- First off, we need to talk about the legalizing of some drugs such as marijuana. I know many people are against legalizing any kind of drug but logically, legalizing marijuana would do us little if any harm, and a whole lot of good. Marijuana being illegal does not stop its use. It is so easy to obtain weed these days that it might as well be legal. I could literally walk down to the street corner and get myself a stash if I really wanted it to. Making marijuana illegal has about the same effect as prohibition had on alcohol. It didn’t stop its use at all – it only made dealings go underground and created very rich drug-lords. You could even make a strong argument that marijuana being illegal actually increases crime because of the fights between the dealers and sometimes the confrontation with law enforcement when they do make a bust. Making it illegal and forcing it underground also means we can’t tax it which means our country loses a lot of money because it is illegal. In a letter signed by 500 economists, it was stated that legalizing marijuana would save state and federal law enforcement roughly $7.7 billion in enforcement costs and if taxed like cigarettes and tobacco, could bring in revenues of $6.2 billion a year. That is $13.9 billion of extra money right there. While it may only be 1% of the budget shortfall, congress has to spin in circles to manage that much in cuts.
- Another step to decreasing the shortfall is to roll back the Bush cuts, and not just for rich people, but for everyone. These cuts did little to stimulate the economy and although only about $700 billion out of more than $2 trillion where for the top 1%, they still were extremely favored on a per-person basis. As we’ve seen lately, rich people having tax cuts does not equal jobs. You may argue that rolling them back for everyone else will hurt the economy, but I do not believe this to be the case. The poorest of the poor pay very little taxes anyways so a tax cut that favored the top would not hurt them that much if rolled back. Some of them would even benefit because the tax cut gave them enough income to kick them off of certain social benefits. When you take these factors into account, there’s really little reason to not roll back the entire Bush tax cut and save ourselves a few trillion dollars.
- The third issue to address is the case for increasing taxes on capital gains. Capital gains taxes are currently capped at 15%. There is little reason why they should not be taxed at the regular income tax levels. This would bring in hundreds of billions of dollars. One might argue since the risk is great in investment(compared to savings), the rewards should be great also. But, if you think about it, this really doesn’t make sense because even without the reduced taxes, the rewards are already great. If you save money in a bank or CD, you may get 3-4% return on investment at the most. However, if you invest, you could make far more than that. In return for you taking on the risk of losing your investment, you get the possibility of making several times what you put in over a very short amount of time. Even without the tax incentive, there would be more than enough reason to invest.
- Fourthly, corporate tax loopholes are another huge problem. America has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, yet we collect very little from corporate taxes. This is because we have far too many loopholes in the corporate tax code. This hits as a double whammy. The seemingly high corporate taxes may dissuade some business from coming to the United States while the businesses that do operate here pay very little taxes. The United States needs to decrease the official corporate tax rate and close many of the loopholes that companies use to get out of paying taxes. For example GE made several billion in profits last year but paid a whopping $0 in taxes for an effective tax rate of 0% even though our national corporate tax rate is at 35%. Even if we lowered the corporate tax rate to 20%(which I believe would draw in some foreign businesses), we would stand to gain several billion dollars of revenue just by plugging up loopholes. I believe this is a compromise both parties could go for. Republicans get what they want(a reduction in corporate tax rates) and democrats get what they want(more tax revenue from plugging in loopholes). It should be a win-win situation that could go a long way in closing our budget shortfall.
If Congress ever stops stalling and gets serious about address our budget issues and getting America back on track, I believe these four ideas would be a good start. Whether or not they can actually stop doing nothing and wasting money is their choice. But hey, we can always vote them out.
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Hi! Excellent article and AGREE with all but have to rethink the marj #1 tip?
Repeal Bush tax cuts – check!
Capital gain tax rate – check! (especially change hedge fund billions to regular tax rates from ‘capital gains’!!)
And corporate tax rates (and loopholes) – check!
Trying very hard NOT to lose heart and hope on Congress ‘getting the job done’ and improving our American way of life, but it’s getting very late…
Thanks for giving us some company with your article! Keep it coming. Peace and hope.
Suri, ah so still around? I just happened upon this website again. How are you? Are you working at all? I was fired from my temp job after 3 weeks- another long dramatic story – eh, really the job was not for me as it were only the location was perfect 10 min. from my home and good location for lunchtime walks/pay was eh so-so but the work environment was too strict for my personality and I found pretending to be someone I am not too soul sucking, I likely would have gotten fired at some point for my ability to NOT follow the “Rules” to a T and they were really strict in that way, just did not expect so soon but they did a background check on me and all of a sudden my tardiness was a BIG issue, tho neither boss had told me, i’d better be in on time or else (since they said nothing i assumed it was OK as my work was done well before 5). The interaction between me and the rest of the staff was awkward as well, they were all nice people but just felt like an outsider, they were all my age/younger, married and with school age kids; children and SO were the topic du jour (besides WORK) as well as getting massages and nails done, of which I’d NEVER waste my money on and have no interest in those typical ‘girly things’. Even more waay awkward, my x-boss lives in the condo complex next to mine, she’s black and whenever I see a black woman when I go for my evening walks I cringe thinking it’s her as she’d told me she’s seen me around.
Anyways hope all is well, not sure if Sharon ended up getting more hours or she had to move but hope she’s hanging in there as well which is pretty much what I am doing just hanging in there till the arms get too tired!
EOTW !! – Hi and welcome back tho site is almost abandoned most times. SOOO happy to see your post altho it blows my ‘happily ever after’ story for you and ‘that’ job! lol Didn’t seem like match made in heaven, but don’t think THAT exists any longer… Hope it didn’t totally ‘upset your apple cart’ of details to keep life going on?!
NO, no job or even apps for awhile. Lots of energy and anguish over refi our house which got completed a couple of weeks ago. Then housing repair issues with electric and a/c — you know, you got problems you know you’ll ALIVE (according to my Dad, the man gets SMARTER all the time even tho he’s been gone from this world for almost 20 years! Love you, Daddy).
Sharon will check in soon and if you go back you will read all our posts INCLUDING you with good wishes and missing you, your bears, your hiking, your spirit, and even your complaints (how’s Mom, by the way? lol).
See more and more programs with the l/t unemp and how very many have basically been ‘shut out’ of emp due to age. Also the ‘strategic default’ of millions of homeowners in process and yet to come is affecting friends and family. Seems we, in this country, continue a steady slide down the hill imho. Can’t stay away from the politics and really can’t stomach it also! lol
Sorry for the experience of more frustration and angst in your world whatever the cause. Been on any good hikes lately or too hot? Even my dogs are complaining about the ‘dog days of summer’! lol
“When you come to the END of your rope, TIE A KNOT IN IT and HANG ON” may be helpful?! lol Worked for me many a time. Don’t be gone so long this time. Peace, goodwill, and hope be with you !!
EOTW: Pleasant surprise to see you’ve made your way back here and have checked in with us and updated us on your status. Suri and I still check back here occasionally, we seem to feel a loyalty to the site…think about MC often and wonder what he would have to say about our current political environment. Sorry to hear the job didn’t work out for you…ruined the “fairy tale” Suri and I were trying to envision for you…but unfortunately, life isn’t a fairy tale and often no “happy endings.”
I’m still hanging in there, but getting very few hours as seasonal part-time schedules get cut first when business not as great as expected–which is the case of late. But hey, pretty much all retail is experiencing same thing (at least around here) what with the hot weather and no one wants to go shopping except in malls, and the uncertainty with the economic/political climate. I still keep my eyes open for other jobs and apply when there is anything–but that’s exceedingly rate anymore….and other retail jobs I’m not sure would be any more reliable than the one I already have. Still in house, but not really sure how long that’s going to last. House next door in foreclosure and price really low, so it’s going to have a negative impact on the value of my home.
Just had my eldest grandson with me for two days, and next week will have my gdaughter for two days, and then when schedule allows will have gdaughter and youngest gson for two days before their homeschooling starts again. It’s nice that I’m still in the house, because they all love the house. I had a wonderful time with gson–he left this morning, and I’m still in let-down mode. Have care plan mtg for my dad tomorrow. So things pretty much the same here as when you left…still hanging in, trying to figure out how to navigate through the mess of life, taking what small wonderful things I can appreciate. Second Suri’s question–how’s your mom?, how did she take the news of the job loss? Are you seeing anything worthwhile to apply to? And how is your friend? We missed you.
You really should try some sort of self-employment. But the freelance jobs do have deadlines and people are pretty strict about that.
S & S: good you’re still alive an kickin at least.
No mother is not doing well, neurotic and critical as ever, we are fighting more and more, and yes we see each other daily (mostly her popping in unexpected) and her calls and e-mails have doubled since i lost the job. Unfortuntely she got my cell # so now she calls and leaves duplicate msgs. there as well. My knees are sore since yesterday and she calls me THREE times today plus emails to insist I likely? have Lyme disease and must research free clinics in the area RIGHT NOW for treatment of Lyme (Medicaid was cut off when i got the temp job, I reapplied and am waiting to be reinstituted, another story State cutting Social Services like SNAP/Medicaid bigtime so quite worried as i have no other options also no SNAP and not sure what the holdup there is). Anyhoo she’s way over-reacting AGAIN, while Lyme disease is always a possibility around here I don’t think sore knees & Lyme Disease in a middle aged runner/hiker are the first things that come to mind. Mother suffers from arthritis since her 30′s and i’ve always worried about that since I need to be able to run and hike while she’s content living a sedentary life and her arthritis was nothing to do with overuse of joints she actually has some genetic variant so I hope I just have some momentary soreness as I sometimes have aches and pains that come and go on their own in my neck and big toes, they tend to lock. The way mother talks she seems to enjoy the fact i may have some horrible disease, am neurotic enough don’t need to add hypochondria to the list but it hard when mother saying i ought to go on antibiotics right away before i become crippled for life etc. etc. My friend said i may as well get tested for Leprosy as well and I laughed out loud.
things with my friend and I are still swell other than he won’t tell his friends about me which has started to bother me, I’d think the 23 yr. age difference would make it kinda obvious we are not having an affair but have more of a father/daughter relationship? He’s going away camping in the Adirondacks for 2 weeks in a couple weeks and I can’t come with as he thinks his 1 friend would tell his wife he has a g/f which is ridicolous don’t know why he’d think that and why he’d tell his wife if he’s a friend? He bought my little Boober Bears some Pooh books and videos so they won’t be bored this long hot summer, he also bought them some Weebils (a private joke – I had Weebils as a child and wondered what happened to them, I looked in stores but I thought they didnt make anymore. So he bought THEM a pair of Weebils and we all had fun trying to wobble them over but these were a bit slower than the ones I had and also bigger and not as cute.
Yes we still go on Epic Adventures tho last Sat. was a bit too hot and this Sat. sposed to be in the upper 90′s here so I am trying to get him to take me canooing but it’s very hard to lug the montrous canoe onto the roof of his new and even higher SUV-Jeep.
In our last hike we ended up in a Jewish Retreat center, all the men wore yarmulke’s i was like is “shalom” the Jewish greeting? and was so nervous i had him put on a sun hat, it was a nice peaceful and serene place I joked that he call his wife and tell her he’s run off to a kibutz. We also drank fresh ice cold water from a spring on the rd. near the tr. it just so happened a local was there who swore he’d been drinking the water for over 35 yrs. with no problem. I love pure spring water right out of the ground so that was a real treat. There are quite a few springs scattered about the state but unless someone can vouch that the water is safe to drink untreated I’d not risk it.
Oh the job, well I was such a good little actress that they wanted to hire me permenent at $33K but first I had to do the co. online application and first question was “have you ever been convicted of any crime other than minor traffic violation”? a few days after this the big boss cornered me in the file room at the end of the day and told me she had to let me go due to the criminal conviction, she was almost in tears, she told me she really liked me (i am not sure why) and that i was doing a great job (i learned the computer system quicker than I even expected). Anyhow after speaking to the agency I was told that I was let go due to “other reasons” which I had to press to get out, it was my internet usage and tardiness, yes I was 10-20 min.late each day but no I actually did not use the computer for personal reasons AT ALL so not sure how the HR director had seen me using the internet on “numerous occaisions”? they would not tell me what websites i’d been observed on and I was quite pissed about that, at least at prior job, they had printed a log of my internet usage and yes’ i’d spent an inordinate time but in this case here this was fabrication on her part. The being late part was mind boggling since after I called the Big Boss back she told me she had not realized i WAS late and I know the other boss had told me “that’s OK just try to be in at 8 for bagel fridays” since i had to put the bagels out and the delivery guy came anytime between 8-830. I was also told to NEVER contact this co. again and that my boss could not write me a letter of ref. tho she offered to do so. I was told by the HR person that I never worked for that co. I worked for the agency and they have no record of my being an EE. When I asked for my termination letter in my file from the agency they told me it was done verbally when earlier I was told the issues concerning my termination were outlined in an e-mail. Needless to say I was not pleased, I put on such a good show tho not sure how long I coulda kept it up, it was really too draining, plus to my utter horror i learned that that co. dresses up in costume for Halloween, EVERYBODY does it and I dunno bought you but to me having to wear a costume to work is not fun, it’s juvenile and stupid as in fake forced “fun”. What also ticked me off was I worked at THE co. headquarters it was the HR dir. herself who wanted me fired, the woman i’d done my best to smile at and engage in pleasant chit chat, even saying how happy I was to have this job and telling her how nice and helpful all the staff were, grr. So now I have to use ALL of my psychic energies to NOT obsess over this Witch, I mean the Big Boss was the co. Assitant Comptroller and SHE wanted to hire me but told me the HR Dir. has the final say so so much for sucking up to people. BTW I sensed from day 1 the HR Dir. did not like me, I typically rub those people the wrong way tho I was an HR Major in college myself.
What’s next I have NO Clue. the amount of jobs here that i can personnaly apply to is non-existant, it’s the same ones over and over, some natural foods co. just last week posted an ad for admin. this is like the 6th time in 3 yrs, utterly unbelievable, I did apply since the first time I did a got a response, tho not subsequent times and this may have been my 4th. time. It was direct hire yet NOT thru an agency so go figure, most of us have figured out the jobs posted by agencies are not actual job postings but generic potential vacancies for the future but if an employer keeps posting the same job every few months ya just have to wonder WTF.
Suri, at least ya got the refi done, whats with the a/c, did you have central air then? if it’s a window probably cheaper to buy a new one than have old one fixed. W/O a/c here now i’d be a pool of sweat, real feel temps have been hitting 100+ this week just walking up to the mailbox makes me feel dizzy, the air feels heavy and polluted.
Sharon how’s the arm? cast off?
I might go back and read the old posts if I have time am trying to limit my I-net time, it was getting to be ridicolous and too much of a time waster, nothing of interest recently so i’ve not been sucked into such a time warp. I finished the highly reccomended fantasy/romance Legend of the Seeker 12 Book Series (weird incongruent ending) and am starting on the RR Martin Song of Fire and Ice 5 book series, it is better to read a book vs. surf the net for all hours I think, even if the book is fiction and not useful in any way somehow it’s more depressing wasting time on the i-net like being fake productive and too much scattered info that is forgotten the minute you log off.
EOTW & Suri: Always both of your posts so interesting and entertaining; feel like a real lug in comparison, so making no attempt to live up to either of your posts—just checking in and adding to the fray!!
I agree with Suri, it sounds to me like your mom is just very concerned for you and this is how it comes out. Speaking only for myself, I know that I’m always a mom, and the desire to take care of (or see that something is taken care of) is always up there on my list with my daughter and my gkids. Sometimes we come off as being a PIA, when we are just worried and scared and want to make sure our loved ones are ok. Could we sometimes do a better job? Probably. But I believe we do our best…whatever that might be.
Did you ever check out the Outlander Series, EOTW? I still haven’t read them, but they did sound interesting. The Clan of the Cave Bear author (Aeul/Auel?) has started a new series. Personally, I never could get into the first series properly, so don’t know if I would enjoy the second series or not (or maybe it’s just a continuation?–unsure).
My shoulder is doing okay. I was never in a cast, just a splint, and I’ve gotten most of my ROM back–much better than the MD expected me to get; he said people who suffer the kind of break I did seldom are ever the same again…and he was very pleasantly surprised. It’s still in the healing process probably until the end of the year to obtain a strong heal, and that I should be careful not to fall, or do any quick jerks with the arm, and to just be careful. I kind of irritated it a little of late when I put in two 10-hr days working out in the garage, cleaning, putting shelving units together etc., and kind of aggravated it so it hurts a little more than normal lately. More bothersome are my ankles. For some reason they have started bothering me and it’s hard for me to walk, and navigating the stairs is particularly difficult. It just came on all of a sudden…wish it would go away the same way!!! Hope your knees feel better and that it’s nothing of any real concern.
Sorry the job didn’t work out for you; a nice, steady job would have been nice to have and worth the effort I would think. There’s pretty much nothing around here to apply to. Jobs seem to be ever more rare. And businesses are really suffering, particularly retail. If it’s not a requirement to live, only those with discretionary monies (and even those people are holding their money closely) are spending for non-necessity items. Don’t know how likely it is I’ll be hired after the season is over as a permanent p/t employee if things don’t soon pick up and stay up. And, of course, with the way our Govt is playing around with everyone’s future, my SS payment may not make it next month and there will be no income, and savings are long gone.
I check the major news on the internet, check here occasionally, and read the newspaper…occasionally check HuffPo when I think I’m up to it (which is less and less), but am losing what remains of any faith in our political process and certainly in our politicians. The Republicans seem to be waging war on what remains of the middle class (I’m not there anymore–but they’re also waging war on the poor now too), so I’d hold onto your hat EOTW, because I think the waters are going to get much rougher if the GOP gets even a percentage of what they want…’cause they seem to be coming after all of us!! They certainly have proven themselves to be what I’ve always thought they were, the voice for the privileged…so never understood why my parents or my BF are/were Republicans. Always felt like they were voting against themselves!!
Well, dear ladies, here’s to better days; enjoy your new series EOTW, and hope your a/c works better Suri. And I second Suri’s voice that it’s good to hear from you, EOTW.
EOTW – What a treat to have you back? I agree with getting ‘sucked into’ the internet totally except for us! lol I find myself having to monitor my time on it, also find much on politics toooo distressing. Timewarp is a good word for what I’ve felt! Sometimes feel like my big dog chasing his tail ! Although, he seems much more amused?! lol
Weebils!! I remember them — think I have some in the attic and a Weebil tree house and a haunted house with a GHOST Weebil! lol I have seen the new ones just lately and AGREE — larger and not cute? I’ll have to find them as I’m going to become a gmother in Sept to a baby girl!! Life changing already in mind and spirit? Just keep apologizing to kids as to the difficulties of this economy/society. Employers think they OWN the employees, heart and soul, with no raises for two to three years now for my kids and spouses? WTF kind of?
We shall, in this country, look back on this time of great transition and much loss… Life does go on, but just not as happily and definitely not smoothly? lol
Yeah, it’s central a/c but very old. Turns out we actually had to replace the main breaker and all household fuses, long story and not happy ending… So now with this heat wave trying to figure out of it’s just not keeping up or needs freon or ?? It was 89 DEGREES at 10:30 p.m.!! To be continued…
Ahhh, Mom. She is worried about/for you and like my DH who always yelled when the kids were hurt, that’s what her fear looks like perhaps?! I advise to manage the relationship with as much kindness as possible, but always well know I have to ‘retreat’ myself sometimes from personalities that are harmful to me.
Guess I’m not clear on your unhappiness with BF? Are you expecting it to progress to another level of intensity or openness? Or is it just getting to you that you are in a separate ‘slot’ of his life? No judgement here at all on either/or just wanting to understand. Thinking BF is correct about friend telling his wife so needs to be well thought out/figured out? Just know how little happiness there seems to be in this lifetime but maybe whether relationship is ‘fair’ or working for you is subject to reconsideration as it is from time to time in my marriage?! I certainly wouldn’t be ‘holding up’ my relationship skills as the correct way?! lol That’s the best for my kids, imho, that they know and see that a l/t marriage has lots of work, bumps in the road, and hopefully more caring than harm. All relationships are required to grow and change as we do and our needs/wants change imho. I wish you courage to figure things out for the best for you and know that we are all in the trenches, married or unmarried, of relationship building! Like Dr. Phil says “you are either building things up or tearing them down” and my DH and I have done plenty of both! lol Just know that this is a VERY lonely world for so many and find as much joy and fun as you are able too.
The job — hate Halloween costumes at work also! Think I have done it a time or two (still trying to block the memory! lol). Yes, there is a whole professional personality we have to acquire for each position/company isn’t there? I truly am sorry that this was so within your reach and power to achieve and then to have it pulled away over the same old stupid stuff seems CRUEL and UNUSUAL punishment imho! That you go on is a statement to your solid core, just wish there was a personal connection to enable you to get around this in our modern emp situation. Heck, there are NO ads even on-line (except scam crap, as you say) since gas went up to $4.00 beginning of May. Almost can’t believe how stagnant this country is and no rebellion yet? No summer jobs, no jobs for college grads, and all this ‘talk’ on tv re baby boomers doing structured retirements — like YOU have a choice! Are you freaking kidding me?
LOVE the Jewish Retreat tale!! So missed your humor and wit while you were gone. I OFTEN SAY “I go away so people can miss me!” and for YOU it’s true!! lol The visual pictures you have given us are unique and special! Be careful on those adventures between the heat and the outside! Mother Nature isn’t always gentle and kind!
Gotta go for now — check you later but think w/e will still be HOT ! Peace.
Hello all on the board, long time no see. Suri, Sharon, Eotw have you guys found any work since last we spoke. Myself, I accepted and quit a position the pay was o’k but the enviroment was shady and disrespectful, I could not and would not tolerate that at all. I was the Bookkeeper / Accountant And I could see myself in a cell with all the shady practices at this firm.
Steve: I got a seasonal p/t job in retail sales, but business is so bad that my shifts are cancelled more often than I work, and as I stated above, if things don’t improve am sure I won’t be hired permanent p/t after the summer. And, of course, with the games the political parties are playing with all of our futures, people are holding their money close until they have some idea which way the wind is going to blow.
Glad to know you’re still out there, but sad to hear that the job didn’t work out for you. It’s one thing to have a job that you just are not all that crazy about, quite another to think you could end up in a jail cell if you continued to work there!! Hope something soon will turn up for you. Don’t know what it’s like where you are, but there just isn’t anything to apply to around here. It certainly is not improving. Quite a sad state of affairs. Have to wonder sometimes what MC would have to say about the political gamesmanship being played out in DC. Even with his patience, I think he would have been angry by now.
Do take care and check in with us now and again just to let us know you’re ok, and if you find something new… Best wishes….
Wow, it’s the THREE S’s now, Steve, Suri and Sharon, how weird is that?
Steve- no I’ve not worked a day in the 2yrs 7 months i’ve been what’s the word now? “unemployed” or “in transition” doesn’t seem appropriate anymore? I don’t even know how to answer the question “what do you do?” other than that 3.5 week temp job mentioned above, and to think I may have lost my SNAP and Medicaid over $1100 hardly seems worth it as I cannot ad this job to my resume as you likely are not adding yours. How long did you work there? RU certain what they were doing was criminal? If the job was OK otherwise I would’ve kept it and played stupid if they were ever audited or just said well what ELSE am I gonna do while still looking for work elsewhere. If you run out of savings and are too young to collect SS then it’s either rob a bank or work for shady employer would be the way I see it;
This summer is as bad as 2009 jobswise, alls I’m applying to is temp or pt clerical jobs and while p.t used to be 20-30 hrs. now it seems to be 8-12 hrs. a week though all talk of ANY economic recession in the local paper/news is GONE, a while ago some article on the UE in the State was much less then I thought the “very long term” who they consider a yr. or more was like 14,000 and thats over the entire state, of course someone like Sharon would not be included as she is “employed” but still it seems there are few 99ers such as myself who have no job whatsoever and I’ll bet some of those are making $ under the table. Just from my new found habit of blabbering to misc. people like the bank teller where I withdraw my money, I get the sense most people think the recession is completely over and everything is back to “normal” just that things are more expensive. Same thing at the library I am not getting any recognition in fact saying this is my 3rd. summer not working raises eyebrows and looks of disbelief and now I feel like a weirdo when go there so best to keep my mouth shut though i mainly complain to garner sympathy or empathy plus I am hoping others will say they at least know of someone in the same boat.
The total amount of UE is like 170,000 about 140,000 of that is “long term” 6 months or more.
Unfortunatley I will have even MORE competition: the over 6500 State EE’s that are being let go within the next few months short of the Unions suddenly accepting the Governors Deal tho not likely, since most Union Officers tend to be senior members so they want their early retirement and full pensions with complete medical coverage even at the expense of colleagues and general public losing services, they even cut something like 13% of staff in dept. of mental health and addiction services and in my city they are closing the DMV the next closest will be a 45 min. drive and we are a modest city of 90 thousand so not like it was not being used.
Sharon, so how do you actually like the job now that you’ve been there some months? would you do it full time if offered? You will likely have some college students going back to school so maybe they keep you?
Suri, well I wouldn’t really call my friend my “boyfriend” though he is male and is a friend, a “best friend” maybe though I cannot contact him whenever. Mother knows about him and has met him, she says he looks like a dwarf (he is the same size as me, he actually tried my clothes on once). It just annoying since I have all this free time and I’d love to go hiking in the Adirondacks and my tent hasn’t been used in over 13 years, Lord knows if it’s still waterproof or if it hasnt disintegrated. I tried match.com and others in my mid 30′s nobody was interested so this as as close as i’ll ever get to a real relationship. I’d decided after seeing the Steve Carrel movie, 40 y.o. Virgin when i was 39 that I’d take the first person to show any interest in me even if it were a woman, that’s how desparate I was for love so in that respect I kinda won the lotto, I have enough problems w/o having to view myself as a lesbo freak and Thank the Gods I do not attract ladies either. When I was a teen I thought not having a b/f meant you were lesbian, i actually didn’t find that out untill i was in college and was massively relieved since I am not normal in other ways, i’d at least like to be near normal in some way.
Well stay cool all, it was over 105 in the Sun here again today and tomorrow be the same.
EOTW: Hi there! Unemployment has risen here again overall in the state…have not checked recently in my Co. and city, but imagine it has gone up as well. Still higher in the state than across the nation.
If I was offered permanent employment, yes I would gratefully accept it, but it appears to me that it is unlikely they will be hiring as business is so slow. I like the job well enough when I get the chance to work. The part I like the most is the customer contact and assisting people. It’s actually been kind of fun. Certainly beats sitting in front of the computer searching for work for hours at a time 7 days/week…tho’ I’m still searching for work…I’m trying to stay local as cannot afford to travel too far with high gas prices for low-paying jobs offered with no benefits, and most of them part-time. Still hundreds of people applying for every job around here. Prospective employers are still astounded by the #s of applicants they get for any advertised position…guess they just don’t listen to the news. Lots of desperate people, and crime rate has gone up dramatically around here…or maybe they’re just talking more about it? Banks and drug stores and gas stations being held up pretty regularly, in addition to counterfeit money being passed, and home break-ins. Lots of murders, and a fair amount of murder/suicides of multiple family members. Sure the heat is not helping matters either–tempers short.
Was scheduled to work 3 days this week (16 hrs), but got only 2 hours because shifts were either entirely cancelled or cut short because there’s not enough business. Even the # of people coming through the door has been dramatically reduced. Again, heat probably a contributor because we’re not in a mall and people just don’t want to be popping in and out of a/c into heat; but also feel it’s because of the uncertain economy and people not spending on things that are not necessities. Even people with expendable $$ are holding onto it because of the uncertain economic climate.
Hope you have something fun scheduled for the weekend.
side note to above: i just read elsewhere that as of June 2011 there were 47,000 people in my State who have/had exhausted ALL 99 weeks of UE at 1 pt. or another, this figure was from a non-profit, the 14,000 # of “very long term” (1 yr. or more figure is from DOL report and refers to those COLLECTING UE now (under 99 weeks) is what I infer, still the 47 THOUSAND exhaustees # sounds too high, I don’t think there are that number of 99ers who still don’t have any job at this date, like i mean some of those people could have gotten a job at week 100 etc, I cannot find readily the actual total amount of people w/o a job in my state and can drive myself batty looking at all the different reports. It is logical that there were people who choose to collect UE until the end, then they took any job offered even if it were min. wage, not that employers are offering all 99ers min. wage jobs even but anyways interesting to study. There is the public perception that many people do get jobs shortly upon exhausting benefits, which I’m not sure is a total myth or not, some might but I’d think if you were truly just coasting and then decide to seriously apply to jobs at week 98, nobody will hire you just because of the gap.
If there indeed are 47 THOUSAND out of work 99ers here then they sure are invisible.
Hi – All ! Yeah, we are the invisible, hiding in plain sight? lol Mostly just ignored by friends and family also. NO ONE, including elected officials and govt seem to KNOW what to do? Think many ‘thought’ things would just gradually improve in unemp and housing? Really?? Seriously?? Where do ‘we’ get jobs like that! lol
Steve Brad – Glad/sad to see you back also! Think it’s good to follow your intuition even with this outcome. We DO have to live with our choices?
Nothing around here at all this summer to EVEN apply for in jobs and soooo many college and hs grads are sitting, waiting also!! Just amazing that we hear and see NOTHING in the paper re unemp except we NOW have a mobile food pantry that comes to our rural area every two weeks and hundreds line up and still people are turned away…
Local schools are collecting supplies, back packs, etc. to equip children for Fall already? Echo Sharon on crime — it’s just rampant? You can’t leave ANYTHING in a vehicle at mall or stores or crooks will break the windows even for a 12 pack of soda?! And any and all metal is stolen, bikes are gone – locks or no locks, from the front porches, within hours! Just a sad reality.
EOTW – Hope your SNAP etc. gets sorted out soon and you have ‘cool’ plans for w/e?
Sharon – I really WANT to assure you (and myself) that SS will be fine with all the trauma/drama, but who the he** really knows. Feel like ‘shouldn’t someone be in charge here?’ often?! Thank God I lived thru refi or that on top of THIS would definitely send me over the edge? lol Just continue to hold tight and hang on and on and on…
You all come back soon, ya hear? Peace.
Sharon, i vaguely recall you sayin that VS store was in a more affluent area? Boy that sucks that you have THAT few hrs.
Our Mall here is doing fine, in fact over the past 2 yr.s they’ve gone more “upscale” tho I am not familiar with the new stores and am now too embarrassed to even go there, my friend and I would joke about people getting dressed up in their brand new and trendy “mall clothes” just to walk around the mall in but now I truly feel frumpy and underdressed in my running attire which is also my every day attire. It is painful to keep hearing in the local paper what an affluent area this is. There is some woman’s club lecture series on assertiveness and getting a job, the cost is $130/lecture am NOT kidding, members were slightly cheaper but am sure membership is not free, the article was saying something like I quote “if you get a salary offer that is not up to your expectations then be prepared to turn it down and walk away if the employer will not pay you what you’re worth” GAA! I often agitate myself when reading the local paper, unfortunately you cannot respond to articles w/o your real contact info and since I tend to get carried away I have to just write reply letters in my head. It was some kind of woman’s business network, obviously it is exclusive and they often have interesting topics/speakers on how to be successful,etc. i don’t think somebody who can afford a $100 2 hr. seminar fee needs advice on how to be successful. I should go to the conference center/hotel where they have their meetings with a job board on my back, I can just imagine the scene I’d cause “will work for food” or something like that, I have a feeling i’d either be ignored or have the cops called for being a public nuisance or disturbing the peace.
I have many ideas but none of them realistic…
Suri, our crime (robbery) rate has not gone up, wealthier people tend to have alarms on the car and home, I see the stickers and lawn signs everywhere, even my next door neighbor has one and it looks like the sign belongs to MY unit, not that i have anything to steal but just makes me feel safer. our Mall is heavily secured with guards and cameras, actually this is one of the safest cities in the State esp. for it’s size tho you do see people arrested for DWI/DUI daily. I canot walk into my local bank with a hat or sunglasses, even tho they know me, there is a big sign to please remove and they will tell you to if you don’t, even if they recognize you, it be virtually impossible to pull off a bank robbery w/o getting caught. They are even putting cameras downtown on the traffic lights, i feel weird stuck at the red light sitting in my car wondering if somebody is watching me. I thought you lived in a rural area and those in general were safer then urban/suburban?
Not sure what tomorrows adventure will be yet, due to my knees still feeling uncomfortable will be slightly limited.
EOTW, yes, the VS is in a more affluent area, but it seems even they are holding onto their $$ in this uncertain time. I finally got a full shift yesterday (Sun), there were a couple of times through the day where we had several people at once, and several times when all fitting rooms were full and people waiting. But there seemed to be a trend for mothers and daughters finding this their Sun. afternoon entertainment to try on bras together…and they’d be in the room, some of them for an hour!–makes it difficult for moving new people into the rooms so they can try things on. It was so strange to get a shift that I felt like I was starting all over again and had to re-learn how to meet & greet, plus, they rearrange the store and I have to re-learn where everything is, whereas if I was there on a more regular basis you’d be more aware. Lots of gorgeous young girls work there…some college, some working other jobs, some working other jobs and college, some involved in theater groups for the summer and working p/t…but I think a fairly decent percentage of the girls work there permanent p/t and I just don’t know if they’ll need any more permanent p/t. It doesn’t do any good to worry about it, because it doesn’t change things. A weekend in Aug I am filling in for the pet sitter who is going to take a 3-day weekend, the first time she’s taken off in 2 years I think she said. Don’t know yet how many people I’ll have.
I’m picking up my grauddaughter Wed morning and will have her until Fri morning–we’ll go to the movies Wed and go have pizza at the pizza buffet for lunch. On Thurs (weather permitting) we’ll probably go to the pool at mom and dad’s house. She likes to play games, so she’ll hopefully bring some with her–she’s 9.
Our banks around here do the same thing as yours, no hats and no sunglasses allowed. I forget sometimes when I go in (because I’m always wearing sunglasses…no hat!), and they just look at you, and when it dawns on me I wonder, “Do they think I’m going to rob them?–is that why they’re looking at me like that?” I have a security system because the area has changed so dramatically since when I first moved here..just makes me feel safer. Plus, it has a fire alarm on it as well so if I’m not home and a fire should break out, it would notify the security system who could call the fire dept—mainly concerned about my “girls” being safe. Robberies around here are taking place in broad daylight with people around…so people are getting desperate. You have to be aware…and I think I’m not as aware as I probably should be when just normally out and about.
It sounds below like you had a really nice canoe trip over the weekend and a fun swim; also sounds like the shoes might have made the difference you need to make your knees feel better.
Sharon, your Avatar really does not suit you, not sure why they gave you that one, mine is OK, I always have problems with my contacts and hate to wear my huge thick glasses so having me with 1 side on is kinda funny.
I still keep applying to eye drs/optometrists but no luck, there was another one where the ad said “will train” and I never even got a response.
Nothing much new, really having massive difficulty finding ANY suitable job to apply for, I just don’t meet the requirements; I see that “fast paced” has been replaced with “energetic” as a top quality also the generic “good communiction skills” appears in virtually EVERY ad and I don’t really know what that is sposed to mean? I am pretty blunt and direct however am not good at small talk. I used to say I was organized but realized I have no examples of this so I can’t really apply to jobs that look for that. The 2 jobs I applied to today as a total waste of time for the heck of it were A/P clerk and Executive Office Assistant for a Rabbi. I did not have most qualifications for either job, am certainly NOT a “self starter” who can jump right in so not likely I’ll be called for either job. I don’t know when job descriptions/qualifications changed so dramatically but the type of job I am looking for with a simple list of duties seems to not exist, they are are looking for a certain personality type esp. the “highly motivated” both jobs I applied to today said “highly motivated”. At the end of the day I am highly motivated to get the F outta the office but other than that could not give any concrete examples.
Thankfully there ain’t too much new “how to find a job” type of articles out there any more as I find them rather depressing, networking is out of the question and I am not inclined to volunteer though I also look at the local volunteer job board from time to time but I don’t see anything I care to do, am barely motivated for a paying job forget about doing something for no pay.
Am not sure what I do all day but boy does time fly, I cannot imagine having time for study or volunteerwork unless I took some kind of speed pill in the morning as most mornings I putz about till noon and really I cannot even describe it. I think I am 1/2 asleep for most of the day therefore nothing registers.
Well what movie did you see then? the Winnie the Pooh one? I want to see it, am sorely tempted to bring my Bears and go, they rarely get out of the house let alone the bed but they take after me, at night when I asked them how their day was and what did they all do they just shrug and smile and say “we dunno, we played?” What happened to your grandson?, I thought you’d mentioned previously.
Hi ! – Just another day that isn’t counting for a whole lot. No excuse, just can’t get my ‘get up and go’ back! lol Sometimes wonder if it left for good? (Not my good, you understand.)
EOTW – Maybe it’s the humidity that bothers your knees? My knees can be a ‘leak link’ in my physical prowess! lol I hurt one when I was in an auto accident 40 years ago. Small acc but put radio knob into my knee? Remember radio knobs, showing my age! lol So sometimes too many stairs etc. can get me. Walking, standing, or even slow jog are fine. Hey, I did lose a few pounds with my strict grocery selections and not so much chocolate and got my BP to 120/80 !! Always a silver lining? lol
REALLY nothing to apply to even tho school here will be starting at this time next month. In past, college kids would take alot of jobs for May, June, July, then take a couple of weeks to prepare for school. One of the problems with being older is you remember how things ‘used to be’? lol
Hope everyone is doing the best they can to find solace in the empty spaces of their lives where jobs should be… Peace and hope.
Suri, very funny tho i’ve never been a get up and go type of gal myself so cannot relate, am sure for you it will come back eventually, maybe it’s on holiday tho untill the grandbaby arrives? I’ll bet you are exited?
I feel like I am a retiree, this title of a book “How to retire at 40″ is stuck in my head, I actually could of brought it off If my salary had been higher to begin with and I had triple the amount of savings but even with all the aid i can recieve for food, rent and medical care I could still not live beyond 5-7 more years and I dropped out of the lottery group so no windfall there either. The group had no luck, after 1.5 yrs. we’d not won over $12 it was pointless to throw $4/week into the pool, we had 10 people @ 40 tickets per week I would’ve expected a small winning of say $500 by now and our total wins of $3 and $5 was still under $25 split that among 10 people and we each could buy a double pack of gum or maybe a pack of gum and a soda.
There were 2 jobs posted Friday that i’d interviewed for this past spring, unbelievable! neither job was anything I really wanted and tho my interview went so-so (did not click with the interviewer) i never heard back even upon my following up. It very hard sometimes not to become too paranoid and wondering if there really is a blacklist or “Do NOT hire” list and MY name is on it. Of the 30 plus interviews, tho none since May, I did have at least 10 that come to mind as being very good and I felt the interviewer liked me but I never heard back either. Of course if you are a nice person and a “people person” you can probably chat with anyone and make them feel as if you were best buddies tho I am usually good at spotting fakes but some people may earnestly enjoy meeting and interviewing people so maybe that left the impression compared to those who seem uncomfortable and I didnt know if it was me or they were just uncomfortable interviewing.
Because i live in a college town, not that many students “go back” to school, they keep their hours and arrange their school schedule accordingly, 90% of the Mall is staffed with college age people or HS and it is common here for HS students to work so that they can buy stuff from where they work! Their parents take care of college so they just want a job for spending money.
I did try some light jogging on flatter ground today and a bit more sore now but not like I can’t walk. Am afraid the fluid between the joints is low, they keep making a clicking noise when i bend and straighten. I finally bought a new pair of sneakers as mine which are only 2 yr.s old are literally coming apart at the seams and besides having turned a dingy dirty grey (they were silverish) with my sock showing, i really felt like a homeless vagrant so I broke down and bought another pair at Kohls, just went to the one store ( i HATE to shop) and spent 90 min. trying them on. Anyhow at home walking around in my apt. I realize how bouncy they feel in comparison to my old ones and realize it may of been the cheap worn out shoes that did my knees in (hopefully not permenently) as it’s like running with tennis shoes, they are so worn the padding on the bottom is gone. I’ve been wracking my brains how my knees suddenly got so bad, i’ve been running for years with no problem at all but I usually bought new ones at the first signs of wear and now was holding onto them like some unemployed poor person. At least am not so depressed that am gettin old, I can just blame it on New Balance and poor quality manufacturing.
Wonderful adventure canoeing yesterday on a river past some fancy pants waterfront homes and quite a few exotic looking water birds (am terrible with identifying fauna and flora). We also got caught in a mini-windstorm which was a bit frightening, I was singing the Giligans Island tv show theme song in my head. We did cover alot of miles am not sure how much but went thrue 3 towns our arms were about to fall off by the end. His life jackets are super floaty and I had fun swimming with it on, reminded me when I was little and had this foam bubble around my waist so i’d not sink. All these boats came by making huge ocean size waves to float in and I didnt have to worry about drowning as the life jacket is so buoyant i was like a cork bobbing in the water.
EOTW – Sooo happy for new shoes!! lol Thinking you’re ON to the solultion with knees. I can relate perfectly with the unemp, never replace anything… There is something to be said for some ‘retail therapy’ as well as spirit lightning with a purchase, especially something practical/necessary like shoes. Have NEVER been huge shopper for more than ‘neccessary’ but there are wonderful values out there IF anyone has money? And it is a pick-me-up to have something, anything new and different.
LOVE your tale of canoeing and swimming!! What’s the plan for this w/e so far? The bears going to see Pooh movie would be too cute!? lol DD got one of those blankie things with the Eyeore for new gbaby as DIL is a BIG Eyeore fan. DIL said she’s taking it to cuddle during labor for herself! lol WE all need COMFORT most anywhere we can find it imho?
This economic environment is the most toxic I’ve ever experienced and I know from my kids how difficult employers are making everyone’s life? DD has been working for TWO years and having trouble getting approval for even a couple of days off for freaking sake? NOT even a WHOLE WEEK!! Are you kidding me! Everything is ON the employees, no raises, no respect… So yeah, I’m sad to not ‘have work’ nor think I will probably but MORE SAD for all the mistreatment of the average worker (my kids, especially) who does an excellent job with no positives and ‘you’re lucky to have a JOB’ IS GETTING REALLY, REALLY OLD!! LOL
Let’s all give each other credit for still standing tough in this arena!! Many are so broken imho… I know what you mean, EOTW, by the wording of the ads! I still DISLIKE STRONGLY when soooo many people fail to realize what a different world the economy is these days? We are no short of trained, educated employees, there is just no demand for employment or for the employers to hire to fill. You are correct, NO regular jobs available any more. The few jobs that are out there are quickly filled with hundreds of applicants with the employer’s PICK of the RIGHT AGE, RIGHT EDUCATION, RIGHT EXPERIENCE!! So what good is it IF you’re not in the TOP 5% ?! Sad, sad, sad for our country and the wasted lives that people COULD/WOULD be living.
Sorry to be a downer today, just too much reality, huh? Thanks for connecting Sharon and EOTW and keeping company on this journey, it’d be pretty bleak without YOU? Peace.
Hi, Suri, yeh a pretty bleak day/week here too. The temps were “low” like mid 80′s but very humid so run up to the top of my driveway and my clothes are soaked, fortunately I can jump in the Lake whenever I want. I cannot imagine NOT living near a swimable, Lake, River or Ocean, pools are really not the same, my condo complex has one but I never go, all the dead bugs on the bottom kinda turn me off, plus it’s really more of a kiddie pool, I could swim 5 strokes from 1 end to the other and keep hitting my toes on the bottom as it’s only 3.5-4 ft. deep and there are ants all over the dirty/moldy plastic patio furniture so not really calling to me tho everybody who comes over goes “wow you have a pool” as if it were MY private pool (it’s surrounded by the units so no nude sunbathing), plus you can hear peoples a/c units droning on and on, not my cup of tea.
Even more bleak my friend is going on his backpacking trip tomorrow until Fri. then Sat. he’s going with his wife to visit her brother until the following Sun. so I won’t have anybody to play with or talk to -I mean other than my Bears so very very boring.
Mother was harassing me today again, she kept calling when I was talking to him on my cell; when at home I prefer calls on my cell as I have a corded earpiece I can wear while doing other things with my hands vs. just sitting and talking on the phone, yes I really don’t like to sit still unless i am in the middle of an engrossing book then I could sit for hours till my butt is sore. Anyhow he stopped by after work to say goodbye and mother popped in at the same time, grr. Later this evening she also called AND e-mailed me for the same thing, it was over the most stupid unurgent thing: she keeps getting me this stale rockhard weekold bread from the Sr. Center, I dunno how much bread she thinks I eat but my freezer is filled with this Godawful bread i have to heat on pan with a bit of water so that I can bite it (am not kidding the bread is so hard I could use it as a hammer). heating it makes it softer but it still tastes stale, because of this bleeping stale bread I have begun to hate bread, nothing like having a melted cheese sandwich on bread that tastes like cardboard but anyways I just told her when she interrupted our call earlier that I have enough bread she can put it in her freezer and i’ll get it when I get it. So she comes over to bring me the bread because she said SHE has no room in her freezer as it’s ALSO filled with the bread. Long story short not like we were nekkid or anything gross like that but we sat right next to each other on the couch and she peaked in the window and gawked at us.
So now he’s gone and I gots this bread instead.
I also put olive oil and garlic powder and salt on it to make it taste better so I sure pray I get my SNAP card reactivated on the 1st. so I can buy some GD bleeping “normal” NOT expired bread as mother won’t let me buy it w/o feeling guilty “why spend your money if you can get it for free”. Well um it’s free because NOBODY else wants it, like yeh, lets give it to the seniors to eat, I can just picture an elderly couple with a saw trying to cut a slice from one of those loaves and Lord knows how they eat it, unless they soften it first or maybe they just suck on it. I remember the disgusting orange cheese they used to give for free for the poor people, these huge blocks, they tasted like a cross between velveeta and fatfree american “cheese product” that stuff would get moldy pretty fast as well and was salty as hell, not sure what happened to that cheese, maybe people said they’d rather starve or broke their teeth on cheese sandwhiches. I think the leftover bread should be donated to the military to be used as missiles, I’d think a dryed out month old bagel being projected as a missile could take out some windows at least, think of ALL the money the Government could save instead of wasting it on high tech stuff.
EOTW: Replying to all your posts at once. Have not gone to see Winnie the Pooh movie yet…plan to go next week when gdaughter will return with youngest gson who is almost 3. It’s a short enough movie that I think (hope) he can manage to sit still through, as he’s a very active, energetic little fella. Had my eldest gson for two days two weeks ago and we went to see Zookeeper–it was very funny and we enjoyed it. He brought his laptop with him that has one of his favorite games on it and he had instructions just for me, and taught me how to play the game–which he really enjoyed. I felt inept, but he had a good time teaching me. We also watched one of his favorite movies, Legion of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and one of my favorites, the 1st of the Lord of the Rings(I like them all, but since he’d seen none of them, we had to start with the 1st. But it’s a long movie, and even he had a hard time sitting through the whole thing.) Had my gdaughter this week, and we went to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which was also very cute! We also went to mom and dad’s pool and had a nice time. And she likes to play games, so we spent one whole evening playing all but one of the games she brought with her. Next week I will have gdaughter again (because she’s such a big help with the little one) and the baby for two days. Not sure I’m up to the amount of energy it will take to keep up with him, so glad she’s going to be here to help!! Have to clean house today in preparation, and go shopping for a few items for when they’re here, and get some dog food for the girls…while I still have enough money…if they don’t send SS checks I’m SOL.
Unemployment has increased here to 10.5%–for the state, haven’t checked locally yet, but we’re usually several 10ths of a percent higher than the state average. Applied last night for chiropractic asst temporary part-time with possibility of permanent–guess people are hedging their bets on the economy and don’t want to offer permanent jobs at the moment. The description didn’t tell much about the job, only that clerical experience was required, and offering 20-30 hrs/week.
While gdaughter was here she wanted to see where I worked. I was just going to drive her by and point it out, but she wanted to go in, so we did. There were only 2 employees, and gdaughter and I were the only other people in the store!–so that gives you some kind of idea of how bad it is here!! No one came in the entire time we were there.
There are pretty much NO jobs to apply for locally (by locally, I mean within 1/2 hr – 40 min drive). It’s really depressing. With business being so slow, don’t figure they are going to hire me for permanent part-time, or hire anybody else for that matter. And like I said, not finding anything else to apply for either. Really scary.
Our Govt is totally dysfunctional imho. Don’t know what in the world they are thinking to let this go so close to the line, and possibly not pass anything before the deadline–which is going to devastate the country, and particularly the poorest among us (that would include me) the fastest. Like some of the articles are saying, it is going to have a domino effect and things are going to go from bad to worse in a hurry.
My dad has pneumonia, but at least at this point in time is not hospitalized. They started him on breathing treatments yesterday, so hopefully that will help to break up some of the congestion in his lungs. He’s very weak, and he’s hallucinating more than normal. Told me yesterday when I visited that my daughter had been found to have 4 rattlesnakes in her stomach and they had had to do surgery to remove them. I told him I had just seen her that morning (when she came to pick up gdaughter) and that she was just fine and I didn’t know anything about this, but he was insistent it had happened, and he had watched it on TV, “it was very emotional.” He’s also “bringing in trees” and taking care of them, and then taking them back outside. He has an active imaginery life. While I was there he said, “I don’t want to watch TV”–like I had turned it on..which I hadn’t…and then said, “I’d rather visit.” It’s so difficult having conversations with someone whose life is totally imaginery and he is insistent that it is real, and that the things he is seeing are real…like piles of clothes on the ground in his way when he’s trying to ambulate with his walker.
Guess your mom figures stale/hard bread is better than nothing? Sorry she interrupted your “farewell visit” with your friend, particularly since it will be a couple of weeks before you see him again, only to deliver more old bread!!
Yeah, I don’t think my Avatar fits me at all either–it looks so angry. Of course, I do get angry about the state of affairs in our country, but I didn’t think I came off that bad that I would be assigned this snarling creature.
ah so your a busy beaver while i continue to be a lady of leisure. I am so tan I look like i’ve spent the entire summer at some exotic beach resort. I will say that while I am blond and fair skinned thanks to sunblock I do not burn, my mother like most fair skinned nordic peoples doesn’t tan either but I could almost be mistaken for hispanic, in fact the other day at the beach this hispanic guy gave me this look and I was like don’t even think about it.
also you must have the patience of a Saint to deal with your father. Mother never listens to me which infuriates me to no end. If I say my freezer is filled with all the bagels and loaves she brings each week and I’m set for the next month please don’t get more bread, then don’t keep getting MORE, there are seniors and poor people starving in the streets! She also keeps bringing me eggs which as a vegetarian for the past 20+ yr.s I don’t eat but she cannot remember some thing as basic as I don’t like eggs. My grandmother who died of untreated pnuemonia btw, was senile but the forgetful type she did not hallucinate but would turn the stove on and forget she was cooking, but mother told me her grandmother who lived to be in her 90′s was quite confused she’d go outside in her underclothes and had to be watched all the time, and people want to live LONGER?
i was annoyed the DOL-Works office doesnt give any serious career/job advice, am 42 and still I NO clue what to do NOW more then ever actually, obviously what am doing is going nowheres and thanks to the feloy on my record and the prevalence of background checks with like most employers i’d say the likelyhood of my working in a secretarial or accounting capacity in any office is NIL.
The gas station by me has a high turnover of cashiers and has a huge help wanted sign up again, for the H of it i once inquired but did not see the application though since i’d be handling money am sure they do background checks as well but it was not much over min. wage and you had to be avail. 24/7 since they are open then unless you say you can only work certain hrs. but then less likely to be chosen. In any event the people that work there are a sorry lot, I’d rather die then be associated with those kinds of people who just look like they are not capable of more and it will never be worth my while to take a crappy job that will put me even further behind long term even if i’ve exhausted my life savings, I’d rather put on my backpack and be a homeless wanderer i spend most of my free time wandering in the woods/hills as it were and when I was little I always “knew” i’d be a bag lady one day, I’ve been obsessed with that thought since I was like 10 but can’t say why I’ve had that premonition other than I never had anything I wanted to do when I grow up.
So anyways instead i applied again to 2 jobs I’ve applied to before, well they were not the same job but same co. one was prop. mgmt. of the condos here, i’ve applied to various jobs with them and NEVER gotten so much as a e-mail response.
There are several other jobs but I’d not be considered, banks, schools, nursing homes, gov’t-City/State will never hire me, short of getting my record pardoned but being out of work so long would actually not be in my favor if I applied now, it would indicate that nobody trusts me enough to hire me so why should the State trust me enough to pardon me. There is an assumption out there that everybody knows somebody who can get them a job and if you don’t have such a person there must be something wrong with you, I think that is why the long gap is so shocking to people at least around here it raises eyebrows, the States UE rate hovers around 9% not sure what this month and I think the area where I live is 7 pt. something% but most people who live here do not work here they commute the hour or more to the lower part of the county where all the big corporations are. I have worked in my home town and been amazed that most of the staff where not local, go figure.
People retire, die, and leave work for all kinds of reasons it seems to me the job postings are not matching the natural ebb of the workforce so I am now quite worried that maybe the only way to get a job IS by networking otherwise you are SOL? Maybe the jobs posted on the job boards are like 10% of what is available? Not that i’ve spoken to alot of people but those I have ALL got their jobs by word of mouth and personal referral I’ve not met a single person in the past 2 yr.s who got a job by answering an online job posting. Am gonna have to see if my little bears know of any potential openings though that is not their area of expertise…they are creative like their mommy tho, Little Boober told me I could be a babysitter for other peoples Bears when they are away at work etc, they could drop them off at my place when they go and I’d make sure they were comfy and weren’t lonely or scared and then after work their “parents” would come pick them up! I’d probably need an extra room with a big bed tho but quite a clever idea, am sure I am not the only one who wonders what their Bears are up to all day when they are away?
EOTW: Only have a couple of minutes, have to get ready for work. Was scheduled to work 12:30-6:00 but they called at 11:00 and asked me to come in instead from 2-6 as they will have someone there to train me on cash register. Had shut everything down as we’re expecting storms this afternoon and it took a while to boot up.
Daddy fell yesterday, and he’s very weak and pretty much unable to do anything. They took him by wheelchair to church services this morning..first time he’s been in wheelchair. I’ve given them the # for V-S to contact me in case of emergency. Am very worried about him. Will be going to see him tomorrow and determine whether or not it’s going to be okay for me to pick up kids on Tues. Sometimes I just feel overwhelmed.
Saw a job advertised this a.m. for Admin. Clerk at Animal Control, went on job site and printed out application, will probably fill it out tomorrow and send it in..not that it will do any good. Guess that sounds fatalistic, but just get so discouraged about applying for jobs.
Well, having problems with computer reacting well this a.m., and now it’s time for me to run. Hope you have a good day and take care of those little bears of yours!
G’morning to the Gang of 3 !! Can’t make ANY sense of the govt agreement, but don’t think I’M the one with the problem? lol I’ll study on that later…
WISH I had the money to pay EOTW a dollar for each and every LAUGH I had while reading your post 12.1!! Priceless?! So GOOD for me to have you back! Besides then WE can have YOUR back with your Mom! Grrrr, Mom? Doesn’t she have any sensibility left??? Personally, I agree, have much more patience with new life and toddlers than the elderly. Sorry for allowing you all to know how weak a person I really am… And being around people that don’t even TRY to behave in a way that considers others is just energy depleting for me!!! I just don’t ‘suffer FOOLS gladly’ — thus my problem with REPUBS!! LOL
Like that saying ‘Thought when I got older I’d have more patience, but found out I JUST DON’T CARE!’ LOL Actually always have had ALOT more patience than the average bear, but think I’ve used it up? BTW LOVED hearing your ‘bear care’ idea, EOTW!!
Back to the stale bread post — one of your best, EOTW!! Puts the visual right into my head, so classic!! PLEASE don’t use the bread, unless for ducks at lake or something??? Obviously IS harmful to your mental health and maybe physical? lol Do you think it’s a undercover plot to do in the senior citizens? Seriously, I don’t think I could handle this Mom/bread thing as well as you, EOTW? And Sharon is our resident Saint by ALL ACCOUNTS! Plus she gives herself no credit at all for all her good deeds and over and above the call of duty items like the laundering of Dad’s truly challenging clothing and in general managing his financial and physical LIFE!! We MAY have to have an intervention soon…
I APPLIED FOR ONE!! A p/t clerk’s position at a local car dealership, but no much hope here either??? When will the world and those in it REALIZED that there are no FREAKING JOBS of any sort, in any kind of numbers to EVER ABSORB all those who have been ‘kicked to the curb’ speaking for myself. Went with DS and BIL to their lake camper for Sat/Sun which was nice but did at one point get into debate regarding all the people who are going on SS disability. They just don’t GET IT at all… My theory is (and proven with studies) that many individuals COULD be considered ‘disabled’ to a much greater extent but in the past times of NORMAL emp would much rather work and earn more money and have a life and pride/enjoyment from that. Now with no ability to work or being cut to such low p/t hours, many millions of people have been forced to go onto SS disability in order to: have a dependable amount of income, however low AND to obtain Medicare health insurance coverage, think it takes being disabled two years? BIL & DS SEEM incredulous that people are ‘willing’ to do this? Are you freaking kidding me? lol So I attempted to enlighten them and educate them so that when they KNOW better they will think differently! lol
I am in EOTW’s club of people connections seem only way to the employment side of equation. Plus the age thing makes previous expectations of some small p/t, min wage job an IMPOSSIBLE DREAM for me, at least. TRY really hard to concentrate on what is here in my life and FIND joy from that as opposed to DH who continues to point out each and EVERY items missing or wanted and not fulfilled for him. It can be a very toxic atmosphere around him.
Sorry, EOTW, for no company for awhile so GO JUMP INTO THE LAKE!! LOL Do agree with you re some pools?? I’d rather stand in my shower, personally!! Your word stories are so clear and accurate, thanks!!
Gotta go for now! Peace.
Hi S & S,
a rather odd day, it was Sunny in the morning, HAILED around noon, then Sun out then Major Downpour now Sun out again the parking lots here was STEAMING when I got back from mothers. The rain/sleet/hail did not really cool things off seems more humid then before.
Still zero balance on my SNAP card? I got a letter from DSS asking for interest income for an account that closed at the end of June in order to process my Medicaid but no word on the SNAP at all so lft. msg. with case worker, not sure if she still needs me to get a statement from the bank with Apr-June interest for the closed account and the CD i transferred it to was opened 7/1 so had no earned interest income. I allready gave her a copy of that CD so not sure why so nitpicky again. Hopefully she’ll call me back today as she wants the proof of interest by Fri.
Then I got a call for a “phone interview” for another accounting job which I really don’t qualify for, I’ve done a/p data entry work, not financial reporting, I guess there aren’t too many people who have a background in a/p or a/r as I tend to get called for those types of jobs and my experience is limited and not recent other than the temp job I just had. My experience with office secretarial while not “recent” anymore, IS the bulk of my work experience so why I don’t get called in for office assistant/admin types of jobs is beyond me. I have gotten called in for receptionist jobs tho i’ve never actually held that title other than temp part time and it’s not on my resume. Also anxiously awaiting the dreaded overly cheery sounded HR person to call me back though now it allready after 4. I pray she doesn’t ask me the “so what have you been doing question” or “why arent you working now?”
Suri, am glad ya got a laugh, too bad only you and my friend and my Boobers think I’m funny otherwise I could be the next Jerry Seinfield – Ha (I cannot think of a woman comic who is not vulgar many of them tend to use sexual humor which is sick not funny in my opinion) Seinfield was more of a G rated comic I found him to be amusing but not laugh out loud funny. Sometimes I leave my Bears in stiches but have to be careful they don’t lose anymore stuffing, poor Little Guys.
What did you mean about alot of people going on SS disability? At least in this State it is very hard to do unless you really are disabled and not able to work at all. I know somebody with severe back problems and narcolepsy, it took her 2 yrs. to finally go on disability payments she didnt even want to but she could never keep a job as she was either falling asleep or in such severe pain she could not move and she cannot drive so she is really limited. The disability payments do not cover her rent even, last we spoke she wanted to apply for the rental assist program and be put on the waiting list which currently has over 1000 people on it. Both her parents are deceased, she has a brother somewheres but he’s never offered to take care of her, currently she’s living with a friend otherwise she’d likely be homeless. I doubt a dr. would write a fake letter about anybodys treatment as they could lose their license if the State found out the person was able to work. Mental disability is even harder to prove then physical because you have to be so bad off that you cannot even bag groceries or sweep floors. I also believe once you are on disability like all the other programs you have to be re-evaluated every x months or whatever. It is more likely people are going early on SS of course, in either some people likely make money on the side like babysitting neighbors kids or something but unless you were quite well off you could not live off SS either, the last statement i got some yrs. ago indicated if I retire at my full retirement age I’ll be getting $975/month and um my rent NOW is $1050/month so I might be able to rent a room someplace but not even a studio w/o other income/assistance.
Sharon that’s a good sign they want you to be able to ring people up on the register, if they were planning on getting rid of you I doubt they’d bother to keep training you. You will likely be kept as you are now, part time with no set hours per week, how many hours were you scheduled for this week then? Good luck with your father but expect things could get worse, pnuemonia is quite serious in older people so i’ve come to learn. A girl from my lotto group had it last summer, she was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks and very sick, unbelievable; I thought it was some kind of old fashioned disease but apparently the newer strains are even more virulent and fatal.
Well i got one phone call but not the other yet, I really don’t wanna be sweating all night over this phone interview, I’ll try her line again and hope we can do it now and be done with it, I prefer in person interviews to phone for some reason they make me MORE nervous maybe because you can’t “read” the other person plus I tend to get flustered and a pause over the phone sounds worse then if you’re sitting with someone.
Debt ceiling plan passed. No tax hikes but more cuts in social programs coming it seems like.
that’s probably why such a hold-up on my SNAP/Medicaid reapplications. I just spoke to the case worker today and she can’t tell me whether I will be approved or not, well I qualified PRIOR to my temp job in June and I’ve allready spent what I earned there so Lord knows now they are gonna include my ’98 Corolla as an “asset” or include any money in the bank as “income” and disqualify me. I don’t believe the majority of people using these social programs are abusing the system, the key word being “majority” but just like the extended UE benefits we are all lumped together as not really needing them and stealing other peoples hard earned money.
Bernie Sanders has a Letter/Petition to the Presient (“Shared Sacrifice”) on his site. Sorry I’m not computer literate enough to post it. Please check it out.
Angel – how are you? have you had any work opportunities? That petition has quite a few signatures though not sure it will do any good other than make the President uncomfortable for a few minutes.
S&S- phone interview went better than expected, I did say my desired salary is LOW 30′s (really it’s upper) accounting jobs generally pay much better than secretarial/admin. unless it’s for a really big co. this co. has bout 100 EE’s at this location so it’s decent sized, they are privately owned but have offices in France and Germany as well as across the US. I will likely not get hired tho as she said something odd she asked me that if she finds something about me that she has a question on or needs further clarification can she contact me? I suspect she googled me last night and saw the police blotter from 2004 it is STILL at the top of my namesearch so people must be clicking on it, chronologically it should be at the bottom, I’ve run some races to bump it down but those race results have been removed but there’s some other neutral stuff which was after 2004. this is truly annoying that that’s the 1st. thing employers see when they google me, even worse it lists the shoplifting which I was not convicted of but who’d want to hire somebody to work in accounting if they steal?
Oh well at least I got to talk to someone other than mother however she didn’t say anything about whether she thought i sounded like a good fit.
One of the questions I asked was: did you have alot of interest in this job? she said not really, the resumes received were quite managable, that’s how it’s been for most job’s I’ve interviewed for since 2010 so it just makes it that much harder to explain my gap because there aren’t dozens of other people in the same boat and also I didn’t think it appropriate to ask but what I really want to know is of the resumes received what % are unemployed?
Anyways pointless to speculate further, either she’ll call me in for interview or she won’t I’ll find out by the end of this week.
Hi to ALL !! OUR JOB MARKET IS SO SCREWED UP! There I said it out loud. I can only hope that we can SEE the day when employees are a valued commodity again and treated with the respect of a human being? Now days stinks to high heaven (where ever that is? lol) for employment imho. No ‘proper’ following up or ANY RULES at all in applying/hiring process. Never any feedback or any helpful attitude at all! Seems like the whole country has an ATTITUDE problem and are mad and bitter? Don’t see any hope/help on horizon either?
Sharon – I AGREE with EOTW that training on register is good sign and hopefully that, at the VERY least, you will stay on…
EOTW – GLAD you got good call on position and sending vibes for the follow up. SAD that you are having ISSUES with SNAP etc. so distressing. MAD that Google search thing STILL shows bad news info! SOL should be 7 freaking years, right? Can’t imagine how anyone can deal with this better than you have, give yourself some credit and confidence that it only takes ‘ONE’ position! Besides YOU were just hired recently and Sharon is working now so that leaves ME as the rejected one! Oh, well time will tell, so they say. SOMEDAY this country will come to it’s senses — this CANNOT continue. But then I’ve been saying this going on THREE years now? Sad, sad, sad.
We will be so short of workers, when and if, the government gets their a$$ in gear imho. Trying seriously to stay away from too much CNN anxiety — can’t afford any more Prozac! lol This COULD BE such a time of opportunity to IMPROVE the welfare of our nation but nooooo! The elected ‘leaders’ stand by and allow millions of lives to ‘circle the drain’ with no lifelines AT ALL? No extended unemp when the job market is more DISMAL than ever. No help for housing as it continues to fall down, down. “Hello, is anyone in charge anymore?”
EOTW – ‘leaving the bears in stitches’ is great!! lol I agree with you on women comics especially on sexual humor — very rude and crude imho.
Gotta go… Peace and hope.
EOTW: Just wondering how your job search is going and if you’ve had any more response to your recent applications. Also wondering about SNAP.
My news is not good. Since I was not adequately trained on cash wrap, they did not convert me to permanent p/t. I rec’d the news yesterday that I’m on “vacay” (why does everybody have to shorten the English language?) until some time in October, when they say they will call me back for seasonal p/t for the holiday season. They said that they would then train me on cash wrap and see if they can get me certified as a bra specialist, which both would then help me to be hired permanent p/t. The only coverage they are having now is two people in the store, so both people have to be able to assist customers in sales as well as cash wrap. They put a good spin on things, saying they really liked me and that my enthusiasm was contagious and worked well with the customers and that I was particularly good in the fitting area and assisting with measuring etc. That’s nice to hear, but does not take away from the disappointment of not being converted to permanent. It was not my fault that they did not get me trained on cash wrap in time to make the hiring decisions. They evidently are notified by corporate when they can convert to permanent, and they have no advance notice, so if they haven’t trained, those people are automatically SOL.
Have been continuing to look for more permanent work while I’ve been working there, but there is very little to apply to, and most are either temporary or p/t, or both, and most without any benefits of any kind. Expect that jobs will be even more scarce now, particularly with the downgrading of our Nation’s credit rating, and salaries will probably even go down further for those few jobs which are available. If our “esteemed” (sarcasm) Congress had not wrangled so over this debt ceiling debate, making it apparent that our President was being held hostage by the GOP, thus creating a standoff and making the country as a whole look like incompetents, at least we might have rescued our credit rating. This is going to have an overall impact on everything, including jobs, as well as hampering our economy from being able to move forward. Quite a ‘fine kettle of fish’ they have created for working America and the middle class, seniors, and the poor…of which many of us are either now in or cruising towards.
Have you noticed that they are now again saying that more people have “given up” looking for work?! How ridiculous!! I guess they are referring, again, to those who have fallen off the unemployment rolls (most of us long ago) and therefore they say we’re not looking for work!!! Absurd…so out of touch with reality.
Anyway, hoping you have heard something from your applications, and maybe YOU will have some good news to share with us.
I did enjoy my time with my gkids, so that was a plus for my summer…
Sharon, hi – just a quick note now I want to git out before the rains come (very humid and thunderlike now) and later my friend mite stop by.
Oh I was worried that your father had taken a turn for the worse or your computer finally went kaput. BTW Best Buy has a sale on the Toshiba Satellite for $329 which is even cheaper than I bought mine for $399 in 2009. Am surprised they even make that model tho this is a slightly “updated” with the latest operating system. I’d not recommend it other than it’s cheap and usable tho I’m not sure in my case for how long, might be better to buy a better quality more expensive that will last for several more years then something cheap that has to be replaced in a few.
Well cannot comment on your VS job situation, not sure if good news or not. Do you think they are sincere in calling you back in October or it was just to placate you? if it’s just a 3 month hiatus then you might even be called in if somebody really does go on vacation or is sick. Isn’t “back to school” season a very busy time? People are shopping here left and right makes me truly sick, a couple of the places I go to hike I pass the mall and various shopping centers, the PL is ALWAYS FULL as if it were christmastime. I cannot vouch for sales and a percent of people do go to the Mall just to “window shop” (I don’t understand that pasttime anymore than superbowl fever) but I think esp. in the shopping centers people are buying which is good I suppose keep the local economy and those min. wage retail jobs going.
At my last job at the country club, 2 weeks before i was let go my direct boss told me i’d be fired if i didnt make myself more useful. Then at the termination the club president told me they all liked me so much? and it WAS NOT my performance just that the club didnt have the funds to pay my salary. They also offered to give me my job back seasonally, write letters of ref. and do whatever they could to help me. NONE of that came to pass so I honestly think they were afraid i’d go on a shooting rampage so they just tried to placate me, they also told me “i’d have a new job in no time” 2.7 yrs. later…. ugh.
Your case is different of course they may of truly liked you and hopefully not be stupid/mean enough to offer false hope I guess if you pop in there on occaision so they don’t forget you and keep reiterating your interest they will keep you in mind.
No good news here at all, i am pretty much one of those people who have given up looking for a job, there is so little I can actually apply for just small or private companies but even they are likely to google my name or do a background check, you can do a State criminal background check for free here just by going to the judiciary website and putting in a persons last name and age range and it will pull up all court cases and convictions, takes like 5 min.
I got an odd rejection letter from one of the towns i’d applied for a p/t job: although you meet the qualifications we will be pursuing other candidates and not interviewing you. I got a similiar letter from the gov’t regarding an office job with the VA here in town.
Then ah, no news from the co i had phone interview on Tues. with my perky friend Katy. I did email her yesterday to ask what happened and did not get a response and likely will not.
Also NO SNAP or Medicaid, I need to be very assertive w/o sounding really pissed off and call next week and ask what the F is the hold-up. I qualify so why have I not been granted those benefits? According to the website the criteria is the same. I have NO health insurance right now and very nervous about that. I really need to make eye dr. apt. to get my eye pressure checked yearly as it’s high,luckily I am too young for eye drops and since it’s a lifelong condition it doesnt mean i have glaucoma but if i’d had lower pressure all my life and it suddenly was what it’s been they said that be cause for alarm but still I don’t want to go blind and glaucoma can be sudden onset esp. for very nearsighted people with eyes like mine. Also I cannot wear my contacts for more than 5 days and they are sposed to last 30, I take them out every night and use like 1/4 bottle of $15 solution and as soon as i put them in my eyes they get all filmy. I coudl live with glasses but cannot swim and uncomfortable when running and they keep slipping down my nose and they steam up easily.
Since am on a roll here MORE bad news…I now with my own eyes have started to see those ads saying only those “recently employed” or with “recent experience” need apply, these are mainly temp agency jobs. One ad said, “is your resume current, then we want you”.
Anyways i’ve gots to git dressed and go out, very icky air here so heavy and hard to breath :-(
EOTW: No thankfully, there’s been no further bad news about daddy. Still has pneumonia and they’ve put him on IVs, he’s on breathing treatments, cough medicine and 3 food supplements/day now, but they’ve not had to hospitalize him yet…which is what they were considering. If they can take care of him adequately there, I’d prefer it to the hospital where he’ll be further exposed to more germs, where they actually don’t keep as close an eye on him as they do at the NH, and where it’s hard to get MDs or staff to talk to you and keep you updated if you can’t be there 24/7. I’ll be going to see him tomorrow so I can see for myself how he’s doing. Can’t talk to him now because he is unable to make it to the phone by himself, and I miss talking to him, but also miss being able to tell how he’s doing by my phone conversations. I can tell a lot about how he’s doing by the sound of his voice and by his cognition. Without that I feel like I’m working in the dark, tho I do talk to the staff at least daily.
Do I think they were trying to placate me (at V-S)? I suppose that’s possible. Naively I suppose, I tend to think people would behave like I would; in which case, I would not extend hope to someone if there wasn’t any, nor would I say things I didn’t mean, but I know everybody doesn’t operate the same way. Subjectively speaking, I think they probably meant that I was enthusiastic and genuinely liked working there and that I did well with the customers. I think that they probably are sincere in their intention to hire me back in October IF THEY CAN. Even tho that’s not what they said, they said they would hire me back, I know that is going to be dependent on how business is doing, the projections etc. When I spoke to her yesterday, it was prior to the disclosure about the downgraded credit rating for the U.S., and I think this is going to make a tremendous difference in pretty much everything. I think their intentions are good, but I think economic reality will be the indicator of whether I hear from them or not. She did tell me to keep in contact and to feel free to contact them as we get closer to October.
Tho the county where the store is is one of the most affluent in the state, they are experiencing the highest unemployment rate they have ever had, so it is not looking great there either. It’s not as bad as my county or my city, but it sets a precedent for that county. Our schools start next week, so we start really early here. I know in my county they have had fund raisers trying to raise funds for families who cannot afford school supplies for the kids starting school. We don’t have malls out our way, they are shopping centers, upscale, but nonetheless you are in and out of the heat. Business all around here, that county and mine, has been really pathetic…possible combination of heat and economy? Suspect the most business will have been done at Wal-Mart, where the prices are cheaper, but even the last couple of times we’ve been there recently, it hasn’t been crowded like it usually is prior to school starting, or like it is around Easter when everyone is buying Easter finery–it’s usually mobbed. I’m thinking people are going to be extra careful, waiting to see what this downgrade is going to mean to them personally; and businesses, I think businesses are going to put a freeze on hiring until they see how this is going to affect both their business and their ability to borrow money if they need. I think retail is probably going to take a major hit except for places that sell food and necessities as opposed to “luxury” items. And even food they may find takes a hit as more people have to stick to the cheaper items.
I thought I had read something the other day where the Govt was trying to do away with those ads that say ‘only the employed need apply’ and the other versions that mean the same thing. But the point is, doesn’t matter whether they actually advertise that way or not, if the intent is not to hire unemployed, and particularly long-term unemployed, they’ll toss the resumes that show unemployment. One is blatant “discrimination,” the other is not…but both are discrimination—but they say that it is not against the law—only for age (if you can prove it…yeah, right!?) and race and religion. There are no laws on the books about discrimination based on employment status….
As they say, if it weren’t for bad news, there wouldn’t be any news at all!!!
Hope your friend is able to come see you and that you enjoyed getting out this morning. Take care…
Hey, Gang ! LOVED reading the posts and catching up on the news — just wish it wasn’t so ‘less than positive’, shall WE SAY! LOL Yeah, my Daddy always said “if you have PROBLEMS, you KNOW your ALIVE!” BUT enough already!!
Sharon – IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU or really any of us — it’s MORE about ALL OF US — UNEMP! The numbers are just gianormous (as the kids say! I’m trying to seem younger! lol) Been awhile since I thought govt had any collective idea of ‘WHAT TO DO??’ Now just dismal and sad… IT JUST SUCKS — there I went and said it!! Think so many, including us probably, would be so grateful for even p/t one could depend on. Let alone benefits would put us over-the-moon!? lol NOW I’ve gone ‘over board’ !
Really don’t even know, and I’m Pollyanna usually, where this is going except spirialing down… Why in heaven’s name WILL those in power NOT SEE that?
EOTW – I sooo, and I’m sure Sharon too, understand re no insurance! FINALLY had an old friend acknowledge how ‘scary’ that was which is more than my DSs or other friends have! It’s like if we don’t talk about it, it’s not REAL?
DH has a case of shingles which is painful with a rash reoccurance of chickenpox virus. So budget or not, lots of prescription and dr visits for awhile. Guess we never appreciate our health enough?
So grateful refi got thru and locked in rates, etc. WHO knows what’s ahead? Me thinks that is alot of the wear and tear on this physche of this nation. The unknown, uncertain, and unchanging for going on THREE freaking years! NEVER EVER thought in my lifetime I would SEE and LIVE this nightmare!
EOTW – Hope for pleasant visit with friend and NO MORE Mom intrusions!! How is Mom, by the way? lol Say “Hello” and cuddle the bears for me, ok?
Sharon – So sorry for distress with Dad — think it’s very worst to worry re those we love than ourselves, huh! Hold your course and take one day at a time there. The V-S thing just makes me want to spit!! YOU (we) all would be wonderful employees and have to practically BEG for anything? It’s just a sin imho. How this country is even limping along is beyond me at this point?
My paper had two opening today for p/t office asst in funeral home or hospice, for crying outloud? Don’t think I can take enough Prozac for that… Seriously, on my good days (make that moments! lol) I think how just a min wage p/t job would do WONDERS for my budget… Dreaming doesn’t cost anything?!
Don’t know what to say about contacts EOTW. But did research for DD and the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart for contact lens works great and two bottles are $8.00? Got all 3 kids bdays done so now baby gDD comes next in Sept hopefully and healthily.
The heat has been oppressive here but not like Texas, FL or GA, etc. Have set records of 90′s and July was on average 5 degrees hotter every day than last year, info courtesy of utility bill! It’s a quiet, steady rain here now so at least crops and farmers can be happy. HAPPY, I remember that? lol Feel like the song from the musical CATS —
Feel strongly OBAMA has better get the courage of his (hopefully) convictions and get a backbone with GOP! The Repubs WOULD be a JOKE, but no one is laughing anymore… Concentrate on what we can in our own little world and TRY NOT to worry without end? Our back-to-school shopping has begun also. Schools begin in ten days!! We do get some tourist traffic in our area near Lake Michigan in summer that helps economy some. But no mfg or anything hiring at all! Just feel impact of time slipping away…
Attempting to shield myself from too much CNN and just noise that is too upsetting but am conflicted over this recent downgrade of credit rating? SERIOUSLY, now S & P decides to wake up? NOT during mtg defaults and hedge funds? Perhaps it’s all a GOP plot, who knows? So many PROMISES are being broken in this country to our citizens: Housing values are continuing to drop, SS and Medicare are being threatened, and just general reliance on our govt to use ‘common sense’ and stamp out the extreme insanity! We can only hope and pray…
Be careful out there on the roads. Sharon driving and EOTW running… Check back later but put on our emotional/mental seatbelts (did we EVER take them off? lol) for the TRIP ahead? lol Peace, not much hope.
Suri, you’re pretty funny yourself there missy. The bit about the Prozac was esp. laugh out loud. BTW i’ve taken Prozac, like all the others it made me feel worse, like MORE suicidal and nauseous to boot, not to mention ALL of them made me gain weight which being that my self worth is based on my model thin good looks was not favorable in improving my mood in any way. I have no idea how peoples mood improve on those pills, I found them to be utterly useless, and I tried over 30 different ones including several “off label”.
yeh I don’t read much into the downgrading, that is the Least of my problems, i seriously don’t think it will have that much of an impact. Am more worried about the thousands of veterans from Iraq and thereabouts coming back into the labor pool and employers being offered all kinds of financial incentives to hire them, not that they don’t deserve it but I think we the long term unemployed should be offered the same.
The local paper had an “in print only” article in todays Sunday paper about the 99ers AND those with criminal records. I was blown away. I’d love to respond and write a letter to the editor but it would be difficult to do it w/o making myself look bad though at this pt. I dont think I can make myself look much worse, it not like I can HIDE my unemployment or felony/misdemeanor conviction and to pretend otherwise would be delusional. Still my problem is I tend to get carried away and have a knack for bringing to light my worst assets, however I strongly identified with the article and the people they interviewed, one was a single person living in a shelter for a time, he was so embarrassed he asked that his last name not be used. They mentionned the phrase “the scarlet letter of long term unemploymemnt” of which I wholly can relate to as well though I’ve felt that i’ve carried the “L” for Loser my entire life but I am just convinced that people can tell by looking at me such is the burden of an overactive imagination.
It doesn’t help matters to see in print in a widely circulated paper that most people believe the long term unemployed specifically the 99ers are pathetic lazy good for nothings who deserve what they got and it’s not society’s problem to deal with the issue or offer any assistance. 3 people were interviewed, actually only 1 was a 99er (he was 3 yrs) and how he got the job remains a mystery, well actually he was bilingual spanish and the employer was having a hard time finding a qualified person so he overlooked the gap but this person had also gone back to school so he didn’t actually have a gap of doing nothing. The other one was out since March of this year and just got a job, the 3rd. one with the criminal record did not mention the length of unemployment but his pt. was he believed it was the record not the unemployment gap that was getting him no responses.
I just don’t think that we should disappear so it’s important to speak up but it’s hard to do so and not come across as being pathetic or lame or whiney. I mean I myself have not turned down any offers, some people not featured in that article apparently had received offers early in their unemployment but turned down due to the low salary. It was a disturbing article to be sure, and didn’t quite address the issue of not enough jobs for everyone in the appropriate context it did have a bias to there being some kind of indescribable flaw with the long term unemployed as if it IS their fault. It also downplayed the criminal conviction although the person being quoted directly stated that is why he believes he isn’t getting any offers. In the State here for State job you now don’t disclose any convictions till you get the interview and then they conduct the background check prior to your start date, they can still refuse to hire you based on the background check so not sure how not disclosing it prior to interview will do any good if the end result is the same.
I liked that song Memories from CATS i saw it on B-way some years ago and even had the record, it was a weird musical to be sure.
yeh I saw my friend, 2ce. actually. He came back early so we went out and played in the river on Friday, a shallow one so we hiked through a section. River Walking is a sport I kinda invented, I thought it be fun and it is but don’t try it alone w/o poles. Then yesterday he stopped by and we went to the northern section of the Lake a little public park and the waves were so HUGE it was unbelievable, like 3 ft. high due to all the boats, he got breathless so we didnt swim, I believe he was frightened but would not admit it. Now this week he’s gone again visiting his wife’s family so I am left to my own devices.
Sharon, so you are not on the schedule at VS for this week at all then? School starts so early there OMG, here it’s AFTER labor day only the colleges start last week in August. I thought the US was the same all over, when do your public schools let out then? here it’s mid or end of June depending on the # of snow days.
I just got invited for an interview at a Tennis club for a front desk job another one i responded to for the H of it. I applied late last night the job was posted since last Wed. and they are allready interviewing today thru Wed. I’ve noticed the posting times to interview has shortened drastically since I tend to look online 1nce or twice a week sometimes the job is allready filled when used to be they’d be so overwhelmed with response they wouldn’t schedule interviews for at least after the job was posted a week.
Anyhow mixed feelings on this one, I worked at a golf country club and having no experience or interest in golf was a big minus. I played tennis in school gym class as was mandatory but don’t remember the rules/scoring anymore. My eye hand coordination is terrible so any sport involving hitting a ball or trying to get in a hoop are not for me. I hope they arent looking for someone who’s really into tennis. The other thing is they want samples of flyers I have created which I did just using MS Word, not graphics software (the ad said you needed prior graphics experience which I don’t have). Well this is the 2nd. entry level job where they expected you to have a portfolio, for an office assist. job last yr. I was asked for professional writing samples I was like WHAT? give em copies of what I write here? I don’t think so. The guy was insistant I give a writing sample so I had to find an email to my friend where I sounded semi coherent and not overly whiney. I recall the guy seeming shocked I did not have a porfolio of all my work and my being more shocked that he expected that for this kind of job. The other negative on this job is the hours of the club: 6am to 10pm. I am in panic now cause no way can i make it there before 9, this job is around 40 min. away and not sure what hours this position is earmarked for or if you have to work week-ends too. The interviews are after 6;30pm so either he is really busy or the other candidates are all working.
Oh the pay is $14-15/hr. not great but better than nothing. I have not calculated it as yearly salary likely upper 20′s but they do offer full benefits though vacation time will likely not be anytime in the summer as that how the country club was, you could only take time off during the off season in the winter which was somewhat annoying. Well we’ll see, there is also a local car dealer advertising for front desk at service center i’ve applied in person 2nce before and trying to decide whether to go again as the last time was back in March and my interview didnt’ go that well but they are 15 min. away so i’d rather work closer to home even if the pay is worse, I think it was $12. Am figuring my next job will not be the job i work at for the next 25 yrs. anyways just something to plug the gap.
Congrats!! Please check in with us and tell us how the interview goes. Most jobs are not ideal in some way, so hope it at least fits some of your wants (like a salary is nice! LOL!), and benefits a real plus, as most places aren’t offering them (at least around here). Try not to ‘borrow trouble’ with history at last Country Club, and just go in with open mind about how this one might be different…? Will be waiting to hear from you.
EOTW: By the way–they want a portfolio?!?!–for an entry level job?! What kind of nonsense is this? Original writing?–what, is this a job with a publisher or something?, someplace you would be writing other than the normal stuff like memos or letters or something? Why would you be expected to have a portfolio? I’m astounded. I’d have sat there looking like I had been punched in the stomach or had cold water thrown in my face. I probably would have said, “Excuse me? You want WHAT?!” Sometimes I’m not so good at covering my surprise or my disdain for such requirements for a job that does not require this, and nothing being said in the ad about having to have a portfolio? Have to wonder what the world is coming to, and how much more ridiculous employers are going to get.
One of the jobs I’ve applied for in the last week was for a chiropractor who has advertised about every 3-6 months for the same position. I’ve applied uncounted numbers of times (with never a response). But I have to wonder what is wrong with this position that he cannot hold onto anyone–low pay? ridiculous requirements/expectations? Ad says “Christian”–which often (sorry, no offense to anyone reading this) translates to, ‘will walk on you to get what I want’ and so long as you call yourself Christian it’s okay. I’ve seen some of the most unChristian-like behavior from employers espousing they are Christians. If I ever did get an interview, which I realize is unlikely since I’ve sent resume so many times, I would want to know why the position is open so many times. Just can’t believe they all found better jobs, or just quit willy nilly in today’s job climate….has to be something wrong with it/them….
Sharon, yeh the job that wanted writing sample was for an office assistant in a small private media (advertising) co. the President intended to hire someone for the front desk who would eventually be promotable, the ad may or may not have said “possibility for advancement” but still it was very odd, I had also figured advancement was for office mgr. job not copy writing which might actually be fun depending on whom the client is and if I could identify with the product or service. I vaguely recall some other lower level admin job requiring a sample of Excel spreadsheets or was it Powerpoint presentations you’d done as well. In general it is not uncommon for upper level and some mid level jobs to have job portfolio’s esp. for certain kinds of jobs like in marketing/advertising and website design or any computer programming job. For secretarial/admin. etc it is more common esp. for agency jobs to have to take a MS computer test, tho I must say it seems to me during my UE in 2007 I had to do it more often, these past 2.7 yrs. I’ve only taken a couple of computer tests as I recall or maybe it’s because i never made it to the 2nd. interview.
Did go to the car dealership again just to get some interview practice but the pre-screen was way too short like 3 min. I dunno whether they remembered me or not, I said nothing tho i did mention I applied there before on the job application since it asked. I will say this dealership is a good place to meet men esp. my age, am afraid the Tennis Club will have a younger crowd, tho not sure who the H takes tennis lessons during the day or plays in tournements, or maybe it’s the same people as at the golf club, tho there didn’t seem to be too many 40 something members it was retirees or then younger men or 50 somethings tho I prefer older as it were so who knows. I imagine the 40 yr. olds are likely too busy to take time outta work to play a round of golf or tennis but the 50 yr. olds are sr. management and can do as they like.
Anyhoo, very depressing I was the 5th!!! person to apply at this well known humongous GM dealership, the job was posted since LAST Thurs. I thought it might even be filled. I often feel like I am the only weirdo who’s been outta work for so long so I just can’t relate to people saying 100′s of others competing for the same job and that’s why they don’t have one, here I have NO excuse if I can’t even beat 6 other people for God’s Sakes!
I also called about a 9-4 customer service job at another local business, unfortunately the owner told me he’s allready identified a candidate but she’s not accepted the offer yet tho I am welcome to come in and fill out an app for them to keep in file for next time which I may do tomorrow.
both of those businesses, the car dealer and the cleaners have been featured in the newspaper on more than one occaision, these being built from scratch companies by local people and the car dealer owner is a few yrs. younger than me I think he was a freshman at the HS when I was a Sr. The cleaner guy gave discounts to the unemployed in 2009 tho not sure why they would’ve been using his services if they didnt have suits to dry clean.
Say did you check with your states UE office if you can collect UE while on layoff status from VS? or where you hired temp status? at the country club for the seasonal permenent workers they wanted to keep the club paid gave them “pink slips” and they collected for the 3 months the restaurant and course was closed, I thought that was not a bad deal tho a kitchen worker complained it was a huge reduction in pay and he had to supplement it or he couldn’t pay his bills. There is a difference at least here if your hired seasonal or temp status, temps don’t get UE but seasonal permenent workers do, that means when business picks up they are recalled. Not everyone got that tho but I thought it was kinda nice then again if they really wanted to keep the chef, they’d have to entice him so he’d not go get another job. They also did it for a couple of the waiters even. I was told prior to them letting me go that since the club was trying to cut expenses that I might get Jan to Mar. off and even I could collect UE though it be only a fraction of my weekly pay but still better than nothing.
It’s cool tonight so I pray the neighbors will keep their a/c on low. I’ve not slept a decent night since June, there is no getting used to that annoying noise. I can’t hope they will actually turn it off but if they keep it on low and I have my Bears as sound barriers around my head along with my beach towel I can almost block the noise out esp. when the crickets are loud tho i have to keep my window shut to muffle the a/c noise and really miss falling asleep to the crickets chirping.
EOTW: When I lived up north, schools always started after Labor Day too, but not here. Think they start way too early, and it’s still so hot here. Not exactly sure when they get out–end of May?–some time in June?
No, I have NO hours this week. Corporate sends down the info and the hours I had for this week were cancelled when they put me on “vacay” until Oct. Am covering for pet sitter this weekend while she takes time off…don’t know yet how many clients I will have. Am house/pet sitting for a couple with a 14-yo dog Sat and Sun, as well as popping in and out to take care of my girls, and any clients I’m covering for pet sitter. I will be staying at the peoples’ house Sat., Sat nite and Sun until noon or so. Very, very nice house in a great community. They’ve not been anywhere in 4 yrs since their dog has had multiple surgeries, and they have arranged their work schedules so that someone is home with the dog at all times. They have a new gbaby they want to go see. Dog is a biter, but we seemed to get along well enough, he licked me (before he eats me? LOL!)when I met him last nite. Little dog, and some of them tend to be biters just as a matter of course. Pet sitter not terribly cooperative in setting up a time when we can meet, I can collect keys, and go to the houses so I know the routine and where everything is. Have suggested to BF that we reschedule our “date nite” for Sun., as the dog has to eat between 5 and 6 pm and go out last at nite at 9. It’s probably going to be some juggling, but the house/pet sitting pays well, and I can certainly use the $$. The woman says she knows a lot of people in the area and often knows of job openings, so she asked me to bring my resume on Fri when I come for my final instructions and she’ll give it to anyone appropriate. She did tell me of a job that she knew was available (whether it still is or not?)..not much pay she thought, but a job. So, we’ll see–maybe it could turn into something? I don’t cancel out anything.
Glad you had a nice w/e with friend, twice maybe makes up for not seeing him this coming w/e?
Visit with daddy yesterday troubling, cognitive really bad, had trouble staying awake, but didn’t want me to leave–rather frantic that I not go…grabbing my hand, “Don’t go!!” Spoke w/him this a.m. and he sounded a little more alert and present, but hard to tell. Cough seems to be improving somewhat. Very worrying about his mental state–not sure if result of illness, or progression of Alzheimer’s, or both? I’m feeling rather uneasy and deal with bouts of panic.
Trouble with car again. Remote for locks not working again, and last time they fixed that they said if it happened again the computer would probably have to be replaced. Yeah–no! at $2,000+. Need to call them & make sure car safe to drive..that it won’t leave me stranded somewhere; and whether or not they can reset it again, since I can’t afford to replace it. Afraid to open windows (as it affected them last time too) for fear of getting them stuck down, and worry about turn signals stopping functioning, and air bags activated while driving–those sorts of things…so want to check it out before I drive it. Unfortunately, had just filled gas tank to tune of $50 just before it stopped working again.
Yes, I think l/t unemployed are painted with a broad brush as being lazy, good-for-nothings, and though I had V-S seasonal work, don’t know that that is going to hold me in any kind of stead, other than showing I’m willing to work.
As Suri said, we both sympathize with lack of health insurance. I haven’t had any for 2+ years now and no other assistance, very scary, particularly as we are getting older. Seems we just keep treading water….with no shore in sight.
Take care, both Suri and EOTW, and have a good week.
Hey Out There!! Would LOVE to say “new week, new world” but NOOOO!? Same old stuff, only worse! lol The whole ‘downgrade’ BS is BS!! Are you kidding me? THEY don’t ‘call’ the mtg mess or hedge funds, but DOWNGRADE USA!? Make two TRILLION dollar mistake, BUT DON’T change their mind? SERIOUSLY? This is FUBAR!? (f’d up beyond all recognition)
Yeah, agree with EOTW the ‘requirements’ by employers for positions is out of this world these days? AND they can get away with it!! Some survey online said 70% of people hate their jobs, I concur… Just exactly WHEN did we lose all POWER as employees??? Sad days in our nation…
EOTW – forget the word for individuals who don’t respond to meds – resistant (?) – but MUST COMPLIMENT you on your excellent (in my humble judgment and opinion!) insights into your core self, and that’s alot of what it’s all about, isn’t it? Awareness is most important!!
River walking sounds slippery and dangerous. Be careful out there, EOTW. Maybe friend has panic attacks sort of? They, I’ve heard, can be quite intense and scary as well as discomforting. Is lake swimming a problem for him, that you know of? Remember all the places we would swim as children in ponds and lakes and even water filled ditches on farms — now CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE allowing children into such things or myself. Our local inland lakes have had different bug and algae problems due to so much heat !! Wouldn’t go there any more AND need dr visit after?! Used to years ago when kids were small — very different world now… Haven’t swam in Lake Michigan for a long time either. Just very crowded in summer with tourists and takes until August for water to become near warm enough imho. So maybe I’ll go soon after Labor Day crowds…
Yes, EOTW & Sharon, not much going on in emp ads AT ALL! Definitely, EOTW ‘don’t blame this BF (or emp) for WHAT the last one did!’ LOL It’s like BF’s — only takes ONE good one!! Yeah, not even seeing the ‘repeats’ here in ads. Seems like Congress, everyone closed up and went away… So, so many unemp who imho are broken and discouraged, including DH and myself. Would take such a SMALL p/t job to be helpful to OUR personal economy. Some days just want to ‘give up’ on job search entirely, as I know full well all of you do also. THEN I get BACK on the ‘horse’ again and go forward! Where is Pollyanna when I NEED HER? lol
EOTW – Thank goodness for salary in your area (and yeah I know it’s more expensive!). ANYTHING there is here is p/t, temp AND $8.00 AN HOUR, if you’re LUCKY! And I’m not and never have been — always WORKED twice as hard as anyone to get ahead the little that I did…
Sharon – Me thinks 4 years without leaving dog is a BIT EXTREME!! LOVE them dearly, but after all that is above and beyond the ‘call of duty’ in my book? Just seems in our country at this time we have many EXTREMES doesn’t it?! People are killing their own kids, shooting wives instead of divorcing them, politicans think they were elected to ‘posture’ instead of actually enable this country to achieve ANY PROGRESS!! Heaven Help Us, our govt isn’t…
Good Friends, don’t even get me started on politics — it’s not a PRETTY PICTURE is it?! Especially when we and millions are living lives of quiet (and NOT SO, sometimes! lol) desperation!! Don’t SEE a way forward imho.
Hoping EOTW gets a connection with your SNAP etc. and Sharon doesn’t get fleas from her new employers!? Actually that may be a better deal than the way ‘human’ employers treat anyone today! lol
Stay well and strong — MC would be proud we’re still here!! Living happily IN SPITE OF is the BEST REVENGE imho!! Check for news updates later. Peace.
Hi, well no job would be $8/hr here, as the state min. wage is $8.75, most retail jobs pay between that amount and $9.50, that will just about cover a slice of pizza and large soda at the Mall and if you want to go to Hagen Daz for dessert you have to work an extra 1/2 hour for a small cup or cone.
Well speak for yourself Dear, but I’d not say i’m living “happily” as in “happily ever after”. While am not exactly being tortured to death am still waiting for the end of the world. Headline on msn yesterday was “could the US be heading into another recession”? I didn’t bother to read that one but with the Dow dropping better take the money out of 401K’s and stuff under mattress.
No Suri I don’t think my friend has anxiety attacks, he just doesn’t like to get his head under water as he wears glasses and is afraid they’ll fall off and he can’t see w/o. I am afraid of the ocean, and won’t go in unless there are alot of other people there, am mainly afraid of jellyfish and other painful critters, in the lake we have fish but it is a rare occaision to run into one, i think the lake is overfished as I recall being little and if you stood still for a minute you’d feel the little fishes nosing against your legs that was back in the day when the water was almost chrystal clear now it’s so brown you cannot see the ground as you walk in. There is massive problems with weeds and some algea, this yr. so far has been tolerable last yr by july i could not swim there, now we also have to worry bout the zebra mussels. They do a deep drawdown every 3 yrs. but some environmentalist are strongly against it saying it kills the aquatic life and vegetation so they don’t do it every yr. plus it has to be a cold yet dry winter in order to kill the weeds which can live thru the heavy wet snow and milder winters so we were very lucky this yr. but don’t know if i’ll be able to swim untill the end of summer as some spots are pretty dense with weeds growing up to the surface.
Well no sun today at all so can’t relax at the beach and think positive thoughts; in a major panic about interview at 7:15 tonight not to mention i might have to be driving in an unfamiliar area in a downpour and my wiper blades really need to be replaced as they just smudge the dirty rain, my friend got some from walmart last yr. and put them in but they are allready streaking.
An another odd day to be sure. Stopped at the drycleaners to fill out the job app for the customer service/cashier job there which hours are good 9-4 but pay is $10/hr no benefits, so comes out to be $15K/yr BEFORE taxes. Anyhow as life is stranger than fiction it turns out the OWNER of the drycleaner shop is an active long time member of the Country Club I last worked in, awkward moment there, first he was surprised they’d let anybody go due to budget cuts as he said he thought the club was doing well, 2nd. he thought it was recent though I clearly put the month and last yr, worked. When I said NO it’s been almost 3 yrs. he then looked me up and down and goes “oh so you’re a student”? I know I am a very youthful 43 y.o. in looks and manner but if I still can be mistaken for a 20 something then I ought to find a way to make some money off my looks like advertising some product that’s sposed to make you look younger! It was as short and vague as yesterdays pre-screen at the car dealership “thanks for stopping in, we’ll be making the decision in a few days and let you know, yada, yada”. Neither was an actual interview, unless they were basing hiring on some psychic premonition they got just by looking at the candidate. Not sure bout the $10/job. it’s a small cleaners 7 hrs. a day standing behind the little counter might bore the living daylights outta me, nobody was there while I was there filling out the paperwork and i purposely went around lunchtime to check out how busy they’d be. they do have a drive thru which is staffed by somebody else and that had several cars so maybe nobody comes inside. If I wasn’t due to receive SNAP/Medicaid and had rental assist. i’d be forced to take such but in my case i’d truly rather not, not sure this would enhance my resume more than a gap and with those stupid programs they are really designed for those with no job at all, even if a $15K/yr job won’t cover living expenses you’d be excluded and who the H can live off $15K w/o any other support? The car dealership has crappy mixed hours but I think the job itself might hold a bit more prestige then “Ed’s Dry Cleaning” tho the pay be only a couple dollars more and not sure if there are any back office types of jobs there or all the salespeople do their own paperwork and ditto for the mechanics. The hours of 9-4 would be perfect though but am not holding my breath for either job, I think if they were truly interested they would’ve given me a proper interview though as in the case of the Dealer that service desk job has been posted like every 3 months so maybe they arent as psychic as they think.
Interestingly or disturbingly I found some e-mails i’d saved from the CC where several people including my bosses and board members told me what a great job I’m doing, in fact the President who did my termination wrote “you’re the best – thanks for everything you do”. Then in October 2008 I found the write-up my mgr. had done about my punching in 5-10 min. late (i thought it was much more) and leaving the same as well as my leaving for lunch at noon, changing in the locker room then punching out 15 min. later and same when coming back. There were precise times I wonder who was sent to spy on me or were there cameras? In any event I recall now I always get decent EE reviews (not excellent but some nice compliments) then I get quite a bit of ‘thanks alot’ type of notes yet if I am so great why do they want to get rid of me for cutting my hours instead of just cutting my hours (these were timeclock jobs) since I obviously get everything done in much less then 8 hrs. At times I have gotten what i think is false or overthetop praise for what i’d consider “just doing my job” i’ve wondered if they were trying to use some reverse pyschology on me to motivate me to work harder like instead of complaining I don’t do enough, they say I am doing great so a normal? person would want to do even better? or has all the praise i’ve ever gotten been meaningless? like when people say “lets keep in touch” but you never hear from them again? well anyways disturbing to contemplete on this dreary rainy and damp day.
In that short time I worked for Accuren as a temp I also got some compliments unfortunately I printed them out but forgot at my desk at work. It is possible some people compliment as just something to say? I’ll never forget my 1st. job outta college also first termination, the woman who complained to HR about me was CONSTANTLY complimenting my hair, my outfits and “thanks so much for getting that to me” types of compliments. I was more shocked by her then my actually being fired, if she hated me so much then why the H did she act the opposite? If she actually liked me she would’ve addressed any problems with me direct rather than going thru HR. This happened at my University job as well the teacher I got along best with become dept. head and then she reported me to HR for a variety of things w/o addressing with ME first. Lots of 2 faced people out there or I seem to have the luck to interact with most of ‘em. The ironic thing is this teacher who later had me fired had given me a card for Secretary’s Day the yr. before saying how great I am and what a help so I honestly don’t know whether becomming dept. head her view of me changed as she had percieved me of doing more or those compliments were never sincere to begin with.
I think I’ll try to read my novel a bit to take my mind off this stupid interview before I am in such a panic i cannot leave the house.
Part II – After the Interview
that job be OK for pt but not ft OMG
it basically scheduling people for tennis court time and lessons um that’s bout it not sure WTF one does the rest of the time but stand around feeling like an idiot smiling
the club itself is not doing too well, barely able to maintain current membership but not going out there to get new members
the “benefits” which I assumed meant HEALTH INSURANCE AND PAID VACATION are ONLY use of the courts and the exercise equipment (weight machines)
During the interview I heard thump, thump, thump crash, the lady seemed not to notice, while it drove me batty. It was somebody upstairs using the weight machine.
In the lobby the music is BLASTING anything from eurotechnopop, great for running or dancing but NOT working to John Denver
Being extremely noise sensitive ANY work setting with music playing non-stop is MAJOR turnoff like all the banks now have TV’s same with dr.s waiting rooms, not sure how people manage to git any work done with CNN or One Live to Live on. I cannot stand having any background noise.
Anyhow I was AFRAID i’d be offered the job on the spot – what could I say? I’d be a fool to refuse it but I’d be crazy to take it knowing that this is a terrible fit.
the hours are either 8-345 or 330 to 1045 and sat. OR sun 7!!! to 1. I told her i prefer 8 but knowing that in every other job i’ve been late if it’s before 9 I don’t think that that will be doable and not sure how i’d make it in by 7am being that i’d have to git up at 530 to leave at 6:20, we don’t see that happening in this life.
This is not the type of job you can eat b-fast at your station or leave to use bathroom so if I was offered and took it i’d likely not last too long or become unfunctional like I was when I did the temp job, it was so draining I was unable to do anything when got home short of a slow walk and I accomplished nothing in the evenings as I was shell shocked tho this job i’d likely be shell shocked from understimulation.
The night shift would give oppurtunity to talk to working folks but I dunno if getting home 11:15-11:30pm is a good idea for an insomniac I mite end up putzing around till 3am instead of 1 like I do now tho my day would be free untill 2:45.
Well the Gods will decide as they may but I kinda hope I don’t get an offer, my being available rite now was a big plus I could tell, I doubt I could negociate a higher salary since they are allready paying much more than typical front desk jobs and it seems like the duties are quite limited.
The negatives outweighed the positives; I tried to convince myself I really want this job but no go. I doubt the club scheduling computer program would be of any use in any other job it’s similiar to scheduling meetings/events in Outlook which I allready know how to do. Yeh it a paycheck but am NOT that desparate…yet;
Sorry it was not a more positive (heck, slightly positive would have been an improvement!) job. I tend to agree with you, boring, unless they just didn’t tell you what other tasks you might be responsible for. Long hours with basically nothing to do. And if they are struggling, this could be a dead end if they go belly up. Hope something works out from your other applications because I’d hate to see you have to take this job for a paycheck.
Having trouble with my email this morning, actually last couple of days. Don’t know what the problem is, getting annoyed. In a blue funk this a.m., so will end this now and maybe be back tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great day and hope you hear something from one of the other jobs….
Sharon, good luck with your job this w/e.
I’ve heard nothing and the job is still posted? The mgr. was sposed to let me know by end of day today, they were done with interviews Wed. unless they changed their mind. Very odd the job descript. does not match the job requirements altho NOT unusual from what I’ve seen. the requirements say you have to be proficient in MS Powerpoint and Access and have bookkeeping experience? neither reporting or presentations are mentioned in the job advert and when I asked about helping with billing or accounting and she said NO, it’s just front desk so not sure why you need to know Quickbooks. There was no mention of creating flyers in the ad and she told me the computer at the front desk is always set to the clubwide calender/billing system for when members call to take a lesson/book court so wondering whether she expects you to do computer stuff from home extra. I should have asked what do you do when not checking in people or the phones aren’t busy. In any event I’ve not decided yet either and just applied to another handful of jobs none of them much better, it’s more like a compulsion to just apply anywheres willy-nilly.
I got letter from DSS saying my SNAP was terminated as I didnt attend the application meeting last week? Very ticked off. I got no such appt. and the worker has kept telling me my file is on her desk and she’s working on it along with 1000 others but when I asked Tues. if there’s a problem she said NO, she never said I missed any appt. I’ve allready given them copies of EVERYTHING but a sample of my DNA tho the State has that too. No word on Medicaid either. I think my file got lost or mixed up with someone elses or they weed out everybody but the truly persistant. They ONLY do in person interviews the 1st. time you apply to make sure you are the person on your photo ID. I have to think depending on her answer tomorrow if have to ask for supervisor which I hate to do but otherwise I am screwed.
Anyways the Fun NEVER Ceases…
G’morning EOTW – Your posts are just a bright, clear spot in MY DAYS!! Your insight into people imho is accurate. Most are VERY much ‘not upfront’ and non-confrontational!! Especially women in my judgment. IF I had any success in my humble, modest career, it was because I could and do ‘shoot straight’ and just ‘tell it like it is’!! With understanding and kindness and in the way I WOULD WANT to be approached!! Goes a long way, just treating individuals with respect, no discrimination to race, ethnic background, gender, AGE !! I am most comfortable at this age/stage KNOWING when I see people, be they co-workers or customers, always greeted warmly!! Some things, such as this, are PRICELESS!!
SPEAKING of that I ran into an old acquaintance last week in grocery store. The husband of a couple we have known over 30 years and haven’t seen for perhaps 10 years and — he recognized me first!! So guess I’m doing ok in ‘holding on’ in looks also. NOT TO COMPARE to you babe in arms at 40something?! Just funny to note. He LOOKED much older but is doing that grey beard thing and heavy too.
Also had a waitress at DD bday dinner the other night who remembered me from my previous employer very fondly and added to our enjoyment of evening!! So nice when having BEEN NICE, pays back!! My kids all say I brought them up to be ‘too nice’ and me thinks they are correct, for this current world!! Did I tell you how bright they are?! LOL
I agree with the things we consider BEFORE we ‘sell our souls’ for $10 an hour? BESIDES THE FACT there are no jobs to even apply for much here, just don’t need/want the added misery and extra energy zapped by the interviews that aren’t and the nonsense of just ‘playing the game’. SO demeaning in some cases the ‘requirements’ for plain, ordinary office asst. positions. Still wish you could put your considerable writing skills to work for you!!
YES, so many ways to be annoyed in workplace, isn’t there? The music, too loud or soft, just vanilla or too rad?? So many ways to ‘go wrong’ ! lol
I don’t KNOW what to WISH for you, so I will hope for the best!! Someone UP THERE must have a plan, I hope!! Just feeling off-center today here. No REAL upset other than our country seems to be TRYING to go ‘off the cliff’ economically!! How can anything helpful happen in this mess is beyond me?? Yes, I pulled what little was left in 401 K OUT of stock market and put into ‘fixed funds’ — not a penny more to gamble with or lose imho. Guess it’s just another sign of the decline of our lives and this nation. Seems like IF there weren’t bad news, we wouldn’t have any? NOT LOL…
Please keep tuned to ‘light’ my way as Prozac or not it’s getting darker. LOVE how you bob along on the lake or water and keep your head above water and float toward a better day!! Good luck, one way or other with jobs, and Peace always.
I dunno ladies, massive ice-pick headache with the shakes all day, finally abated but totally drained. Another one of those times I wish i were not so rigid but am so have to live with it. If I worked the evening shift I’d not get to see my friend during the week-days at all and w/e would be tough as he goes to Church most every Sun. so if I have Sundays off we could only putz about locally here. I also think that even if I had more free time during the day, it be hard for me to leave for work at 2:45 and i’d still be late but the 8am is pretty much guaranteed to be late, and I don’t think the 7am on Sat. is even possible.
Tonight she interviews the other 2 candidates…
The job is very simple but she made it seem complex, yeh the system they use for scheduling/billing seems to have alot of steps and much room for error if you skip a step but i thought the job would involve some administrative/clerical stuff as well. I don’t mind standing but NOT for 7 hours. Judging by the hours she said i’d be paid i think i only get a 15 min. break unless there is a longer unpaid break. Too bad I could not chat with the front desk person who was there, the office mgr. who is the tennis dir. wife walked me to the door, I must say it was a college age guy who didn’t look too happy. Apparently they used to have health insurance and PTO, then they got rid of that but still they had to lay off staff, I have a feeling the dir. and his wife pretty much run the place, the front desk person is just there to great people and take the towel deliveries and answer the phones which did not ring once during my 50 min. interview or while I waited for 20 min. in the lobby. Of course they gave me the BS of how busy it is tho when she showed me the court sched. for yesterday and that day it was 50% empty and at the time of my interview most of the courts were vacant and only like 3 people up in the weight room. They don’t have a snack bar even other than selling bottled water or sports drinks, I didn’t see the locker rooms. It be in a warehouse with no windows, only 2 outdoor courts, but really the music would drive me batty, I cannot tolerate not being able to think for hours on end and am not so talented that I can listen to music blaring overhead and pay attn. the person on the phone or in front of me if the music is at same or higher volume. If they offered health insurance and PTO I’d likely take it, obviously there is NO sick time either. I mean literally you are the only one at the front desk, I guess one of the tennis pros covers it while you go on break but she made it clear you have to remain at the station and make sure anybody coming in is greeted and swipes their membership card.
Of course NOT that I KNOW i got the job but, if ever I had “the feeling” this was it, still not sure what i’ll do tho, yeh sleep on it…
yeh Suri, I wish I COULD write a book, I always wanted to be a writer as that suits me fine however most people would not be able to identify with me if I wrote a memoir and my memory is so bad 1/2 of it would be made up most likely.
Sharon, BTW did you know that if you go to various car repair places and complain about the high cost of repair quote you have you may be able to get someone else to do it cheaper esp. somebody like ‘Joes Garage’, not affliliated with a chain? I did that for my hood latch cable however, I ended up having to leave the car overnite which irked me as he lead me to believe he had the part on hand so not sure why i left it there, also the molding on my drivers side door was ripped and I think the mechanic may have done it so I just taped it and said nothing and won’t bring it back there again. His online reviews where good and he’s in walking distance of my condo also a native who’s been in business since his 20′s tho he himself doesn’t work on the cars and the loud rock music emanating from there made me a bit suspicious plus the fact that they always have alot of cars in the tiny lot and I keep meaning to pay attn. if the same cars like maybe they just have some junk cars sitting there to make it look like they have alot of business, so far my hood latch has held, not that I check under the hood all that often but must check every 2 months as car burning oil quite a bit and just noted I aught to do it tomorrow as it’s been a while. The felt ceiling cover is falling off now, fortunately there are nails about 2 inches in but the material hangs and flops around when i drive with windows open!
Ah well the Fun never ceases…
EOTW – There’s your book title “The FUN Never Ceases?” A Handbook for the Unemp !! Don’t know that most of us have your gift for stamina or handling the minutiae!!
Yeah, job ads have all sorts of ‘crap’ in them to WEED our the rift-raft, I guess! I feeling the times in our country are quite on edge this week!! Think the discontent in London COULD happen here soon IF someone does get their ‘you know what’ in gear?! Especially the unemp #s are such a joke and many millions are so underemployed in hours, wages, duties. The employers are just riding roughshod over anyone with a job also. Sometimes, just for a moment, I think DH and I are ‘better off’ being out of the rat race emotionally due to the ‘beat down’ emp are taking… Then REMEMBER a little more money would be most delicious!! lol
I concur with Sharon — tennis club seems quite shaky but isn’t everything these days? Constantly noticing shops that were in business — GONE. The housing foreclosure situation in my area has not let up at ALL! The school calendar is helping retail imho but thinking of ALL the grads, hs or college, who aren’t working is becoming the latest Ponzi scheme?!
I dislike STRONGLY reading articles that are currently being written AS IF the world hadn’t fallen off it’s axis THREE YEARS AGO!! All about how Americans should ‘wait to retire’ AS IF we have any CONTROL or even say so in many cases?! It’s unreal…
Percentage-wise very few blue collar workers can physically accomplish their duties after 62 unless they are in supervision! Seems like all the simple work related benefits I went into the workplace with, two week vacation, health care, timely raises, proper employee respect — GONE!! DD has worked in a fairly large healthcare facility for two years and still has not been ALLOWED to request more than TWO DAYS LEAVE at any one time!! Mostly she can only have off, when her dr is off and not of her own choosing? What are we freaking slaves? (Don’t answer that?) I can’t let her know how totally abhorrent I think that is… You know, if you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.
EOTW – Still cheering for you and always in your corner, wherever that is? lol Keep on, keeping on…
Sharon – Hope your w/e glides by smoothly and you don’t ‘lose count of your doggies’ coming and going! lol
Check ya all later. Peace.
Hi, Suri – well it’s gonna be a looong night am afraid, first my next door neighbors STILL have the a/c on which is next to my b/r and it’s about 62 degrees now and low 80′s during the day so their unit cannot be that warm, they have a big dog so they should not be afraid to leave the windows open, I use a stick. Anyhow even worse tonight they have a big party, their deck is across from the pool house so all their shouting echoes and they are incredibly loud people to begin with but once they start drinking they are positively SHOUTING at the people sitting right next to them. I can actually hear snippets of conversation in my living room. It is unbelievable the racket they are creating so I dunno I’ve tried to sleep on my couch but the fridge is quite noisy as well and right now somebody else has music blaring in the distance which will likely go on until midnight, I think it’s coming from the tech HS which is bout 1/2 mile on the other side of the woods some kind of outdoor concert.
I don’t think we will have any kind of unrest here as in London or anywhere else, even if things get worse, I’d be very surprised. I recently found out some people affiliated with that group change.org or was it moveon.org had some potluck picnic here in town on The Green it was to talk about the economy tho mostly the 55 and older crowd concerned with Social Security and Medicare. This was just advertised in the paper in a tiny paragraph and there was no follow-up, likely not more than 50 attended. There have been other such meetings in the State not sure if they accomplish anything.
Yeh thos articles that say “the Economy is Tanking” or “Could we be Headed Towards a Recession?” get on my nerves too. I mean many people have been living their lives in a safe little bubble but for the rest of us in the alternate universe.
I could not believe that job at the tennis club did not offer ANY time off? I’ve never even heard of that. Couple times I applied at drs. offices and you had to take your vacation when the dr. did as the office was closed but no time off at all? I was not even sure if they paid the staff for holidays if they were closed.
Somewhat miffed that the mgr. didn’t get back to me like she promised, ah well people are lying sacks of I ought to expect it by now. I didnt want the job and likely would’ve tried to get out of the 7-1 shift but it would of been nice if she called and said no they selected another candidate because. I’ve had over 40 interviews, have really lost track I’d think I interview poorly but in this case she asked me when I could start and I said Monday and she said that’s good as the person currently there is leaving Wed. so they could train me. Back to square one for the 2 thousandth time. Did a quick look of the jobsearch emails I get from the top jobsearch engines am set up with and right away I see these are mostly repeat jobs, same co, same job; Unbelievable. I did once ask a small glass co. bout that and they told me they were actually growing so they needed another CSR but in general I don’t suspect that’s the case esp. if it’s for a secretarial job. I think that since they didn’t hire the right person (ME) the person they selected did not work out and they are too embarassed to contact me after throwing my resume in the “do not hire pile”. I never know whether to mention that I applied a few months ago, I don’t but not sure if it doesn’t look odd/desparate to re-apply.
Hey, EOTW – Sorry re party, but did you hear any good stories? lol Yeah, people can just be so insensitive in soooo many ways?! The current ‘anything goes’ concept in our society is rather OVERDONE imho!! In my day, we outgrew that?! lol
I know what you feel about “starting from ground zero for the thousandth time”? The emotional, mental, and yes, physical wear and tear on one’s physche and very soul is unrelenting!! I’m most fortunate (?) in being able to step back for a bit from the ‘pounding down’ that is interviewing?! NO ONE, other than US, seems to be able to relate to the reality out there? I’m so tired of reading articles written about a work world that existed 5 to 10 years ago. What the f does that have to do with TODAY? Yes, I used f — just to seem younger?! lol
I totally respect and admire your willingness and ability to ‘take on’ the search that never ENDS!! I feel, at the point in time, the entire work place scenerio is jaded… Employers don’t know how to even interview productively and ‘rule out’ many due to the huge numbers of applicants on any and all unreasonable wims!!
And people that DO get hired often don’t have the credentials or background experience anyway?? Heard of a DD of a friend that got a f/t teaching position which is wonderful news as she subbed and was an aide asst. for all last year, her first year out of college. She has excellent background but was hired for a special needs preschool class and given an exemption as she doesn’t have the proper training? And she was hired over 400 over applicants?? Must have a tie in somewhere along the line??? Just doesn’t make sense but she’s a lovely girl and it’s a start and hopefully a stepping stone. HUGE teacher layoffs in the Midwest area I live in.
Local school system had back-to-school rally that included giving out 1,400 backpacks (enough for entire h/s) and even some free shoes. Times are just bad, bad, bad. Did you read in Joplin, MO where they had the tornado and the food need is so great they are running out of food pantry supplies by the second day of each week and getting worse as no reconstruction of employment has even begun because every darned thing in our world is so damn complicated!! And people CANNOT afford to be without emp or money for months at a time! No freaking kidding!! And the topper is that UAE is going to give every student in Joplin, MO a laptop to begin school this year!! That’s nice, but THE UNITED ARAB EMPIRE for crying out loud??
Seems to me this country has lost whatever leadership in the world altogether?! And that’s another whole deal with the tennis club giving no time off? So many emp are doing whatever they want and demanding unlawful amounts of work but there are no investigations or even concern about?? And age discrimination is rampant as well.
Can’t really say ‘sorry’ about there being much of a loss with the tennis club for you but KNOW it’s just the latest in a long number of disappointments. I am hopeful you and friend found some time for fun this w/e. Middle of August all ready? Good or bad, the time just goes…
Yeah, don’t THINK I would mention — I’ve applied before, etc. Just try to take situations at face value and not read too much into imho?! I have imagined if my DS would ask me to return to work for her office as her son’s former (?) GF has a badly broken wrist and had to have surgery and pins and a cast. Would be hurtful in many ways, but EXTRA CASH would be EXTRA!! So praying I don’t have to make THAT choice?! See, much like you and tennis club! lol
Just feeling so ‘out of the loop’ on life these days. DH is not feeling well at all, so not happy. Me thinks that is the HUGE NEGATIVE for our whole nation is so many citizens left without a schedule or even the hint/clue of any improvement on horizon?! Not helpful for individuals, let alone our nation.
And Michele Bachmann is IT?? Are you freaking kidding me? She is a joke! And married to the pray away the gay husband?! You just can’t make up THIS STUFF!? lol
Nothing special this week but going to contact an old GF to get together, or at least offer? Notice, or is it just me, how many people have disappeared from our lives (including us, some days! lol).
Please keep on putting one foot ahead of the other and going forward even on the most difficult of days. Yeah, I ‘talk the talk’ but don’t always ‘walk the walk’ !! lol Best wishes, stay strong. Peace.
S- the back-to-school backpack charity giveaways are common here and have been going on for years. My own backpack is like 20 years old and finally starting to really show it, not sure why folks feel that kids need BRAND NEW backpacks every single school year tho. Also ditto for new laptops or tablet pc’s. I guess it be impossible to be a student nowadays w/o a home computer unless you have a parent to bring you to and from the library every day just to do your homework but why they have to give them top of the line NEW ones that they will likely have replaced NEXT yr. is not something I can agree with. I live in a city with a big and getter bigger class gap (as in socioeconomic) they call the kids who’s parents don’t want to/not able to buy them a $9.99 new backpack at Walmart “needy” unless those packs are such pieces of junk that they disintegrate after 1 school yr. I don’t think it’s necessary and alot of these charity events are just for show as they always make a big article in the newspaper with pictures of the generous donors and the poor “needy” children who seem to be 100% hispanic. I personally cannot STAND the word “needy” when referring to those not up to middle class standards and any child who is going to ostrasize another for not having the newest stuff from sneakers to backpacks to gulp nowadays “smartphones” is obviously not being parented in the right manner but being brought up to be a consumerist snob.
Very odd bout your sister not even offering you a p/t job of say 10 hrs. a week, esp. if she can. I dunno she may like to feel superior to you or something like she’d prefer you begged her for some hours? So maybe you’d be better off not esp. if she bosses you around there. Can see how your hubby doesn’t feel well, I certainly have every stress related symptom imaginable, from chest/stomache cramps to shaking like I had parkinsons. The internal shaking is the most annoying, I’ve switched to water instead of diet pepsi but I don’t think it’s caffeine related, it literally feels as if all my nerves were aquiver even tho I am not visibly shaking just feels like I ate a can of mexican jumping beans and drank a pot of expresso.
No comment on Bachmann. I hope people aren’t expecting some kind of miricle come 2012. It will just be same old same old and I bet the universal health insurance Obama wasted his administration on will be thrown out the door and we’ll be back to where we are with pre-existing conditions and most small employers not offering insurance or having sick days and ridicoulously expensive private policies nobody making $12/hr can afford.
Yes my friend and I had quite the adventure. We walked into the filming of a zombie movie (long bizarre story) and found an exellent new vantage pt. with an old memorial with a sadly spray painted cross. Am not christian/religious but I dunno what kind of idiot spray paints their name on some holy old historical artifact. This town we went to which is kinda my 2nd. home is quintessential New England with like 6 private schools. It is a hikers mecca and the AT runs through it. I think I lived there in a previous life, interestingly my friend is very drawn to that area too. We also did some river walking out to an island and walked around it and found ruins of an old homestead of which there are quite a bit.
Just checking in to see if you’ve heard anything from anyone yet, EOTW, about jobs. Not much going on here on that front. Head nurse at my dad’s NH gave me her daughter’s phone # to contact her about some jobs in NHs here on the southside–but in places that “you can’t get there from here”–meaning there is no short way to get there so at least an hour+ drive. Don’t even know what the positions open are or what the requirements are, but contacted her and sent resume. Don’t really anticipate anything, but had to try anyway as they are f/t positions with at least some benefits. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Daddy is improving with his pneumonia, but think his Alzheimer’s is progressing. Thought before it might be because of his illness, but since he’s improving and his mental status is not, think it may just be progression. Very hard to hold a conversation with someone whose imaginery life is so rich and so off the wall. Called yesterday and he had been loading a truck with furniture to send to NJ, his (dead) brother had made arrangements for where it was sent. And of course, when I visited the other day he was vehement that his mother was still alive and very busy. It’s just so hard to see someone deteriorate mentally who has always been so bright.
I’ve been in a blue funk lately, so haven’t felt up to posting here, but did want to at least check in and see how you’re doing and if you’ve had any news, hopefully good. Don’t be as much a stranger here as I have been lately. Take care.
Sharon, I just wrote a lengthy response but lost it, hit enter to go to next line but screen thought i was trying to submit comment so forget that.
No, nothing new here, back on SNAP & Medicaid for now.
I ran a 5K tonight but didn’t do too well, my time was 32 something, pretty disgusting when I exercise so much but I am not “athletic” and neither do I do any sort of training, i will push myself a bit but am only excersing to get rid of stress so i don’t force myself to run really fast on a daily basis esp. if it’s hot. Still the women who won 1-3 place in my age category did not look superfit either but they were more muscular looking, I have lost all of my muscle tone since I dropped out of the healthclub when I lost my job and am not motivated to lift weights or do floor exercises at home by myself; i could not work in a gym either I need group fitness classes. It was bloody hot tonight so am sure if not i’d of run a bit faster, I guess it’s better than not being able to run at all tho I did walk quite a bit so I could not actually say I “ran” in a 5K and am sure the winners ran the hole time but my heart was pounding too hard so I got a chest cramp. I just hope they published my name correctly wherever they publish the results online, my name is often butchered so it does not appear in my name search which I run these stupid races to bump down my police blotter report which seems to be stuck at the very top of the list.
Maybe the meds your father took for the pneumonia made him mentally worse? has he tried some mild or low dose antipsychotic? I certainly hope to die before I ever even go to a NH, actually before I can’t do the things I do now. My knees btw are pretty much back to normal, by GOD is must’ve been the sneakers and here mother carring on about Lyme or arthritis and my never being able to run or hike again.
At least you did some networking and people are interested in helping you. I met a guy from HS tonight and scared him off telling him i been outta work so long, i may as well have said I have AIDS. His wife was voted most popular in HS, oddly he was NOT in the popular crowd but he ran in Track. Woulda made a good connection as am sure his wife is still Miss Congeniality and is likely well employed and knows alot of people, she even talked to me back then and I was voted Most Quiet as nobody spoke to me as thought it was rude to barge in on others conversations. I was shocked he remembered my name, last name included, we lived on the same bus route but never spoke, I’d actually thought he was kinda cute but too quiet for me as I was/am quiet enough I really prefer MORE outgoing people than myself. The advice ‘they’ give if you’re in a social situation with nobody to talk to is to go find somebody else not engaged in conversation is totally wrong, nothing more awkward than 2 peas in a pod just making comments about the chips as in “my these chips are salty” or “try the dip?” ugh.
In a bad mood too as an old friend of mine i’ve not been in contact with since she got married about 5 years ago just announced in a group email I am still on that she’s having twins (at 39!) and a few weeks ago I found out another aquaintance of mine got married, she’s a few yrs. younger than me too and owned her own condo for 10 years and had what i’d consider “a life”. Everyone I know has surpassed me by leaps and bounds either with career or family success or even worse BOTH. This started to happen with the Prom, mother tormented me by driving me to the pl and having me gawk and all the pretty dresses and happy couples, I dunno how that was sposed to make me feel better, I think I cried myself to sleep that night. Mother thought i’d feel good because i was a part of it too, am NOT sure WHERE she got her parenting advice from but hiding in her car in the dark spying on people having fun was not exactly ego boosting.
Oh well, C’est La Vie….
Yeah, I “get the look” too when I mention I’m unemployed or mention that I’m looking for work—to say nothing of saying I’m l/t unemployed! I couldn’t help but laugh at your description that you may as well have told him you had AIDS–because it’s really true, and sometimes when something hits home you can’t help but laugh at the truism. When I told the lady I pet sat for that I was out of work she asked me if I was “retired.” I said, “God no! I’m looking for work!” That’s when you get ‘the look’ like, “What do you mean you’re looking? If you were looking or had anything to offer you’d be working.”—or at least that’s the way I interpret it. Most people can’t wait to either leave the scene, or fidget and change the subject. Don’t know if you saw it on the news or not, evidently Atlanta made the national news for the 5,000 people who showed up at a job fair, camped out in business suits and heels in this Godawful heat, for a place in line. As I’ve said, we’re higher in unemployment rate than the nation, and that’s for GA as a whole, which is 10.1%–but out my way it’s much higher. Things are NOT improving here, HAVE not improved since all this started. Housing market getting even worse here, and they are predicting that it is going to get even worse over the next few months as more houses are dumped into foreclosure; causing the value of homes to go down even further. The house next door to me is in foreclosure and they are asking $81,000 for it, but know they’ll accept considerably less—all of which will make my house not worth what I owe on it…if I’m able to figure out how the heck to hold onto it. The economic situation in this country for regular people is just horrific, but people who have jobs and are not suffering don’t have a clue that there are people out there struggling; it’s as bad as the disconnect between the wealthy and the NOT.
Hated reading about your mother’s cure for you not going to the Prom…to have you go and sit in the car and watch other people?!!!? How incredibly insensitive. What WAS she thinking? How could she POSSIBLY have thought that was helpful?!
In one way or another, I guess those of us who are on the sidelines of life right now are all feeling a bit like the world is passing us by and we’re being left behind. I can understand how you feel though about having relationships and families etc., because tho I did marry and have one child, I was a little “later to the party” than my friends, who married and had children while I was working and still single…and I wondered if I’d ever have the life I wanted…which was NOT as a career woman, but always I wanted to be a wife and mother. And in some ways now I’m still on the outside looking in, an older woman who is actually rather attractive, but alone while the rest of the world, and particularly people my age, are in pairs, taking vacations, enjoying retirement together and their grandchildren. I’m in a relationship that even tho I love him to death, probably is never going to go anywhere other than where it is. So, tho our circumstances are different, there are some similarities in at least how we feel.
Kudos to you for running the 5K…very commendable. I’m not a runner…never have been a runner, I can’t breathe. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I have asthma…and somehow breathing has never actually come “naturally” to me—I sometimes have to concentrate on it…weird as that sounds. I was always able to run very fast, but for VERY SHORT distances. Would never have tried running in this terrible heat…it’s hard enough just to be out in it and doing nothing!!
Yes, daddy is chronically on an antipsychotic and an antidepressant. I guess my biggest fear is that of Alzheimer’s, since both my parents had it. When I occasionally cannot remember a word when I’m writing or talking, I get frightened that this is the beginning. Talked about it with my girlfriend and her sister yesterday, and they said they have the same problems and they don’t think I have anything to worry about, at least at this point in time. So either they are right, or we’re ALL in trouble!!? They said they also think it may be more prevalent for me because I live alone and don’t have anyone to talk to regularly. They both normally live alone, but the sister comes and stays for months at a time a couple of times a year, and she says she notices an improvement in her memory when she’s here with her sister because she has someone to talk to regularly, and vice versa for her sister who lives here.
Glad to know your knees are better and that the cure was as simple as a new pair of shoes!! Suri would say, “When you hear hoofbeats, think HORSES, not ZEBRAS.” Start with the simple, and if that doesn’t work, then work to the more complicated, not vice versa. And so glad it worked for you.
Guess maybe it’s the time of year for the funk–change of season, people seem to be going on vacation all around me, either now or planning soon–my girlfriend and her sister will be gone for three weeks, BF is going to go to Italy, and then to FL, DD and family going to Myrtle Beach in September—all of them are going in September, actually, and BFs FL trip is in Oct. And me…I’m just staying here, looking for work, and trying to figure out what’s going to become of me.
Speaking of which, so happy to hear you got your SNAP and Medicaid–so at least you don’t have to worry about that for the time being.
Hope you get to see your friend this weekend and enjoy some time together.
best wishes sharom !
Woo – Hoo !! The NEW shoes are working!! However, not thinking I EVER would have even considered a 5 K, so ‘hat’s off’ to you EOTW!! However, no more in the heat just too many problems and risks imho…
Yeah, wasn’t liking your Mom much to begin with, and NOW?! The prom thing was just sadistic!? Surprised you got over that one?! lol My mom could also ‘do a job’ on me and my self esteem as a teen. Sometimes thought she was envious of my weight/looks but how do you tell me on the way to my wedding rehersal the dress I was wearing made my hips look BIG (I weighed 105 lbs !) and why when it’s too late to change??? So, let’s NOT match stories — I MIGHT WIN!? Not lol People, especially parents, are just VERY complicated, aren’t they?
EOTW – SO HAPPY for SNAP and Medicaid for you. DD & DH have BOTH been unwell for this last week so pain, misery and extra expense for dr and meds!! Thankfully I’m good as I’m the ONE with NO INSURE?! She has a severe UTI and he’s had shingles for 3 weeks now… Prayers for their recovery and my survival accepted, or good vibes or karma…
Sharon – Agreeing on August funk… August was always our vacay month time after boys finished baseball summer traveling leagues, etc. and BEFORE school started. Missing that, grateful for the times we did have. How sad that even a week’s vacation is just a luxury for the middle class let alone any of us.
Growing more dismal every week over the lack of progress in this country for programs to restart our economy!! LIFE should be something more than year after year of ‘hanging on’ ? We are losing a half a decade to waste of opportunity and effort for anyone to improve their personal state. And then I SEE people with NO PERSONALITY that have a job!? How’s that happen?
The economy imho cannot/will not be fixed without housing. There is more and more people ‘walking away’ from houses at all levels in this (non)market? As Sharon says people are just ‘caught’ in the downward spirial of housing vaue, etc. This is SO a doing of the govt aiding and abetting the surge of mtg loans in the real estate bubble but going on 4 years of crap to do anything to relieve the people whose houses who won’t/can’t sell, can’t downsize, can’t move, no ability to handle their own life choices and decisions. So I, for one, am not judgmental about individuals doing whatever they need to do in their own best interest, even walking away… This was not their intention and was not manipulated with fraud. WHO THE HE// KNEW?!! Really dislike when people talk about the breaking of rule and morals for individuals but none for corporates, govt, banks?? Are you freaking kidding me?!
Wishing you both great fun and adventures somewhere along your w/e!! Please report back so I can relive it with you !? Peace and hope…
S & S,
hi, I am depressed too by the “end of summer” tho weatherwise it does not feel that way but it’s mainly due to the shortening of the days and less SUNLIGHT. This yr. they are closing The Beach at 5:30 starting tomorrow and they will lock the gates untill end of Oct. Labor Day w/e which is very depressing and I get very panicky since my own patio is under trees so I get no Sun at home except in the winter when the leaves are down. That Bryan Adams song “Boys of Summer” which is not played alot on the radio anymore always leaves a lump in my throat, it is one of the saddest songs besides “Adams Song” the group whose name escapes me. I’m a Sept. baby but my first memories are of the snow and Indian Summer as a baby my mother used to put me out on the porch in the Sun, since it seemed to quiet me. I feel as if i actually remember this, being a tiny tot with the sun on my face.
It’s pouring buckets and the temps have dropped so that it’s hailing so I hope I get to sleep tonight, it’s been over 12 weeks since my neighbors BLAST their bedroom a/c 24/7. My nerves are totally shot and what i’d like to do to them is not fit for print. Last yr. I wrote them a note and stuck on their front door saying I cannot sleep with the a/c on to please use the one in their living room instead and or keep the one in bedroom on lowest setting but they totally ignored it and this year even worse they don’t turn it off when they get up, at least last year I could sleep in the mornings from 6:30-10 a bit but now they most often even turn it up after turning it down sometime around 3am because they got too cold I guess. I really hate these people so much it is unbearable at times. I find noise to be very irritating and I cannot walk into my b/r w/o hearing it. They still have the cover on the living room a/c, not sure if it’s broken or they just won’t bother to use it becuase they WANT to piss me off? I don’t know whether they rent or own, either way if they can afford the electric bill of this old likely 20 plus yr. old unit am sure they could afford to get the other one fixed or replaced or replace this one tho not sure if newer wall a/c units are any quieter? Both of my a/c units face the woods and don’t bother anybody but ME inside so I don’t use unless the humidity is too high or it’s above 80 outside. Today with the clouds and rain it’s been upper 70′s and tonight sposed to be upper 50′s but they’ll still keep it on, the fan only is just as bad. They have 2 pets and both smoke so they can’t have allergies but my pt. being they entirely igored my request and I literally sleep from 3 to 6 hr.s June thru Sept. and have had it, I have this Afro-Celt music am thinking of blasting tho not sure if they’d even hear it what with the a/c hum they must be experiencing inside. Last year I got so angry one night i blew my ER hiking whistle repeatedly to wake them up at 3am and slammed my closet door and started screaming to please turn it off I cannot sleep and banging on the wall we share even they ignored that. Well I curse them for hours every night so hopefully they’ll get what’s coming to them and soon.
Nothing exiting on the job search, same old same old. The eye dr. practice I went to for many yrs. is hiring a secretary again. I have applied there numerous times AND interviewed 2ce, but had no luck, I guess being a patient there since I was 8 makes no difference, I no longer even mention it. The hours are pretty crappy like 745-6;15 or untill the last patient leaves, 4 days a week and 1/2 day sat. so am just applying again for the H of it. There are several p.t office jobs with like a yahoo email address so kinda leery bout applying to those, I hope they are real jobs and not some data mining scam, unfortunately they seem exactly like the type of job i’d be qualified for just regular office assistant/clerical no customer service or reception which I don’t care for.
Yeh, had a wonderful adventure yesterday with my friend, we drove all the way up to Bash Bish Falls on the NY/MA border and hiked up the falls to the Taconic Range Tr. and down another trail, with some incredible look-outs we were not expecting to find. One was esp. amazing, semi-grown in but a ledgey cliff overlooking the Catskills in far distance and the surrounding mountains in that area. We also found a really nice chrystal clear but freezing pool with a miniature falls to jump into, big enough to swim little laps in and deep enough as well but I was so cold after I could barely change into the extra dry clothes i’d bought along. then on the way back we stopped at this restaurant which sold wine ice-cream and I had a small white zinfandel and we split a hotdog, he had a red cherry wine ice cream which name escapes me but neither of us really cared for it, a very odd concept indeed.
Yes Suri, i will send positive vibes your way like I send my neigbhors bad ones tho not sure I have any power there either so far they are doing quite well they actually recently bought new l/r furniture.
No news I guess. Nothing much going on here either another twilight zone kinda week to be sure. Got kicked out of the park 15 min. before they closed, I was the only one there and the staff wanted to go home. Everybody out shopping or on vacay somewheres. Wanted to go to one of my other haunts on Mt. Taurus overlooking the Hudson River and the surrounding mountains and I wanted to be home by 4 for a swim but putzed about so that i wasn’t ready to leave before 11:30, i figured I’d hit the pedal to the medal and make it by 12:15 but the traffic on the hwy was bumper to bumper, utterly amazing, like “rush hour” I thought everybody was going to the Mall but only a portion turned off that exit tho I did see the lot looking mighty full, everybody on a shopping frenzy. I get the w/e paper but throw out the ads w/o looking at them, no pt. I see that jeans with holes and tears in them are in fashion but not as take your old pants but BUY BRAND NEW ones that look like you’ve worn them every day for 40 years on sale for $39.99, pretty sick. I have and can still wear my black skinny jeans from college as well as my light wash ones from HS and my acid wash and pin stripe ones, tho they are snug so I don’t wear them but just keep them to make me feel good. Plus my old acid wash denim jacket is still so kool!
Neighbor Lady laughing and joking like a hyena all evening with her “doggie clutch”. Gots nothing bout the neighbhors socializing and carrying on about each others dogs but not so I can hear them in my living room thru my bedroom and down my short hall and the dog walk/play area is not the common grounds of the condo it’s in my woods area but since that couple moved in they’ve unofficially moved it to my back yard nobody complains because virtually EVERYBODY owns a dog here, not so when I moved in, more kids then dogs then tho mostly single professionals, lots more 20 somethings rooming together now and the place is not as dignified or quiet.
Very twilighzone/deja vu job search today too found THREE i’ve interviewed for allready besides the boatload i’ve allready applied to previously and not been called in. This is really getting to be ridicolous and pointless. One of the jobs was OK, p/t but the pay was just too low at $9/hr it not worth for me to lose/decrease my benefits as I won’t actually be better off and it won’t be adding any $ to my bank account. Some people might think but that is money you earn as opposed to get for free and their pt. would be? Free money is ALWAYS better in my view, just wish I could make some $ on the side so I can pay for other necessities instead of taking it out of savings.
Suri I did also read about all these people going on disability so that the account is close to being exhausted. It further explained that it was because disabled people were losing jobs and having a harder time getting a new one, not that people w/o any prior disability were suddenly having themselves declared disabled, that is like that girl with narcolepsy I know after 18 months with no offers she decided to forget working and move ahead with her claim since she figured she’d never get hired anyhow and no pt. waiting untill she was penniless.
This is a great website and I hope that micmn can find someone to be that anchor that mike c was. The commentary here is very good. The republican party is the party of those who feel that there is not enough evil in the world.
Hey, Gang — Yeah, wish MC was still with us as well… It’s so difficult to hang on to thin air?
EOTW — Sorry, no excuse just sort of blah here too. I really understand about no point in ‘undoing’ all your arrangements for what?? I know it’s the same old song and dance, can’t believe it’s gone on soooooo long!! It’s just horrible for the economy, society, housing — YOU NAME IT!! Quite agree with whatever political pundit “Obama better GO BIG or go home…” with jobs/stimulus!!
Loved hearing about hike and WINE ICE CREAM? How interesting?? Please be alert with the storm this w/e? Don’t know what involved your area is but they are talking 8″ or MORE or rain can be dangerous also. Yeah, the back-to-school deals and just time moving along to where are LOST on me also.
So sorry about the jerks next door… A careless (or one who CARES less ! lol) neighbor is a daily headache (and other bodily parts! lol) Sleep is so important to our mental, emotional, and physical health. A real indicator of our wellness imho. Also is restorative and healing.
I sometimes worry for your outings even with your friend as the world is such a scary, dangerous place these days. But if ALL we are going to do is hide under the covers, what’s the point?? All around here the crime is just horrible with car and home breakins. Don’t think we as a nation can AFFORD to jail enough people to be safe! People steal anything for ‘scrap metal’ worse than ever. People find all sorts of their items missing and at pawn shops or scrap yards?!
So sorry, just down with the struggles and not my ‘Pollyanna’ self. I remember her fondly but don’t know how to find that feeling of confidence in our future and the goodness of people anymore… We, as a nation, are losing a whole generation of young people whose own parents are struggling and can’t even help their own children. There was a program like that on 20/20 tonight and a posting where a man left his home to foreclosure and a note to his 11 yr old SON to go to the neighbors?? So much heartbreak in his nation over JOBS it’s become a 4 letter word!!
Well, just missed ya and wanted you to know and stay safe from the storms, actual and within!! Peace and hope.
Hi Suri, i thought i’d check the site one more time before we lose power, Irene is ‘scheduled’ to pass bout 10 miles from my house if the maps i’m reading are correct. The Gov. allready issued a State of Emergency Friday and the Mayor reverse 911′d all the residents twice, we have an emergency shelter here in town although by the time it’s bad enough to go it will be unsafe to drive and they’re closing some highways. I am very worried about the flooding since all the rain from the roof comes down the spout and pools ONTO my patio and side of unit, my door and sliding glass door are like 4 inches above the ground. I tried to dig a ditch for water to go but it went BACKWARDS. I would need to put a tube from the drainpipe going across my stairs in order to channel the water elsewheres, very dumb builders unless my building was higher and has sunk but that is the worst placed drainpipe i have ever seen. My building is at the bottom of a hill AND it is slighly lower then the ground like my patio slopes towards the unit. I’ve allready been out 2ce to shovel water but it’s really a losing battle since allready it pouring in buckets, I cannot imagine it raining any harder. We have been told to expect to lose power due to winds of 80 to 100 mph and what with the soaked ground the trees will be falling so very worried about my car which is on the other side of the building and I can’t see, i parked in between 2 medium sized trees that look healthy and I’m in between 2 big SUV’s but still very nervous a huge limb will fall on it and break the roof or windows. Am not so worried on tree falling on this unit as live 1/2 underground and anyways any tree falling will fall on the upstairs unit though I may have a huge mess on my patio and hope nothing breaks off my overhang over the front door since I live 8 ft. from the edge of the woods/dog walk area and did see a couple of trees that don’t look too healthy including the cherry tree out over my patio but it has a short trunk but yeh the branches could fall off since it’s 1/2 dead as it is. We were actually told to prepare for 3-5 days w/o power which I sure hope won’t come to pass tho the lack of elec. won’t be as annoying as my carpets getting soaked, i’ve got alot of stuff on the floor like books and piles of papers and boxes of clothes if worse comes to worse i’ll pile it on the couch as I really dont have any surface areas that arent allready covered with stuff. I tend to cut out magazine and newspaper articles and print online stuff and keep it so I’ve got piles o stuff, plus all my hiking maps and info is in a huge pile on the floor in the middle of my l/r and another one in my b/r. The apartment is too small for a file cabinet and would not really fit anywheres, one word would describe this place “cluttered” I have knick nacks I bought when i was little and went to the local fairs I really cannot live in a 1 bedroom of this size and it’s 650 sqr. ft. including a huge walk in closet which is crammed with all kinds of stuff like luggage and towels and camping stuff and a huge box of stationary and clothes that cannot be folded into boxes. I never throw any clothes away, even have a pair of pants that have huge rips in the butt, likely they’d be fashionable now in certain circles, plus I have several boxes of old worn sneakers with holes in them I cannot part with they are perfect for walking in the rain or at the beach.
Well hope Sharon was not affected by Irene, not sure what end of GA she’s from but I think only the coastal area there was affected whereas Irene is going straight through CT as it stands now and it supposedly has a 100 mile radius of impact so this will be a fun night so far it’s just raining and raining no wind at all and it got darker earlier than normal.
Anyhow this is definitely another sign The End of The World is Coming 2012, personally I can’t wait!
EOTW: We will be looking for the report of your safety and hope that your belongings are safe. Of course your safety is uppermost, but know that belongings and having life disrupted are just one more thing that we don’t need added to our already full plates. I had recalled that you had problems with water seepage before, and with historical rains with this storm, I am hoping that the rain will somehow be subverted from your home. Had you given any thought to going to your mom’s if her place is any better situated—or would you rather stay home and take your chances?! Sounds like parking between two SUVs might be a good idea, as they are taller and maybe they would bear the brunt of any trees or limbs falling. It’s good to know that someone else has piles of stuff–I have newspaper and magazine recipes in piles, and of course all the applications to jobs and all sorts of stuff. Please know that we are thinking of you and your safety, and for your belongings to be intact and not ruined. Whatever we have, whether of value to the rest of the world, is of value to us, and I hope you don’t lose anything.
I was not affected here, storms missed GA, we haven’t even gotten any rain (that we could use desperately). I have a cousin who lives in MD on the eastern shore, but she says she’s okay, they got rain and wind, but no damage and no trees down in their area. I suggested my daughter call her dad in PA as I’d heard his county had been under tornado watch and a major expressway was flooded. She emailed him and he said he’s okay, biggest problem they are having is lots of trees coming down because ground was already saturated before the storms.
Hope your power is not out for too long, because then any food you have in the refrigerator and freezer will be ruined and you’ll have to spend precious monies on replacing food. I will be thinking about you until you return to tell us how you are.
Went to V-S last week to put in an appearance so they wouldn’t forget me, and they were happy to see me, told me they missed me, and even got hugs. I suggested that since the reason they didn’t hire me permanent p/t was that they had not trained me in time on cash wrap, that I would be willing to come in around mid-Sept to train on my own time without pay so I’d be up and running by the time they hire in Oct. Upper mgmt was not there when I made the suggestion, but she said she’d pass it along; but if they didn’t do that, that they would put me on cash wrap first thing upon hiring back…but know that what is said is not always what happens. They are making some other substantial changes too, through Corporate, and not sure what affect this will have on everything. Lots of uneasiness among everyone.
Daddy having a rough time this past week, therefore I’m having a rough time. Hoping that things will calm down this coming week.
I hope you have a battery operated radio, and flashlights or lanterns so you can see what’s happening–cannot imagine being in the dark and not being able to see what’s happening around you. I wish you had higher ground you could go to. Can’t help but identify with the last sentence of your post….
Please let us know you are safe…
Sharon, hi – I only lost power for a few hours. I’ve been told we are on the same power grid as the hospital and whenever we lose power we are among the first to be restored. Thank God because people are being told it’s gonna be a week to 10 days or MORE to completely restore everybody. The bad news is mother is w/o and she is camping out here. I drink vodka every evening so this is a major problem because she forbids it and would pretty much blame my being unemployed because of the alcohol even though I don’t drink enough to slur my speech or cloud my thinking, or stagger about the apt. etc. though I’d love to drink to get totally wasted as I can’t stand life and there is no other escape but sleep but it’s just to relax a bit as i’m wound pretty tight no matter how much I exercise or how much Sun I get I live in a constant state of severe agitation and none of the psychiatric meds had any effect in calming me down. I’d not say I’m an alky but dependant for self medicating most like. My agitation levels are waaay up with mother being here, she keeps moving my stuff around and like I noticed the font on my computer was enlarged to 150% and she’d not put it back and she could not find her bread and claimed I ate it, grr. I am agitated all the time but it’s most noticeable at night when i’m not as busy the same as being at work, I used to get pretty buzzed at my university job it was either that or jump out the window. I really have problems sitting still and constantly feel the need to be on the move.
Good idea about visiting VS. By law tho I don’t think you can work there w/o pay, it’s not like a non-profit where most of the staff is volunteer anyways and they are set up to take non paid volunteers.
I used to cut recipes too but like all the book summaries I cut out I never got around to them plus I generally don’t cook much from scratch, I use alot of ready made foods and doctor them by adding stuff like i’ll heat a can of NE Clam chowder soup and I’ll boil potatoes and some frozen veggies and add a can of tuna and make a seafood stew. I don’t make desserts at all as I’m not much on sweets so it’ll just sit and get stale tho I do buy the occaisional cheesecake which I cannot make due to the ingredients (i’d rather not know what’s in it).
Well your father likely won’t get much better at that age, not like he getting any younger. I don’t know how people can work with the elderly and decrepit, we have lots of nursing homes here, being that we are a hospital town and it seems like one of the more depressing places to work, unlike the actual hospital where people in general tend to get better.
Any potential interviews this week?
EOTW: So glad to hear from you and know that you’re okay (aside from your mother camping out at your house!!). Did you sustain any water damage? You have my sympathies regarding your mom being with you; I’m sure you’re keeping a check on when her power is restored so she can go back home. Don’t know how you’re managing with her there f/t. Hoping you’re getting out like usual to get some sun and some exercise at least to try and soothe yourself.
Have come to the same conclusion about my dad…think it is a progression of his Alzheimer’s and this time think it has “stuck.” He comes up with all kinds of wild stories…what an imagination! He called me twice the other day, wanting me to come and get him because “we’re moving and I need you to come and get me NOW.” Also on Sun. when I was there he told me he had been in attendance with my daughter for 3 hrs while she was getting an in-vitro fertilization procedure! Her specimen, however, blew out of the window and was rolling around on the floor! Daughter had her tubes tied after last baby. And yesterday he said he had work to do but couldn’t get anyone to bring him what he needed–employee records, so he could review them. Every day is a “treat.”
You’re probably right about V-S and not letting me work without pay, but at least they know I’m serious about being hired back if they’re able to hire. About all I can do at this point.
No interviews, and actually nothing to apply to either. Particularly check local stuff every day, and some papers don’t even have ANYTHING!!–much less anything new that would fit.
Cooked up bunches of batches of beans the other day and have eaten nothing but beans for days. Still have bunches left over so have packaged them up and am going to take them to mom and dad’s freezer as I don’t have enough room for big containers. Can’t eat anymore beans right now! While I’m there I’m going to go to the pool for a while. Going to leave early this a.m. because it’s supposed to be in the upper 90s today and I don’t want to be there during the heat of the day.
So glad to know you’re okay, and thanks for checking back in here to give us an update. Wish you the best with your mom, and hope she can get back to her place soon–can’t happen soon enough for you I’m sure!
Hey – Gang – WHAT A GOOD TIME just reading your posts!! I really NEED and APPRECIATE the GOOD LAUGHS and comfortable comments!! Trying to decide if WE ALL are the ‘fellow inmates’ or ‘monkeys at the zoo’ but whatever it is — sure feels AT HOME HERE!! LOL
Was so afraid for EOTW and storm damage, but didn’t KNOW that would be from having Mom with you!? lol I would be exactly same when my dear mom would visit — let the drinking begin and I DIDN’T DRINK?! LOL I understand and respect your ‘self-medicating’ EOTW, but please appreciate WE ALL are managing on a very narrow edge imho and NEED/REQUIRE all onboard to BE EXTRA CAREFUL!!
NO END OF THE WORLD ON MY WATCH, thank you very much!? Remember back in our MC days when I would be ‘Pollyanna’ — seems like another whole lifetime ago? Please let’s take turns pulling the boat along and be grateful (hopefully) we don’t have to bail out yet!!
Really still concerned for water damage EOTW — is your patio and surroundings ok? Are streets passable? Thankful too as Sharon says power didn’t take all your food, etc. Mom doesn’t seem to have improved in her outlook either? Just saying… lol
My mail contained a notice on a store credit card INCREASING their interest rates from 20.99 to 24.99% — are you freaking kidding me?! And the CONSUMER is ‘supposed’ to pull out of this recession?? What idiots!! Corporates are making money very securely while driving DOWN to the ground the consumer and employees!!
NO JOBS, NOWHERE, NO WAY I can get to from here?! Just a vacant nothingness out there (and sometimes in my head! lol). I ATTEMPT to be UP to the daily struggles and elaborate budget planning but, seriously!! DH has been ATTACKED by shingles for last month (seems like a year?) so going for more meds. I agree with EOTW or whoever said dealing with unwell people is NOT MY FORTE!! Truly amazing how we can and do take our ‘good health’ for granted!!
Sharon, I WOULD say I’m sorrier for you than Dad, if you get my drift? He is ‘removed’ from the reality, perhaps in a merciful way, but am concerned regarding the effect it has on you. Please guard against EXCESS feelings of sadness when, as you often tell us, our limits are OVERLOADED!! Bless his heart or for any one at 90 is on ‘borrowed time’ and a BONUS imho.
I am much more concerned and dejected by the waste of time in people’s lives that will ‘not come this way again’?? And our damned govt seems to care LESS !!
Do something, anything to help!! Watched Ed Show last night with free health clinics in New Orleans but couldn’t endure — too many sad stories and stats!! 63% OF PEOPLE HAD NO JOB, LET ALONE HEALTH CARE!! What KIND of a NATION ALLOWS SUCH to occur to our own citizens!?
Sorry, about the soapbox this a.m. Really do LOVE to touch base and am grateful for connection here. Please stay strong and safe. Peace and extra hope for better times.
S & S, no Irene did’nt do much damage in my immediate neighborhood, actually our city was quite unscathed and most people have their power back now but not so for several other towns, plus there is still flooding at the shoreline and in river towns. I’ve not been able to go hiking anyplace as I believe the roads would be blocked but I did go to a place nearby with a small stream that is now a raging river utterly unbelievable, it looks like the volume of this little stream quadrupled and even the bridge was washed out so one can only hike on one side untill the water levels go low enough to cross.
A very depressing week am terribly homesick and unhappy bout the town beach closing Monday. The gates of my pool will also be locked although that only has morning Sun so i’ve not been there as I don’t care to sit and read or sunbathe right after breakfast. The pool is too small for doing laps and not too clean, i’ve not even looked at it after the storm, it always looks sparkly from above but the floor of it is usually littered with dead bugs.
I might be going to the ocean beach then next week I’d imagine the roads would be all clear by then, though it’s a drive and not direct plus this is another bad year for jellyfish I read tho Lord knows how the storm impacted them, maybe they drowned. For a Sun Bunny I am strangely off put by the ocean tho I like wide open spaces, looking at waves makes me kinda motion sick even if I am on the shore, I much prefer lakes and rivers.
Just beans Sharon? I’d eat rice and beans or beans on toast or tortillias or maybe add some chili powder and make some soup. I still don’t see how you cannot qualify for SNAP esp. at your age. I guess each state is different though I thought it was a federal program but for SNAP here it’s income based not whether or not you own a home. You could maybe claim disability with your shoulder? Maybe your dr. friend whom you saw would help you get on partial?
Suri- yeh I noticed a while ago you’d lost your “polyannaish” persona tho you still are way more positive then me but I think personality is fixed no matter how much hardship, suffering or wonderful things may happen in ones life. Even if I got a cushy job paying $40K/yr next week i’d still feel the same as I HAD a cushy job paying $40K and felt the same as i do now. The most bizarre thing is almost 3 yrs. w/o a job and my life is pretty much EXACTLY
S & S, no Irene did’nt do much damage in my immediate neighborhood and I shoveled ALOT of rainwater away, plus dug up my side ‘yard’ aka dirt patch in order to divert some of the water tho alls I did was create some mini pools since I could not dig deep enough with my little plastic snow shovel to have the water flow away from the unit but in the end the water went somewheres and not on my patio. Actually our city was quite unscathed and most people have their power back now but not so for several other towns, plus there is still flooding at the shoreline and in river towns. I’ve not been able to go hiking anyplace farther as I believe the roads would be blocked but I did go to a place nearby with a small stream that is now a raging river utterly unbelievable, it looks like the volume of this little stream quadrupled and even the bridge was washed out so one can only hike on one side untill the water levels go low enough to cross.
A very depressing week am terribly homesick and unhappy bout the town beach closing Monday. The gates of my pool will also be locked although that only has morning Sun so i’ve not been there as I don’t care to sit and read or sunbathe right after breakfast. The pool is too small for doing laps and not too clean, i’ve not even looked at it after the storm, it always looks sparkly from above but the floor of it is usually littered with dead bugs.
I might be going to the ocean beach then next week I’d imagine the roads would be all clear by then, though it’s a drive and not direct plus this is another bad year for jellyfish I read tho Lord knows how the storm impacted them, maybe they drowned. For a Sun Bunny I am strangely off put by the ocean tho I like wide open spaces, looking at waves makes me kinda motion sick even if I am on the shore, I much prefer lakes and rivers.
Just beans Sharon? I’d eat rice and beans or beans on toast or tortillias or maybe add some chili powder and make some soup. I still don’t see how you cannot qualify for SNAP esp. at your age. I guess each state is different though I thought it was a federal program but for SNAP here it’s income based not whether or not you own a home, only Medicaid is. You could maybe claim disability with your shoulder? Maybe your dr. friend whom you saw would help you get on partial?
Suri- yeh I noticed a while ago you’d lost your “polyannaish” persona tho you still are way more positive then me but I think personality is fixed no matter how much hardship, suffering or wonderful things may happen in ones life. Even if I got a cushy job paying $40K/yr next week i’d still feel the same as I HAD a cushy job paying $40K and felt the same as i do now. The most bizarre thing is almost 3 yrs. w/o a job and my life is pretty much EXACTLY the same other than taking money OUT of the bank VS. putting it IN…
EOTW & Suri: I’ve been thinking a lot about your comment, EOTW, about a natural “setpoint” we may have for our expectations of “happiness” and coping skills. I’m wondering if I ever had an opportunity to develop a “setpoint” and would be interested in your take on it. As a baby I was beaten black & blue and mom was afraid to take me out for fear someone would see and report them and they’d take me away. I was not allowed to self-comfort (suck thumb–at that time they didn’t know it could cause tooth deformities), nor was mom allowed to comfort me–not allowed to rock me, or to pick me up when I cried…I suppose that was supposed to be “character building.” Things didn’t get any better for me as I got older. I suffered physical and emotional abuse. What I’m wondering is, did I ever have a chance to develop a “setpoint” for my expectations of “happiness”?—Happiness being reasonable expectations for security–emotional and physical safety, to live without being in constant fear. I am not blaming them…I am just wondering, philosophically speaking, if children with similar backgrounds have an opportunity to develop a natural setpoint for their emotional welfare?–or if it is retarded? As an adult, I realize that I am responsible for myself, but wonder if my natural setpoint didn’t get a chance to develop, and maybe what I can do to set it as an adult. I had a rough “childhood,” but when I read about what parents do to their kids nowadays, my upbringing compared to many nowadays was a cake walk!!
EOTW, you didn’t mention in this latest post, but I’m assuming that your mom has returned to her home?–and maybe your life has settled back into some sort of routine, but hopefully at least have your home back to yourself!! And so glad you were spared any damage to your domicile!!, and only suffered temporary inconvenience without power–it must be a relief to know you’re on the same power grid as the hospital!!
Hope you get to have some pleasant outside time this weekend for recreational activities and maybe some time spent with your friend. They’re talking about possible rain here on Mon. We desperately need rain, but it’s kind of a shame that when so many people are trying to wring out the last little bit of summer this w/e that their outdoor activities may be rained out. But we really need the rain! Gas prices are up here for the w/e, and with the possible storm brewing in the Gulf, if it turns into anything, may have an affect on both our gas supplies and prices. Last time we had a storm in the Gulf, prices went up to nearly $5/gallon IF you could get it—lots of stations were without gas entirely, and if there were stations that had gas, there was a line hours long to get it. Seems we are mainly affected here by Gulf storms when refineries close, which seem to be our suppliers.
Have a happy Labor Day w/e…even for those of us who do not typically “labor” in jobs for which we are paid, we labor to keep our heads above water, while continuing to seek the elusive job.
Sharon, yeh this Labor Day Holiday is quite depressing so I’ll try to ignore it. There was not ONE job i could apply to this week, yes there were jobs just no office clerical/administrative or even my favorite receptionist or CSR type jobs. We have a Cheesecake Factory restaurant opening soon yiptee doodee, dishwashers can make up to $12/hr but I have found this phrase “up to” is likely intended for a select few. I considered applying for a cashier job but after reading the co. website I don’t think so, one of the more “gag me with a spoon” type corp. cults, they want people who ENJOY being of service not somebody who just wants a GD paycheck. I personally cannot imagine how somebody would want a restaurant job for enjoyment and because it’s their life’s goal to serve others in that capacity so we’ll skip that one, not that i’d be hired anyways.
Oh what i meant before about personality being fixed (being positive or negative) no matter what life throws at you, was not exactly what you said about set pt. for happiness. BTW don’t know if you see yourself that way but you come across as being rather on the positive side and quite resilient, I can’t see you falling to pieces or being suicidal/homicidal. This could be because of your innate personality and partially early childhood upbringing as you learned how to cope in your circumstances to survive. I do not believe that ones personality, whether one sees the glass as 1/2 empty or 1/2 full can be changed in adulthood, I know some would argue differently but really in my case not.
Happiness is an end product I think not a goal, I personnally don’t care squat for happiness, I went to therapy to see how to get motivated but that issue was never resolved and I can’t discuss Anger with any mental health professional w/o them having to lock me up so that issue will never be addressed as well but suffice to say I was born angry and have remained that way. I’ve read that people mellow with age but I can see myself being even more bitter and angry when I am old and decrepit. Some people might be more “neutral” when it comes to the way they think, meaning they could go either way, I personally have been very fixed; as a little girl my word was “stupid” as in “that’s stupid”, “she’s stupid” “they’re stupid” etc. everything/everyone annoyed and frustrated me and does to this day. I suppose because I was left alone this just festered but had I had early childhood intervention/therapy maybe I’d not be so set in my ways or maybe i’d be living in a mental institution. I tried therapy in my early/mid 30′s, 15 of ‘em and thought they were stupid idiots whom I was wasting my money/time on. I also tried pills for motivation and energy and mood enhancemnt but it didn’t do anything ‘cept cause me to gain weight so best to let sleeping dogs lie I say.
How can you raise your happiness set point you ask? well it depends on how much you think your life or life sucks in general and whether or not You believe it can get better, attitude is everything and also desire and this applies to employment as well though I speak only for myself in that regards. I believe if someone really wants to be happy they can change their way of thinking or even their life so that they are or they perceive they are happier. I am thankful for many things but my overall persona is very “Eyoreish” and I’m a realist so no amount of positive self talk would do any good as i’d not believe it.
Bout the w/e we shall see, may go on a mini-adventure with my friend tomorrow tho it sposed to T-storm this whole w/e. he will be going away for almost a MONTH mid-Sept. to Oct. so not happy at all but I have to take what I can get.
and yes, mother went back home Tuesday, yaay. We still have about 25K households in the area w/o power though and they delayed the start of school in many towns to next week, usually they have 1/2 days the last week of August.
EOTW: I so appreciate your feedback and your unique perspective on things. I don’t consider myself homicidal, question suicidal sometimes, but really do TRY to think that the next day MAY be better..and I have a daughter and gkids to think about–tho daughter understands if Alzheimer’s is a possible diagnosis for myself that that could change. Didn’t have any encouragement to become who I am, just who I am; but sometimes things get the best of me and I get really depressed. Guess I should just join the millions of people who suffer from this!! Happiness, per se, has never been a goal for me—I guess survival was paramount in childhood, and I’ve always been afraid of being a “bag lady” in adulthood. I think it intersting (and complimentary, by the way!)that you think I’m resilient. Some people think I’m negative, while I consider myself a realist; after all, things DON’T always turn out for the best, and I always prefer to ‘plan for the worst. hope for the best.’ Some people think of that as being pessimistic, I think it is being realistic and (somewhat) optimistic…though I don’t at all consider myself an optimist.
I don’t know if I could have benefitted from psychiatric/psychologic help at some point to discuss how my upbringing has impacted my adult life or not. Not sure any amount of ‘talking’ could have undone my upbringing, and I’ve always been skeptical and then later frightened of medications…and honestly, feel I’ve reached an age where, I’ve managed to get here so far, and just trying to go forward from here.
I do appreciate your perspective, and your input, because you actually have more experience with the medical community in this instance than I, and there are some things that I can’t exactly pinpoint where I feel a connection and community with you, and I appreciate that you are open with me in discussing this unique situation.
People–my dad’s family, his neighbors, have made comments like “I’d want to die before going into a NH”, and “I’d expect my family to take care of me.” I have considered taking care of my dad on my own, and when he’s compliant, that would be fine. However, when my dad reverts to the person I knew growing up and the man my mom and I had to deal with, he thinks it is his “right” to hit me, or shove me around. I can’t explain to anyone that I cannot take care of my dad 24/7 because if he did this to me now I could not deal…and I could not find care for him in a moment’s notice to protect both him AND me. So to people who don’t know (and most people DO NOT know, and I have done all I could to protect him), I am the daughter who has NOT done for her dad. I’ve never really cared what the world at large thought of me, but it does hurt me that there are people out there (to include my cousins on my dad’s side, and his neighbors who thought so highly of him but who did not KNOW him at all) who think he’s the good guy and I’m the bad guy. But you know what? I know the truth, and I do more for him (particularly under the circumstances) than most would do. So many people leave their families in NH and dust their hands off. I don’t do it because I care what anyone else thinks, but because I personally could not live with myself if I did not take care of him, regardless of our past, regardless of how he treated me. I’m certainly not a saint…I just do what I can live with personally, and I couldn’t do but what I’m doing. I have this thing, ‘life is rough, that’s why we don’t get out alive.’ I just kind of can’t wait until my time is up.
EOTW & Suri: By the way, lest anyone be concerned—”this too shall pass,” and I’m sure things are going to improve. Sometimes things just get the best of me, but I always manage to bounce back, and have no reason to believe that this time will be any different. We all have “those days,” and this is just one of mine. But thanks for being there EOTW and Suri. It means a lot.
Hope you both have a great Labor Day w/e!
EOTW & Sharon – I AM OVERWHELMED by the intelligence and insights from you both and almost haven’t ‘jumped in’ due to feeling out of my league!! But, when does that stop me? lol
Bear with me, this may take several takes from differing angles… I am highly interested and introspective regarding these same subjects — no wonder we all are ‘kindred spirits’ !! I am flattered beyond belief that we are ABLE AND WILLING to share such deep truths and beliefs about life!
Human beings are such complex puzzles (some with a few pieces missing — some with much more than a few!! LOL). I am VERY attuned to EOTW’s superior imho thoughts at this stage of my life regarding the basic inborn ‘we are who we are’. My reflections and insight have been gained both from my own reading and research on subject as well as my DH and my personal stories of life and family history.
The nature/nuture controversy and research based upon has shelves of books (that ‘sounds’ so old school now !!) devoted to it. Used to be ‘they’ believed 50/50 deal but as evolved into thirds: individual uniqueness; environment and experience and at what age/stage traumas occurred; and innate nuturing by loving persons whether ‘correct’ by childcare standards or not.
Oops, have to get back to you both. Sorry. To Be Continued…
Suri, yeh all this intelligence, wit AND good looks going to waste, what a shame!
Ugh, books are getting to be “old school?” is another thing I panic over, I see more and more people esp. young people in the parks etc. with those E-readers. the only bookstore in town left is B&N, no small independent ones either other than 1 small Christian one. The library also is increasing it’s e-reader selection and worried the day will come when they will close since nobody goes there anymore. I’d told you in earlier post i believe that one of the local HS here was starting off the school year with giving ALL freshman those tablet pc’s where you can download books, they plan on becoming a paperless school with no actual textbooks and many think this is the wave of the future; well I hope it won’t be before my time here is done, I still miss records – don’t care for all that invisible stuff like downloaded music and wonder if the increase in autism and ADHD related disorders in recent years has something to do with all the computer waves/radiation or whatever in the air pounding peoples skulls from toddlers learning to talk and read on computers and even earlier, mothers to be holding cell phones in their coat pockets and those little mini phone computers on their stomaches when reading email or whatever people do with those things.
There was an article concerning work before e-mail and how computers have speeded up everything making the workplace more fast paced and stressed which I would also agree. Surprisingly the article didn’t mention how technology has eliminated or decreased certain jobs like secretarial staff since alot of stuff like copying and mailing and filing has become obsolete. I hardly find ANY articles in the i-net itself on that topic and I think the reason there are so very few secretarial jobs NOW after the recession is that employers realized they didn’t really need them so they can hire as contract workers thru temp agencies if their other employees should get overloaded.
I still have not got any inkling as to what I should do as I’m probably as unskilled as a sr. in HS or actually considering I’ve never done a powerpoint presentation or any online social networking even less.
Sharon, no not too concerned; this might not pass but you’ll get over it eventually I’d imagine as you yourself said your age kinda works for you and you’re likely past menopause which is something I worry about as I can’t imagine my mood or energy levels getting any lower which sometimes happens with decreased hormones. You suffer from a high amount of guilt tho, not sure where that comes from, unless as a child you felt you deserved to be beaten because you were a bad girl. I’ve never understood guilt, they say alot of depressed people feel guilty because they feel worthless, I’ve never been able to relate but poor self esteem has not been an issue and I tend to not dwell on the past in fact I ought to live in the present more rather than neurotically fixating on the future, it’ll be here soon enough not much can be done bout that and you really can’t plan for what you don’t know will happen or not to a degree at least.
Had a good adventure with my friend yesterday but the magic was kinda lost when I asked what he was doing today and he told me he was going on a play date his wife had arranged for him with her friend’s husband. she has been doing alot of this of late and it making me very nervous. As it were they went kayaking in a place I wanted to go canoeing with him and am worried they had so much fun that they will want to do it again. He admitted as much that his wife has been pressuring him to do things like go hiking, fishing, canoeing etc. with her friends husbands and she brings it up when they go out which they’ve also been doing much more of recently. She scored them 12 days in a friends timeshare in Acadia National Park; to say I am green with envy lets say more than the entire forest there. They’ve not been on vacation other to visit her family in years and now this? and as it turns out he was planning on backbacking the following week so if next w/e rains I won’t have my playmate/soulmate till w/e AFTER Columbus Day. We were kinda going camping this coming w/e but upon visiting the campground yesterday I don’t think so, large groups of hispanics with their boom boxes, the camp has quiet hrs. 11-7 but the sites are right on top of each other so what kind of relaxing evening would that be? We are looking for an alternative but it don’t look promising unless I am willing to go to a backcountry site w/o showers or toilets which I really would not prefer so we’ll see.
Did you feel funny about this Holiday?
EOTW: No, I wasn’t a “bad girl,” and never believed I deserved the treatment I got. And certainly towed the line because I knew the consequences would be severe if I didn’t. I think abused children have a very complicated and intense love/hate relationship with their parents, always courting and looking for the love and approval that is so elusive.
I can certainly understand your concern about menopause. I went through very early menopause with very long undiagnosed severe case of endometriosis which smothered ovaries in my 30s. Didn’t know or recognize, nor was it recognized by the medical community, what was happening to me then, and it really played havoc with my (already fragile) emotional/mental state.
I don’t feel funny about this holiday, mainly because we may not be laboring in the way this holiday celebrates, but we are laboring to find jobs, to keep our heads above water, and to try to survive physically, emotionally and financially.
Didn’t you mention once before that your friend and his wife are planning on retiring? Perhaps all this new activity and all the “play dates” she is arranging for him with her friends’ husbands, and for them together, is a precursor of what you might expect when they retire? Or is it possible that she’s having some feelings that something is up, and is trying to circumvent what her concerns might be? Understand your concern about loss of time and adventures spent with him, especially since he is your primary social life and he’s going to be among the missing for a while, and there is a possible fear that his other activities will increase, leaving you more time alone. Also understand you being green with envy that he’s getting to do things you won’t be involved in, and going places you won’t get to go; but don’t know what to tell you to do about it, unfortunately.
Agree with you about Ms. Suri–good looks, intelligence, sense of humor…but don’t think it’s going to waste…we benefit, her family certainly benefits, it’s just that the rest of the world doesn’t know what they’re missing!!!–especially the work world.
I think technology has certainly made an impact on the work world and the lack of jobs in the secretarial/clerical/administrative areas, and agree that many of the new jobs will be through temp agencies where new hires will be primarily on an as-needed basis except for very small one or two person (support) offices. There have been a lot of articles in our papers (and on the internet this weekend) about unemployed finding that their competition is going to be the underemployed people who are working only p/t jobs and that companies are more likely when (if) they do hire f/t will hire those who have been working p/t. I personally do not see any chances of improvement in the job market for some time. Large companies are making record profits with fewer employees–what incentive do they have to hire if they can make do with what they have?
We are supposed to get some much-needed rain today. Had some misting this morning, a tiny bit of rain, hoping for more..gentle but steady rain to help the trees in particular. Had my coffee on front porch while it rained a tiny bit this a.m. It’s cooler than it has been, and forecast is for the upper 70s for next few days, so if we do get rain maybe the heat won’t leach all the moisture out of the earth, and we’ll have a little reprieve from the heat we’ve had.
I’ve put myself on a vitamin regimen and cod liver oil, which is known to help with depression as well as mental acuity…and don’t know if that’s helping, or if I’m just in my recovering state…but I’m trying to do things to help myself out of this morass I’ve been in. St. John’s Wart is supposed to help with depression, but I’ve tried that before and I have allergic reactions to it. Thought the first time it might be coincidence, but tried a second time and had the same reaction, so that’s not something I can take.
Hope both you and Suri have a great day today…Labor Day. And thank you both for being there….
Hey, Gang – To the Realists and Jobless — this IS the most difficult ‘labor’ EVER imho!! Oh, so much to comment on, where to start? lol
I read that post on work BEFORE e-mail also, EOTW, and readily admit this country has been in a period of GREAT transfer of skills and technology for years already. Sharon, you are SO RIGHT ON about companies — what’s the motivation/need to hire? Sharon and I have the age thing as an asset/liability?? Much more difficult imho to ‘hang on’ in a job market where our ‘self-taught’ computer skills would REQUIRE in many office environments add’l traing that they won’t consider. So EOTW think you WILL WORK your way back into job places. On the other hand, (does that make 3 or 4 hands? lol) I know my ‘revised’ goals have become a tiny, little p/t job at min wage — and still not attainable?!
Hearing more and more from friends of 30 somethings who have been out of work for TWO years and they HAVE the recent college degrees and experience but the numbers of job openings ARE JUST NOT THERE!! TRANSITION is more than a theme here and those of us are the ‘collateral damage’ !? My personal belief system is that it is particularly hurtful/harmful to we Americans as we are PROGRAMMED to PROGRESS. Good should result from the efforts of our work be it physical or mental — financial rewards as well as emotional wellbeing and feedback!! This country is SO FAILING IT’S CITIZENS for the LAST FIVE YEARS !! And the country itself is falling backa$$wards imho…
Obama’s whole Presidency and possible re-election may hinge on his boldness with proposals this coming week. I really feel so CLEARLY that WE ALL GO FORWARD TOGETHER or slide in the drink of the dark, twisted Repubs ‘cut our own throats’ mentality!!
Enough of that…
Suri: I agree with your observation that our age is both a liability and an asset. A liability, as you say, in that we are largely self-taught in technology. However, I have been reading more and more that people are being hired for their “hard skills” (computer knowledge), but not able to keep their jobs once hired due to their lack of “soft skills” (showing up on time, dressed appropriately, able to work in a team environment, not using work time to be on the internet or making personal phone calls, etc.). We grew up in a time when soft skills were EXPECTED, when a work ethic was valued. You can test for hard skills, but there is no testing for the soft skills, so employers are often making choices on the hard skills but finding that they alone are not enough, and that hard skills may be easier to teach than soft skills…so for those enlightened people and companies, perhaps we still have some chance?!? But do agree that I think EOTW has a better chance than we do for being hired due to her hard skills; unfortunately, she has the background problems that are hard to overcome.
To Be Continued: I have done much reading and thinking regarding why we are, who we are?? My insights and experience over a lifetime (don’t I SOUND so wise? lol) have shown, to me at least, that we are pretty much WHO WE ARE! But that also life events affect us greatly — some of us have had ‘our ticket punched’ (as I refer to life trauma/dramas) MUCH MORE OFTEN than others. Some of us had a calm uneventful childhood THEN experienced upset or relationships/marriages that unminded our ability to manage our lives?
I read a rather recent book (will get title later) that was written by a physchologist (sp?) who has spent 25 years dealing with children ‘wounded’ emotionally during horrendous parenting, or lack of parenting. We are talking EXTREME institutional cases involving courts, etc. He found (the book relates maybe 20 case studies) that having had a nuturing, loving, stable foundation of love in the first years of life by at least ONE individual who TRULY LOVED the child the most important framework to allowing that child to EVER develop into an individual who could love themselves, care for others, and just survive in general. Maybe, not thrive or necessarily be successful, but just to EXIST in a meaningful, productive manner.
Some of the cases involved such cruel circumstances and neglect as to be unbelievable!!! Almost makes one question GOD, where are you that this can happen sort of thing??
His findings and research were published to offer insights and meaning to how important the initial first years and environment of a child’s life is and that much of the damage from which can’t be undone or redone over the individual’s lifetime. I hoping I’m not ‘adding’ to your burdens by posting this, Sharon, as you KNOW that would NEVER be my intent!!
On the other hand, amazing what people can and do overcome in their childhoods IF they had a good basis with loving intentions EVEN if lacking in the viewpoint of society? One case I recall was a young boy whose loving Mom had died when he was 2 and whose well-meaning Gdad took over rearing him. The single gdad whose life involved rearing/training dogs often placed the youngster in pet corral in house to safeguard him while he did chores, etc. When gdad went into hospital couple of years later and the situation was discovered, the specialists were completely surprised how ‘unaffected’ child was as their was LOVE involved much more than neglect??
Have also read in the past many books regarding how many individuals suffer and become stronger but people of similiar backgrounds just become broken…
We, as a civilization, tend to ‘highlight’ the what doesn’t break you makes you stronger thing, but in truth many, for a myriad of reasons, AREN’T ABLE to overcome or even survive. WE just never think it will be our name on the door of a threatening experience or we flatter ourselves thinking ‘we would do so much better than another’ when we just haven’t been tested AT ALL??
Know from my depth of experience with DH and our families how differing family environment/expectations affect us our whole lives. For myself, my Dad’s positive, steadfast attitude was always my ‘true north’ compass for my life (thank you Daddy!!). Learned to not rely on my Mom as she was often ill and or completely absent from my childhood (sorry, Mom, just the facts). So we had a rather detached relationship as long as I can remember…
DH had very strict, rigid father who was distant and very difficult to please. His mother was his and all the children’s champion but couldn’t always protect them. I have now found over 40 years that his basic feelings of ‘not being good enough’ and feeling ‘stupid’ have stuck with him to this very day inspite of our his personal and professional successes. Always there, just below the surface!
Suri: You have obviously given this much thought, and I feel rather inadequate to reply to all your info and insights.
My BF has told me on many occasions that he has never known anyone who loves like I do. Not just family and friends, animals, that I know, but people I don’t even know, and my capacity for love. On one occasion he told me this and said in comparing himself to me that he found himself lacking and thought maybe there was something wrong with him, and he struggled with how he could be more like me and finally decided that there was nothing wrong with him, just that we were different. My immediate response to him was, “I was born like this, I’ve always been like this. I don’t believe it is something that can be taught. I just am.” So this may attest to at least a portion of the nature vs nurture, that there are attitudes and beliefs that we feel ourselves to have been born with. And I do believe that sexual orientation is something people are born with. However, that being said, I also believe that what we were born with can be derailed at least to some extent by the way we were raised.
I was always grateful for my mom’s love, and from the study you relayed, Suri, that may have been my saving grace. Mom did what she could, given her limited education, and the fact that daddy kept her kind of isolated and dependent so that she had few choices for herself or for me.
I always tried to figure out why my dad was like he was, attempted to learn about how he was raised and what could have contributed to the way he treated me. Nothing came close to explaining it, but I did learn to understand him a little better. I’ve come to believe that at the very least he may have suffered from undiagnosed (given the times and his unwillingness to admit that his behavior was unusual) bipolar disease, given his fits of rage. Don’t know if he may also have suffered from some other mental disorder as well.
Believe I was also born with a very well-developed conscience, which contributed to my wanting to understand people, and that I have a responsibility not only as a member of a family, but as a member of society, to help people and animals, and to be a caretaker of the physical world we were gifted, when I am able.
Know I have not adequately responded to you, and for that I apologize.
Think your gdaughter’s arrival into the world was amazing, and your DIL and #1 son were equally amazing in handling an at-home birth with such equanimity; and so glad that all went well for all three of them. Congratulations on your first grandchild!
Hey – Just a few more comments, I’m worn out! lol
EOTW, thinking this ‘change’ is planned by BF’s wife but THEY say ‘change is the ONLY constant in life?’ The problem is for us to learn to ‘embrace’ the change, huh? lol I am sorry for the prospect of less fun and excitement from shared adventures in YOUR life in meantime. Any other people in your life to reach out to for inclusion into your escapades?
Sharon – I agree with EOTW — you seem most resilient and healthy emotionally. However, I well know and respect how quickly things can go ‘down hill’…
EOTW – I get the ‘gag me with a spoon’ artifical cheeriness and personal warmth of servers and store personnel these days. A BIT MUCH don’t we think?? My friends aren’t this interested or nice to me!! LOL
Amazing the ‘selling of one’s soul’ all employees are REQUIRED to do in this day/age??
Must find some lunch, worked up appetite! lol Will hang out more later… Peace and joy INSPITE of reasons not to be!!
OOPS!! I forgot my gbaby Alaina Sue was born AT HOME on Sept 3rd, 5:25 a.m., 7 lb 1 oz, 19 l/2″ WOO-HOO!!
ALL the technology, testing and interventions as DIL had gestional diabetes and she came into the world as millions of babies the most natural way, on her terms, at her time, with just Mommy and Daddy!! What a story!! Son and DIL were in abit of shock later realizing ALL that could have gone wrong — cord around neck, not breathing, etc. But prayers ANSWERED for a smooth, healthy delivery!!
Suri, hi well that’s some good news, what a pretty name too, “Alaina” how did they pick that? I really like that name kinda different.
Well I don’t go to restaurants or shopping so can’t vouch for the staff behavior there but what I referred to was the “working for us” tab in the employment section on company websites. Many of them sound very cultish and as if the employees there are expected to have some kind of fixation with the product or service AND the job.
No I have no body else in my life besides my married older friend. I am a true modern day hermit and this is largely by choice as I can’t stand most people I meet so I try to avoid them as much as possible, prefering the company of my little Bears. I literally associate with no-one other than him and mother tho I try to avoid her as much as possible too. The only reason I sought him out on a hike he was leading was because I was very taken by the movie and book The Hours due to the explicit suicide scene and the suffering of the main characters. He has the same name as the author of the novel and I’d noticed him listed as a hike leader a few times, I mean I KNEW he was not the writer but still I thought it was some kind of sign and it turned out to be true, we clicked instantly tho he’d not seen the movie or heard of the book we are able to finish each others sentences we think so alike tho we are not 100% compatible and have some major differences but I’ve never had anybody I can have an actual conversation with and I was an active member of the AMC (appalachian mountain club) for 10 years and other groups trying to meet like minded people when finally I realized um they’re ain’t nobody like me! In college at the radio station I DJ’d at the running joke was I was from another planet, people have told me this/asked me this before as well as thinking I am from another country tho I was born in the same city I live now.
So does this son live close by so you can visit easily?
Sharon, no that comment was not mean to Suri specifically but to all of us, esp. ME as I am the true hermit here as explained above. I do laugh at my own jokes tho and spend hours gazing at myself in the mirror thanking the Lord above I am not some fat ugly slob and my little bears are constantly in awe of my vast intellect and big head, they tell me my head is so big it hurts them when I rest it on their tummy so I try not to crush them often but sometimes I like to pretend the roles are reversed and I am a little teddy bear snuggling with my companion.
Well I thought you felt obligated to take care of your father due to feelings of guilt stemming from early childhood trauma but there goes that theory if you knew as a little girl that you didn’t deserve to be treated in the manner you were. I’ve read about abused woman, once I thought of volunteering in the Woman’s Shelter here but really found that I could not relate or empathize with the clientele, those were abused by their life partner and instead of hating their guts and wanting them dead they had a bizarre love/fear relationship, mind boggling to me.
Another fun and exiting week ahead…wonder if Obama’s Jobs Speech on Thurs. will be worth watching or it will be another ratings booster for him not some real plan for us very long term UE.
The idea I and others had had to have non-profits hire the UE and the gov’t pay some kind of stipend seems most logical to me as those jobs allready exist just now they are volunteer jobs like our hospital has a huge volunteer staff and you have to interview and get quarterly EE reviews, you have to follow the dress code and abide by the same rules as the paid employees and these are not just filing or stuffing envelope types of jobs. I don’t see how anybody other than a magician can create jobs outta thin air and am leery of any job training program since most jobs require experience and I really have no clue what kind of job I could train for, the only things i’ve ever been vaguely interested in is being a therapist or writer. I could start an online therapy blog but since I have no credentials I might get sued if somebody misinterprets what I say esp. if I’m joking and they don’t get it. I tried a “Dear Abbey” type of column in college with the college paper but nobody wrote in so I wrote in fake problems myself.
EOTW: Sorry that I misinterpreted your nice comment that was meant for all of us, and I thought it was directed to Suri—so I will belatedly thank you for including me in it!!
I am somewhat reclusive too, but not because I don’t like other people, but because I love being home, love being with my girls. I also don’t like crowds–so I don’t do shopping in the holiday season well because I panic in crowds.
Your comment about “try not to crush them” reminded me of something I read in the book I had given daddy years ago to write about his life–it asks questions and he’s to answer. Anyway, when he was a child, he loved baby chicks. He loved them so much that he would hold them and squeeze them, and squeezed the life out of them, and then would cry; and then he was spanked for killing them. Felt so sad for him that he loved them so much and inadvertently killed them.
I think your uniqueness would make you an interesting friend, and I’m sorry that you have found that people find it off-putting; though from what you say, you’re pretty picky yourself about the people you would choose to be friends with. I’m afraid that it sounds like your friend is going to be more and more occupied with his wife, and with other activities and travel that will shorten the time he has available to spend with you, and I hope that in some way you can begin now to make whatever adjustments you can make to take care of yourself and your interests in his absences; or another cohort to enjoy things with. I know, I know, it took a long time to find him; but you did find him, so that likely means that there is someone else out there whose company you can enjoy. True, it may not be to the same degree, or have quite the same compatibility, but I wouldn’t close myself off to those opportunities. By the way, whatever happened to doing the trail stuff?–are you doing that, or has it fallen by the wayside?
Yeh, well finding someone else is comparable to finding a job it would seem as I am rejected similiarly by those i’d be interested in and one can only take so much rejection, I’ve been rejected by my peers since I was little so after a lifetime of this i am truly sick of people as I am getting sick of looking for work and I realize my odds are quite marginal.
Oh the trail work… i had the temp job at the time and it was expected I do it m-f with another intern who works for the City so I had to decline it. They hired somebody else so after I lost the temp job that was no longer available to me as it were. As I said that temp job caused more problems then it was worth.
I did have a bad feeling about it from the start but since I always have bad feelings about things it hard to tell whether it’s a psychic premonition or just my doomsday thinking but I definitely had no sense of relief and was as tense as tense can be, I also sensed the HR dir. did not like me from Day 1, as she was over solicitous and gave me some harsh looks and I think my direct boss was 2nd. guessing the decision to hire me as well, there was just something very tense, even tho i was not doing anything wrong other than coming in late I felt that i was in trouble or something was off but then again I have this feeling all the time like a dark cloud hovering above me, a massive feeling of dread so hard to say when I am imagining things or they really are not going well.
A crappy rainy day today it almost noon and i’ve not done a thing so going out to walk in the rain now and get my blood circulating before I waste another day staring out the window.
EOTW: Really overcast here today too, though not raining, but VERY cool–need a light jacket, quite a dramatic difference from our mid to upper 90s. The front came through from Lee yesterday, and we had some rain which was desperately needed, but with it came tornado watch all day, and in my area, almost back-to-back tornado warnings all day. The day I had looked forward to with rain and nesting and relaxing was anything but because you had to be watching the weather all the time and prepare to take shelter, it was very unnerving. And I woke up yesterday with my neck hurting terribly, which also has given me a headache, and despite taking Aleve, neither have abated any for two days now.
It’s hard to tell sometimes if our actions make for self-fulfilling prophecies, or if things really are as they sometimes ‘feel’ they are. As you’ve said, you are kind of Eyeor-ish and sometimes may project your expectations onto the situation. I rather like Eyeor actually…like his voice, and find him rather interesting!!
I’m sorry about the trail job…though if I recall, you weren’t real certain about that, but it seemed to me like a good fit; so sorry the job that didn’t turn out disqualified you from this one.
Nothing to apply for yet again today…no new jobs at all. There are commission ONLY sales jobs that require 2 years or more of sales experience, and I did see a job which required an ADVANCED degree, and paid .25 more than minimum wage!!!! Things are dropping like a stone!! If Obama’s speech on Thurs doesn’t include something more and better than his union speech, think we’re in for another disappointing speech, and nothing to help US for jobs. Seems like there is again talk about infrastructure jobs–which would be good for unemployed construction people, but do nothing for MOST women, or people looking for office work. And obviously, extending the tax cuts for the wealth ‘job creators’ has not done a thing, despite the Republican insistence that that would be our way out. It wasn’t before, don’t know why they thought it would be now; just their agenda.
Hope you enjoyed your rain walk, and we’ll all hope for better days…though it is becoming increasingly bleak imho.
I have tried twice to make a comment on the article about places to retire, with absolutely no success. When I press the submit button, nothing at all happens, post disappears, but nothing beyond that happens, and when I come back here to check, the post is not there. Anyway, you might want to read the article, because it is interesting, tho I think it could have been a more in-depth article with a little more detail. Not that I’m likely to move to another country, but it is something to keep tucked into the back of your mind.
Sharon, yeh – Singing in the Rain or maybe it’s crying. Surprisingly no matter how crappy i feel am not the weepy type, i very rarely cry ‘cept over commercials.
You have your tornadoes I have my flooding, bout 3+ inches of water sitting against the side of my unit and it sposed to rain non-stop for the next 3 days. I keep forgetting I don’t OWN this condo and am surprised the LL didn’t even ask me about flooding or come see for herself. I don’t have flood insurance and not sure she does either should the carpets get soaked, they are filthy and worn as it is, not surprised if I have mold growing underneath, the fl. is concrete with thin layer of carpeting which is so worn in spots I keep crunching over the dead or live? bugs when I walk, don’t wanna know WTF is under here, it’s a constant crunch,crunch. I do know that the pooling water has no place to go but UNDER the unit and my apt. does smell funny very musty sometimes more than others so I keep the windows open as much as possible but I will try not to panic as long as my stuff stays dry tho afraid the LL may hold ME responsible for keeping it dry in here.
Don’t know whether or not you’ve noticed but it seems there is a significant INCREASE in the amount of negative info concerning job seekers nowadays as in basically if you can’t get a job now, it’s not the economy that’s to blame it’s the job seeker who’s resume is terrible and who is too inadequate to get a job. I just listened to this podcast which really raised my hackles this type of commentary only contributes to long term unemployment, they actually said that the quality of the labor pool has gone down and this was from a job search website where I thought I might get some helpful hints when it was just a rant by a recruiter how she has all these jobs but the job seekers are so pathetic that she can’t place anyone and that they should not be complaining about employment agencies when they are the ones who are defective. I noticed the hatred early on but it has gotten worse, that type of negative “the unemployed are pathetic losers who can’t get a job” propaganda ain’t gonna help ANY of us and I have NO clue why somebody would want to spread such venom?
Lots o jobs here but again not ONE i can apply to, mostly mid/upper career level jobs with specific experiences/requirements I lack. I hope these past 2 weeks have just been some fluke; this is as bad as 2009 when I was receiving UE and HAD to apply to min. 3 jobs per week and often just applied to some unrelated job just to put something down on my log as there literally were no office work type jobs. Jesus Christ maybe we are back in a recession as some have predicted? Even the retail jobs are not posted, something is going on…also another odd thing, jobs are being posted for weeks, not sure what that means, that was the case during the height of the recession but then last yr. i noticed things would not be posted for a full 7 days even and now we seem to be back to posting jobs for a month? I can’t even speculate on that one.
EOTW: Some of the things I am noticing is that previous hourly salaried retail jobs, like in herbal shops, are now posting jobs as either commissioned sales only, or “salary plus commission”–which you know means minimal salary and mostly commission. Can you believe such a thing?!–for real? There has been nothing to post to here for some time for what I refer to as ‘regular’ office jobs, only jobs where they want advanced degrees and willing to pay minimum wage or tiny bit above. I can only be grateful that I’m not having to satisfy the UE office with applications, because there’s just nothing out there!! I personally have never felt the recession was over, so I don’t believe we’re going into a double-dip recession, I believe we are in the rabbit tunnel going down to the 2nd Great Depression, and we are galloping there on a very fast black horse with red eyes…that’s how I envision it. I’m afraid as bad as it is now, the worst is yet to come…not that I want to be the harbinger of even more bad news—it just feels like reality to me.
I don’t see how your LL could possibly hold you responsible for water in the unit that you have no control over entry of water, how could you possibly change the route of water? Of course, I have not understood how your LL could hold you responsible for repairs, that’s just unheard of, it’s his/her property, not yours. I’m concerned for you too if you have 3+ inches of water outside and it’s supposed to rain for another 3 days. If you can move your stuff up, I’d try to do that. Know you can’t possibly move everything up…I mean, where can you put furniture?!–but the things you treasure try to move up if you can, or put in waterproof, sealed containers if you have any, and bar that, garbage bags tied. If there actually is mold in your place, you know that’s not good for your health and can cause you all kinds of problems. Wonder if the “crunching” under the carpet (don’t like the sound of you thinking it could be dead or live bugs!!–yuck!) could possibly be the concrete breaking up under the carpet, which can be if water has gotten underneath the concrete over time and erodes it. Know you don’t want to be pulling back the carpet to take a look, plus then how do you get it solidly back down again!–but not happy with the idea of you being exposed to who knows what. If you have bugs under there, they can carry diseases. Okay, don’t mean to add to your horror already. Wish you lived higher up so you would be less likely to have flooding issues or eroding concrete. I worry for you. Please be sure to let us know how you are doing. And don’t let this LL walk all over you. Again, I truly don’t know how they get away with you having to make repairs when it’s their property. Most of us don’t have flood insurance because most of us, at least up until now, have never lived in a flood plane—but that does put us at risk when we are flooded because we can get nothing for our losses. I don’t know, can renters even GET flood insurance?—that should be your LLs responsibility. But I guess maybe flood insurance for your personal property. You do at least have renter’s insurance I hope…though know that for most of us, any add’l costs can no longer be borne.
I think there has ALWAYS been angst against the unemployed. It’s possible that we may hear MORE of it now because more people are getting frightened, and fear engenders hatred. We’re them—the employed who fear it could happen to them next, and they have to be angry at us for reminding them of their fear. They also have to make someone out as the “bad guy,” and we’re the most likely target. There are some fields where people need to be highly technically trained–and most of us don’t meet that, but then, neither do those employed people who are so fearful of being the next in the UE line who will also not be able to get those jobs because they are no better qualified. There are those who know someone who knows someone who can still help with getting jobs, but I think it’s becoming increasingly difficult to use networking well because the #s of jobs are just not out there. What you fear is what you hate—and they fear us because they are just one step away from being us…they have to put their hate somewhere.
You mentioned commercials…have you seen the Venza (car) ones with the kids (there are a couple with girls and one with a boy) who are talking about their “aging” parents and how they’re probably not having any fun, or aren’t on facebook and have no friends, and all the while they are talking it shows their parents meeting friends, having driven somewhere in their car, and going to concerts on the green, or horseback riding or whatever, while the child is sitting at home alone lamenting their parents’ lives. For some reason, I think those are cute; and it’s certainly NOT because I have this wonderful life where I’m running around doing fun things with friends and my snazzy new car (NOT)!!
Like I said, please keep us informed and take care…
Did whole post — won’t register?
Hey – Gang, Second verse not nearly GOOD as first! lol Do Not Trust site posting for looonng posts. (thought I LEARNED THAT lesson! lol at myself)
EOTW – Do you have a broom to help sweep away the standing water on patio? Would at least help! Won’t ever go there about LL considering you responsible?? Never heard such a thing!! As big sister, Sharon, said be very careful about air quality and mold. Think a bleach mixture will stop/destroy small areas.
I am so worried about the ‘state of affairs’ with the rain so please post updates that our good vibes for your WELL fare our working!!
Also EOTW (getting to you later, Sharon (?) lol): YOU are MUCH TOO SPECIAL to allow yourself to stay in the gloom for long!! The only ‘certain’ in LIFE is CHANGE and the trick imho is to attempt to embrace and welcome it, then one can enjoy ‘being in the moment’ even more knowing that MOMENT is not going to last!! Good or bad!? The availability of BF has me thinking for awhile here that’s SO UNFAIR TO YOU but under the circumstances… Now, speaking for myself only, I would rather ‘handle’ the situation on my terms than just BE at the ready IN CASE?! Make your own plans and schedule activities to look forward to!! I understand at this stage/age VERY DIFFICULT to make new connections and PEOPLE disappoint me quite often also!! But your inner connections and sense of self are working quite nicely so just (I know, EASY for me to post! lol) GO FORTH and BE OPEN to the universe and what it has to offer in both relationships and job openings!! To be continued…
Chapter Two – The Unending Story!! lol
Please KNOW one and all, I would NEVER intentionally cause more rocks in your buckets or a heavier load than we already pull… It’s just that others don’t see any outward marks of the inner pain, I guess. EOTW (guess you’re getting more than ‘your share’ of attention! lol) I’m with you and just not usually a crier except at sad movies, etc. Think it comes from a childhood where I, being first-born, had to be the ‘big girl’ role model from the VERY beginning. Then I spent almost 15 years in professional career with many assending levels of responsibility and had to prove emotionally I was ‘one of the boys’ back in the day!!
Now, of course, that’s just me and sometimes WISH I could cry, it would feel better! Instead I just become VERY quiet, calm, and concentrated and many including my DH AND DS don’t really GET IT? So just be true to WHO you are — that is quite enough imho!
Part Three – Jobs, no jobs, nada, zilch… Agree with Sharon on recession never ended!! I, at least, can tread water with the refi accomplished. What a relief!! But no ‘ease’ in budget between gas costs, food costs, and add’l medical bills & drugs for DH this August!!
NOW the ‘powers that be’ JUST REALIZED the Nation is at a STAND STILL?! Crazy stupid, isn’t it? Heard some ‘good’ if somewhat scary comments on Rachael Maddow, Ed Show, Last Word on CNN last evening. In general, it’s ALL on Obama’s shoulders to deliver BIG TIME on unemp, jobs, and housing imho!! They discussed some WPA type programs to provide income for jobless as well as unemp extensions to continue. Also infrastructure jobs, of course!! Original stimulus was just imho not nearly large enough for the depth of the crisis!! Still think way too much tiptoeing around the GOP has lessened President’s respect in my book, but am OPEN to change!!
Sharon, I’m concerned about coming to grips with anticipating move to Dad’s or whatever will be required for that decision? I hesitate to even approach topic as I know HOW YOU LOVE YOUR HOME!! But don’t want to dance around the elephant in the middle of the room? I hope and pray V-S, at least, calls you back in for holidays that now seem right around the corner with the seasonal changes in our weather here!!
We made it though a/c season so now WISH us luck on the furnace! lol I personally (selfishly, I know) hope Pres has some incentives to purchase appliances (fridge is on last legs) or upgrade old home heating systems with tax rebates, etc. You get the picture here? lol Otherwise, solidering onward here which means doing just what’s necessary… Not fun so much for millions and millions of Americans is dangerous to our lives, our families, our communities, our very country is AT RISK!!
Part Four – then a break, I promise!
So glad WE have our support group and need ALL on board to agree to reach out and pull anyone slipping toward the edge BACK into the fold. These tough times will END and we will look back on it and laugh (or at least not CRY!!). We all REQUIRE support and to share it with both of you is a privilege beyond explanation!! So take as needed and share when you can is always good advice imho.
Wishing sunshine in all your lives, each and every day, but knowing rain will fall so have umbrellas ready!! Not so lol for EOTW? Let us know? Peace.
EOTW: First upon awakening before my feet ever touched the floor this morning I thought about you and the rising water. Was quite upset with myself that I hadn’t mentioned to maybe consider putting your most precious belongings in your car and move to higher ground before possibly the roads become impassable. Your safety is more important than your unit or even your belongings. You can stay in your car if you have to, or maybe your mom is on higher ground and you could go to her place–I know, horrors!!–but maybe safe for a while? You were there when she needed you to stay with.
Agree with Suri about the bleach–but can’t put it on your carpet I wouldn’t think? Would also normally agree with sweeping water away, but what I recall is that the land etc. slopes TOWARD your house, kind of like trying to turn the tides by sweeping against them?
As for me and moving, yes, it is the elephant in the room that I just can’t even address–not just because of the emotions involved with it, but EVERYTHING involved…going through their stuff and selling, going through my stuff, and how do I get moved with no help–can’t carry furniture and load in truck by myself!!, and no money to pay people to do this for me.
Anyway, most important right now is we hope to hear from you EOTW and get an update as to your status and the water. Always grateful for both of you, and like Suri, hope we are helpful, not adding more to your load.
Now, I will hope this post will “take.” Losing confidence about that, as Suri had problems getting her posts to actually show up.
Know this will make no difference if you don’t do it ahead of time, but don’t forget to do CTRL Refresh to get new posts, as they are not always coming up and if they don’t come up, you don’t get any new posts. Back to the same ol’ same ol’.
S & S, oh very chatty today are we? A grey cold day here, it stopped raining and the water has disappeared? tho my side “yard” is a pool of mud soup and my patio is covered with brown sludge. The problem is not only is the ground on a slant there is no grass or shrubbery to hold the water it’s sandy dirt the water just rolls right down it. Not sure if we are getting anymore rain today, feels more like snow if anything, brr.
Have to decide today whether we are going camping this w/e or not as NY has a 2 nite min. so we’d have to leave fri. after work so basically we’d be getting there after 7 when it’s getting dark, actually the campground area is under trees so likely even darker. On the other hand we could just go up in that area for the day as now he has to be back Sun. afternoon so there is almost no pt. in going, it not like I really wanna camp all that bad, i mainly wanted 2 full days up there and would prefer a B&B but he won’t take me there. Having seen the actual campground last w/e tho I dunno, it was too crowded, noisy and smelly (grills on everywhere). I have camped in AK and NH and the Northern Adirondacks and way up in CN, these were wilderness camping areas with bathroom facilities there or nearby, tho not the cleanest at least the location of the campground was in a scenic area, this particular one is very wooded and there are no views, there is an open grass area where kids where playing ball and running about and the campground had ALOT of kids and teens so will have to think a bit, my friend has kinda changed his mind esp. as I’m not as enthusiastic as he thought and he was not as taken with the place either due to the holiday crowds. We have lots of campgrounds closer to home by lakes, rivers and the ocean even but those we’ve allready seen are also with sites virtually on top of each other with barely a little bush in between, fine if you are going with a large group but very uncomfortable if not. Many people view camping as a social activity not as a wilderness/nature experience, the 2 are totally different forms of camping, well really roughing it would be w/o b/r or shower facilities but not my cup of tea, i’ve done that too and got so desparate I went into this swampy boggy pond to wash off and it was so dirty my white t-shirt turned black and I had to swim to the middle amidst all kinds of lilly pads and weeds and came out not feeling much cleaner, another place i recall up in NH very beautiful I forced myself into some river that must’ve been 50 degrees if even, I was a bad girl and put shampoo on my head and could barely force myself to dunk my head in and wash it off, another time also in the ADK’s i went in the river and my glasses fell off and almost were lost downstream as the current was quite strong and I only had the 1 pair and woulda been in big trouble as I can’t see w/o them. I was in my 20′s then an not quite as fussy or intolerant as now I guess tho at the time I was not happy with the primitive conditions either but at least I was able to do it w/o complaining too much and afterwards it felt like i’d survived an Outward Bound type of experience which is hard to feel in a campground with 100 other people who’ve bought 1/2 the comforts of home with them.
EOTW: You are just too cute!! Here we are worrying ourselves rather mightily over you (or at least I was, anyway!!) and picturing you floating away with all your treasures, and you are doing just fine….don’t get me wrong–I was so relieved and grateful to read your opening lines that I just couldn’t help but smile…you being you and all!! So chatty are we?!–you bet, we’ve been worried about you…so I guess maybe we get chatty to hold one another up, including you if you need it. So relieved to know you are ok, and no damage. Think there is another tropical storm coming, have heard them mention…but don’t really know yet where it is expected to have any consequences, if any…? It’s “cold” here too–not really cold, but certainly a dramatic difference from what we’ve been–temps in the upper 50s at night and in the upper 60s/low 70s. But weather just said we’re going to be warming up tomorrow again to the upper 70s/low 80s, mid-80s by end of week. I’ve rather enjoyed this cooler reprieve and kind of wish it would last a few days longer. They’re to have an update on the tropical storm a little later to see what’s going to happen with that.
I’ve never really been camping in a tent, so I’m pretty sure I’d prefer bathroom and shower facilities. Not real crazy about having lots of strangers on top of me, or lots of kids…tho I like kids well enough, prefer the ones I know, or at least children of people I know. B&B would be nice, a nice, clean place to go back to after the day and clean up and shower and crash, but since that’s out of the question, just decide I guess how important it is to you to stay two days up there and if it’s worth the possibility of being overrun by people. However, do give thought to the idea that without the holiday there may be lots fewer people and it might be more to your liking…plus if the cooler weather holds out, some people might be less interested in camping. Don’t know how long the drive is, but if you are only going to really get one day and a night, and have to leave early in the day on Sun it might not be worth it.
Anyway, I’m just really glad that you are alright and have not been washed away or had anything ruined at your home and that you have something pleasant to look forward to this weekend when you make your decision. Yea EOTW!
EOTW & Sharon – Thank goodness, rain has stopped for time being… Yes, we’re regular chatty Cathy’s here! lol The camping thing leaves many levels of ‘roughing in’ and many different intrepretations!! What about State Parks? Around here they are a little less stacked on top of each others campsites? Yes, holiday w/e was probably site with most people all summer?! Remember kids are in school now too.
Are you looking for the peace and quiet or time with BF or just getting away — or all three? lol Some of our campgrounds, state as well as independent, have little cabins you can rent with everything except you bring sleeping bags and pillows. But that may run as much as B & B? Why doesn’t he want to do one night at B & B or just out of the mood now?
Yes, the unemp are a reminder that haunts many — this could be YOU!! Just talked with old friend whose 31 yr son, with great work record and his master’s degree, who has been out of work over a year as my son was. There is something SERIOUSLY WRONG in our country and it’s failing millions of citizens that NO OPENINGS are available year after year!! What a fright?!
Anyone going to ‘brave’ the Repub debate — just for info and a few laughs? We will see… Think many in my age group are just resigned to the sidelines for forseeable future. A constant source of worry, how is this country going on with SO MANY MILLIONS on the sidelines, not contributing and not earning any funds for retirement?! And just barely living with our heads above water?
Did get somethings accomplished today but think soup and sandwiches for supper tonight as cooked pork chops, augrautin potatoes last night. Can’t afford big meals every night, if you know what I mean. Lots of ‘making do’ in our worlds, huh?
Be at peace, as much as possible, and hope and dream of better days ahead…
Very depressing, this new “American Jobs Act” does NOTHING for the very long UE, 99ers and people like me rapidly approaching Year 3.
I’ll investigate the details later, should it come to pass, I doubt it will in it’s entirety.
I know convicted felons can only get jobs in construction as it is but I just don’t picture myself with a jackhammer rebuilding America’s roads (they are terrible around here bike riding is only for the suicidal) OR i think i heard Obama say something about building/rebuilding schools and something about roofwork, yah right. I could see myself as a hotel maid cleaning toilets before doing any roofwork.
He talked about some jobs training program for those CURRENTLY on UE well what if you are not on UE, then what? PLUS the UE extentions he’s talking about is NOT to add to the 99 weeks some of us have exhausted, it is just to continue for those who lost their jobs in 2009/10. The tax credits, nobody is gonna hire somebody they can do w/o just to get a tax credit plus nothing specific for the very long term UE, the gov’t considers “long term” as 6 months or more, 6 months? I was not even in panic mode then, try 1 year anniversary, 2 yr. anniversary or by my 3 yr. anniversary in Dec. it’ll be like Whatever…
I have to turn the TV off. Yeh, he’s a good speaker but it’s more like Gag me with a spoon at this pt. I’d not vote for him tho likely any Repub challenger will CUT all social service benefits like SNAP, Medicaid and Rental assist not to mention UE. It will be the lesser of 2 evils as it always is;
Wow this guy should win an Emmy or something!
The speech is over, it was much shorter than I thought and less detailed.
I don’t know about any fellow 99ers but I got no hope from this at all, a BIG disappointment. I’ll be 43 in a couple of weeks, odd to think I may never work again.
EOTW: I absolutely agree with every point you made, plus an additional one for older Americans (unemployed or not) who will have Medicare cut in some way, shape or form. So, in addition to all the other things you had to say, to which I agree, there is this as well. I thought it was laughable to have him referring to long-term unemployed as 6 months or more (but obviously LESS THAN 99 weeks). Well, we are NOT ALONE out here in being well over 99 weeks unemployed, and not for lack of trying or training, but for a variety, unfortunately, of other reasons–but none having to do with our ability to do the jobs we are seeking.
Yes, supposedly this would help construction workers, teachers, firemen, cops, and veterans, and supposedly the long-term unemployed (less than 99 weeks). The extension does nothing for those beyond 99 weeks, and though some out there may think it will apply to them, it doesn’t…it’s only for those currently on unemployment which will expire at the end of the year. Again, people will misunderstand this as they misunderstood it before when everyone thought 99ers would be included in the extensions, and were not. You’re right, he did say something about working on repairing schools. Obviously, it’s not likely you (or I) are going to be qualified for doing road work or construction–they don’t want trainees, they want people who know what they’re doing.
Also, as you said, the training programs are only for those currently on unemployment….so where does that leave the rest of America who are no longer even counted and apparently do not matter?
I am concerned about the Republican candidates who are currently in the running—they all appear to be rabid fanatics, and you are right about that as well, they will cut all social services and leave anyone and everyone out there to survive the best they can living in the streets and out of other people’s garbage. As most always, we are stuck choosing between the lesser of two evils, and for my money, there is no question that most middle class and poorer people in this country (who I am now among) will be better off with Obama for a 2nd term than ANY of the Republican candidates who are so over the top as to be orbiting in outer space somewhere.