A few years ago I was really tight on cash and staying in my budget was essential for my survival. So I shopped at the dollar store for groceries (bad), got my hair done at a student salon (double bad. it turned green), and drove slower to avoid getting a speeding ticket (worst. and to the irritation of most of my friends).
The driving bit made sense to me at the time. (I was once pulled over for speeding as a teen and I cried). Become a better driver (aka slower driver) to avoid ever getting a speeding ticket. Well, it seems that when you fully incorporate some habits into your life, they never leave. So much like texting while driving (v. bad, but most people still do it), I've developed the long lasting skill of driving slowly. Which means I arrive at most destinations last, friends argue over who has to ride with me, and old people love me because we're going the same speed.
That was really a side note to what I actually wanted to blog about. I was driving a friend home today and I slammed on the brakes about two inches from an ambulance. twice. (i think i might have an issue with depth perception) And then she informed me that there is a legal distance required between a car and the ambulance doors. I had no idea. Though I should have. Seems that fact is stated in most driving handbooks. Anyway, principle number one: you often forget things you have already learned. in life.
Learning the stuff about the ambulance happened right before I asked if I needed to turn left or right onto a road I had just exited. This was embarrassing and I whispered the question before being forced to ask it out loud because no one could hear me. I'm just directionally challenged. i usually need to google map things five or six times before I've committed to memory where I'm going. but I always end up where I need to go. I ask people for directions, I blackberry it, or I just drive around until I see a familiar landmark (highly annoying to all other drivers). Principle number two: try not to worry when you don't know where you're going. with a little bit of humility (re: willingness to ask questions, get lost and self-correct in front of everyone in the car. ugh.), you'll eventually, hopefully, finish where you intended on going when you first started out. if not, maybe everyone is in the mood for a prolonged road trip.
Finally, it makes me sad that people over 80 have to go for a road test every two years. Yes, I understand the legitimate argument of why they need to go for the testing, etc. etc. etc. I just feel that our society treats the aged with a lack of dignity. As they age, we seem to take away more and more of their freedom and sense of independence. Once their cars are gone, they're almost completely reliant on others to drive them around, public transit, cabs, or friends. You thought it took you long now to get around, imagine being 85 and trying to get from point A to point B when no one on the bus will give up their seat for you. I'm sure it's a whole lot of fun. Young people complain about ageism, but I think old people get it even worse. Principle number three: respect your elders and recognize the inherent dignity they have by virtue of being people/
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
the dance
i have an interview today. i don't think it's considered a real interview, because it's a prescreen, a telephone interview. i told my mother it was simply to weed out the crazies so they wouldn't have to deal with them in a real interview room.
i told my friend about the interview and she told me that this is like an aptitude test. so, if it's like an aptitude test, that means i should likely study for it. and really study for it. like most exams though, most of the information will never be relevant. but for one split second, some tidbit of information i've picked up can be inserted into the interview.
conclusion: i should be able to study for most interviews to the extent that very few of the questions come as a surprise to me.
some other things i think about the interview (thanks in large part to information posted on the Brazen Careerist blog by Penelope Trunk):
take a lesson from george bush : plan my answers to questions with five varying scenarios. and then i just apply them as the question arises. this is what most great presidents do. so, george bush (bad example, i know) would have four or five main speaking points that he wanted to touch on during question periods after speeches. and then, every answer he gave would address one of his talking points. i suppose it's also an alternate way of keeping in control of the conversation, or at least feeling like you're in charge of the conversation. for type a personalities as myself, feeling as though i have some level of control in a seemingly uncontrollable situation is very comforting to me. so if i stumble over questions it's my own fault.
sit up straight, smile, and brush your hair. even in the phone interview. it will make you feel more professional. when i was in university, with a dorm roommate, this wasn't as much of a possibility. i once interviewed for a job in my closet, in my pajamas. this is bad. do not do this. (though i did end up getting the job).
dance the dance. everyone knows the interview is fake. you know it, the interviewer knows it. but it's like a well-choreographed dance. everyone in the audience knows it's a routine, carefully planned, and perfectly executed. this may not be the dancers favourite dance, but they've learned to perform it to such a level that it garners admiration. the ones who follow the moves the best, take the planned dance above and beyond the expectations, they get the prize. it's the same with an interview. it's just the way the world works right now. it's not right, not a complete reflection of how well you'll do at the job, but it's the way things are done. for now. one day, every firm will use LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook and read your blog to see what you're about. many already do. but even more don't have the time.
i told my friend about the interview and she told me that this is like an aptitude test. so, if it's like an aptitude test, that means i should likely study for it. and really study for it. like most exams though, most of the information will never be relevant. but for one split second, some tidbit of information i've picked up can be inserted into the interview.
conclusion: i should be able to study for most interviews to the extent that very few of the questions come as a surprise to me.
some other things i think about the interview (thanks in large part to information posted on the Brazen Careerist blog by Penelope Trunk):
take a lesson from george bush : plan my answers to questions with five varying scenarios. and then i just apply them as the question arises. this is what most great presidents do. so, george bush (bad example, i know) would have four or five main speaking points that he wanted to touch on during question periods after speeches. and then, every answer he gave would address one of his talking points. i suppose it's also an alternate way of keeping in control of the conversation, or at least feeling like you're in charge of the conversation. for type a personalities as myself, feeling as though i have some level of control in a seemingly uncontrollable situation is very comforting to me. so if i stumble over questions it's my own fault.
sit up straight, smile, and brush your hair. even in the phone interview. it will make you feel more professional. when i was in university, with a dorm roommate, this wasn't as much of a possibility. i once interviewed for a job in my closet, in my pajamas. this is bad. do not do this. (though i did end up getting the job).
dance the dance. everyone knows the interview is fake. you know it, the interviewer knows it. but it's like a well-choreographed dance. everyone in the audience knows it's a routine, carefully planned, and perfectly executed. this may not be the dancers favourite dance, but they've learned to perform it to such a level that it garners admiration. the ones who follow the moves the best, take the planned dance above and beyond the expectations, they get the prize. it's the same with an interview. it's just the way the world works right now. it's not right, not a complete reflection of how well you'll do at the job, but it's the way things are done. for now. one day, every firm will use LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook and read your blog to see what you're about. many already do. but even more don't have the time.
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