Tao of Scott

How did this happen?

For twenty three years I have practiced my profession in the banking industry. Over the past four years I have been in the throws of insidious mission creep as far as my duties, responsibilities, and the very definition of my job is concerned while no additional pay has been forthcoming nor would it ever. Finally I was working seven days a week and making about the same amount of money as I was in 1995 for five days work. In addition, as the financial markets started teetering, heading for collapse, I commenced to developing a rather nasty anxiety disorder finally adversely impacting both my emotional and physical health. I came to regard the world in which I was employed to be headed up by cave dwelling slime snakes devoid of color and with closed over eyes. A cabal of pirates populated the nations money universe from the government through the upper management ivory towers of the entire financial architecture of the country, and yes, the globe itself. All of this facilitated by the very foundation of the human condition, GREED. Greed is predictable and therefore easily manipulated in certain people because it is born in our survival instinct. In Oliver Stones’ prophetic film “Wall Street” the most popular character was Michael Douglas in the role of the evil, greedy, amoral, monster Gordon Gekko. This came as quite a surprise to Oliver Stone. You think you know people.

Anyway we were plowing along, my immediate co-workers and I, trying to do the best job we could. Most people are good folks trying to do the best they can. Problem was the monster had slipped its leash. So anyway we’re plowing along and one day my supervisor, a wonderful person working with both hands tied behind her back, called and asked “how many of these additional reports can you put out per day?”

“On top of all this other shit I got lying around?” I asked.

“Uh, yes” she responded

I opened my mouth and out came these words like a wild, out of control cattle stampede. “I can do none per day. In fact I think I’m resigning.”

A couple of weeks go by and it becomes clear that not only did I quit working for that particular organization, I had thoroughly quit the industry. Come to find out I had hit full on, flat assed, face in the mud burnout. To go back in would be like voluntarily returning my hand to the blazing fire from which I had just removed it. I just can’t do it!

So I got my first personal computer (referred to as “the machine” from here on out) in March of 2009. I sent the first e-mail in my life, at the age of fifty six, in the first week of March 2009.

So this is how I found myself with nothing to do.

Welcome to the new world old man.