Candy and popcorn

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When I’m working a seasonal assignment, it’s for one thing and one thing only. “Show me the money, man!” Perhaps that’s why I’m sensitive to efforts to turn work into a carnival, or something approximating “Romper Room.”

Let me start out by saying that I’ve never been much on employers plying me with non-financial incentives. I’m not overly covetous (I don’t think) and I’ve had jobs that paid shit for wages in my past, but living in the U.S. of A. takes some ka-ching to keep a roof over your head and wheels beneath you. As much as I enjoy cycling, I can’t see the practicality or the feasibility of a business trip from Portland to Presque Isle by bicycle. Continue reading →

Looking for a sign

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Signs are ubiquitous. They inform, invite, beckon, and some signs say “stay away.”

From the National Park Services Technical Preservation Services, in Preservation Brief #25, “American sign practices originated largely in Europe. The earliest commercial signs included symbols of the merchant’s goods or tradesman’s craft. Emblems were mounted on poles, suspended from buildings, or painted on hanging wooden boards. Such symbolic signs were necessary in a society where few could read, although verbal signs were not entirely unknown. A sheep signified a tailor, a tankard a tavern.”

Some are familiar and even iconic. They speak of commerce and capital.

Continue reading →

Dialing while drunk

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Last night was the second in a series of what will be nine contiguous nights chasing the moonlight as a seasonal employee on assignment. I’ve been doing this work just long enough now that I’m able to really focus on the callers, as well as my surroundings, and less on the technical components of navigating the order fulfillment system. It’s what I refer to as “being in the zone,” at least when it comes to being an order taker. Continue reading →

Carpe diem

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When the lights go down in the city.

Maine has  one place that comes close to being a city. That would be Portland. It might be one of the best small cities in America.

Marriage between dear friends (one of them sharing my last name), a post-nuptial dance party, and an overnight, followed by breakfast at Hot Suppa! with the love of my life is a great way to kick off December and the last month of what’s been a pretty damn good year. Continue reading →

Why Rondo got suspended (and Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband didn’t even get fined)

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Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband knocks Rajon Rondo to the floor early in Wednesday night’s game.

For a brief period yesterday, football and the Patriots got pushed off the front pages and down the list of topics covered by Boston’s talk radio morons hosts. The reason was that Rajon Rondo, the point guard that fans love to hate, pushed Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband into the crowd after he committed a flagrant foul on the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett. Continue reading →

Working scientifically

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In America, work is often who we are. Some might take issue with this. By-and-large, we are what we do. If you think something different, ask yourself why, when attending parties or the requisite networking after hours some of us are subjected to, why the line of first questioning always settles on, “What do you do for work?”

Our current cultural norm places a positive moral value on doing a good job. This is rooted  in the Protestant Reformation, which made physical labor acceptable for all persons, even the wealthy. Prior to the 16th century, working hard (in the absences of compulsion) was not the norm for Hebrew, classical, or medieval cultures. Continue reading →

Moonlighting on Cyber Monday

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When consumers call, someone must pick up on the other end.

We live in an age of transitions; at least that’s what we’re being sold. Gone are the glory days of union-wage jobs and pension funds. “Bring on the free agents” cry the 21st century prophets (or perhaps, profiteers) that tell us that all we need is a better, or more diverse tool set to succeed in the new economy.

Moonlighting—that age-old tradition of holding a 2nd job in addition to your primary wage-earning position—is something that more than 8 million Americans are engaged in. I’m one of those, juggling multiple paying gigs, all adding up to one mess of 1099s and a coming tax-paying train wreck of an employment situation. Continue reading →

Into the black

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Shoppers stream into Macy’s for pre-Black Friday bargains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blending of Thanksgiving and commerce continues to elicit outrage and moral indignation. This year, like in years past, critics of consumerism and those hearkening back to some romanticized version of an America free of consumerism are railing against those who are exercising their freedom of choice to shop early and most likely, often—especially for bargains.

The term “Black Friday” gets trotted out like a fresh “Tom” by the media about a week before Americans sit down to observe one of our high holidays as a nation. While gathering to give thanks for the bounties and blessings from the past year, many of our fellow countrymen are already plotting their shopping itinerary before the meal is finished and the leftovers are put away. Continue reading →

This is not a Thanksgiving post

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Life is often filled with uncertainty. Not knowing can cause anxiety and worse, even fear. Often, fear is irrational but it still stalks us creatures craving directions and crystal clear pictures of the future.

My year began with so much excitement and then, I got dished a large dollop of unpredictability, which segued into a period of dissonance, and eventually, employment’s door shut in my face. By late June, I was uncertain about what new revelations were just around the corner. Continue reading →