
The weekly unemployment check ($500) was great for 9 months. And, since it went away, I am getting pressure to fire (oops, I mean "lay-off") the cleaners who still come every two weeks. And, I have had to cut back on lottery investments and lunches with friends and the increasing headcount of unemployed former colleagues. I keep reading about the hot economy, but haven't felt the warmth yet.
So, I continue to check the job boards, and apply to any Business Systems Analyst job that looks interesting and located within a short commute. I remain calm. Sooner or later there will be opportunities to work. These cycles are immutable and I am confident that I will ultimately return to the ranks of the so-called 'gainfully employed'.
But, with gardening, reading and social activities, I really don't know how I will find the time to work at a full-time job. Life is full of such contradictions, I guess.
Hey, the sun is out, I have stuff to do.
5/05/2004
Cinco de Mayo
I was checking out the job boards today and found a perfect job for me. I would have been perfect for this job if I had some relevant experience.
Still, One must be alert to opportunity, so I sent this email:
"I am truly unqualified for the job you described in your Monster.com ad. Not only have I not earned a living as a writer or editor, but, more damagingly, I am possessed by an inexplicable condition which my wife diagnoses as "call reluctance." I cannot explain why I am intimidated by successful business leaders. Perhaps it is because my own job history is pockmarked by an inability to rise above the rabble who sit in the cafeteria, munching on jelly donuts and free coffee, grousing about inept management.
Which brings me to the incentive for this e-query: The job description did mention the thing about free bagels and drinks. So I was wondering whether it was limited to soft drinks or whether you are one of those progressive outfits that has beer in the fridge. Now, that would be an interesting place to work.
You also mentioned that everyone has a great time and no one ever wants to leave. Again, this sounds like the perfect environment for someone like me: Laid off from my high paying IT job, nearing retirement, non-golfer, 30 years experience as an IT project leader, pretty good writer, superior sense of humor, and someone who can really appreciate a free bagel.
Ok, I admit it. I am not really applying for a senior writer position. But your environment sounded so attractive that I had to take time out of my normal job-hunting and blogging to see if you had any work for someone who can write knowledgeably about technology and management issues with a sense of humor. "
Hey, what if there actually was some one in HR with a sense of humor. Maybe they would show it to someone who was thinking about hiring laid off systems analysts to write about data management and other funny stuff.
Stranger things have happened.
Still, One must be alert to opportunity, so I sent this email:
"I am truly unqualified for the job you described in your Monster.com ad. Not only have I not earned a living as a writer or editor, but, more damagingly, I am possessed by an inexplicable condition which my wife diagnoses as "call reluctance." I cannot explain why I am intimidated by successful business leaders. Perhaps it is because my own job history is pockmarked by an inability to rise above the rabble who sit in the cafeteria, munching on jelly donuts and free coffee, grousing about inept management.
Which brings me to the incentive for this e-query: The job description did mention the thing about free bagels and drinks. So I was wondering whether it was limited to soft drinks or whether you are one of those progressive outfits that has beer in the fridge. Now, that would be an interesting place to work.
You also mentioned that everyone has a great time and no one ever wants to leave. Again, this sounds like the perfect environment for someone like me: Laid off from my high paying IT job, nearing retirement, non-golfer, 30 years experience as an IT project leader, pretty good writer, superior sense of humor, and someone who can really appreciate a free bagel.
Ok, I admit it. I am not really applying for a senior writer position. But your environment sounded so attractive that I had to take time out of my normal job-hunting and blogging to see if you had any work for someone who can write knowledgeably about technology and management issues with a sense of humor. "
Hey, what if there actually was some one in HR with a sense of humor. Maybe they would show it to someone who was thinking about hiring laid off systems analysts to write about data management and other funny stuff.
Stranger things have happened.
4/30/2004
Warming-Up
Today looks like a real spring day here in the suburbs of Boston. The last day of April brings hope, because it means the cold weather is mostly behind us. In about three weeks we can safely plant those marigolds and tomato sets outside. Memorial day marks the last-frost-date for old time farmers, but nowadays we cheat a little and plant in mid-may.
Cleaning day. But instead of evacuating to the library today, I think I will do some garden chores. I have hostas that need to be divided and replanted, shrubs that need pruning, and a lawn full of incipient dandylions that need to be exterminated.
I look at my lawn and garden as a metaphor for the job scene. Things are warming up. A Promise of fecundity lays in the air like a friendly fog. Or is it smoke from a careless fire? I try not to watch the war news, because every piece of bad news translates into a drop in the stock market indices, and this does nothing to promote job growth.
Some recent activity on the job hunting scene:
- Call from a headhunter who did not speak comprehensible English. From the quality of the connection I surmised that she was calling from India. I did not understand most of what she said. Methinks the outsourcing thing is getting out of hand. I told her a lie: that I was no longer looking for work - just to get her off the phone.
- No follow-up from Phone interview from two weeks ago, despite the PM's promise to let me know. Good. That was a daily commute 30 miles to Shrewsbury. Who needs that?
- Assorted Spam from people who have picked up my email from job boards. I must declare that I have not received a single promising inquiry as a result of posting my vitae on any job board. Most of the spam wants to sell me job hunting advice and counseling, insurance sales, or work at home scams.
- Response to job boards. I see one or two promising jobs every day, and dutifully send my resume and a killer cover letter. Sooner or later, one of these seeds will sprout.
That reminds me, I have work to do: as Voltaire says "Il faut cultiver notre jardin."
Cleaning day. But instead of evacuating to the library today, I think I will do some garden chores. I have hostas that need to be divided and replanted, shrubs that need pruning, and a lawn full of incipient dandylions that need to be exterminated.
I look at my lawn and garden as a metaphor for the job scene. Things are warming up. A Promise of fecundity lays in the air like a friendly fog. Or is it smoke from a careless fire? I try not to watch the war news, because every piece of bad news translates into a drop in the stock market indices, and this does nothing to promote job growth.
Some recent activity on the job hunting scene:
- Call from a headhunter who did not speak comprehensible English. From the quality of the connection I surmised that she was calling from India. I did not understand most of what she said. Methinks the outsourcing thing is getting out of hand. I told her a lie: that I was no longer looking for work - just to get her off the phone.
- No follow-up from Phone interview from two weeks ago, despite the PM's promise to let me know. Good. That was a daily commute 30 miles to Shrewsbury. Who needs that?
- Assorted Spam from people who have picked up my email from job boards. I must declare that I have not received a single promising inquiry as a result of posting my vitae on any job board. Most of the spam wants to sell me job hunting advice and counseling, insurance sales, or work at home scams.
- Response to job boards. I see one or two promising jobs every day, and dutifully send my resume and a killer cover letter. Sooner or later, one of these seeds will sprout.
That reminds me, I have work to do: as Voltaire says "Il faut cultiver notre jardin."
4/28/2004
Good Will Hunting
Ok Ok I know. I'm getting slammed with emails because I have been lazy about the blog lately. If you've tried it you know that publishing clever and timely essays on a regular basis is not that easy. I am not looking for sympathy here just a little understanding. If I wanted to write to a deadline I'd get a job on a fucking newspaper. And get paid. Last time I checked this link is free to you, so just cut me a little slack, ok?
The job hunting has not been going well, according to my creditors. They think that I should be paying my bills on a monthly basis! Hey, I thought this was a free country!
No. Seriously folks, despite the recent spate of positive news articles about the economic expansion, my phone has been remarkably not ringing. I guess the corporate world has decided to stop hiring experienced systems analysts - merely because of their exhorbitant salary demands and refusal to work overtime. What? Hiring managers want young, bright, energetic, eager beavers who will work for scut wages?
Or maybe the word has gotton out about me! Crap.
The job hunting has not been going well, according to my creditors. They think that I should be paying my bills on a monthly basis! Hey, I thought this was a free country!
No. Seriously folks, despite the recent spate of positive news articles about the economic expansion, my phone has been remarkably not ringing. I guess the corporate world has decided to stop hiring experienced systems analysts - merely because of their exhorbitant salary demands and refusal to work overtime. What? Hiring managers want young, bright, energetic, eager beavers who will work for scut wages?
Or maybe the word has gotton out about me! Crap.
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