Friday, March 23, 2012
Best of 2012 so far
We've gone from winter to spring in New England in the past two weeks. It's made me reflective on the year so far. A little bit of Somerville, Portland, and Stowe.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Soul music
It's a tough, tough world. The last couple have been especially rough. You march through these extended application processes, making it from round to round, building confidence, feeling good. Then the final decision: no. Cuts like a knife.
So many things are going through my mind about this experience, it's hard to process it all at once. One thing is, of course, anger. The number-one most frustrating thing is the utter lack of feedback with every rejection. So I could be essentially making the same mistakes in every interview, or overlooking a major handicap in my qualifications that I'm unaware of. Perhaps it's an affront or faux-pas to ask for feedback, but I don't think it should be. I processed more than 100 applications for 40 spots when hiring for my youth jobs programs last year, and still had time to write back to the rejected students if they asked for reasons. It's not only common courtesy, it's also a great way for the young people to learn and grow through the application process.
So anyway, I'm left in the dark. I question everything I've done in interviews now. New resolve: go in guns blazing and taking no prisoners. Use the anger and frustration to blow them out of the water, and not care if I'm overbearing or making an utter fool of myself. Am I talking too much? I'm sorry, but this is my time. Now listen to me.
But the reaction I'm starting to settle into is this: Stay true to yourself, KCH. Maybe I'm not elite or Ivy-league enough for some of these high-flying programs. But I have a great life. Music, community, friends, family, life experiences. Life experiences most of all. I'm proud of the varied and circuitous path I've had through life so far, and I wouldn't trade any one of those experiences. I have an incredible ability to reinvent myself, and get myself to places that no one expects me to go.
I ended up going to listen to music tonight. Bluegrass and funk at Sally O'Brien's. The banjo twanging was sort of stitching my soul back together. This weekend we go up to Stowe for a ski weekend, then next week a trip to Portland for more music. I can't forget that one of the biggest parts of me is my appreciation for the little things in life. It's not just what you do for a job that matters, it's how you live your life.
So as I walk home from work at my new part-time after-school teaching job at a Somerville middle school, I stop and check out the fuzzy green buds on a tree. I look up at the still-light dusky sky at 5:33 p.m., glad that the days are getting longer. The moon has risen, and it's glowing full through the clouds. It's nice being able to walk 10 minutes through your neighborhood to get to work each day. That is something to appreciate.
So many things are going through my mind about this experience, it's hard to process it all at once. One thing is, of course, anger. The number-one most frustrating thing is the utter lack of feedback with every rejection. So I could be essentially making the same mistakes in every interview, or overlooking a major handicap in my qualifications that I'm unaware of. Perhaps it's an affront or faux-pas to ask for feedback, but I don't think it should be. I processed more than 100 applications for 40 spots when hiring for my youth jobs programs last year, and still had time to write back to the rejected students if they asked for reasons. It's not only common courtesy, it's also a great way for the young people to learn and grow through the application process.
So anyway, I'm left in the dark. I question everything I've done in interviews now. New resolve: go in guns blazing and taking no prisoners. Use the anger and frustration to blow them out of the water, and not care if I'm overbearing or making an utter fool of myself. Am I talking too much? I'm sorry, but this is my time. Now listen to me.
But the reaction I'm starting to settle into is this: Stay true to yourself, KCH. Maybe I'm not elite or Ivy-league enough for some of these high-flying programs. But I have a great life. Music, community, friends, family, life experiences. Life experiences most of all. I'm proud of the varied and circuitous path I've had through life so far, and I wouldn't trade any one of those experiences. I have an incredible ability to reinvent myself, and get myself to places that no one expects me to go.
I ended up going to listen to music tonight. Bluegrass and funk at Sally O'Brien's. The banjo twanging was sort of stitching my soul back together. This weekend we go up to Stowe for a ski weekend, then next week a trip to Portland for more music. I can't forget that one of the biggest parts of me is my appreciation for the little things in life. It's not just what you do for a job that matters, it's how you live your life.
So as I walk home from work at my new part-time after-school teaching job at a Somerville middle school, I stop and check out the fuzzy green buds on a tree. I look up at the still-light dusky sky at 5:33 p.m., glad that the days are getting longer. The moon has risen, and it's glowing full through the clouds. It's nice being able to walk 10 minutes through your neighborhood to get to work each day. That is something to appreciate.
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