Squeezed Dry

The posting streak continues... (and ain't that random sign goofy?)

Tonight I was part of a focus group, a place where critical comments about a database vendor were actually welcomed! Apparently, somewhere, somehow, my many complaints to their support desk got me nominated for this event, or at least, that's what I'm guessing since the vendor supplied names to the market research company and not vice versa. Beta Girl strikes again!

(Beta Girl was the nickname my previous boss Lucy gave me since I would kick the hell out of the tires whenever we had a trial of a new database. She and I joked that there was a cape flapping out behind me in the breeze as I found the many bugs and glitches in functionality which would occur as I put the product through its paces.)

They paid us each quite a nice sum [RTBT!] (which is good 'cos I have 2 birthday dinners coming up next week) but as I found out, it's not exactly generosity: by the time we left 90 minutes later, I realized that my brain felt wrung dry. So they got their pound of flesh, I'd say.

It was kind of odd knowing we were being videotaped behind the 2 way glass... I'm glad I didn't look at the glass until the end of the session though, since the chemo weight was at its most unflattering while sitting, in side view around a conference table. Yuck.

Oh well, it was not my looks that "got me a seat at the table" to use investment banker-speak.

And I gotta tellya, it was really something sitting around the table with 5 white guys and a brunette woman -- hmmm... I was the only "person of color" in a sea of crisply dressed testosterone. Apparently, some things haven't changed since I first started working in the financial sector ... 19 years ago ( !!! ) -- HOLY COW! has it really been that long?! I need a drink -- well, also because work this week has been a nonstop series of brush fires so the week has felt like an eternity, with very few things crossed off my to do list, since some hot potato always lands in my lap at the beginning of the day. But hey, don't me wrong: I am deeply grateful to be over/employed! (RTBT!)

(And by the way, I've taken a Lunesta to finish off the last of the insomnia, so the rest of this post may be slighty loopy.)

As I was saying, some thing haven't changed: if you've won the genetic lotto and are super waspy/preppy looking, this evidently is a prerequisite for being a wizard of Wall Street. (So glad I never went into investment banking as dear old mom had hoped!) While there may be lots of eye candy -- if your formative years were warped as mine were at college: imprinted like a duckling, I did on blond preppies -- being around so may Guys (and guys) might have given me a contact rash just from the raw testosterone wafting through the air.

Tonight's crop arrived dressed in business casual khakis & polo shirt all the way up to pinstriped suit with silk tie. Almost all of them had cheekbones/bone structure sharp enough to slice my fingers on. One guy in particular [Mr. Pinstriped Suit] reminded me of an old boss (from 1990!) Most of them gave the impression of being smart and efficient without being overly macho or BSDs.

But as with many things in life, it's always the problem children who get more airtime. Two of the participants -- the only other woman, unfortunately, and a broker -- struck me as, well, not on the same operating speed as the rest of the room (i.e., not the sharpest knives in the drawer, ok?) Being a native New Yawker, most forms of slowness drive me nuts, so I practically wanted to squeeze the words out of their throats when either of those 2 spoke. Of course, usually when they finally did, I found their comments, well, dumb. Sorry, but anyone who thinks all of their research needs can be solved with "you know, a Google type box" is just plain stupid. (If I knew what firm he worked for, I'd warn you all off his brokerage, but no surnames or actual employer names were mentioned, only overall corporate demographics.)

Considering the heavy duty data crunching conducted by the wealth management, hedge fund & private equity guys there tonight, I suspect they probably also thought he was not too bright either. I bet the video replay of people's reactions to most comments made by "Mr. Why Can't I Just Use Google To Find Everything?" would be interesting. *snicker*

Yes, stupidity irks me, so I guess I am destined to be forever cranky.

And short on sleep. G'night!