i don't eat dog

"Where do you want to go for lunch today?"

What started out as a normal question posited by countless cubicle-bound plebians each workday got ugly really fast . . .

"How about Korean?"

"I don't eat dog."

"I don't eat rat either."

This was the conversation I overheard today. The people who said this thought it was funny. I found their statements completely ignorant, stereotypical and racially insensitive.

"You guys should watch what you're saying." I said after standing up so they could see my yellow skin, black hair and slanted eyes. I'm not Korean, I'm Vietnamese, but they didn't know this.

"Yea, you guys are making statements about a culture you don't know that much about." I was relieved to hear this second statement from some one within their ranks.

The situation was diffused and the assholes went off in search of a meal more wholesome than canine.

If we actually had a Human Resources department this incident might not have happened. These jerks might have gone to racial sensitivity training or they might have known some one who got fired for making racially insensitive statements. They'd know to keep their mouths shut. At minimum, I'd be able to make a formal complaint.

I don't have that luxury but I will talk to their managers if they do it again.

the richest people in america

Forbes released their list of the 400 richest Americans today. Here is a breakdown of the top ten and how they achieved their wealth:

1. Bill Gates - Started his own company
2. Warren Buffett - Investing
3. Paul Allen - Started his own company
4. Alice Walton - Wife of Sam Walton, who started his own company
5. Helen Walton - Daugter of Sam Walton, who started his own company
6. Jim Walton - Son of Sam Walton, who started his own company
7. John Walton - Son of Sam Walton, who started his own company
8. S Robson Walton - Son of Sam Walton, who started his own company
9. Michael Dell - Started his own company
10. Larry Ellison - Started his own company

See a pattern here? Besides the fact that the WalMart family makes up half of the list, these people got rich by starting their own businesses. They worked at startups!

Will I get rich off my second startup? No. Will I get rich off my third or fourth? Who knows, maybe, but only if I'm working at my own startup.

what does ACH stand for?

The coolest thing about working at a startup is that you get to learn new things every day. There is no faster way to learn and broaden your skill set than to venture into unfamiliar waters.

Right now, I'm working on figuring out the best way to accept credit card payments. Prior to yesterday I had no clue about how any of it would work. Now, I know what merchant accounts are and that ACH is the abbreviation for Automatic Clearing House. Ever wondered what a payment gateway service is? Probably not, but I can tell you.

Last week I was looking into purchasing accounting software. Only at a startup would I get these opportunities.

five things on my desk

I brought in a few items to make my cubicle a little more comfortable today:

• A framed photo of my wife
• My calculator with the big-ass buttons
• My souvenir pencil box from Viet Nam
• A pair of headphones
• Nalgene water bottle, soy protein bars, instant oatmeal packets

Funny how each of these items map to important things in my life: my family, my job, my culture, music and food.

office space

My new space is very startup. The cubes are modular desks with cloth panels for partitions. They are white fabric on silver bars and people call them pods. The panels are see-through. Its a very open environment that encourages collaboration and offers little privacy.

The people around me are boisterous and hard-working. It is a casual environment where people feel can joke around while they get their jobs done. Upbeat is a good description.

We have a break room with a leopard-patterned easy chair and a maroon-futon. There is a soda dispensing machine. I have had three cups of Diet Coke already today. Gotta love a good caffeine high.

bulgogi bibimbop

As promised, I had my first lunch in Koreatown today. I found a food court across the street and bought myself a Bulgogi Bibimbop Combo.

Adjacent to Han's Bibimbop was Ichiban Sushi and Miss Pho Saigon. Normally I have pho anytime I can get it. When there's a choice, pho-get-about-it, right? But today, the idea that sushi and pho were being made in the same place kinda freaked me out. How good can either be? And wassup with the name Miss Pho Saigon?

new digs

I went into "the office" yesterday to check out my new digs. They were not quite ready for me yet so all I saw was my new cubicle, some wires and lots of dust-balls.

Good news is that the office is in K-town. Parking is free and there are lots of restaurants and stores nearby. Bibinbop or bulgogi lunches - woo hoo!

I'll continue working from home for the next few days and then split my time 50/50 between there and here. No need to be in the office when you are the only employee, right?

top priorities

My current priorities are:

1) Develop a paid search program
2) Formulate a search engine optimization strategy
3) Write reporting requirements for marketing and operational reporting
4) Choose a web analytics application
5) Revise the revenue / forecasting model

my first day

I have been in HR-limbo for the last two weeks while the details of my new job were being finalized. In hindsight, it was good to have a few weeks off to unpack, relax and get settled. I'm well-rested and anxious to get started.

My welcome packet from New York arrived today at 7pm. I opened it to find lots of forms and benefits information. One brochure had fallen out of the main stack and so I read it first:

PET ASSURE
Because Pets Are Family

I can now join the nation's largest pet care savings program. Yay!