On Sat, 2008-04-19 at 20:41 +0930, Tim wrote:
On Fri, 2008-04-18 at 23:22 -0400, Ric Moore wrote:
I spent a great deal of free-time on the Caldera List and a lot of
people knew me. That was back in the Bob Young days, with tie dye tee
shirts, purple hair, roller skates, several pinball machines and Quake
Fests, as soon as the suits left around 6PM. Even in my native
industry, Chemicals and Marketing, it's usually who you know. So, make
yourself known.
I am now imagining you with purple hair, wearing hippy clothes and
skates and trying to sell recreational chemicals... ;-)
Ha! Bob stopped by my cube one day after my 60 day period was over, and
asked me if I knew why he hired me. He had that merry eye-twinkle thing
going on. I said Sure! I knew it wasn't for my code and hacking
abilities. I told him that I was his "goat among the thoroughbreds".
Let's face it, young 20 somethings that had, until recently, wedgie
pulling and stuffed-into-lockers sessions by the high school jocks,
found themselves as gods now, but lacked some finer social skills. He
walked away, still eye-twinkling and grinning broadly. So, I was the
almost 50something goat. I guess he didn't know that I liked to play
network Quake as much as the rest of them!!! <grins>
I went through about 4 peer interviews, all by 20 somethings. One, who's
name I forget, got up close and said "I'm a communist!! What do you
think about that??"!! I said, "Well, according to Marxist Doctrine,
Thesis meets Antithesis and that results in Synthesis ...new ideas.
That's always a good thing and keeps society from becoming stagnant."
I think he got the point that an almost 50 something could be an
anarchist as well. That was a Kodak Moment, to see his face light up and
we high-fived. I got hired.
They paid me more than I was worth, to tell the truth. The day I quit,
with a bunch of personal legal things going on around me, was a very sad
day. I thought they were the best bunch of people I've ever met,
anywhere. It was like family that you got to chose, and the Church Of
Linux, all rolled into one. I hope it still is tie-dyed, purple haired
and full of commie anarchists wearing Che` t-shirts there. If you don't
think out of the box, you stay in the #$%^& box.
So, it goes to show, be yourself and you'll fit somewhere! And, if you
don't, then make your own personal niche. That's what I'm doing. Many
others on this list do the very same thing and are as successful as much
as they wish to be. The bitch is to balance that with having a real
life, as well. "Always forward, but never straight." is a famous quote
from the 70's. It applies today, hence my handle. <huge grin> Ric
