I’m Back

I’m so glad to have this guy hang around for a little while longer.

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a while—neither writing nor doing much in the way of reading. I’m sorry. It’s been a couple of months where life just got in the way. So I thought it appropriate to resume this endeavor with Grateful Monday.

I have so much to be grateful for, and so much has happened since 22 May. I hope to back-post some of what has happened, not that I think anyone is all that interested. I just have a thing for completeness.

So here’s what I am grateful for:

• Dad is alive and well. He is going to keep farming for at least another year and has decided to buy a new tractor. All of that has been in question at one time or another since May.
• Suna’s position at the company with which she has been contracting seems secure. They may even bring her on as a real employee.
• My contract at the Fruit Company will end about a month earlier because I have accepted an offer to work there (albeit in another department) as a real employee. I’m looking forward to getting back into tech support training and working with some old friends.
• TrackGrease seems to have gotten married. I don’t think I was officially invited, but I am happy for him. And I’m proud of him. I don’t think I tell him that enough. I know I don’t call enough.
• TubaBoy has been getting ready to start his undergraduate education at Southwestern.
• Beccano is getting ready for his junior year of high school. He continues to play guitar really well. Getting better all the time.

That’s the short version.

Update on Prospects

These pansies perked up after a rare rain

I mentioned last week that I was confident about the future in the face of diminishing opportunities. This week I have some news to reinforce that confidence.

First, I heard back on the initial interview for the extended contract. The recruiter said that they were impressed with my credentials and would fit in well with the existing team. That means I have passed the first hurdle. We’ll see how it goes from here.

Next, I had a one-on-one with my new boss on the Fruit Company contract. I like her. She seems to be a straight-shooter. She also mentioned that she isn’t happy with the current mix of rotational, contract, and dedicated staff. While acknowledging the difficulty of adding dedicated staff in this economy, she said that doing so is one of her top priorities.

So that’s where things stand as I wait in the dentist office. Hopefully, cleaner teeth will make everything seem even rosier—and thornless.

The Recession, RIFs, and Wow

I’ve wanted a camper van for a long time. This one looks fun, but not for a long trip.

Photo source: BBC

This week was a difficult week on the job front. Yes, I still have a job, but my days are numbered. More on that later; I’m going to stay chronological in this post, even though I don’t really believe in linear time.

The first thing that happened was that I was invited to interview for a job. That’s never a bad thing, and I was excited. The interview went well, and we all had a good time. Anytime you spend most of the interview laughing with the interviewers, it’s a good thing, whether or not you get the job.

The next morning, I called the recruiter to touch base. She still hasn’t heard anything, and it’s a bit premature for that interview. But she did tell me that the fire has gone out around one of my other irons. That regulatory body decided to move someone they already employed into a contract position rather than reduce headcount in one place and bring me on in another. I have to admit it makes accounting sense, even if I don’t like it.

Then the department where I’m currently contracting at the Fruit Company was reorged. My boss is now filling the vacancy I originally interviewed for. Given the length of time it takes them to make a decision an the current economy, my contract will be long over—I may even be retired—before they free up the funding to add another instructional designer.

The state of the economy causes me to worry a bit, but I’m still confident and hopeful. I heard a promising bit on the news. It seems most companies are taking their RIFs upfront this year, front-loading the job cuts to save money the whole year. That means many economists are expecting job losses to slow as the year progresses. They’re now talking about peak unemployment of less than 20%.

I may not be able to find another contract soon, but at least the one I’m on can only expire once. That’s something to look forward to.

Coolness

Cooler weather is Cool!

September is in the air. You could feel it at the football game last Friday: a cool breeze. And you can feel the same thing in the back yard today. We’re still getting highs in the upper 90s, but that beats the crap out of the lower 100s. And there is even a chance of rain for the next couple of days.

I’m working outside today, searching the Internet for work rather than doing yard work. The thermometer shows about 80° in the back yard, which is about where we keep the thermostat set in the house. The breeze makes it so much nicer outdoors.

Once again (as every Spring and Fall), I’m struck by how warm 70 feels in March and how cool 80 feels in September. Relativity at work.

Thursday Blues

Even though Mesa Rosa means “red table,” I decided to use this photo of roses because the Spanish phrase always makes me think of roses on the table.

Today was a bluesy day. I was able to go through the new job listing in only a few minutes. Then I couldn’t get a lot done this morning because I didn’t want to wake up the kids. This is the last full week before school, and they deserve to sleep in. I always wanted to at their age.

Then I went to the home center to look for a band saw, and the only one they had was a lot more than I wanted to spend. I need the band saw to finish a project I started a couple of months ago, but I don’t need it $400 worth—not while I don’t have any income.

So that left me lolling around the house, doing laundry and cataloging books on LibraryThing. By the time Suna got home, I was hopelessly dumpy. But she cheered me up by offering to take the boys and me to Mesa Rosa for dinner. That meant that I didn’t have to perk up enough to cook, but the food and the company were so good that they did the trick. By the time we left, I was feeling human again.

So does this count as a Grateful Thursday?

Job Search Update

I feel like I’m jumping through hoops, but are they raising the bar? Photo source: Bear’s Page

I had another interview with the Fruit Company. This makes #12,464, and I’m still no closer to working for them. I don’t know if the hiring manager is being really careful or simply has trouble making a decision. But I’ll keep going in to talk until they stop asking or I find something else equally as interesting.

That last bit is seeming more remote. As days go by, more people I know are entering the market, and the offerings are getting leaner. The only new ad in the Education section today that wasn’t for day care was for a research director for the state higher education board—Ph.D. and loads of academic research credentials required.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. That’s my dad’s favorite saying: “We’ll see.” And, in deed, we will.

Job and Other Updates

Beccano says this is another cute picture of Scrunchy. I say, “How can you tell. It looks like all the others.”

Photo by Beccano

I had two interesting calls today. First, I should hear from a recruiter early next week about a six month contract developing short instructional segments in Captivate. Second, the fruit company called back and scheduled yet another interview for the first week in August.

In other financial news, I’ve hit a snag selling a piece of property my dad deeded to me. The title company wants a copy of a trust document, and dad can’t find it. I haven’t a clue where it is. And Dad’s lawyer is not returning his calls. The lawyer seems to be upset over having had to redo some paperwork three times because he kept screwing it up.

And there is still no Friday’s Feast posted. Whatever shall I write about myself?

I hope nothing bad has happened in the chef’s life.

Job Update

This is just a quick update. I never heard back from the HR guy at the fruit company with a specific time for my interview yesterday afternoon. But the hiring manager called me and said she hadn’t either. So we scheduled for this morning. Then I scheduled an interview with the company Suna is leaving. And late in the evening, I scheduled an interview with a banking software company for 5:00. Busy Day! Yay!

Working for Fruit

Just because they’re pretty

This hearkens back to 17 March. I mentioned then that my former boss had recommended me to the local fruit company. Well, they called me and set up a telephone interview. I forgot to tell my friend.

So today I answer the phone right on schedule for the interview. The voice on the other end says, “Hi, this is [one of your best friends] calling on behalf of [fruit company hiring manager]. She asked me to cover the interview because something came up, and she couldn’t make it.”

The interview went well. The next step is to schedule a face-to-face interview with the hiring manager. Let’s hope that comes off well, too.

Grateful Monday

Once again, I am grateful for good, supportive friends.

Back in the Office Again

Well, today I was back in the office. It was good to be there again, but it’s funny: when I’m working from home, I want to be at the office. When I’m in the office, all I want to do is go home and work. As Gilda Radner used to say, “It’s always something.”

I had lunch today with my former boss who now works for the Beatles’ former record company. She is doing everything she can to help me get on there. I must say that I’m actually looking forward to something new.

Grateful Monday

So that brings me to today’s Grateful Monday. Today, I am very grateful to have good friends, old and new. I don’t always do a good job of keeping in touch, but I never forget.

Second Fiddle

Miniskirts were one of the fads of my youth, but I really can’t remember seeing one worn more than a couple of times. Photo Source: Scavenge

Play fiddle play

Will there never come a day

When I won’t have to play the part

Of second fiddle to your heart?

—Buck Owens

Well, it happened again. I came in second for a job. Granted, it isn’t a job that I really wanted to begin with. But I did want it after they getting to know the people I would have been working with and after how hard they worked to sell me on it.

My only hope now is that their first choice fall through for some reason—hopefully, because of finding something better.

OK. That isn’t my only hope, but is my only hope for this job. And after Suna got word that her department had been told to release all contractors before Christmas, finding something that lasts past January suddenly got more important.

Friday Feast

Appetizer: What was your first “real” job?

What is “real?” My first traditional job was washing dishes at a fried shrimp joint for less than a dollar an hour. At that time, I was already playing bass in a country band and averaging averaging $20 for a four-hour show. This is one of the experiences that taught me to value my time. If you’re going to make $30,000, it is much better to work 1,000 hours at $30/hour than 2,000 hours at $15/hour. Or 3,000 hours at $10/hour without overtime.

Soup: Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

The country side, preferably near a lake. I need water in view. Barring that, any place quiet.

Salad: Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

…I make a mistake. And I make more and more of them these days.

Main Course: What values did your parents instill in you?

Honesty, hard work, and an abiding respect for others. You know—all the values the Republicans disdain because they don’t help you make money quickly.

Dessert: Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

• Mini skirts
• CB radios
• Pet rocks