346
The Hardline / Re: Non-AEA Health Insurance Options (maybe AGMA compatible)?
« on: Apr 08, 2013, 08:27 am »
Have you looked in to COBRA?
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347
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Honesty about running a show?
« on: Apr 05, 2013, 10:47 am »
Matthew's comment caused me to think - I suppose it is the nature of the beast that many times if we're not going a million miles an hour we tend to think something isn't right.
I think one of the first questions to ask yourself is - are you still happy in this job, with this company?
If the answer to that question is yes and you are not ready or don't want to look for other opportunities, maybe look at expanding your role there. Are there any new responsibilities you could take on? I suggest this within reason, and without intruding on the responsibilities of others - not suggesting you should start learning lines and become another understudy or anything like that. But are there holes you could fill within the organization? Are there skills you want to develop professionally or personally? Try to find a way you can add value to the production. This could be a fantastic opportunity for you - you could keep yourself professionally engaged and develop new skills, all while raising your stock and being seen as someone who is eager, ready, and willing to help when the time comes. Those kinds of people are invaluable.
I think one of the first questions to ask yourself is - are you still happy in this job, with this company?
If the answer to that question is yes and you are not ready or don't want to look for other opportunities, maybe look at expanding your role there. Are there any new responsibilities you could take on? I suggest this within reason, and without intruding on the responsibilities of others - not suggesting you should start learning lines and become another understudy or anything like that. But are there holes you could fill within the organization? Are there skills you want to develop professionally or personally? Try to find a way you can add value to the production. This could be a fantastic opportunity for you - you could keep yourself professionally engaged and develop new skills, all while raising your stock and being seen as someone who is eager, ready, and willing to help when the time comes. Those kinds of people are invaluable.
348
Introductions / Re: New Kid on the Block
« on: Apr 03, 2013, 11:22 am »Thanks for the input! My only hesitation with Carnegie Mellon is the Graduate program attached. I would hate to pay thousands of dollars to be 1. cut from the program (as it is a cut program) or 2. be over shadowed by the graduate program.
The attached graduate program is definitely a concern. Are you able to contact both current students and alums of the undergrad? (And I definitely recommend doing both, if possible) I'd look to get some first-hand reassurance that the graduate program did not intrude on the value of their education.
349
Employment / Re: Telephone Interviews
« on: Apr 03, 2013, 11:09 am »
This is one of the major pitfalls of phone, skype, video, etc... interviews.
Did you have the interview scheduled at a time that you both agreed on, or did the PSM call you at a time that wasn't confirmed? If the timing wasn't confirmed, I'd perhaps drop a quick note apologizing for the poor connection and offer (but don't ask him to) to schedule a second call if he'd like you to clarify any of your responses that may have cut out.
Chances are if he didn't understand your responses or needed further clarification, he would have asked during the call - so you may be OK.
Here's a quick and dirty five point blog post that can help with phone interviews in the future. If possible, do your interviews on a land line. If a land line isn't possible, then make sure you're in a location that you know from previous experience has good cell reception.
If you did agree to the time beforehand and you were in a position with poor reception, then unfortunately that's on you and there probably isn't a whole lot you can do. If you agreed that he'd call you at 4:00pm, then it's on you to be ready for the call at 4:00pm. Being ready includes many things, and certainly includes a reliable phone connection. I don't mean to sound bleak, and it's certainly possible others here will have some better advice on the subject. Good luck, and I hope the challenges with the connection don't affect your ability to get this job!
EDIT: Here's another bit from Lifehacker on phone interviews. Can't recommend this blog enough!
Did you have the interview scheduled at a time that you both agreed on, or did the PSM call you at a time that wasn't confirmed? If the timing wasn't confirmed, I'd perhaps drop a quick note apologizing for the poor connection and offer (but don't ask him to) to schedule a second call if he'd like you to clarify any of your responses that may have cut out.
Chances are if he didn't understand your responses or needed further clarification, he would have asked during the call - so you may be OK.
Here's a quick and dirty five point blog post that can help with phone interviews in the future. If possible, do your interviews on a land line. If a land line isn't possible, then make sure you're in a location that you know from previous experience has good cell reception.
If you did agree to the time beforehand and you were in a position with poor reception, then unfortunately that's on you and there probably isn't a whole lot you can do. If you agreed that he'd call you at 4:00pm, then it's on you to be ready for the call at 4:00pm. Being ready includes many things, and certainly includes a reliable phone connection. I don't mean to sound bleak, and it's certainly possible others here will have some better advice on the subject. Good luck, and I hope the challenges with the connection don't affect your ability to get this job!
EDIT: Here's another bit from Lifehacker on phone interviews. Can't recommend this blog enough!
350
Introductions / Re: New Kid on the Block
« on: Apr 02, 2013, 04:33 pm »I've been in Pittsburgh during January and February every year since 2001, and although it's really wintery cold and snowy for 3 months or more, that's no reason not to consider living and/or going to school there. It's a great town!Welcome! If you can stomach the winters in Pittsburgh you may give serious consideration to Carnegie Mellon. Degrees from that university are extremely valuable.
I grew up in Pittsburgh and lived there for 20+ years, and second your opinion that it's a great town!
My comment was mostly in jest, but living in Miami now and knowing folks who have made the move South to North, then back again, climate is something to consider.
351
Introductions / Re: New Kid on the Block
« on: Apr 02, 2013, 12:31 pm »
Welcome! If you can stomach the winters in Pittsburgh you may give serious consideration to Carnegie Mellon. Degrees from that university are extremely valuable.
352
Introductions / Re: Back in the trenches
« on: Apr 02, 2013, 10:52 am »
Welcome! And here's to hoping we can help you shake off the rust!
353
The Green Room / Re: What about my dog?
« on: Apr 02, 2013, 08:54 am »
A giant +1 to BayAreaSM's post.
I'd add that dropping a note to your future coworkers on the subject could lead to a negative first impression if not worded carefully. Perception could be that you're anything from high-maintenance, to difficult, to a "crazy cat lady". It's not necessarily fair that people would make those connections, but they do - and we all do it to some degree.
How long is the internship? Is it close to home? Would it make sense for you to feel the roommate situation out in person and have kitteh move in later?
I'd add that dropping a note to your future coworkers on the subject could lead to a negative first impression if not worded carefully. Perception could be that you're anything from high-maintenance, to difficult, to a "crazy cat lady". It's not necessarily fair that people would make those connections, but they do - and we all do it to some degree.
How long is the internship? Is it close to home? Would it make sense for you to feel the roommate situation out in person and have kitteh move in later?
354
The Green Room / Re: "The Busy Trap"
« on: Mar 27, 2013, 08:54 am »
Work to live, don't live to work.
355
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROP FOOD: Ketchup that isn't ketchup
« on: Mar 26, 2013, 01:52 pm »
As StageManager mentioned, try a freezer brand or something like this option from Trader Joe's or a similar store if you don't have Trader Joe's. If you contact them and explain the situation, they may even donate enough product to last you through the run. You could also look at restaurants in your area which might make or serve potato pancakes, they could help you out.
When I was in college my university did a production of Suburbia. One of the main characters drinks something like a dozen beers on stage throughout the course of the show. Two problems - #1 the actor was not 21, #2 he would have been far too intoxicated to stand, let alone act, after that many beers. A national brewery agreed to do a special run of lightly carbonated water in their cans for our production. The actor was sober, and you still got that lovely "cracking a beer" sound inside of a real beer can. Quite a long explanation for the punch line, which is reach out to local companies, they may be willing to help!
When I was in college my university did a production of Suburbia. One of the main characters drinks something like a dozen beers on stage throughout the course of the show. Two problems - #1 the actor was not 21, #2 he would have been far too intoxicated to stand, let alone act, after that many beers. A national brewery agreed to do a special run of lightly carbonated water in their cans for our production. The actor was sober, and you still got that lovely "cracking a beer" sound inside of a real beer can. Quite a long explanation for the punch line, which is reach out to local companies, they may be willing to help!
356
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Commercial Mobile Alert System
« on: Mar 22, 2013, 09:17 am »From the FCC website:QuoteCustomers of participating carriers are automatically signed up.QuoteParticipating wireless carriers may offer subscribers with CMAS-capable handsets the ability to block alerts involving imminent threats to safety of life and/or AMBER Alerts; however, consumers cannot block emergency alerts issued by the President.
This happened to my roommate- he now gets the messages, which he was not aware of until we were under a flood warning and his phone started screeching. You can't turn them off or opt out of them (which personally I have a problem with but that's another issue entirely).
Is that actually true? Do you have any statements from the FCC's website to support that? Knowing our lovely federal government I don't doubt it for a bit, just curious. If this is indeed true, that is an incredible invasion of privacy.
357
Tools of the Trade / Re: Email Best Practices for Teams
« on: Mar 20, 2013, 01:59 pm »I still use complete sentences as well and always proofread. I will reply to things on my phone if it's a short and easy reply. Otherwise I like to wait until I can use my computer. One thing I liked in that article was the idea of checking to see if email is the appropriate forum. There have been any number of times during a show where there will be an ongoing email discussion that drags on for days while everyone weighs in that could have been more easily solved with a quick face to face meeting.
In my mind that was the biggest takeaway from this for me. While I am pretty good at finding the right medium for communication, I do occasionally catch myself getting into a drawn out back and forth with someone where a phone call or face to face me be the more appropriate tool.
358
Tools of the Trade / Re: Email Best Practices for Teams
« on: Mar 20, 2013, 11:31 am »My biggest pet peeve is people that use SMS talk in email. "u" "r" "wif"
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Am I the last person on the planet to still use complete sentences?
That drives me crazy too. If you really want to be passive-aggressive, you can insert some [sic] tags in when forwarding, though probably not the most diplomatic path forward
I think my biggest is crazy fonts. I have someone who writes me at least once a month and uses Comic Sans; which, I mean, was totally cool in like 1997, but not really appropriate any longer. Every time I respond I convert his email to plain text so he loses all formatting
359
Tools of the Trade / Email Best Practices for Teams
« on: Mar 20, 2013, 08:57 am »
I found this blog post at "Getting Things Done" to be useful, particularly relevant with how much of our communication is done via email.
Email Best Practices for Teams
Despite the maturation of email as a technology I find the etiquette to still be lacking, especially with the increasing number of mobile devices. Is this a problem in your daily work? How do you deal with it?
Email Best Practices for Teams
Despite the maturation of email as a technology I find the etiquette to still be lacking, especially with the increasing number of mobile devices. Is this a problem in your daily work? How do you deal with it?
360
Employment / Re: Being a Reference
« on: Mar 14, 2013, 03:24 pm »
You need to be honest with the person asking for the reference. I've been in the position before where a former colleague asked for a reference for a stage management role (I'd only worked with him in other capacities, never with him on the stage management team). I explained to him that while I'd be happy to act as a reference to his technical abilities, I had a few concerns about X, Y, and Z as it relates to stage management. I further explained that I wouldn't bring those subjects up but would be honest if I was asked. He got quite flustered, was frustrated, and went off on me a bit that I wouldn't just give blanket positive statements. I was actually relieved he acted that way as it reinforced the concerns I explained to him about managing in the first place.
Based on the fact that you're asking here, it shows some concern. I would be open and honest with him/her, but it's your reputation - put it on the line carefully.
Based on the fact that you're asking here, it shows some concern. I would be open and honest with him/her, but it's your reputation - put it on the line carefully.