Oh, hello, fancy meeting you here. You seem like a lot of fun, what say we go on a hike, climb down a cliffside to the beach, build a sand castle, smash said sand castle, and celebrate victory with craft beers?
I’ve been back in LA for a year after beating Graduate school outside of the Chi. I miss it dearly-well, both-grad school, and the Chi. I don’t miss the weather, but having seasons was nice. The people. I miss the people: honest, hard-working folk with a knack for witty banter. While I don’t mind actor/model/servers, it is hard to filter through them to find gems, don’t you agree? So many beautiful faces in LA…to quote a dear friend, “But all the headaches in the world go there to be celebrated.” I certainly hope not, because I don’t like taking meds.
I’m not much of a banker, but somehow I’ve landed in a strategy role in corporate finance. That means people come to me with their problems, and I try very hard to look like I can solve those problems. It’s a great opportunity no less. If you’d like, I can tell you more about it, and I’ll even be sincere! Albeit, you may find corporate jargon-filled prose a bit dry. I know I do.
If you’ve gotten this far I take it my writing hasn’t deterred you. Fantastic. More about me in brief:
1. I spent 5 years as a personal trainer and loved it-the perfect job for an ENFJ that likes to clap and shout... And count backwards
2. I am reasonably educated, which is incredible given my lack of academic ability-but this did propel me away from training and towards an mba
3. I used to be a bartender…in Indiana-ask me about this
4. I was an internet entrepreneur, which led me to business school, which led me to this busy life
5. Trial by fire: that is how I live. If I feel like I suck at something, I will put myself in that situation until I am good at it.
That’s 5 things about me, which I feel is a fair trade for 5 things about you. Fairness is important. I focus my effort on communication-understanding others and showing respect. That way you don’t let emotion cloud things and resolve a lot of unnecessary conflict. Because let's be real: fighting just sucks.
That’s enough of my rambling. Now it’s your turn-start with the five things-anything really. But before you proceed, a few constraints: I need you to be smart, and to challenge me-not in a dramatic sense, but you need to call me out and stick to your values. You have to have integrity. You don’t have to be formally educated, but an appreciation for the oxford comma would be nice (but it’s ok if you qualify statements with parentheses). I work hard, play hard, and workout harder. I’d fancy if you had a similar balance. And lastly, if you aren’t ok with random trips on the weekend, you’re cute without the “e.” You live once.
Go forth and kick today’s arse, and I look forward to giving you a high-five.
Gene
