Slow Food Nation

Slow Food: It was created to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair.

Slow food takes San Francisco by storm. If you know who Alice Waters is (mother of California cuisine) you should head down to Fort Mason for 45 tastingsm, more than 1000 vendors and samples, samples, samples. From organic Chocolate ice cream to buttery Chardonnay's, you can have your pick. Tickets are sold out but check craigslist for the coveted chance to indulge in a food coma.

For more information: http://slowfoodnation.org/blog/

Brand Ambassador - Working for the man or just meeting new people?

I've recently been working as a lot as a "brand ambassador" for several companies and temping agencies. My job responsibilities: be outgoing, friendly and don't hard sell. I've also had to make buttons, print t-shirts and hand out products.

I love to meet new people and share information about cool stuff but I'm working for the man. Reinforcing power structures and the American way of sell, sell, sell - buy, buy, buy.

But everything is a contradiction and I may be over thinking things. I'm making ok money to chit chat and try new things. What do you think of promotions and brand ambassadors?

Oh print journalism - how I will miss thee

This is the field I want to work in. I want to write stories that excite and educate people. I should work for long form, investigative feature sources like The Nation, salon.com, Heeb, Rolling Stone.

Check out this the article on Gawker.com entitled" Blogger finds death of newspapers!Capitalism" ( I"m working on activating the link) and tell me not to be cynical. I'm 4 examples away from changing to do PR.

Can we pay you in pennies?

Last night I complained to my roomates that I've recently been accepting part-time jobs where I have to work a lot for little compensation. It got me thinking about salaries and then I read this articles in the NY Times this morning entitled "Psst! Your Salary Is Showing" talking about the increasing transparency of salaries within various companies.

One growing web site, Glassdoor, is trying to accummulate salaries for a wide range of positions within various companies. Go there and post salaries so everyone can be a little less self conscious and can stop making assumptions about their work places.

Just another day at the (temporary) office

In this downturned economy, if you're also downsized there's unemployment, general government assistance and TEMPING. I'm not sure how it is that you are placed in jobs and the agencies don't take money out of your paycheck but alas, I sit here at a marketing and public relations company in San Francisco, making $13/ hour to connect phone calls and inform people they have packages.

I'm glad I'll be paying off my $100,000 education for the next two decades. Does everyone know about this? How come everyone I know isn't temping? You can choose when and where you want to work.

Oh yea, the downside? You're fleeting and no one knows your name and you have no one to go to lunch with. It's lonely and slightly degrading if you're egotistical, and there are no challenges here. So lackluster work for the time being vs. living in a cardboard box?

Update: I was basically fired from my first temp job three days into a five day week because if the following situation. I scheduled a phone screening for a public relations job at noon thinking I could take my lunch from 11:55 - 12:45. My presence was never crucial until, of course, at 11:58 a client enters the building and needs change for $3. The permanent girl is just getting back from lunch but has disappeared so my supervisor Jonathan asks me to go make change for the man. Besides the fact I didn't even know where to do that, I didn't have the time to. I told him no, that Sarah would be back immediately and that I had to take a phone call at noon for an interview.

The supervisor rudely mocks me in front of the gentlemen seeking change and says "this is the temp, she'll be done tomorrow afternoon."

When I arrived this morning, supposedly my last day, I discover I am replaced by another temp. I call the agency and my case worker tells me they had feedback for me that I had a great personality but seemed uninterested in the position.

Obviously my luck that the one time they need me to do something I couldn't and I got fired because of it.

I'm Walking on Sunshine

I don't know much about Tivo, DVR's, High Definition by 2009, 490 channels of cable. I do know about pop culture and tv series that shed a little bit of light, humanity and humor on our overfed, over worked society.

Then there's Intervention, Mondays on A & E. Check out the NY Times article about the show that talks about Alison - a Boston college student addicted to huffing computer spray.

Now check out Alison as she walks on sunshine, kind of. Don't miss this You Tube video.

OYE.

Puns , They're Punny.

Oneupme.com
This is a brilliant word play web site founded by actor Jesse Eisenberg. Simply sandtabulous.