Cobwebs from the Attic

Here I sit, early on a Wednesday morning in the Guitarsenal listening to Kevin Smith’s Smodcast.  It’s appropriate that I’m listening to Smodcast.  Let me tell you why…

If you think the name Kevin Smith sounds familiar, it does.  No, it’s not the name you used on your fake I.D. when you were in high school.  Kevin Smith is the independent film director.  He directed many films, most famously are the titles of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II.  So you are probably asking yourself, what the hell is Smodcast and what does it have to do with a film director. 

Well, Kevin has reinvented himself.  He’s doing a couple more movies and putting away his director’s chair.  A few years he started Smodcast with long-time friend/uber-producer Scott Mosier. (who also had his hands in the movies listed above – as producer and actor)  Kevin has been spending more time talking about himself and his films more than he has been creating them.  It seems that he found a new niche for himself, and that is the world of podcasting.  Several years after the initial Smodcast, Kevin has created an entire podcast network featuring many folks from his View Askew films as well as some newcomers. 

Why I feel that this is significant to me is that I find myself trying to reinvent my career.  As mentioned before, I was layed off (or is it laid off) from a career in the telecom industry.  The job itself had been getting more frustrating by the day.  I had continuously considered many plans/thoughts/schemes to break away from the monotony of that 9-5 job.  I was miserable.  So in some ways the layoff was a blessing in disguise.  It was the kick in the ass to start a new career.

Fast forward to today.  I’m sitting in my Guitarsenal (guitar room / office) and aside from taking time out to write this, I’ve been considering plans moving forward with my new career direction.  Which career is this, you ask?  Well, I’ve been trying to do band management / booking.  I’ve been working with a couple of bands to book shows and create a buzz.  Whether this turns out to be a lucrative endeavour still remains to be seen, but I am entusiastic about the future.

Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. 

P.S. – Thanks Kev!

After 18 years I find myself looking for a job.  Yes, outsourcing sucks but there’s nothing I can do about it.  The decisions were made by people that are paid way more than I am to make these decisions.  Now I find myself at a crossroads…  Do I try to find a gig with my present employer, or do I seek a fresh start elsewhere, or probably most likely – both.

So as I find myself seeking employment I happened to stumble across a job fair being hosted by the Chicago Wolves.  I’ve never been to a job fair before so going in I’m kinda frightened.  Despite that I decided to give it a try.  (the ticket to the game helped my decision too)  other points of contention are the facts that a) I’ve only worked in the telecom industry and b) I left college early to work in said telecom industry.  But despite that, I feel that this is an opportune time to try and branch out.  The two industries I’m looking to break into – sports and musical instrument manufacturing.

Leading up to the fair I looked at a couple websites to try and get an idea of what to expect.  Alas they really were of no help.  They did give me some pointers on my actions, but nothing I hadn’t heard before and nothing on what to expect.

The day of the fair I get up, shower, and head out to get – in the parlance of Billy Gibbons – my sideburns lowered, and if time permits grab some lunch.  All of this is predicated on the notion that the fair begins at 2:30.  So I get out, do the haircut, and on my way back I make the decision to stop and grab a burger and fries on the way home. 

When I get home I wolf down lunch, print my resume, load my phone with a few Smodcasts (I’ve been on a big Kevin Smith kick lately), and I get dressed.  All in time to be only 10 minutes late for the deadline I set for myself to get out the door.  However, this deadline has some padding built into it.  So I am headed out to the Allstate Arena for the job fair. When I get there I pull into the arena parking lot and park the car.  I don’t see anyone gathering like I expected.  I get out of the car and grab my book bag.  (which contains my resumes and my jersey for the game)  I walk over to the room where the fair is to be held.  Doors are locked.  I walk over to the box office to inquire about the job fair.  Turns out that I’m more than a couple hours early.

I’m a little more than embarassed.   I guess it’s time to make some calls.  The first is to my wife.  She confirms that I’m in fact quite early.  The second is to check the voice mail in my office.  Not sure why I did check it – nobody ever calls me – but I had some time to kill.  So I decided to walk over to the target adjacent to the arena.   There I did some browsing and I picked up some printer ink. (ran out of ink when I printed my resumes)  Then I went back to the car and charged up my phone.

After the phone was charged, I walked over to a Starbucks Coffee for a bottle of water.  After that, I headed back to my car and made a few more calls.   After some time passed, I noticed some folks were gathering in front of the doors to go in for the fair.  So I grabbed my book bag and walked over and waited about another half hour before  I registered.

I get into the fair and the first thing I do is walk over to the Chicago Wolves’ table.  Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it wasn’t, but I decided to go full disclosure.  I told the lady at the table that I am at my very first job fair and I honestly don’t know how they work.  She gave me a brief primer and then we talked about some positions possibly open with the Wolves.  And then I was on my way to browse all of the other teams and companies that had set up there at the fair. 

At the fair were the Bears, Wolves, Atlanta Thrashers, Cubs, Chicago Fire, and a handful of minor league baseball teams.  I checked out a handful of other teams after the Wolves and the first thing all of them said was that they weren’t hiring.  This frustrated me beyond belief.  Why bother showing up for a job fair if you have no jobs to offer?  So I made my way over to the bar in the corner of the room and had a glass of water.  (they weren’t serving alcohol, if they had been I probably would have had a few shots of Jameson)  So, at that point I decided to leave.

A little dejected and with a bit of time to kill.  I went back to the car, dropped off my bag and walked over to a Chili’s and had a few beers before the game.

All-in-all the fair itself was intimidating and very disappointing.  Will I do one again?  Hard to say.  But I guess this is definitely a wake up call for my job search.

Well, after 18 years with my current employer I am being moved out of the business. 

I’ve gone through a few emotions in a short timespan.  The first emotion is depression.  I am depressed that I am losing a source of income.  The next is anger.  I am angry about the way that the news was broken to me. (via e-mail and then a conference call)    Now, I am contemplative and near calm.  I am near calm because I have to purge my head of panic, doubt, and fear so I can focus on the future.  I am contemplative because my next few steps could lead to a happier world/life for me.

So my current situation is that my position was moved to an overseas contractor.  As much as I don’t want to use this phrase, I am a victim of offshoring.  The reason I don’t want to use that phrase is that I really don’t consider myself to be a “victim”.  At the risk of offending anyone who has been victimized by a criminal offense, I’ll refrain from any feeble attempts at defining the word.  However I refuse to think that I am in such an unfortunate situation.

This is the hand that fate has dealt me.  My challenge is for me to find gainful employment either in a different department with my current employer or with a different company.  Maybe it’s a sign from above to push me into seeking employment in the music field.  This is something that I’ve been toying with/dreaming about for my entire life and moreso over the past few years.  I see this as a motivational scenario to move forward with these plans and dreams. 

How will I do it?  I really am not entirely sure.  What I am sure of is that I will give it my best.

Just a short note to test my ability to write from my phone.  This may enable me to write more or just be a kitschy app on my phone I won’t use.  Only time will tell…

Recently, the big controversey in Chicago has been a meeting between the Chicago Police Department and gang leaders in Chicago.  The purpose of the meeting was CPD stating to gang leaders to knock it off or pay the price.  Basically, the current rash of gang-related murders has the CPD trying some interesting tactics.

Monday, on WGN radio, Bob Sirott had Alderman Bob Fioretti on the show. Fioretti was blasting Chicago Police Superintendant Jody Weiss over the meeting. His claim was that the Chicago Police should not be “negotiating with urban terrorists”.  

OK, I agree with his statement.  However… In the whole scheme of things, I do not see a negotiation taking place. I see the CPD laying things out on the table, issuing a warning that the gang leaders had better watch their P’s and Q’s. To me, a negotiation means that each person walked away from the table with something. I guess if you consider being told that you’re on “double secret probation” means you got something, then OK. But, I don’t.

One the statements by Fioretti in his arguments was that the CPD had never negotiated with gangsters. He even was so bold as to mention that the CPD didn’t even negotiate with Capone. Being an amateur student of the Outfit, I have to call shenannigans on Fioretti’s comment.

First of all, Capone’s Outfit very rarely hurt any innocent by-standers. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head were from the St.Valentines Day Massacre. Reinhart Schwimmer, who was an optician with a gangster obsession, and John May, who was a mechanic at the SMC Cartage Company. For the most part the murders were between the gangs only and in that time period, most of the public preferred that they killed each other. Today, there are a lot of innocent victims.

Another thing that Fioretti didn’t think of when he brought Capone into the argument was that for the most part Capone owned the CPD. That boat had sailed as far as negotiations were concerned.  Then, a little more obscurely, I can remember at least one other “negotiation” between law enforcement and the Chicago Outfit. FBI Agent William F. Roemer detailed a negotiation in one of his books with Outfit boss Tony Accardo to keep each other’s families out of the crosshairs.

So Fioretti needs to learn some history before he starts yapping again.  Better yet, he should just shut up and let Weiss do what he can do to try and bring the murders to an end.

This is a moment that I’ve waited several years for. Since I first became a hockey/Blackhawks fan in 1993, I’ve wanted to watch this team achieve success. I was in the United Center when there were 5,000 or less people there. Even after the band-wagoneers decided it was time to go to a Blackhawks game, I was there. I have brought many people into enjoying the sport on a regular basis, including my wife and her family.

I was disappointed in the fact that I didn’t get the day off during the rally/parade, but I did see the parade and I did watch part of the rally online here in the office. Maybe it was just as well, with the heat and my emotions, it was probably best I was tucked away in my cube.

So, now the off-season begins. I look forward to the draft and the Blackhawks Convention. At some point I expect to be in the presence of Lord Stanley himself.

As I close this chapter on the 2009-2010 NHL season, all I really have to say is…

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

For the last couple of years I have been going to lunch at a place over on LaSalle St. across the street from City Hall called Garden Village. It had a dubious history of being the former location of Counselors Row. Counselors Row was the restaurant where First Ward Boss and Outfit honcho Pat Marcy not only held court, but was caught on tape violating RICO statutes. I started going to Garden Village when I was reading Robert Cooley’s book “When Corruption Was King”. Cooley was the attorney that they wired to nab Marcy.

Anyway, last week Garden Village closed their doors. I was forced to find a new place to grab lunches. Luckily, there was always an alternative less than a block away. On Washington, in the Burnham Building, there’s a similar place called Delmonico. I’ve taken to going there for lunch.

So, today, I crossed LaSalle to City Hall and I notice a security agent standing by the door. I figured someone important was in the building or would be arriving, so as I turn to walk to Washington, a car pulls up, and out comes Mayor Daley! Now, I am a Daley supporter. I may not agree with everything he does or supports, but I feel that he and his father represent what this town is about. So, I support him.

So, as the Mayor walks past me towards the entrance to City Hall, I look him in the eye to greet him. He stops me and next thing I know, we’re talking Blackhawks! (Luckily I wore my jersey and my hat today!) He mentions how tough tonight’s game will be, I agree and relay the story about the Montreal journalist whose car was trashed when he was in Philadelphia covering their series with the Canadiens. (story) He was a little shocked to hear that. I then said, that no matter what, tonight’s game is going to be brutal! He agreed and then I said, the best way to counter it was to give Eager and Burish a bit more ice time. He agreed with that as well.  We then wished each other a good day and we went our separate ways.

Maybe I’m a sucker for a historical politician, but honestly, for me, that was a pretty cool encounter!

What else is there to say? The Chicago Blackhawks have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m giddy as a little girl — in a hockey jersey.

The rock world was somewhat shocked by the loss of one of the best voices in rock/metal. 

Ronnie James Dio was a diminutive man in stature, but he was a vocal giant.  He lost his battle with cancer on Sunday.  I was somewhat surprised.  Publicly, he spoke with confidence that he would beat it.  Now I see what pure bravery looks like.

Being a guitar player, if one were to think that I wasn’t affected by his passing that person couldn’t be more wrong.  Ronnie’s music from his solo career permeated my musical life.  It wasn’t until later that I discovered his Rainbow and Black Sabbath catalog.  But many, many hours were dedicated to listening to his music. 

Holy Diver and Last In Line were some of my very first cassettes.  When I was in my early teens, I remember walking around my hometown of Griffith, Indiana with my tape player, listening my Dio tapes.  While walking to my destination I would daydream about being on a stage right next to Ronnie playing the guitar.

Even before that, I remember being in Troy Farrell’s basement watching Dio: Live at the Spectrum on VHS.  While we talked about being rock stars when we grew up. (Troy is now living the life, me… I’m still in the midwest.  No complaints though.  Life is what you make of it.)

While Ronnie is no longer physically on this Earth, his spirit and memory will carry on in the hearts of rock/metal fans all over the world.

Over the last couple of weeks I think that I’ve made some decisions that will have a big impact on my life. 

First and foremost (and the reason for the title) I have started training for one of the multiple events here in Chicago that involve stairs.  The event that I originally chose was the “Hustle up the Hancock” where participants will climb the stairs of the John Hancock Center from the ground floor all the way to the observation deck.  (94 flights)  During one of my Weight Watchers meetings, the group leader suggested that I involve myself in an event that will happen this fall. (the Hustle is in February)  This event will happen at the Willis Tower.  Don’t know what the Willis Tower is?  You might know it by it’s former name, the Sears Tower.  Yes, I’m training to take on 103 flights of stairs in November.

Here’s some building facts.

•  The Willis Tower is located at 233 S. Wacker Drive in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop.
• The building houses some of the city’s largest corporations and prominent companies covering the financial services, legal and insurance industries, to name a few. 
• The Willis Tower’s 4.56 million gross square feet would cover 105 acres if spread across one level. This is the equivalent of 16 city blocks in Chicago.
• Within the building, there are 25 miles of plumbing, 1,500 miles of electric wiring, 80 miles of elevator cable and 145,000 light fixtures.
• The building weighs more than 222,500 tons and it cost more than $175 million to build.
• The Willis Tower’s structural framing consists of steel columns and beams in a “mega-module” system consisting of nine modules.
• The building features a high-speed 104-car elevator system divided into three zones for efficient transportation.
• Every year, more than 1.3 million visitors enjoy aerial views of Chicago from Skydeck Chicago, 103 floors up the Willis Tower.
• Now, Skydeck Chicago visitors can literally put the city at their feet. This summer, the Tower opened The Ledge, four glass-bottomed, enclosed balconies that extend 4.3 feet to the west, providing unobstructed views (1,353 feet straight down) over Wacker Drive and the Chicago River.
• On a clear day, Willis Tower highest office views can reach nearly 50 miles.
• The Tower contains approximately 3.8 million rentable square feet (“RSF”) including approximately 159,000 RSF of retail space.
• The building opened in 1973.
• On July 16, 2009, the building was renamed Willis Tower. A global insurance broker, Willis Group Holdings, has made the building home of its new Midwest Region headquarters.

And that’s not even the biggest.  There’s another climb in what is known as Presidential Towers, a 4-building structure on Chicago’s west side that I hear is pretty gruelling.  That’s 4 separate 40-story buildings.  I plan on doing that one as well.

Besides the tower climbs I have also begun to think of my musical knowledge as lacking.  I’ve often carried a lack of confidence in what I know as a guitarist and guitar tech.  Last week I started taking lessons again to fill the holes in my knowledge and playing. 

All of this is geared towards helping me build my confidence and self-esteem.  Lately I’ve been feeling pretty good about my progress in the realm of weight loss. (and 75+ lbs is nothing to sneeze at)  However with that progress brings questions.  Such as, when the pounds come off, what will life be like?  And what’s next?

To help myself answer those questions in time, these events and classes are designed to help me find out what to do with the “new me”.