Friday, June 20, 2008

Summer classes have made me a busy man and thus I have not posted in quite a while. The marketing capstone class is not as bad as I had envisioned but it still keeps me on my toes. Graduation is closing in...only a month and a half of college courses until I get that fancy piece of paper that says I'm a person of "higher learning". Joy.

Even though I haven't graduated yet, after multiple interviews and constant phone calls back and forth I landed a salary position at Humana. Start date is July 7th. Soon my life as a true yuppie will begin. I suppose I'll develop an addiction to coffee and start buying useless trinkets to adorn my apartment that reflect me as a person. The catalog scene in Fight Club comes to mind. The excess disposable income will be a welcome change though. Never in my life have I been blessed with money that I can throw anywhere I want just for my amusement. The only downside to all this is that I'll actually have to do "real" work. Hopefully my life doesn't spiral downward into a constant Office Space scenario.

One of the funniest lines in Office Space: "I'm gonna show her my O-face. Oh, oh, oh! You know what I'm talkin' about."

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The Interview

Nagging thought of the morning: I need some coffee if I'm going to make it through work and my 5:30 - 8:15 capstone class.

I had my interview with Humana yesterday. I'm not a person to join the camp which says that you need to have prepared statements for every possible interview question. In fact, I find this to be fake and somewhat disingenuous. Answering things on the fly can be scary due to the ambiguity of the situation, but I find it to be honest and easier.

The first mistake I made was not dry-cleaning my suit ahead of time like I had planned. I was supposed to go to the dry-cleaner on Saturday morning but due to a lingering hangover due to a trip to 4th street I was unable to complete this quest. Dry-cleaners are not open on Sundays, fyi.

I found my backup suit and managed to make it look presentable and actually tied my own tie on the 2nd attempt without consulting youtube. I never went to church as a child so wearing a tie is a rarity for me. Props to youtube btw, you can find instructional videos on almost any subject.

Driving downtown is somewhat stressful. Not only is it relatively unfamiliar to me, but the traffic is generally terrible and parking is even worse. Once I actually managed to get to the corporate office I found myself intimidated by the swarm of men in fancy suits with luggage and the ornate nature of the building itself.

The first portion of the interview was with 2 managers with the dept. Those went very well and I felt 99% confident that I got the job. But then I interviewed the overall director who looked like he hadn't slept in 3 weeks. He never smiled once and seemed displeased to be there. I have no idea if he thought I was qualified or not because he looked so pissed off. So it goes.

It's starting to rain. Time to publish this sucker.

Le Hodge

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Life Goes On

The post-college realization is starting to seep into my mind and I must admit that it's not as pleasing as I would have liked. I haven't "officially" graduated since I have 3 summer classes left. But I'm a mere 2 months from academic freedom.

Just thinking about the last 4 years of my life is bitter-sweet. I would gladly redo them all over again, but a time-machine is not available it seems. Thousands of memories are recalled in the blink of an eye and flood my senses as if a giant wave crashes upon the shore of the here and now. I've met thousands of people, been to hundreds of houses for parties, stayed up late doing projects that should have been done weeks in advance, loved and lost, burned and been burned, recoiled from opportunities and taken wild chances.

What have I really learned from all these experiences? A general understanding of the business world? Yes. What do I want out of life? Not really. What makes me happy? Somewhat.

I have a nagging feeling that sitting at a desk from 9 to 5 for the rest of my life wouldn't bring much satisfaction. This has already been discussed with Max who will likely start his own international photography magazine and might want to include me as a partner. I suppose that what I truly want is a career that allows me to change the world and to do something that allows me to find inner-peace. As for what that is...we shall find out in good time.

And now for some lyrics that relate oh so well.
--- Favorite lyrics of the day ---
Memories are bittersweet
The good times we can't repeat
Those days are gone and we can never get them back

Now we must move ahead (woah-oh)
Despite our fear and dread (woah-oh)
We're all just wishing we could stop,
but Life goes on

Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page
Time rolls on

Wipe your eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries
- "Can't Repeat" - The Offspring

---

Hodge Out