People in this town drive in a very counterintuitive manner

[clevermanka]

Monday night, I finally made the time to see Cabin in the Woods. This movie was made for me. Seriously, seriously. WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME I HAD TO SEE THIS MOVIE. I mean, like, why did nobody take me by the shoulders and say "SEE THIS. SEE THIS NOW." I am looking at you, orrin. I am looking at you hard.

Tragically, I can't talk about it, because I want everyone else to see it, and talking about it even a little bit will completely ruin it. You need to go into it completely unspoiled to get the full effect. It's just...it's just so good.

THE META, Y'ALL. THE FUCKING META.

I am now convinced of Joss Whedon's capabilities when it comes to stand-alone movies. I remain ambivalent (at best) in regards to his television shows. But his movies? SOLD.

Marginally related to the themes of the movie (one of which is what you do determines who you are) is this absolutely amazing, brutal, and spot-on analysis from Cracked about why some people are successful and some people are not, even when both groups are nice people.

"If you want to know why society seems to shun you, or why you seem to get no respect, it's because society is full of people who need things. They need houses built, they need food to eat, they need entertainment, they need fulfilling sexual relationships...the moment you came into the world, you became part of a system designed purely to see to people's needs...Either you will go about the task of seeing to those needs by learning a unique set of skills, or the world will reject you, no matter how kind, giving and polite you are. You will be poor, you will be alone, you will be left out in the cold."

This is the first time I've read something that supported my stance of not giving a shit what people think of me as a person but caring very much what they think of me as a competent adult. Sure, it's nice to be liked, but when it comes down to it, I don't give a fuck if the people I work with think I'm a good person. I just want them to respect me in my capacity as a good secretary. Every other article I've read or conversation I've had regarding this topic results in my impression that such an attitude is seen as terribly Machiavellian. When really, it's just practical.

It's not all about your job, though. In fact, the author of the article does well to point out that what you do doesn't necessarily mean your job. Rather, he emphasizes what you can do. At the beginning of the article, he asks the reader to name five impressive things about him/herself. Not things about oneself, but things one can do. My five:

1. I know how to present myself to my best advantage.
2. I cook good food.
3. I sew quality clothing.
4. I can organize just about anything.
5. I speak my mind when it's appropriate to do so and I STFU when it isn't.

Note: these aren't things I always do, but they are things I can do.

What are your five? Would any of them help save you if you were trapped in a horror movie?

I have So Much More To Say about this, but I just got handed a substantial task and I'm already swamped with application stuff. Duty barks.

Comments

[etcet.livejournal.com]

You're about to get your happy ass quoted on my LJ bio page.

This is the first time I've read something something that supported my stance of not giving a shit what people think of me as a person but caring very much what they think of me as a competent adult. Sure, it's nice to be liked, but when it comes down to it, I don't give a fuck if the people I work with think I'm a good person.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

My five?

1) I can find almost anything for anyone.
2) I can walk into any new situation and see what needs to be done, and then do it.
3) I can not only follow instructions, but can adapt them for the task or materials at hand.
4) I can sew, cook and clean, if not greatly, at least well.
5) I have numerous fix-it skills, including basic automotive repairs, some of which may help me survive in a horror movie.

Some of these skills I may have not been as forthcoming as I can in sharing with the world at large, and I might need to work on that.

But I'm with you, I'd rather be appreciated for my skills than to be liked. This probably has a lot to do with why things went badly for me at my last job. My skills were secondary to how some of the others felt about me as "fitting in" with them.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

My skills were secondary to how some of the others felt about me as "fitting in" with them.

That's what happened with me at Color-Art, too. Remember that hell? GOD.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

That cracked.com article has been posted to every refrigerator in my life, literal and metaphorical, since I first read it a couple of days ago. AMEN.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Cabin in the Woods. So Much Love for that movie.

Read that article myself, and it definitely has my thinky wheels turning.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yay on both counts!

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

1) I can talk people down from emotional freak outs.
2) I can fight with swords.
3) I'm capable and competent at organizing, planning, and getting people moving to complete tasks.
4) I can write entertaining and informative short works.
5) I can pick up new skills (to fill in gaps) quickly.

I'm more likely to survive in a group where I could make the other people more effective and keep them level headed.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Those first two are especially good, IMO.

[aprilstarchild.livejournal.com]

1. I can get conversations started with total strangers quite easily
2. I am an asset to trivia teams (usually)
3. I can knit socks
4. I can ride my bicycle as my main method of transportation
5. I can make huge messes with a minimum of stuff....

Yeah, that last one isn't positive, but I've managed to impress people with it.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha ha! I would imagine that last one could come in quite handy if you were in a horror movie.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

Best article ever. And you have posted many good ones. Well done.

Alas, I was unable to come up with five skills. Clearly, I need a little introspection, but I can do these things:
1)organize the sh** out of anything
2)remember where the stuff is because the organization was implemented
3)good with hand dexterity for detail work, say, cutting up dead things for a horror movie
4)cleaning (with toothpicks if necessary, see above)
5)?

A number of years ago I had a conversation with my sister about whether or not it was important for work people to like you. Our conclusion? Sometimes you just gotta embrace the bitch to get shit done. Maybe that is my #5. I have gotten some hard stuff done.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm happy you got something out of the article.

Developing the ability to care little about what people think of you is a valuable skill. Good for you for getting hard stuff done.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Intersting article; thanks for the link. I think every 20-something should read it.

Off the toppa my head re: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Skillz:

* I am a good hunter. Probably better at shooting zombies than fuzzy things with big brown eyes, though.
* I am a creative thinker and problem-solver.
* I am a skilled mechanic and builder of things.
* I can tell entertaining stories around campfires built from the rubble of a fallen civilization.
* I am an excellent teacher of all things I know.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Don't discount the quite-valuable skill of being very good in bed. Since I'll be one of the leaders of the Brave New World, that's an excellent skill set to have.

[bluetourmaline.livejournal.com]

I was pretty much brought up to be a competent adult, so I never thought "who I was inside" mattered relative to what I might do.

1. I can cook and clean, if not greatly, but well, and can find foods in the wild almost anywhere in the temperate zone in the summer.
2. I can sing at an advanced enough level that most songs sound at least pleasant - a skill useful in a horror movie? Well, there are multiple stories of musical skills keeping people alive in concentration camps.
3. I am quite good at proofreading.
4. I can explain complex concepts and have a huge variety of facts in my brain, and can at least communicate basic needs in about six languages.
5. I generally keep my head and am organized in emergencies.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Your numbers one and four are fucking awesome.

[poincaraux.livejournal.com]

The popularity of that article totally baffles me. I literally cannot think of the last person over the age of 21 that I've talked to who didn't already know that the basic point of the article is true. Is it just that the article is well phrased, or is the world really full of people who don't get this? It'd be a delightful little bit of irony if my academic bubble was more clued in to what's required in the "real world" than the rest of that world.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The world is terrifyingly full of people who don't get this.

Your academic bubble is probably different than the academic bubbles I encounter on a daily basis. And quite a lot different than the non-academic bubbles of people who think they deserve an A for Effort.

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

I can kill with a thought. (that may have just been a coincidence, but if not... watchout motherfuckers!!!)
I am a wax whisperer. (this cannot de explained)
I can come up with a fairly plausible explanation for nearly anything (see above).
I hate sentimentality. (I think the only way to make this marketable is to write articles like this one)
I am a great liar (this may actually be the only "marketable" skill anyone has.)
I am good at pointing out contradictions (see above)

Seriously tho... It seems like a little bit of both being "good" and being "good at" is required for that whole "balanced" thing you hear people talk about, when they don't want to actually define anything. and sales meetings.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

See today's post for a follow-up to this that I think addresses your concern.

[orrin.livejournal.com]

I swear to god I thought I had talked about Cabin in the Woods on my 'blog, but now I can't find it, so maybe I didn't somehow. In which case, yeah, totally sorry, my bad.

In my defense, pretty much everyone in my horror circles was so ridiculously aware of it that I just kind of got used to the idea that everyone was.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Obviously I need to be more involved in your horror circles.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

You're about to get your happy ass quoted on my LJ bio page.

This is the first time I've read something something that supported my stance of not giving a shit what people think of me as a person but caring very much what they think of me as a competent adult. Sure, it's nice to be liked, but when it comes down to it, I don't give a fuck if the people I work with think I'm a good person.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

My five?

1) I can find almost anything for anyone.
2) I can walk into any new situation and see what needs to be done, and then do it.
3) I can not only follow instructions, but can adapt them for the task or materials at hand.
4) I can sew, cook and clean, if not greatly, at least well.
5) I have numerous fix-it skills, including basic automotive repairs, some of which may help me survive in a horror movie.

Some of these skills I may have not been as forthcoming as I can in sharing with the world at large, and I might need to work on that.

But I'm with you, I'd rather be appreciated for my skills than to be liked. This probably has a lot to do with why things went badly for me at my last job. My skills were secondary to how some of the others felt about me as "fitting in" with them.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

My skills were secondary to how some of the others felt about me as "fitting in" with them.

That's what happened with me at Color-Art, too. Remember that hell? GOD.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

That cracked.com article has been posted to every refrigerator in my life, literal and metaphorical, since I first read it a couple of days ago. AMEN.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Cabin in the Woods. So Much Love for that movie.

Read that article myself, and it definitely has my thinky wheels turning.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yay on both counts!

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

1) I can talk people down from emotional freak outs.
2) I can fight with swords.
3) I'm capable and competent at organizing, planning, and getting people moving to complete tasks.
4) I can write entertaining and informative short works.
5) I can pick up new skills (to fill in gaps) quickly.

I'm more likely to survive in a group where I could make the other people more effective and keep them level headed.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Those first two are especially good, IMO.

[aprilstarchild.livejournal.com]

1. I can get conversations started with total strangers quite easily
2. I am an asset to trivia teams (usually)
3. I can knit socks
4. I can ride my bicycle as my main method of transportation
5. I can make huge messes with a minimum of stuff....

Yeah, that last one isn't positive, but I've managed to impress people with it.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha ha! I would imagine that last one could come in quite handy if you were in a horror movie.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

Best article ever. And you have posted many good ones. Well done.

Alas, I was unable to come up with five skills. Clearly, I need a little introspection, but I can do these things:
1)organize the sh** out of anything
2)remember where the stuff is because the organization was implemented
3)good with hand dexterity for detail work, say, cutting up dead things for a horror movie
4)cleaning (with toothpicks if necessary, see above)
5)?

A number of years ago I had a conversation with my sister about whether or not it was important for work people to like you. Our conclusion? Sometimes you just gotta embrace the bitch to get shit done. Maybe that is my #5. I have gotten some hard stuff done.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm happy you got something out of the article.

Developing the ability to care little about what people think of you is a valuable skill. Good for you for getting hard stuff done.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Intersting article; thanks for the link. I think every 20-something should read it.

Off the toppa my head re: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Skillz:

* I am a good hunter. Probably better at shooting zombies than fuzzy things with big brown eyes, though.
* I am a creative thinker and problem-solver.
* I am a skilled mechanic and builder of things.
* I can tell entertaining stories around campfires built from the rubble of a fallen civilization.
* I am an excellent teacher of all things I know.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Don't discount the quite-valuable skill of being very good in bed. Since I'll be one of the leaders of the Brave New World, that's an excellent skill set to have.

[indicolite.livejournal.com]

I was pretty much brought up to be a competent adult, so I never thought "who I was inside" mattered relative to what I might do.

1. I can cook and clean, if not greatly, but well, and can find foods in the wild almost anywhere in the temperate zone in the summer.
2. I can sing at an advanced enough level that most songs sound at least pleasant - a skill useful in a horror movie? Well, there are multiple stories of musical skills keeping people alive in concentration camps.
3. I am quite good at proofreading.
4. I can explain complex concepts and have a huge variety of facts in my brain, and can at least communicate basic needs in about six languages.
5. I generally keep my head and am organized in emergencies.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Your numbers one and four are fucking awesome.

[poincaraux.livejournal.com]

The popularity of that article totally baffles me. I literally cannot think of the last person over the age of 21 that I've talked to who didn't already know that the basic point of the article is true. Is it just that the article is well phrased, or is the world really full of people who don't get this? It'd be a delightful little bit of irony if my academic bubble was more clued in to what's required in the "real world" than the rest of that world.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The world is terrifyingly full of people who don't get this.

Your academic bubble is probably different than the academic bubbles I encounter on a daily basis. And quite a lot different than the non-academic bubbles of people who think they deserve an A for Effort.

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

I can kill with a thought. (that may have just been a coincidence, but if not... watchout motherfuckers!!!)
I am a wax whisperer. (this cannot de explained)
I can come up with a fairly plausible explanation for nearly anything (see above).
I hate sentimentality. (I think the only way to make this marketable is to write articles like this one)
I am a great liar (this may actually be the only "marketable" skill anyone has.)
I am good at pointing out contradictions (see above)

Seriously tho... It seems like a little bit of both being "good" and being "good at" is required for that whole "balanced" thing you hear people talk about, when they don't want to actually define anything. and sales meetings.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

See today's post for a follow-up to this that I think addresses your concern.

[orrin.livejournal.com]

I swear to god I thought I had talked about Cabin in the Woods on my 'blog, but now I can't find it, so maybe I didn't somehow. In which case, yeah, totally sorry, my bad.

In my defense, pretty much everyone in my horror circles was so ridiculously aware of it that I just kind of got used to the idea that everyone was.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Obviously I need to be more involved in your horror circles.