Talk is Cheap

“What really gets me is this: you work hard, you play by the rules, but when you need help – really need help – they let you hang.”

~Shane Scott, LEVERAGE

I had the pleasure of previewing one of TNT’s newest shows, LEVERAGE, which premieres in December. In this particular episode, the most striking line (to me, at least) came from a guest actor as he spoke about the foreclosure on his house. He was a hardworking man, who had just returned from Iraq, only to discover that his home was no longer his. While I can’t imagine the grief associated with losing a home, I can completely relate to the utter disappointment of losing a job.

“You work hard and you play by the rules.” Evidently, that’s not the way to reach your goals. You have to trick people. Lie. Cheat. Steal. And even then, the road is uphill. When you’re in informational interviews, formal interviews, coffee breaks, company meetings and the like, compliments and pats on the back can mean the world. You leave feeling proud, accomplished and ready for your next hurdle. You feel like everything will be okay. People respond to you. They are impressed by your resume. They appreciate the way you carry yourself. They could easily see you working on their team. But, talk is cheap. All of those niceties are nothing without actionable backup. You say you would hire me if you could – but you can’t. Well, words don’t put food on the table. Actions do.

I’m no longer interested in dilly-dallying around with empty smiling faces. I need results. I understand that “this is business” and “the economy is down” which is why I’m sure you’ll appreciate my urgency and disregard of pleasantries moving forward. Are you the hiring manger? Let’s talk. No headcount? Moving on.

I don’t have time for this. I will resume “building relationships” when I have an f-ing job. I’m now applying for retail jobs and hostess gigs. Really? Really. This is what it has come to. Me, my degree, and my 2+ years of experience are back to the chalk board and starting from Square One?! I’m disappointed. I’m hurt. I’m confused. I’m exhausted. I’m frustrated. I have a headache.

Please don’t tell me what you’d “like to do” or what you “might do in the future.” What can you do for me now? At this moment. At this time. I have worked hard. I have played by the rules, and all I’m asking for is an opportunity. I need an opportunity to continue to work hard, and play by the rules… to pay my rent, pay my bills, and perhaps enjoy being twenty-four. I have been searching for a job since I graduated from college. This is absolutely bewildering to me. I am BEGGING. Can somebody please help me out.


Or, will I be left to hang?

Smile

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through... for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

'Cause that's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

It's For My Own Good!

I think God is preparing me for business school beyond my wildest comprehension. He’s doing so much to prepare me that He’s rendering me unemployed. Yup. God loves me SO MUCH that He’s taking away my job, and leaving me to fend for myself.

Think about it. In every major application or interview, the most troubling question (for me, anyway) is this: What major obstacles have you overcome? To be honest, I’ve never had a concrete answer for that one. I was blessed enough to grow up in a two-parent household. That, in and of itself, is increasingly rare in black families. I have a younger brother and sister who, just as I did, attend four-year universities. My brother will soon be graduating and working for a major engineering company. The contract has already been signed! I come from a blessed family.

I was also fortunate enough to attend college on a full scholarship. I joined many organizations and graduated Summa cum Laude. In all honestly, I’m completely blown away by the fact that I can’t find a job. But, that’s not the point. Evidently hard work isn’t everything. Playing by the rules isn't all it's cracked up to be. Networking isn’t everything. Intelligence isn’t important. Sometimes, despite a person's greatest efforts, failure still lingers on the horizon. That is the very problem, however. I'm still operating as though things should go according to "my plan". But the world does not operate according to my plan – it operates according to God’s.

So, when I begin the application process, and commence with preparing for interviews, I will finally have an answer to that age-old question. My biggest obstacle: being in-and-out of work for the past three years. Despite my academic, professional, and extra-curricular accomplishments, I have been unable to maintain a job for longer than eleven months at a time. Why? I have no idea. I’ve considered, perhaps, it was bad karma… but I’m pretty sure that’s not it. Steady work just isn’t in my cards, evidently.

I have begun calling on old contacts, and implementing my resourcefulness. I guess I could go to NY for a few weeks, mooch off of friends, and earn that good old day-player rate as a production assistant. I’m sure Law & Order:SVU has as Assistant Director who needs some coffee. I can fetch it for him with my bachelor’s degree! And, in the meantime, politely ask (taxpaying) native New Yorkers not to walk down a particular block because "we're trying to shoot a scene here." They love it when you say that.

Or, I could begin working at a local Aveda, like I did when I was back home during my “year off.” The economy may be broken and ruined, but people still need their hair cut!

I could wait tables again or perhaps bartend... Maybe I’ll just sell my soul to the devil. I wonder how much it’s worth. LOL. Just kidding! It’s not that bad. I’m enrolling at YALE in two years. I’ll simply loan my soul to the devil and buy it back from him (with interest) after I graduate. I’m sure an Ivy League degree will land me somewhere that pays enough for me to buy it back. Well, let me not say “sure.” Look where that has gotten me…

The Single Aesthetic: Losing my job for the sake of a good story and admissions to my dream school. Seems like a pretty fair trade to me!

All My Single Ladies

IF YOU LIKE IT, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE PUT A RING ON IT.

Fall Anthem:

All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies!

Now put your hands up!

Up in the club
We just broke up
I’m doin’ my own lil’ thing
You decided to dip
Now you wanna trip
Cause another brotha noticed me
I’m up on him
He up on me
Don’t pay him any attention
Got me cryin’ my tears
After three good years
You can’t be mad at me

Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

Uh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh oh…

I got gloss on my lips
A man on my hips
Hug me tighter than my Dereon Jeans
Actin’ up
Drink in my cup
I can care less what you think
I need no permission
Did I mention?
Don’t pay him any attention
Cause you had your turn
Now you’re gonna learn
What it really feels like to miss me

Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

Uh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh oh…

Don’t treat me to the things of the world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer
What I deserve is a man that makes me
Then takes me and delivers me to a destiny
To infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I’m the one you want
If you don’t, you’ll be alone
And like a ghost
I’ll be gone

All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies! (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies!
Now put your hands up

Uh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh oh…

Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

Uh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh oh!!!








[CHURCH]

The Tabernacle = Church

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Last night’s performance was ASTOUNDING. It was like the ultimate playlist from three of my favorite artists. It’s interesting that the concert venue was a renovated church called Tabernacle, because I definitely heard the gospel, sang some neo-hymns and darn-near caught the spirit! (It would be inappropriate to use profanity in a biblical metaphor, right? Right.) Now, I missed the opening act because (as usual) I was running late. I left an MBA information session early so I could get to the show in enough time to see Janelle Monae hit the stage…

My God. That woman is amazing. Her style is so unique and fresh. Not only does she explore alternative sounds and experiment with style, but she captivates and wows her audience with every show! I’ve seen her three times live, and she has gotten better each time. She started off with "Violet Stars Happy Hunting" (classic) and followed with "Smile". The first time I heard Janelle sing Smile I was brought to tears. Perhaps it had to do with a certain young man’s negative affect on my life, but the lyrics touched and moved me to a deeply emotional place… Nostalgia is quite the phenomenon. After those two signature songs, we heard "Sincerely Jane" and two more songs. Her wild, robotic dancing was passionate, energetic, and very entertaining... so much so that Pharrell later imitated it during his set. She is a true rock star in the making. Nevermind this whole Bad Boy charade... this lady is the real deal with a voice of honey, and eclectic taste to round it out.

Then Pharrell’s sexy self hit the stage and performed all of NERD’s hits. He started off with Seeing Sounds tracks, touched on a few In Search Of… songs in a medley, and then brought it home with back-to-back favorites like “Lapdance,” “Rockstar,” “Everyone Nose” and “She Wants To Move.” In each of his breaks between songs, he proved just how conscious and politically aware he was (which I loved). He talked about Obama, his confidence that we (his audience) were registered to vote and kick some ass on November 4, and even touched on the stock market crisis. He said to us (and I’m paraphrasing here): “Don Lemon was backstage with me doing an interview and he asked me about my opinion on Wall Street. I told him I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened… at all. In fact, I wrote a song about it. Wanna here it? Here it go: Sooner or later, it all comes crashiiiing doooooown…”

I wonder if he would consider marrying me.

Then, my man… one of the most beautiful human beings to ever walk the planet… came onto the stage. Lonnie Lynn is the quintessence of strength, charisma, charm, sex appeal, intelligence, talent, wit and beautiful brown skin. He rocked SEVEN tracks from his upcoming album, and each one sounded great. I must admit, I was kinda disappointed when I heard he didn’t work with Kanye on this record… but it didn’t hurt him one bit. Common is as fresh, alive and relevant as ever. His albums always find that perfect balance with “conscious” tracks, club bangers, and smooth love-like songs. Hmmm… he actually might beat Pharrell out with this whole marriage idea.

Of course, after Common performed all of his new ish, with intermittent odes to older albums including Be and Like Water for Chocolate, he had to come back for an encore. We still had to hear “The People,” “I Want You,” and “The Light”!!

I slept well last night (after politely asking my roommate and her BFF to quiet down at 1:30 in the morning). I woke up beaming. It didn’t matter that it was rainy and dreary outside. Last night’s show provided enough sunshine to last me through the weekend. The Single Aesthetic here is finding serenity and peace in loud, crowded concert venues… which always manages to put me in a warm and fuzzy place.

CHURCH!




If the Invincible Sounds of Summer tour has not yet made it to your city... please go buy your tickets now! The entire concert is well worth the ticket price and Ticketmaster "convenience fees" (which are a complete joke, btw).

We're Not Friends!

“My friends,” he said, over and over again. Or “my fellow Americans,” he would say. Gulp. Gulp. With each of those simple phrases, my friends and I were forced to drink. It wasn’t our fault, though. Those were the rules of the game. Any time McCain says “my friends,” “my fellow Americans,” or “when I was a POW,” we had to drink. By the end of the debate, I was tired of listening to him talk. All that alcohol was giving me a headache.

To start – calling us “your friends” does not make it so. This is a transparent strategy of yours, to make us feel more at ease with your old, crusty, discomforting mannerisms. As soon as he stepped foot on the stage I shifted in my seat. He’s just soooo awkward. Even his smiles are forced and premeditated. Imagine what must happen when he’s around small children. He probably frightens them - to the point that they scream for their mothers and have to be escorted out of the room.

Secondly – chill with all of your condescending, curt, paternalistic remarks. We can clearly see you’re old enough to be Obama’s dad. You don’t have to act like it with every remark. “Haha, thanks Tom, I’ll actually answer the question this time,” McCain said to Brokaw in a rebuttal statement towards Obama. Whoa. For real? You want to take it there? Please do answer the question, sir, because you didn’t answer very many of them last night. You and Palin have this diluted belief that if you constantly refer to your talking points, the audience will eventually forget what the question even was. Not the case last night, thanks to dear old CNN. They posted each question in the lower-third of the screen to ensure viewers could tell whether or not it was being answered. Obama’s answers were detailed, thorough, and thoughtful. McCain’s “answers” were…non-existant. Between snide retorts, fake laughter and his Hitler-esque gestures to the audience, I don’t think he managed to answer a single question.

Did I mention that me makes me uncomfortable?

Third, and finally – have the American people not consistently said “we’re not interested in your smear campaigns”?? Dude, fall back with all that. Attacking Obama is not doing anything for you. You’re slipping in the polls and you’re upset about it. That is understandable. But attempting to tie him to terrorists (low blow) when you, yourself have done some low-down, shameless things (like divorcing your first wife after a near-fatal car accident), is hypocritical to say the least. I lose more and more respect for McCain and the Republican Party each day. In fact, from now on, I’ll call the man John. He gets no deference from me.

I must admit, per one of my earlier posts, this election is producing some of the best reality TV I’ve ever seen. Stay tuned. John and Sarah are going to turn this country upside down before they get voted off. But be encouraged… because those two will, indeed, be voted off… on November 4, 2008. I would go ahead and schedule time off for the following day. All kinds of history are bound to ensue…

Speak English, Woman

If having a vagina and journalism degree qualifies you to be Vice President, then I would like to be nominated as Secretary of State. Lemme get them nuclear codes too, while we’re at it.

Perhaps I’m not really qualified, though. I’ve never served on a PTA; I’ve never been a mayor (of a city whose population mirrors that of my alma mater); and I’ve never been Governor of an energy producing state (for two years). I guess everything I really need to know about Sarah Palin, however, was proven in last night’s debate.

Objectively speaking, I thought she did really well. Maybe even great… and I’m saying this even though I can’t stand her. She’s a great debater. She took everything in stride; she appeared fresh, excited and ready; she focused on energy – an important issue which happens to be her strong suit – but she made sure that McCain was the spotlight. She attacked Obama where she could (which wasn’t often considering that she only recently learned everything she needed to know about him), but overall I thought she came off as well-prepared, and knowledgeable (read: a quick study) of the major issues.

HOWEVER, that folksy, cutesy, “regular person” shtick was pissing me off. Speak English, woman. “Betcha”, “Gonna”, “Ain’t”, and “Ya” are not English words. More importantly, they are completely inappropriate colloquialisms to use on the national stage in the ONLY debate you’ll ever engage in. Did anyone council her on this? I get the appeal, but come on. Is it that difficult to pronounce all of the sounds in your words? You don’t even use that many! By not answering many of the questions Ifill presented, you managed to reduce your vocabulary choices to topics surrounding energy, war and eh, I guess the economy. Whenever you were really stuck, you talked about McCain being a Maverick to deflect the attention away from yourself. Good thing Biden nipped that in the bud. McCain is no Maverick. Period. Thank you, Senator Biden.

Bottom line: the woman is not qualified. This debate obviously helped Palin recover from previous gaffes, but it did not speak to her ability to lead the free world. Lady – I am not impressed by your everyday, soccer-hockey-mom persona. Such “moms” belong on the sidelines of the field and/or rink. They do NOT belong in the White House. And, just because you happen to prove yourself in a single 90-minute debate does not mean you deserve four years as the second highest-ranking official of the free world.


No. No. No. Thanks, but no thanks.