idealist for sale

finally!

2010-04-13T10:16:00.003-05:00

Over the past few years, I've mostly used this blog to share (perhaps vent is a better word) thoughts on my career. I've been working in the market research industry for about three years now. During that time, I've mostly felt like my job was a waste of time... other than the part where they give me a paycheck twice a month. As my past posts indicate, I've swayed from pretty severe disenchantment to resignation masked as contentment.

Almost as long as I've been in my current job, I've been looking for a new job that would allow me to do something I felt passionate about. Donnice (my wife) knew I wasn't happy, so she did a bit of searching too. She found one job listing that sounded just too perfect to be real. It was an energy efficiency consultant position that required project management and marketing experience. So, about two years ago, I applied for a job at Geavista Group. At that time, it was just two people and they were looking for a couple consultants to join their team. I had a phone interview, and it went well, but they decided to go with people who had a bit more relevant work experience.

I contacted them about a year later (May 2009) to see if they had any new positions available. They said that my timing was perfect, because they were looking to hire. I came in for two interviews, and it all went quite well. They said I'd be a great fit, but they decided not to hire anyone at the time. I kept in touch, and in March they called to invite me for another interview. They were ready to hire this time, and I was more than ready to take the job.

So, in early May, I'll be leaving my job at e-Rewards for a new career at Geavista. It's a completely new industry for me, and I don't really know what to expect, but I couldn't be more excited.

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

2009-05-03T22:44:00.002-05:00

Today, my church (well, not technically my church - I'm not yet a member - but the church I've been attending) voted unanimously to ask Aaron White to be our new minister. Aaron White went to Austin College at the same time I did, and he is the person who introduced me to Unitarian Universalism. Naturally, it's made me feel a bit reflective, so I'm broaching a subject I've never discussed in my blog: my "spiritual journey" (stop reading now if that's not something you care to hear about).

Most of the people who read this probably know that I used to be a Southern Baptist. In 9th grade, I said "the prayer" and "gave my life to Christ" (I'll try and get the quotes under control, but a lot of this just doesn't feel like my words). I went to church and youth group every Sunday and went back again for youth group on Wednesdays. At one point, I even participated in a door-to-door evangelism program. (For the record, I still have great respect for the minister of that church; the youth program at the time, however, was somewhat cult-like).

That same year, I also became good friends with a girl named Palak; she was Hindu, and she was going to Hell. I also became friends with Lauren; she was a Unitarian, so she was definitely going to Hell (she was also pro-choice and believed in evolution!). The next year I spent a semester in Australia, where I made a lot of friends who were agnostic or atheist; sadly, they too were going to Hell. These were all very nice people, and I was sad to know that they'd go to Hell if I didn't convince them to "accept Christ" before they died. Eventually, though, I came to realize that somebody cool enough to give his life up to offer the world a chance at redemption probably woudln't send everybody who didn't call him God to Hell.

That caused some problems in my high school mind. My youth group had taught me a reading of the Bible that didn't leave much room for interpretation. I was in something of a tailspin until Donnice introduced me to the Presbyterian church in my senior year of high school. They offered many of the beliefs and traditions with which I'd become comfortable... but without the troubling "all your friends are going to Hell" aspect.

The next transition was more gradual and, hence, is harder to describe. In college, I was introduced to a fact that I would have considered blasphomous a few years before: the Bible was written by men. Not only was it written by men; it was passed down to us by religous institutions that made some important editing decisions along the way. On some levels, that made it easier for me to understand certain passages. At the same time, though, it put me at odds with large portions of the Christian population who would grab certain Biblical verses and treat them as the "Word of God." Eventually, I began to question why the Christian faith puts so much stock into a book with such a "complicated" history. It wasn't a "my friends aren't going to Hell" rift, just a seed on unease.

In the end, it was one of those select verses that drove a wedge between me and the Christian church. It was about the dominant Christian perspective on homosexuality (I emphasize "dominant," because I know that there are Christians who do not cling to the hatefulness adopted by so many). When you think about, the message that so many cling to is really quite contrary to Jesus's message, but I won't dwell on that. The fact that so many Christians could so openly discriminate against people over an aspect of their biology (something completely out of their control) put me over the edge.

I was still working these problems out in my head when Aaron White held a meeting in the Wright Campus Center to tell students about Unitarian Universalism. He introduced me to the seven UU principles:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

This sounded more like something I could buy into. I visited Aaron's church once, and I liked it. I felt comfortable there, and I liked their philosophy. But I was still pretty wrapped up in the Presbyterian church (partially because it was AC and most of my friends were Presbys, and partially because the Presbyterain church was still very important to Donnice).

The summer after we graduated, Donnice and I got married and moved to Cincinnati for graduate school. (Although Donnice and I were married in a Presbyterian chruch, we asked the minister to change the words of her service to eliminate any discriminatory implications.) In Cincinnati, we visited a couple Unitarian churches but never really found a home. When we came back to Dallas, we visited First Unitarian several times (very sporadically). Eventually (in the fall of 2008), we joined the Sanctuary Choir. Over the past 8 or 9 months, I've really begun to feel at home there. For the first time in over 10 years, I feel like church is an important part of my life.

I still don't have my entire belief structure figured out, but I've learned a lot. And, I trust this church to help me as I attempt to figure out the rest. I know I won't get prescribed dogma or easy answers, but if there's one thing I learned from the Baptists, it's that the "easy answers" aren't always as easy as they appear (what's easy about all your friends going to Hell?).

So, congratulations to Aaron White, a person who's already had a pretty siginificant impact on my "spiritual journey" and who I'm sure we'll continue to impact and challenge me for years to come.

One other milestone worth mentioning: I'll be joining First Church officially next Sunday.

enough with the psychoanalysis

2009-04-09T16:04:00.003-05:00

My last few blog posts have been rather self-indulgent musings that few (if any) other people probably care about. This time I'm not going to speculate about the long-term direction of my life. This time I just want to write about a few things that have made me happy recently:

the new Decemberists album - I am completely obsessed, and if you haven't heard it you need to listen to it (several times, beginning to end)
Donna's class at Dragon Fire Yoga - it's the perfect mix of workout and relaxation
choir (especially the Motet Choir) - it's good to be singing again
our house - the view outside our front window, the new tree, the new herb garden
nice spring weather... especially when combined with my bike

Well, I kept the promise of not speculating about the long-term direction of my life, but I may have overdone it with the sunshine and happiness. If I'm going to get back in the habit of blogging, I'm going to need to work on balance.

and back again

2009-04-09T15:35:00.004-05:00

Well, that didn't last long. I had been getting quite comfortable in my position despite the lack of growth opportunity. Recent events, however, have woken me up a bit. We recently went through a big reorganization. I am still on the same team (end clients), but under new management. We also had a round of layoffs that cut 20% of my department. Ironically, though, it's not fear of losing my job that got me feeling restless again; all the shifting just got me thinking more about my career. I haven't been thinking about being suddenly without a job but about being five years older and still in the same job.

As I mentioned in my last post, my job has become more interesting. I've had the opportunity to become more of a partner with my clients, as I offer additional assistance to people without a lot of research experience. And, after speaking with my new supervisor, I think it's quite possible that my job will become even more interesting over the next year. I've been hoping for the last two years that this job would become more interesting, and, now that it is, I'm realizing that the position only has so much potential.

As much as I enjoy the type of thinking that research requires, I don't feel useful. I have received a lot praise from clients and supervisors, but I don't know what it all amounts to. I think about the things that are important to me, and I realize that I am doing very little (in my career) to promote them.

To be perfectly honest, I still don't know what the answer is. I very seriously considered going to law school last year (I'd probably be there now if Lewis & Clark had sent their scholarship offer a few weeks earlier), and the thought has remained in the back of my mind ever since. Law school, however, is a big change and a big commitment, and I can't be sure that I'm not just idealizing the concept in my head. So, right now, I'm just trying to clarify my goals, which I think are fairly simple:

I want to be intellectually challenged by my job.
I want to know I'm doing something useful (most likely something related to environmental sustainability)

Knowing what I want is a good starting place. I don't yet know what comes next.

Cotentment

2009-02-09T11:17:00.002-06:00

When I last posted here (about 9 months ago), I wrote an entry full of discontent. I'm obviously not that great at keeping this thing up to date, but I thought it was at least worthwhile to follow up that entry with something more upbeat.

The last entry was mostly about my job, so I'll start there. When I took this job (more than a year and a half ago), I didn't think I'd stay long. I was unemployed and couldn't be choosy, but I just didn't think the job would keep me interested for long. Since then, however, my position has evolved to become much more interesting. I won't get into the details of how the job changed, since most of you probably aren't interested, but I think it's worth mentioning that (contrary to my expectation) I've been getting more and more satisfied with my job as time goes on.

Realizing that we'd be here a while, Donnice and I bought a house in October. It's been an interesting experience. As with any move into a new place, it didn't really feel like ours right away. Then, while we were out of town for Thanksgiving, our home was broken into. They didn't take a lot, but they got a couple big items: our laptop and Donnice's car. We also had to replace the door, which they had broken. I don't know if it was the break-in, the changes we've made to the house since then, or just the amount of time we've been there, but it definitely feels like ours now.

I've often heard warnings against contentment. I think I probably even believed that contentment was the enemy of a meaningful life. But I've always had a restless nature, and I'm not sure where that really got me. At least contentment feels nice.

what to do?

2008-05-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

I've really been neglecting my poor blog lately. Since the last time I updated, I've decided to go to law school, received acceptance offers from several schools (and a really big scholarship offer from one), and decided not to go back to school (at least not yet). I took a holiday vacation in Costa Rica and a road trip to California. I was a groomsman in the wedding of one of my very best friends and was asked to be a groomsman for my future brother-in-law (the wedding is in two weeks) and for another very close friend (the wedding is still more than a year away). But since the title of this blog is idealist for sale and the seemingly ever-present conflict in my life is the one between my ideals and my job, I'm going to focus on my recent career path considerations.

I've been with my company for almost a year now, and I'm really pretty happy here. The people are great, and it's exciting to be working for such a fast-growing company. I helped get the company to start recycling, and I convinced them to get ceramic coffee mugs for everyone, so that we could stop throwing away so many styrofoam cups (they're also looking into buying better disposable cups). But despite all this, I have trouble feeling satisfied by a career in market research. I want to do something more altruistic.

That's why I applied to law school. I applied to schools with the best environmental law programs (the #2 school for environmental law actually offered me an annual scholarship of $19,000), but as the time came to make my decision, I realized that I still didn't know for certain that it was the right move. I had also been giving a lot of consideration to entering a program in urban planning, and since I've already got two graduate degrees, I need to be certain I know what I'm doing before I enroll again.

In the midst of all this thought about going back to school, I decided that I should also give some thought to seeing what I can do with the education I've already got. I was considering going back to school, not because I hate marketing (I actually find it fascinating), but because I had not found a career that connects my marketing knowledge to my passion for environmental issues. After thinking this through, I realized that those opportunities must exist. This country is quickly growing more aware of environmental issues, and even the business world is starting to catch on.

So, my sincere hope at this point is that I can find a worthwhile career without starting over. I know that my skills in marketing, market research, and writing can be put to good use... now, I just need to find the right match.

Isn't it obvious?

2007-10-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

Leppert and Co. are spewing deception like a fountain in an effort to confuse voters before the Nov. 6 election. They're making up numbers left and right, based not on evidence or research but on what they think will scare voters away from making the right choice about Proposition 1. And, if you start playing the numbers game, it gets really confusing, largely because most of the numbers have been made up by the "Vote No" group. There is, however, a simpler way to look at the issue. Forget about the numbers. We approved the Trinity River Project and the Trinity River Parkway. Leppert has no right to say that the projects are in jeopardy if we don't replace the parkway with a tollway... especially if he has to make up numbers to do it.

There are, however, other issues worth discussing that leave less room for "interpretation," like the impact of the road.

Take a look at this picture to the left. This picture was used to get Dallas voters to approve the Trinity River Project back in 1998. Imagine sitting on the edge of this lake near sunset. The city is behind you, and you're looking out over the lake, which seems to be glowing pink and orange as it reflects the hue of the clouds. Maybe you've even got a picnic or a good book with you. Now imagine, that there's a high-speed tollway right behind you. There's a constant hum of traffic, and you can smell the fumes of the diesel engines. The "Vote No" campaign would have you believe that this is the only way the park could exist. But I think it's pretty obvious that no park should have a tollway running through it.

The tollway's impact on the park which will spread beyond the 45 acres of parkland that it physically occupies is only one aspect of the tollway's negative effect. It may also seriously compromise the floodway. A similar road has never been approved anywhere in the country, but Leppert & Co. don't mind making Dallas the guinea pig.

Please don't be pushed around and deceived by Dallas's corrupt leadership. The petition was a remarkable step for this city, but it won't do any good unless we Vote Yes!

restlessness

2007-09-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I'm an activist at heart. I call this blog "idealist for sale" because I've somehow found myself caught up in the corporate world doing things that just don't match up with my beliefs. It's not that I'm doing bad things. Now that I'm working in market research instead of advertising, I can at least sleep at night without worrying that I'm somehow contributing to the deterioration of our society. But I'm certainly not doing much for it.

When I was between jobs, I did my best to find a position that I could really feel good about. I couldn't get a great position at a non-profit since I didn't have any non-profit experience. But my education and my time at The Richards Group could make me a real asset in the marketing department of a progressive company. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of options at Dallas, and I didn't really have time to wait around. So, now I'm in market research... It's not as bad as advertising, but it's certainly nothing great. It's a good work environment, and I'm making a lot more money, but I'm not making the world a better place.

I've been trying to make the most of it. I went to a protest outside the Exxon shareholders meeting, and I've been to a couple anti-war rallies, but I don't know how much of a difference it makes. I want to know that my contribution is creating positive change, and I just don't feel like I've found anything that does.

It was The 11th Hour that revived this part of me. It was a great film, and everyone should see it. The part that struck me the most was the stuff contributed by Thom Hartmann, author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. And, it's actually a concern unrelated to global warming. He points out that throughout history (up until the industrial revolution), people always got by with current sunlight. They got all the food and energy they needed from the sun above them. Only recently (in the historical since of the word) have we started relying on ancient sunlight (fossil fuels). The problem with relying on ancient sunlight is that we'll run out. The world, however, can only sustain a fraction of the current population once that ancient sunlight runs out. Unfortunately, we take the ancient sunlight for granted. No one wants to admit how soon we'll run out. It's going to happen during our lifetime... certainly during the lives of our children. As long as we deny the fact that we're going to run out, we waste time that should be spent preparing for a future without fossil fuels.

I can't stand that the entire world is just moving forward oblivious to this fact. We drink water bottled in plastic and shipped for thousands of miles. We eat ridiculous amounts of beef, the most resource-inefficient food available. We live out in the suburbs and commute 30 miles to and from work each day. We drive huge vehicles that consume far more gasoline than is really necessary for our transportation. We choose to get coal-powered energy instead of easily available and competitively prices green alternatives.

I'm not asking for people to make radical changes to their lives... just to wake up and think about these things. Do you really need to get a new bottle of water each time you empty yours, or can you refill it with filtered tap water? If you're having trouble deciding between beef and chicken, get the chicken (or better yet the vegetarian option). Switch to Green Mountain; it takes no effort.

The problem with my current job is not that it makes a worse impact on the world than any other company. The problem is that it's just like every other company: oblivious. I want to start making a difference.I want to make people think about these things. And, if I can't get people to think about these things, I want to tax the hell out of them.

MUSE

2007-09-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

Donnice bought tickets to Muse for our anniversary. She's not crazy about rock concerts, but I've been talking about Muse being the best concert experience of my life ever since I saw them in October, and she wanted us to be able to share it with me this time. The concert was last night, and it was amazing.

I tried to appreciate the first band that played. I told myself that the members of Muse must have some respect for them if they were letting them open. I tried to imagine how I would be experiencing the concert if I knew and liked all the songs and was finally getting to see them for the first time. I couldn't do it. The lead singer was old and ugly and trying way too hard to be a rock star.

The second band was awesome. It was a group called Juliette and the Licks. Some of you may know where this is going (my coworker, Angela, seemed surprised that I hadn't heard of them), but I had no idea what to expect. At first I thought it was just another nobody trying way to hard to act like a rock star. But towards the end of the first song, I realized that she looked very familiar. Just as I was starting to connect her face with the name Juliette, Donnice looked over and said "it looks like the actress who played the retarded girl." It was Juliette Lewis! As soon as I realized that it was not a nobody trying to act cool, but a celebrity who was acting that was because she's truly crazy, I really enjoyed it. I don't think my words can possibly do justice to the energy and insanity of her performance. She owned the stage and every member of her band. At one point, she was flopping around on the floor like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. At another, she donned a hat with cat ears and eyes to sing about being like a cat. She sang a song about her needs when she's out on the road, and somehow communicated the word "horny" while speaking the work "lonely." She covered "Hot Stuff," and came off the stage to be touched by the crowd. Although, I'm not sure I'd buy her cd, her performance was great. Donnice and I just kept looking at each other with open mouths as she got more and more outrageous. Don't go out and buy her cd, but don't miss a chance to see her live. It's unforgettable.

Muse, of course, was amazing too. When I saw them in October, they closed with "Knights of Cydonia," and it was the best song of the show. This time they opened with it, and it was just as good as I remembered. I love the theme of revolution that runs through so many of their songs (especially on the newest album). I wonder how many people at the show even notice that and how many just like the amazing guitar. As much as I love seeing them live, I'm ready for them to go back to the studio. I want another album.

amazon.com customer service

2007-07-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

I think that blogs are often just a lot of complaining, so instead of bitching about someone who was rude to me or some horrible injustice I experienced, I'm going to write about a really great service experience I had recently.

I decided that I wanted to get to know the Beatles. I've never really listened to them much, and they're supposed to be one of the greatest bands in history, so I wanted to listen to some of their music. I asked two crazily-obsessed Beatles fans which albums to start with, and after a bit of back and forth between them, I went with Rubber Soul and Revolver.

Last Tuesday, I bought them on amazon.com. Rubber Soul was $11.99, and Revolver was $13.97. Last night (Monday), I went back to amazon and noticed that Revolver had been marked down to $9.97. In addition to that, they were offering $2 off if you bought it with Rubber Soul, which I had. So, it was less than a week after my purchase, and my exact order was $6 cheaper. I understand some price fluctuation in new items, but these were 17 year old cds of 40 year old albums.

So, at about 9:30, I wrote amazon an email explaining what had happened and asking if there was an easier resolution than sending back the cds and reordering them at the discounted price. At 10:23 I had a response from amazon. I opened it up assuming that it was a generic "thanks for contacting us" email, but it was a personalized response. Not only did they respond in less than an hour, they were refunding my $6. Wow!

"Thank you for writing to Amazon.com.

"I apologize for any inconvenience this situation might have caused.

"The discounts we offer for items on our web site do vary from time
to time. I've checked your order, and found that we now offer a
greater discount on Revolver than at the time you placed your order.

"I have requested a refund of $6.00"

Oh, and the cds are great, especially Revolver. If, like me, you've been living in a hole and haven't heard any Beatles songs that aren't on their 1 album, take advantage of the discount on amazon and get these albums.

exxpose exxon

2007-05-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

After canvassing with TCE for just two days, I realized that even if I can't handle the schedule of a canvasser, I really want to be part of the environmental movement. When I say that, I don't mean buying CFLs and driving a Prius. I do those things, and I believe that they're important, but it's not the same as really being involved in the movement. So, this morning before work I took the DART train one stop south to Pearl St. Then, I walked to the Meyerson where Exxon Mobil was holding their annual shareholders meeting.

The protesters were already gathering, so I joined the group. They gave me an "Exxpose Exxon" t-shirt (made from organic cotton), which I put on over my work clothes. Then, I grabbed onto the long banner that read "Protect the People, Protect the Planet." According to the Dallas Morning News, there were about 35 of us.

Unfortunately, they still voted against reducing their emissions. In fact, it got only 31% of the vote. They also voted against extending their nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation.

While no gas company of is really a beacon of responsibility, some are certainly better than others. Exxon Mobil is the worst. In addition to deciding not to reduce their emission or respect the rights or gays and lesbians, they fund organizations that use junk science in an attempt disprove global warming.

I started writing so that I could write about my experience at the protect, but now I've stepped onto my soapbox and I can't get down. There are gas stations on every corner. Please drive past Exxon, and buy your gas somewhere else.

job search

2007-05-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

The last post I wrote was about leaving TRG. A whole lot has happened since then.

Of course, there was a period of job searching. It's really not worth talking about.

The first position I took was a canvassing position I saw advertised on idealist.org. I tried out canvassing with Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). It was great. In case you don't know, canvassing is when a grassroots movement goes door-to-door telling people about an issue. We were discussing the issue of e-waste to get legislation passed that would force computer and television manufacturers to establish take-back programs for recycling their products. It felt so good be doing something good for the world after working in an ad agency for eight months. But I didn't get home until 10:30 or 11, which meant that I would only see Donnice on weekends and while she slept if I did it full time.

So, instead, I took a full time job at Half Price Books. The company is all about reusing and recycling, so I could still feel good about working there even if I wasn't part of a grassroots environmental campaign anymore. Everyone who works there is really friendly, so it had a great atmosphere. Plus, the hours were 11-7 Mon-Fri during training, and you can't get much better than that working retail. The benefits (if I'd stayed long enough for them to kick in) were great too. But I was only making 8/hr, which (amazingly) was even less than I made at TRG. And the hours were going to change when training ended in six weeks, which would mean evenings and weekends. So, after three weeks, I left. I got my employee discount card on my second to last day of work and spent $100 (that's 50% off of the HPB price).

The job I left HPB for is the one I'm at now and the one I plan to be at for the foreseeable future. I'm working for e-Rewards, a market research company. The company has a huge panel of respondents that it basically rents out to other research companies. As a project manager, it's my job to make sure our clients get the respondents they need. It's a very specialized field within market research, so it's interesting to get involved at this level since research with an agency is pretty much the opposite end of the specialization spectrum. Plus, it pays about 30% better than The Richards Group did. Yea!

Moving on

2007-04-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

Wow... more than two months since my last update. In my defense, there really wasn't much going on for a while. Then there was, but there was so much going on that I really didn't have time to update.

About three weeks ago, I left The Richards Group. It was a good place to work, and I really liked just about everyone. Unfortunately, my boss and I were almost entirely incapable of communicating with each other. You can see how that might cause problems. Since this is a very public forum, that's all I'm going to say about why I left.

I will say that I don't have any regrets. It was a great place to start my career. I had the opportunity to work on lots of different projects for all sorts of clients. The diversity of my experiences during those eight months was incredible. I also genuinely liked just about everyone I knew there. However, I also don't regret leaving. It was a great first job, but I always knew it wasn't the right place for me long-term.

I'm looking for a new position now, and I've got several exciting prospects. One is a market research company that I hope to be hearing from soon. I would still have the excitement of many different types of clients, which was one of my favorite things about The Richards Group. The other options are mostly "client-side."

I'd really like to be a part of a company with a mission that includes responsibility. Most people reading my blog know that I'm bleeding-heart, liberal, vegetarian treehugger. It'd be great to work with people who share some of those traits. I'd like to know that my work serves some motive other than profit.

My options are still pretty open. If you know of anyone in the Dallas area looking for someone who is principled as well as intelligent, curious and motivated, let me know.

a recent conversation with an omnivore

2007-01-26T17:00:00.000-06:00

An acquaintance from college recently told me that a PETA video depicting animal abuse was funny. His comment led to the following exchange:

Me: You're twisted. I can understand not wanting to believe those things happen, but there's something wrong with a person who could laugh at them.

Him: I didn't say I don't believe animals are slaughtered so I can eat. I believe it happens and I am ok with it because I am an omnivore and being a vegitarian is boring.

I thought it was funny because of the inflammatory tone the piece took to try to shock people into not eating meat. It was essentially propaganda. And if you can't find the humor in that, you're twisted.

Me: Yes, it was propaganda. I don't think any of its producers would argue otherwise. But even propaganda can deliver an important message. I'm not really sure what's funny about that. I guess you found it amusing to see images of the animals being tortured, rather than an obscure reference to slaughter than allows you to remain oblivious.

It's reassuring to know that there are people out there who put so much thought into their decisions... people who are okay with inflicting pain and death on helpless animals because they think it'd be boring to do anything else.

Him: Propaganda is in itself funny. The point of view and "graphic" images are what they are. I believe you have to take everything with a grain of salt and try to gain perspective. I don't think propaganda lets you have perspective. Propaganda wants you to make decisions based on one sided information because the images and the message they are giving you is so horrible how could you dare choose anything else.
Are far as helpless animals, I have never seen anything more ready to die in life than cows. Cows are just waiting for that bullet and it would be unjust not to kill them. So yes they are helpless, helpless to die on their own. It is fortunate that we humans have the means to kill them.

Me: Yes, propaganda has a one-sided perspective, but I'd really like to know how exactly you might put together a propaganda piece for the slaughter of animals given that there's not any good reasons for doing it. You can have a healthy diet without meat. Vegetarian food has more creativity and often more flavor. And, it doesn't require death. Then again, people who have never been on a vegetarian diet think it might get boring.

And, did you really say that about cows wanting to die? I won't even argue directly against such a ridiculous statement. But I do want to know how you can justify breeding animals just for the purpose of killing them if you really think their entire lives are that miserable.

Him: So where do you draw the line as being a vegitarian? Is it a nervous system that makes alive so you feel compassion to not eat them. Their is no way you can prove that animals can have complex emotions but there is no way I cannot prove they can't. To that same line of thinking you cannot prove that plants don't feel. They are alive, they have a metabolism, which is the basic definition for life. So if you follow the idea I cannot things that have life that cuts out plants as well. If you upgrade to the only things without a central nervous systems you can guilt free eat plants as squids because they don't have one either.
It's all about where you willing to draw the line of killing. I draw the line at people. You draw it somewhere in the animal kingdom, but plants and fungi are not below your contempt, fine. I don't make films about you needlessly take them off this planet.

Me: I'm glad that you actually put some thought into it this time rather than saying that a vegetarian diet is boring or that it's merciful to raise cows for the purpose of killing them.

Your point makes me wonder how you feel about other forms of animal abuse. The logical extension of your argument is that you can treat animals in any way that pleases you so long as you refuse to acknowledge that they may have feelings.

Your argument also implies a continuum of compassion. While I haven't chosen a position on that continuum that's so extreme that it can't maintain human life, I have chosen not too remain in a relatively uncompassionate position simply because it’s what everyone else does.

You said that you draw the line at people, but I’m not sure I believe that. I’m guessing that there are some animals you wouldn’t eat (dogs, cats), which makes the line you’ve drawn a good deal more arbitrary than mine.

Him: I have eaten at korean restaurants before, I know I have had dog.

2007-01-18T17:14:00.001-06:00

New "green" projects

2007-01-11T08:39:00.000-06:00

The last few days at work have been really great. Glenn hasn't had much work for me, so he encouraged me to talk to other planning directors and find ways to help out. When I asked Jason what I could do to help out, I got assigned to two really great projects.

One of the projects was helping with brand manager training. He asked me to prepare and present a discovery deck for the spherical branding training session. Getting to train people after being here only six months was an honor in itself, but the brand made it even cooler. I'm not actually allowed to talk about it, so I'll just say that it's potential sub-brand for a huge company clients and that's it aligns perfectly with my interest in green (eco-friendly) business.

I'll be less involved in the other project, but I'm still really excited about it. We recently pitched and won the Current Energy business. Current Energy (if you haven't heard) is a new energy efficiency store on Knox Street near the Apple Store. It's got a really cool set-up (somewhat reminiscent of the Apple Store), and it's full of products that save energy including efficient lighting and water heaters, programmable thermostats, solar chargers... Since I've now prepared and presented discovery decks for two green brands, Jason asked me to help out with this one. While I won't be leading it up, I really like that I've reached a place where people are coming to me as the expert on green.

While it's not exactly a green brand, I've got another new client that's also pretty cool. I'll be working with Glenn on Sino Swearingen, a company that makes private jets.

I'm so glad the slow holiday period is finally over!

lala.com

2007-01-11T08:28:00.000-06:00

I recently posted about bookmooch.com, which quickly became one of my favorite sites when I learned that I could trade books for free. Last night, I found out about lala.com, and it's up there with bookmooch.

lala.com allows you to trade music. It's not free, but at $1.75/trade it's cheaper than bookmooch, which requires you to pay shipping on outgoing trades. You get a free cd just for signing up, so there's no reason not to check it out. You send original cds with or without cover art in a "protective case" provided by lala (I have yet to see them, since i just signed up last night). The site is more advanced than bookmooch, but I guess that should be expected, since they charge for trades.

Last night I registered about 30 cds that I was willing to trade. I was instantly offered five trades, which I had the choice to accept or reject. Then, they cut me off until they can verify that I'm actually sending the cds. But since I sent five out, I also had five that were on my wishlist sent to me. So, now I've got six cds on the way including the freebie for signing up.

Like bookmooch, lala works best with lots of members, so sign up. It's a really great program and a cheap way to get new music.

Cloud Atlas

2006-12-28T13:02:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little premature to start labeling a 500-page book as one of your favorites when you're only on page 46, but I'm really enjoying Cloud Atlas so far. Amazon kept telling me I'd like it, and it sounded interesting (but challenging) based on the reviews. It was also a finalist for the Man Booker Prize in the year in was released. So, I put it on my wishlist, and I got three copies for Christmas.

Although I was enjoying Augusten Burroughs's Dry, I found myself stranded without that book and with one of my three copies of Cloud Atlas. So I broke the one-book-at-a-time rule and began reading.

The novel began with the journal of a man travelling near Australia via ship in the 19th century. Although none of this sounds like something I'd enjoy (19th century, ship voyage, journal entries), David Mitchell manages to mirror a style I don't usually like and keep it compulsively readable. About 40 pages into this section, there is an abrupt mid-sentence ending. I turned the page, and another section was beginning.

This surprise send me immediately back to amazon.com to read the reviews and see what was going on. Apparently the first five sections of the book end midstory. The sixth story is complete. Then, the first five stories are concluded in reverse order.

Each of the six stories is in a totally different setting and uses a different writing style. I've only begun the second section (it takes place in Europe in 1931), and it's obvious that Mitchell is brilliant. This section reads as if it's by another author from another time. And, according to some of the reviews, I haven't even read the best story yet.

I'm now in a somewhat obsessed state where it's almost painful to sit at work without reading. So, instead, I'm ranting about how great the book is in the hopes that someone will understand or maybe even start reading it and share in the fantastic experience.

BookMooch

2006-12-19T15:05:00.000-06:00

I don't really think of myself as a pack rat, but does anyone? The one thing I know I have a bad habit of holding on to is books. What's worse is that they're not even all books that I've read. I tend to buy stacks of books that sound interesting and never get to them. I've got two full shelves in my bedroom as well as a couple boxes that I don't think my parents realize are still in one of their closets. And, that's just the books I haven't read yet.

I've gotten better about buying books recently, so a lot of the ones on my shelf and in my old closet are a few years old. My tastes have changed in that time (from a pretentious English major to someone willing to settle for more mainstream fiction). But I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I've sold some online and brought quite a few to Half Price, but if there's any chance that I'll ever think of reading it in the future, I've still got it. The prices you get for used books are so pathetic, it's often like trading five (or more) books for one.

But yesterday I discovered BookMooch. It's a network of people who trade books for free. All you have to do is list the books you have that you're willing to trade. When someone requests one of your books, you ship it to them (that's the only cost), and you get a point. You can then exchange your point for a book on the site. You also get a point for every ten books you list. So, each book is an even trade. I give someone a book I don't want and I get a book that I do. It makes it a lot easier for me to justify getting rid of old books if I get a new one tha I'm excited about reading in exchange.

And, since the site works a little better everytime a new person joins, I wanted to tell as many people as possible.

literally

2006-12-15T09:07:00.000-06:00

I realize that a rant against the misuse of the English language isn't terribly original, but I just can't resist this one. I've noticed a lot of people recently who use the world "literally" in a completely inappropriate manner. It's like they literally have no brain.

This morning (Friday) in the elevator, a girl was talking to her friend about how much yesterday had felt like Friday to her. She then said that she was "literally here on Saturday today." It's Friday, but it's literally Saturday. Really?

I've picked up on this kind of usage a lot recently (literally millions of times), but now that I'm writing a blog about it, I'm running low on examples. Please help me out if you've got some funny examples of this literal slaughter of our language.

Barack Obama

2006-12-14T14:38:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest: I've been supporting Obama for a while now without knowing much about him. It just seemed like the cool thing to do. But I've started trying to learn more about him, and I like him more everytime I learn something knew.

Now, I realize that this puts me about two and half years behind, but I had not seen his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention until today. Wow! He's amazing. He made me feel patriotic, which is not something I've felt in a very long time. I can't wait to read his book.

Austin

2006-12-11T08:09:00.000-06:00

Everyone talks about what a cool city Austin is, but, despite growing up less than four hours away, I'd never really spent any time there. I kinda figured no city in Texas could be that great, especially not the center of Texas government. I was so wrong.

Donnice was in a meeting all day Friday, so I just drove around the city. I had no idea where I was going, but I managed to see quite a bit. I saw the fancy houses on the hill above the river. I saw Zilker Park. I spent some time walking around the botanical gardens, which seems like a strange thing to do in Decemeber but was actually quite peaceful (and not too terribly cold). I drove down South Congress and got fair trade organic coffee at Ruta Maya. I visited the enormous Whole Foods between 5th and 6th. It was a good day.

That night, Donnice and I had dinner at Taj Palace. It's the first Indian place we tried in Austin, and it was better than any of the Indian places we've been to in Dallas. (Austin also gave Dallas it's best Indian restaurant, Clay Pit.)

Friday night Donnice stayed in while I met with Joel and Jonathan, two friends from middle school. It's probably been ten years since I'd seen them, so hanging out again could've been pretty awkward, but I had a great time. They took me to The Beauty Bar, a very cool bar on 7th, where (according to Joel and Jonathan) all the frat boy types are afraid to go because they think it's all queers. Just so I could see the most famous part of Austin nightlife, we went over to 6th Street for a while. As Joel and Jonathan had warned me, it had a lot more frat-boy types. But it also had some pretty great live music. Then, we made a short appearance at a birthday party for one of their friends. It was a very strange group of UT choir members; they sang the entire time. I got back to the hotel around 2:45, quite a bit later that I'd been out at any time in the past 3 years. It was a great night, and it's good to know that two of my best friends from ten years ago could still be good friends to me now.

On Saturday, we had a wonderful brunch at Mother's Cafe and Garden. We sat in "the garden," an enclosed porch area with lots of plants and a small fountain. There was a guy playing the harp. It was very peaceful. Mother's is a one of several vegetarian restaurants in Austin. The menu was full of food that sounded completely delicious, and Donnice and I both really enjoyed our meal.

Despite the wonderful lunch, the highlight of the day on Saturday was when we met Brian, Kellie, Robert, Kenna, Allison, Joel, and Jonanthan at Trudy's for dinner and margaritas. It was really great to catch up with all of them. However, it was a little sad to be at a table too long for one conversation. It sucks to have to go back and forth between conversations when you're trying to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while. I had fun to talking to Kenna about her new job at Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing. It's an ad agency, but it's very small and it focuses on social marketing issues. It sounds like a cool place to work.

After dinner, Donnice and I went to the Alamo Drafthouse with Brian and Kellie. It was a very cool theater, kinda like the Austin version of the Studio Movie Grill. But that's like saying Whole Foods is the Austin version of Walmart Neighborhood Market; it's so much better comparisons don't really make sense. Brian also gave us a mix cd (and cute little Christmas mugs with candy and hot chocolate). I think the last mix cd I listened to was the one Michael gave me when I moved to Cincinnati, so I really enjoyed listening to it on the way home on Sunday. There's nothing like the first time through a mixtape when every song is a pleasant surprise.

It was an amazing weekend, and I could write more, but I'm sure even this much babbling is trying the patience of some of you, so I'll end it here. Austin is an amazing place, and I have great friends there. I can't wait to get back.

new car

2006-12-05T13:23:00.000-06:00

Donnice and I have been talking about buying a Prius for about two months now.

The original plan was to wait until we move in June.

But a few weeks ago, Donnice began suggesting that we might buy earlier, maybe even around Christmas or my birthday (Jan 13). And since she's the one who's good with money and who is currently taking public transit to work, it's really her call.

And last week, when it got cold, she'd had enough. She didn't want to deal with DART when it was 40 degrees outside. And, I certainly wasn't going to hold her back if she was ready (like I said she the one who's good with money), especially since it's gonna be my car.

So, on Saturday, after going to an early movie (they're only $5 before noon), we started driving toward Pat Lobb Toyota in McKinney (the first green car dealership). I called Stephane, our sales guy, on the way up, but he didn't answer. We didn't want to show up and have to wait around for him, so we decided to stop at the Honda dealership and look at the Civic Hybrid. I knew I wanted a Prius, but I thought it would be good to at least check out the Civic since we had some extra time.

I had this idea in my head of the pre-2006 Civic. It seemed like such a boring, generic car that I couldn't imagine owning one. But the new design is really a lot nicer. Both the interior and exterior are far more stylish than previous generations of the Civic. It even had a few advantages over the Prius, especailly the price (although the base price is similar, the Civic I wanted was $3,000 cheaper than the Prius I wanted). I left the Honda dealership for our appointment at the Toyota dealership (Stephane called back just before our test drive of the Civic) thinking that I might be back before the end of the day to buy the Civic.

I spoke with Stephane a while and looked at several Prii that they had in stock (none of them were what I wanted), I was pretty convinced that I wanted the Civic. Then, I took the Prius for a second test drive (I'd driven it a couple weeks before when we visited the dealership for the first time). The Prius is so freaking cool! It's different, and it has so much more personality, and you don't have to use your keys. You just leave them in your pocket, and the car detects them automatically, allowing you to open the door and start the car without ever touching the key. Plus, it's got better pickup, more space, and bluetooth.

But the Civic will save us $60 every month for the next five years. I hate decisions!

UPDATE: I bought the Prius, and I'm picking is up tonight (12/11). I bought it from Pat Lobb, the first green dealership. They were just named one of the top ten dealerships in the country by The New York Times:

Pat Lobb Toyota, McKinney, Texas
Both lean and clean, the Pat Lobb Toyota dealership in McKinney is "green" as well. For the true environmentalist, nothing could be better than buying and servicing a Prius from Pat Lobb Toyota in Texas. The dealership's construction is incorporated of approximately 75-percent recycled materials. Highlights include rubber sidewalks made from recycled tires, a cistern that catches roof rainwater for use in landscape irrigation, and waterless urinals that save thousands of gallons annually. Pat Lobb Toyota is also the first dealership to be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council.

focus groups

2006-12-05T12:53:00.000-06:00

I moderated my first focus groups with TRG yesterday! They were just short, internal group, not groups with real-world consumers and expensive recruiting costs, but I was in charge. I co-moderated some groups for Contemporary Dance Theatre in grad school, but this was my first time to do it as part of a real job.

There were two groups on men and two groups of women, and the women made moderating feel really easy. The men were more work. They spoke a lot less, so I had to do more to make them talk. I'd been told not to be afraid of silence, but I may have taken that advice a little too seriously. I assumed that what felt like long silences to me were probably only a few seconds in reality. Apparently they felt even longer to Glenn, who was sitting behind the mirror for the most difficult of the four groups. But, Glenn and I had time to talk between groups, and I thought about his feedback when I went in for the next group, which he said was much better.

Although they weren't perfect, I think the groups went pretty well for my first time moderating. I really enjoyed leading the discussions. Maybe it's because I'm quiet. I often feel like I don't contribute my fair share to conversations. But in a focus group, I'm in control. I don't say much, but I steer the conversation and facilitate discussion. It's a rare situation, because I know I'm an important part of the discussion even when I appear to just sit back and listen.

a creative brief for a real campaign

2006-11-20T11:17:00.000-06:00

Last week I wrote my first creative brief for a real print and radio ad campaign. I've done a couple briefs for little projects, but this is the first one that will actually lead to ads in radio and print. And, best of all, it was for NewPoint, the renewable energy company.

On Friday, I got to participate in the first internal for the campaign. That's the meeting where creatives present all their initial concepting. I can't even imagine being on the creative side of that meeting, presenting all these ideas only to see most of them trashed. But there were lots of great ideas, so I'm sure the ads will turn out well. We've got another internal tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to see how the ads have developed.

So, if you live in Austin or Houston, start listening and looking for NewPoint ads around mid-December.

Thrill Me

2006-11-13T09:28:00.000-06:00

While I'm on the topic of musicals...

I went to the Uptown Players production of "Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story" Saturday night not knowing what to expect. I'd studied "the thrill killers" in a psychology class in college and couldn't imagine what a musical about them might be like (in 1924, they killed a 14 year old boy for no reason). But I'd read the rave reviews of the Off-Broadway production and didn't want to miss my chance to see the show.

The show is really not about the crime so much as it's about the relationship between the killers, Nathan and Richard. Richard is the type of guy who can get just about anyone to do whatever he wants. Nathan describes his seductive personality in what is, perhaps, the best song of the show, "Everybody Wants Richard." Nathan seems to be a victim of Richard's charm. And, it's this relationship that makes the show so engaging.

The music is beautiful and completely haunting. It's relatively simple, with only two vocalists and a piano, but it's really been sticking with me a lot more than most musicals I've seen. "Everybody Wants Richard," "Nothing Like a Fire," and "Thrill Me" are my personal favorites.

Generally, when I see a musical I like, I get the cd and listen over and over again, singing along most of the time. As I watched this show, however, I found it hard to imagine repeatedly listening and singing along with songs based on the true story of two killers. But the music was so good, I couldn't leave the theatre without buying a copy. There's one song, "Plan," that I usually skip; it discusses the crime in more depth than I really care to think about. "Roadster," the song during which Nathan lures the victim to his car is perhaps even more haunting, but too good to skip everytime.

My last entry was about the failure of combining Nick Hornby with musical theatre, but this was an even more unlikely combination and it worked splendidly. It's truly amazing what talented artists can do with what seems like dreadful material.

High Fidelity musical

2006-11-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

As most people who read this blog already know, I really enjoy theatre, especially musicals. Some of you also know that I was a huge fan of the book High Fidelity.

When I heard a while back that High Fidelity was being adapted for Broadway, I didn't know what to think of it. I've read plenty of books that have been made into movies; that can go either way. But have never seen a musical that was based on a book that I read, with the exception of Jekyll and Hyde. Jekyll and Hyde worked largely, because there was so little correlation between the musical and the original text, but I knew that wouldn't be the case for High Fidelity.

Today, I found the show's website and saw a music video that they're using for promotion. I laughed... but not in a good way. One of my favorite things about musicals is how everything is ridiculously over-the-top and cheesy. But when they do that with material I already like, it just makes me cringe.

The video did one thing for me. It helped me to understand something I've never quite grasped: why some people don't like musicals.

Fertilizer

2006-11-02T14:09:00.000-06:00

Maybe I shouldn't admit it in such a public forum, but I was really disappointed when I was assigned to our new fertilizer client. Not only did it sound terribly boring, but it was hard for a treehugger like me to justify working for a client that produces chemicals for mass distribution and probably causes all kinds of pollution.

But I recently learned a lot more about the company. It's a huge company, and I don't know what all they do, but the part of the company that I work with is in a division of the industry known as controlled-release fertilizer (CRF). That means that their fertilizer products have a coating to prevent them from releasing their chemicals all at once. CRF requires fewer application (that means it requires less fuel) and produces less runoff. Increased environmental awareness and legislation actually drives demand for CRF, instead of reducing it.

So, I'm at peace with my job again. Yea!

A series of unrelated updates

2006-10-31T14:18:00.000-06:00

About a week and a half ago, I promised a new entry. I don't know why I made that promise. Ever since entering the real world and getting a 9-5 (actually, it's 8:30-5:30) job, I really haven't had much worth writing about. So, a few totally random things:

State Fair
About three weeks ago, Donnice and I went to the state fair with Carrie and Jessica. I hadn't been since middle school, and Donnice had never been. It was fun. We saw a lot of really disgusting things, like fried (insert just about anything here) and Marilyn Monroe made of butter. Shan Nanji was working at the car show; he tried to see me a Honda. The bird show was really cool. So was the card stacking. We all got some very happy news when Leslie called Jessica to say that she and Matt had gotten engaged.

Homecoming
A little over two weeks ago (was it really that recent?), I went to homecoming. It was really nice to see lots of people I had't seen in a while (some since the day Donnice and I got married). It was really awkward seeing other people who I never knew well, the ones who either felt compelled to speak to me or whom I felt compelled to speak to for some unknown reason. Most of the people who read this blog were there, so there's probably not much reason to keep writing about it.

Prius test drive
On Saturday, I test drove a Prius. Actually, I test drove two Prii, one touring edition and one standard. I was disappointed at how similar the two were; I had really believed that the touring edition would be smoother. However, they were both smoother and quieter that the Sentra, so that was nice. The wheels on the touring edition are much nicer; I might still get it even though the drive is pretty much the same. The Prius also has a really fun way of tracking the energy you use. You can see where the energy is coming from at any time. There are also lots of driving techniques you can use to improve the efficiency of your driving (as there are in any other car), and you can see how well your doing because it tells you how many miles per gallon your getting in five minute increments. I can't wait until I have my own!

Getting out of Uptown
Donnice and I are already planning our June/July move. We thought Uptown would be lots of fun, especially since we were in an apartment with two social gatherings a month. But everyone's so snooty! We went to a couple of the socials, and people were not at all friendly. Everytime we complain about Uptown to anyone, we here somthing about Lakewood and how Lakewood is the best place in Dallas. So, I think we're gonna move there when out lease ends.

The Prestige
Donnice and I saw the Prestige on Saturday night. Let me preface the rest of the story by saying: I never predict a movie's twist; I sometimes don't even understand what happened after they reveal the twist. But, in the Prestige, I knew what was happening the whole time. It wasn't like I had a guess about it that was confirmed when they revealed the twist at the end. When they revealed the twist at the end, I was still waiting for a twist because what they revealed seemed so obvious. I haven't heard this compaint from many other people. Did anyone else see this and know what was coming the whole time?

Studio 60
If you're no watching Studio 60, you should be. There is a rumor that it's being cancelled. I have no reason to believe the rumor (I haven't seen the rumor published in any credible sources), but it scared me nonetheless. Studio 60 may very well be the best show on television right now. It's funny. It's got smart dialogue and some decent commentary on the television industry. You should be watching it. It's on Mondays at 9pm.

A minor victory in the war against republican rhetoric

2006-10-31T14:15:00.001-06:00

The White House announced yesterday that Bush has finally given up on his ridiculous tagline, "stay the course." They finally realized that the slogan too clearly reflects the faults in their military strategy. In the words of press secratary Tony Snow, "it allowed critics to say, "Well, here's an administration that's just embarked upon a policy and not looking at what the situation is'..."

In other happy political news:

Bush is the only politician in the country who believes that Republicans will maintain control of the Senate and House.

Gas prices and unemployment are down, and the stock market is up. But no one is giving the republicans credit. Instead they're wisely focusing on the fact that workers are getting crap pay and no benefits and that too many people can't afford health care.

I wouldn't even pretend to have enough political savvy to play, but I think it kicks ass that someone has created a Fantasy Congress.

This one's not really political, but it makes me happy: Whole Foods is creating a "animal compassionate" label for meat from animals that were treated well up until their murder.