Book 4 - Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman

Subtitled A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota, Chuck Klosterman's Metal Biography is just as much about growing up in the middle of nowhere, slightly confused and disillusioned, as it is about Motley Crue or Poison.

I admit, I neither grew up in the middle of nowhere (though I was confused and disillusioned from time to time) nor did I grow up listening to metal - glam, heavy, or otherwise. I am about a decade younger than Chuck (to be exact, he is 10 years and 2 days older than me), we're of different genders, and I was into punk rock growing up (fodder for an entirely different blog post). That said, I enjoyed Fargo Rock City. I've read a handful of Chuck Klosterman's other books and can honestly categorize myself as a fan.

Fargo Rock City is his earliest book and you can feel his inexperience in book writing as well as you can see the Klosterman style that's going to come out of it. Sure, he's snarky and can be judgemental; he over analyzes just about everything and he's a little paranoid. But really, I didn't care. I found myself interested in the minutiae of bands I haven't ever heard of. That's what Chuck Klosterman does to you. I even found myself thinking about purchasing some tickets to the local stop on the American Carnage Tour.

Chuck Klosterman isn't me and he's probably not you, but his writing (as well as his story) is accessible and relatable. There are certain things about being a teenager that are shared despite decade, location, etc. I know it's cliche but you know it's true.

This book won't be for everyone. I wouldn't recommend it to either of my parents, for instance (no offense guys), but there are a lot of people who will enjoy it. Are you a metal fan (or a closet metal fan)? Are you a Chuck Klosterman fan? Are you often worried about your cool quotient (it's okay - I am too)? Give it a shot.

I'll apologize in advance for the rest of this post but Chuck's a well known guy. There are lots of links.

Turns out Sonya's a big fan of Chuck too - read about her Chuck love on her blog

Even more Chuck love on Don's Ego

Read an Interview (Part 1 and Part 2 in fact) with Chuck K. on SlashFilm

Just for fun - why not follow Chuck Klosterman on Twitter?

End Note: There are Internet rumors that Fargo Rock City is being made into a movie by a Letterman writer and at least one member of The Hold Steady. A coming of age rock opera? READ ABOUT IT

Julie & Julia, Part 2

For those of you who read this week's earlier review of Julie & Julia, I'm halfheartedly apologizing for writing more about Julie Powell and her project today. But only halfheartedly because the book actually did get me thinking.

Julie Powell started her project back in 2004 (don't quote me on that but... we know at least it was after 2001). Sure, the Internet was well established and folks had blogs, forums, live journals, etc., but the prevalence and saturation of blogs was, perhaps, not quite so complete as say, now.

Julie doesn't go into detail about the promotion she did behind her blog (if any) or how she marketed it, spread the word, etc. but I wonder how much she did do around that. Was she lucky - picked the right topic, right time, etc.? Or did she work hard to get some traffic behind her blog.

Clearly my interest on this topic is only partially hypothetical. I admit that I do some promotion around Quitsville but primarily, I'm talking to my friends. I daydream about spreading the word and getting more followers/readers, but I don't spend a lot of time on that dream. With multiple blogs out there for every user of the Internet (I bet you didn't even know this is NOT my only blog!) it's hard to rate with today's Web 2.0 users. Do you have to scroll to read the whole post? I'm out. Is there a page 2? Ditto on that. As we become more and better connected, one could argue that we're less interested in depth than we are in breadth.

I'm the first to admit that my Google Reader is chock full at all times. I subscribe to probably hundreds of RSS feeds at this point and that 1000+ designation besides any of my folders is becoming quite the familiar sight indeed. Do I need all of these feeds? No, of course not.

That said, don't unsubscribe from Quitsville! In fact, I wouldn't say no if you wanted to tell others about the blog.

For those of you who are interested, Julie Powell still lives on the blogosphere at JuliePowell.Blogspot and you can read at least some of the original Julie/Julia Project from back in the day on Salon.

The Silent Unemployment

Some of you might have noticed a bit of a lag in my posting on the economy. I'm the first to admit that I don't have the same fire around the economy/recession/unemployment as I used to - but I'm not sure it's just me. From the start of Quitsville, I've relied on my Google Reader to bring blog ideas to me and for months it has been a great source for me. Lately though, it feels a little sparse. Sure, I'm getting the same number of posts about cute animals and crafts (we all have guilty pleasures in our Readers right?) but thought provoking articles on the state of the nation's job market and workers just haven't been popping up quite as often as they used to.

Is it me?

I have a few theories on this that I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to hear.

1. We've plateaued
Sure, things aren't that much better - we're not where we were 18 months ago or 2 years ago - but they've sort of stopped getting worse. Unemployment isn't ratcheting up with quite the same frequency of 6 months ago, we're not caught in the same tailspin of financial ruin that we were before. The recession has plateaued and eventually, it doesn't become news anymore, it's just normal.

2. We're moving on
Similar to the point above - after a year of fear, apprehension, and waiting for the other shoe to drop, we've all decided to move on. The economy has improved, slightly, but it hasn't bounced back with the ferocity we were all hoping. Folks can only wait so long to see how things shake out - eventually, they have to move on with life and make decisions without the economy being the sole factor.

3. It's just me
Maybe it is just me. I'm not convinced this is the case since I'm not seeing the same prevalence of articles in my Reader and in Newsletters but it's definitely possible that it's just me.

What do you think? Are we moving forward?

Book 3 - Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Some of you might be familiar with this story because of the movie that came out last summer... and maybe some of you have even read the book! I admit that I have both seen the movie and now, obviously, have read the book. I enjoyed the movie but felt myself more interested in the segments that focused on Julia Child rather than Julie Powell. This made me not a little nervous about actually enjoying the book which, as you can imagine, is almost completely focused on Julie Powell and really, only remotely focused on Julia Child.

That said, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I started off really sort of annoyed with Julie Powell. There was a lot of whining and simpering and what seemed to me, a lot of feeling sorry for herself. It's the story we've all heard before - she's almost 30 and disillusioned with her life, crappy job, and only passable apartment. I know what she means but I've never been fond of the "woe is me" sort of mentality around life. She had, from what I can tell, a not unusual life for someone in their late 20s with a liberal arts degree. In fact, she had a nice husband (or so it seemed), a steady life, and enough flexibility to undertake a ridiculous, expensive endeavour. So, there's that.

But getting to that endeavour... that, clearly, is 100% something I can relate to. I love measurable goals and I love ridiclous chronicling of a quest. I enjoyed reading about the debacles that came with each recipe and in the end, found myself identifying with some of her thought processes. Through her quest, I came to identify more with her as a human being. Typical art vs. the artist issue.

The bottom line here is that I really enjoyed reading this book. I finished it quickly because I thought about it frequently and I sincerely wanted to find out what happened next. It was enjoyable and entertaining, if not earth shattering in terms of actual content or literary worth. It's worth a read.

Click here to read a review of Julie & Julia on the blog Joy Discovered

Click here to read another review on The Kid's Got Moxie

Click here to buy Julie & Julia on Amazon

*Author's note: I have to admit to you that my reading of Julie Powell might very well have been tainted by her most recent book, only now coming out. From what I can tell, her latest book is about the affair she had with some man and its eventual effect on her life, state of mind, and marriage with the aforementioned nice husband. I'm the first to admit that life is complicated and things we don't want to happen, do... but there is a part of me that doesn't want to read Julie Powell's new book and is sad for her husband to have this put out there. That said, I can't pretend I know what is right or okay for them. But, it definitely affected how I viewed Julie's character in Julie & Julia.

I will also note, just so you all know, that there is a blog out there devoted to, essentially, trashing Julie Powell (mostly because of her affair). I'm not going to link to it because it seems pretty petty to me. Turns out, there are infallible people in the world.

Ridiculous Mario Video

This is shameless (in that it's an extremely easy post) but I sort of had to share this with everyone. Sometimes I wonder, where do people get the time for this sort of thing? I can't even fathom how long it took someone to 1. conceive of and 2. create this thing.





And just so we're clear, Neatorama was the source of this inspired information.

How to Get a Job

I'm not trying to be trite with my choice of titles, trust me. Even though we're beseiged by "How To" articles around the job search, I remain convinced that there is not true "method" that you can follow. This is especially true today, given the wide variance of career paths, industries, focus, and type of job candidate. The "How To" get a job for someone like me (vaguely in marketing, interested in cause related work and social media) is completely different from that of a 45 year old suit trying to get a financial job. I know I'm being overly simplistic but let's face it, if you follow the "How To" guides of the world, it's equally possible for you not to get a job.

That said, I still read them.

And a few days back (I admit it, I'm behind on the Google Reader), Applicant had a list of 30 Ways to Land a Job in 2010. Now, whether you can it twenty-ten or two thounsand ten, I'm not sure these 30 tips are all that different from those you'd see in 2009.

A few of the tips did get me thinking though. Specifically:

1. Volunteer for an unpaid internship, it may lead to full time work.
23. Do some volunteer work that will increase the skills you need.

I know that during the last twelve months, how we view the economy and employment has been challenged and shat upon and generally defaced at every turn. "How To" find a job hasn't changed so much as the fact that you can try all the "How To" tip sheets in the world and if they're not hiring, they're definitely not hiring you. When that happens, it's time to make use of your time in a valuable (if not profitable) manner. Volunteer, learn new skills, intern - the number of overqualified interns has risen dramatically in the last year. And yes, that company might not be hiring but they're almost surely interested in taking advantage of your need to do something. And, if you're lucky, you'll find a company that might repay you for that when they're back on the upswing.

That said, my favorite tip of Applicant's Top 30 was this one:

22. Wear a sign with your contact information and stand out on the street around businesses your interested in. (it's a photo, you should click!)

Book 2 - Grayson by Lynne Cox

Week two of the Book a Week challenge and I'm going strong! This week's book was Grayson by Lynne Cox. Grayson is the (true) story of Lynne's experience swimming off the coast of Southern California with a baby whale. It's a very sweet story, something I don't often say about the books I read. The books I read are typically dark and frought with complications and weirdness but Grayson was none of those things. Even though it was, sort of, a story about the possible death of the baby whale, you always knew it would work out. It was sweet and nice and would have been perfect to read on a cold, dark, winter day. Much like ALL the days I am having now.

I will admit, the book won't revolutionize the way I think about writing or structure nor will it stick with me in the way other books tend to. But it was a delightful way to spend my train commute time.

Click here to read a review of Grayson by Story Lover

Click here to read another post on Grayson by Seven Shooting Stars in One Night

Click here to read Page 247's Review of Grayson (spoiler alert: they also think it's sweet)

Employed Workers Still Not Happy

This Boston.com article, Job satisfaction falls to record low in US, survey shows, is a few days old but it stimulated a lot of thought for me. The main point of the article, from what I can gather, is that even people who are employed are unhappy - only 45% of current US workers are satisfied with their job.

I'll admit, less than half of folks being satisfied in their jobs is not ideal. However, it seems that the number's never been that high - it was 49% in 2008 and 61% in 1987 when the survey was first developed. The Conference Board maintains that this 61% number is "most workers" but let's be honest, 61% is not most... it's more than half, not most.

But more than just inner commentary on what it says about our culture that most people are not satisfied with their jobs, I want more information on the survey. How many people did the survey and where and of what age and what education and in what jobs? Were CEOs less satisfied with their jobs or were baristas? Is the dissatisfaction a symptom of an actually sucky job or an inflated ambition?

I would say I'm satisfied with my job. Actually, I'd say I'm more than satisfied but let's not show off. Looking back over my years of employement, I'd say I've been satisfied 75% of the time actually. Not bad, especially given my reason for starting this blog!

How satisfied are you with your job?

December Round-Up

Alright, this is totally cheap of me but, there were dozens of great articles that I wanted to comment on during December that just didn't make it in here (as if you didn't noticed) but I still think are worthwhile. Here are a few of my favorites:

Amid high unemployment, some positions hard to fill - Boston.com
If you're currently employed in a company that is actively looking to fill some of its top positions, you'll know yourself that searching for top people is still proving difficult, despite the increased unemployment. Everyone (skilled and unskilled really) is being a bit more cautious about their moves and as he Boston.com article says "the unemployment rate for college educated workers is about half that of uneducated workers."

Recession Kills Divorce - Double X
That really says it all.

The Top Job Search Articles of 2009 - Applicant
Look! Applicant did my job for me and pulled together the Top Job Search Articles of 2009. Want to know who to follow on Twitter? Why your resume sucks? What to do with your unemployed time? Check out this handy aggregate view!

Book 1 - Seeing by Jose Saramago

I've managed to start 2010 off right - one book down in my quest to 52 for the year. My goal will be to write about a new book every Monday so keep your fingers crossed that it works out!

Book 1: Seeing
Author: Jose Saramago
Pages: 307

Seeing is the sequel to Saramago's novel Blindness which chronicles the reactions of a country (and its government) when the citizens, one by one, start to go blind. Seeing picks up the country's narrative four years after the end of the blindness epidemic and tells the story of the country's reaction (and that of its government) when the majority of ballots turn up blank during an otherwise normal election.

Saramago, who was awarded the Nobel Price for Literature in 1998, has a very unique, interesting style of writing. He's no big fan of ending punctuation - he uses commas to delineate multiple speakers in a conversation but eschews quotations altogether and nearly completely leaves out periods, exclamations, etc. He does, however, regularly employ the comma. Commas are used in place or nearly all other punctuation marks, adding fluidity, urgency, and confusion to his style. If I'm honest, it takes awhile for me to get into this style. I find myself losing focus and daydreaming while reading which leads me to re-read big portions of the story. It's difficult to find resting places in the book as well. There are very few paragraphs created throughout the writing, with the only delineation between plot points really coming with chapter breaks.

That said, once I get into his books, I cannot stop reading. I devoured Blindness and found that Seeing was no different once I got into it. Saramago has a talent for showing both the most base, vile parts of our nature as humans but also the side of us that is vulnerable and optimistic. His books are really beautiful narratives, even if they are filled with darkness.

Click here to read Jose Saramago's own blogs: O Caderno de Saramago (Portgueuese) and El Cuadero de Saramago (Spanish)

Click here to read a review of Blindness on The Keepin' It Real Book Club

Click here to read another review of Blindness on The City of Mass Dissonance

Click here to buy Seeing or Blindness on Amazon (seriously, I would recommend reading these)

2010 Quitsville Goals

We're three days into 2010 and what have I given you? A whole lot of nothing. But don't be offended - it's not because I haven't been thinking about Quitsville and what 2010 holds for my blog. Quite the contrary. I've been giving a lot of thought to just what, exactly, I want to do with Quitsville this year; what I want to chronicle here and what I want to track.

You all know that I have really come to love writing here and tracking some of my personal goals (both growth related and riculous related) and for 2010, I'm going to continue that trend. What do I want to do in 2010? Don't take these for New Year's Resolutions because that's not what they are. We happen to be at the intersection of the years but these are not changes I want to make to myself or my behavior but rather, steps I want to take, things I want to do. The following goals will serve as the compass for Quitsville for 2010 but you can remain contented knowing that I will almost assuredly stray from these goals with some posts. I personally have started to come around to Mr. Bernanke's "the recession is almost, very nearly, for sure, sort of over" comment so it's likely that posts on that topic will show some fading but unemployment and strategies for success while unemployed as well as the treatment of the unemployed are, sadly, topics that never go out of style. I'm sure I'll throw in some random rants on the world we live in as well as some endorsements of things you might not care about. Quitsville is a random place dear readers and likely to stay that way.

Without further ado, here are the trackable goals (some more than others) for 2010:

1. Finally, for real, get the official record for Dr. Mario. I know this is a bit cheap since I should have polished this off in 2009 but here we are, recordless (officially). In 2010, I will get the record on the arcade machine at Funspot. In addition, I will try my hand at additional platforms (Wii, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Gameboy - they're all fair game). And perhaps, I will look for a new video game quest. Only time will tell.

2. Read 52 books. We all know I obliterated my 10,000 page goal last year and I did so by reading a total of 41 books. What's another 11 I ask you? Okay, it seems pretty ridiculous - I give you that. But, I'm hoping that this goal will encourage me to embrace some different books than those I usually read. Maybe some novellas or shorter fiction, philosophy texts, what have you. We'll see!

3. Study for the GMAT, take the GMAT, conquer the GMAT. Study and take are pretty self explanatory. Conquer? Well, we'll determine what exactly that means when I begin the process. But, I do know that I want to get another degree and the first step on that process is taking the test that will get me into the schools. From what I hear, the GMAT can be a mountain so, if I want to do it, it seems prudent to put it down on "paper".

More goals may arise as we go along and I do have some other smaller ones that are, in fact, more New Year's Resolutiony (go to a networking event at least once a month, try more new things) but those are less fun - at least for me. Between studying for the GMAT (horror), reading 52 books (drama), and obtainging the Dr. Mario world record (comedy), we've covered our bases in terms of genre.

Let 2010 officially begin.