2000-14 & 2000+14

Prior to starting the 27-year gig in 1986 I participated in a professional evaluation by Personnel Decisions, Inc., a Minneapolis firm that assessed candidates for jobs.  The evaluation included some role playing.  As I remember someone played a crazy or distracted employee.  Your job as the manager-to-be was to advise them or get them off the ledge.  There was also a complex in-box exercise where you were presented a bunch of reports, memos, financial reports and transcribed phone messages.  The instructions were "You are leaving in 90 minutes on vacation.  Deal with this."

Overall it was a good exercise.

After completing all this I had lunch in the International Centre building, the second high rise of three built by my employer to be.  The building was a condo building with each floor owned by different operating entities.  The main floor contained a LeeAnn Chin restaurant, a large and enticing dining experience where you picked up your own food at a buffet line featuring a dozen or so items.  LeeAnn Chin was started by LeeAnn Chin who sold, bought it back and may have sold it again.  I'm not sure.

At a point the LeeAnn Chin restaurant concept changed, moving to smaller fast casual formats.  All of the infrastructure, tiered seating (which was cool) and decor was removed. 

The former restaurant space remains a large public space with very little utilization although remaining a visually interesting interior space.  The large blue wall painting was a work placed in the late 1990s.  As I recall the cost was either $30,000 or $100,000.  It has remained after removal of the restaurant.  There are several large distressed marks on the painting.  I'm assuming at some point it will be removed or covered.  

Today as I walked through the skyway to visit my current long-term barber I was struck with the image and enjoyed it, perhaps the only person who knows a bit of the history and who enjoyed it.  I was also reminded of the St. Patrick's Day when the building cooling tower sprung a leak and all the floor space in this image was covered with 3" of green glycol.  

What does all of this have to do with not having a dumb job?  I'm doing now much more what I want to do and enjoy doing.  Imagery is captivating.  Today's image is complex, comprised of light, dark, lines, columns, angles and intentional, purposeful art and of course complemented with a bit of history.  I did sit at one of the white tables a few years ago.  The space is more enjoyable observed than occupied.