]]> http://www.unfrown.com/2009/11/23/living/feed/ 0 http://www.unfrown.com/2009/11/21/umbrellas/ http://www.unfrown.com/2009/11/21/umbrellas/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:48:19 +0000 Unfrown http://unfrown.com/?p=719 Decided today that umbrellas are one of man’s greatest inventions. I sat in a DC cafe watching them go by with fascination. Some were predictable (Burbury coat lady with paisley; Football jacket guy with stadium size) and some were not (beefy guy with rainbow swirl; little old lady with devil design). Everyone in the bustling city was beneath their own little self-expressive cone of dryness. And it struck me as cool. 

What I wanted to write about today, though, was how I got that job in the first place.  I know a lot of you are looking for work.  And it’s a crazy competitive market out there.  So how do you make yourself stand out above the crowd?

My story started with a bit of luck, in that I met someone at a networking event.  His wife was a VP of Marketing for a small company and would soon be needing someone to do a little bit of everything — from tradeshow management to writing to graphic design.  I sent him my resume and was contacted for a phone interview the next week.  It went well.  Then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  My breakthrough came when I attended a job fair, and learned about a guy who had written a free analyst report for a prospective company and later got the job.  Aha!  I went home that night and wrote up a proposal for my prospective new company on a couple of possible marketing campaigns in their new brand.

I immediately received a return email asking if I could come in the next day (Saturday!) for an in-person interview!  Portfolio in hand, I went in and had a great meeting.  I sent a thank you note, included a design concept for a tradeshow booth executed to one of the two proposed marketing campaigns, and waited.

Monday morning, the phone rang!  I was asked to come in Tuesday morning for another meeting.  At the end of the meeting I was asked to stay, and ended up working 10 hours!

The moral of the story — do what you need to do to go after the job you want.  Provide free advice and free reports — no strings attached.  Taking the initiative shows a prospective empolyer that you are serious and motivated; it also gives them a current and relevant example of your work.  Good luck out there! 

Upon receiving an, “Awww, that’s really nice, Josh” from his Mom, he realized he was on to something.

He then turned to me and said, “Auntie Liz… I”m happy today!”

It made me smile.

He tried to engage his sister, but she ignored him.  So he tried again, “I’m Happy Today!.” And he kept repeating it during the entire 15 minute trip home.  Sometimes to his Mom.  Sometimes to me.  Sometimes to his sister… and sometimes – to no one at all.

And hearing a tired little boy proclaim his happiness to the world was a truly joyful thing.

I’m smiling even now. 

No, really. It can.

But it’s taken me two years to notice.

I got my 2007 Sentra exactly two years ago this month after my beloved 1996 Altima bit the proverbial dust. I’ve never really bonded with the new car; for one thing, the blind spot is huge. For another thing, the computer is hypersensitive.

One “feature” of the Sentra is its ability to detect when keys are locked inside and respond by unlocking the doors. At least that’s what it’s supposed to do. But nearly every time I lock my car and walk away — the computer beeps and unlocks the doors. Because it’s so hypersensitive, it can sense the keys in my backpack or pocket from 5-10 feet away… and it still thinks they’re inside the car.

It also doesn’t like the cold. If the outside temperature drops near 32 degrees, it displays a constant warning, “Icy.” If the temperature drops below 20 degrees, the computer freaks out thinking that its tires are going flat, and issues me a dire warning that the car is unsafe to drive. I dutifully fill the tires with air, but the car doesn’t believe me. So it keeps the warning light on for a few days just to see if I’m paying attention. Then, when it decides it’s tired of playing with me, it turns the light off.

Like I said… I’ve never really bonded with my car.
But something changed last week.

I bought a new cell phone that has Bluetooth capability. My oh-so-hypersensitive car can actually detect when there is a Bluetooth phone in range, and — get this — it BECOMES a phone!

Now how do I know this? My car told me.

I can push a button on the steering wheel, and say “Call.” The car (yes the CAR!) then replies, “Please say a name, a number, or dial last number called.” Sweet! So, of course, I had to give it a try. After she asked for a name or number, I said “Mom!” …but apparently, my car doesn’t speak English, and proceeded to re-dial the last number called. Since that was the guy from the ATT store who was testing my system, I quickly hit the button on the steering wheel and tried again.

This time I recited my Mom’s phone number. The car prompted, “Say ‘dial’ or continue saying numbers.” I said “Dial.” And the next thing I knew – the car was ringing… and I was talking to my mom! Her voice came through the car speakers, and mine was transmitted through a tiny little microphone in the ceiling.

It was the coolest thing.

I’m starting to look at my car a little differently now. It’s kinda’ like dating someone for a couple years and discovering that they can make a fabulous flourless chocolate cake when you didn’t even know they could cook!

My hypersensitive little car can talk. How cool is that?

So, if you’re ever in the DC area and you see someone driving with both hands on the wheel and no earpiece, talking non-stop to no one in particular… that might just be me. Having a great conversation with my car.