Put it in WRITING!

Hello Dear Readers!
I am still on the brink in many ways. I spoke to my contact at the employer today and he casually assured me that the only thing left for them to put together is the only thing I care about- THE WRITTEN OFFER! I am now a master at feigning nonchalance. I must have said about five words during the entire conversation to avoid inadvertently revealing my desperation. HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT THIS JOB MEANS TO ME. And so it should be.

This experience would make a great short film. I need to write down my ideas so I can write and produce it one day.
Talk to you soon!

And the Winner is...

What a week. I have intentionally remained silent since my last post because I hoped to provide you with an exciting career update several days ago. The wait continues. To describe my current state of mind, picture an Academy Award nominee in the moments before the winning name is announced. The cameras are locked in. The smile is in place. The envelope is open. What happens in the next few moments can be life changing.
I have been suspended there for the last five days...

I can't wait to let you know how it ends!

Talk to you soon.

The End is Near - in a Good Way:)

Hello Dear Readers,
Just stopping in to say that the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind on the job search front. I will post more very soon when I can give a complete report! The end is near...!

In other news, I took the Jeopardy! online test today. The test is offered once a year and is the first step toward making an appearance on the show. That was no joke. There are 50 questions and you have 15 seconds to type in a response to each. I didn't prepare at all because I didn't really know where to begin. After taking the test, I realized that I need to brush up on literature, art and geography for any future attempts. They didn't give me my score, but I doubt I'll be getting a phone call for this go round;)

I have also been diligently working offline on ways to enhance this blog. More to come on that front later!

Stay tuned!

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit! There are 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac and each year the Chinese calendar cycles through a different one.   This year is particularly special to me because I happen to be a rabbit baby.  Check out what the Chinese Cultural Center in San Francisco has to say about people born in the Year of the Rabbit:

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise.

Click here to find out what your birth animal says about you.  I'm told by the folks at the Chinese school my children attend that Chinese New Year is the cultural equivalent to Christmas in China.  We attended an area celebration last weekend and enjoyed live music, dancing and beautiful costumes.  My favorite part was getting both of my sons' names in Mandarin painted on a piece of  paper.  I plan to frame them.  My least favorite part was the food.  Surprisingly, REAL Chinese food is not nearly as appetizing  as Americanized Sesame "Chicken."

Enjoy the new New Year!  At the rate our country's relationship with China is going, we may all be celebrating this holiday in the future whether we want to or not:)

"Famous"

I recognized myself in a song today.  I wish I could say it was an inspirational song of praise by Chris Tomlin or a feel good anthem by India Arie, but it was neither.  The artist, Jazmine Sullivan, is an amazing talent- her smoky voice reminds me of a cross between Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige.  I have become a great fan of her music.  Her style is never clean and pretty, but it is always honest.

Her latest gem is a song called simply, “Famous.” Click here to review the lyrics and hear the song before you read on. I was initially drawn in by the raw beauty of her vocals on the chorus but the lyrics are a powerful commentary on our culture of self.  On its face the song is the artist’s confessional declaration that she is driven  by the promise of celebrity.  Jazmine sings,

No one wants to be invisible
Everyone just wants to be seen.
I know one thing is so irresistible
Cause we all need a reason to be.

In hearing those words, I thought about the exploding popularity of Twitter and Facebook and our societal obsession with telling anyone who will listen about the mundane details of our lives through tweets and status updates.  I thought about the implied influence that correlates with a high number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, blog subscribers/followers, linkedin connections etc. I thought about the willingness of people to video themselves participating in  everything from brutal bullying attacks to having sex and post it on youtube to be viewed by the world.

I wanna matter to the world.

Although I have never aspired to the kind of household name fame that Jasmine will certainly achieve, her words resonate with my own desire to be known. As she sang the chorus, I reflected on my feelings of validation whenever I post an opinion on Facebook (or this blog) and someone else posts a comment endorsing my perspective.  I remembered all the times I’ve called some public figure a “nobody” because they are not a member of my mental “A-list.”  I considered my dream of writing a bestselling novel and my plan to build the readership of this blog as a platform for that project.  I thought about all of the blogs and books I read about building my personal "brand." 

I share these thoughts with trepidation. I know my true purpose  is to point others to Christ in all I do and I am concerned that the connection I feel to this song reveals that I have been contaminated by self.  I'm honestly not sure how to feel about the way I feel.  Is it wrong to be passionate about something (in my case, writing) and want to be known for my ability to do it well? Is the virtuous mind one that only seeks to achieve excellence for its own sake?

What do you think Dear Readers? Can you relate?  

The Month in Review- January 2011 Edition

Image courtesy of handheldmuseum.com

January 2011 is almost officially in the books. This is the time of year when most of us begin to reclassify our bold resolutions as mere goals for the year ahead.  "I will exercise every day" turns into, "I will lose 10 pounds."  One is action oriented, the other is aspirational.

My overarching theme these year is "Excellence is Deliberate."  That means that in every area of my life where excellence is desired, my actions must be intentional.  Here's a quick update on this month's progress toward my goals.


On the financial front:  I started a 12 week Financial Freedom class at a local church that provides an excellent overview on topics like debt management, budgeting, insurance, investing, retirement planning and more.  I have already updated several of our insurance needs and begun the painful task of facing our financial situation realistically.  My goal for February is to meet in person with a financial expert for some specific advice on our situation.

On the career front:  It has now been 21 days since my final interview for a job I have been pursuing for the last seven months.  I just got an email  yesterday requesting further information. Getting this job has become a crucial ingredient in our recipe for financial success in 2011. I know that they have NO IDEA how badly I need this position.   Sometimes in moments of doubt (usually when funds are short), I imagine my coffee stained  resume crumpled in the corner of the managing partner's desk while he discusses everything but an offer with my name on it.  He's probably sitting there talking about the Super Bowl right now. UGH. 

My head is telling me to just shake it off and start actively pursuing job opportunities elsewhere again. My heart is saying, just stick it out a few more weeks.  My finances are demanding that I do both.  Fortunately, I updated several versions of my resume this month so I can begin to immediately start seeking other opportunities this week.

On the Blog front:  First of all, thanks for reading!!  I am starting to see an increase in blog traffic and it's always great to hear from readers through comments. Please take the time to comment on any and every post!! In January I finally realized the cathartic power of blogging through my life experiences.  There is much more to come.  This past weekend I spent several hours exploring interesting blogs around the web.  One of my favorites is bloggingforbranding.com.  It is authored by a young black woman named Rosetta Thurman who is also the creator of a  cool blog called happyblackwoman.com.  Both blogs are well written and provide great information and inspiration for the blogging novice and/or budding entrepreneur.  I love the fact that Ms. Thurman quit her job in 2009 to start a consulting business and she hasn't looked back since.  Awesome!!!     I have signed up to take her 31 days to a brand new blog challenge starting February 1, 2011.  Stay tuned for big improvements:)

Gotta run,

Rethinking Segregation as a Bad Word...

Today I had a great conversation with a friend about the unique educational challenges facing black children today.  We agreed to begin meeting on a regular basis to provide enrichment opportunities in math, science and cultural awareness for our children.  I am so excited!

Later, I saw the following story online and thought I'd share it with you.




I think they're on to something with the idea of pairing black mentors with black kids.  One of the most frustrating aspects of my oldest son's current school is that there is ZERO racial diversity among the staff.  The only black adult faces he sees all day are the janitorial crew that clean the school at the end of the day.  There are also no male teachers- honestly, I am OK with that at the kindergarten level.  I am going to begin searching for the research in support of a single sex, single race environment for black students- particularly males.   If there was a school with that demographic profile near me, I would enroll my son in a heartbeat. I have no fear that he will be unable to engage other cultures. Here is a link to a charter school in Illinois that I admire called Urban Prep.

To read more of my thoughts on education click here and here for previous posts.

Excellence is Deliberate! I believe that and so should you.

Until next time,