Mah Blahg. Is Nice, You Like?

I’ve been seeing a lot of This guy Sacha lately. Mostly as Borat, the meme/movie that I think is going to be profoundly successful if for no other reason than Cohen’s uncanny ability to reveal truths about being human. I won’t go into what a genius I think Cohen is, but I’ll just say that I can’t stop talking like Borat. Is Nice. I Like. I’ve been an Ali G fan since finding his video’s online (prior to HBO, which I don’t even get anyway). But Borat keeps showing up- on Yahoo!, in banner advertising, and on the background on soccer games. And everytime I see him, I become using languages of like Borat.

Anyway, I’ve been incredibly busy lately, managing to get all of it done and done well, I think. I’m pleased, anyway, and I haven’t gotten any feedback to the contrary.

I’ve started a second gig with CivicActions. I’m returning to business of internet. I like. My last gig in web services was finding shelter from the dot-com blowout managing the interactive department at a lifeless b2b advertising agency in San Francisco in 2000. It was my second or third Omnicom gig. Probably a good job for someone who’s passionate about the ad business. I’d say I fall into the “fascinated/disgusted” category more than “passionate” about consumer and b2b advertising. I appreciate a well executed campaign, but it’s not something that gets me up in the morning.

A few weeks after 9/11, I was laid off a few days after being directed to lay off my entire staff. To be fair, I’d been trying to let them go since I’d arrived in an effort for our interactive offerings to be sophisticated and elegantly designed – characteristics not found my motley and genuinely nice department. But they were hired during the boom days, when the last place on earth anybody with rockstar talent wanted to work was in a b2b advertising agency. They were all really nice people, for sure. I liked them personally, but their skillsets were undeveloped, really. I hope they’re all doing well for themselves. Funny, I haven’t thought about that gig for a couple years at least. It was painful, really.

Being laid off less than a month after 9/11 was… well, it sucked. Anyway, I pretty much decided I didn’t want to work in the tech business anymore. Now here I am again. Old habits are hard to break. Specifically, a passion for seeing the internet being used to make a positive difference in the world.

Our clients at CivicActions are all non-profits and projects that we believe are important in “the big picture”. I’m not selling high-speed routers or data storage solutions. I’m selling community organizing tools and grassroots campaigns to stop genocide, encourage civic participation, save the environment and end corruption.

Feels good to be contributing to “The Cause” in yet another way, and in this case, a way that is actually sustaining me. Being a totally virtual organization means that I can do my work anywhere in the world. Which I plan to be doing.

I’m definitely still enjoying my work with my employer (I’m a contractor w/ CivicActions), doing leak investigation and construction project management. I love the work, my boss and so far every one of our clients. The new gig complements the first rather well, in my opinion. Although it is making me a little crazy with details and scheduling. I forgot all about meetings, weekly deliverables and such.

At the end of the day, though, it’s paying my bills and keeping the computer turned on, which means I can make more music.

More news later.