Um, so yeah...

Internets, you know how you sometimes get into conversations and can't extract yourself and you end up sort of staring awkwardly at the person you're talking to? And they stare back at you with a sort of expectant expression on their face? But no one says anything and it's so strange and you question your social skills?

Well last night was like that.

I represented The Corporation at an event where eager MBA students were looking for jobs, internships, insight into getting a job, etc. My co-worker and I stood behind a table and enthusiastically greeted each student that approached us. We talked about our work, about the opportunities that exist within the company and our experiences prior to working at The Corporation.

Of course each student tried to work into the conversation why they'd be perfect for a position at The Corporation, and more importantly, in our department. Some were pretty skilled at this, but many simply lacked the art of conversation. And this panda wasn't in a mood to help the kids out. If you're not going to be engaging and interesting, I'm going to stare you down until you come up with something interesting to say or until you walk away.

No wonder my co-worker said, "You had so many odd people talking to you who just ended up staring before awkwardly saying goodbye" when we left the event.

A luminescent jade pendant

My mother will soon start to peddle some jade wares online, and in so doing, she has asked me to write brief descriptions of her inventory. But since she's looking for pithy, playful descriptions, I find myself referring to her jewelry with phrases like "a light spray of tiny jade and turquoise [pronounced tur-kwahze] beads" or "two fanciful jade butterflies float with elegant, flowing green onyx tassels."

Thank goodness I'm not a copywriter. I'm no good at this stuff.

Career counseling

Last night I had dinner with Charlotte York, one of my former colleagues at The Corporation. She has since moved on to bigger and better things at one of the city's hot companies, but one that apparently has a crazed environment thanks to its entrepreneurial nature.

Charlotte York and I used to sit next to each other and she really was someone whose advice and perspective I truly valued. She's an incredibly articulate, intelligent, humorous friend and I love the times when we are able to meet and catch up.

During our last few meetings, most of our discussion surrounds life at The Corporation and her hearty encouragement that I seek employment elsewhere. I agree with her that my professional life remains unfulfilling on a micro level, but it's difficult to find employment in an area where I feel like I am having a positive impact on society on a macro level. I fear I sound like a broken record when we get together because I tend to complain about all the crap that goes on in our department. But she's one of the few people who can really relate to what I'm talking about.

In any case, I always walk away with some fresh ideas of what my next professional step should be. I only need her to continue to give me the kick in the pants that I seem to need!

It's not just a competition, it's a career

So I'm thoroughly enjoying The Pussycat Dolls Present: GIRLICIOUS, the shameless trainwreck of a show where botox queen Robin Antin is trying to turn little girls into singing and dancing whores.

Each week the girls explore an attribute that is vital to success as a member of an internationally acclaimed girl-group sensation like The Pussycat Dolls. Last night's quality was "confidence," which I generally agree with as a concept. But how exactly does dressing in little booty shorts with a midriff-baring tank top and knee-high athletic socks inspire confidence? Maybe my ignorance is why I'm not a member of an internationally successful girl group phenomenon!

In any case, my favorite girl is Nichole, an 18-year old Hilary Duff lookalike. Of course she's my favorite. She reminds me of La Duff!

Professor panda

Yesterday, I was invited to guest lecture for an MBA class at UC Berkeley. I'd prepared my remarks with the professor last week and reviewed the slide deck we assembled before the class met.

I'm typically not that afraid of public speaking, especially when I know a fair amount about the topic at hand (yesterday's topic was my job at The Corporation). But for whatever reason, I found myself stumbling through the class period, tripping over my words and feeling like I was babbling nonsensically.

In retrospect, I think what hurt me was the use of slides. When I address groups, I typically make the session more interactive or I simply "wing it." However, since this was for a class, the professor thought the students would want slides to follow along and to ensure that we covered key points. I guess that makes sense, but it's just not my style.

Take your time

Yesterday, I caught the last day of the Olafur Eliasson "Take Your Time" exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I'd been wanting to check out the show for a while, but finally got my act together when I realized that it was being dismantled after Sunday.

Well, it seems that plenty of other people felt the same urgency since the line to the exhibit extended from the fifth floor galleries where it was installed all the way down to the bottom floor!

Amidst families with screaming kids, artsy fartsy students and the general populace, I waited patiently to experience this delightful exhibition. And it was pretty fantastic. Everything from the kaleidoscope tunnel to the misty room to the super yellow room that rendered everyone black & white - it was all very cool.

But, as I was staring into a bulbous wall that changed colors, I thought to myself, "Isn't this strange? Essentially, we're all standing in this circular room and staring at a wall and not interacting with each other." Interesting stuff, this "art."

But you won't know unless you give it a try

I saw this video on the television today and I remembered just how much I loved this song when it first came out!