I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Christmas for 2008! We had a great time at our house for two reasons: my daughter Kelly and her husband Jason are here for the week, and Monday I started my new job!
Very happy and thankful Kelly and Jason could join us. Have not seen them since last Thanksgiving and they are looking healthy and happy together. You can check out her blog via the link on the right. We had a somewhat austere Christmas what with the lack of income on our part and the expense of just coming to see us on their part. Mary Lynn did manage to deck each of us out with a new set of jams which is a tradition for her. So we all looked festive for Christmas Eve and Day! (As I mentioned previously, MLM was able to score some amazing bargains online at Target and Walmart with free shipping etc. -- Made it truly the thought that counted because she sure didn't spend much money! And these are very good quality, name-brand products. Bonus!) I didn't have time to get the big tree up or all the boxes of decorations put away, but Jason put lights on the tree a couple nights ago and if there's time we may put some of my Hallmark Star Trek ornaments on. Should be fun! My BIG present from them was this huge book called the Star Wars Vault. It's beautiful!! Large format in a slipcase filled with the history of Star Wars and loads of actual and replica memorabilia placed in special pockets throughout the pages of this thing -- it's is nothing but win!! Thanks Jason and Kelly!!
Mary Lynn got some nice new jams (which she can always use), and my Dad sent us a gift card to Walmart. So, in addition to buying food and supplies for Christmas dinner, I bought is a two-section waffle maker MLM found online. We've been married 33 years now and have always wanted a waffle maker so figured it was about time. ;) Thanks, Dad!
The new job is fine. VERY glad to be working at all considering the state of the economy -- particularly starting on Christmas week! Never did that before. Usually nobody hires between Halloween and New Year's - just isn't done. Yet, here I am. This was driven by the project schedule which happily ignores the odd holiday. ;) Anyway, very nice people here and I'll get to be working deploying new images on new HP hardware so it will be fun. Only problem is the position I was interviewed for got downgraded from supervisor to tech-jockey -- I told them today to just call me HeadCount which everyone thought quite humorous -- dark humor, however. Anyway, the pay is much lower, no bennies other than a 401k, and I'm classified as a Temp with a three to six month contract. I'm hoping to either get moved to a higher pay grade and/or get the contract extended. I have told those other recruiters who have contacted me that they should consider me available as I will drop this job in a heartbeat if a better position comes along, but the recruiter activity has dropped back down again. At least I'll be making enough to cover our bills and rent. Not sure about covering my medications, though; I really need employer coverage for my health care. Oh, well, not this week I guess.
Took Mary Lynn to the dentist last week and she's needing a lot of work there - having to get two teeth extracted next week. This caused us to have to push her shoulder surgery back yet again! It's just tragic. She needs the surgery (the first of many) to help her get a least mobile enough to get back to her water walking exercise regimen. We have to take this one day at a time. Pray for us.
The kids are spending the day in Chicago and then having dinner with friends of Kelly's when she went to Northwestern here, so that'll be fun. Me and MLM are gonna try the new waffle iron for dinner, I think. ;) Mary Lynn's good friend Dawn got her a one-month membership in Netflix for Christmas so we're expecting the first DVD in the mail today. That'll be a nice change - we've watched all our Christmas movies about thirty times each in the last month, trying to maintain that Christmas spirit! Haven't watched any anime in weeks - MLM seems to be out of the mood for it lately. Or maybe she just wants to keep it Chirstmassy around the house. I've got copies of another half-dozen series to get into so I'm hoping we can do that sometime soon.
Here's hoping for an amazing 2009!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Whew! Salvation At Last!
Great news -- I have a job! Back on the 19th of November I interviewed for a contract job at Sara Lee -- you may recall I worked for them for a couple of years and got laid off about three years ago. Anyway, the person who interviewed me knew of me and I knew of her because we had both worked under the same manager at different times back when I was there. Sooo, we chatted briefly about the project they had coming up -- she was happy to see I still knew all the policies and procedures Sara Lee uses for their IT deployments -- and after about 10 minutes she says, "Well, that was easy!" We parted cordially and although HR policies prevented her from committing to me about the job, I was VERY confident that I was a shoo-in. Then, silence. Now, I wasn't too worried because there was no fixed date yet for the start of the project because there were some software issues to be resolved, but after a week or so I called the recruiter for an update (left voice-mail) and eventually e-mailed the interviewer just asking how the schedule for the project looked and if I was still in the running etc. No reply from either one. Then, this afternoon the recruiter called me and asked if I was still available (Heck, Yeah!) and said they would like to bring me on board when the project starts in a week or so. So, I'm working in a week or so! Yea!! What a great Christmas present!
Speaking of Christmas, I have the bedroom decorated -- pine garland with lights and bows over the window, our little 3' tree on a small table in front of the window with the pretty Martha Stewart decorations we got last year when we had money, and MLM's Frosty the Snowman from Build-A-Bear she got a couple years ago on top of the entertainment center. Looks nice -- maybe I'll post some pics later. Also finally got out on the veranda and finished the exterior decorations. Didn't have enough icicle lights (a third of the string is out) so I filled in the space with regular mini-lights string in a tight cantenary - we're far enough away from the street that you cannot tell the difference. Now all I have to do is clear the decoration boxes out of the living room, put up the big tree there, have my home teacher come over to help move the dining table against the wall, and set up the Polar Express! Then I can relax.
Woke up this morning with a cough and a runny nose. Dang! Don't need this now! I got some cold tablets to treat the symptoms so, hopefully, it won't last too long.
Merry Christmas!
Speaking of Christmas, I have the bedroom decorated -- pine garland with lights and bows over the window, our little 3' tree on a small table in front of the window with the pretty Martha Stewart decorations we got last year when we had money, and MLM's Frosty the Snowman from Build-A-Bear she got a couple years ago on top of the entertainment center. Looks nice -- maybe I'll post some pics later. Also finally got out on the veranda and finished the exterior decorations. Didn't have enough icicle lights (a third of the string is out) so I filled in the space with regular mini-lights string in a tight cantenary - we're far enough away from the street that you cannot tell the difference. Now all I have to do is clear the decoration boxes out of the living room, put up the big tree there, have my home teacher come over to help move the dining table against the wall, and set up the Polar Express! Then I can relax.
Woke up this morning with a cough and a runny nose. Dang! Don't need this now! I got some cold tablets to treat the symptoms so, hopefully, it won't last too long.
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Things Are Looking Up
This week has seen a marked increase in job opportunities for me. Yea! Starting Monday I began to receive numerous e-mails and phone calls from recruiters that all of a sudden have positions to fill. I guess I was right about things opening up after the election. ;-)
Today I had an interview with the lead recruiter at Robert Half which went very well. They gave me a skills test for Windows XP and Server 2003 support. I did really well on the server test which is surprising since I have't worked on a server in over two years. Guess I remembered more stuff than I thought. Gives me hope for the System Admin jobs I've applied for. The online job boards have a lot more listings for me now as well, so I think I'll be working soon which will mean we get to stay in our apartment and have decent Christmas. Whew!
I sure need to get back to a regular, full-size paycheck. This has been a crappy year. When I called in to certify for my unemployment this week, I only was asked about one week, not the usual two. After going do to the unemployment office to ask "What Up?" I learned that it's been one year since my initial registration for benefits -- even though I worked for a couple months earlier this year, the benefits were merely continued after that, not as a new claim. So, I have to requalify - which happens automatically - and call in again next week. Problem is, they treat this as a new claim which means I have a one week waiting period before benefits start, so now I just get one week's worth of pay instead of the usual two! Kinda screwed up what I had planned to pay this time. Had to ask the church and family for help with the rent -- really hope that comes through as I've already received the termination notice from the landlord (they don't waste any time, do they?). Really sucks since we had been working hard to cover it all ourselves. The new job I'm getting any minute will sure help that not being such a problem again.
Get to ride the train into Chicago for another interview tomorrow, so that will be fun. Wouldn't mind a job downtown again. Might make it possible to move back down there again. MLM sure would like that - she hates it out here and I don't like it much. After living in the city you forget what a hassle the 'burbs are. If I need to go to the store - any store - I have to get in the van and drive there! In the city I could just walk or take the El - so nice. Oh, well, that's just wishful thinking for now. After the bankruptcy it'll be tough to find any place that will rent to us for several years. For now, though, it would be handy to be working downtown when MLM has her shoulder surgery - make it easy to get to the hospital in the evenings. We'll see I guess.
Very pleased with how Obama is organizing his transition. Also glad to see that W is being cooperative and congenial about the process too. Guess he can't wait to get outta there!
Getting colder now. Winter is in the air.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
Today I had an interview with the lead recruiter at Robert Half which went very well. They gave me a skills test for Windows XP and Server 2003 support. I did really well on the server test which is surprising since I have't worked on a server in over two years. Guess I remembered more stuff than I thought. Gives me hope for the System Admin jobs I've applied for. The online job boards have a lot more listings for me now as well, so I think I'll be working soon which will mean we get to stay in our apartment and have decent Christmas. Whew!
I sure need to get back to a regular, full-size paycheck. This has been a crappy year. When I called in to certify for my unemployment this week, I only was asked about one week, not the usual two. After going do to the unemployment office to ask "What Up?" I learned that it's been one year since my initial registration for benefits -- even though I worked for a couple months earlier this year, the benefits were merely continued after that, not as a new claim. So, I have to requalify - which happens automatically - and call in again next week. Problem is, they treat this as a new claim which means I have a one week waiting period before benefits start, so now I just get one week's worth of pay instead of the usual two! Kinda screwed up what I had planned to pay this time. Had to ask the church and family for help with the rent -- really hope that comes through as I've already received the termination notice from the landlord (they don't waste any time, do they?). Really sucks since we had been working hard to cover it all ourselves. The new job I'm getting any minute will sure help that not being such a problem again.
Get to ride the train into Chicago for another interview tomorrow, so that will be fun. Wouldn't mind a job downtown again. Might make it possible to move back down there again. MLM sure would like that - she hates it out here and I don't like it much. After living in the city you forget what a hassle the 'burbs are. If I need to go to the store - any store - I have to get in the van and drive there! In the city I could just walk or take the El - so nice. Oh, well, that's just wishful thinking for now. After the bankruptcy it'll be tough to find any place that will rent to us for several years. For now, though, it would be handy to be working downtown when MLM has her shoulder surgery - make it easy to get to the hospital in the evenings. We'll see I guess.
Very pleased with how Obama is organizing his transition. Also glad to see that W is being cooperative and congenial about the process too. Guess he can't wait to get outta there!
Getting colder now. Winter is in the air.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
A New Hope
I wept with joy tonight. The Obama-Biden ticket won the election! I breathe a sigh of relief and am once again filled with hope.
I recall how I felt eight years ago once it was finally announced (via Skull & Bones skulduggery, no doubt) that frat-boy Bush would be president. I was sad and fearful for our country. There were so many terrible things I was afraid would happen, but - sad to say - after eight years things are much worse than even I imagined. The wars, the economy, the loss of prestige for the USA around the world. It is truly a shame. I remember telling my folks back in 2000 that one reason I would never vote for Bush is because I believed our president should be at least as intelligent as myself, or even, say, a sophomore in high school. Bush is not that. I was thinking recently about that weird election and realized who is ultimately to blame! Ready? It is all the dumbheads who voted for Ralph Nader! Think of it: if they had ignored his argument that there was no difference in the two major parties (what a specious argument in retrospect) and then voted for Gore as most would have otherwise, then Gore would have won! IF 9/11 had still happened then, today we would NOT be in Iraq, Bin Laden would be dead, I would have a job, and the balanced budget Clinton left us when he left office would still be there and our economy would be healthy. Truth!
On the other hand, I was truly amazed at how many ostrich voters were in this country in 2004 to elect the idiot again! Of course, the reason he invaded Iraq was to insure his reelection; and it worked, didn't it? Over the years one thing that increased in this country has been a feeling of hopelessness. At least we can look forward to that coming to an end.
Now, I feel there are once again possibilities for me, my family, our country, and the world. I have been unemployed almost steadily since last November. On reflecting about the few interviews I've been to, I realize that the people I was talking to were fearful - so fearful for the future and their own jobs that they were fearful to hire the first qualified person because someone better might be available the next week. I interviewed for a tech job at Sears last week; the interview went very well and I could tell they liked me a lot. I was lacking in one programming language that I had had a semester of in college but had not had a need for at any job as yet. I told them I would get up to speed - on my own time if need be - so I could get the job. However, there was one more candidate they were to meet with who had extensive experience in this language, so I was told that they would keep me in mind for future openings. I just checked the job postings on their website, and guess what? The position is still open. So they didn't hire me or the other guy. Again, fear of commitment to a new employee who may not be perfect today, but could be in short order. Fear of risking such a hire. It's sad.
So many recruiters tell me their clients are all holding hiring freezes for the foreseeable future. Well, the future is here. I suspect I will be working again very soon. Employers won't be so fearful anymore - particularly if the credit markets open up again and they can get the capital they need to work with. Yep, that will be the proof that things are going to get better.
Although a full recovery is going to take a while - this Christmas season is going to be horrific for retailers. MLM was shopping online for possible presents for family and friends and we were amazed at the quality and quantity of items on sale; and I mean 50 to 75% off. I asked if this was last year's stock and she said no, new stuff for this season. And we realized what they were doing - unloading stock! All of them ordered their stock for this season around February and now they know they're going to be left with tons of product so they're selling all they can now so they won't be stuck with stuff when the next season products start arriving at the warehouses. If you've got some cash, now's the time to shop for Christmas. Don't wait.
Friday was an interesting day for me. I voted early at my library which was cool, and I only had to wait about an hour to do so - would have been much longer today. Also, it was Oct. 31st which was the day my chance to continue my health insurance from Manpower through COBRA expired. Manpower messed up on getting me into the system for COBRA qualification and I didn't get the paperwork until the end of September. By that time I owed three months of premiums (at $560 a month) to bring me current. The church had already told me they have to pull way back on assistance for us because there are so many more families they have to help now too, so that source was gone, and since I have no family or friends that can contribute any more than they already have (which has been a LOT, thank God) there was nothing for it but to let the time run out. I filled all my prescriptions on the 29th and as of Nov. 1st I'm one of those unemployed, uninsured people you read about in the news magazines. Pray I don't get sick or hit by a truck.
Wow, long-winded and emotionally up and down post for me. That's what happens when I post so rarely. I need to do this more often. So, since we are in the season of change, I will do that.
I wish any who read this Hope. It's a very valuable commodity. Hang on to yours.
Hope.
I recall how I felt eight years ago once it was finally announced (via Skull & Bones skulduggery, no doubt) that frat-boy Bush would be president. I was sad and fearful for our country. There were so many terrible things I was afraid would happen, but - sad to say - after eight years things are much worse than even I imagined. The wars, the economy, the loss of prestige for the USA around the world. It is truly a shame. I remember telling my folks back in 2000 that one reason I would never vote for Bush is because I believed our president should be at least as intelligent as myself, or even, say, a sophomore in high school. Bush is not that. I was thinking recently about that weird election and realized who is ultimately to blame! Ready? It is all the dumbheads who voted for Ralph Nader! Think of it: if they had ignored his argument that there was no difference in the two major parties (what a specious argument in retrospect) and then voted for Gore as most would have otherwise, then Gore would have won! IF 9/11 had still happened then, today we would NOT be in Iraq, Bin Laden would be dead, I would have a job, and the balanced budget Clinton left us when he left office would still be there and our economy would be healthy. Truth!
On the other hand, I was truly amazed at how many ostrich voters were in this country in 2004 to elect the idiot again! Of course, the reason he invaded Iraq was to insure his reelection; and it worked, didn't it? Over the years one thing that increased in this country has been a feeling of hopelessness. At least we can look forward to that coming to an end.
Now, I feel there are once again possibilities for me, my family, our country, and the world. I have been unemployed almost steadily since last November. On reflecting about the few interviews I've been to, I realize that the people I was talking to were fearful - so fearful for the future and their own jobs that they were fearful to hire the first qualified person because someone better might be available the next week. I interviewed for a tech job at Sears last week; the interview went very well and I could tell they liked me a lot. I was lacking in one programming language that I had had a semester of in college but had not had a need for at any job as yet. I told them I would get up to speed - on my own time if need be - so I could get the job. However, there was one more candidate they were to meet with who had extensive experience in this language, so I was told that they would keep me in mind for future openings. I just checked the job postings on their website, and guess what? The position is still open. So they didn't hire me or the other guy. Again, fear of commitment to a new employee who may not be perfect today, but could be in short order. Fear of risking such a hire. It's sad.
So many recruiters tell me their clients are all holding hiring freezes for the foreseeable future. Well, the future is here. I suspect I will be working again very soon. Employers won't be so fearful anymore - particularly if the credit markets open up again and they can get the capital they need to work with. Yep, that will be the proof that things are going to get better.
Although a full recovery is going to take a while - this Christmas season is going to be horrific for retailers. MLM was shopping online for possible presents for family and friends and we were amazed at the quality and quantity of items on sale; and I mean 50 to 75% off. I asked if this was last year's stock and she said no, new stuff for this season. And we realized what they were doing - unloading stock! All of them ordered their stock for this season around February and now they know they're going to be left with tons of product so they're selling all they can now so they won't be stuck with stuff when the next season products start arriving at the warehouses. If you've got some cash, now's the time to shop for Christmas. Don't wait.
Friday was an interesting day for me. I voted early at my library which was cool, and I only had to wait about an hour to do so - would have been much longer today. Also, it was Oct. 31st which was the day my chance to continue my health insurance from Manpower through COBRA expired. Manpower messed up on getting me into the system for COBRA qualification and I didn't get the paperwork until the end of September. By that time I owed three months of premiums (at $560 a month) to bring me current. The church had already told me they have to pull way back on assistance for us because there are so many more families they have to help now too, so that source was gone, and since I have no family or friends that can contribute any more than they already have (which has been a LOT, thank God) there was nothing for it but to let the time run out. I filled all my prescriptions on the 29th and as of Nov. 1st I'm one of those unemployed, uninsured people you read about in the news magazines. Pray I don't get sick or hit by a truck.
Wow, long-winded and emotionally up and down post for me. That's what happens when I post so rarely. I need to do this more often. So, since we are in the season of change, I will do that.
I wish any who read this Hope. It's a very valuable commodity. Hang on to yours.
Hope.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Another Friday Comes and Goes
Well, we didn't make it to Chicago for the doctor appointments after all. After picking up some prescriptions earlier this week and putting gas in the van, we determined that we had just enough gas to get us there and back and not enough money for parking. At one office the parking's only $5.00, but the other office is twice that. I don't have enough cash for that (and nothing on a card) so I would just have to park on the street. Well, MLM hates that because she fears the van will get sideswiped or something. I think that's more likely in the parking garage since the spaces are so small and the corners so tight. The upshoot is that if we had gone we'd be totally broke with no gas until next Wednesday - sheesh! Anyway, I called, canceled, and rescheduled. Also called the surgeon's office to let them know we'll need to reschedule her surgery too.
So the economy is still getting worse too. What a mess! I read the DOW lost 19% this last week which is the most it's lost in one week in history. Whee - they're breaking records every day! Why? Because there was no oversight on home loans and other investment paper and we invaded Iraq for no reason other than to squander billions of dollars, thousands of young lives, and to insure W got elected to a second term. Well, at least that worked didn't it? Sad to say. We were talking about it a few days ago and realized our lives started heading downhill after 9/11. That's when I had my first layoff from a company that looked as strong a Gibralter, and it's been the same cycle ever since. I guess the one to really blame for where we are now is, ironically, Ralph Nader! If he hadn't screwed up the election in 2000 for Gore things would be a whole lot better today. Oh well. Haven't had a good ol' world-wide depression in 80 years now. I guess we're due.
I'm pulling a lot of DVDs we don't watch anymore and posting them on eBay. The few I did last week sold briskly so I can hopefully scare up some extra cash this way.
Made good progress on the living room today, then made some killer stroganoff for dinner. Then called Kelly to wish her a happy birthday -- had to leave a voice-mail as she was probably out celebrating. Feel pretty crappy that all we could send her this year was a nice e-card. Man, it sucks being broke!
Just finished the bulletin for church on Sunday and mailed it out for approval. I've doing that for MLM lately since it's getting harder for her to type for any length of time. Now we (me really, she's sleeping finally - been awake for about 30 hours) are watching Spirited Away - really love this film. The English dub is excellent and the animation is so natural; particulary for Chihiro, the little girl, her movements and behavior are spot-on for her age. It's a good anime. Recommended by me, to you. Get it? Good.
Gotta go. I'm tired.
So the economy is still getting worse too. What a mess! I read the DOW lost 19% this last week which is the most it's lost in one week in history. Whee - they're breaking records every day! Why? Because there was no oversight on home loans and other investment paper and we invaded Iraq for no reason other than to squander billions of dollars, thousands of young lives, and to insure W got elected to a second term. Well, at least that worked didn't it? Sad to say. We were talking about it a few days ago and realized our lives started heading downhill after 9/11. That's when I had my first layoff from a company that looked as strong a Gibralter, and it's been the same cycle ever since. I guess the one to really blame for where we are now is, ironically, Ralph Nader! If he hadn't screwed up the election in 2000 for Gore things would be a whole lot better today. Oh well. Haven't had a good ol' world-wide depression in 80 years now. I guess we're due.
I'm pulling a lot of DVDs we don't watch anymore and posting them on eBay. The few I did last week sold briskly so I can hopefully scare up some extra cash this way.
Made good progress on the living room today, then made some killer stroganoff for dinner. Then called Kelly to wish her a happy birthday -- had to leave a voice-mail as she was probably out celebrating. Feel pretty crappy that all we could send her this year was a nice e-card. Man, it sucks being broke!
Just finished the bulletin for church on Sunday and mailed it out for approval. I've doing that for MLM lately since it's getting harder for her to type for any length of time. Now we (me really, she's sleeping finally - been awake for about 30 hours) are watching Spirited Away - really love this film. The English dub is excellent and the animation is so natural; particulary for Chihiro, the little girl, her movements and behavior are spot-on for her age. It's a good anime. Recommended by me, to you. Get it? Good.
Gotta go. I'm tired.
Hangin' In
No job as yet. With the economy crashing around the world it's likely that this condition will continue. Gonna have to do bankruptcy to get out from under the infinitely revolving credit cycle. Then did a budget based on my unemployment pay and our basic expenses - rent, utilities, gas, etc. - and found that we're a little over $400 short. Meanwhile, I've got Citifinancial Student Loans climbing all over me for the loans I took out a couple years ago for MBA classes that my Dad co-signed for (so he's getting hassled too!) and since they were privite loans - not gov't - there's no forebearance on these suckers. I'm talking to them and filled out all kinds of forms to put a stop to stuff but no help. Also tried to consolidate them with my Staffords but that's proving to be rather impossible being unemployed and all.
So I spend my days fielding collection calls and informing them of the impending bankruptcy, looking for work online and doing follow-up calls to recruiters, and trying to organize the living room and office area. I should say I ran out of my anti-depressent medication some weeks ago and said, oh I can get along without that 'cause it's so costly. I was wrong. I was spiralling into a great grey funk and being totally immobilized. So I got my meds again last week and things are moving along much better now. What a pain!
MLM and I spend most evenings watching anime - that's really saved us. Now we have to go to Chicago for a couple doctor appointments tomorrow (no today, Friday, it's late) where her dentist will let her know if she can have her surgery on the 20th or not. If she's got dental infections or had recent work, they can't operate on her shoulder. Also, it will be difficult to say the least monetarially if she has the surgery while I'm unemployed since there WILL be lots of extra expenses related to that and for aftercare and recovery. No idea what might be involved there. So, I dunno. We may have to postpone it until I get a job. Damnitalltohell!!
God I'm pissed about all this. The present administration should be taken out and castrated so they can't procreate and then drawn and quartered. I'll help.
Enough for now. This is just a downer, but it helps to talk it out.
Hope. Hang on to Hope.
So I spend my days fielding collection calls and informing them of the impending bankruptcy, looking for work online and doing follow-up calls to recruiters, and trying to organize the living room and office area. I should say I ran out of my anti-depressent medication some weeks ago and said, oh I can get along without that 'cause it's so costly. I was wrong. I was spiralling into a great grey funk and being totally immobilized. So I got my meds again last week and things are moving along much better now. What a pain!
MLM and I spend most evenings watching anime - that's really saved us. Now we have to go to Chicago for a couple doctor appointments tomorrow (no today, Friday, it's late) where her dentist will let her know if she can have her surgery on the 20th or not. If she's got dental infections or had recent work, they can't operate on her shoulder. Also, it will be difficult to say the least monetarially if she has the surgery while I'm unemployed since there WILL be lots of extra expenses related to that and for aftercare and recovery. No idea what might be involved there. So, I dunno. We may have to postpone it until I get a job. Damnitalltohell!!
God I'm pissed about all this. The present administration should be taken out and castrated so they can't procreate and then drawn and quartered. I'll help.
Enough for now. This is just a downer, but it helps to talk it out.
Hope. Hang on to Hope.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
And Out of Work Again - WTF?!
So after a week on a job I love with a great company and great people, and the guy who left three months ago came back asked for his old job back with a cut in pay and they said sure and let the contractor (me) go today. So, I'm back on the street again, looking for a job. Spent the rest of the day online checking the job boards and searching the lists of openings at places I'd like to work. After burning out from sending several dozen resumes and filling out those delightful online corporate job apps for the umpteenth time, I made a list of other places to hit first thing tomorrow after discussing the possibilities with MLM. Then I took a pain-killer (my shoulder was killing me by this time) and took a short nap.
Dinner was nice. I grilled some of the excellent brats from our meat market and glazed a pan-full of carrots. Yummy.
So now we're spending the evening enjoying our late dinner and watching a new anime series. Ah, the mixed joys of idleness!
Kinda got out of the habit of watching the Olympics - there's only so much beach volleyball I can take! This is a frickin' Olympic event?! And they're dropping softball just because the US team dominated for the last four times? I seem to recall the Russian pairs figure skaters getting the gold for, like, three decades and they still have that. Go figure. One of the guys that works a bit for MegaTokyo reporting he's in Korea this week and really enjoying the Olympics. Here's how he put it: "Best thing about watching the Olympics overseas: No hint of gymnastics coverage anywhere, and no 10-minute human interest interludes. Just the sports, ma'am. I've seen more judo, fencing, and archery over the past 4 days than I've ever seen in my life." Sounds good to me. Oh, and I mentioned last time that we'll have to wait for the DVD to see the whole openinig ceremony without commercials; well, they started advertising it on NBC so I checked it out at their 'store' - $30 for a two disk set! Ack!! Guess I'll wait for eBay or NetFlix or the library and rip my own copy. Oh, not really. That would be wrong.
As Rosanne said when the lights went out in their house, "Well, middle-class was fun."
Dinner was nice. I grilled some of the excellent brats from our meat market and glazed a pan-full of carrots. Yummy.
So now we're spending the evening enjoying our late dinner and watching a new anime series. Ah, the mixed joys of idleness!
Kinda got out of the habit of watching the Olympics - there's only so much beach volleyball I can take! This is a frickin' Olympic event?! And they're dropping softball just because the US team dominated for the last four times? I seem to recall the Russian pairs figure skaters getting the gold for, like, three decades and they still have that. Go figure. One of the guys that works a bit for MegaTokyo reporting he's in Korea this week and really enjoying the Olympics. Here's how he put it: "Best thing about watching the Olympics overseas: No hint of gymnastics coverage anywhere, and no 10-minute human interest interludes. Just the sports, ma'am. I've seen more judo, fencing, and archery over the past 4 days than I've ever seen in my life." Sounds good to me. Oh, and I mentioned last time that we'll have to wait for the DVD to see the whole openinig ceremony without commercials; well, they started advertising it on NBC so I checked it out at their 'store' - $30 for a two disk set! Ack!! Guess I'll wait for eBay or NetFlix or the library and rip my own copy. Oh, not really. That would be wrong.
As Rosanne said when the lights went out in their house, "Well, middle-class was fun."
Friday, August 08, 2008
Back on the Job!
So, last week a recruiter called; said he had a couple of openings available and could I send him my current resume, so I did. Called me back a couple days later to say he wanted to submit me for the network admin job; I said fine, go ahead. Called me back later that day to schedule a phone interview with the IT manager; I said okay. Couple days later spoke for about half an hour to the manager - seemed like a real nice guy; we seemed to get along okay. Couple days after that the recruiter called and said I had the job and I start Monday! Whoa! Felt like the late 90s for a change where a good resume and a pleasant attitude could get you a job in no time! Happy day! Anyway, I start Monday on a three-month contract-to-hire position with a company in West Chicago which is about a 25 mile drive one way, so gas may be an issue once again - on the other hand, I'm getting more pay here than at Abbott so that'll make it better. So, all you who were praying for me, thanks!! Nice part is it's a stable firm with a great reputation making a product I have greatly admired for years. It'll be great to be a part of that! Whew!
Lessee, my daughter, Kelly, just finished taking the Rhode Island Bar Exam - Yea, Kelly!! So I congratulate her on that and with her the best on a high score. This is her second exam since she already took the Massachusets exam when she graduated from Boston College. She and her hubby are living in Providence right now 'cause he has a teaching job there and she has a law firm job part time that will probably go full time once her scores come in, so since it looks like they'll be there for a while it made sense to take the exam again for that state. Hard work for that, though. She is to be commended.
Aaand after having Comcast off for a few weeks we're back online with them ("All ya need is dough; Yat-da-da-daaa!") and we took the opportunity to get hooked up with HD since we got an HD flat screen TV for Christmas and right now we're watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Looks gorgeous! 'Course, the problem is that NBC and Comcast cut a deal for joint presentation and the opening festivities are chopped to hell with commercials - very disappointing! I looked all over Comcast and online for a commercial-free presentation but none was to be found. Apparently if you have a satellite feed you could see the whole thing live and uncut. Guess we'll have to wait for the DVD.Anyway, we're appalled with the crass commercialism and the disrespect shown the event and the athletes by NBC et al. You guys suck!!
Okay, enough of that. I'm gonna go play Nutrinopets for a while and add some more YouTube videos to my sidebar for your enjoyment. Aaaand watch some more anime! (they're re-running the opening ceremony at 1:30 so maybe we'll try it again with, hopefully, less commercials.)
Oh, found an AWESOME website for anime images - wallpapers and scans - at http://www.animepaper.net/ check it out!
Lessee, my daughter, Kelly, just finished taking the Rhode Island Bar Exam - Yea, Kelly!! So I congratulate her on that and with her the best on a high score. This is her second exam since she already took the Massachusets exam when she graduated from Boston College. She and her hubby are living in Providence right now 'cause he has a teaching job there and she has a law firm job part time that will probably go full time once her scores come in, so since it looks like they'll be there for a while it made sense to take the exam again for that state. Hard work for that, though. She is to be commended.
Aaand after having Comcast off for a few weeks we're back online with them ("All ya need is dough; Yat-da-da-daaa!") and we took the opportunity to get hooked up with HD since we got an HD flat screen TV for Christmas and right now we're watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Looks gorgeous! 'Course, the problem is that NBC and Comcast cut a deal for joint presentation and the opening festivities are chopped to hell with commercials - very disappointing! I looked all over Comcast and online for a commercial-free presentation but none was to be found. Apparently if you have a satellite feed you could see the whole thing live and uncut. Guess we'll have to wait for the DVD.
Okay, enough of that. I'm gonna go play Nutrinopets for a while and add some more YouTube videos to my sidebar for your enjoyment. Aaaand watch some more anime! (they're re-running the opening ceremony at 1:30 so maybe we'll try it again with, hopefully, less commercials.)
Oh, found an AWESOME website for anime images - wallpapers and scans - at http://www.animepaper.net/ check it out!
Monday, August 04, 2008
The More Things Change... Yadda Yadda Yadda
Back in the saddle again. No posts for weeks now. I think I need to post more often just to keep my head clear, y’know? Lotsa stuff going on I’d like to discuss so maybe I’ll start talking about it here instead of in my head (big time circular arguments there).
Anyway, I’m unemployed again. Again?! Yes, again. The contract at Abbott got shut down early so me and the other contractors were cut loose the middle of June (just as well since I was pumping about $100 a week into my gas tank for the commute – gah!). So, I updated my résumé – even got MLM to vet it for me – and commenced e-mailing them out through listings on Dice, CareerBuilder, etc. The activity hasn’t been too bad – I get submitted by recruiters several times a week and I’ve had a few interviews that seemed to go well, but no offers yet. :( You may have noticed the economy is quite sucky right now – thanks a helluva lot Dubya! – so it’s an employers market. They’re taking their sweet time and sometimes doing two and three interviews before they make a decision – basically seeing how many hoops we can jump through!
To top it off I had a snafu with my unemployment checks from the state – seems the week I worked at Northwestern generated an odd ex-teacher’s query form that had to be filled out and reviewed. Then, since the unemployment office is so overwhelmed with claims right now – thanks a helluva lot Dubya! – they couldn’t schedule a review of my case until the end of July. This means no unemployment checks for over six weeks. At least it’ll be retro’d so I will get everything coming to me eventually. In the meantime we’ve gotten monetary assistance from my family, MLM’s family, and the Church of course. Thank God for all of you for that. We’ll be okay in the long run.
Comcast cut us off last month - seems they expect regular payments - so we had no cable, broadband, or telephone for about three weeks. Luckily, we had our cell phones for communication, and some unknown neighbor of ours has an unsecured wireless network that we could glom off of (when it was working, which was about 60% of the time), so we managed to struggle through that. But the antidepressents just don't cut it sometimes.
But enough about that. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Disappointments for MLM lately. Her shoulder surgery has been rescheduled THREE times during the month of July; each time by the surgeon because he was unexpectedly called out of town or some such. Mary Lynn has been discouraged and depressed about it big time, needless to say, since she really needs this done. Her shoulders are much worse now and need help desperately. Scheduled now for August 25th, so pray for her if you will. We’re also having to come up with some big bucks for some of MLM’s medications as she is in the Medicare prescription “gap” where we have to pay all of the cost. Luckily, she shopped around and signed up with Aetna to administer her Medicare and they do pay for all generics with just a $12 co-pay. Trouble is, she has some meds that have no generic and they cost up to $500 for a 30 day supply. Thanks again to Mary Lynn’s parents and the Church for help with this. We have been looking at getting these from Canada and I think we’ll start doing that this week – can save up to 90% that way. Go figure.
One thing we’ve been doing a lot of with this time on our hands is watching a lot of anime. I’ve assembled a pretty good collection from sales and free downloads off the net as well as getting them from our local libraries which have a surprisingly good selection. We discovered an awesome series call Last Exile which may end up being our favorite anime ever. So, I think I’ll discuss that and some of these other anime in the days to come. They’re more fun to talk about than how I don’t have a job yet. ;-)
Later.
Anyway, I’m unemployed again. Again?! Yes, again. The contract at Abbott got shut down early so me and the other contractors were cut loose the middle of June (just as well since I was pumping about $100 a week into my gas tank for the commute – gah!). So, I updated my résumé – even got MLM to vet it for me – and commenced e-mailing them out through listings on Dice, CareerBuilder, etc. The activity hasn’t been too bad – I get submitted by recruiters several times a week and I’ve had a few interviews that seemed to go well, but no offers yet. :( You may have noticed the economy is quite sucky right now – thanks a helluva lot Dubya! – so it’s an employers market. They’re taking their sweet time and sometimes doing two and three interviews before they make a decision – basically seeing how many hoops we can jump through!
To top it off I had a snafu with my unemployment checks from the state – seems the week I worked at Northwestern generated an odd ex-teacher’s query form that had to be filled out and reviewed. Then, since the unemployment office is so overwhelmed with claims right now – thanks a helluva lot Dubya! – they couldn’t schedule a review of my case until the end of July. This means no unemployment checks for over six weeks. At least it’ll be retro’d so I will get everything coming to me eventually. In the meantime we’ve gotten monetary assistance from my family, MLM’s family, and the Church of course. Thank God for all of you for that. We’ll be okay in the long run.
Comcast cut us off last month - seems they expect regular payments - so we had no cable, broadband, or telephone for about three weeks. Luckily, we had our cell phones for communication, and some unknown neighbor of ours has an unsecured wireless network that we could glom off of (when it was working, which was about 60% of the time), so we managed to struggle through that. But the antidepressents just don't cut it sometimes.
But enough about that. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Disappointments for MLM lately. Her shoulder surgery has been rescheduled THREE times during the month of July; each time by the surgeon because he was unexpectedly called out of town or some such. Mary Lynn has been discouraged and depressed about it big time, needless to say, since she really needs this done. Her shoulders are much worse now and need help desperately. Scheduled now for August 25th, so pray for her if you will. We’re also having to come up with some big bucks for some of MLM’s medications as she is in the Medicare prescription “gap” where we have to pay all of the cost. Luckily, she shopped around and signed up with Aetna to administer her Medicare and they do pay for all generics with just a $12 co-pay. Trouble is, she has some meds that have no generic and they cost up to $500 for a 30 day supply. Thanks again to Mary Lynn’s parents and the Church for help with this. We have been looking at getting these from Canada and I think we’ll start doing that this week – can save up to 90% that way. Go figure.
One thing we’ve been doing a lot of with this time on our hands is watching a lot of anime. I’ve assembled a pretty good collection from sales and free downloads off the net as well as getting them from our local libraries which have a surprisingly good selection. We discovered an awesome series call Last Exile which may end up being our favorite anime ever. So, I think I’ll discuss that and some of these other anime in the days to come. They’re more fun to talk about than how I don’t have a job yet. ;-)
Later.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Employed Again, and Again!
It’s been a weird couple of weeks since my last post. After working at Northwestern for seven and a half days, the assistant dean called me into her office and said the workload is not what was anticipated so they were having to let all their temps and contractors go! Apparently the staff requirements were delineated by the IT manager who had just quit, soooo much to everyone’s surprise his estimates were somewhat bogus. Thanks a lot! :(
So I spent my last afternoon there firing off e-mails to all the recruiters I had heard from recently to let them know I was available once again. This included the one that had offered me a job the same day Northwestern did, and I got a polite reply that she would check with the client but she thought the specs had changed and couldn’t promise anything, etc. etc. Then, the next day she called to say the client was happy to hear the news and that they wanted to bring me on. So I went to Manpower on Thursday to fill out all the paperwork and get my orientation documents and I start on Monday! The job is at Abbott Laboratories in Waukegan, so the commute is going to be challenging and a killer on gas. I will definitely look into a public transportation option. Again, the way it works here is to catch a train into Chicago then catch another out to Waukegan. Probably take two or three hours that way, but that may very well be quicker than driving on days when there’s inclement weather. The question will be if Abbott provides transportation from the train station to the jobsite. Most big companies in this area do that so wish me luck on that.
Spent the last two days organizing the hall closet. It’s got ClosetMaid type wire shelves etc. but the shelves were on the side that the folding door opened to so you really couldn’t reach stuff on the shelves because the door panels were in the way. First step was to take everything out and reinstall it with the shelves on the proper side. After that was done I’ve spent the remaining time going through all the boxes I had to bring from the storage unit and get it into the closet in some useable way. Problem here is, I have one five-foot-wide closet into which I’m putting stuff from the hall closet and the second bedroom closet at our old apartment. It’s been interesting. Gotta get rid of quite a bit of stuff. Will finish this tomorrow.
MLM & I watched a bunch of nice anime series this week. I can recommend them if you wanna check them out: Stellvia, Planetes, Diamond Daydreams, Bleach, Love Hina, and Negima to name a few. I also like Azumanga Daioh and Mahoromatic. Fun, fun!
That’s it for now. Got to get back to being productive!
“Change is the only Constant.”
So I spent my last afternoon there firing off e-mails to all the recruiters I had heard from recently to let them know I was available once again. This included the one that had offered me a job the same day Northwestern did, and I got a polite reply that she would check with the client but she thought the specs had changed and couldn’t promise anything, etc. etc. Then, the next day she called to say the client was happy to hear the news and that they wanted to bring me on. So I went to Manpower on Thursday to fill out all the paperwork and get my orientation documents and I start on Monday! The job is at Abbott Laboratories in Waukegan, so the commute is going to be challenging and a killer on gas. I will definitely look into a public transportation option. Again, the way it works here is to catch a train into Chicago then catch another out to Waukegan. Probably take two or three hours that way, but that may very well be quicker than driving on days when there’s inclement weather. The question will be if Abbott provides transportation from the train station to the jobsite. Most big companies in this area do that so wish me luck on that.
Spent the last two days organizing the hall closet. It’s got ClosetMaid type wire shelves etc. but the shelves were on the side that the folding door opened to so you really couldn’t reach stuff on the shelves because the door panels were in the way. First step was to take everything out and reinstall it with the shelves on the proper side. After that was done I’ve spent the remaining time going through all the boxes I had to bring from the storage unit and get it into the closet in some useable way. Problem here is, I have one five-foot-wide closet into which I’m putting stuff from the hall closet and the second bedroom closet at our old apartment. It’s been interesting. Gotta get rid of quite a bit of stuff. Will finish this tomorrow.
MLM & I watched a bunch of nice anime series this week. I can recommend them if you wanna check them out: Stellvia, Planetes, Diamond Daydreams, Bleach, Love Hina, and Negima to name a few. I also like Azumanga Daioh and Mahoromatic. Fun, fun!
That’s it for now. Got to get back to being productive!
“Change is the only Constant.”
Monday, April 07, 2008
Employed Again, Naturally!
Okay, good news! Got a job last week. Actually, I got two jobs last week and actually got to choose the one I preferred. This is after five months of unemployment; wierd huh? The last couple of weeks have suddenly been very active as far as inquiries from recruiters and such - had several interviews, and then two offers. The job I chose is actually a temp to hire position with Northwestern University. I'm with the tech support team for the College of Arts and Sciences - just very cool! The job is 'temp' because their IT Manager just up and quit and the Assistant Dean in charge of the IT group wants the new manager to vet the proposed new employees, but I'm very confident I'll come on full time in a couple months. The other job I turned down was second shift phone support - me in a small room with a half dozen other geeks answering support calls. The Northwestern job involves deskside support which means I get to walk around to the various buildings and help folks one-on-one, which I really enjoy doing. And Lord knows I can use the exercise. My co-workers are very nice - the guy I'm sharing an office with is even into anime and spent some time in Japan a couple years ago. He even recommended a couple of good Japanese restaurants out in the burbs near where we live!
So I drove to work the first couple of days, but that was just to get me here in a timely way. If I keep driving I'll have to get a parking permit at about $40 a month. Also, driving the van those two days used almost a half a tank of gas, and a fill up is, like, $60 now! Can't do that. So today I took public transportation, which I prefer anyway as it gives me a chance to study and work on my laptop. Pretty easy commute that way, I take the Metra (full size train), from Arlington Heights to Chicago, then walk a couple block to the loop and get on a train heading north (smaller, EL train like in subways, only above ground) and ride it up to Evanston where the campus is. Then it's about a three block walk to my office. Takes over twice a long as driving would, but it's a lot cheaper and a lot easier on my state of mind.
Oh, you were wondering why I'm driving the van and not the little, economical Aspire? Well, I'm afraid the Aspire was in an accident a couple months ago and got totaled! Poor little guy :( Still, he served me well up till the end. I ran a light (sun on snow blinded) and smacked a van going about 30. The air bags went off like they're supposed to and no one was hurt. The other driver was even cool about it - said he had almost done the same thing earlier that morning. Anyway, we weren't carrying collision coverage on the Aspire 'cause it was only worth around $400 and I knew if a Canadian goose hit it, the insurance company would total it. After the accident it was still driveable, sorta, and we had it towed to a body shop for a repair estimate: $6000+ Ouch! No way that's happening. So just last week I got it from the body shop, drove it home, and parked in the back of the apartments. Destroyed the right rear tire in the process because apparently the emergency brake cable was sheared and that wheel was locked up - would not turn. So I scraped away all the tire tread, blew it, and finished on the rim! I have to hang on to it for a while because the little guy is actually serving as collateral on a loan with Citifinancial. Ironic, isn't it, considering that the loan has been refinanced several times and the principal is now around $7000 - being maintained by a car that's now worth about $150. Life in these United States. Hah!
Lets see; MLM cannot get in to see her orthpaedic surgeon until May to schedule her shoulder surgery, so we're still waiting on that. Oh, we got some excellent presents from my daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Jason, from their Christmas in Williamsburg and their trip to visit Jason's brother and his wife in India a few weeks ago. MLM got a lovely embroirdered red top and about six yards of beautiful sari material - dark red with gold accents that will make perfect cushion covers for the living room MLM has in mind for us. It was wierd - she was showing me the furniture she wanted about two days ago, and then this package arrrives from Kelly and the sari material matches perfectly! MLM also got a gift card to Lane Bryant - yea! - and I got an excellent little carved wooden indian elephant - it's about three inches tall and has all the decorations on it you usually see on elephants during festivals and all and the detail is just incredible! Also got a lovely pewter cup from Williamsburg and a can of classic Virginia peanuts!
That's about all the news for now. I just gotta hang on until my first paycheck on the 25th and start pulling our life back together. Wish me luck and a prayer or two would be appreciated as well.
No where to go but up!
So I drove to work the first couple of days, but that was just to get me here in a timely way. If I keep driving I'll have to get a parking permit at about $40 a month. Also, driving the van those two days used almost a half a tank of gas, and a fill up is, like, $60 now! Can't do that. So today I took public transportation, which I prefer anyway as it gives me a chance to study and work on my laptop. Pretty easy commute that way, I take the Metra (full size train), from Arlington Heights to Chicago, then walk a couple block to the loop and get on a train heading north (smaller, EL train like in subways, only above ground) and ride it up to Evanston where the campus is. Then it's about a three block walk to my office. Takes over twice a long as driving would, but it's a lot cheaper and a lot easier on my state of mind.
Oh, you were wondering why I'm driving the van and not the little, economical Aspire? Well, I'm afraid the Aspire was in an accident a couple months ago and got totaled! Poor little guy :( Still, he served me well up till the end. I ran a light (sun on snow blinded) and smacked a van going about 30. The air bags went off like they're supposed to and no one was hurt. The other driver was even cool about it - said he had almost done the same thing earlier that morning. Anyway, we weren't carrying collision coverage on the Aspire 'cause it was only worth around $400 and I knew if a Canadian goose hit it, the insurance company would total it. After the accident it was still driveable, sorta, and we had it towed to a body shop for a repair estimate: $6000+ Ouch! No way that's happening. So just last week I got it from the body shop, drove it home, and parked in the back of the apartments. Destroyed the right rear tire in the process because apparently the emergency brake cable was sheared and that wheel was locked up - would not turn. So I scraped away all the tire tread, blew it, and finished on the rim! I have to hang on to it for a while because the little guy is actually serving as collateral on a loan with Citifinancial. Ironic, isn't it, considering that the loan has been refinanced several times and the principal is now around $7000 - being maintained by a car that's now worth about $150. Life in these United States. Hah!
Lets see; MLM cannot get in to see her orthpaedic surgeon until May to schedule her shoulder surgery, so we're still waiting on that. Oh, we got some excellent presents from my daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Jason, from their Christmas in Williamsburg and their trip to visit Jason's brother and his wife in India a few weeks ago. MLM got a lovely embroirdered red top and about six yards of beautiful sari material - dark red with gold accents that will make perfect cushion covers for the living room MLM has in mind for us. It was wierd - she was showing me the furniture she wanted about two days ago, and then this package arrrives from Kelly and the sari material matches perfectly! MLM also got a gift card to Lane Bryant - yea! - and I got an excellent little carved wooden indian elephant - it's about three inches tall and has all the decorations on it you usually see on elephants during festivals and all and the detail is just incredible! Also got a lovely pewter cup from Williamsburg and a can of classic Virginia peanuts!
That's about all the news for now. I just gotta hang on until my first paycheck on the 25th and start pulling our life back together. Wish me luck and a prayer or two would be appreciated as well.
No where to go but up!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Quick Little Update
Okay, disregard everything in the last post. We didn't move to the apartment described. Instead, our current apartment management got shuffled (whcih they do every six months or so) and we got a crew who were happy to work with us getting out of our 'spensive two-bedroom and into a one-bedroom. We lucked out in that the apartment we got is one of the few oversized one-bedrooms (only four on the property) so the loss of space hasn't been nearly so traumatic. More on that later.
Kelly got married in October and I got to go but MLM couldn't because of her physical condition. Check out Kelly's blog for all the details on the wedding - it was very nice and lots of fun. I so wish MLM could have shared it. Her life sucks pretty much. More on that later too.
As MLM called it, I did get laid off from the U of I on November 2nd, and have been unemployed ever since. Aargh!! So Kelly had the opportunity to spend Christmas in Williamsburg with Jason's folks in a time-share they have there so she did not come home for Christmas - first time we hadn't been together for the holiday her whole life! What was very nice was she and Jason managed to come and join us for Thanksgiving, so that was really nice to spend some time and get to know Jason a little better (swell guy, BTW - like him a lot!) Anyway, we ended up having one shitty Christmas, what with no Kelly and no money. It was very quiet. We did manage to win the apartment complex decorating contest - Ha! - which was a $25 gas card which really came in handy. Did the decorating with stuff we already had so that was cheap; set up the tree in the bedroom again since MLM cannot get to the living room and sit and relax anywhere. More on that later.
The last couple of weeks have at least been very active on the job front. I've had several interviews and been submitted for several positions. I have a last interview on Monday for one job that I'm pretty sure I'll get. Everyone is paying a lot less than in recent years, though. It's an employer's market out there. I just need something soon 'cause I cannot live on unemployment without serious help from family, friends, and the church. The nest egg was shattered some time ago. Once I'm working, we'll be playing catch-up with our creditors into the next decade - fun. Also, MLM will be getting her shoulder surgery done soon, hopefully. I pray that will give her some relief. More on that later.
That's all for now. I gotta go copy some DVDs and watch some anime and read the forums on Megatokyo and make dinner for us to enjoy tonight.
I know no one's reading this anymore, but I forgot how cathartic it is to get everything out of my head and into offline storage. ;-) More on that later.
Consistency? Hah!
Kelly got married in October and I got to go but MLM couldn't because of her physical condition. Check out Kelly's blog for all the details on the wedding - it was very nice and lots of fun. I so wish MLM could have shared it. Her life sucks pretty much. More on that later too.
As MLM called it, I did get laid off from the U of I on November 2nd, and have been unemployed ever since. Aargh!! So Kelly had the opportunity to spend Christmas in Williamsburg with Jason's folks in a time-share they have there so she did not come home for Christmas - first time we hadn't been together for the holiday her whole life! What was very nice was she and Jason managed to come and join us for Thanksgiving, so that was really nice to spend some time and get to know Jason a little better (swell guy, BTW - like him a lot!) Anyway, we ended up having one shitty Christmas, what with no Kelly and no money. It was very quiet. We did manage to win the apartment complex decorating contest - Ha! - which was a $25 gas card which really came in handy. Did the decorating with stuff we already had so that was cheap; set up the tree in the bedroom again since MLM cannot get to the living room and sit and relax anywhere. More on that later.
The last couple of weeks have at least been very active on the job front. I've had several interviews and been submitted for several positions. I have a last interview on Monday for one job that I'm pretty sure I'll get. Everyone is paying a lot less than in recent years, though. It's an employer's market out there. I just need something soon 'cause I cannot live on unemployment without serious help from family, friends, and the church. The nest egg was shattered some time ago. Once I'm working, we'll be playing catch-up with our creditors into the next decade - fun. Also, MLM will be getting her shoulder surgery done soon, hopefully. I pray that will give her some relief. More on that later.
That's all for now. I gotta go copy some DVDs and watch some anime and read the forums on Megatokyo and make dinner for us to enjoy tonight.
I know no one's reading this anymore, but I forgot how cathartic it is to get everything out of my head and into offline storage. ;-) More on that later.
Consistency? Hah!
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