This is still a thing

I was skeptical about cell phone service outside of the continental United States on my trip to Alaska, but didn't realize the entire U.S. appears to not be geo-coded by Google Maps either.

In defense of the teenage summer job

Pew Research recently shared findings around a societal decline in teen summer jobs. While discussing the overall decrease in youth employment, with regards to summer, here is an attempt to understand why:

Researchers have advanced multiple explanations for why fewer young people are finding jobs: fewer low-skill, entry-level jobs than in decades past; more schools restarting before Labor Day; more students enrolled in high school or college over the summer; more teens doing unpaid community service work as part of their graduation requirements or to burnish their college applications; and more students taking unpaid internships, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not consider being employed.

All of these seem like valid reasons: school schedules, volunteering and summer coursework. But as someone who worked a food service job from age 16 on, I cannot express how invaluable having a summer job outside of an academic atmosphere was in grounding me as the person I am today.

Source: Pew Research Center / Bureau of Labor Statistics

The summer of 2007, I filled out an online application for a T.G.I. Friday’s in Glenview. There were not many thoughts or expectations that went into this: I had time during the summer to kill, assumed working was something everyone had to do, liked the idea of working with people and did not like the idea of being in downtown Northbrook. Shortly, I interviewed with the associate general manager (who still works in food service in Chicago today) and got the job.

Any people skills I had as a teenager were accentuated and grew three-fold. Talking with complete strangers as they entered and exited, telling North Shore families they would need to wait a few more minutes for their table, and dealing with the mood swings of the servers and managers themselves helped me learn to get along with all types of people. The wait staff was nothing like my Glenbrook North classmates - the majority of my coworkers had not attended college and/or had children of all ages. Many were in relationships with each other and some lived paycheck to paycheck. Bar regulars began to know your name and story, caring about your whereabouts and future. They watched me grow up, I watched many of them mature. Working at Friday’s and becoming acquainted with this staff over four years helped me break out of a suburban bubble and understand what all aspects of adulthood were like.

Weird things happened. Servers stuffed their aprons with leftover food on guests’ plates. Our frequent guests and restaurant “regulars” invited us to their homes. I had nights where I drove to other Friday’s locations and the biggest stressor of the evening was if I could get back in time with more steak. High school friends went to bars with my coworkers, and I had more than one situation bursting into tears in the bathroom. But those are life skills that I never could have acquired in a summer class or an unpaid internship in a corporate or non-profit setting.

Even if summer jobs are on the decline country-wide, hopefully we can encourage the young ones we know to try a different job than a standard internship. I promise they will walk out of this experience a better and more well-rounded person.

Facebook friendship advertising

A good read and some well-done Facebook commercials from earlier this year

Why did it take Facebook 11 years to advertise 'Friendship?' on Digiday

Best quotes of 2015

A few of you have pointed out how I have not posted a quote list in quite some time. Between work, family events + a very programmed past few months - I have been slacking on posting to the blog, but that is not correlated with slacking in noting quotes.

Enjoy some quotes from the past six months!

RANDOM

"It’s the national parks. I don’t think they have e-commerce. I mean look at how healthcare.gov went. -Meredith

"I cannot receive any more text messages - it says this crazy thing like, storage full!” -Yiayia Nikie, on her flip phone

“And [on a run down room] they were like this looks like my high school cafeteria. And I go, ‘Not New Trier’s.” -Steve Paterakos

“How many table settings?” -Steve

12. -Helen

I don't want 12 people at my house. -Ethan

I want 18. -Elizabeth

“Our child's going to be like mommy can we go to Disney world? No mommy wanted 32 place settings.” -Ethan

“And Kirkland just has a great prosecco!” -Shaina, on Costco

“And then he goes ‘Hi I’m John, I work at JP Morgan.’ They all treat where they work like it’s a fraternity. Next guy: ‘Me & my buddies at Goldman Sachs…’” -Maria

It’s so loud in here. -Harriet’s sister at Sheffield’s

Do you relish in being old? -Harriet

“The best move is pizza, beer and boys.” -Dad

  

 “Spokane. Isn’t that where Gonzaga is?” –Kalyn

“I thought it was in Michigan.” –Katie

“I always thought it was in Tennessee.” –Laura

“Really? I thought it was in Arizona.” –Laura’s roommate

“I’m an established career woman. We’re staying in hotels.” -Sam, on traveling through South Africa

“We love watching the Roku logo bounce around the TV.” –Jane, on her and Eleni

“This is what young adult life is like.” –Eleni

“I’m only three years older than you.” –Meredith

“I think if I were rich I would have a personal texter. It’s a lot of work.” –Eleni

“When I was in 6^th grade I won a writing contest on fire safety.” -Kathryn

  

“Violence is not the answer. Street parking is.” -Dad, at Fordham graduation

“Some people shouldn't be allowed with a credit card by the Internet.” -Auntie Laila

“Kara's parents dropped me off at midway 3.5 hours before my flight.” -Eric

  

“He had a blog and said he was an Uber driver in Glenview.” -Kara, on someone from middle school

“I would give anything right now for a toilet and a motorcycle magazine.” -a man to Eric while camping

“And she for some reason accepted my Mom’s follow request on Instagram.” -Kara, on her brother’s 20-year-old girlfriend

  

“If nothing else, they have to ask if I want the chicken or the fish.” -Andrew W.

“Mom’s Facebook is blowing up. 88 likes and 16 comments.” -Dad

  

“I also the other day was like…we’re going to have to drive…on MOUNTAINS.” -Meredith

   

“Sometimes I wonder if I’ve gotten too settled - 23 and owning a house. Oh well.” -Elena

“That looks stupid. My face isn’t actually that color.” -Lena, on an Instagram filter (remember: she's 7 years old) 

“My friends don't text like that. Young millennial, Old millennial.” -Sam, on group texts

“My mom invited the close family to the boys’ graduation party, you know, all 47 of them.” -Elizabeth, 5-28

“Do you meet anyone famous at work?” -Lauren

“Well I met Grumpy Cat.” That was pretty awesome.” -Anna

“She posts pictures of her hair in a ponytail and says like “Good hair day!” Send that to your friends…or no one.” -Harriet

“I’m sure we’ll chat via the Googs.” -Kathryn

  

"Could I get a North Face?" -Do 

"When have we ever gotten free, cool things from clients? Could I get my ATM fees waived out of network?" -Meredith, at work on client perks 

“We can’t get deep dish pizza, I only have five plates.” -Nick

“I get up to my apartment and I turn on the weather and they’re like anyone in the Chicago area go to the lowest floor in your house. I’m looking around here like shoot..I’m on the 45^th floor.” -Nick

“Moving is so expensive. I spent $325 at Bed Bath & Beyond today. I even bought hand soap.” -Maria

“Mom & Dad were like do you want a new bed? And I asked ‘are you paying for it?’ and they were like no so I was like OF COURSE NOT.” -Maria

“He was stalking my Snapchat for awhile but he stopped yesterday so I’m pretty sure it’s actually done now.” -Irina

"Slow night for Instagram, huh?" -Dad

ON COLD WEATHER 

"Like oh… negative 30 degrees is the threshold for closing the office...really? That's COLD." -Lauren, on our office staying open in a polar vortex

“So much for joining a gym. It’s too cold to go. There’s a parking garage but it’s not free.” -Vanessa

“How far is it from your place? -Katie

“.2 miles.” -Vanessa

“.2 miles is shorter than the walk to your apartment.”

“True, but that’s necessary.” -Vanessa

THOSE CRAZY GREEKS

“Greek people eat constantly, except on Sundays where they don't eat anything until noon.” -Steve 

“Yiayia has dementia and she is the one telling us this news.” -Meredith

“And we’re just going to make a quick stop at the funeral home for my friend’s wake. It doesn’t start until later but I told the funeral director we would get there early.” -Yiayia Sophie, with a hidden agenda

 “Trish, I’m on USA Today and there is nothing about our Holy Friday.” -Dad

“I’m a Greek Mother - I come and get the laundry every two weeks.” -James’s Mom

“I walked up and heard the line ‘the challenge of organized religion is’ and walked away.” -James Dimitriatis, Fordham ball

“I love that you’re alredy planning who the koumbari are and your mom’s reaction, and you don’t even know if you like him.” -Irina to Penelope

“For St. George I was working the sweets…” -Penelope

“Are you old enough for that?” -Chris

ON DATING

“Just go for the free lunch.” -About a date

“You’re only saving me $7. Unless I got alcohol, maybe $15.” -Maria

“I forgot we just saw a couple get engaged at a place called Brew Fest.” –Kathryn

“They have a dog that they split custody of." –Laura, on her roommate

"I’m homeless, jobless and single. I’m everything you’re not supposed to be in New York." -Maria

“I don’t know how many profile pictures you can see, but profile picture #47…” -Penelope

“I forgot to tell you, I guess it’s kind of integral to the story that when he started the conversation back up - I had liked his Facebook photo 5 minutes before.” -Stacey

“I’ve never met such a gentleman in this decade.” -Stacey

“And she shows up to the mall wearing yoga pants.” -Pat

“And the fact that she knows that from her son means he is un-datable.” -Dad, 4-12

“Is he single?” -Anastasia

“Well did anyone check Facebook.” -Bobby
"Oh. We didn't think of that." -Four girls