The Dow Is Up!

Recently, I got a call from M&S, the place I used to intern. I wrote about that whole decision and whether or not I should go back and intern there again. Well, I decided to go for it. I know, you were all holding your breath in anticipation of my decision. I talked to the HR lady on Wednesday and found out that they'd be doubling my pay! Yay! Now my pay is almost respectable, yet still less than what I made 9 years ago when I graduated college. But it's more than I was making a week ago.

I also asked about the new management team and who's left from the old office. She started naming names, none of which I cared about. I noticed that she didn't say "Rick." So I asked if Rick and Prick were still there. She laughed and said no. I laughed and said I'd take the job. So apparently, the ineptness of the Ricks wasn't obvious to just me. Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one who thinks people are inept since I'm shrewd judge of character. (In other words, I'm a big jerk.) It's nice to know that occassionally, people agree with me. But as the old saying goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Just hours after I told M&S I'd be coming back to work for them, I got a call from CNA, which is a rather large insurance company downtown. They want to have a phone "interview" on Wednesday, my first day of work at M&S. I don't really know what position this "interview" is for, so it might just be more of a "get-to-know-you" than an actual interview. Whatever it is, at least they're calling.

And in 30 minutes, I have a lunch downtown with a guy from JP Morgan (a large bank, in case you live in a cave). Hopefully, he can help find me some sort of a job, or at least put my resume in front of the right people. So who knows, I might end up with a pretty solid job when I graduate after all. Better late than never, I suppose.

Today I had lunch with one of my professors, JB. (I think I used to refer to him as JJ, but now I realize that someone has to actually READ my blog to make anonymity work.) Anyway, JB is a former investment banker. A very successful one, at that. He's now a professor here at UIC. He's simply the best professor I've ever had. He stimulates thought in class, and he's a really nice guy out of class too. He's one of those guys that if you spend 10 minutes with him, you understand why he's made millions of dollars.

On a side note, JB's wife is also a former investment banker. She just retired after 20 years at Goldman Sach's. She left as a Managing Director. I'm guessing she was pulling down several million dollars a year. So, here's a couple of 40-somethings worth about $20 million (I'm guessing, and I'm probably low), living in a sweet-ass condo across from the Lincoln Park zoo. Good thing I went into actuarial work instead of investment banking. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Anyway.

I had lunch with JB today to discuss jobs for me after I graduate in May. It was a thought-provoking discussion and it might even lead to a job. JB has plenty of business contacts and can hopefully leverage them into some sort of employment for me. But that wasn't the interesting part of the lunch today. As it turns out, JB is thinking about leaving UIC. And I got the scoop straight from him today.

I found out about a week ago that he might be leaving for U of I in Urbana or Emory (in Atlanta). In either place, he'd be taking more responsibility for executive development and building a network with the business community. I found this out from Michele, the MBA director. When I mentioned this to JB, he got very interested and started asking me all sorts of questions. It turns out that Michele is just the ASSISTANT director. They fired the executive director a couple of years ago and never replaced him. Michele has assumed his responsibilities and has been running the MBA program like she's the executive director.

What makes things even MORE interesting is that JB himself was considered for the assistant director position. And according to him, several staff members believe that he should be the executive director. So, when Michele told me that she doesn't feel like JB is pulling his weight, she might be saying that because she's afraid that JB will demand that he become the executive director if he's to stay at UIC.

So, this was sort of my indoctrination into the seamy world of university politics. I feel trapped in the middle because both JB and Michele have been telling me things. At least now, I understand their motivations a little better. And frankly, all I care about is which one of them is going to get me a job in 3 months.

I have a frequent problem when it comes to music. I find out about a band. I think they're just absolutely awesome. I buy a few albums. I start checking out websites. I look into seeing them in concert. Then I find out that they just broke up. Or, even worse, they've been broken up for years. Or, still worse yet, they're all dead. (Honestly, why didn't anybody tell me about this Elvis Presley guy? He's awesome. If you haven't heard any of his music, you might want to check him out.)

Today, I turned on At The Drive-In's Relationship of Command. It's an awesome punk/rock/metal album. I don't even know how to describe it. Good thing I don't write record reviews for a living. It's just an extremely fast-paced album of head-bopping, fist-pumping music. Beavis and Butthead would have loved it. The singer's got a bit of a weird voice, but I really dig that for some reason. Perhaps it's because I can't sing for shit. (As witnessed by my renditions of Johnny Cash's "Folsum Prison Blues" and Steve Miller's "Space Cowboy" this Saturday on karaoke at Gatsby's. In the distance, I could hear dogs howling.)

I started listening to ATDI a few years ago. I really dug them and started getting into their earlier stuff. I decided to go see them in concert. My luck! They were coming to the Metro. I was trying to find people to see them with me, but nobody was biting. Perhaps if I didn't describe them like I did above, somebody might have gone. I should have said they do Pearl Jam covers all night or something. Anyway, as I was about to buy tickets, I read something on Pitchfork saying that they broke up! Just my luck! (They've since split into The Mars Volta (sucky) and Sparta (pretty solid), by the way.)

A very similar thing happened with Face to Face. Solid punk rock band that broke up right after I got into them. Of course, they got together for a "final" tour, but they pissed me off too much for me to attend. It might have something to do with the baby I had at home too, but that's besides the point.

Then there's bands that I came upon way too late, like Rocket From The Crypt. Their album Scream, Dracula, Scream! is one of the best albums I've heard since Pearl Jam's Ten. Just a rock solid arena-punk album. Think Green Day with talent AND good songs. And I like Green Day. Anyway, RFTC just follows bands like Husker Du (top 5 favorite band of all time) and the Pixies (also, top 5) who I discovered after they broke up. Fortunately, the Pixies reunited last year. It was absolutely the best concert I've ever been to. I can't explain how much I loved that band. Every time I listened to their albums, I lamented how I'd never be able to see them in concert. I just about peed my pants when I found out they were touring again. And at the concert? Well, let's just say that I was wearing Depends.

Other bands that I got into after they broke up? Archers of Loaf (again, top 5), Police, Johnny Cash (RIP), Rage Against the Machine (well, I think I barely beat the break-up), the Rolling Stones (they're all dead, right? They can't still be performing), and the Beatles.

I guess the good news is that there are still a lot of cool bands out there nowadays that I could conceivably see live, if I can find the time, the money, and the energy. Sleater-Kinney (also, top 5) is still rocking hard. (You know, I've named 4 of my top 5. Who's the last one? Dropkick Murphy's? Foo Fighters? Nirvana? Rage? The Stones? I guess it depends on my mood.)

But now that I've put together my 90's playlist, I realize that I'm getting old. I just way too defined by the music of the 80's and 90's. And it's inevitable that those bands that I love will break up and stop putting out albums and touring. If it can happen to the Rolling Stones, it can happen to any band.

Last year, I had an internship doing business valuations for a small, small, small company, who I'll refer to as M&S. There were 10 people in the office (though a few were always on the road). It was run by a guy named John. Under him, there were 2 Ricks, who I affectionately referred to as Rick and Prick. ("Prick", by the way, is short for "Polish Rick," but it works just as well by itself.) In May, John left and took all the clients with him. Since M&S had no work for me, I left in June. Well, now they're asking me to come back and be an intern for them again. And I don't know what to do.

On the plus side, I'd have a job. I haven't had one in 9 months. And it's driving me crazy. I'm not meant to stay at home. Mostly because I'm not good at keeping the house clean. But also because I love being around people. It's how I "recharge." Staying at home just drives me nuts. Not that I don't love spending time with my son. I just wish I didn't have to do it so much.

That said, I think I'd rather spend every hour of every day for the rest of my life with my son rather than work with Rick and Prick again. Rick is a racist with an anger-management problem. Prick is a moron who can't stop talking. He's one of those guys that literally doesn't know when the conversation ended. There were several times I was talking to him that I would just turn my back and start working on my computer, and Prick would just keep on talking.

The problem is that I don't know if Rick and Prick are still there. Apparently, the office is under "new management." I need to find out what exactly that means. Because if one or more of the Ricks are gone, it might not be a bad place to work.

Another problem is that it doesn't pay very well. Last time, I got paid $10 an hour. Which is about how much we paid daycare to watch Luke while I was working. So basically, I was working for nothing. When I left in June, I was promised $15 an hour (with no work to do, which might explain why they have new management). If I can get $15-20 an hour, it might be worth it. But only barely.

There are several other reasons to work there. I'd be hooked up to a computer all day. (Not literally, of course. Weirdo.) Given their office setup, I'd be able to get a lot of school work done while I'm supposed to be doing office work. Probably more work than I'm able to get at home with Luke pestering me all day. Then again, I'd get to watch a lot less of The Price is Right. Although now that we have TiVo, that problem can be remedied.

I think the biggest reason I'm thinking about going back there is because I'm worried about finding a job when I graduate. And I know that they'd let me keep interning there after I graduate. That's a sort of insurance that would help me sleep at night. The big concern would be whether they'd let me miss work to go on interviews. Given their lax attitudes last time I worked there, I don't think this will be a problem.

One of the other advantages is that I'd have a normal schedule again. Like I mentioned in my last post, I have a little OCD problem. Or as my friend in Worcester, MA (I think I'll call her The Wooster) says, I might have OCPD (where the "P" stands for "Personality"). (By the way, Wooster, I was joking about having OCD. But now you make me think I have OCPD. This is not going to help me in any way.) My point is that it drives me nuts when I don't have a schedule in my life. Not that I necessarily have to follow the schedule. But I like knowing that I have to wake up at 7:00, be out the door at 8:00, start working at 8:30, hate myself until 5:00, and then go home.

And the final advantage to working at M&S? I'd be able to write my blog a whole lot more. Of course, most of my posts would be about the annoying things that Rick and/or Prick have done. But that's high comedy. And I don't see how I can possibly pass on that.

So, in short, it looks like I've just talked myself into working at M&S again. I have to check on the Rick/Prick situation, the hours I'm expected to work, the pay rate, and the flexibility on interviewing. But I think I might be able to work something out. And I'm sure I'll hate my job within the first 2 weeks and want to quit. Finally, I'll feel like an adult again.