We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I never cease to be amazed by the programs that Carnegie Hall offers each season (which runs fall-spring).
If you love adult music, I advise visitors to NYC to check out the program. Or, if you request, they will mail it. The best part is that the tickets are not expensive. It's not like going to the opera.
If I lived closer to NYC, we'd get a 10-night subscription.
As I scrolled through movie listings recently, Mrs. Bulldog suddenly said "Oh, I read that book, it was good."
A Man Called Ove was the listing. It's Swedish, with subtitles. Outside of Bergman's work or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I'm not aware of many Swedish films. But it was a slow day and I gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a poignant drama with just enough comedy to keep up interest. An everyday man's life, one which is heavily driven by routine and basic beliefs and expectations. A curmudgeon who finds himself put into uncomfortable situations, and how he responds to these circumstances. Naturally, since this is for public consumption, we determine he's not as basic or curmudgeonly as we'd expect. He's just seen a lot, done a lot, and determined that he's comfortable doing what he's doing. Whatever you want to do, fine. Don't make it his problem, but he doesn't care, really.
He takes his shots at the government (as you can imagine, there's enough Socialism in Sweden that it's a common theme), calling its functionaries "whiteshirts". His life, and as he finds out the lives of others, are not enhanced by the appearance of these "whiteshirts". He also does his part, and more, to keep life comfortable for others. Mainly by making it comfortable for himself, which has knock-on effects.
It's on Amazon Prime, if you have it. If not, I'd recommend it as a rental. It's not Bergman, but I think the Swedes have a unique view of life and it was the kind of movie that allowed me to relax, and think about life just enough to be both entertained and informed.
Bulgakov died before completing his final revisions, but he worked on the book for 20 years. A NYT reviewer says "Every time I read, it, it's a different book." Like Moby Dick in that way.
Always a treat to listen to very high IQ people talk. This is a Wow of a conversation. It's not about Creationism, but about Darwin's likely errors (he didn't have the info we have now). The discussion about the emergence of new proteins is especially interesting.
All too gloomy in my view. The good life is not so elusive. Love thy neighbor, etc, and quit focusing on oneself. The Lord will not judge us on our earthly achievements. It's like the Eulogy vs. Resume thing when you die.
This post represents a major effort by a friend who wanted to share his career's worth of accumulated knowledge and wisdom from the opportunity-seeking end and from the hiring end. He warns that it is not a final draft. He doesn't know when he will get around to polishing it up (because he does have a day job).
Enjoy it, and send it around to those who might find it handy - young or older.
Over a long career, I have been a job-seeker and I have been a C-suite boss. The last time I went looking for a job it was more of an undertaking than I’d anticipated.
Up until then, I’d pretty much walked easily from opportunity to opportunity. After all, in the beginning there were not many skilled professionals in computing and the IT world, and demand far exceeded supply. At the last time I found myself looking for work, I’d nominally retired but had been requested to stay. During the financial meltdown however, all extensions were cancelled and I was summarily out of work with virtually no notice. I was already over 60 and the economy was unfavorable. I landed what I think is a wonderful, challenging, and interesting job but the process took over a year.
The reason I mention this is because at the conclusion of my search, an experienced recruiter said -more or less in passing - that “You ran a great search.” I’d never thought of myself as even doing “a search.” I thought I was looking for a job. These are much the same thing, but I learned that a search is a disciplined way of looking for a job and doing it right makes a big difference in the outcome.
These are my notes on how to do a great job search. For the more experienced reader to get something from this, I’ve had to write to the executive level. If you’re less senior (more junior?) or just starting out, some of this will be overkill, but it is maybe helpful to know this material in advance of needing it. The principles are the same. And while my vantage point is business/corporate, these basic principles should apply to any sort of work or career pursuit.
Other than obvious stuff on dress, I don’t think there is any overtly male/female, but I admit I may used ”he” more than “she” just from habit.
The Swan 48 from the 1970s is an iconic blue water sailboat, perfect for trans-Atlantic races (try not to bump into a whale and break your rudder) or for sailng to Bermuda. 2 people can sail her, but she requires extra hands for racing. It's a lot of boat for day-sailing, but people do it.
It's about the limits of Materialism and the limits of experts. He is mind-expanding. (His bio here. He is a polymath.) This is what high IQ looks like to me.
Christopher Guest has made some iconic, quirky moves. AVI reminded me about A Mighty Wind, a faux documentary about a 1960s folk group. It's only a satire if you want to think of it that way. As with Guest's hilarious This is Spinal Tap, all of the dialog is improvised, and all music is written by the actors.
Both movies - or all of Guest's movies - are good for a rainy day.
