I was at the mall last nite trying to buy a coffee at Tim Horton's and the older gentleman in front of me was utterly hapless. He looked at the cash machine. $2.16? Reached for his pocket. Fumbled with some loose change. Looked at the machine again. $2.26? No, $2.16. Fumbled more with a bunch of dimes and quarters. Hands over the coins and then asked the cashier whether the amount given was correct. The man looks only to be a decade older than I and while I was waiting in line, the event disturbed me more than it irated.

On that same day, my coworkers and I were putting out fires. We hopped in and out of meetings to essentially fix mistakes that others had created; we were wiping people's asses. Sometime in the afternoon, we received devastating news that a client has backed out from a business engagement; necessitating further damage control and reassessment. To watch as an older gentleman was having difficulties accounting for rudimentary skills had me concerned with whether that was a glimpse of what's to come.

There was a scene in "Before Sunset" where Jesse's character mentioned to Celine of how as he grows older, he becomes more equipped to deal with situations but those problems change in a way that they become deeper and more complex. The anxiety I have stems from the fact that yes, the attempt is to sharpen that pencil and be "better"; but it's inevitable that things will plateau. It's a guarantee that pencil will ultimately become dull because you can't fight nature. I'm not sure how I'll be able to deal with that.

I was reading several Xangans’ blogs about things they felt that would lead to a long and happy marriage. I think if you’re under 20, you really have no right in making such assumptions. Fuck, triple that. I don’t think you have the right to make these assumptions even if and when you’re 60. And asking your friends – who have been married for several years – doesn’t count.

So exactly what do *I* think will lead to a successful marriage? Several years ago, my buddy’s wife told him she didn’t need a xmas gift from him. And he believed her. HE. BELIEVED. HER!!! Since then, he has learned his lesson and this is the lesson all men should understand if they want a marriage to last: The words coming out of your woman’s mouth are all lies! LIES, I TELL YOU! LIES!

Fuck, I deserve a Nobel for this.

At work there is a mentorship program set in place which pairs each employee to someone with a higher skillset in a relatively similar discipline. If I were to draw a comparison, it would be like pairing a chemist with a senior-level geneticist. The program was designed to help promote positive career-growth as well as encourage everyone to have a better understanding and insight into each person's individual contributions to the team.

I was telling Avis about this program a number of years ago when it first started and I was paired with my "mentor". I got the better end of the deal because HR easily found a fantastic mentor for me yet they couldn't find anyone adequate for him. Even then, the reason for this was clear: they couldn't find him a mentor because he was too talented to be where he was and it was only a matter of time before he'd leave. That's exactly what he did.

It's been a month since his departure from the company and already, there have been names floating around as to who would be my new mentor. Whoever is chosen, there are some big shoes to fill. If you have the ability to work in an environment that can support a type of apprenticeship program, I highly recommend fighting for it. If you're lucky enough to be paired with someone amazing, it could prove to be life-changing.

For obvious reasons






But wait.
There's an added surprise!
Looking at hot women
isn't just looking at hot women
when it turns out
she's in fact a "he".

Why Introverts Can Make The Best Leaders

I came across this article some time ago and didn't bother posting it up until just now. In it, the author makes reference to the idea that introverts are "the best" in leadership roles; better than extroverts. When I had first read this, something about it didn't make sense and I think it has mostly to do with the fact that she's making broad-based generalizations about the prototypical introvert.

In one of her arguments, she refers to extroverts as the "talk first, think later" type. This isn't indicative behavior inherent to extroverts. IDIOTS talk first, think later! Everyone is fully capable of being an idiot. As a counter argument to her article, I'd be more inclined to say that introverted leaders are good at specific lead roles; but not the best at all. Leaders are individuals who need to constantly deal with people and this has always been the crux for introverts.

What I'm more interested in investigating is duplicity and leadership. There are people who are highly introverted, but when put into a lead role, the extrovert comes out. I've been in far too many meetings where quiet, introverted individuals walk into a room and own it. I can only assume they're somehow able to pull a level confidence from inside themselves and harness it when needed.

If that is indeed the case, I'd like to know how that shit is done.