I spent Thursday and Friday doing something I have been putting off for five years: cleaning up my office. 

I call it my "office" only in the broadest sense, since it houses my desk, PC (memory recently upgraded, amazing how 2 gigs solves those multi-tasking issues), files, books, memorabilia, and artwork. There is an N.C. Wyeth "Cream of Wheat" print, framed old money (e.g., a fifteen shilling note issued in Pennsylvania under the auspices of King George, 1773), and an aberrant art  limited lithograph of Original Sin (395/950) by Barry Kite. I also have a train hand-carved from one piece of Pennsylvania coal (legacy from my father-in-law), a color photograph of one of Grania's castles (this one one Achill Island, County Mayo), and a painted birdhouse and brown-glazed decorated pot, both made by my artistic better half. A golf-themed wallpaper border tops the walls, and a brass golf-bag circling music box ("In The Good Old Summertime"), legacy of my father, reminds me that it is never too cold for golf. 

All of this buried under the detritis of five years of the empty nest becoming full again, and my procrastination in pitching old files, from the last time I was in the no-job dillema. 

So I gritted my teeth, took several Advil, and proceeded to shred (my stuff) or box (family stuff), until I papered three bankers boxes and confettied six forty gallon trash bags, as my venerable straight-cut shredder finally gave up the ghost.

As I looked through the resumes, cover letters, and presentations (oh yes, I did create several presentations which I used in interviews!), it was clear how inadequately I approached the task, by trying to sell my skills and competencies rather than the value I would bring to the right organization. This feeling was driven home when I found the rejection file...a depressing and impersonal anthology of cards and letters, many of which I would never have received if I hadn't been persistent in follow up. 

Memo to self: you will be an afterthought in the mind of a hiring manager who selects another candidate...don't take it personally. Remember, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." (Wilde)

One other revelation: there is no better gauge of how the business has changed considerably over the past seven years, than to look at the research of that time, the era of the Internet  explosion and subsequest deflation as the unsustainable bubble burst. When I look at the infrastructure of business today, it is jamais vu all over again. 

Well, this has been an invigorating week, fighting gray weather, senior traffic, sales pitches, and the common cold. Several positive conversations, some discouragement, and a whole lot of homework to get done.

Homework comes from the first of what should be many meetings at the no-job agency, part of the separation agreement. Around the conference room table, several faces I knew, many that were new, with as many feelings as faces, as varied experiences as seats. Having been through this before with another agency, I was pleased that this time around the process seems more interactive, with clear expectations set that this is a full time job, and that there is a proven methodoly that improves chances for success.

Nevetheless, there were few attendees under the age of forty (my guess), and that seems indicative of the times. Some folks had been in their positions for 30 years or more, and the culture shock of having to create a positioning statement was evident as some had never had to describe their value before...let alone create a resume...

One another note, it's time to get the Christmas lights up!! My neighbors are putting me to shame with new displays (one has a really great electric penguin), which reminds me of the story of the cop on the beat who sees a man walking a penguin down a busy city street. Cop says "Hey mister, you better take that penguin to the zoo" and the man says "Ok officer, I guess you're right, I'll do that right away." The next day the cop sees the same guy walking down the street with the penguin, pokes him in the chest with his stick, and says " I thought I told you to take that penguin to the zoo!", to which the man replies, " Officer, I did, and he had such a good time, today we're going to the ball game!"

This coming week is one of many introductory emails and follow-up phone calls. I spent time organizing my contacts into specific groups, and received many referrals from family, friends, and associates over the past several weeks (for which I am very grateful, keep the cards and letters coming in!). Many of these new contacts are in the business or the supply chain, but I have also received generic lists of recruiters and headhunters, and I have been busy on LinkedIn.
Also, this week marks my orientation at the outplacement agency. I'm a little wary of this, as I have been through it before and had to dig deep to find the value, but here it is: you need to get out of the house and into a setting that forces you to work at the job of finding a job. There may also be opportunities for networking in industries you are not necessarily considering for the future. One thing to be careful of: don't expect them to do the work for you.

Watch and wait for you do not know the time or the place, and it will come when you least expect it.

What have we become, when an early morning trampling marks our progress as the compassionate, intelligent family of man? What are we thinking? The essential paradox is that we do not. We act, individually and as groups, with a herd mentality. Like cruel Jonas Chuzzlewit, we vicariously live by the Dickensian "...rule for bargains: Do other men, for they would do you. That's the true business precept." A murderous doctrine. Unconscionable.

This was the week of the headhunter. Not the turkey kind, though some 50 million birds were chopped, bled and plucked for November 27 alone, but the other kind that sets up shop to find you a new head after your own gets axed. Don't assume for one second that they are working for the job-hunter, as they are paid by the employer, but as long as you accept that, they provide another alternative for keeping your resume fresh and your interviewing skills honed.
They are in as dire a situation as the companies they represent. Dire straits indeed, as I contacted ten recruiters this week, and spoke with one of them...and felt their discomfort...

"May I speak with Mr. Ramar please? Yes, this is Willy-Willy following up on an email I sent him on Monday. Thanks, I'll wait."
"Hello, Mr. Ramar, yes, thanks for taking my call. I'm following--I'm sorry, you can't locate my email? Yes, Monday, I got your name from Lord Greystoke...that's right, you placed him on an escarpment in darkest--right, the fellow with the limited vocabulary but great leadership skills."
"That's right, Willy-Willy, I forwarded my resume and would like to know if I can clarify any information for you, and find out--no, I wasn't aware you only specialize in recruiting C-level swingers, that really doesn't fit my--sure, I'll hold..."
"Oh, you found it, great, can we review some of my qualifications--yes, I'll keep it to ninety seconds---'
"I started my career in the west basin of the---I'm sorry, I can't hear you, what is that annoying drumming sound that keeps getting louder and louder---? Yes, I can hear you much better now, as I was saying, I trained under Charlie and Zahir, and picked up numerous accolades for my--yes, Charlie with the parrot Walter--oh, you've heard of him, it's a small world---no, he had an unfortunate incident with a rope bridge...right, he was one of a kind."
"To continue, wait, can you hold a second Mr. Ramar, thanks..." Babette, Babette, come back to Willy-Willy, I make you nice banana soup..." sorry, had to put out a quick fire here...anyway, I hope you can run my qualifications through your database to see if there might be a---yes 'guide' would be a good description, I'm comfortable taking the lead and cutting through the--that drumming again, Mr. Ramar, I can't hear a word you--Mr. Ramar? Mr. Ramar! What the---yes, hello? Who am I speaking with...?"
"The White Goddess? Oh, you're an associate of Mr. Ramar---I see, you've moved into his camp---well, maybe you can help me..."

Timely recipe: stuff the bird. Take an unsliced loaf of white bread (not rye, wheat, or sourdough), cut off the crust, dice, and dry for a couple of days (or dry in a hot oven and let it cool). Chop celery and onions and saute in butter. If using fresh herbs, add chopped sage, thyme, and parsley (or whatever you like) to saute. Add saute to bread cubes in a large bowl. Add a raw egg. If using dried herbs add sage, thyme, parsley to bowl. Add chicken stock in small doses until bread is just moist. Mix thoroughly. Then have some fun. Add any/all of the following: chopped fresh oysters, ground cooked sausage, cornbread, walnuts, raisins, or anything else that the kids will eat. Stuff the bird or cook in a covered casserole for the last hour the bird is cooking.
Here is what is important. Don't oversoak the bread or you will end up with mush. Use whatever ingredients you like, but don't forget the sauteed celery and onions.

The market is housed in a 1912 building, a massive arched yellow-brick with an interior concourse, an unheated covered outdoor arcade, and a large clock tower. It is its own city across the river from the city, in the City of Ohio. First-time visitors mistake it for an old railroad station, but that is across Lorain in eighties modern. Large black back-braced letters atop the south wall W E S T S I D E M A R K E T reflect a different era and anchor the 25th Street storefronts which purvey complementary goods.
Yesterday the market teemed with buyers and sellers of roots, fruits, meats, milks, and breads. Cold rain and snow kept the hand-cart-pulling seniors at home, but left them with only one day left, Wednesday, to stock the pantry with holiday ingredients. Students home on holiday break continued traditional family excursions with their folks in tow, as excited as the 5th graders who gathered in the fish stall to start a scavenger hunt.
The hunters arrived in a small bus with parents and teachers, and quickly divided up into teams of three or four. Their goal is simple: the first team to complete the price blanks on their mimeographed sheet wins, the prize a piece of any creation from the bakery stall, all selections there delightfully decorated for the eye and decadent for the soul. Perfect.
Their list: one rutabaga, three roses, one bohemian rye bread, one blueberry pierogi, one serving of saffron pasta, ten sea scallops, two pints of fresh sour cream, six honeycrisp apples, four avocados, one bunch of rosemary, two soft pretzels, one bottle of sri-racha, one box decaffeinated tea, one 10 pound fresh turkey, one lamb tongue, fifteen large shrimp 1/2 pound chicken feet, one pint anchovy-stuffed olives. The teams scattered as their teacher gave the go. They had one hour.
One group stayed in the fish stall at the urging of a girl with black hair and a knit cap. "Wait, wait" she yelled as her comrades started after the other teams. "Wait, we can find some right here"...she had read the entire list and quickly organized the team into pairs. One hunted bread, two jumped into the arcade for vegetable, one searched dairy, and one meat and fish. The girl had them all plan to meet at the fish stall in a half hour, at which time any item unfound or incorrectly priced was easily chased down by the entire group, following the discovery of likely targets by the pairs and the lead of the black-haired girl. Winning hands-down, they enjoyed the slices of lemon pie, chocolate thunder cake, elairs, and caramel drizzle while the other teams, either scattered individually or wandering along as a group, leaderless, missed the confections.