My baby nephew was born this weekend. He came out earlier than anyone expected & he's going to be over a month old before I'll be able to visit him but no one in my family's mad that I'm going to a Pearl Jam concert w/my husband or that I'm going to a film premiere for my company before I'll be down there.
To my absolute joy, the baby's got dark hair so he won't end up having those social problems that you natural redheads know all too well. I figured it would be much worse for a kid whose sibling ISN'T a redhead. It would have been worse for my own younger sister if I'd also not had red hair.
Siblings fight & get jealous anyway (and we're as different as night & day) but I'd have practically been Marcia Brady with my sister as Jan Brady. If you haven't seen The Brady Bunch Movie to see that sibling rivalry, you have to. It's also a very funny movie.
The way I view it as an auntie is it's my job to be the cool one who exposes them to new things & who they can confide in. Kind of like Uncle Jesse in Full House; I figure my job & life will be more interesting. I also feel it's my duty to make sure they never settle or think they can't do something because of where they came from or factors beyond their control. I also hope they say "If my Auntie can do it, then so can I." Heck, if anyone looks at things I've done & get inspired to try something no matter the odds I'll have done what I'm supposed to.
This sort of ties into my employment situation: I no longer have a day job & I'm in a catch-22 of being entrenched in the entertainment industry + learning a lot about it but no one being able to pay me a salary. I read a lot of career advice articles & blogs on various places like MSN or Yahoo and it seems to me that in order to get a job anywhere, you have to do everything short of getting the company's logo tattooed to your backside. You can't pursue your own endeavors, have a side job or even have an opinion in some places.
A big problem with business is when you don't listen to the devil's advocate or have someone like that around to tell you when something might be a bad idea. Any group or celeb is in BIG trouble when there is no ability to express dissenting views without punishment. I just wonder why I'm not able to find something paying me a modest rate (enough to pay my private loan payment + transportation though a little extra won't hurt) & doesn't require me to make a lifelong commitment to the employer + be subjected to disrespect. I don't have motivation to work that hard for someone who's just going to toss me out like garbage or call me an idiot either directly or indirectly.
My definition of disrespect should be obvious from other entries I've written but in case it's not, I basically don't care to be treated like a 6 year old. Many legal employers do treat people like this & it's a waste of my time (at least in many private practice law firms or on document review projects; I can't speak for other places).
I think it's also because of being an entrepreneur; once you work for yourself & have to do things on your own, it's very hard to go back to the dictatorship that is the corporate workplace unless you're higher up on the food chain.
Combining all this with the stories you read about people getting tossed out on the street with very little notice after working someplace for a long time, you can bet I screen anyone I'd consider working with very carefully. Some companies seem to think they have the power but boy, are they wrong. People watch them & I definitely remember the good vs. bad experiences I had with companies.
I hope more people use their time being unemployed to rethink how they want to be treated in the workplace & demand higher standards when they're giving 100% to a job. The marketplace would require changes & your average person might have a more pleasant job environment. Note that this only goes for people who are doing their jobs & turning in proper performance; I don't abide laziness but I also don't abide requirements to paint a partner's home, pick up a boss's dry cleaning or be on call when your job title doesn't include those things.
What next, an idol of the boss everyone has to bow down to every morning? Maybe kissing the boss's ring before you start the workday?
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