Reality Check
Dateline: London, 12th Feb 2002.
OK, you guys have a lot to answer for. Today I was asked a simple and inoffensive personal question to which the answer I gave led me to conclude that I need a new rap sheet, that my personal profile is in need of a realignment. Let this post be a lesson to you all.
It went along the lines something like this. Halfway through a pleasant business meeting our lunch for two arrived, a small platter of sandwiches and fruit. It was at this point that the conversation took a trivial left turn for a few minutes, as conversations have a habit of doing whenever food makes an appearance.
After a couple of minutes of smalltalk I was asked "So what are your interests outside of work?". Without hesitation or thought, for seldom are the two estranged, I answered "The Web really. You know learning about and understanding the in's and out's of doing business and marketing on the Web." and no sooner had the last remnants of my reply exited my cake-hole did I realise just how bad an answer that was to that question. It was greeted with a simple "Oh." Such a small word but undeniably a WBF heavyweight southpaw in the meaning stakes.
Now a little context before I attempt to defend the inevitably indefensible. For the past few weeks most of my spare time has been, in fact, spent in the vacinity of the Web, marketing etc. This past month the Blogstickers thing has been a great source of fun for me and no small sense of achievement, not to mention a great black whole intent on the metaphorical spagettification of each and every nano-second of spare time I have had lately. Also do not underestimate the mental focus I've had to summon to keep this very blog going.
Couple those factoids togther and then consider the impact of our relocation from Scotland to sunny middle-England last summer which, among countless other impactful effects, had the extra special effect of taking my entire social network out the back, putting a bullet through it's head and then inelegantly disposing of it in a shallow lime filled grave only to be discovered some years later by a small time and barely competent TV crew making a pop-culture archeology documentary about stone age carpentry.
In that light I suppose my answer was indeed an honest one. But that does not excuse it. I need a new rap sheet, something which passes a respectful nod in the direction of my Web persona and activites but which also gives balanced recognition to my other real world interests, if I can remember what those are exactly.
So this is something I'm now working on, a new elevator pitch for my private life. Don't get caught out like I did, I can assure you that it's not a pleasant place to be.
Dateline: London, 12th Feb 2002.
OK, you guys have a lot to answer for. Today I was asked a simple and inoffensive personal question to which the answer I gave led me to conclude that I need a new rap sheet, that my personal profile is in need of a realignment. Let this post be a lesson to you all.
It went along the lines something like this. Halfway through a pleasant business meeting our lunch for two arrived, a small platter of sandwiches and fruit. It was at this point that the conversation took a trivial left turn for a few minutes, as conversations have a habit of doing whenever food makes an appearance.
After a couple of minutes of smalltalk I was asked "So what are your interests outside of work?". Without hesitation or thought, for seldom are the two estranged, I answered "The Web really. You know learning about and understanding the in's and out's of doing business and marketing on the Web." and no sooner had the last remnants of my reply exited my cake-hole did I realise just how bad an answer that was to that question. It was greeted with a simple "Oh." Such a small word but undeniably a WBF heavyweight southpaw in the meaning stakes.
Now a little context before I attempt to defend the inevitably indefensible. For the past few weeks most of my spare time has been, in fact, spent in the vacinity of the Web, marketing etc. This past month the Blogstickers thing has been a great source of fun for me and no small sense of achievement, not to mention a great black whole intent on the metaphorical spagettification of each and every nano-second of spare time I have had lately. Also do not underestimate the mental focus I've had to summon to keep this very blog going.
Couple those factoids togther and then consider the impact of our relocation from Scotland to sunny middle-England last summer which, among countless other impactful effects, had the extra special effect of taking my entire social network out the back, putting a bullet through it's head and then inelegantly disposing of it in a shallow lime filled grave only to be discovered some years later by a small time and barely competent TV crew making a pop-culture archeology documentary about stone age carpentry.
In that light I suppose my answer was indeed an honest one. But that does not excuse it. I need a new rap sheet, something which passes a respectful nod in the direction of my Web persona and activites but which also gives balanced recognition to my other real world interests, if I can remember what those are exactly.
So this is something I'm now working on, a new elevator pitch for my private life. Don't get caught out like I did, I can assure you that it's not a pleasant place to be.