Rob says, okay John, you get to lead the way back, and I smile and giggle and I say are you sure, and he says sure.
Read More

"It's a dance. Well, it's a hoedown."
Read More

When I graduated from college, I was pretty sure I wanted to go to law school eventually, but I was VERY sure that I wanted to take some time off from school first. I was sick of writing papers and taking exams and always having some assignment hanging over my head to make me feel guilty while I was out having fun. A 9-to-5 job seemed like the answer, but I didn’t even know what kind of job to look for. All I knew was that I wanted to be in Boston, New York, or D.C., so I started searching the classified ads in the newspapers of all 3 cities. This was not as easy then, pre-internet, as it would be now. After a summer trip to Europe, I was at home in New Jersey, where we got the NY Times every day. I don’t have any idea now how I checked the Globe and the Post, unless I had friends in those cities looking for me.

The most interesting job I applied for was as the administrative assistant to Stewart Mott. He was the son of a fabulously wealthy family, already a millionaire in his own right, who lived in a Manhattan penthouse and spent all his time donating his money to liberal causes. He was 35 years old at the time, single, and very attractive.  As described by the Times in his 2008 obituary, his philanthropy “included birth control, abortion reform, sex research, arms control, feminism, civil liberties, governmental reform, gay rights and research on extrasensory perception.” This was pretty heady stuff in 1972! There was a huge number of applicants for the job initially, all of whom he interviewed himself, but I was called back for a second interview a week later, along with only one other young woman. It looked like my chances were pretty good, and I was excited about it. He even called me at home to ask me a few more questions, including whether I planned to commute from New Jersey or move into Manhattan. Of course I would move into Manhattan, I assured him, once I knew I had a job. This was obviously the right answer, but ultimately he chose the other woman. She was a little older and more sophisticated, and probably a better match for him personally — and there was no doubt in my mind that there would be a personal aspect to the job. In later years I often wondered how my life would have been different if he had chosen me.

The job I ultimately got that fall was in Cambridge, at the Transportation Systems Center of the US Department of Transportation. They were looking for an economist or an urban planner. I was neither. So how did I get the job? I wore a very short dress to the interview, and I had great legs! One of my interviewers admitted as much to me, a year or so later. It was an interesting job, but I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing. When I was given a specific assignment, I could generally carry it out, but the place was basically a think tank, and much of the work was supposed to be self-generated. I didn’t know how to do that, so I spent a lot of my time on the phone to my scattered friends and family, taking advantage of the free long-distance telephone lines in federal offices, instead of coming up with research projects. Also, the married guys I worked with kept hitting on me, which was problematic. After almost two years in that complicated environment, I had had enough. In August 1974, within days of each other, Richard Nixon and I both resigned from the federal government. I went off to California to go to law school, so that I could actually learn a marketable skill — or be ready for the revolution, which I still hoped was coming.

Three years later, after finishing law school, I was back in the interviewing game. I applied to numerous state and federal agencies, and ultimately was hired by the California Attorney General’s Office. Although there were already a few other women attorneys there, feminism had definitely not arrived. The secretaries called all the male attorneys “Mr. ____” and all the female attorneys by our first names. Sigh. Was I the only one who was bothered by this? I was pretty militant in general, and refused to let men open the door for me or wait for me to get on (and off) the elevator first, which made them uncomfortable. On my first or second day, I was talking to my supervisor about a case, and then as I started to leave his office, he asked me to get him a cup of coffee. I didn’t say anything (I was too shocked), but I must have had a look on my face that expressed my feelings, because he immediately stammered “oh never mind, I’ll ask my secretary to get it for me.” At the interview for this job, I was asked to commit to staying three years. I said I would, because I knew I wouldn’t get the job otherwise, but in my head I was thinking “no way, I’m never gonna stay that long.” As it turned out, I stayed almost 30 years.

I discovered that I actually enjoyed litigation (it was much more fun than law school classes), and particularly getting the better of male opposing counsel who invariably underestimated me, especially in the early years. I won most of my cases, and settled the ones I couldn’t win. I also was able to take paid maternity leave three times, when each of my children was born, and to work part-time while I had kids at home, which was most of my career. It turned out to be a great job, despite the rocky beginning, and I only left when I realized that I was old enough to retire and (under the complicated formula of age times years of service times salary) still get paid as much as I earned working part-time.

I have been retired for nine years now, and I have never once missed working. Retirement is the best job ever! Especially now that I have Retrospect, to help me focus on polishing my writing skills.

I loved reading about the very friendly skies while the little kids were asleep.
Read More

I am a historian on the interstellar environment Samsara, circa 3200. I explore the many time capsules that were loaded aboard the craft before we departed earth. The capsules were loaded helter-skelter in the pre-launch rush, but I take great delight in randomly sampling their contents.

Today I found several intriguing artifacts that had worked themselves up through a data capsule from the early Anthropocene* era. The artifacts featured images, precisely pressed into the porous surface of compressed wood pulp, known as paper. Paper came from the time of trees, when men — only men — toiled mightily to fell the trees under the beauty of eco-systems called forests. I felt intrigued but sad: the action seemed contradictory, that people would work so hard to destroy natural beauty. There must have been a reason.

After analyzing the graphics for days and pondering, I began to understand that the images told a story from a time of work. In this work era (circa 1900 – 2200) , people competed for the right to join authoritarian hierarchies where they were ordered to perform mind-numbing, repetitive, sometimes dangerous acts in exchange for currency. Currency, often called “wages” was a medium designed to represent use value — as if people’s worth depended on how much repetitive or dangerous work they could withstand.

The people who worked received currency which they could exchange for commodities — food, clothing, shelter, mobility — and services. None of these commodities were morphed into their lives as they are today.

As I studied the data capsule’s graphics, I began to question how much we take for granted about our natural and civil rights. These graphics also suggested that, if groups or individuals were unable to perform these “works,” they would be cast out of society and even be allowed to starve or die of disease.

The graphics also revealed that currency was unequally distributed. It may seem contradictory, but many individuals or small groups could gather enormous amounts of currency, more than they could “spend,” or “exchange” for commodities. These individuals and groups were often connected — through a synthetic form of symbiosis called hegemony — to those who decided who would work and who would not. These decisions were often based — not on ability — but on a potential worker’s placement in the hierarchy, their facility within narrow intelligence spectra, and even physical appearance.

The workers (men, women, and animals who worked, as the word suggests) seemed to have little or no power over how many “wages” they could earn. The graphics seem to suggest that the worker people began, over centuries, to gather together into a critical mass they called “One Big Union.” They considered these gatherings to be powerful.

Although the first worker gatherings began centuries earlier, the One Big Union group represented in the posters had evolved into the International Workers of the World or IWW, possibly pronounced “Eww.”

The Ewws seemed at times to stand at a crossroads. Some wanted to demand wages called “fair pay” suggesting justice or satisfaction could be enjoyed by toiling for currency. Others wanted, as far back as these centuries-old ancestors, to abolish the entire system of currency, as if they were predicting our own world.

I have not yet determined how much meaning they placed in this toil. Certainly there must have been times, as we enjoy now, when people either inherited or fought for the right to health, beauty, imagination, and creativity. Some may even have taken meaning from doing these dangerous, repetitive, or mind-numbing jobs. However, for many, if you lost your work, your life would have no meaning. Can you imagine the jeopardy that suggests?

If you’re interested in these glimpses into our ancestors’ past, I urge you to approach those ancient times with respect and to understand how completely we are accustomed to enjoying health, beauty, imagination and creativity as our human and animal rights.

As I explored other glimpses of this One Big Union, its heritage and legacy, I had the eerie feeling that I was missing a cross-current that may have been present during this time of work. Is it possible that they found joy and love amidst these cruel conditions? Is it possible that people took pride in gathering together to fight for work? Could they have gained satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment from participating in this work for survival?

Life is complex. History offers lessons for the present. Even far up the ages, with all that has changed, it seems as if work may have brought with it, a certain nobility. I must explore further this great and long-lasting battle. I can only hope that deeper examination will tell us much about our past… and our present.

#  #  #

*An·thro·po·cene — the geological age during which human activity became the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Geologists estimate that the anthropocene age began between the mid-18th century and 1950, EWT (Eurocentric World Time).

 

I interviewed for a year, but it was a start-up and they weren’t ready to hire salespeople. I was looking to leave the software company I worked for and come to this one, as the product was a good fit with what I already knew. In fact, it could serve as a friendlier front-end to my current product and I was the perfect person to introduce it to the world, having been the most successful salesperson at my current company.

When they were ready, they hired three of us, Mehmet, Drew and myself. We all had the same offer letter and started the same day. But Mehmet’s territory was the whole East Coast except New England. Drew had the rest of the country. I had New England including greater New York, but not the city itself. I protested to the president of the company. No way was that fair, but he said salespeople always wanted more territory and just do my job. I also was not allowed to hold Hardee’s Food Systems in Rocky Mount, NC. They asked me to call as soon as I got to the new company, since they already wanted my new product. Mehmet made the call, got the sale and told me they had signed strictly on the basis that I was with this new company. I got no credit.

I also became pregnant a month after joining this little start-up of 15 people. I didn’t tell anyone, but did have “morning sickness” all day. People at the office became annoyed when I ran to the bathroom to throw up, thinking I was contagious. I finally had to confess that what I had, they couldn’t catch! It didn’t take long for them to figure things out. Within a few months, I felt better and had a few good leads that I pursued. I don’t chase my tail. I am good at screening out tire-kickers and only chase down leads that I think have potential. I am not afraid to ask for the order and am good at closing business. I also set up a strategic partnership with Arthur Andersen.

I grew bigger and bigger. I put on 42 pounds in total and worked until two weeks of my due date. My manager had recently been through a nasty divorce and I think that affected his view of women. He didn’t take a shine to me, a strong, successful woman. He wanted to stay close to home before the 4th of July holiday, so asked to come on a call with me to Combustion Engineering in Stamford, CT. He drove, I did the sales pitch. He had never seen me in action, though it was one month before the start of my maternity leave. The call went well. He was impressed. Really? Did he think I would be incompetent?

My clients from Westinghouse referred to my maternity dress as something made by “Omar the tent-maker” (couldn’t say that today, but this was 31 years ago). The Featured Image is the company picnic. I am the curly-haired (it’s a perm) big-bellied lady on the right. The president is wearing red shorts in the center of the photo, looking to his left. My manager is kneeling to the left of me (actually, my right side), with the receding hair line.

I closed business with Westinghouse, Combustion Engineering, Gillette…I don’t even remember who else. Aetna was in the works. Mehmet closed it and I did get credit for that. At the time I went out on maternity leave, the amount of stock we salespeople were being granted still had not been voted on by the Board. I, personally, was responsible, in 10 months time, for 60% of the revenue of the entire company. I had planned to take a 4 month, unpaid maternity leave.

I left on August 2, 1985. A few days later, the letter arrived telling me the stock grant. It was 40% smaller than my two male colleagues. I called the president. He lived a few blocks away. I asked if he could come by for a talk. I asked why, given my actual performance, I had been voted less stock than the other salesmen. He told me my manager hadn’t made a strong case for me in the Board meeting. He went on to say that I had fewer sales calls than the others and my pipeline wasn’t as long, and I seemed to be in the office more. Of course I was. I could make a call in the morning and still come in, since I had the LOCAL territory!  But I had CLOSED MORE BUSINESS! That was irrefutable.

I talked to a lawyer friend. She said I had a clear case of discrimination, but judges hated cases like that (1985) and if I ever wanted to work again, I should just walk away, which is what I did. I stayed home with David, who was born on August 20, for 18 months. I really don’t know what happened to the software product I sold, but some of the principals in the company have gone on to other successful ventures. I took my lumps and added to my feminist cred.

 

If you look at my career path (and I’ve had many careers) they would look like a winding road. In college, I had my heart set on being a lighting designer on Broadway. I worked at Marriott’s Great America for the first 4 seasons they were open and provided the lighting designs for 2 of the shows I worked on – Silver Screen and Bugs Bunny’s Wonder Circus. I also did some work in community theatre when the park was closed for the season. Due to family responsibilities, I never made it to broadway – at least not to work. I was able to work in the entertainment industry for a great number of years, which is more than many people who want to make a career in the theater business are able to say.

My first full time job was as a motion picture projectionist at a small art house in Walnut Creek CA. The El Rey (yes, I know its redundant) Theatre was a gem of a venue showing great flicks from around the world. Also The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight. I worked there until it finally closed its doors to make way for the Walnut Creek Civic Plaza construction. It still makes me sad to think of the old place being torn down.

While working as a projectionist, I made connections with other theatre managers, which allowed me to find work at the nearby Festival Cinemas (now also gone). I worked with Festival Cinemas in multiple locations, including as a secretary in their home offices, for about 10 years. The skills I built there, working in management and office support, were to be useful a few careers later.

Since non-union theatre jobs don’t pay particularly well, I needed to work multiple jobs. During my stint at the El Rey, I trained a friend to be a projectionist, so that he could use a connection to get into the union (IATSE). He returned the favor and brought me into the union, a few years later. I worked relief shifts in projection booths around the East Bay, as well as finally being able to start working as a stage hand at the Concord Pavilion. This made for some really long days, but I enjoyed getting back into the live production scene. Ultimately, my stagehand career allowed me to work on film and television productions, as well as supporting dozens of touring shows that passed through the area. During this period, the projectionist positions added an element of theatre maintenance, and I was trained to work on HVAC systems, repair seats, lighting and pretty much everything in the facility. This also turned out to be useful in a later career.

In the early 1990’s the road took a dramatic turn. I met and ultimately married my husband. When we met, I lived and worked in the east bay and he lived and worked in the south bay. When I moved in with him, the commute started to become more than difficult – especially if I had a gig that ended at 2 in the morning. I began looking for work in the south bay. I first approached the union local in that area, but found them to be disorganized. I’d also be starting from scratch on the call list. This is where we go back to the experiences I had in the main office of Festival Cinemas. I started looking into Administrative Assistant roles. My background was very different from the majority of applicants, and most hiring managers couldn’t imagine how my diversity could be applicable to an Admin position. Finally, a Biotech startup took a chance on me as an admin supporting the Director of Operations. He was interested in me because of that facility maintenance experience at the theaters. They were about to embark on a facility expansion, and I had the good fortune to learn on the job how to work with architects, general contractors, and site supervisors. I was also thrown into the world of procurement since I had to specify and purchase cubicle, scientific equipment and all the elements that go into outfitting a biotech facility.

After a couple years there, my boss change, and I wasn’t able to find a way to work with the new guy – who like to bellow at me from inside his office. I had made more connections by that time, and upgraded my resume, so off I went to a hight tech company: Network Appliance, now known as NetApp. There I continued my work as a Facilities Specialist, and ultimately built several buildings containing office and manufacturing space as well as computer data centers. I had a great 12 year run with them. In the later years, I built and operated an HD video production facility, where we produced training and sales videos, as well as being an early pioneer of live streaming events such as company meetings.

Jumping to the present, I’ve started a consulting business developing WordPress websites for small and family businesses here in Hawaii. I don’t look for work, and am happy with purely referral business. I’m spending much of my time going back to the theatre. I have done some performance at Diamond Head Theatre, which was something I’d been wanting to do since high school. I’m also taking dance classes – another thing that I’d had to miss out on earlier in life. I’m not very good, but I love the learning and fitness that comes along with the classes, as well as the friends I’ve made.