Pink plus or minus.

Stream of Consciousness

Hello, my friends. Pink Plus Or Minus, I’ve missed you. Frankly, it hasn’t been for lack of topics to explore. Rather, it’s been an overwhelming schizophrenic stream of consciousness in the midst of a chaotic life of business building and child rearing. For those with kids, you will recognize the frenetic pace life takes this time of year with Halloween parties, fall celebrations and all sorts of school events. (In case you were wondering, Julius was a “Ninja Pirate” and Josi was a “Tiger Dog”). Excuses aside, this past week I’ve mentally sat down and banged out blog entries on the following topics:

1) Snow. It’s dumped about 18 inches in the past few days. Kids loved it. Even had a snow day last Thursday. It’s melting now. And 65. People are out in shorts and T-shirts. Denver is weird. Just goes to show the only real constant really is change.

2) The Blind. Related in some way to snow, I was inspired to wax on about the community of blind people who live in our apartment complex. When I was in college, I had a part time gig reading to the blind. It was in upstate NY so it snowed…a lot. And the snow was the worst enemy for the blind. Many times I found myself leading my blind friend through giant snow drifts. We once ran through a blizzard so as not to miss the opening of Mahler’s 9th. Running with a blind person in tow through a snowstorm gives a whole new appreciation for trust. And why he trusted me, I’ll never know. I was reckless.

3) Overheard in the Newsroom. Part of this week included a dive into this Facebook fangroup. Anyone who either is in the media or who deals with the media on a regular basis has to read this. It’s freakin’ hilarious with such gems as: #2078: Editor: “Doing a good job here is like peeing your pants in a dark suit — you get a warm feeling but no one else notices.” ‘Nuff said.

4) The Phillies. I never really dare to hope that they might pull out the dawn of a dynasty winning back-to-back World Series. Especially given the impending doom that seems to be in the form of pinstripes and nameless backs. But hope springs eternal in the heart of a forlorn fan. We might just be bracing for the comeback of the millennium. And the millennium has only just begun.

5) Gated communities. Don’t climb the fence even if the shortcut will save you a mile of hiking. It’s just not worth the attitude.

6) Industry professional groups. If you are wondering why there are so many people showing up for your events these days, it’s not because you are any more interesting. It’s because everyone is unemployed. And desperate.

It is this latter category of random thoughts that brings me to today’s excursion. A trip to my very first Job Fair. I’ve been fascinated to see how many people are cobbling together a tapestry of a career from random freelance gigs and the occasional longer contract. Some folks really love it. They like the tightrope lifestyle and the flexibility. Most folks want a steady paycheck. (See, increased attendance at industry professional group events). I want to check out the Denver Job Fair today because I want to see who shows up. I think it will be crowded. And I think there will be more than a handful of professional-level career hunters out there willing to take an hourly gig just to pay the mortgage. Because while there is a lot of hope out there for a rebound in our economy, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of faith. In other words, we’d like to think things are getting better but no one really seems to think it is.

I’m hoping to be wrong. I think self-defeating attitudes are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Think you will lose, and you will. And we’ve never been a nation of losers.

Right now, it’s time to explore the Job Fair. Here’s hoping it’s a place where Hope, not Despair, rules the day.