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About skipbensley

Unabashed father, AV genius, part time dark knight, foodie, amateur chef, antifascist, volunteer and rabid Boston sports fan.

Most important numbers to have if collecting Unemployment in MA

I am currently job hunting.  I was handed a notice the other day and told to keep these numbers someplace safe. I think they are worth sharing online quite frankly. 
To File or Reopen a claim: 877-626-6800
File for an extension: 888-998-8418
Problem resolution: 617-626-5400
Customer Service: 617-626-6535
Check Status: 617-626-6563
Online service support: 617-626-5700
Reset Pin : 617-626-6943
Problem filing: 617-626-6560
Phone hours 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday Through Friday
Holidays with No Phone Service December 26 and January 2

For more info visit:  http://www.mass.gov/lwd/unemployment-insur/about-dua/

How to Overcome Fear and Turn Uncertainty into Success

Great timely video, very helpful indeed. Thanks to Lewis Howes for posting. To see more by Lewis see his post at  http://www.lewishowes.com/happiness/how-to-overcome-fear/

What do I do now?

I was recently laid off at my sales and biz development position so now it is time to do some biz development for myself.  I need a job, sales is something I do, but it’s not something I really enjoy.  I need to find something out there that I can sink my teeth into.

My strengths: I can set up events like nobody’s business. I can also produce, shoot and edit good video content. I can also market a company and fill a pipe line with qualified leads.  I am also good at teaching others how easy it is to shoot and edit video almost to the point that they want to run out and do just that after I have gotten them started. I am aso passionate about sharing information and things I find helpful and fun in some cases. If there is a better way to do something I’ll try and find it and share it.

What I need now however is your help. I need a new career, I need an opportunity whereby all my creativity and energies are utilized.  Do you remember on your old resumes you wrote something like that as your goal..  My goal is to be employed, to do something in marketing and content creation where I can help a company or organization push themselves forward.

If you know me and are reading this, I honestly need your feedback. If you hear of a internal position in video, content production, social media that you think I would be a fit for please, please send it to me. I am open to suggestion here and your advice is greatly appreciated.

A reflection

I attended a few social media events recently in Boston and as always it was great seeing people I had not seen in awhile. For people wondering, I have deleted plancast and foursquare so if I run into you at an event it will be a surprise. I like that. The mystery of running into someone rather then just knowing they are present because my phone says so. I like talking to people, interacting, listening to what they have to say, seeing if I can help them somehow.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.
I think the gadgets are starting to take over, and that many of the people using them have lost social skills at their expense. Do you remember when you called your friends and said what are you doing? 
I turned 50 last friday and had a wonderful birthday with my Lady Karen. We stayed down near Fanuiel hall and had dinner in the South end. It was a great day of reflection and being present, enjoying one anothers company, and being in the moment. I am so greatful I have found a woman so beautiful, so wonderfully grounded that I miss her madly when she is not present.
For me personally,  losing some of the tools has allowed me more time to focus on work, friends and family. I still have work to do, but I think I am headed in the right direction finally.
What grounds you these days? 

How do you find balance?

I am struggling with sales right now, I get busy and then I lose out on making my calls, and connecting with clients and prospects. It’s hard to build rapport without talking to people. The people I have done work with this year have all been great people to work with but it all started with rapport.  If you don’t have that, all the talk and good will goes out the window.

My challenge now is balancing sales, doing marketing, making the calls, travelling, being present at shows I have sold, membership on a board, speaking engagements, My wonderful kids (2-4 times a week depending on week) and the love of my life up on the North shore. Where in the life manual is the tips section on making this all work?  When is cloning coming online so I can be everywhere doing everything?

How do you find balance? 

Money couldn’t buy a world series in 2011.

1 New York Yankees 196,854,630
2 Philadelphia Phillies 172,976,381
3 Boston Red Sox 160,257,476
4 Los Angeles Angels 138,999,024
5 Chicago White Sox 129,285,539
6 Chicago Cubs 126,380,663
7 New York Mets 120,147,311
8 San Francisco Giants 117,784,333
9 Minnesota Twins 112,737,000
10 Detroit Tigers 105,705,232
11 Los Angeles Dodgers 103,788,991
12 St. Louis Cardinals 98,746,072
13 Texas Rangers 91,885,265
14 Colorado Rockies 87,998,071
15 Atlanta Braves 87,003,192
16 Milwaukee Brewers 85,497,333

                                     Yankees, Redsox and Phillies were top 3 highest payrolls and are all home watching
                                     #10, 12, 13, and 16 play for the World series. Tampa Bay was #29. 

                                     stats courtesy ESPN.

It still hurts.

Salty

I had a very bad feeling at the begining of September that this years Sox were not going to make the playoffs and sadly I was right. Like most passionate sports fans I hid my heart a little. Trying to make it less painful. I had done this yearly with the Bruins until last year. I hid my sports heart anf focused on the Pats, the Bruins pre-season and I looked in on the Redsox like you look in on a train wreck.

I’ve been rabid since I moved back to Boston in 1999, The Redsox have had some recent success in 2004 and 2007. We have a broken team now that has major issues. I assume the manager and GM will be fired. I will also assume Big Papi has played his last game in Boston.  We need to build around Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez. We need a third baseman to replace oft injured Kevin Youkilis and a short stop that can stay healthy and bat over the Mendoza line. We need to trade Carl Crawford and John Lackey. The problem is who will take them?

This hurts. Terry Francona won two world series champiionships in Boston, his legacy is secure. He will be fine he will have offers by this afternoon. I think we as fans need a group hug, what do you think?