faulker009

So what is a blog? Well, according to dictionary.com, a blog is: An online diary A personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author For me, it has been all of that and A LOT more. It has been a place where I have been able to be honest with you and honest with me, while dealing with the disappointment of a busted career and a broken heart. It has been a place where I have been able to live and re-live the amazing moments that I’ve shared with my family in the last 18 months, thanks to that broken career. And perhaps more than anything, it has been a place where I have connected with new friends and reconnected with old ones who have shared their stories and shared their support to help me, and them, as many of us have entered this new world of being brave. Since I started writing this blog at the beginning of the year, I have done my best to be as honest as possible. At first, the writings were of ...

Dear Mr. So and So, Thanks you for expressing an interest in the (fill-in-the-blank) position.  While it is never an easy decision, we have decided to consider other candidates whose qualifications more closely matched the needs of this position. Again, thank you for taking the time to pursue this opportunity.  We encourage you to visit our website to explore additional opportunities with our company. Best wishes in your career. Sincerely, Company X That was the exact letter that I received two days ago, on my daughter’s birthday, no less. Talk about blowing out the candles. Unfortunately that is not the first time I have received that exact letter. This was the fifth or sixth time I have applied for a job with that massive company and the response is always the same. A form letter paraphrasing the immortal words of the great 20th century poet Vince Neil -- “don’t go away mad, just go away.” For whatever reason, I really thought this time was going to be different. Not only wa...

It’s been roughly 25 days, four hours, 17 minutes and 33 seconds since my appearance on CNN’s 30-Second Pitch. And still no job. But who’s counting. To be perfectly honest, I thought I would get a response from a lot of people, but I didn’t expect to get a job out of it. The good news is I have in fact heard from A LOT of people. The bad news, I suppose, is that I am still unemployed. I did connect with many different people from around this great country, most showing support for my situation. There was a wonderful lady who said I was the most inspiring person she had ever seen on that segment.    She then offered me a job way outside of my field and WAAAAAAAAAAY outside of my comfort level. But to have a “stranger” extend that offer, when many of my “friends” can’t even return an email, for that I will be forever grateful. There have been several people who have expressed an interest in my writing.   (I wonder if they have actually read this blog.) But to this point, th...

In 1984, when I was a Freshman in college, I wrote an amazing term paper on the birth of Cable Television.  I got an A.  I really did my homework on that one, contacting all the big players in the business at the time -- MTV, ESPN and CNN. It was so good, I used the same exact paper again as a Sophomore and Junior. I think I got an A on those too. Why waste a good thing, right?  I was green before green. Well, little did I know at the time that cable TV would be responsible for putting food on the table for my wife and kids. Little did I know at the time that I would actually have a wife and kids. After working for eight years in local TV, I spent the next 17 years working behind-the-scenes for the top cable sports networks in all of the land. Talk about dreaming the impossible dream. Unfortunately that dream came to a crashing halt a year-and-a-half ago, but yesterday I made my triumphant return to cable TV in a much different role -- in front of the camera. I was on air...

There are as many emotions in unemployment as there are colors in the rainbow. Today, I am feeling them all. Anticipation, excitement, fear, sadness, excitement... This Thursday my anonymous blog will no longer be faceless. Last Friday morning, I woke up to five emails in my sirbacon mailbox. Four of them said I had won the Irish lottery. My apologies to two of my musical heroes, U2 and Sinead O’Connor, but I deleted those emails without opening them. But it was the fifth email that informed me that I had won the American lottery. I opened that email faster than my kids open a package from Santa. It was from a producer at CNN, who said she enjoyed my blog and wanted me to appear on their “30-Second Pitch” segment. For those of you at work during the day, that segment is where CNN gives unemployed people the opportunity to pitch themselves for 30 seconds to millions of viewers (and possible employers). Actually, it wasn’t me that she was contacting, but Sir Bacon, the kind-hearted facel...