Restless Like Me » General

Give Me Failure, or Give Me Death

Norcross — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:02:12 +0000

Coming in under the wire, this is my contribution to Holly’s Mentor Roundtables post

Have you failed in life? No? Then you have nothing to teach me. It’s just that simple. In my life and my career, the biggest gains in my life have come from the result of a huge, drastic failure. Failure to finish college. Failure to manage my vices. Failure at my first stab at a career. All of these things were monumental failures. And you know what? I learned more from those than anything else. And that’s what I have to offer. My failure. My experience.

So what do you have to offer? What have you failed at? Because if you haven’t failed, you haven’t been tested. It’s easy to give mentoring advice when you don’t know what happens when the shit hits the fan. How’d you deal with it? What was the fallout? How did you grow?

Because that’s what I would want. Pain is learning.

Modern Man

Norcross — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:11:41 +0000

“When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in glaring contrast with a scientific and technological abundance. We’ve learned to fly the air as birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas as fish, yet we haven’t learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This Blog is Called Restless Like Me and I’m Currently Bored.

Matt — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:06:43 +0000

As such, I am restless….?

The president got in on today’s press briefing and asked a bunch people to get off of that Cambridge cop dude’s lawn. I wish them all the best.

The other day I found my 8th grade year book and came up with a fun game. The game goes like this:

1. Open up two web browser windows.

2. Direct those web browsers to two websites. A) Facebook. B) The arrest inquiry website for the county in which your middle school presided.

3. Go through your year book and see if you can guess the website that each former classmate is listed under. The more you get right, the better, obviously!

4. Scoring is as such: 2 pts for every right answer on which website they are featured on. You get 2 extra points for correct guesses on the college they attended. 1 extra point for the correct guess in major. If they are on the arrest inquiry website you get 2 points for every correct guess of the criminal offense. This is individual offenses though. You do not get 4 points for guessing one DUI and they got two. You had to guess two DUIs to get 4 points. You also get 4 points if you can correctly guess the number of times they’ve been arrested. There are no deduction of points for wrong answers. Do we really need to be penalizing people any more? I mean, it’s a fucking game right? Have some fun. One time!

What I found most striking about this game was not that my score was ridiculously higher than all of my competitors, in part because I think I was in a class with an unusually high amount of delinquents. But, that the black kids I went to middle school with were so insanely more likely to have multiple arrests for possession of marijuana.Which of course is pretty crazy when you consider how many white kids are pot heads too.

I think BHO is really bothered by the disparity in incarceration rates, which is why he got sidetracked during his health care press conference and started talking about that Cambridge cop dude. And, after playing my little game, I can see why.Shit’s crazy.

Until Morale Improves, The Beatings Will Continue

Norcross — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:10:28 +0000

It’s always nice to get a raise. It’s even nicer to get a raise without, you know, actually getting a raise. When my wife began her career as a prosecutor for the state attorney’s office, I immediately got a $300 dollar raise. Now, I’m not a lawyer, nor do I work for the state. So why did I get a raise?

Heath insurance. Hers is free for the family, whereas mine was $300 a month. I am a real fortunate guy. For starters, the $300 a month was lower
than many people I know in the area, so I was already ahead to begin
with. And heck, I actually had a job that offered it, so I was golden. As I said, I’m fortunate.

My friend Kimi isn’t so fortunate.

Welcome To Wherever You Are (Part III)

Norcross — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:01:18 +0000

You can read Part I here and Part II here

Now you’re probably reading this thinking that I want government to come in and save the day. Hardly. Most of the time, government can’t get out of its own way. And the current political landscape is so divided that no one in Washington will risk doing what’s right by sacrificing their political careers, as evidenced by the recent vote in the House on the financial bailout package. (And the pork that was added really upset me, but that’s another issue for another day) But I’m not a conservative who thinks that business will correct itself, either. Complete free markets, when left unchecked, will self destruct. Because all free market theories forget one basic principal: there are people involved. Emotions and greed negate most logical and rational theories. ]]>

Welcome To Wherever You Are (Part II)

Norcross — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:59:30 +0000

Now back to the market itself*. There are many,
many issues at hand, and they’re all inter-related. The ‘biggest single point
drop ever’ that happened on Monday was actually the 17% largest in history. To
match the drop in 1987, it would have to have been 3x larger. And the Dow
itself isn’t the best indicator of the US market. It’s only 30 companies,
and it’s price-weighted, so a dollar gain in a lower priced company (which
would be a larger percentage) would be negated by a dollar drop in a higher
priced company. So while it’s a widely accepted barometer of the US stock
market, it’s not the end-all answer to what’s going on. Look at the S&P
500, or the Wiltshire 5000 to get a better perspective. And while you’re at it,
include the 10 year bond yield, the FTSE (London
exchange) and the MSCI EAFE (a broad European and Asian index) for
good measure. And let’s not forget the CDS (Credit Default Swap) market, which
is a $46 trillion (with a T) dollar unregulated market (in contrast, the NYSE
is $25 trillion). In other words, market analysis is a full time job, not
reading a headline. ]]>

Welcome To Wherever You Are (Part I)

Norcross — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:20:48 +0000

Well, it seems that everyone has an opinion regarding the
recent financial mess. That’s to be expected, considering that this has a very
far-reaching effect on way more than just the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But
after reading various news reports, blogs, op-ed pieces, forwarded emails,
tweets, and everything in between, I’ve come to a realization: most people are
idiots, and shouldn’t be listened to.

Love Will Tear Us Apart

Norcross — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:03:23 +0000

Last night, I celebrated

Selfish Masquerade

Norcross — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:47:02 +0000

It is undeniable that the ability to network is a great skill. With the right connections, careers are launched, deals are sold, and problems are solved. Whether the network has been developed on-line or in the local community (hopefully both), these folks can make or break a situation. You read articles on an almost daily basis about how to grow and use your network to your advantage, say when you’re job hunting. However, what are YOU doing for people in YOUR network?

I’ve got a nice little Saturday planned. The brief outline:

Setting up a wireless network
Replacing a hard drive and installing RAM on a laptop
Reviewing mortgage paperwork and

N.I.M.B.Y

Norcross — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:12:50 +0000

Brazen Careerist. Then there is Second Life, which I know almost nothing about. Include places like flickr, twitter, and numerous other niche sites, blogs, and forums, and you’ve got a lot of choices to throw in your time, efforts, and opinions. But what to all of these virutal communities lack?
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It's Coming Right For Us

Norcross — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:21:17 +0000

Film Noir

Norcross — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:18:36 +0000

living up to your ‘potential’, and how it was complete BS. I couldn’t agree more. Who’s deciding this potential? Is is an expectation due to my surroundings? Family? What else?

What I find funny about that ‘potential’ that some people accuse others of not reaching is that, it’s always the potential for good. What about my potential for negative things? Self Destruction? Because I’ve shown more people that potential than anything else.
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Save Your Generation

Norcross — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:50:58 +0000

I’ve been reading a lot on how my generation (I’m on the cusp of X and Y, according to people who decide such things) makes less than their parents, and how we’re not able to save for retirement and whatnot. Also, there is a movement to make salaries transparent. Funny, but I am not really a part of either. I currently make more than my mother or father do. Yet, they’re much better off than I am. So what gives?

Lifestyle. Plain and simple.

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More De Palma, Less Fellini

Norcross — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:38:00 +0000

(First off, my apologizes for the lack of posting. For what it’s worth, I do have a few drafts written up. Life has been hectic, what can I say)

Recently, I’ve been interviewing people (along with my boss) for the second Investment Officer position in my department. Since the gal we hired decided to leave (blamed commute and gas prices), we’re back to where we were 6 months ago. Which, all in all, isn’t that big of a deal. But the big part for me has been learning how to interview, and getting feedback from my boss about questions, responses, etc. It’s been quite the experience, to say the least. Given that my boss and I have more of a friendship / mentor relationship that an employer / employee relationship, I really do value his opinions and feedback.

Holly over at WorkLoveLife has begun to blog about being accountable in the various aspects of her life. It’s quite an ambitious goal, given the transparency that the internet can either give, or hide. But I admire it.

For me, I have quite a few people I’m held accountable to. As a former boss put it, I have a “board of directors” in my life. Every successful business has one, why not a successful life? Here’s mine:

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Heresy, Hypocrisy, and Revenge

Norcross — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:27:41 +0000

most recent tattoo last week. It’s a big one. It’s my 7th. I started getting tattoo’d when I was 20, and I’ve never really looked back. I’ve had pieces in magazines, placed in contests, and had internationally known artists work on me.

Then I read this article. Basically, according to Mr. Carpenter, I am a subhuman freak. On par with prostitutes, pimps, people with mental illness, and ancient tribal people. Frankly, I was offended by what he said. And I’m not offended very easily. While I understand everyone doesn’t appreciate or agree with my choices of self-expression (my parents being in that category), it certainly isn’t mutilation. And putting the artists in quotes, as to infer that they aren’t indeed talented artists? I’d like to see him attempt to draw something with a vibrating pen on a squirming person.

But he can’t. But he’s too busy making broad judgments. Like assuming that Mike Tyson’s face has anything to do with my ink (it doesn’t) or that, in his own words, “No one can deny that the heaviest concentrations of tattoos occur in
the lowest segments of society — prostitutes, pimps, pugs, prison
inmates, Ku Klux Klansmen and the members of street and motorcycle
gangs.” (they don’t).

So basically, in Mr. Carpenter’s world, I’m a freak. And yet, on any given day, Mr. Carpenter would have no idea I’m the kind of person he knows nothing about, yet feels the need to chastise. Heck, he may even think I’m a nice family man. As stated by one of my favorite bands, Good Riddance, “hatred is the stillborn child of ignorance and boredom”. Sounds like Mr. Carpenter has too much time on his hands.
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Spring Break 1899

Norcross — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:53:22 +0000

It’s annual review time again! Like every year before this, I struggled to fill out my portion of the review. It used to be an issue of an inability to (a) remember what the hell I did the last year, (b) not focus on my failings, and (c) not come across as an arrogant asshole. Now, there’s still the issue of remembering what I did, but I find myself walking the thin line of honesty and self-promotion. I’ve never been a self-promoter. Not my style. But over the last year, I’ve worked towards being able to allow myself to take credit for my success, and also take accountability for my mistakes. And doing so, I’ve made very few mistakes.

Isn’t that where it’s at? I mean, no one likes to admit they’re wrong. But if you don’t ever do it, you’ll never see why you’re making mistakes, and you’ll never correct the behavior to move forward.

Each of my reviews I’ve had since taking my current position have gone really well. This one is no different. The raises have been sizable (esp. considering the current market), and more importantly, the feedback and communication has been transparent. I know where I am, I know what my boss thinks of me, and we are working together. It’s a good feeling to know that we’re all on the same page.
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Another State Of Mind

Norcross — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:57:48 +0000

This originally appears as a guest post at the Home Office Warrior.

In walking to the parking
garage with a co-worker recently, the conversation turned to telecommuters. At
some point, the mention of the “office camaraderie” and friends at the office
was mentioned, and how those working from home were missing out. In my usual
fashion, I made a sarcastic comment, “I’d like to think that I am more
qualified and better at choosing my friends than HR. Furthermore, I’d hope that
HR has the job description in mind more than my preferences on music and
cigars.” We got to our respective vehicles, and went about our lives. But the
conversation still stuck in my head. Where did the idea of the “office friend”
come from? Why do people think it is so important?

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