the musical question

day 48

the power went out yesterday evening, on the latest day of what must be most miserable heat wave i've ever experienced. seemed like reason enough to go out for dinner in a nice, air-conditioned restaurant.

utensils. by accident.

given how well the kids ate and behaved, a splurge at the outback was pretty well worth it. everyone got ice cream for dessert, which was nice. (thank you, Lord, for the means allowing us to enjoy such a pleasant evening out.)

we followed with some window shopping at the kid country toy store to settle our bellies a bit before heading home. thank heavens (and aep) the power was restored ahead of the estimated time.

a pleasant evening out went a long way to taking our minds off waiting for a magic call for an interview. 

still grateful, though, for the temp job and the neat folks i get to work with. in my dream scenario, i'll get to write a few pieces before the magic interview that gets me the job we're hoping for. 

i thought the test i was being subjected to was simply the leap into the unknown. apparently, it's a two-parter, wherein the second section determines how far you will allow your faith to carry you.

about a month and a half in, i've got no illusions of setting any records; i'm just hoping for the test to end and that i'll pass. 

new job eve

got oxford and khakis ironed. going with a conservative tie. packed most of documents into computer bag; emptied most of previous contents. will probably pack lunch, leaving open possibility of going out.

i'm the new kid at school, really, for the first time in more than 10 years. not really sure what to expect, except that it's a short-lived gig and i need to make the most of the opportunity to learn a new skill and impress at least one or two of my supervisors.

meantime, working like mad to purge the house, if not for flight, then to make living here the place we've always wanted for the kids.

approaching the jump site, t-minus 8 hours, 57 minutes. God be with us.

here. we. go.

coin trick

so the job that disappeared yesterday reappeared today. i told my sibs it was like God was playing the vanishing quarter trick — "and here it is, behind your ear."

the woman who made the offer was the same one who called with the bad news yesterday. i was apparently gleeful enough that that she responded, "God does it," to which i responded, relieved and laughing, "yeahhh ... he's got a funny sense of humor." not sure she appreciated that.

anyway, it's a only temporary public relations gig, but it should: a) pay well 2) help extend the job search past the loss of severance money and d) hopefully provide a couple of good contacts/references for the next job.

so, yeah, the Lord will provide. but, seriously, i'll probably never catch when he's pulling my leg. ridiculous. but thanks to you. amen and amen and amen.

antsy

today was ... disappointing. on top of an unbearably warm house and manic children, i get a call that, after a pretty good interview, gobs of paperwork and a request to bring a cancelled paycheck for direct deposit, my best job prospect gets filled. the wind leaves the sails. strike two.

oddly, after a phone interview later that seemed to go really well for a job that might not meet our salary requirements, i felt even more resolute to find a job here. i want to fight my way through this process now. pow. bif. wham.

a year back from the brink

at the ophthalmologist's office.

this day last year started out pretty well. i met my mom and dad briefly after mom had a follow-up visit for cataract surgery.

good behavior award.

then i accompanied mommy and baby to pick up the boy after his first week of kindgarten.

lawnmowing gear, left from 14 august.

then, i started mowing the lawn.

me, in icu.

then, i almost died. it's been an interesting ride ever since.

closing in

yesterday, i may have become the first member of my family to file for unemployment benefits since probably the great depression.

had to sit in on a claims education session, which was informative and helped me think of a few other questions regarding the whole process.

(bonus was learning that there are opportunities for assistance for career training, which is a nice way to add new gizmos to the swiss army knife.)

hopefully, this will be helpful in getting some extra cash flow going to cover some of the loss of benefits.

holy crap, it's been hot.

kris has been nervously watching the bank account and the calendar and digging for additional leads for me.

sent my resume and materials for two jobs yesterday and today; have no idea if either will offer a salary to justify a move.

otherwise, spirits remain high, although the stifling heat we're experiencing in our great "living without air conditioning" experiment this summer has been brutal. it was, like, freakin' 90 degrees in the house before 8 a.m. today. there's a reason i like winter so much.

it's 1:30 am

the girl just turned on the bathroom light to go potty. 

i've forgotten the last time she cried in the night and i would carry her to the bathroom. 

day 28

here's the thing about the job search: it's up and down.

and my wife confirms what we were warned about: it's not hard to find a job; it's hard to replace one. (like, the kind that allows us to cover our financial obligations kinds of jobs.)

i was still mourning the dream job yesterday, but one benefit of an active search and a blessed handful of leads is that i can't go very long feeling sorry for myself before i have to communicate with someone about a job. and as long as there's that, there's hope of finding that replacement.

as in sports or, really, life in general, don't get too high and don't get too low. stay even. treat success and failure as the imposters they are, if i'm not mangling kipling too much.

just as an update, closing in on a month earnestly looking for work, i've got one that's steadily advancing; it's not ideal, but it buys us time, new job skills close to my field and new potential contacts/references.

and there are a couple of nibbles that still hold promise. twenty days in, there's been no homer in that first at-bat, but i'm still at the plate with an 0-1 count, so i'm just waiting for that next pitch.



watched "the matrix" for the first time in about 10 years and i'll say it has managed to age well. the theological undertones remain for me, but i appreciated the line that went "there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

the petition in the Lord's prayer of not being put to the test makes for a worthwhile request in the abstract, but until you're out on the line, outside your comfort zone with your future resting in the hands of others, you don't realize it's a real effort to have faith that, yeah, you will be given your daily bread.

well, i'm learning it now. i'm not sure i'm making an "a," but i surely hope i'll at least pass. amen and amen and amen.

getting real

well, the dream job didn't materialize: editor's gig at my alma mater for a nice raise, great benefits and a good pension. i thought i was a great candidate, but never got to the interview phase.

while i'd say it's been one bad thing after another these past 30 days — job loss, wrecked car, cracked tooth, biblical plague, deflated dream job — it's not yet been a month and other prospects await.

now the expectations need to be adjusted. now comes the real test of faith.

time is relative

as a dude who's served in middle management for the better part of six years, i know that collecting candidates to fill open positions is a time-consuming process.

depending on the time of year, you can have a plethora of really sharp applicants or a just a few folks that you hope can grow into a job.

in the first case, you're spending time finding that person who's willing to take a sterling skill set to a smallish newspaper in west virginia; in the second, you're hoping if you wait long enough, a candidate you really want will finally send in a resume.

this takes time. from the employer's standpoint, you want the right fit so you're not having to do it again anytime soon.

entering week three of the job search, i find a bit of reassurance in that knowledge. i've got an online application in, an interview under my belt and ... waiting.

from the applicant's point of view, however ... this is taking a greater toll on my wife than it is on me:

"have you checked your email?"

"has anyone called?"

"what just happened?"

it's monday. i'll probably be feeling a little less sanguine if i'm in the same holding pattern come friday.

that said, however, another day not hearing means another day that my candidacies remain viable. that's the view i'm having to take. tomorrow will take care of itself.