Underemployed

Things are happening.

Has it really been since last spring that 6'2" has seen some action? As you might imagine, a LOT has happened since then. Foremost in mind is that fellow 6'2" (and sister-blog Tuesdays With(out) Torii) contributor Hops, along with Ms. Hops, have given birth (well, Ms. Hops did most of the work I hear) to a beautiful, bouncing, baby boy. That, along with other significant life events in both of our lives, have lead to an anti-climatic semi-retirement of TWT which we have cleverly announced in the most passive aggressive way possible....by not posting anything and not really telling anyone about the end of days. It's kind of like leaving things open for a sequel, or maybe for taking up the mantle once again when the Twins do something inspiring enough to deserve concerted effort. Whatever the reason we eventually choose to start up again, it was totally planned in advance.

For me personally, life has taken several serious zigs and a couple of zags here lately. A few I will wait to share until later, but one zig I alluded to in the title. I was for a time, underemployed (copywrite: Hops).

Now fortunately (I guess), underemployment is actually distinct from unemployment, although no less frustrating and man-parts-disfiguring. You see, the company I was currently working for had sorta kinda run out of money. That happens when you work for a start-up company, but in our case it was somewhat unusual. We are in the medical field, and recently conducted human clinical trials to get our product through the rigorous (understatement) FDA approval process to become commerically available to sun-dappled soccer moms in Edina and Wayzata. The trial went well -- great, actually -- and we met our primary endpoint* for efficacy and nearly all of our secondary endpoints were extremely favorable for us compared to the current market leader and gold standard treatment. Plus, no ones face fell off. Great, right? Apparently...wrong.

*My favorite tidbit of this whole process, which will be familiar to people in the industry and some who aren't, is that our primary endpoint is a statistical measure called...wait for it..."non-inferiority". Basically a fancy way of saying "just as good as, but not necessarily better, but could be"....a statistical backhanded compliment. But the phrasing strikes me as funny whenever I hear it anyway. Kind of like, "Do you love me?" "Well...I can't say for certain my feelings are that strong, but I can assure you confidentally and with accuracy that I don't HATE you." Try that one with your gal next time...

Anyway, right after meeting our primary endpoint of being not statistically sucky, our licensing "partner" backed out on our deal, a deal that had been put in place at least 18 months before. We had held up our end of the bargain at every milestone up to that point, and this company had raised almost 25 million in venture capital money on the strength of our product and technology (to market and distribute it).... and then chickened out. Do they have to give the money back? Of course not. And what about us? Screwed. The management has spent the intervening 9 months or so trying to put together a new deal. But for the first six months of that, the 9 and 12 month data from the trial was still outstanding and every possible partner wanted to wait to see the results before committing anything (I don't blame them). And once that promising data came out, talks have been better. But still, these things take time and when you are a pre-revenue start-up company such as mine was, time is especially money.

Now being on the science side of things (literally, our labs are across the hall from the offices), I was somewhat unaware of these types of things on a day-to-day basis. But being at a small company you do always hear rumblings, because you run into everyone in the company every day, and talk to people who are in those rooms having those discussions. But still, I wasn't expecting to get called into the big office in July and hear that basically the entire company was being laid off. Bit of a shocker. For the office folks, they had about five or six days until they were cut off. For a few others, a limited stay of engagement while the company runs on the few gallons left in the tank, and the president and founder puts his house up for a second mortgage and distributes his salary to the few of us that were still left. For me, I was supposed to be done on July 15, but then was still there for a special encore performance due to the aforementioned salary redistribution plan. I learned several new phrases as a result of all of this, including "retroactive cost-of-living increase" and "deferred salary". Fun, right!?

It's a strange thing because I have no doubts that the company will raise money and be back on it's feet again soon....the exact time-frame of "soon" however, is not a great comfort for me and so I had been actively looking elsewhere for work. In fact, I have now, since August, been at a fabulous new position and as happy as can be for a variety of reason that I hope to write about soon. And since then, a number of other happy life events have also occurred...big ones...more on that soon....

Random Quote

I'm not sure I even like Monsieur Cook, but this is solid....

"I couldn't even drink a big glass of water for years."
--Dane Cook, commenting on the scariness of the movie Jaws

SSSHHHH...

...daddy's busy.

ZZzzzzz.....

Sorry for the gap in communications. I'm on imagined vacation and will be back soon...

Top Albums of 2007

Well, as a self proclaimed music snob, I feel as though it is my duty to report my reflection of the 2007 music scene. Hopefully you have heard of many of these bands, if not check them out. Some thoughts about 2007: Tupac is still making records every month, Seal has a new album (good for him), and the Goo Goo Dolls released a Best Of album. The top ten hits in the world consist of such great artists as Rihanna, Fergie, Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Akon, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Timberlake...which makes me wonder who purchases music these days besides 16-21 year olds. Alas, the list:


1) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

You know an album is great when you can listen to it from beginning to end without skipping a track. Cease to Begin falls under this category. The sophomore effort from this band is outstanding with a mixture of slow and fast songs and songs which combine both dynamics. As Josh Wilhelm said after seeing them in concert, "They play loud...and were awesome." Vocals of the lead singer resemble those of "My Morning Jacket" lead singer and are extremely haunting and pure. Oh ya, the album has a track entitled "Detlef Schrempf" which makes the album number one of all time automatically.

Top Tracks: Islands on the Coast, Ode to the LRC, Is There A Ghost, The General Specific

2) Sugar Ros - Hvarf-Heim

I've been in love with this band for a few years now for their originality, beautiful instrumentals, and the fact that they are Icelandic and I can't understand a word they say. A very relaxing band that has toured the US a few times and is apparently great in concert.

Top Tracks: Hljomalind, Staralfur, Salka, I Gaer



3) Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

The blend between Alternative and modern country. No, I'm not talking about Shania Twain. Ryan Adams' depressing love songs are well written and his up tempo rock songs are a great change of pace as well.

Top Tracks: Two, Halloweenhead, Goodnight Rose, I Taught Myself How to Grow Old, Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.



4) Angels and Airwaves - I-Empire

Before you say anything about this selection, just know that AIA is not a punk band--in fact they do not resemble anything close to the lead singer's former genre with Blink 182. They have the most original sound of any current rock band minus a few (Muse comes to mind among others). This album falls short of their debut album, but still remains strong due haunting guitar rifts and use of various types of instruments which resemble U2 (actually the bands top influence).

Top Tracks: Call To Arms, Everything's Magic, Sirens, Secret Crowds

5) Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

Classic acoustic singer resembling Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith. Has some great tracks on this album and worth a listen for any acoustic fan.

Top Tracks: Scythian Empires, Imitosis, Plasticities




6) VHS or Beta - Bring on the Comets

Wish I could have gone to this concert, but nonetheless the album is great. Very powerful band with a strange sound to them.

Top Tracks: Can't Believe a Single Word, Bring on the Comets, Burn it All Down




7) Newton Faulkner - Hand Built By Robots

Not the typical acoustic singer, Newton is British and has long blond dreadlocks. Yet, he amassed one of the greatest albums of the year with an album that can be listened to from beginning to end.

Top Tracks: Dream Catch Me, People Should Smile More, Teardrop, All I Got



8) Coconut Records - Nighttiming

As if Jason Schwartzman wasn't cool enough as an actor, he headlines this EP with his new band Coconut Records. A step up from Phantom Planet with a more real sound listeners can enjoy.

Top Tracks: Nighttiming, West Coast



9) Rooney - Calling the World

No, I'm not a 16 year old girl who watches the OC, but I really enjoy this California pop band. Loved the first album, this one follows suit. Every song is catchy and makes you want to go surfing...

Top Tracks: Paralyzed, When Did Your Heart Go Missing?, Love Me or Leave Me




10) Interpol - Our Love to Admire

Pure rock band with great guitar and drum combos.

Top Tracks: The Heinrich Maneuver, No I in Threesome, Rest My Chemistry






Honorable Mention:

• Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice
• Okkervil River -The Stage Names
• The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
• Silverchair - Young Modern
• The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
• Feist - The Reminder
• Future of Forestry - Twilight
• Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
• Colbie Caillat - CoCo
  

See you next year.

State of Love and Trust

Dear Primary Love Interest,
I know I don't express myself emotionally very well. I am a man, after all. Granted that some men are better than others (screw you Hugh Grant -- you f'ed it up for all of us), and I may be skewing towards one end of the continuum, but most men seem to be somewhat poor performers in this category. Probably because we talk about football and donuts when we get together with each other, and with the exception of Homer Simpson, there is not a great deal of emotion tied to donuts. I realize it's not the most ideal trait in a life partner. Rest assured though...I'm working on it.


As you queried the other night, yes, this has indeed been a common motif in relationships in my past. And yes, I am fully aware that a good relationship requires care and some degree of "work" (trust me, I'm FULLY aware). But that is a tricky thing, you know? How much is work, and how much is "work" and how much is Work, and what is the significance of each? And when it is incredibly easy to be with someone, as I feel about me and you, it also becomes easy to get complacent and take certain things for granted....like saying you look hot in that tube top, or no those jeans fit you perfectly and don't at all make your butt look big. Unless that's the look you're going for -- I don't know what's "in" these days because my Cosmo subscription lapsed. Regardless, I know that the way I feel about you means that I would do any amount of work/"work"/Work to make things....er....work. Clarification: I KNOW things will always work between us...I have Trust in that...but I would do these things to make us both as happy as we deserve since we so directly and dynamically influence each other's happiness now. P.S. I don't use caps lock and capital letters frivilously.

I'm not a good enough amateur psychologist to really hash out what from my childhood made me this way (I have a few hunches, at best), but I think it's what made me a good athlete -- that never too high and never too low temperament. And having male roommates for my entire life didn't help but hammer home these habits. Especially the silent ones. It might seem odd, but it's always been a positive attribute in my life, an easy way to be, until now, and so the habit is hard to break given the decades of positive reinforcement it has recieved. Just remember that this is the first time I've spent more than several nights a week and the weekends with someone with pleasantly different anatomy consecutively, and it takes a little getting used to. I am, however, REALLY enjoying the constantly clean house and that there is ACTUALLY food in the fridge all the time. But please know that it is a process and that change is sometimes slow and don't be afraid to help shove it along whenever you feel you need too. My easy-going temperament also means that I readily absorb helpful criticism, as well. Lucky you!

It's odd, because women get painted with the "moody" label, but I am too. Though it is often really hard to detect on the surface. With me, it particularly applies to being in the mood to talk about serious things like new pets or kids or marriage or State of the Relationship type stuff. Most of the time when you bring them up, I might make a joke or two, and not really engage in the conversation in any great depth. I seem to put it off til later, but later doesn't always come soon enough. Part of it is that I'm not aware til later (when you make me aware) that you are really serious about talking about these things in depth. Part is that when I'm home I'm trying to mentally decompress from work and life and these topics seem very Serious and are daunting and require many arbitrary mental energy units to address. Make no mistake, I'm not trying to avoid these conversations. In my head, I have a vague notion of "crossing those bridges when we come to them" and that the whole buying a house together situation should answer some of them for you already. I'm sorry for not communicating those assumptions of mine frequently enough, but I know we'll get to all those questions and their answers eventually, and I'm still learning what you need and how to provide you with it.

Like I said...I'm working on it.

Angels and Giants: Part 1

(Editor's Note: this post was originally posted here at Tuesday's With Torii)



Oh what a turmoil our local sports franchises have thrust upon us. And oh what a turmoil our carefully selected blog name is wreaking on my sports soul this weekend. Tuesdays With Torii was chosen with no small amount of brainstorming and mental gymnastics. It perfectly befit our sports and pop-culture leaning mentalities, as well as incorporated, at least in my eyes, the most magnanimous and engaging character on our favorite stick-and-ball club. If "Garnett" rhymed equally well when inserted into the title of a popular, cheesy, touching, yet slightly overrated novel, I may very well have pressed for a basketball-centric outlet. And these two giants of these two (fraternal, not identical) twin cities, and the manner in which they have now departed, are the subject of this post.

I loved loved love Kevin Garnett, and I'm not afraid to say it. As far as arbitrary lists involving sports "heroes" go, he is well up into the lofty heights on mine. The troposphere maybe. My connection with KG has a rich history, and is intertwined with my own personal basketball career in a way for which I will always be biased in his favor. Until I got old and my knees slowly turned into the consistency of a Jolly Rancher (green apple) left out in an acid rainstorm, basketball was by far the biggest sport in my life. The Wolves became our team, and their formative years were also mine. Drafting Garnett coincided with my entry into college, and the Wolves' transition to "adulthood" mirrored my own (those who maintain that I am one anyway). After college, I had the opportunity to be in two commercials with the Big Ticket for his (then) shoe company And 1 sports, and he did not disappoint in real life either. The upper part of my face and forehead debuted to critical acclaim during the All-Star game that year. As a basketball player, his skills perfectly befit my mental disposition for fandom -- intense, versatile, freakishly athletic, smooth. And the parts of his athletic personality fit too -- humble, loyal, extremely self-motivated. There is a lot there to respect. During the end of the last season and throughout this off-season the critics buzzed about one thing -- the time had come for KG to go elsewhere and the Wolves to start over. And this strange feeling came over me...acceptance. It felt right. And when the Celtics maneuvered to nab Ray Allen on draft night, I remember distinctly thinking that KG would go there. Now, I've never been a Boston Anything fan, the Sox least of all, but the Celtics a strong second (and the Bruins about 8th, even placing after Freddie Prinze's Cape Cod minor league baseball team in that movie where Jessica Bier is wet). But as soon as my all-time favorite basketball player became the third of a very Big 3, and with the Wolves impending sucktitude, I decided to adopt them. For 2 years. And a fan option on the third. I knew...KNEW...as soon as the three were assembled that they would perfectly compliment each other - and I truly wish I had documented this certainty for personal ego-stroking purposes....I knew before everyone else and all that. But that is minor, really. More importantly, so sue me, I like to watch fun things. Entertaining things. And I intuited almost immediately that this would be a fantastically fun team to watch exactly because of the way they would compliment each other -- a dominant frontcourt guy, a sniper, and a hyper-effective slasher. A hyper-competitive chest-beater leader-by-example, a cucumber-cool Jesus Shuttlesworth, and an existing team leader in need of someone(s) else to shoulder some Sisyphus duty. But maybe, just maybe, the reason I need to adopt the Celtics is also that me and the Wolves...well...we just need a nice long break from each other. I can watch them from a distance, you know, checking in from time to time. But me and McHale just have too much baggage to make this thing work right now. He messed up time and again (about 84 by my count) in trying to match complimenting players to my favorite 6'13" player, and worse, enabled his jackass buddy to save his own (jack)ass in the very fell swoop McHale could never accomplish in more than a decade's worth of trying.

Not that I'm bitter.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

(This post is mirroed at 6'2")