It's tough out there.
But there's always career advice:
Maybe I should look into selling encyclopedias.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Seasons
It's come to this. It started here. Then continued here. Along the way, the unexpected happened. There was more. There were familiar foibles, hopes that rose and fell, and finally a closing up of a familiar pastime so that the next season relieves the last. I speak of baseball and my own life.
I thought things were a little too cozy and predictable. Predictions were overly favorable, which often leads to trouble. Some critical pieces didn't deliver as expected. This lead to losses. Other pieces did what was expected and leave hope alive at season's end. There's a sense of half-emptiness; good things happened but couldn't provide what was needed for success. This, too, is baseball and more.
Unfulfilled seasons and the events within them threaten to disgorge maudlin emotional writings. When baseball started, I had one child and a steady job. Now I have two children and no job. The lost job is a by-product of these economic times. My (former) company lost a lot of business and I was laid off with 49 others. I expected to work at that company for a long time. Looking back, I saw that this was too cozy and predictable. A critical piece didn't deliver as expected. Despite this, a brand new player emerged into this game. I have a daughter now. I have a son and a daughter.
These are beautiful facts. Yet I'm troubled because I need to provide for them. Luckily, I have an employed, capable, and insurance-providing spouse. I'm taking to my new position as full-time Child Provider Within Home Environment (Housewife) with fits and starts. I always knew being a homemaker was a hard job. I respected people who did it and built their lives around it. It's rough. Despite the benefits of happy children and earning Diaper Genie expertise, it's also something I don't feel totally committed to. It's because I don't feel like the best person for the job. I find these two little people I'm managing to be challenging in their behavioral habits and frequent emotional outbursts. Still, this is a unique time in their lives that I get to share in. They still break into huge smiles when they see me. It makes me glad, but I know that there's so many other people who are better at this than I am. I just hope these two don't figure that out too soon.
So, what's next for the offseason? Unloading disgruntled pieces? Re-thinking of strategy? Finding a left-handed bat? This is where the baseball and life analogy breaks down. I could draw parallels to this point, but the Cubs have a staff and a boatload of money to help them decide their future. I have no idea what I'm doing. Sure, I'm applying. I've been having beers with old friends Monster, C. Builder, Circle of Creative, and Chicago Reader. I've placed ads on Craigslist and other national web sites. Searching through my files reveals over 180 different cover letters. I've made over 50 applications in the past few months alone.
I have to wonder if anyone's listening. Or reading, or even looking. I want to think that I'm not simply feeding an online black hole that devours resumes. But I know it's bad out there. This is Winter. A very long, bitter Job Market Winter, perhaps. There's a lot of cold people out there. For now, my jacket still fits, the house is warm, everyone's fed, and we can maintain this for a while. Through Spring? Probably. Through the actual changing of this Season? We'll see.
I thought things were a little too cozy and predictable. Predictions were overly favorable, which often leads to trouble. Some critical pieces didn't deliver as expected. This lead to losses. Other pieces did what was expected and leave hope alive at season's end. There's a sense of half-emptiness; good things happened but couldn't provide what was needed for success. This, too, is baseball and more.
Unfulfilled seasons and the events within them threaten to disgorge maudlin emotional writings. When baseball started, I had one child and a steady job. Now I have two children and no job. The lost job is a by-product of these economic times. My (former) company lost a lot of business and I was laid off with 49 others. I expected to work at that company for a long time. Looking back, I saw that this was too cozy and predictable. A critical piece didn't deliver as expected. Despite this, a brand new player emerged into this game. I have a daughter now. I have a son and a daughter.
These are beautiful facts. Yet I'm troubled because I need to provide for them. Luckily, I have an employed, capable, and insurance-providing spouse. I'm taking to my new position as full-time Child Provider Within Home Environment (Housewife) with fits and starts. I always knew being a homemaker was a hard job. I respected people who did it and built their lives around it. It's rough. Despite the benefits of happy children and earning Diaper Genie expertise, it's also something I don't feel totally committed to. It's because I don't feel like the best person for the job. I find these two little people I'm managing to be challenging in their behavioral habits and frequent emotional outbursts. Still, this is a unique time in their lives that I get to share in. They still break into huge smiles when they see me. It makes me glad, but I know that there's so many other people who are better at this than I am. I just hope these two don't figure that out too soon.
So, what's next for the offseason? Unloading disgruntled pieces? Re-thinking of strategy? Finding a left-handed bat? This is where the baseball and life analogy breaks down. I could draw parallels to this point, but the Cubs have a staff and a boatload of money to help them decide their future. I have no idea what I'm doing. Sure, I'm applying. I've been having beers with old friends Monster, C. Builder, Circle of Creative, and Chicago Reader. I've placed ads on Craigslist and other national web sites. Searching through my files reveals over 180 different cover letters. I've made over 50 applications in the past few months alone.
I have to wonder if anyone's listening. Or reading, or even looking. I want to think that I'm not simply feeding an online black hole that devours resumes. But I know it's bad out there. This is Winter. A very long, bitter Job Market Winter, perhaps. There's a lot of cold people out there. For now, my jacket still fits, the house is warm, everyone's fed, and we can maintain this for a while. Through Spring? Probably. Through the actual changing of this Season? We'll see.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Don't Have Time to Watch Anything? Me Neither, But I Watch These Anyway
Back from hiatus with a healthy new daughter to show for it. So far, she's sleeping slightly better than her older brother, but that may not last. As such, I'm only able to watch what my DVR gives me, and I can only stay awake so long, so I have to be very careful with my choices. Here's my Sleepy New Parent Planning Guide for the precious few moments available for TV watching. Being less wakeful than usual, we've decided to re-watch an old favorite, follow two existing programs, and try one new thing. Breakdown:
OLD FAVORITE TO RE-WATCH: Deadwood. For this, I must thank channel 101 on DirecTV. Whatever blessed person decided to re-run this amazing HBO series has my undying gratitude. I love the show. I love listening to Shakespeare if he had put the nastiest derogatory language into his prose many times over. The ensemble is stocked with terrific actors. The writers make lyrical poetry with foul language fit into fascinating Old West historical drama. Meanwhile, creator David Milch and his directors steer the show perfectly. I've already seen every episode, but the show still hits me, even when I'm half asleep. That's how good Deadwood is.
TWO EXISTING PROGRAMS TO FOLLOW: The Soup and The Daily Show. Big advantage to these shows is that they're less than 30 minutes. If we're lucky, 60 minutes is about as much time and energy available for one sitting. Both these shows have smart humor and cover current events with sharp satire. Perfect TV candy.
THE ONE NEW THING: Mad Men. For this, I must thank a co-worker who lent me his DVDs (TV episodes on DVD is another blessing for the sleepy parent). I'd heard nothing but praise for this show the past few years. Two episodes into the first season, it's well deserved. I really like how Mad Men presents the perfectly coiffed exterior of 1950's American idealism while showing everything going wrong underneath. The setting of the biggest marketing firm in New York only makes it more appealing to me. Despite all the pretty pictures, misogyny runs rampant, co-workers smile through hateful statements, and people have lots of dirty secrets. Marketing can involve a lot of half-truths and masking of ugly reality, so the setting is perfect for the action. The series has barely started and I'm hooked. Can't wait to see more.
So for anyone dealing with nursing, changing diapers, burping, breast pumps, holding the wailing little ones, or if you're just missing sleep, I hope these help.
OLD FAVORITE TO RE-WATCH: Deadwood. For this, I must thank channel 101 on DirecTV. Whatever blessed person decided to re-run this amazing HBO series has my undying gratitude. I love the show. I love listening to Shakespeare if he had put the nastiest derogatory language into his prose many times over. The ensemble is stocked with terrific actors. The writers make lyrical poetry with foul language fit into fascinating Old West historical drama. Meanwhile, creator David Milch and his directors steer the show perfectly. I've already seen every episode, but the show still hits me, even when I'm half asleep. That's how good Deadwood is.
TWO EXISTING PROGRAMS TO FOLLOW: The Soup and The Daily Show. Big advantage to these shows is that they're less than 30 minutes. If we're lucky, 60 minutes is about as much time and energy available for one sitting. Both these shows have smart humor and cover current events with sharp satire. Perfect TV candy.
THE ONE NEW THING: Mad Men. For this, I must thank a co-worker who lent me his DVDs (TV episodes on DVD is another blessing for the sleepy parent). I'd heard nothing but praise for this show the past few years. Two episodes into the first season, it's well deserved. I really like how Mad Men presents the perfectly coiffed exterior of 1950's American idealism while showing everything going wrong underneath. The setting of the biggest marketing firm in New York only makes it more appealing to me. Despite all the pretty pictures, misogyny runs rampant, co-workers smile through hateful statements, and people have lots of dirty secrets. Marketing can involve a lot of half-truths and masking of ugly reality, so the setting is perfect for the action. The series has barely started and I'm hooked. Can't wait to see more.
So for anyone dealing with nursing, changing diapers, burping, breast pumps, holding the wailing little ones, or if you're just missing sleep, I hope these help.
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