Fighting The Suburbs

Tribune Company Thinking About Bankruptcy

I don't even know what to say about this, but it appears the Tribune has hired counsel to look at a potential bankruptcy filing. This is far from good news, but unlike the auto industry at least the Tribune can operate under Chapter 11.

The bad news is the fact that even more folks will likely lose their jobs, maybe soon.

Oh, and the Cubs sale has indeed taken too long. The proceeds were supposed to go to payoff debt and a spring sale will probably come too late. (Photo is by me circa Nov. 2004, copyright FightingTheSuburbs).

Tribune Co. hires bankruptcy advisers

Gen X vs. Millennial: Must Read

Radar ran a must read for the jaded Gen-Xers out there like myself. It’s a fun column with wit and reality sprinkled throughout.

I think the big problem for Gen Xers is that we’ve had more adversity in the workplace because of the longevity and expanse of the Baby Boom generation.

Just think for a minute. The boom generation is living longer and not retiring at the same age as their parents, taking up jobs at mid-level and high-level positions not allowing the Gen Xers to move up and succeed. Gen Xers get pissed, and move from job to job to find growth or go off on their own to launch a start-up.

Millennials come along and fill these voids and cost less to hire than a Gen Xer. They have less experience and less of a grasp on what the working world is like. I think there are very few Gen Xers who actually manage millennials in the workplace like my wife and I do. And while there are differences between the generations the one thing I’ve noticed (and not necessarily in the people who work for me) is that the “slacker” tag given to my generation is much more relevant to the millennials. There is more of an air of something sliding off their back which should be more of a motivational tool to improve. Instead, a mistake is seen as no big deal. BTW one of my savvy millennial  underlings first forwarded me the story.

Anyway, share your thoughts. Read the article. Enjoy.

Talking About Our Generation

This week we learned a new word: Yindie. While there is no Wikipedia definition, it's actually not that new of a term. The Urban Dictionary gave a description of the alternate name, Yupster, back in 2004. Definition of a Yupster?

A hipster with a professional job who seeks to climb the corporate ladder but remains true to indie musical tastes, lives in a hipster neighborhood, and likely has a hipster hairstyle.

Yeah, that's pretty much us, minus the hipster hairstyles. We have never been that cool. And we're probably on the preppier end of the dress scale compared to the sketch above.

The April issue of New York magazine features an in depth story on us Gen-Xers who are getting older, making money, having kids, staying in the city and trying to stay Indie-cool. We're not nearly as cool or rich as the New Yorkers in this article, but we certainly fall into the same category.