New Job

Spent Thursday through Saturday in Medford, Oregon, seeing the man about a job.

There's a large retailer that talked I with about a purchasing position. Went well, liked 'em, they liked me, they hired me. It looks like a pretty good thing. I'll be leaving Seattle on the 7th or 8th of September.

Let's say that I've come to terms with leaving. Let's say that I've been coming to terms about what's best for me for the past few years. I am slow, what can I say. That decision looks ludicrously easy: I'm going to do the best thing for me. You all know what an obvious, difficult idea that is.

There's a provocative book, Stumbling into Happiness, that explores how poorly we humans are at imagining our future. Malcolm Gladwell provides an enticing synopsis for Amazon.com if you're interested.

Dan Gilbert makes one jolly claim in Stumbling that is disturbing. We don't make good decisions about the future because, in part, we think that we as individuals, are unique. It's not difficult to imagine what will make us happy. There are plenty of role models. He makes a long nuanced argument about this and I think that his conclusions makes common sense.

As I've torn apart my individuality over the past two years, I know that I've invested heavily in a pride about my specialness and it's hurt me. Not to worry, I'm not turning into a square peg for a square hole. The deal here is that some things have gotten clearer, less special, more precious. The lessons are dirt humble. I'd only feel comfortable sharing them sitting with a glass of whiskey as a boozy cover. Here's to finding a place in Oregon with some comfortable chairs for the next time I see you.