2008 In Review

Saying 2008 was an eventful year would be an understatement. But don’t let that fool you into thinking 2009 is my off year. I anticipate much of the crazy, hectic, hair-losing that my friends went through in 2008(weddings anyone?). 2008 can be summarized in far more entertaining ways than what I am about to regurgitate, but nevertheless, I must go on before I forget everything.

January “Decision Month:” I had a big decision to make in January 2008; granted, I had been pondering this for much longer but it was this month that a decision had to be made. At the time I was working at CA, which was a convenient 15 minutes from my apartment at the time. The location was fantastic, the facilities were outstanding, the work itself was pretty good and the coworkers were good coworkers. So what decision did I have to make? Well, the manager who hired me in had left and the new manager had a new way of managing the department – which included my role. To make a long story short, the old manager had put a ton of faith in me and wanted me to take on high visibility projects while the new manager wanted me to stick to my defined role (and that itself is a story all of its own). I spent a month looking around the job market and couldn’t find anything that was grabbing my attention. I looked internally, but was stonewalled because I had to be with the company for 1 year before I was allowed to change positions internally. Right about the time I was going to just suck it up and stick it out (oh that’s filthy!!) the new manager promoted the new girl to SAP Project Manager. The former SAP Project Manager was the current new manager, someone who had 20+ years of experience. The new SAP Project Manager was a former car salesperson with experience topping out at 5 years and 0 years was in SAP! My coworkers had thought I was the person they were announcing as the new SAP Project Manager and to make another long story short, unhappiness ruled the SAP Training Team. So back to the big decision! I made a few phone calls and in a matter of weeks, was on the brink of working for myself as an Independent Consultant. This would afford me the opportunity to hand-pick my projects as well as my rate of pay. The death of the American Economy was looming and people were chatting about it here and there, but at the time, we all still thought a recession could be fought off. So did I take the opportunity to work on my own and risk job security or did I stick it out and make changes with the current job?

February “Big Chill:” The shortest month of the year was the longest 4 weeks of 2008 for me. I told CA that I was leaving and the new manager’s timeless response was simply, “Shit!” They didn’t do much to retain me, and those who I had worked with closely were sorry to see me go but happy that I was getting into something better. I had made a contractual commitment to work at Select Comfort in Minneapolis for a minimum of 8 weeks at a pay rate that would help kick start my poor ass finances. February 21, 2008 was the day I first flew out to Minneapolis (nice and chilly!) and started work as an Independent Contractor. The coworkers were pretty good and the location was awesome for a number of reasons. A week or so into the project I was nearing the end of February, and it wasn’t the bad economy looming – just really shitty luck.

March “Big Scare:” Frikin March. We were only 3 weeks into the new project and I find myself hearing chatter that the project is about to be cancelled. What. The. Fuck!? I clung to the phones and was searching for a new project when I hadn’t even been paid for the first project! What frikin crappy luck! I leave my cushy job at CA and 3 weeks later the inept client has to cancel the project; wish I would’ve known before!! Anyway, I spent a couple weeks looking for the next project and had to turn down some undesirables along the way. If it wasn’t the location, it was the pay rate, and if it wasn’t the pay rate, it was the length of the contract. All I wanted was something a bit more stable, maybe a new project, and something along the lines of what I was getting paid in Minneapolis (which I’ll likely not see for years to come). It only took a few weeks, but in the last week of March, I found it. The client was Colgate and the location was New Jersey. Guess who lives in NJ? You got it! I moved into a new apartment with 2 roommates as well. The apartment is OUTSTANDING!

April “Big Easy:” Colgate rules. I had a week off in between projects and was happy to get back to work. Colgate was a 3+ hour commute but I had a great hotel, a decent rate, a good coworker (singular) and the client was a former project of mine so acclimating was quick. Being in NJ during the month of April afforded me the opportunity to spend time with my New Jersey friends, and I took advantage of that at every opportunity. I even got grilled by someone’s father about Hindu and why I should convert immediately. And how can I forget the classic eye rolling of his daughter when he mentioned how women had all the power – HA! – what trip! April was also the month that I started my own company officially with the help of the aforementioned father and daughter. TSC – Think Solution Consulting – would offer me the opportunity to apply for more contracts and would help legitimize my name in the industry of Independent Consultants. My best friend and future Co-Best Man was wed to his lovely wife who shares the name of my fiancé. The wedding was a ton of fun if you subtract the part when I slid down the hill in my tux as I was running to my car for my wallet.

May “Lazy:” Colgate ended in May and I spent the rest of the month and part of the next month not working at all. The fiancé was freaking out and I was starting to get nervous towards the end, but that wasn’t until June so I won’t include that in May. May brought me 3 weeks of sleeping in, playing video games, chilling with my puppy Trot, and drinking 6 days a week; just because I could. I’d take calls from potential clients while playing beer pong or shooting heads off with a sniper rifle; May was good.

June “Long Haul:” June started slow and picked up pace quite fast. I started a new contract, my first as an employee of my own company and was flying to Baltimore, then training to Washington, D.C. to provide services to AES, an energy company. Again, I found myself earning a fair pay and working with good people. This project was slated to last a few months and by the time it ended I would be debt free and rolling in dough! The other big event was the biggest, longest (filthy!!) wedding I will EVER attend, and according to the bride, the ONLY wedding she’ll ever have! The entire day was jam packed with awesomeness, except when the fiancé was bit by a random pit bull on the side of the highway (long story!). Oh and my roommate, friend, and fraternity brother (all in one) announced he was having a baby!

July “Huh?:” I don’t remember much of July. I worked. I traveled. I tried buying a house I think, but that didn’t work out too well. Oh yah! After 5 solid weeks on the project, I hear chatter that a new change management team is coming on board and everyone’s job is at stake. AWESOME! Back to the frikin phones!

August “Back to Reality:” August was the month where all my hopes and dreams of being a filthy rich bastard with no debt came down with a crash; quite the precursor for our nation’s economy might I say! I had to abandon my hopes to continue working for myself in exchange for job security. Luckily, I found a full-time job making a fair salary. The only compromise is the 2+ hour commute each way to the big city coupled with another move! The fiancé and I decided that since one of our 2 roommates was moving out, that we should probably resign a lease for our apartment until after the wedding in 2009 so that we don’t have to find housing while we plan a wedding. This was the plan since the house on Party Drive fell through. So I’m working in the city and I’ve got a few friends working in the city as well, this can’t be that bad!

September “Families Meet:” September’s big event was the engagement party where my family first met the fiancé’s family. It also marked the first time that my various groups of friends would all be in the same place at the same time. The event was a decent success, although I would’ve been happier if the fiancé’s family spent more time with my family. It was almost as if her family went into their standard party mode and totally forgot how immense and important this was to me and my family. Still had a good time though.

October “Grinding:” October was nothing special. Did stuff. Turned 25. Worked. Move along.

November “Reigning Champion:” November was a bit more exciting than October. I returned to the Rubinson household and reigned supreme as beer pong champion with my fiancé. The losing team was not so thrilled with the loss; but they got over it. My friend bought a house in New Jersey and we celebrated the same weekend I defended my crown at another New Jersey home – so all in all, good month. I ate a ton of food on Thanksgiving too.

December “Finale:” December wasn’t too shabby. I spent half the month working from home and the other half was uneventful. New Year’s Eve was spent on a heated, rooftop garden bar in the city and I survived until way past 1 A.M. this year!

The end.