Long hiatus, but now I have a job

Or, wherein I reflect on unemployment

So I'm finally back to work again, and if my start-up exhaustion weren't enough, I'm now back to - you guessed it - helping start-ups.  I'm super psyched to be back in Adultville, and talking about things like profits and exit strategies and "the warts on a deal" again.  Trust me, I love this stuff.

And now that I'm commuting (first time in a car, with the exception of my brief L.A. tenure), and my kids are back in school, and I am still trying my best to fit in CrossFit, and I like to read my newspaper and boy do I love 5am!, and, and...... I'm also fondly recalling my months of not doing so.

After the initial stress and being bummed out, I snowboarded.  A lot, really.  I got in the best shape of my adult life.  I went on field trips and drove my kids to pony camp.  I learned to ride a mountain bike (still lots of ground to be gained there, but it's a start). 

I took my kids to the pool.  A lot.  During which time the Bug really learned to swim and jumped off the diving board, and the Bunny got infinitely more comfortable in the water and jumped off the side.  We went to Lakeside and the zoo.  We went to Wyoming and South Dakota and Utah.  We camped a little and played at the farm. 

So, how did I feel about unemployment?  Undoubtedly it was a blow to my ego and a source of frustration.  I think I'm a better parent - and person to be around - when I am fulfilled on all fronts.  But I am glad that my support staff (you know, Joker and the girls and my parents and friends) all encouraged me to enjoy it.  Because, you know what?  I did.

And on the first day, I skiied

The thing about start-ups is that sometimes they stop.  Out of the clear blue sky the company can go away, or your job can go away, or the entire management team can go away.  So it goes.

And so it went.  As of Monday, I'm back on the dole.  Or, I suppose, technically I could be.  But that's neither here nor there.  I'm currently looking for a new gig. 

And since I'm in Colorado, I figure no better way to celebrate enjoy endure unemployment than going skiing.  We did a few runs on Monday and were back in time to pick up the kids.  Is this state awesome or what??  So with any luck, my unemployment this go-round will be short lived.  And with a little more luck, it will find me a better snowboarder and an adequate mountain biker, in wicked shape from CrossFitting every day.

Who wants to be a beta-tester?

Or, "The one in which I ask for your help."

Collectors Quest is getting very close to our relaunch, which is a happy day for us all here.  As anyone who's worked at a start-up knows, it's also a very big, very important day for us.

In advance of the relaunch, we need to do some serious beta testing on the site.  Which means we need some people who didn't build it to look around and let us know about any problems with the site.

Now, I think beta testing is fun.  You get to see a website pre-launch.  You probably get to find some problems that the development team is unaware of.  And, in this particular case, you get to help me out. 

So if you have some time next week - I'd kill for an hour, be thrilled with half an hour and settle for 15 minutes - and the inclination, let me know!  I'm not looking for software engineers (though I'd not turn you away, either!), but just regular people who, you know, use the internet.  Leave a comment below... send me a message on Facebook or Twitter... even good old fashioned telephone or email will work!  I'll give you the particulars, and voila!  You'll be participating in the launch of a new company, with all the satisfaction that goes with it.

A few extra hands

After our move to Evergreen, I was housewifing.  The Bug was in school four days a week, the Bunny went to daycare once a week, and things were pretty manageable.  Yeah, I'm a crappy cleaner, and I actually learned that dusting is even worse than mopping, but we ate three somewhat healthy meals every day, there were clean clothes in the drawers, and the kids got to go to the library and the park and my grandparents' house and other cool places.

But as soon as I returned to full-time work, I realized how much was falling through the cracks.  I rarely never cleaned, laundry piled up, grocery shopping was done while emailing, my kids would watch TV while I attempted to work (fyi, school until 2:45pm is not "full day")... and don't even ask about showering.  It boiled down to this for me: even with an extremely flexible and understanding work situation, and with a rather helpful husband, it is virtually impossible for a working woman to do all the mommy and wife-y stuff.  Especially if she's not supposed to be an enormous grump at the end of the day and/or drink an entire bottle of wine before dinner.

But - hooray! - we have gotten to a rather wonderful place, with the addition of a few helping hands.  I have someone cleaning the house every other week, which means that after nine months of just sitting there, my bookshelves have now been dusted.  Twice.  And this week we found a delightful babysitter who can pick up the girls a few days a week, leaving me with some precious extra hours to devote to my job while the girls get to play outside and have adventures. 

To all the superwomen out there, huge kudos for handling what I cannot.  And to you normal women, trust me, we all need help.  Now let's go grab a drink.

New gig, special twist

So as I mentioned before, I've started a new job.  I'm running business development for a start-up called Collector's Quest - they've built a platform to connect buyers and sellers of collectibles and antiques.  To boil it down, imagine a marketplace for small retailers in this space (a la Etsy, but not for handmade goodies) that employs algorithms to identify a user's specific interests (think Match.com).  Collectibles and antiques represent a huge market, it's very fragmented and offline today, and we've got some smart media people behind us to help drive usage.  So, feeling good.

One of the best things shouldn't be omitted: I am working from home.  This is a new thing for me and I'm psyched.  First and foremost, I'm very excited about CQ and what I can do to help grow the business.  No work-from-home situation would be worth it if I didn't believe the company itself was a winner.  But now I have a level of flexibility that I've never had before.  I can work full time and still pick my kids up from school/daycare every day, go to all their performances, be the class mom. 

Spending the past six months at home solidified two things in my mind.  First, I need to work.  It makes me a better mom and a better wife, and it makes me happy.  I feel important, satisfied that I matter to the world.  And second, I like spending time with my kids, just doing our daily whatevers, more than I ever thought I would.  I thought I'd hate the full-time mommy role, and there were things that drove me nuts, but I really enjoyed the extra cuddle time at nap or taking the kids to the zoo mid-week.  The Bunny and the Bug are (generally) super fun to hang out with!

So I feel like this is a huge coup for me.  An exciting new company that I believe has an opportunity to really make it, and that I truly believe I'll help to succeed.  Plus an uber-flexible schedule that will allow me to spend more time with the kids.  I'm ironing out the balancing act, but that'll come.  And when it does, everyone will win - my boss, my kids, my husband and me.  Yay.

Housewifing

[Try singing that to the tune of Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing."  Yeah, it's incongruous.]

Since before we moved here, I've been among the glorious ranks of the unemployed.  I'm looking for something, but since the media industry never quite flocked to Denver, and since the economy is in the crapper, it's slow going. 

In the mean time, though, I have really been enjoying myself and my (presumably temporary) housewife gig. I didn't expect to like it this much, but not working during a Colorado summer is pretty hard to beat!  I'm outside with the girls (or just the Bunny during the Bug's school days) every day, usually a couple of times.  We've gone to museums, the zoo, parks, tourist attractions.  It's cool!

Still, I struggle with it a little.  So much of my time - of my identity - has been wrapped up in my career for years now.  Then all of a sudden, no commute or job or colleagues.  I don't make any money, nor do I wear makeup or (for that matter) shoes other than flip-flops.  My closet is wasting away while I wear jeans and t-shirts. I actually like to talk about politics and the economy and travel and other subjects that don't often come up when I'm pushing my kid on a swing.  It's a change.  Plus, I am a lousy housekeeper.  I seriously dislike cleaning, I'm not even very good at it and I am really, really slow. 

I miss work, and I am grateful to have a couple of projects to keep me sharp.  Every conference call reminds me that I really do enjoy working, and that I am pretty good at it, too.  I love my kids, but running errands with me all day has nothing on the fun and stimulation they get at school or even the super daycare we found for the Bunny.  It'll be great to have our routine back, but until then, I'll just keep on chilling at the park.

Aquarium update

Almost two months later, my fish tank is finally populated with its first five schools! I bought three each of the following apparently hearty (and thus good for brand new tanks) breeds: green tiger barbs, gold barbs, zebra danios, bleeding heart tetras, and white clouds (which unfortunately already number just two).

These are some seriously happy and joyful little friends, and I am sure you will be impressed by the photo shoot we had today:

Two of the gold barbs are in front of the bonzai, one of the green tigers is just above them, a couple of the zebras are swimming very fast in the top right corner, with another green tiger below them, and one of the white clouds below that one.

Not blogging about work

I've encountered a new blogging challenge the past couple of weeks. Because I am so incredibly busy with work, most of my clever insights and funny stories have been work-related. But because I'm not a total idiot - at least, not in some respects - I won't repeat them here. Hence, the conundrum. What to write about when the topics on your mind are off limits. I've obviously been short on answers this month.

So despite the affirmations contained in the prior paragraph, I'll throw caution to the wind with a very quick anecdote. I just overheard an intern enthusiastically telling someone that "The Proposal was a great movie!" From that statement I understand that she chose to exchange money for the opportunity to see a Sandra Bullock romantic comedy on opening weekend, and that she was happy with said exchange. I can thus conclude she and I have absolutely nothing in common.

Quick bloggy update

I realized it's been a long time since my last post, but over a week?? Wow! I'm sure the expectations have been building, and you're really dying to hear the wisdom I impart after a little hiatus, so here goes.

First and foremost, work has really turned up the heat. I have been unbelievably busy. Totally swamped. It's really cool stuff, including the launch of a new channel, but my days are filled with meetings and I still have to get my day-to-day work done... so alas! very little time to blog.

And I had to buy a dress to wear to a couple of weddings. Need I remind you, it had to be a maternity dress. On the plus side, I'm not a cast member in either of my summer weddings - though I'm clearly one of the most highly valued guests, I am not required for photographic immortality. Anyway, the experience was miserable. I went to a higher-end store in the hopes that the pickin's would be decent. I tried on 20 dresses - which is more than I've ever tried on for anything in my life - and bought the one I hated the least. According to my friends at the first wedding, I did not look like a cow, so I'm going to chalk it up as a victory and up the ante with even cuter shoes for the next event.

And finally, a couple of notes on the wedding we went to over the weekend... Congrats, Georgia and Jeff! It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony, the band was fantastic, the food (especially the grilled Greek cheese - where can I get more of that??) was delicious, the Perrier was of the finest vintage, and we could not be happier for our two dear friends. Worlds of happiness to you both - you deserve every minute of it!

Popularity

Ah, high school. If only I'd known then what I know now, I could have ruled the joint. But alas! It wasn't until just this week that I learned the true key to popularity: a fish tank.

This weekend, I inherited Joker's old 35-gallon aquarium for my office. We brought it down on Sunday, and it's currently bubbling and filtering away. Despite the fact that there will be no living inhabitants until next week, I have never had so many passers by stop in. People absolutely love it! From the mail guy to the President, everyone totally digs it. My office went from kinda lame to total feng shui in one fell swoop. I may even be able to rent out my office couch by the half hour, thus turning it into a profit center. Imagine the possibilities when I actually have fish in there!

The bad-economy blues

If you read the news, or watch the news, or listen to the news, or even just participate in cordial formalities with your coffee guy, you know that major layoffs have been announced at companies across the country. The media business has been particularly walloped in the past weeks, with companies from NBC to Viacom to Sony announcing across-the-board staff reductions.

Despite some changes in our corporate structure over the last month or so, we hadn't been affected. To be fair, we suspected it was coming. We have spent a great deal of time preparing justification for each and every member of our staff, including detailed performance and responsibility summaries along with attributable revenue, so that we would emerge unscathed.

Today, layoffs were announced. I am very happy to say that myself, my boss and my manager remain intact. But it's impossible not to feel terrible for those who were let go, many of whom are junior members of the team. It's a lousy economy, a terrible job market, and no one wants to go home for Christmas without a job. This is my first real experience with a headcount reduction. It's not fun. I hope it is a long, long time before I go through another.

The good seats

There are ancillary benefits to my job because I am a part of the affiliate sales department. They regularly entertain clients, which is incredibly important for the business, and being a part of Madison Square Garden means doing some of this entertaining at Garden events. Last night, we had a suite at the Knicks' first game of the season, and I was able to bring a guest.

This was my first Knicks game in years, and my first time ever in a suite. It's totally cool! We got to use a side door with no line, and they had a little band in the "club level" reception area. The view is fabulous, the food's pretty tasty, and who doesn't like free beer? Surprisingly, though, I found the game a little hard to follow from up there. Being a bit removed from the other fans makes it feel less intense, so the game becomes the background rather than the focal point. That said, I'm looking forward to enjoying this perk again soon!

No, I'm not joking. It's another bathroom sign.

Didn't I mention I'd hoped to find crazy bathroom signs at my new job? Well, here's the latest:


It's a rather pedestrian effort: no graphics, no instructions. But it does have a sing-song rhyming quality, and the mixed closing parenthesis / emoticon at the end is kinda special. Mostly, though, it reminds me how I distasteful I find the word "pee."

Quick notes on work

I'm almost through my third week on the job, and I wanted to quickly say that things are going great. There is no shortage of work to be done, and most of it is really interesting... It certainly helps that even the most mundane task is more amusing when you're in the music business! Fuse has put together a great team of people, we've got a lot of opportunity in front of us, and I am thrilled to be here.

More detail soon, I promise!

My new jobbie-job

I didn't want to jinx myself, so I haven't posted anything yet about my new job. But, since I start on Monday and am taking this week off, here goes!

I'm going to be the new VP Business Development at the Cablevision-owned network Fuse. It's quite the dream job for me for a number of reasons. It's the role and responsibility I was looking for, and as an added bonus it's for a music-focused cable network. On a very high level, any non-advertising, non-affiliate revenue falls under me. This could be anything from partnerships for merchandising or travel, to launching entirely new lines of business. From a corporate perspective, Fuse combines the feel of a start-up, in that it's now getting a fresh focus on programming and marketing, with the stability and infrastructure of a real business. Plus, I'm working for a guy I know well from TV One, and the entire management team is excited and energized.

My consulting gig at BET Digital wrapped up on Friday, and it was a great experience all around. I left on a very high note. They were sad to see me go, and have promised I'll have a place there if Fuse doesn't work out.

I've got really high hopes for this new position. I can't remember ever wanting a job so badly, and I'm really fired up to do some great things! If only there are crazy sign-leavers, my life will be complete.

Another courtesy lesson

For those of you who have passed Remedial Courtesy and Courtesy 101, yet another sign appeared in the ladies' room yesterday that you might find helpful:


Again I will reiterate, this is not an unpleasant bathroom. It is apparently just frequented by crazy people.

Microwave instructions

I find it a little hard to believe, but a new blog-worthy sign appeared at work yesterday. This one was taped to the front of the microwave in our pantry.

I find the illustration of the microwave to be particularly helpful, in the event that you weren't quite sure to which appliance this sign applied. The list of metal items is also useful, although it excludes many metal items, such as golf clubs or dump trucks.

However, the message of the sign is what I find to be truly inspired. Are there really people who don't know that you shouldn't microwave metal? I actually remember the first time we used a microwave, to defrost strawberries at my Grandma D's house. We kept putting the strawberries on "defrost" for 1 or 2 seconds, opening the microwave cautiously, and temperature-testing the still-frozen strawberries. Even then, inexperienced as we clearly were, we knew that metal was taboo... and that was more than 25 years ago!

Remedial courtesy

In case you were wondering what the prerequisites were for Courtesy 101, the kind folks in my new office have been good enough to share:

I do not *heart* Times Square

Our offices moved over the weekend into some lovely new space in Times Square. This has lopped almost five minutes (in each direction) off of my commute, something that would generally be viewed as a positive. I now walk straight down either 47th or 46th Street, both of which have massive construction closing portions of the already crowded sidewalks. As I was making my way to the office this morning, I reminisced fondly of walking through the wide, pedestrian-only streets around Rockefeller Center, with flower pots and public art. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Times Square makes my skin crawl.

Courtesy 101

Let me preface this by saying that the ladies room at work is quite clean. I'm not saying it's where I eat my lunch, but it's a very satisfactory restroom.

Yesterday, this sign appeared on each of the doors and walls:


In particular, please note the person on the lower left, who is presumably dead. There are several lessons to be learned here, perhaps most importantly that one should spray one's corpses prior to placing them in the ladies room, if one wishes not to leave un-ladylike aromas.