Hello, this is AT&T; How Can I Not Help You Today?

(From a recent Facebook post titled: Mister Blister is about to redeem a coupon for the new AT&T 3G MicroCell, since a year later they realized there are indeed reception problems with the iPhone. Hmmm, maybe now I can send text messages within the first four tries. $149 value, FREE for loyal customers. Awwww, ain't customer service neat?)

So what do you think happened when I got to the AT&T store and presented my in-store coupon for a spiffy new MicroTower?
"uhhhh, waz dat? ummm, we dont got none in stock, butchu can cawl cuztimur support and dey can sen' you one"
Me: can I call from here in the store?
AT&T: ok, here's duh fon
Me: hello, customer support? I recently received an offer for...
Cuztimur Support: No, that's not correct. We are unable to send one out, however I can try to call another location to see if they have one available
Me: (22 minutes later) yes, thank you for calling 7 locations in NYC and trying to find an in-stock unit. Yes, it is odd that several locations didn't answer, but no it doesn't seem that busy, there are only 2-3 customers at this location. Could you call the store I'm at to see if they can reclassify one of their in-stock units to use for the free MicroCell promotion?
Me: (9 minutes later) alright, thank you for trying
AT&T In-store Rep: I don't know of any other locations that have it in stock, but I can check the computer to look at inventories at other stores
Me:
AT&T: (6 minutes later) I just have to find a computer I can check (because the 5 of the 8 terminals that weren't being used was jus stoopid computahs, dat wuzznt on)
AT&T Rep #3: I checked about 8 or 9 locations in the city, and no one has them in stock. I'm very sorry.
Me: Can you put me on a waiting list to pick one up when they are in stock?
AT&T Rep #4: Oh, we can just do an in-store fulfillment and have one mailed directly to you. What's your account number?
AT&T Rep #4: (2 minutes later) OK, that should delivered to your house in 7 to 10 business days. Sorry for the delay and confusion.

Lesson Learnt -
MicroCell Tower: $149
Time Spent Trying to Get said Tower: 54 minutes @ $215/hour ~ $202.41
Not Having Your Time Wasted By Inept Service Providers: Priceless

Success! As the Clouds Have Parted, part 2

(post resumed, two weeks later) But then, just as quickly, those storm clouds of professional opportunity can blow in just as quickly as a mid-Winter Nor'easter.  It might be a lunch meeting with someone who says they could never see you in sales because you're simply too qualified and would get bored (without realizing just how motivational a paycheck can be in piquing one's interests). Or perhaps you go out of town for a nice relaxing weekend only to be surrounded by people venting about their week for the first two days like the flight attendant who just can't be bothered to clear Customs with all the regular passengers and may just call in sick for the next trip to go shopping.   Or perhaps it's the Tea Party loons who feel unemployment insurance is a disincentive to finding work, or Paula Deene talking about meeting her husband and thanking the Lord the man who lived next door was single and *employed*, in spite of having her own fortune and empire.   There are so many subtle signals in society that if you don't have a job, you're somehow less than. Executive Recruiters pride themselves on helping find qualified employed candidates for companies wanting to poach those with a job, who they see as automatically more likely to achieve success.   Friends and acquaintances love to joke about "taking the summer off since no one hires until the Fall anyway". Where are the institutions and influences that drive people and enable them to reenter the workforce rather than creating additional barriers to contributing in a meaningful way to society (a sentiment which in itself perpetuates a perspective of overcoming an ailment rather than valuing the time and flexibility to focus on the additional opportunity to find the best fit possible). It's something of a pessimist versus optimist debate, in some ways.  But it also seems the more a person has to do, the more they get done. People criticize me for having too much on my plate. But that's where I thrive. Take going to the gym; I love to be active and fit, but without having to be at an office by 9am, that 7:15 workout gets pushed to 8 to read the news, then 9:30 to check Facebook, then - is it time for lunch already?  It's not a complaint, but we often underestimate the power of structure in our lives, and simply making indiscriminate or arbitrary appointments in life without consequences (e.g. a pissed off friend when you don't show up) doesn't really work other than in theory.     Now how much is the penalty for digging in to your 401(k) plan to pay rent again...?

Success! As the Clouds Have Parted, part 1

(this is a post i started writing a few weeks ago but didn't get a chance to send)  Sometimes it's the little things that mean so much in coming out of the not-quite-currently-employed ("unemployed") blues.   It can be as simple as an unexpected phone call from a friend, a contact returning an email three days later, or a stranger smiling on the sidewalk. There seems to be a renewed sense of hope for what may come.

Is it wrong...

Is it wrong to post only when things are a little wonky, or is it important to share the good times as well as the bad? The triumphs as well as the defeats? Well, let me tell you about the wicked Fourth of July Weekend oh Faithful one...

Dating and the Job Search

Is dating actually a helpful component of the job search because it leaves you fresh, motivated and feeling cared for? Or is it a distraction, leaving you sending flowery diatribes by text message, posting on Facebook or otherwise trying to be clever - instead of looking at job postings, sending resumes to recruiters and building relationships with potential hiring managers. I think in New York, they tend to intersect, particularly with the Velvet Mafia. OK dear reader(s), time to meet with the career coach and pull myself up by those proverbial bootstraps.  (From my iPhone, typos will typocally appear.)

Phrase of the Week

People will believe anything - until you give them something else to believe. Two thumbs up from my new friend Emily. Based on a networking buddy who was all about her new job and then suddenly mentions "oh yeah, I was TEMPING  at company X , but NOW I'm at company B. And I just love it!!".

What I Accomplished Today

It was a better day than many of the last few days, so hurrah for that. I got up at 7am to the morning news like always, but actually got moving. It's amazing the inspiration that comes from having a meeting with someone that actually hasn't been rescheduled in the last three weeks.  I also got my passport sent out to get renewed (it's SO painful not having a valid passport) which meant dealing with the lines of people at the good old US of A post office, recently renovated in 1947. I also followed through with organizing Sunset Cocktails for several of my former co-workers from the music industry LGBT group I humbly started (and am trying to keep active from a pole-vaulter's distance). I even managed to invite some TV biz people and an Icelandic pop princess. There should be somewhere between 2 and 20 people there. Now to figure out some tasty petit fours for the gang that won't break the bank. Luckily there were a few extra bottles of Skyy vodka left over after the Pier Dance that will help those on a liquid diet. On top of that, secured "drinks after work" next week with a pivotal contact at MTV Networks and another two meetings. Now to see what positions are actually open out there - always the hardest part. Quickly went on connexion.org and replied to a few messages and even confirmed a date (and found out two potential suitors know each other when one checked me out on Facebook and saw I was friended with the other - how sticky that could be). Now headed to Brooklyn to see the Cyclones as a fundraiser for the Ali Forney Center. And some networking if all goes well. A friend just happens to have a friend coming who works at Bravo! in NYC. Bravo. More soon, oh faithful reader.  (Composed and transmitted electronically through the wonders of iPhone technology that only crashed twice while writing - typos WILL occur.)