Show Me The Money

Merry NBA Christmas!

This is the day that basketball fans all over the world have been waiting for.

Today, some of the top names in the game are finally “free” agents.

Players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce.

And the list goes on for a bunch of others who will be getting wined and dined in the ultimate rush party.

The name of this fraternity is The Millionaire March.

Or in the case of LeBron James, The Billionaire March, with a B.

King James has always said that he wants to be the first athlete to reach ten figures.

He definitely got off to a good start, signing a $90 million dollar deal with Nike before ever playing a game in the NBA.

And now is his chance to really cash in.

LeBron’s hometown Cavaliers can offer him the most amount of money, about $127 million over six years.

If he signs somewhere else, he could get $97 million over five years.

Now I am all for people making as much money as they possibly can, but let's break this down for a moment.

Calculator please.....

Let’s assume that LeBron gets a deal for $100 million.  (Easy math always wins.)

The average annual salary for a worker in the United States in 2008 was $41,334.97.  (Or $40k for our exercise.)

In his first seven years in the NBA, LeBron averaged about 3,600 minutes of game action, including the playoffs.

So........

• When LeBron gets the $100 mil, that means he will make in eight minutes what the average American makes in a year.

Now don’t get me wrong, LeBron is one of the best players in the league and one of the best players of this generation.

But $5500 per minute great?

In case you were wondering, minimum wage is 12 cents per minute.

I’m just sayin.

When I was working, I was one of the lucky ones with plenty of access to free tickets.

I went to more games than you can play at the county fair.

But it was always on the house.

Not anymore.

Now if I want to go, it’s coming out of my pocket.


Or the kids' college fund.

And that decision costs a lot of dollars and makes no sense.

According to the the NBA’s Fan Cost Index, the average cost for a family of four, and we are five, to attend a game in 2009 was $289.87.

Or as LeBron calls it, a three second violation.

Of course for that $289.87, you get two beers, four soft drinks, four hot dogs, two game programs, two caps, parking and I’m guessing four seats in Section Nose Bleed.

The average price for an NFL game is $412.

The average price for a Major League Baseball game is $197.

Now I’m not making any type of political statement here, I’m just giving you the facts.

If you’ve got the money and want to spend it on going to a game, I think you should.

If you don’t got the money or don’t want to spend it on going to a game, then I think you shouldn’t.

You make the call.

But how in the world did this get so out of control?

And who in the world can afford those prices?

Once a year, Parade magazine produces a special issue of what people make.

A few weeks ago, they had their 2009 edition.

A 911 dispatcher from New Hampshire made $67,000.

A teacher’s aide from Wisconsin made $19,800.

A social worker from North Dakota made $58,200.

A receptionist from Oregon made $23,500.

A police sergeant from Alabama made $67,500.

A firefighter from Arkansas made $45,000.

A parole officer from New York made $63,700.

A paralegal from Washington DC made $39,000.

A truck driver from Minnesota made $91,400.

A bus driver from Illinois made $67,000.

A registered nurse from Utah made $71,000.

A pediatrician from Maryland made $47,000.

A factory worker from Indiana made $29,800.

A state representative from Mississippi made $42,000.

A funeral home director from Pennsylvania made 6,300.

A letter carrier from Oregon made $54,200.

A UPS driver from California made $80,000.

A coal miner from West Virginia made $60,000.

A janitor from Montana made $39,800.

A car salesman from Florida made $60,000.

A barista from Rhode Island made $20,000.

Those 21 people earned a combined $1,112,200 in 2009.

Or as LeBron would say, a five-game road trip.

Something just doesn't smell right.

On A Role

Today marks the beginning of my fourth week back at work.

I hope they have a cake waiting for me.

The job has been my opportunity to get back into the world of TV, creating and producing shows during a seven-week freelance gig.

I’ve still got a month left and PLENTY of work to do.

I suppose that’s the good news.

The bad news is the best way to describe my mood these days is, miserable.

I've been hired to produce a series of shows that involve a subject matter I know nothing about.

But that’s not the problem.

In my 25 years in the TV biz, I worked on many shows that have introduced me to a new world.   

I found that challenge to not only be... challenging, but also a great way to expand my mind. 

The people who were kind enough to hire me for my current job are getting 100% of me 100% of the time I am there.

But this is definitely not what the doctor ordered.

I show up to work on time everyday.   

And I leave at the same time.

Everyday.

And once I’m out of the parking lot, I’m gone.

I don’t put one second of thought into the job from the moment I leave until the moment I get back.

Fred Durst may have done it for the nookie, but I'm doing it for the money.

I have officially become a worker.

Hold on...

Before you send me hate mail, please keep in mind this blog is about expressing my real feelings and I'm just trying to keep it real.

I am in NO WAY knocking the millions of great people in this great country who go to work every morning, work all day and then go home.

In a way, I guess I’m jealous.

But I gotta be honest, that’s not me.

I became very happy as a stay-at-home dad.

I would be very happy to start my career over again.

But this life in limbo thing flat out sucks.

I spent all of my professional life putting my heart and soul into every project I have ever worked on.   

There was never a clock ticking in my head.

I left it all on the table.

Pick a cliche, any cliche.

It was a labor of love.

I never worked a day in my life.

Until now.

I have absolutely no investment into this job other than doing the best job I can for seven weeks.

Which I am.

Considering the shows they do and my lack of interest in doing the shows they do, I don’t see this becoming a full-time job.

In my last full-time job, I managed 50 people.

I had real people with real questions and real problems coming into my office every day looking for a grown up to guide them through life.

It was an honor to play that role for them.

Now I live on the other side of the tracks.

Every manager knows that every employee believes every manager is stupid.

Those conversations used to go on behind my back.

Now they are happening in front of my cubicle.

Despite what you may be thinking at this exact second, this is not about power.

I have never had the desire to be the President of the World.

I have never had the drive to be a famous movie director. 

In fact, I drifted more into management than I ever would’ve expected.

I got into TV because it was cool.

I stayed in TV because it was creative.

I’m now in TV for a paycheck.

It probably doesn’t help that I spent the entire school year at home by myself and now that my wife and kids are out of school, I’m leaving for work at 8:00am every day.

It probably doesn’t help that I spent the last six months going to the gym every day and now I haven’t worked out since May.

It definitely doesn't help that the one lead I thought I had on a GREAT job now seems to be more of a mirage.

I guess it's back to the drawing board.

Does anyone have a pen?

My Journey Through Employment

To paraphrase former U.S. President Leslie Lynch King Jr., my long national nightmare is now over.

At least for now.

After more than 18 months since I was told my services were no longer needed, I have finally found someone who needs me.

Actually, I have found three people -- or six if you count my kids.

It was just a few weeks ago that my stepmother told me to forget what I had accomplished in the past, figure out what I do well and find a job that uses those skills.

I’m very excited to announce that I will be displaying my skills in the areas of storytelling, producing and editing on three completely different jobs.

That’s the great news.

The less great news is that all three of these jobs are part-time gigs.

But you won’t hear me complaining.

Two of the three will disappear by the end of the summer, while the third will hopefully have a longer life span.

Keeping with the spirit of this formerly anonymous blog, I’m gonna keep the specifics to a minimum, but I will say that only one of the projects speaks directly to my previous professional experience.

The other two are working in areas that I have never fiddled with before.

And I take that as a compliment.

To be perfectly honest, after 18 months off, I was really starting to believe like I would never get a job again.

And let’s be straight up here, we know which way my stock was going with each day I was out of work.

I’m beyond excited to be taking on these jobs and in the same breath, I can’t wait to find out what's next.

After 25 years as a staff employee, this part-time freelance world is pretty interesting.

Well, pretty interesting if you get the work.

Pretty depressing if you don’t.

I have no doubt I will succeed in this new world or at least I will die trying.

And hopefully these new assignments are a sign of things to come.

So where does this big piece of happy pie leave this blog on my journey through unemployment?

Well the way I see it, the blog is as much a part of me now as anything I have ever done.

The support I have received from so many old friends and so many new ones has made this the greatest experience of my life.

And I’m not about to stop now.

Sure my blog started as a journey through unemployment, but it has evolved into a story of real life.

My life.

And that’s where it’s going to stay -- stories about the real world.

I hope you continue to follow my journey, because I’m going to keep writing about it.

Thanks for everything.

See you tomorrow.

Say Anything

Dear Mr. So and So,

Thanks you for expressing an interest in the (fill-in-the-blank) position.  While it is never an easy decision, we have decided to consider other candidates whose qualifications more closely matched the needs of this position.

Again, thank you for taking the time to pursue this opportunity.  We encourage you to visit our website to explore additional opportunities with our company.

Best wishes in your career.

Sincerely, Company X

That was the exact letter that I received two days ago, on my daughter’s birthday, no less.

Talk about blowing out the candles.

Unfortunately that is not the first time I have received that exact letter.

This was the fifth or sixth time I have applied for a job with that massive company and the response is always the same.

A form letter paraphrasing the immortal words of the great 20th century poet Vince Neil -- “don’t go away mad, just go away.”

For whatever reason, I really thought this time was going to be different.

Not only was I over qualified for this job, but I had a professional relationship with the person doing the hiring and the person that I would be reporting to.

Relationship, schmalationship.

They told me to apply online...

... as in don’t call me, I’ll call you.

They never called.

The sad thing is that I should be celebrating the fact that I got any sort of correspondence at all.

I have applied for many-a-job since losing mine and unfortunately I have gotten used to The Sound of Silence, No Reply at All -- pick a song, any song. 

Granted the letter shown above came 78 days after I applied for the job, so I had a pretty good idea what the end result was going to be.

But the fact that I got anything at all was the shocking part.

And that’s sad.

When I did my 30-Second Pitch on CNN a few weeks ago, the host said on the air that I was qualified to work there and “they have lots of opportunities.  I should apply.”

In my quick whit, I told her, “I am very available.”

In hindsight, what I should’ve or at least could’ve said was, “I have applied for several jobs with CNN, but I never heard back.  Not one word.”

Now the point here is not to be critical of CNN.

They are very busy filling all of those monitors behind Wolf Blitzer.

The point is that unemployed people have feelings too and we just want to feel loved.

A couple of months ago, I got an email from my state’s job hotline.

On there was the perfect job for me -- it spoke directly to my experience AND it was local.

I immediately applied online and called the contact person who was doing the hiring.

Yada yada yada.  111 days later, nothing.  Not a word.

I have probably applied for at least 75 jobs in the last year, from Chicago to China, London to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.

And honestly, I would guess that I have heard back on just a handful of them.

That would be a percentage of.... crappy.

Like the way I feel about all of this.

Yes, I know there are 15 million unemployed people in this country.

And yes, I know there are about 15 available jobs in this country.

And yes, I definitely understand that its a lot more cost effective for an understaffed company to have a computer send out form letters than actually hiring a human to do it.

The computer is not my problem.  It’s the humans.

In this very here blog, I documented my exciting trip to New York City where a company flew me back and I interviewed with five people in six hours, including the President of a major company and their VP of Human Resources.

And to this day -- I have not heard one word back from them.

That was 74 days ago.

Nothing.

That doesn’t sound very Human or Resourceful to me.

About a month ago I got a lead on a great job with another great company.

At least the display window of the company looks pretty.

I immediately put the full press on.

I applied online and contacted a friend in the company.  

He gave me the email address of the person the job would report to and the name of the HR director.

He said to make sure to mention his name.

Consider it mentioned.

Within minutes, each of them had a copy of my formerly impressive resume in their inbox.

Three weeks later, nothin.

Nada.

A former boss of mine contacted me about a job that was available in his company.  He gave me the name and phone number of the person doing the hiring.

I’m not sure I was the right fit for this job or the job was the right fit for me, but I wouldn’t say being picky is an option at this point.

So, I called his direct number.

The voice mail came on and it was him.  No room for confusion here.  I left a message.  Dropped a name.  I’m in the door, right?

Two weeks later, nothing.

Do I need to keep going?

That's what I thought.

I hate to think that I'm an expert on unemployment now, but I can say this, there's a whole lot of optimism inside every unemployed person.  

The problem is that optimism is getting covered up by a thick black cloud of broken hope.

It is VERY easy to lose your faith -- thankfully, I'm not quite there yet -- but it's getting closer every day.

Band Of Old Brothers

This just in, I GOT A JOB!!!!

More on that in 228 words.

Long story short, instead of taking the school bus up to my daughter’s retreat last week, I decided to drive my own car.  In my passenger seat was Mike, the father of my one of my daughter’s best friends, a man I had never met before.

In the two plus hours up, we had a chance to learn a lot about each other and I think we both like what we heard.

Like me, Mike is in his 40’s, so we had a lot of in common.

We both like sports, we both worship our kids and we both LOVE music.

Mike told me that he and his neighbors have become obsessed with the video game Rock Band.   Obsessed to the point, where he and a couple of guys from his block have joined together to make their own Rock Band.

When he told me that he plays the expert level on drums, I knew he wasn’t kidding.

I’m not even sure that Buddy Rich could’ve figured out the expert level on Rock Band.

Well after a few months of staring at the video screen late in the early AM, I guess they decided that it was time to try the real thing.

They had Mike on drums, Scott on guitar and Chris on bass, but one piece was missing from this midlife crisis.

A singer.

Enter me.  

On the drive up I made the mistake of telling Mike that I was the singer in a college band.

23 YEARS AGO!!!

Yes, I still sing in the shower.  In the car.   In the kitchen.  Pretty much anywhere I can, but I don’t sing in a band.

Until now.

Mike called me last night and said, “be over at my house in an hour for band practice.”

Yes sir.

Hey, I haven’t had a job interview in a while, so there was no way I was going to turn this one down.

I quickly rummaged through my closet and found my most-ripped up pair of jeans -- that’s what us rock stars do you know -- and I headed over there.

On the way, I stopped at the liquor store to pick up a 12-pack so that they knew I was serious.  That and hopefully the alcohol would inhibit their hearing in case I stunk. 

So I got there, met the band and we jumped right in.

Within a song or two, it was pretty clear that I had nailed this job interview like no other.   

I was waiting for Human Resources to make a formal offer, but instead it was Mike who casually said, “you got the job.”

Really.  

Awesome.

I guess the old guy has still got it.

“Our first gig is in two weeks at our block party and we need to learn four songs.”

So much for the fun and games.

We practiced with real instruments until about 11:00pm, then went back to Scott’s house to play Rock Band for another hour.

Are we wild or what?

Hey, it’s a job and that’s what us working people do.

The Best of Both Worlds

It was the great 21st century poet, Destiny Hope Cyrus who once spoke of The Climb.  

You may know her better as Miley, but it’s very clear that she has really connected with the plight of the unemployed:

• My faith is shaking but I got to keep trying, got to keep my head held high... the struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking, sometimes might knock me down, but no, I’m not breaking.

Like many of the millions out of work these days, I have lived and died and lived through this most miserable rotation of highs and lows.

Just when you think your destiny is out of hope, some small sign comes your way giving you another lead to chase.

Today it was an email from my good friend Jon.

Attached to the note was a new job posting.

Being that Jon is happily employed, his only goal was to help me and help me he did.

His note gave me more of an energy boost than the Americano at Starbucks.

Within minutes, I applied online... emailed somebody I know, not very well, at that company... found the name of the person this job will be reporting to.... emailed him...  went online to check out new job listings...  found a new job at a company near my house... and applied online for that one too, even though it really doesn’t totally speak to my background.

With about a quarter tank left, I checked my facebook account... saw a note from someone who had an big interview today in my field... emailed them to say that I would be happy to help out in any way I can.

What in the world is going on?

I was so deep in positive energy, I actually forgot that I was unemployed.

This chase was actually exciting.

Well I don’t know about exciting, but it was definitely a rush.

What is going on?

I’m writing this eight hours after getting Jon’s email and I’m still riding a high.

I know it sounds crazy, but when most of your days are spent in neutral or reverse, it really doesn’t take a whole lot of gas to get you going forward.

Today it was an email.

Tomorrow it could be a phone call.

The next day it could be a website.

The problem is, I’ve traveled down this road so many times before, I’m well aware that we are more-than-likely headed down Destination Nowhere.

I know that sounds like I’m bringing a bowl of negativity to this very positive party, but let’s be realistic here.

I’ve applied for a job that THOUSANDS of others will apply for.

The chances of getting a response from the company is slim. 

The chances of getting a response from the people I emailed are slimmer.  

The chances of getting an interview is slimmerer.  

The chances of getting the job are slimy.

But as the great Miley said:

• There’s always going to be another mountain.  I’m always going to want to make it move.  Always going to be an uphill battle.  Sometimes you going to have to lose.  Ain’t about how fast I get there.  Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side.   It’s the climb.

This Cyrus girl must’ve had some hardship in her life, because she really knows what she is talking about.

I wonder if my kids know who she is.

No Deal

Poker has never been my game of choice.

I am much more of a Blackjack man.

I don’t gamble much and certainly less than ever without a weekly paycheck coming in.

But I definitely enjoy a long night at the $5 table with friends, winning a few hands and drinking free watered down cocktails.

I know all the rules of Blackjack -- when to hit, when to stay -- but for some reason I usually play by my own guidelines.

I can still remember the dirty stares fired at me from around the table about 23 years, 7 months, 12 days and 16 hours ago when I split a pair of kings.

I think I lost both hands and I haven’t done that since.

I don’t know if I qualify as a simple person, but I do love the simple aspect of Blackjack.

Deal.

Hit or Stay.

Bust or Don’t Bust.

Win or Lose.

Deal again.

It’s that simple.

Poker has more scenarios than a Rubik’s cube.

Just when you think you’ve got a winning hand, somebody flops a nut straight on you.

Ok, I don’t have any idea what that means, but I thought it would sound cool.

Perhaps the biggest reason I have stayed away from Poker is I don’t know when to go all in.

Pretty much the same feeling I have regarding my next move in the working world.

The bottom line is for the last 25 years, I have worked in one industry, building experience and a good reputation.

Two things that don’t mean squat right now.

I’m definitely not afraid to try something new, but I just can’t get comfortable with throwing away everything I have done.

But I’m getting closer every day.

I just got a very nice note from a loyal reader named Zoe who said that she believes that “you’re at the point when you finally realize that going back to your old life just isn’t an option.”

“Run to that place -- it’s liberating, then go and do what you want, just not that old stuff. Lots of us have started over and your big story will be how you got there and what you did.”

First of all, THANK YOU. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Second of all, easier said than done.

As I told her, the hardest part for me is going all in -- a 100% departure from my old life and old career.

A big part of me has definitely moved on, but all it takes is a call from a possible employer in my old industry (insert joke here) and emotionally I’m back in the game.

Now if we’ve learned anything from Lady Gaga, it’s that a true Poker Face has no emotion.

And of course, when that call doesn’t come, day after day, week after week, it can be devastating.

Seventeen months ago, when my job went away, I made a list (in my head) of all the things that I hoped to accomplish before heading back to the working world.

From family goals, like re-introducing myself to my wife and kids, to personal goals, like working out each day, I’m pretty proud of what I have done.

I’ve also learned how to use my home computer to edit video, to the point where I recently helped a friend by producing and editing a video for youtube.

I have NO doubt that there are a lot of jobs out there that I can do.

I have NO doubt that many companies would be lucky to have me.

But I have A LOT of doubt that I can really walk away from a profession I have called home for more than half of my life.

I may get there. Someday. I may not.

But what I do know is that either way, for now, I’m still motivated.

And I guess that’s my ace in the hole.

The Waiting Game

Tom Petty wasn’t kidding when he said the waiting is the hardest part.

Of course, its only been eight days -- who’s counting -- since I had my great job interview in New York City.

Compared to the nearly 16 months I’ve been out of a job, I guess I should be able to chill out for one more week.

But considering how well last week seemed to go, you can’t blame me for being a little impatient.

I had five interviews last Wednesday with several members of the company I hope to work for, from eleven in the morning until nearly six that night.

It was a very long day, but boy did it feel good to be back in an office again.

I had grown up conversations about the industry I love and they seemed to truly care about what I had to say.

When I left the building, I had no idea if a job would be in my future, but I certainly felt like I had done everything I could to make it happen.

That night, I spoke with a very supportive friend until 1:30 in the morning and I kept hearing how that company would be lucky to have me.

I heard it so much, that I actually started believing it.

You could certainly say my confidence was flying high.

Well, cue up Blood, Sweat & Tears on the 8-track, because what goes up, must come down?

My spinning wheel has been in a free fall since then.

Not hearing anything on Day 1 was no big deal.

Not hearing anything on Day 2 got me thinking.

Day 3 & Day 4 were weekend days, so I let that pass.

Not hearing anything on Day 5 had me worried.

Not hearing anything on Day 6 broke my confidence.

Not hearing anything on Day 7 put me in denial.

Not hearing anything on Day 8 sucks.

I do realize that I am not the only thing on their to-do list, but considering what this job would mean to me and my family, I’m just hoping I’m still in their thoughts.

Considering the extremely challenging circumstances these days in getting a job interview, no less a job, this is definitely an opportunity that I don’t want to see pass.

When I got back to my hotel after the interview, I immediately fired off, ooh bad choice of words, I immediately emailed the five people I met to thank them for their time.

My glass half full side would like to celebrate the one person who replied back to me.

The realistic side wasn’t as happy.

I know, I know...

...patience is a virtue and...

these things take time and...

keep thinking good thoughts.

Well, I am still thinking good thoughts and I am confident something will happen and I am being as patient as humanly possible, but with every moment that passes that I hear NOTHING, that’s not good.

It may not be bad, but it’s not good.

Several of my close friends have asked if I've heard anything from NYC and of course, that just opens a bleeding wound.

I would definitely rather have my friends ask than not ask, but sitting here without a job and with just one line in the lake, I’m not holding out much hope.

My confidence to do the job is as high as ever.

My confidence to get a job is not.