Saab Story

I drive a 1992 Saab 900 convertible. That is how I got to the worst job I ever had, located in Foster City. This is not a car I chose for myself, though I do love to drive it. It belongs to a friend and former colleague who left the country and left the car with me.

Now, back in 2002 I got a ticket for not having registration and a broken tail light. I fixed the tail light and registered the car, but I guess while getting ready to go to Africa I forgot to have the ticket signed off. for the next 2 years, I registered my car, but unbeknownst to me, at some point, I had a failure to appear on the original ticket and had to go to court to clear it.

Well, its a long and tedious story of how a registration and broken tail light ticket, spiral into a suspended license, failure to appear and a warrant for your arrest but none the less, that is what happened.

There I was driving down Hillsdale Blvd to go to Whole Foods for something to lunch and I get pulled over, "side walk arrested" and my car, full of rafting gear for the weekend, impounded.

I am pretty sure I am in hell. I think Foster City is the 7th ring.

Bitter to the core

I shocked myself by how bitter I was. I mean being micromanaged by Miss Thang was a nightmare, especially since she is to date one of the dumbest and most unskilled people I have ever had the displeasure to work with. But it was temporary, usually it would just roll off of me. The agency and their ridiculous payroll schedule definately did not help matters. People telling me that it was such a great place to work and I was lucky to be able to work there, did add to the aggravation. But really, I was surprised that I could not just shake it off, collect some money and continuing emailing resumes out.

Now, in retrospect I think I know why I was so disturbed. My life rule is to to true to myself. To go with my gut. And the day I interviewed for the job I got, I also interviewed for a job in the Intellectual Property Department. My first interview with the IP department went really well. I mean as far as the manager was concern, I could start after meeting with the department secretary. This is the job that I wanted, this is the job that felt right.

When the recruiter called to offer me the job in the Product Development department, I told him I wanted the position in the other department. He tried to railroad me into taking it the position that he had the offer for. He kept trying to tell me that IP is really obscure and irrelevant and I would be foolish to work in that department. Not being someone who takes well to being talked down to, I insisted that he at least call and find out the status of the job I actually wanted. He called back about 10 minutes later claiming that the IP department was 6 months aways from making a hiring decision. I told them that was pretty odd given what the manager had said to me. I do not think he guy really called, but being desperate, I took the job I did not want. I did not stand up for what I knew was the right thing for me. Of course I was bitter, bitter to the core.

Meeting Miss Thang

My second interview at Sony was in the afternoon and I am pretty hesitant about this one. This is the second interview with the Product Development department and if you click here you can read about my first interview with the department and you'll understand why I am hesitant.

I go to that department and meet a woman whose name is just a few letters different from Diva, and it is all so appropriate. She tells me how fabulous it is to work there, and what I would be doing, and once again it is different that what I deduced from speaking with the manager. While she was pleasant enough and we bonded over both being virgos, she said a few things that seemed innocuous at the time that ultimately foreshadowed the hell I was about to enter.

She tells me that the managers we would both be supporting are really cool and do not micromanage. They are happy that the work gets done. The other thing she says is "that for reasons I will not go into now" this position with be working directly with her. What this translated to was that she would come in at 11am, do her school work, leave at five and expect me to do all her work. Yes I got this temp job.

I really thought it was going to be ok. I desperately needed the cash flow, September rent would be paid and I could catch up on some bills maybe rebuild my professional wardrobe.

It could not have been a bigger nightmare. I really did not mind the commute to Foster City as far as the drive, but this was when gas prices jumped 20 cents about every other day and for the first time broke the $3 mark. Cash flow remained a big problem because the agency that sent me there paid every two weeks instead of weekly which I had never heard of before or since. Making it worse, they also do the pay check with a week in arrears, and if you are not familiar with accounting all you really need to know is that I did not receive a paycheck for three weeks. I had never been so consumed with bitterness. My dear friend Micki assured me that as soon as I got a paycheck I would feel better. After three weeks, the first check had a marginal effect on my bitterness.

Third time is the charm?

I have two second interviews at Sony on the same day. I was not surprised about the IP department, but I was shocked that Product Development Department wanted to interview me again, and yep, with an admin from the department. At Sony Playstation, as it turns out, the admins run the show or they sure try to.

My first interview is with the woman in the IP department. It went ok. She was a single mom, working full-time and taking classes at night to get an undergrad degree. Gotta give it up to the single moms. Don't know how they do it and it makes me tired thinking of it. But they certainly understand why someone takes a job that they are overqualified for in order to pay the bills. The interview seemed to go well, though she definately had a different vision of what I would be doing on there than the manager did. She felt I needed to file an entire cubicle of papers before being allowed to touch her precious database. Ummmmmmmmmmm--I used to build databases, really I can handle the data entry. I choose not to mention this. I was not worried. The manager was new, the department was still forming and there was no way I was going to get out of filing some paper, even if the department manager was excited that I can run linear regressions and monte carlo simulations in excel. Though I know there will be days of drudgery, there is some hope for something interesting too. Oh yeah, and I am DESPERATE!

What a difference a day (and a department) make . . .

I once again I make my way down 880 to 92, across the bridge and to the office park that houses Sony. This time, the person who was to interview me was in the building. He retrieved me from the reception area in a timely manner and before settling into his office for the interview he offered me an espresso. Already, this is such a better
experience.

This position is in the Intellectual Property Department. The first time I read the term "Intellectual Property" I shuddered with orwellian horror. Especially, when I was reading it in context of an agreement between an employee and a company-- your employer can own your thoughts?!?! Well, if they are paying you to think of things, yes.

This guy actually looks me in the eye while talking to me. It is a great interview. He understands my skill set and how he can make the most of it. I learn that people can be patent agents, without having to be an attorney. hmmmmmmmm, Maybe a little more school for me?

He tells me at the end of the interview that I need to meet interview with the admin in the department because I would be working with her on a daily basis, but as far as he is concerned, I could start next week.

I am so relieved! I mean it is not a done deal, but he was the head of the department so the likelihood is high that I could charm the admin. Thoughts of being able to pay my bills dance in my head.

Life is too short.

Another call from the recruiter who sent me to the interview at Sony. There is another position at Sony. Reluctantly, I schedule the interview. I am completely desperate for money and yet I still have attitude. Sometimes I shock myself with my own gall. But, there is nothing more soul crushing than being jerked around while your desperate. And there is nothing worse for a job search than a crushed soul because every time you tell someone that you are looking for a job, they ask you "what do you WANT to do?" or "what are you PASSIONATE about?"* And crushed souls have no wants or passion which evidently is what I need to find a job.

Part of my issue is that I am curious about a lot of things. Professionally, at least, I am not single-mindedly passionate about anything, but am curious and interested in many things. A dilettante? Maybe. Is that a bad thing? I have an interesting life, so my job does not necessarily have to be interesting, only my paycheck does.

The day before my interview at Sony I had the opportunity to go rafting midweek with out the summer crowd. Warm sunny day and an empty river? Of course I went. Especially since I was given $100 for gas, but only needed $50. Immediate cash trumps all.

The morning of the interview I was so tired from rafting I had to call and reschedule. I considered berating myself for being a flake, but I had to sleep instead. The first experience really left me with a bad feeling, I just could not feel bad about rescheduling.


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*They also say it as if they are the only ones who know this secret to success and act as if you must be hearing this little pearl for the very first time.

Home Sweet Home

August 2005

I leave the haven the first week of August and adjust to life in my humble 1-bedroom apartment. I actually really like my apartment, but after six weeks in the haven I have become really sensitive to how noisy my house is. The next door neighbors cannot close a door with out slamming it. The "Model School" preschool next door populated with the oh-so berkeley offspring of the intellectually privileged seem to be screaming in the playground at decibels far above what I recall, and for the first time I can hear traffic noise despite the fact that my cottage is in the back of the property behind a large two-story building. My urban filter has atrophied.

I still have no cash flow, and I do not remember how I managed August rent, I suspect a cash advance on a credit card was involved. Without the zen calm of the haven, my anxiety level goes up. The upside of the anxiety is that I have the energy to clean my house and since no amazing housekeeper comes to my house, the piles all over my house are far from neat and tidy like the housekeeper at the haven makes.


According to Feng Shui, this chaos aggravates the chi in my house. Not only do I decide to clean my house, but I also decide I must purge and get send extraneous stuff to goodwill.

Now, I am not entirely a new-age, crystal-healing freak. My take on Feng Shui is that it might work; and if it doesn't, the house gets clean and generally looks cool.

And hey- after got my house cleaned and a few layers of junk off to goodwill, I was placing a plant in my career area and the phone rang. It was a financial services company looking for a marketing specialist and after speaking with them briefly, she ask me to come in for an interview.

Coincidence? Maybe.

This blog never would have been started if I had gotten that job, so maybe it was a coincidence. On the other hand, maybe I needed a bigger plant.