"The Internet survived because of the Porn Industry."

Even after weeks of waiting to hear if we had received the grant money, we still hadn't heard any news, and until we know, I intern for free. That does NOT mean that I don't learn anything, though.

Chris brought in a stack of mail and it must have weighed at least 10 pounds. As we sorted through the junk mail and mail that was addressed to people who no longer occupy a space in the building, we discussed our weekends. Chris gave me a desk and moved a mac computer over to it so I could have my workspace. I sat down beside him and he began a sort of history lesson on how he started his company, which also became a lesson on the history of the internet. Even though history has never been my strong suit, I could not have been more fascinated.

Chris actually oversees a group of about three different smaller business ideas:
  • GX Creative: A small corporation consultancy
  • EX Creative: A small business consultancy
  • Solely Manriquez: Chris's wife Judith's new enterprise for small businesses
 After my history lessons, we walked across the street to Galaxy Cupcake for coffee and a sweet snack. On the patio, we talked about generation cohorts. What I mean when I say generation cohort is that Chris knows more about me than I would assume only because I am a 20-year-old in this generation. I listen to music A, I like food B, I know lots of fun facts about C, and I am not really a unique individual, because just like others in my generation cohort, we are defined by the things around us. Chris and I were occupying the same time and space, but because we are from different generation cohorts, we interpreted our time together differently.

It was quite an eye opening discussion about perspective and lifestyle, not to mention marketing strategies.

We walked back across the street and up to the office. Chris explained one of the projects he's working on currently and I joined him on a conference call with one of the supervisors from the company he is working with. After the call, I was still confused as to what the company did, but I knew what was needed to be accomplished from GX's part of the deal. Chris said he was going to let me write some information up for the company's website, and even though panic set in, I was ecstatic.

We ended the day with a discussion about constructive criticism. "Charly, I will never say anything to be mean-spirited, but I want you to understand that I want to help you become a better communicator, because communication is the basis for anything, but especially for this business. You need to stop saying 'like.' It's just a filler, and it does nothing for your speaking skills, so get rid of it!"

I laughed, but I really just wanted to hide my face. I tried explaining that I hate fillers as much as the next person, but Chris pointed out, "You just spoke for about 10 seconds and in that time, you said 'like' 4 times."

Crap. Must learn to get rid of "like." But even with the embarrassing constructive criticism...

...it was the best first day ever.
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"What an excellent learning opportunity!"

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"All the best business takes place in a bar."