laid off? recycle your business cards for waste free catharsis

don’t throw those business cards away yet!

if you’ve recently been relieved of your duties, or if you decided to relieve yourself of your duties, your first instinct might be to do away with your leftover business cards in a less than dignified manner. after all, a job is not unlike a significant other, and most people think it’s healthiest to purge all reminders of an ex after a breakup, especially if it is a painful one.

but think back - you didn’t just throw all of hector’s stuff in trash did you? you responsibly peddled his flight of the conchords dvds on ebay and reuse his t-shirt as a kitchen rag.

you can employ the same strategy to recycle those business cards! after all, they bear your name and lend more credibility than scrawling on a person’s forearm. the fact that they are a free and do not promote arborcide (yes, that is really a word!) are icing on the cake.

step 1: cut away any parts of the card that mention your old company’s name or contact info. let this be a cathartic experience. breathe deeply or chant or something.

step 2: apply a thin layer of glue to the back of the card. i know, not as cool as step 1.

step 3: cut out a piece of recycled paper (i used old notepads that i had in my desk with my name on them) that match the dimensions of your card. you can get crazy with it and print designs, pics, or your logo on it first if you like.

step 4: gently line the paper backing up to your card and press in place.

step 5: flip the card over and write in any info that you cut in step 1 - but remember to use your personal info instead of your former employer’s.

et voila!

one life to live, one cubicle to empty

this is it.

after working diligently in the finance world for

3 years,

1 month,

and

8 days,

i am packing up the kid robot mousepad, bearbricks and cubes (remember those? goodness, they are so fun with their free downloadable accessories! - but, i digress) that never really belonged here in the first place, and i won’t be looking back.

“what?!!!” you’ve all said to me, with shaky voices and absolutely no attempt to hide the fear and confusion in your eyes. why would i leave a company that has been my home for so long -and now of all times?

i scribbled down an answer to that question and practiced it so that i could spew it out to people when they inevitably ask. but i don’t even think that it sounds right. so i’ll try to explain what i think the answer really is.

part 1. i love my job, and i know that i am lucky to be at a company like mine. but i also know that someone else, in fact thousands of people out there, could be better at, and actually want, a job like mine. so why would i be a spacefiller? ever meet a couple where one of the members blatantly dislikes the other but keeps dating them because they are either too scared to be alone or too posessive to see their mate with someone else? yeah. i don’t want to be that person.

part 2. without sounding like a cult member or something, i believe. i believe that sustainability and the movement towards a simpler, cleaner, smarter, freer (that looks weird, is that a word?) lifestyle has many advantages and very few disadvantages. i don’t think it is fair to my current employer for me to keep collecting a paycheck when my mind is constantly occupied with how i can make something more energy-efficient or how i can promote eco-sensibility to everyone on the planet. i’ve never been a cheater and i never will.

my piece being said, i am scurred.

what if i can’t find another job? what if i get sick and have no health insurance? what if i end up back in finance?!!!

this weekend, i’m going to get a balloon and blow it up with all of my fears and frustrations and release it over the east river. then, i’m going to reel it back in on a string that i’ll have attached to it beforehand because i don’t want to litter. i’m just nice like that. and i’ll give the balloon to a kid or something so the frustrations and fears will be gone. i know what you’re thinking, but as long as the kid doesn’t inhale the air in the balloon, he’ll be fine.

technically, i won’t be evacuating my generic grey cubicle with sliding glass door that adds absolutely no privacy but instead actually amplifies sound when closed, until next wednesday but i felt that i wanted to gradually start saying goodbye.

so…goodbye.

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.