Snow in PDX

Snow in Portland (PDX) is really quite cute.

The white stop drops, people stare up in amazement - I'm surprised they don't drown like chickens - and then they run indoors screaming, not to come out for days at a time.

Why? You might ask? Well, it's cause in Portland they don't plow. The...snow...just...sits. And until it melts it's as difficult to get around busy streets in Oregon as it is to get to backwoods cabins of NH or VT.

Which made me realize that snow days are like sick days. In Oregon, a snow day feels the same as when you start to feel achy and sick so you decide you're going to stay home, stock up on movies and OJ and make a day of it. It's an event. A celebration on inability.

In the Northeast, when it snows, it feels similar to coming down with the flu during finals. No excuses. Plow that shit aside. Sure it's now brown, ugly and depressing, but we've got life to live, babies.

I can feel PDX beginning to get anxious, and if Xmas weren't tomorrow people would be beginning to get all self righteous "I have important things to do!" Oh really, look at you, Mr. Big Important Man.

Well, for now, living through the biggest snowstorm in 40 years has been wonderful.

It's who you know - lessons of the elite

I recently got a new job. It took 7 months from beginning to end and completely reaffirmed a long standing truth: Who you know matters most*

I've placed an asterisk * next to "most" because debating the relative importance is equivalent to debating the value of different systems in a car: "Which is more important, the engine or the wheels? What about the gas? It doesn't get going with gas!" It's pointless.

By my count I communicated with or received help from 13 people in the process of getting my new job. Not a single one of those people works in HR. I didn't send a single email to "jobs@companyXYZ.com." Come to think of it, I never have.

When I grew interested in Google, I called a friend. Same with Facebook, IDEO, Apple, Jump Associates, Frog Design, Stone Yamashita Partners and the list goes on. I didn't apply to all of those places, because I didn't have to. I was able to understand whether or not those companies would be a good fit for me (and me for them) simply by contacting people I know, and people they know, and in one case, people they know.

And at some point in this job search, as emails were being exchanged, phone calls were scheduled and meetings were arranged, it hit me - I am completely and utterly elite. I went to private school and attended Tufts. I knew I was privileged, I have all my life, but this was elite.

Sure I work hard, people like me, I'm pretty smart and I do good work - but the majority of the time that's not what gets your foot in the door. I know people. And the people I know know people.

It was fascinating to be going through this experience in the middle of a presidential election as Republicans were forcing down my throat the notion that "In America, anything is possible if you stop being lazy and work hard." I'm offended by the assertion that less fortunate people simply don't "work hard enough" because it completely neglects the inherent system of privilege and promotion in America.

I don't support government aid programs because I feel like I might end up on food stamps, I do so because I know from the moment I was born there was an insignificant chance I would EVER need them, because of privilege.

I believe in the American dream, that people can work hard and lift themselves up to new heights. I just wish people would reflect more frequently on what got them where they are and be more appreciative of where they started.

What's the saying? "He was born on 3rd base and thinks he hit a triple"? You may not have been born on 3rd, but I know I at least started on 2nd and I wish more people would admit they didn't begin at home plate.

Ohh, Britney

Yesterday morning I watched Britney Spears: 4 the recrd, cause that's just the kind of thing you do on Mondays when you're awake and unemployed.

First off, the name: 4 the recrd it's genius. What would look like a simple omitted vowel to some, is in fact a "F you" to adults. It's a way to tip off teenagers that this isn't your mom's 60 Minutes interview, this is for real.

And you know what? I loved it.

When you're Britney in 2008 you've tarnished any hope for titles like Respectable, Artist, Star, Phenomenon, all you can hope for, to aspire to, is to come off as human. And she does. It's odd to say that Britney feeling human is an achievement, but after all she's gone through, all that we've gone through with her, it's a success. You remember the head shaving incident right? The umbrella? Uncountable DUIs? I'm not going to hash through history, but it's been exhausting to be her, even to watch her.

I've been a fan of Britney since Hit me baby one more time. The fact that she was going to be a star was undeniable. Watch it again, seriously. Also, it's been a decade (Oct '98...yeah) since that came out, so the fact that we're still talking about her is remarkable. Part of the reason I love her so much is that, for my generation, there is only one Britney Spears. Past generations had Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis or the Beatles. But if you're in your 20's she is your pop icon, whether or not you acknowledge it. To prove it, watch Piece of Me her '07 hit, it illustrates this point perfectly. The fact that she is our star is undeniable. You may love or despise her, either way you can't debate it, it's just a truth, like gravity.

Watching Britney over the 65 minute documentary - for which cameras followed and interviewed her over 60 days - you get a strong sense that she is as real as someone could possibly be given her life experiences.

Interviewer: "Do you know that your life is weird?"
Britney: "It's all I've ever known, so it doesn't feel weird."

That is weird. By the end I felt like I was watching a girl in her mid-20s who tries a little too hard, has a better image of herself than do others, is playfully insecure and says that she's "grown up a lot" - which pretty much makes her indistinguishable from half the girls I know my age.

Lastly, I'll leave you with Womanizer, cause, well, she's Britney and you won't be disappointed.

Oh, this is about YOU?!

Yup, still sitting on the same couch, in case you were wondering.

I was thinking about people and realizing that the most interesting part of leaving my job was observing the different ways that people reacted.

You had the Friendly-Jabbers - ("Quitter" and "Oh yeah, well you're fired!") which I appreciate, cause they show that they care.

The Genuine Handshakers - they come by, quietly wait and offer an affectionate handshake and an under spoken "Good luck."

The Yankee Hater - some of my favorites. A variation on the Friendly-Jabbers, but with specificity and emotion. I got this in passing, under his breath, from one of the nicest men I've ever met. "Well played" I thought.

The How-Dare-You!s - which crack me up, but genuinely make me smile. They say it to my face, so I know that they care.

The Ignore and Say Nothing - which I find odd, simply because I always engage people, so to say nothing seems strange. But I don't take it personally.

The How-Could-You behind my back - this one is the one I find most interesting. Continuum is a very kind place, but I have heard inklings of someone being pissed and saying so to others. I find this most fascinating, because, as much as I try to make sense of this reaction, to explain it based on my actions, it always comes back to them. If you are angry, betrayed or pissed off because I left my job to go to the competitor, you need to step back and realize that this has NOTHING to do with you. As my mother would say growing up when people got mad "OH, I guess you think this is about YOU?!" Which is to say, shut the fuck up, step back and think about what you're saying. Somehow 140 other people were able to get avoid this reaction, so where exactly do you come off?

People take things personally. I get it. Actually, people have been so kind I think I'm looking for an argument out of interest. I kinda want to get into it with someone. Maybe it would be cathartic? Who knows, but it might be interesting.

Unemployed

I almost feel bad saying I'm "Unemployed" as people are getting laid off and the economy is in recession, but fuck it, I'm sitting at home on a Thursday watching SportsCenter for the 3rd time, wearing the same shirt as yesterday and eating Cheerios.

Life is good.

I do have a job lined up, but it's on the other side of the country, at a new company, and it doesn't begin for 5 weeks.
5 weeks off in winter? Feels like winterbreak! This is the way life SHOULD be.

Slow Blogging

As a result of my last post I discussed blogging with a few friends whose thoughts I really appreciate. Some agree, some disagree slightly, but everyone generally feels it is what you make of it, and you shouldn't do it for others.

It's already a week old, but I loved this article in the NYT last Sunday about "Blogging at a snail's pace." And the best part for me was that they quote a man, Russell Davies, who's blog I read constantly. Seeing someone in the NYT who's blog your read is eerily like seeing a friend in the news. I was excited, I read the article carefully to take it all in, I stopped short of cutting it out cause, well, I don't actually know Russell. I have emailed him about blogging a few years ago, but we've never met. I have seen his son grow older, gotten to know his hobbies, even read his wife's blog about being a mother of a young boy in England. She stopped blogging, so I stopped reading, but while I did I enjoyed her thoughts.

Overall, I think too much is made of the significance of each blog. The voices (news, TV, blogs) all want blogging to either be The Answer to life's communication issues, or the devil waste of time and indulgence. It's neither. It's fun. You should do read and write if you're interested, and if not, then you should go off and find something that does compel you.