Month: November 2011

Natural Beauty

On November 22, 2011

Arriving home from work before the time changed and the world plunged into darkness by 5pm I looked out my balcony window. I had to stop and stare at the explosion of fall colors outside. From seven stories up, I have an unobstructed view of the trees and sky as far as the eye can see.

I was struck by just how beautiful the part of the world I live in can be during the Fall. Growing up in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley ((and being a kid)) I took for granted the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the expanses of trees and farmland.

Now that I’m older, I take the time to reflect on the natural beauty of the world.

It’s so easy to forget how much beauty there is in the world and so easy to fall victim to the busyness invading every waking moment of my life.

Randy Murray wrote recently about noticing the beauty around you and even before he put this thoughts into words as the daily writing assignment for 11-11-11 I had similar thoughts.

The world is such a gorgeous place and so often I’m too busy and rushing too fast to stop and notice it. Stop and take a moment today to notice how beautiful the world around you is.

Disbelief

By Carl

On November 21, 2011

In Observations

Today, I watched a police officer pepper spray a chain of college students sitting with arm-in-arm. I watched a police officer calmly step over the chain of students with his pepper spray. I saw him take aim at their bowed heads and unleash a cloud of burning pepper spray directly into their faces.

Is this what democracy looks like?

Are these the violent protesters that needed to be subdued?

I am sitting here in disbelief. I am disgusted.

Two officers have been placed on leave and the Chancellor has created a task force to look into the event.

All of this seems too little too late. Two students were hospitalized and 11 others were treated at the scene for injuries relating the pepper spray. All of the actions of violence and aggression were taken by police in riot gear.

I find it hard to believe a peaceful solution could not be reached. Even if it meant physically removing the protester if they were blocking a public walkway. Just pick them up and separate them. They might have bumps and scratches but no burning pepper spray in the face and no hospitalization.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. John F. Kennedy

This is a dangerous road we’re heading down and the destinations are terrifying.

How do you spend your day?

By Carl

On November 10, 2011

In Observations

The idea of what people do all day has been rattling around my brain for weeks now. I am so curious how people spend their days at work. What do you fill 8 hours with?

Ever since I left college I’ve only had one type of job. I’ve either worked as a Desktop Support Technician ((The guy who comes to your desk when you have computer problems.)) or a Help Desk Monkey. ((The guy you call and report/complain your computer problem to. Hang up. Then curse at.))

Due to the limited scope of the work I’ve done, I have absolutely no idea what most people do for 8 hours a day. How does an Accountant spend their time? What does Human Resources do all day? The lawyers and other legal types, what do you do all day?

I’ve worked in retail and I’ve worked in a print shop so I have some limited experience with retail and sales jobs. But seriously, what do you do all day?

I am not trying to downplay or belittle what you do. I just don’t know what it is. I am curious.

I stumbled across this question because I’ve been thinking about how I work and how my days go. I have very little ability to plan out how a day will go or built breaks and time to work on pre-defined projects within the given day.

My day changes from hour to hour and sometimes minute to minute. I can have a couple of hours planned out or have a basic idea of what I want to accomplish before I go home. Then, a couple of seconds later a high priority ticket comes in, or a VIP call hits my queue, or a computer decides to die in the middle of a big deadline or an important meeting. ((For the record, computers prefer to commit suicide around 3:30pm on a Friday.))

Since my day is so fluid and I’m unable to plan an entire day out ahead of time let alone a week or multiple weeks. I am curious what consumes your days.

Can you plan a whole day out or a half day and are you able to stick to that plan?

Is your job fluid and changes moment to moment so you never plan more than the next task or the next few minutes?

Tell me, what fills your workday?

I am very curious to hear about your days. Please leave a comment, write me an email ((peroty@gmail.com)), or post to your blog and leave a link in the comments.

Occupied

By Carl

On November 9, 2011

In Observations

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Communications.
My speciality is Creative Advertising.
I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University.
I’ve worked as…

Assistant Production Chief
Production Chief
Lab Monitor
IT Support Intern
Freelance Web Designer
Web Designer & Event Promoter
Electronic Printing Manager
Desktop Support Technician.
Help Desk Technician
Sr. Desktop Support Technician
Computer Analyst

My life plan didn’t really pan out the way I had expected when I enrolled in a college with a stellar Advertising and Design program.

I thought I would be a designer. I’ve worked in print and the web. I know the quick printing business from front to back. I’ve worked on the web and promoted car and bike shows.

I’ve worked at Help Desks and as Desktop Support Technicians in city, state and federal governments. I’ve worked for some of the largest corporations in the US. I’ve worked for a tiny print shop.

I’ve had a confusing and random path through my adult life. I’ve worked a lot of jobs in different industries.

Looking back, there is no cohesive plan I followed to get me to where I am. There is no master scheme at work. I didn’t sit down and decide my fate and my future when I was a teenager growing up in a two-stoplight town surrounded by cows and apple orchards.

I followed one guiding principle.

How will this help me better my situation?

This is what I don’t understand about the Occupy Wall Street protests. I’ve been in desperate places living in my parent’s house. Driving 90 miles round trip to work everyday. I’ve lived pay check to pay check. I’ve lived on unemployment when a round of budget cuts left me out in the cold.

Throughout all the hardships in my life I’ve always worked to better myself and my situation. I am a firm believer that no one is going to help you if you don’t first help yourself.

I’ve gotten some lucky breaks. But to be in the position to get those breaks I had to work hard. Nothing in my life has come easy and has been the result of hard work. Even when I worked as hard as I could, I still lost out. I’ve been the number three-man for two open positions. I’ve had a job taken away that I was a lock for because the hiring manager owed someone else a favor.

This is where my disconnect comes in the Occupy Wall Street protests. What is hoped to be gained there?

Is getting up in the morning and standing on a street corner with other angry, frustrated and uncertain men and woman the best thing to better your situation?

While they’re out protesting, why aren’t you applying to jobs? Why are you not teaching yourself a new skill?

Will protesting Wall Street put food on your table and commas in your bank account?

Will protesting the corporate CEOs finance your lunch?

I can understand the anger. I can understand the hurt and deception. I understand the injustice. I understand that it’s wrong.

But how are you going to better your situation?