Good Morning, 2014! #firstworldproblems edition

[Cotigo]

youre trying to get me to show you my dick arent you

[Grefter]

Try implies you a) have a choice or b) there was a chance of failure.  People just want to know if the red goes all the way down bro.

[Lady Door]

I need advice.

In my latest conversation with my boss over the changes in the company and the influx of new capital from the sale and our conservative executive team, blah blah blah, he suggested that I come up with a proposal for where I'd like to be in six months(?! what about now?).

This is a tricky question. I brought up that I was being recruited almost exclusively for junior/associate or flat-out manager positions, and he went on a tangent saying that Europe may have "manager" positions that don't require direct reports but in the US that title generally connotes managing people, not projects. The implication was that I am not at that stage of my career in his opinion. Which, sure, fine. I don't have an MBA, I've never directly overseen anyone, and there really aren't slots at this company for more managers, particularly in my 5-soon-to-be-6 department. That soon-to-be 6 is a junior associate in my specialty.

But where does that leave me? My title is ass at describing what I do -- Marketing Associate sounds very much more junior that my individual contributor handling all of the user acquisitions for the company with 5+ years of experience -- but I am not sure what he might be receptive to me requesting. At my annual review back in January, he said he doesn't think I'm quite there yet with the "Senior Marketing Associate" title, which was actually pretty surprising to me. That may have changed since the months from hell that had/still have me doing 2-3 people's work all by myself.

He's sending me to Europe to train that office in what we did in the US office for user acquisitions, so there's some level of trust in my expertise there and/or a level of desperation requiring me to handle it because no one else can. But I'm clueless on what to request. Marketing Specialist? Sr. Marketing Associate, User Acquisitions? User Acquisitions Marketing Manager (which actually does have a history of non-personnel management titles)?

* Lady Door facedesks.

[Hunter Sopko]

Heh. Been there. My title of Sales Coordinator at CPM was pretty much the same, misleading since I was actually managing the accounts I was responsible for. To be honest, managing people isn't all that much tougher, though my experience probably doesn't go to the same level of the corporate ladder as yours. As far as your new title, anything more than 3 words, unless it is an important sort of specialty, is generally to be avoided but User Acquisitions Marketing Manager isn't too bad a start, but I don't quite have enough understanding of what you do here at Initech. You should schedule a meeting with the Bobs to discuss this.

[Grefter]

Wish could help.  Currently applying for job that is the higher duty I have been doing for 3 years.  Not sure if want to do.  Also applying for stuff in another area that is essentially going back to what I used to do in both my old roles mixed together with some minor project management shuffled in.  Less responsibility but essentially stepping back from the process development, product development, testing etcetc work I have been doing for years now.  Has more focused career path.

Not sure if either is a career path I want to take.  Think the other one would be working in a better team, but not sure if I am best fit for the role.  Current one I think I am an okay fit for the role.  Wondering if they will offer me base level pay, not looking forward to argument of "I have been doing it for 3 fucking years, don't give me entry level pay".

[Cotigo]

Tell him you would like to add value to the company. Corpos love adding value. (I have nothing useful to add)

In other news, yesterday I passed a kidney stone... probably. The urologist I went to didn't diagnose exactly what happened, just X-rayed me and found that there were no (more) stones in my bladder or kidneys, and I guess is going to analyze my urine? I would assume so but he didn't say anything about it. Anyway I scream when I pee now, I'm peeing a little blood, can't drink alcohol or coffee, and am generally not very happy.

[Grefter]

Time to jump on craigslist and look for a satanist into water sports.

You will win at Marco Polo.

[Lady Door]

At this age, the next five years are going to establish where I'll be for the rest of my career. Terrifying thought. Also means I need to do more climbing until I reach comfortable middle management level, where responsibilities don't matter and I get to put everything on my subordinates or superiors.

Looking up all the various titles in my field, average salaries, duties, etc. Trying to come up with something. Not going to meet with the boss again about this stuff until next Friday, so we'll see.

I wish we had Bobs. It's way easier to explain to an outsider that I'm awesome than reason with my boss about why the shit he's thrown on me is making things look worse than they are. It's also way easier to get raises and promotions if you change companies, but that's stupid and I'd rather not. Even if this company isn't my favorite. I hate being mercenary.

In other news, I'm like 99% confirmed for Berlin at the end of April. The 1% is maybe they'll send me in, like, two weeks. Hah. Hah. At least we're definitely posting a requisition for the junior associate. Hopefully we fill that spot shortly, and I get to take my time in late April/early May instead of in two weeks. Way calmer then.

--

Sorry about the kidney stones, Zenny. I've never had them, but every single story I've heard from people who have make me sure I'd rather flay myself.

[Shale]

Oh god kidney stones are the fucking worst. Good luck, man.

[Cotigo]

Well, I am not screaming when I pee anymore.

That's a good step.

Still no liquor, coffee, or jerking it until I stop peeing blood though. I may as well adopt Islam for a week.

[Idun]

so south by, aka sxsw, was legit. murdered my body. went to free events. got free liquor. got drunk. got to dancing. got to touch hands with band members. i have 18 new artists to cop music from. fucking SOPHIE my god, yes, i could levitate with the amount of bass traumatizing my skeletal frame. missed badu on the djing tip cos i was too tired to get out of bed. anyway. austin and this stupid ass "keep austin weird" is fucking raising rental costs skyhigh because of the influx of people, no one is from austin anymore near center city. and the venues are tiny as hell, feel awful for those who flew in and paid a colon to see musicians they couldnt even enter a building in. oh well, get wrecked, move to austin and do it like we did it.

and badge? wtf is a badge? $700 piece of shit, people still had to pay when capacity was capacity. fuck sxsw logistics, yo. and $100+ bands? fuck that shit too. lots of free events turned into cost events, apparently, and everyone in free event lines ended up being charged 20 bucks etc. only did that once. alo blacc, dj exile, soulection etc was worth it. i'd pay 500 to see sophie, fuckin' love blonde djs from the uk, TWERK IT SOPHIE MAH BOI. not mine. :< anyway. got all the partying out, back to school.

[Grefter]

Not sure if I am just old and grumpy.  Went to Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age.  Missed the support but having dinner was higher priority.

Things I don't understand.

Paying $125 for tickets then spending a significant amount of the show walking in and out of the concert hall to go buy overpriced beer.  I may just have noticed this since we were seated off to the side behind a majour thoroughfare.

Taking pictures of the concert.  Constantly.  I guess fans of light shows have to spend a stupid amount of money and put up with music playing just to take happy snaps.  Also don't bother muting while you use multiple picture thingo during quiet songs.  Everyone around you wants to know you are taking photos!

Screaming like you are being stabbed.  Not WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I love this band!  Full blown AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH toneless with your voice tearing.  The entirety of NIN's set.

The above especially, but just in general woooooooo during quiet songs.  Hurt is playing you guys this is my jam!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Appropriate crowd response to a touching song about personal failure and how it can harm those around you.  The one that was good enough for Johnny Cash to cover right before he died.  Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo.  I know music means different things to different people, but I don't know how the fuck you can like this song in such a way that the immediate response is "wooooooo".  Maybe a minor emotional breakdown, but not "woooooooooooooo".

Fuck crowds.

That said, NIN were really not great.  Their stuff has to be hard to do live, but I just saw Dillinger Escape Plan the other week and they broke my brain with how they reproduced even harder stuff so well.  There was no audience engagement at all either (which to be fair if there is any artist I don't expect to really engage an audience it is Trent Reznor), it was 4 talented musicians wandering around the stage and picking up and playing various instruments well, but not really as a great show.  Queens of the Stone Age were fantastic.  Engaging, played really well, sounded great.  Everything I wanted out of them live.

[Idun]

a lot of that has to do with proving to the world you were somewhere where imp people are. i rarely take pics myself, which sucks because sometimes you want a moment shot. but man, people live through their instagram and camera too much -- shit doesn't even properly capture sound, etc. you're not old, just practical.

[Grefter]

Have Preworkout before walking to gym, heart rate elevates just a bit to make it feel like fight/flight response, arms start to feel itchy and am twitchy.

Feels like I should have a knife and be learning how to cure leather while I read Grey's anatomy.

[Cotigo]

Heart attacks for the young and infirm.

P90X and Karate have begun to wear on my knees pretty badly. They pop now with basically every movement, and I've had to start wearing bracers to slow down the deterioration. Apparently when your knees are going bad that quickly (good to deteriorating in about 6 months of activity) it indicates that your ankles and hips are not strong/flexible enough compared to the rest of your body, and your knees have to compensate. To that end I started wearing 2kg ankle weights on each leg. It hurts to walk and I'm slow as hell but I feel a little like a dragon ball z character and that makes the retarded 12 year old boy locked in my emotional basement happy.

Seriously considering doubling up on the weights and going to 4k to speed up the process. 2kg on each leg actually isn't that bad, so may as well go big or go home.

[Idun]

i taught my first class of 40 undergraduate students today, breaking down some intense political theory steeped in neoliberalist and postcolonial theory. apparently I seemed unnerved, but the trick was keeping my hands in my back pocket. i liked teaching a lot. it reconfirms why i am doing this whole grad thing again.

[NotMiki]

awesome! go you!

[Idun]

thanks!! and apparently it went superb. my advisor said beyond pacing (I didn't reach my question section, but still asked questions intermittently throughout my talk) and some transitions, it was great. then an abd TA just said great things. Honestly, i am glad this finally happened because I really need praxis as a counterbalance to seminars/research

[Grefter]

[Idun]

ill be the ambiguous white guy and you be the ambiguous disembodied brown arm

[Hunter Sopko]

Ambiguous white guy seems to have some sort of inner ear disorder. Very off-balance

[Grefter]

I always wanted to be a disembodied arm.  I see you baby checking out my elbow.  It's cool, been working out.

[NotMiki]

So I lost my job.  Firm wasn't pulling in enough money and I was the odd man out.  Not how I wanted to go, but as anyone who has been in chat for the last year or so can guess, I won't be looking back.

Also: eat it, Andy!  Beat you by a whole week!  How's that feel, eh?

[Meeplelard]

On one hand, losing a job bites for obvious reasons but you don't seem particularly upset about it so I'm not sure WHAT to say here...

[NotMiki]

Me too.  I don't want to be in the position I am now, of job hunting while unemployed.  But it's been an emotionally and physically exhausting year, and looking for a new job while still employed would also have been tremendously difficult.