Thursday, December 16, 2010

Man of the Year - Coming Soon

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Bubbles came to visit this past weekend… and we had an amazing time. Of course, Brutis enjoyed the woods, we enjoyed the casino scene & the music by the Monophonics (a funky band at a free concert at the Crystal Bay Casino), as well as my company’s 1st anniversary office party which included dinner, drinks & dancing. I don’t mean to brag but… I think we were the two sexiest individuals in the place… and there was a LOT of great competition for that distinction. I’d show you some pictures but… Bubbles made me promise not to. She has low self-esteem for some inconceivable reason (being a woman). So yeah… wonderful weekend was had… and we discussed working together again for the first time in three years… and my possible moving to San Francisco… as that was obviously a big topic on my mind… and after she left, I consulted my family & friends… and of course, a higher power (figured it couldn’t hurt). Is this the right move? Will it really be as amazing as I think it will be? Am I just bored? Am I being irrational? Why would I want to leave this place?

Well, the next day, apparently my prayers were answered as after a day that started with a torrential icy rain storm, then followed by snow, and then just more ice & snow… and then driving home in it… and sliding Gretchen into a snow bank even though I was only going about 10 MPH or less all the way home… and digging myself out with an ice scraper… luckily the only thing hurt was the front license plate and my pride… and helping two other cars along the way… and apparently on the drive home, I received a call from my possible future employer but because it took me an hour to get home, by the time I called them back, they had gone home for the day… and then more ice being there in the morning… I kinda took that as a sign. Also, throughout the past few days, apparently word was getting around that the job was mine… except they hadn’t called me yet to inform me… but I was getting calls from multiple sources asking me the details of when I was moving down. “Ugh… they haven’t talked to me yet so… I don’t know.” “Oh… well, that was the rumor so… have you looked into apartments & where you’d like to live yet?” Also, just so you know, my profession is not seamstress… yet it often seems that way with all the rumors in sewing circles that get back to me somehow. So yeah… all I needed was the phone call at this point… and to find out the details on the transition… and practice my surprised reaction, “WHAT? REALLY? Oh my God, that’s amazing, I had no idea…” I’m horrible at faking it…

So the call finally came today while I was at work... and it was the HR assistant basically saying that the Director was in a meeting but she wanted to get a hold of me and let me know... THAT I WAS OFFERED THE JOB!!! "WHAT? REALLY? Oh my God, that's amazing. I had no idea..." Again, horrible at faking surprise. She let me know that I would be getting a call later to discuss the details of the transfer / transition. So at that point, I basically started letting everybody know that I would be moving (yet again) but when and how was obviously still in question. Was I excited? Of course I was. I wouldn't have let it gone this far if I didn't think it was the right choice. Besides, not to sound cocky or anything, but I pretty much knew that the job was mine as soon as I applied for it. They simply were not going to find a more qualified, skilled, dependable or handsome applicant. Period. They're actually getting a pretty great deal... and I think their weather was a major influence... but as well as the office I'll be working with, the culture and sheer magnificence of the city.

As far as the details go though... that second call never came tonight... and last I heard was January 8th (just in time for the Kraft Bowl?) but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense given that it's really two weeks from now with the holidays thrown in... but hey, it'll get figured out in the next few weeks. So yeah... I'm going to San Francisco. What've you been up to? Here's some news...

Person of the Year – So… yet again, I’m snubbed for a major award… but this doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as the Sexiest Man Alive snub because… well, past winners of Time Magazine’s Person of the Year include Hitler, Bush & the Computer. This year though… it was Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg who has been named Time's "Person of the Year" for 2010, joining the ranks of winners that include heads of state and rock stars as the person the magazine believes most influenced events of the past year. At 26, Zuckerberg is the youngest "Person of the Year" since the first one chosen, Charles Lindbergh; he was 25 when he was named in 1927, Time said Wednesday. Zuckerberg beat out Britain's Queen Elizabeth II by just two weeks: She was 26 when she was named in 1952. Incidentally, Queen Elizabeth II has recently joined Zuckerberg's social networking behemoth. Time's "Person of the Year" is the person or thing that has most influenced the culture and the news during the past year for good or for ill. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke received the honor last year. The 2008 winner was then-President-elect Barack Obama. The 2007 winner was Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Other previous winners have included Bono, President George W. Bush, and Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. In naming Zuckerberg, Time cited him "for changing how we all live our lives." In a posting on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said that being named Time's "Person of the Year" was "a real honor and recognition of how our little team is building something that hundreds of millions of people want to use to make the world more open and connected. I'm happy to be a part of that." Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world's youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy. Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now, he's in the company of media titans Carl Icahn, Barry Diller and others who have joined Giving Pledge, an effort led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett to commit the country's wealthiest people to step up their charitable donations. Zuckerberg owns about a quarter of Facebook's shares. Zuckerberg has built Facebook into an international phenomenon by stretching the lines of social convention and embracing a new and far more permeable definition of community. In this new world, users are able to construct a social network well beyond what would ever be possible face-to-face. "I'm trying to make the world a more open place," Zuckerberg says in the "bio" line of his own Facebook page. Born in Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room, the site has in six years grown to more than 500 million users worldwide and a dollar worth in the billions. Facebook was the subject of director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's film "The Social Network." It features a dark portrayal of Zuckerberg by Jesse Eisenberg, as well as the direction he's taking his company and his status as one of America's most influential figures. The film has been picked as the best of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review. On Tuesday, it received six Golden Globe nominations, including best picture, drama, going up against its chief rival, the British monarchy tale "The King's Speech," which led with seven nominations. So yeah… welcome to the club… and hopefully I’ll be able to join you shortly… and not just in my imagination with my mirror…

Rock & Roll HOF Class of 2011 – National Treasure Neil Diamond had been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for several years… but for some reason has never got a nomination to join music's prestigious club. But he was never really worried about it. "I thought about it occasionally, but I kind of figured they'd get around to me at some point," he said in a phone interview. That point came on Tuesday, as the 2011 class for the Cleveland hall was revealed. Diamond, whose hits include "Sweet Caroline," (buh buh buuuuh) made the list, along with the Alice Cooper Band, New Orleans musician Dr. John, Darlene Love and singer-songwriter Tom Waits. Piano man Leon Russell was honored with a musical excellence award, previously the sideman category. Executives Jac Holzman and Art Rupe were given the Ahmet Ertegun Awards. It took three tries before Love, best known for hits such as "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and her work with producer Phil Spector and the Blossoms, was approved for the hall. When reached on Tuesday, an enthusiastic Love said: "I can actually breathe." "Finally it's done," she added. "It still hasn't hit me yet. I still have that nervous stomach, and I'm still excited." The excitement will have to wait for some: Bon Jovi, nominated for the first time, was turned away from the hall, as was LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and more. Alice Cooper's name had been mentioned in conjunction with the Rock Hall for years, but the shock rocker hadn't been nominated until this year. Like Diamond, Cooper said he wasn't anxiously waiting. "You know it crosses your mind, but then you think of all the guys who aren't in there, some of them before you, and you go, `Wow.' ... You realize that it's a waiting game," he said in a phone interview. "I don't think you sit around holding your breath on it." Cooper, a heavy metal rocker best known for his dark horror themes, said his band was responsible for bringing show business into rock `n' roll. "There was no spectacle in rock `n' roll, and I think what we did was we kind of brought theater to rock `n' roll," said Cooper, known for a goth look, heavy eyeliner and black shaggy hair. "It was sort of Cirque du Soleil before Cirque du Soleil. It was kind of a weird vaudeville that we did. But it all connected back to the lyrics. ... If we do a 10-hour rehearsal back then, nine hours was on the music, and one hour was on the theatrics." Diamond was on the other end of the spectrum, a singer-songwriter whose first hit came in the form of a song he wrote for the Monkees, "I'm a Believer." His early hits in the 1960s included "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" and "Cherry Cherry." "The music I was doing was not in vogue. ... I was like a lone voice out there with a guitar, and it was different than what was going on because it was the English invasion and I wasn't doing that," Diamond said. "I think I've had so many hits because what I was putting out and what I was writing was very different for what was being played on the radio." He's kept producing relevant material through the decades; he released his latest album this fall. Diamond said he was gratified to be in the hall and said his first choice to induct him would be a fan. Of his induction, he joked: "I'm glad they did it before I'm dead." Love said she thought two of her biggest boosters for the hall — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Stevie Van Zandt — would likely do the honors at the March 14 induction ceremony in New York City. She was also happy for some of the other inductees, including Russell, who used to play on some of her sessions. "This is going to be a helluva jam session," she quipped about the upcoming festivities. The induction ceremony will be aired on Fuse. Congratulations, ladies & gentlemen!!!

So I guess that’s the latest update in the lives of great men (and my sister from another mother Darlene Love) over the past few days.Yeah, so… I guess I’m officially moving to the West Coast… cuz you and I know it’s the best coast… California Love… nine-five plus fo’ pennies… yeah, it should be an interesting few months while I get transitioned over there too. Boss Man K sounds really stressed out about it… but he’s supportive… it’s just I think he knows how valuable an employee I am (like they’ll have to get two with lots of previous experience to even come close to what I can do). Oh well… on to the next one… have a great day everybody!!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your new job Steve! I know you will do great : - ) Oh, and you have my vote for person of the year too!

Where Should I Go Next?