Driven to pursue...even in discomfort

"What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well last week I watched the pilot for what is now one of my new favorite shows, Billions. It stars one of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti, as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades. He decides to take on the case of his life by pursuing hedge fund king Bobby Axelrod, played by Damien Lewis. So far both of their performances have been phenomenal. It is the ultimate battle of wits against two very powerful figures. While watching this 59 minute episode, I found myself entranced by both political and financial slang, that I would normally get bored with very quickly. This show somehow is different though. I am not sure what it is, but it has got me hooked. Suddenly I am doing research into certain aspects of criminal studies, as well as financial investing, to better understand the kind of mature and overwhelming dialogue this show spews out at an alarming rate. It was refreshing for someone like me, who at certain times prefers to go for the show or movie that is more likely to just blow shit up, instead of bore with mindless chatter.

The thing about this show that I am ultimately loving is that it drives me to want to do better, to want to be better. Just listening to one side, an evil and corrupt financial investor, who throws around a lot of percentages and mathematical certainties to in the end make millions of dollars a day. Then listening to the other side, a powerful and morally driven attorney, hell-bent on delivering justice to those who have wronged his city, and doing it the right way. It somehow has given me the drive to pursue my dreams, which in my current situation, is something that I have really needed lately.

So on the day that I watched this pilot, I had my first interview here in Northern Cali, at a little locally owned establishment in the town of Folsom. Taking this drive I had from the show, I nailed the interview and was quickly asked back later that evening for what they called a "working interview," where I would work along side the chef for a couple of hours, off the clock, and learn the menu. This establishment, while having a reputation in the community, was a huge disappointment. I was there on a Friday evening so the dinner service was busy, but the chef despite his training was not very professional with his handling the situation.

Now granted the kitchen was about the size of the kitchen here in our apartment, which for a restaurant setting I find ridiculous, but sometimes you have to adapt. But that wasn't the worst part. At one point I asked the chef where the hand-washing station was, at which point I was directed to simply rinse my hands off in some dirty dishwater and keep going. Luckily, I had managed to find some plastic gloves and was able to continue. As the service continued, I was unfortunately subjected to more discomforts, such as the chef throwing dishes and breaking them, one of which nearly hit me. The situation was indeed intolerable, however, thanks to the show I had watched earlier that day, it reminded me that I have a strong work ethic that would get me through the end of the shift, no matter how awful it had become.