11 – The Legal Grind
November 9, 1992 – Oakland
Meeting Saul Zaentz by chance at the Peet’s on Fillmore
So I write a letter to Amadeus and Unbearable Lightness of Being producer Saul Zaentz and ask for a job as a writer. He's not hiring, evidently. In fact, he's not answering unsolicited letters from 20-something nobodys. Go figure. The next natural step is to sign up with a temp agency. My government degree attracts law firm work...but not the kind that uses a college education.
My task is to code dozens of banker boxes of documents piled to the ceiling in a conference room for three months with Craig, Arleen, Jeremiah and sometimes Frederica. Monotony crushes motivation.
I list my inexcusable excuses for slacking at the firm:
I can’t talk and code at the same time.
I can’t code for eight hours every day for three months without some mental stimulation. I’m not a robot. Frequent crossword puzzles, logic riddles, and snack breaks must be employed with occasional eyelid closure.
My proficiency is tied to my happiness. Or as my colleague Craig from Stanford says, — "I’m going to nap now, so that I can be more proficient later." Motto embraced.
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I fished this bumper sticker out of a cereal box at an age when my entire arm could fit in the box. I must have thought it was hilarious because I permanently affixed it to my summer camp trunk. Cap’n Crunch is riding a little clown car and the tagline reads, “You’re so slow, you’re going backwards.” Hey that's like my career. What an ironic foreshadowing. Not so funny now though. Just cruel.