Author: Carl Setzer

Literary Birthdays Today

Carl Setzer

Per today’s “The Writer’s Alamanac”, this is the birthday of both Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney.

I’ve been fond of both for years. Early on, upon seeing “Godot” for the first time, I spent much too much time trying to figure out “what it’s all about”. Nothing is more absurd than trying to locate reason within absurdity. However, Heaney really captured my attention when I sought to understand the contemporary Irish soul. My first deep exposure to his works, “Station Island”, is amazing. Though slightly lower in esteem than Gary Snyder (which I hope causes no offense), Heaney holds high regard in my heart.

Travel Channel

Carl Setzer

I love Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain’s team rocks. Not only do they put him in some outrageous situations, his staff does a fantastic job editing and mixing sound. His acerbic passion delights me. The Travel Channel, though, is on strange laughable kick. You’ve got Dhani tying his cart to the Bourdain wagon. Now Andrew Zimmerman is, too. Particularly funny with Zimmerman; I’ve enjoyed his show and don’t need to Bourdain tie-in. I noticed that they haven’t tried to tie-in Bridget with Tony. Actually, I’d love to see a Bourdain/Bridget travel cross-over. Of course, finding where Bourdain hides her body might be challenging.

Carl Setzer

Every time I hear an anti-gay-marriage supporter ad, or read anything they’ve written, I become more puzzled by their “logic”. I was hoping this was a farcical piece, but it appears not. I’m just stunned.

Sunny Daze

Carl Setzer

Days like today are true gems here. It was truly a delight to completely avoid shoes. Though the weather was a bit too cold yet for shorts, I refused to let that deter me. My need for vitamin D was simply too great. An ideal, for me at least, a day with sunshine and freedom. Very close to Zen mastery, my delight somewhat meditative. Bob Marley runs through my head, and I know “Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright”. I feel very calm and centered. Life, truly, blessedly peaceful.

Via BlackBerry

My Challenge

Carl Setzer

I struggle with competing visions. There is a sense of me as counter-cultural, standing against the wretched excesses of the prevalent culture. Against that, though, is an appreciation of life’s finer things. This dichotomy is painful at times. Finding myself staring wistfully at the latest Mercedes sometimes frustrates me.

Perhaps I misunderstand myself. Could I earn such things without exploitation? I believe it not only true, but that many have already done so. Finding the “win-win”, this place that rewards both sides of the equation. That, truly, is innovative.

Via BlackBerry

Saturday Thoughts

Carl Setzer

Perhaps you would think that being unemployed leaves me with heaps of free-time. You would be mistaken. My days are extremely full. And I was filled with all kinds of ideas, like being able to catch up on my reading, maybe even digesting the daily paper. Ha! I have been mildly frustrated by this, but no more. Fortunately, I do a good job of keeping track of my time, so I don’t end up wondering where the day went.

I love mornings like this, though, where everyone else is still tucked safely away in bed and I’m able to enjoy quiet. Now, if you excuse me, I’m diving back into Scoble & Israel’s “Naked Conversations”, which has been long on my “to read” list. Getting some good insights into blogging’s potential, even though the book was published back in 2006. Much of their basic premise, though, I’ve long agreed with. These notions of transparency and anti-marketing/anti-hype, in particular. I’ve long believed that our ability to filter this stuff has grown, and that the most prevalent response to most marketing is simple annoyance. Or, perhaps, extreme annoyance. Anyway, the long-term affects are this general sense of distrust of “business”. And so many executives are surprised by this tendency to assume the worst of any company in the news.

Via BlackBerry

New Blog

Carl Setzer

So, in the interests of expressing my interest in blogs, public affairs and communications, I’ve launched another blog, Digitized Collective. My goal is to focus this on how communications is being changed by the “digital medium”. Sounds cool, eh?

Job Search

Carl Setzer1 Comment

The past few weeks has been one of serious self-evaluation. Though I liked my last position, I suffered from a lingering sense of “blah”. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ve wanted to do in order to grow. Getting laid off provides a crucial moment to dive into this self-assessment. Besides the time (which hasn’t been as present as I hoped) to do so, there also is the element of necessity. Knowing that I need to find another job, and wanting to ensure that whatever I land next is something with more satisfaction, has compelled me to be deliberate.

So, after all this, I’m thinking of diving into the “communications” space. Particularly, I hope to blend my love of writing with tech and blogs. We’ll see what comes of it. I have seen some companies searching for folks with this background.

With all this, I’ve had several tools recommended to me. Particularly, LinkedIn, Jobster and Indeed. I’m just starting my dive into these sites, so I’ll keep you abreast of my learnings. I can tell you that I’ve found Jobster very interesting, at least as far as the jobs it’s presented.

One last idea that I’m coming to terms with is this notion of “Me, inc”. Basically, I need to look at my career in terms of, well, myself. My attachment to a company needs to be conditional.  I guess another way to look at this is to think of myself as a contractor. As you can see, I’m just developing this notion. Expect me to flesh this out more soon.