After seven and a half months after my last day at Chevron, I am still looking for a job. When I was let go, I never pictured being out of work this long. On the bright side, I have had many interviews and am much more comfortable interviewing than I have ever been. It's funny how job search activity seems to be very cyclical, at least for me. It seems like I'll have a week or two where I have multiple interviews and then a few weeks without anything. Fortunately, this week is one of the busy ones.
I had an interview today with LA Business Personnel, a job search firm based in L.A. My interview today was more of an assessment, though. I took tests for MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and a typing test as well as a brief interview so they could better understand my job experience. It went well, but will help them look for job possibilities for me. I still have to go through the normal interview process with whatever company they find for me.
Tomorrow's interview is more interesting. I'll be having lunch at CPK while interviewing with Hawaiian Airlines. If anything develops from the HA interview, things could get very interesting, but I'll leave it at that for now. It was originally going to be a phone interview since the guy I'm interviewing with is based out of Hawaii. He happens to be travelling back to Hawaii from Chicago and will be in town tomorrow; thus the face to face interview.
My last interview with The Gas Co. was on March 31. They have not yet filled the position and have not yet made a decision. I have no idea what the holdup is, but at least it's still a possibility. My (and Traci's) hope is that they are trying to get the ok to open up a second position, which they mentioned to me in my last interview, and try to hire me for that one. Ii have no idea if that is what is going on, so we'll see.
Otherwise, life is going fairly well. The girls are getting ready to finish up school in a few weeks. We're especially excited about Skyler finishing up preschool for a couple of reasons. First, that means she will be in kindergarten in the Fall. Secondly, because we will no longer have the monthly preschool payment!! We've been getting some financial aid the past few months, but we are still paying the majority of it and we will lose that payment after our last payment next week.
Softball season is over (see my last posting), but I was asked if I was interested in the being on the League's Board. It sounds like a good idea, especially since I've seen some inefficiencies that shouldn't be that hard to improve. We'll have to see if they like me enough to put add me to the Board. Although I'm not doing it for the resume, it won't look bad on there either.
Memorial Day weekend is coming up and the girls are very excited to be going camping with us and Traci's parents. The girls love camping and the fact that the campground we are going to has a huge pool. They haven't gone swimming in a long time and they live for that.
The Dodgers have been very disappointing this season. I feel like it's already a lost cause. Hopefully once the ownership situation and the issues surrounding that get worked out, things will turn around.
Just got off the phone with the guy I'm interviewing with tomorrow. He needed to change the time of our meeting tomorrow so now we're having breakfast at South Coast Plaza instead of lunch at CPK. I like morning interviews because then it's over early and I don't have to worry about it as much during the day. I'll have to deal with some rush hour traffic, but it should be worth it.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
2011 Softball Reflections
The softball season has come and gone and I now have my first season as a coach under my belt. Overall, it was a very good experience. I knew it would be fun and there may be moments where I wouldn't enjoy it, and it turned out that way. The good very much outweighs the bad, however, and I am thankful for that.
It was very fun getting to know all of the girls and their different personalities and watching them improve as the season went on. Sure it was frustrating at times when things didn't go the way I hoped, but that's part of the game and being a coach.
I loved encouraging the girls, especially when they did really well. There were a number of funny instances, as can be expected at this level. Whenever the girls found ladybugs in the grass either before a game or at practice, things would come to a halt instantly. Sometimes the dirt formations were more interesting than the game itself. Girls would be singing while in the field, including Courtney.
I was fortunate to have a good team mom and great coaches that helped out a lot. That made the experience more enjoyable since that meant it wasn't all up to me.
Things didn't always go our way. The controversy of the rules and how the opposing coach changed them while already playing the game, in our second playoff game, when we lost. A number of our parents, including me, have been vocal to the league about that since it sounds like the same coach did the same thing last year, and won the tournament both years. Very sad, especially at this level. As a result there are at least two families from my team that will be leaving the league next year. Fortunately, I got a good response from the league President, who at the end of his e-mail asked me if I had considered being on the Board. It's something I'm now looking into, so we'll see what happens with that.
I'm hoping I am able to coach again next year, when Courtney moves up into the next division. It will definitely be more challenging, but I loved the strategic planning associated with the post-season tournament this year. At the next level, I'll get to do that every game! But first, I need to get a job and make sure that my schedule will allow me to coach.
For the time being, though, I will continue my search for a new job, which has lasted for over 7 months now. Being able to coach the girls' softball team was definitely something to take advantage of while I had the time. Next up, coaching soccer in the Fall at church.
It was very fun getting to know all of the girls and their different personalities and watching them improve as the season went on. Sure it was frustrating at times when things didn't go the way I hoped, but that's part of the game and being a coach.
I loved encouraging the girls, especially when they did really well. There were a number of funny instances, as can be expected at this level. Whenever the girls found ladybugs in the grass either before a game or at practice, things would come to a halt instantly. Sometimes the dirt formations were more interesting than the game itself. Girls would be singing while in the field, including Courtney.
I was fortunate to have a good team mom and great coaches that helped out a lot. That made the experience more enjoyable since that meant it wasn't all up to me.
Things didn't always go our way. The controversy of the rules and how the opposing coach changed them while already playing the game, in our second playoff game, when we lost. A number of our parents, including me, have been vocal to the league about that since it sounds like the same coach did the same thing last year, and won the tournament both years. Very sad, especially at this level. As a result there are at least two families from my team that will be leaving the league next year. Fortunately, I got a good response from the league President, who at the end of his e-mail asked me if I had considered being on the Board. It's something I'm now looking into, so we'll see what happens with that.
I'm hoping I am able to coach again next year, when Courtney moves up into the next division. It will definitely be more challenging, but I loved the strategic planning associated with the post-season tournament this year. At the next level, I'll get to do that every game! But first, I need to get a job and make sure that my schedule will allow me to coach.
For the time being, though, I will continue my search for a new job, which has lasted for over 7 months now. Being able to coach the girls' softball team was definitely something to take advantage of while I had the time. Next up, coaching soccer in the Fall at church.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Gas Prices...Self-inflicted?
What the heck am I doing writing something like this? Well, I'm tried of seeing these signs around Whittier saying not to drill in our hills, and those same people (well everybody I guess these days) is complaining about the high cost of gas (and I'm not in the greatest of moods). Here's my two cents worth...IT'S YOUR FAULT!
Maybe it's not all your fault, but at least a portion of it is. Let me try to lay out my reasoning for this. Keep in mind that although I used to work for Chevron, I do not anymore. And while that may allow me to have a little additional information than the average person, in no way does that make me an expert on this subject. I'm just trying to apply some common sense. I accept arguments that have solid logic behind them, which is why I have such an issue with this topic, which has become somewhat more of an issue locally since there is a big deal being made about new (or resumed) drilling in the Whittier Hills. So please try to hear me out. If you have an opinion on this, please feel free to post it.
Everybody is upset now that crude is over $100 per barrel and about $4.00 per gallon at the pump. So let's take a step back and look at this from what I feel is a logical point of view. Speculators (who are an issue all by themselves in my opinion) are the ones who increase the cost for a barrel of crude, based on their speculation of current conditions. Lately this seems to based on the conflicts in the Middle East. That is somewhat understandable, but until they oil supply is cut off from the rest of the world, there should not be an issue.
However, even if they decided to cut off our supplies, you would think we would have enough access to oil elsewhere in the world to help us get through a crisis like that. This is where my biggest complaint comes into play and where I think a lot of the logic of people (at least some) complaining has no weight in my opinion. You want us to be less reliant on foreign oil (more specifically the Middle East), but you don't want to drill locally because of your fear of some type of accident and how that may affect you. While this is a valid concern, it's like saying you're scared to fly because of the plane crashes you hear about. yes, they happen, but they are few and far between. So, if we go with that argument, then we should not drill near any of our national population.
But wait! We can't drill offshore because of the same concerns and how that would affect sea life. So we can't drill offshore either. Therefore, we are required to rely on foreign oil, a large portion of which is in the Middle East. But per the speculators, they could cut off our supply anytime. So, we can't drill near US population, we can't drill offshore because we might hurt some sea life, and a large part of our foreign supply could be lost at any minute. Ever heard of supply and demand??? Decreased supply + roughly the same demand = increased prices.
One more key point that needs to be brought up, which I didn't know before I worked for Chevron...The refineries (i.e. Chevron, Shell, Cononco, etc.) do not get their crude supply from within the company. The very small part of the crude they do get from their own company, they still have to pay the Upstream (drilling/exploration) "company" within the company and they are charging the increased per barrel cost you hear about on the market (although they buy months in advance). So, the costs to refineries to process the crude into fuel that we can use increase when the market price increases, and they have to make up for that increase somehow. SO they charge the stations (most of which are like license agreements and not owned by the oil companies) have to pay the higher prices for gas to get it to their stations to sell to us. Therefore, they must pass their increased costs onto us, which coupled with the whole supply and demand thing, explains why prices are so high. And again, I argue that this is at least somewhat self-inflicted because we force ourselves to rely on foreign oil.
Oh, and please stop with the "Don't buy gas from this station" or "Don't buy gas on this day" chain e-mails. snopes.com explains it very well why those are so poorly thought out approaches. Those just piss me off when I see them
What are your thoughts?
Maybe it's not all your fault, but at least a portion of it is. Let me try to lay out my reasoning for this. Keep in mind that although I used to work for Chevron, I do not anymore. And while that may allow me to have a little additional information than the average person, in no way does that make me an expert on this subject. I'm just trying to apply some common sense. I accept arguments that have solid logic behind them, which is why I have such an issue with this topic, which has become somewhat more of an issue locally since there is a big deal being made about new (or resumed) drilling in the Whittier Hills. So please try to hear me out. If you have an opinion on this, please feel free to post it.
Everybody is upset now that crude is over $100 per barrel and about $4.00 per gallon at the pump. So let's take a step back and look at this from what I feel is a logical point of view. Speculators (who are an issue all by themselves in my opinion) are the ones who increase the cost for a barrel of crude, based on their speculation of current conditions. Lately this seems to based on the conflicts in the Middle East. That is somewhat understandable, but until they oil supply is cut off from the rest of the world, there should not be an issue.
However, even if they decided to cut off our supplies, you would think we would have enough access to oil elsewhere in the world to help us get through a crisis like that. This is where my biggest complaint comes into play and where I think a lot of the logic of people (at least some) complaining has no weight in my opinion. You want us to be less reliant on foreign oil (more specifically the Middle East), but you don't want to drill locally because of your fear of some type of accident and how that may affect you. While this is a valid concern, it's like saying you're scared to fly because of the plane crashes you hear about. yes, they happen, but they are few and far between. So, if we go with that argument, then we should not drill near any of our national population.
But wait! We can't drill offshore because of the same concerns and how that would affect sea life. So we can't drill offshore either. Therefore, we are required to rely on foreign oil, a large portion of which is in the Middle East. But per the speculators, they could cut off our supply anytime. So, we can't drill near US population, we can't drill offshore because we might hurt some sea life, and a large part of our foreign supply could be lost at any minute. Ever heard of supply and demand??? Decreased supply + roughly the same demand = increased prices.
One more key point that needs to be brought up, which I didn't know before I worked for Chevron...The refineries (i.e. Chevron, Shell, Cononco, etc.) do not get their crude supply from within the company. The very small part of the crude they do get from their own company, they still have to pay the Upstream (drilling/exploration) "company" within the company and they are charging the increased per barrel cost you hear about on the market (although they buy months in advance). So, the costs to refineries to process the crude into fuel that we can use increase when the market price increases, and they have to make up for that increase somehow. SO they charge the stations (most of which are like license agreements and not owned by the oil companies) have to pay the higher prices for gas to get it to their stations to sell to us. Therefore, they must pass their increased costs onto us, which coupled with the whole supply and demand thing, explains why prices are so high. And again, I argue that this is at least somewhat self-inflicted because we force ourselves to rely on foreign oil.
Oh, and please stop with the "Don't buy gas from this station" or "Don't buy gas on this day" chain e-mails. snopes.com explains it very well why those are so poorly thought out approaches. Those just piss me off when I see them
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
5 Months
I find it hard to believe that I have been out of work for 5 months now. We are still in our house and current on payments we are current on all payments and actually have a little money to spare for the time being thanks to receiving my pension benefit this week. When this layoff hit, I looked at the money I knew I had coming as part of the severance and figured we could make it into January without much trouble. Here we are, March 2, and we're still here and in better shape than I imagined we would be in at this point. This all points to one thing...God provides! He has provided in so many ways. I feel so unworthy to receive all these gifts and love, but I know God is providing it all. So I will humbly accept what He is providing for us.
Don't get me wrong, unemployment sucks. I'm just trying to make the best of it since that's the situation I (and the family) am in. It has it's advantages, but the disadvantages can be down right scary. I'm receiving the maximum unemployment possible, but that is equal to about 3 days of work at my last job and I'm only receiving it once every two weeks. We've made some necessary adjustments and continue to look at additional ways to cut costs. I think next up is cell phone cost cuts. The funny thing is I'll probably end up with a better phone while saving pretty significant money every month ($60-80/month). We were able to get our lender to temporarily (up to 6 months) lower our mortgage payment about 75%. I just received my pension benefit (not my 410(k)...still haven't touched that thankfully) and it was bigger than expected.
Obviously, unemployment is the big life situation that has been at the forefront for sometime now, 5 months to be exact, but there is other good stuff going on that keeps me excited, hopeful and happy. (Please indulge me while I talk about them.)
First, I'm coaching Courtney and Skyler's softball team. Based on the age cutoffs for the League, this will be the only year they play on the same team. It seemed like a no-brainer to coach this year. Last Saturday was supposed to be our first game, but it got rained out, despite it not actually raining last Saturday. I'm sure the field was pretty soggy from the all the rain the day and night before, though. Regardless, our first game is this Saturday now and I am excited. All the girls on the team seem to be having a good time, which is good. I'm excited to see how they do in games,
Second, I joined a Bible Study small group about a month ago. This is something I've wanted to do because I know my knowledge of the Bible is well below where it should be. Fortunately, a friend of mine invited me to join his group and since I already knew most of the guys at least a little, it has been easy to fit in to the group. The way this group is setup is pretty much what I had hoped for in a Bible Study group. it's a great group of guys and as of yesterday, we all began the challenge.journey of reading through the Bible in an entire year. I haven't done this before, and after studying John1 the other night, I'm really looking forward to making this reading a daily part of my life. This group is also planning a men's retreat for our church this fall, which should be fun. I haven't gone to the men's retreat before because it's always been in October and, if you know me, that means the playoffs and World Series are happening then. But if we are planning it, you can bet I'll go as long as I can afford it.
Next up, the cruise. Having a photographer for a wife has its perks. In just over three weeks, she will be shooting a wedding her sister-in-law's sister's wedding. What does this entail? Well, they are getting married on a cruise. It's been worked out to where Traci and I get to go on the cruise for FREE as payment for her photography services! I am so looking forward to this. A vacation will be very nice, especially while unemployed. I do have to miss one softball game, but I've got good coaches that will cover well for me. (I'm so glad I have the coaches that I have!) Unfortunately we can't take the kids with us, but they will have fun with my parents that weekend, I'm sure.
I'm hoping to be able to make another trip or two come July. There are two out of town weddings I/we would love to go to. The first is a cousin's wedding in Colorado in mid-July. We go the save the date card, but this will be the toughest trip to make (of the three out of town weddings we have the opportunity to go to) because it would involve flying all four of us or driving to Colorado. Gas prices are soaring so that's a lot less appealing, and flying 4 of us wouldn't be cheap. I suspect this is a trip we won't make. One of my best friends is getting married in late July in St. Louis and has asked me to be a part of the wedding if I can make it out. He knows and understands my job situation, thankfully, but I really want to be a part of this. This is a trip I would go solo on, which would be much less costly than the Colorado trip. It will depend on what kind of tax refund we get (should know in the next week or so), whether or not I get my annual Chevron bonus, as was rumored to be the case for those who were laid off, and whether or not I get a job. Even if I do have a job and they are unwilling to let me take one or two days off to travel (understandable), I could work the travel out I'm sure. It would just be a lot quicker turnaround than I would like.
There is some slight movement on the job front. I received an e-mail yesterday from the Southern California Gas Company saying they would like to interview me for position. The last time I submitted a resume to them was a few weeks ago. It took some time on their end, but I was glad to hear from them. Now I'm just waiting to hear back as to when they would like to interview me. They asked about my availability next Monday and Tuesday so I figure it will be then. Let's keep those prayers coming. God has provided so much up to this point and I know He's now stopping now. He has a plan and He will show it in time.
Don't get me wrong, unemployment sucks. I'm just trying to make the best of it since that's the situation I (and the family) am in. It has it's advantages, but the disadvantages can be down right scary. I'm receiving the maximum unemployment possible, but that is equal to about 3 days of work at my last job and I'm only receiving it once every two weeks. We've made some necessary adjustments and continue to look at additional ways to cut costs. I think next up is cell phone cost cuts. The funny thing is I'll probably end up with a better phone while saving pretty significant money every month ($60-80/month). We were able to get our lender to temporarily (up to 6 months) lower our mortgage payment about 75%. I just received my pension benefit (not my 410(k)...still haven't touched that thankfully) and it was bigger than expected.
Obviously, unemployment is the big life situation that has been at the forefront for sometime now, 5 months to be exact, but there is other good stuff going on that keeps me excited, hopeful and happy. (Please indulge me while I talk about them.)
First, I'm coaching Courtney and Skyler's softball team. Based on the age cutoffs for the League, this will be the only year they play on the same team. It seemed like a no-brainer to coach this year. Last Saturday was supposed to be our first game, but it got rained out, despite it not actually raining last Saturday. I'm sure the field was pretty soggy from the all the rain the day and night before, though. Regardless, our first game is this Saturday now and I am excited. All the girls on the team seem to be having a good time, which is good. I'm excited to see how they do in games,
Second, I joined a Bible Study small group about a month ago. This is something I've wanted to do because I know my knowledge of the Bible is well below where it should be. Fortunately, a friend of mine invited me to join his group and since I already knew most of the guys at least a little, it has been easy to fit in to the group. The way this group is setup is pretty much what I had hoped for in a Bible Study group. it's a great group of guys and as of yesterday, we all began the challenge.journey of reading through the Bible in an entire year. I haven't done this before, and after studying John1 the other night, I'm really looking forward to making this reading a daily part of my life. This group is also planning a men's retreat for our church this fall, which should be fun. I haven't gone to the men's retreat before because it's always been in October and, if you know me, that means the playoffs and World Series are happening then. But if we are planning it, you can bet I'll go as long as I can afford it.
Next up, the cruise. Having a photographer for a wife has its perks. In just over three weeks, she will be shooting a wedding her sister-in-law's sister's wedding. What does this entail? Well, they are getting married on a cruise. It's been worked out to where Traci and I get to go on the cruise for FREE as payment for her photography services! I am so looking forward to this. A vacation will be very nice, especially while unemployed. I do have to miss one softball game, but I've got good coaches that will cover well for me. (I'm so glad I have the coaches that I have!) Unfortunately we can't take the kids with us, but they will have fun with my parents that weekend, I'm sure.
I'm hoping to be able to make another trip or two come July. There are two out of town weddings I/we would love to go to. The first is a cousin's wedding in Colorado in mid-July. We go the save the date card, but this will be the toughest trip to make (of the three out of town weddings we have the opportunity to go to) because it would involve flying all four of us or driving to Colorado. Gas prices are soaring so that's a lot less appealing, and flying 4 of us wouldn't be cheap. I suspect this is a trip we won't make. One of my best friends is getting married in late July in St. Louis and has asked me to be a part of the wedding if I can make it out. He knows and understands my job situation, thankfully, but I really want to be a part of this. This is a trip I would go solo on, which would be much less costly than the Colorado trip. It will depend on what kind of tax refund we get (should know in the next week or so), whether or not I get my annual Chevron bonus, as was rumored to be the case for those who were laid off, and whether or not I get a job. Even if I do have a job and they are unwilling to let me take one or two days off to travel (understandable), I could work the travel out I'm sure. It would just be a lot quicker turnaround than I would like.
There is some slight movement on the job front. I received an e-mail yesterday from the Southern California Gas Company saying they would like to interview me for position. The last time I submitted a resume to them was a few weeks ago. It took some time on their end, but I was glad to hear from them. Now I'm just waiting to hear back as to when they would like to interview me. They asked about my availability next Monday and Tuesday so I figure it will be then. Let's keep those prayers coming. God has provided so much up to this point and I know He's now stopping now. He has a plan and He will show it in time.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
January in Review (and a Little of February)
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely wife. She is so special to me and I really hope that I can make this a special birthday for her!!!
One month down, 11 to go. January seemed to go pretty fast, and a lot seemed to happen. So I thought I would try to recap it here.
Of course we celebrated the new year to kick things off. We also celebrated my brother-in-law Shawn's birthday since it was on the 3rd and he was going to be out of town for work on his birthday. The kids always love cousin play time so we all had a good time.
Skyler's 5th birthday was the positive highlight of the month. We had a smaller-than-usual party, which was really nice. She even had her best friend from pre-school come. They get along really well and are fun to watch when they play together.
Also, sometime during the month, I agreed to be a t-ball/6u (six and under) manager in Whittier Girls Softball League (WGSL). This will be my first softball coaching experience and hopefully there will be many more after this. I was able to get in touch with all the parents and starting getting ready for the season. We had our first team meeting last night and it went well. I already have a Team Mom and a couple of coaches...very encouraging.
Unfortunately, the month was highlighted by big injuries to both kids. Skyler gave herself the biggest bump I have ever seen on a head. Apparently she was running at my in-law's house and she wound up knocking her head on one of the dining room chairs. The bump on her head was literally as big as half a golf ball. I didn't think heads could swell that much. After it went down, the bruise formed and colorful. Fortunately, it was just a bad bruise and nothing else. She's back to normal now although there is still some slight bruising that has yet to go away.
The moment of the month, although not fun at all, would have to be this past weekend at my parents' house. We were over there to have dinner and celebrate my dad's birthday, which was on the 27th. We brought the kids' scooters so they could ride them around the backyard. While I'm on the phone with one of my softball parents, I hear Courtney come into the house crying. I figure she fell and got hurt like she does on occasion. I was right, but this was a lot worse. She came in holding her hand under her chin. Most of her chin up to the lip was solid red. I realized when my mom reacted the way she did that it was serious. With that much blood coming from her mouth (inside and out) I was a little freaked. I don't like seeing my kids get hurt, let alone that much blood coming from them. Turns out while on her scooter, she was turning, hit a groove, which stopped the scooter, but not her. She landed on her left knee (really bad bruise) and the left side of her mouth. Talk about being scared as a parent, boy was I. We don't have insurance right now, but when I found out Urgent Care was open for another 20 minutes or so, I decided she should go. Fortunately, they discounted the office visit and we got an antibiotic (generic). All in all, we only paid $100 for everything related to the injury. I'll take that. Now she is healing. The swelling is gone and a very large scab covers most of the left side of the left side of her lip. I'm very glad that she is ok and talking more normal. We kept her home from church on Sunday and school on Monday to allow it to heal a little before exposing it to the dangers of the school yard. Her first day back was a little tough because she had to answer the question "What happened?" a million times. It's hard as a parent to see your kids go through something like that, but you can't protect them from everything. Just been there when they need you.
On a brighter note, there was some positive news on the job front. I was contacted by two different companies, the same week, about openings they had and thought I may be a good fit for. This week I have an interview with each. I had my initial interview with a recruiter from Experian yesterday and will hear back early next week. Tomorrow, I have an interview with Time Warner Cable (with the Controller). I'm hoping one of these works out, but as I've learned, this is a very slow process. God is teaching me patience, and apparently I need a lot of practice.
One month down, 11 to go. January seemed to go pretty fast, and a lot seemed to happen. So I thought I would try to recap it here.
Of course we celebrated the new year to kick things off. We also celebrated my brother-in-law Shawn's birthday since it was on the 3rd and he was going to be out of town for work on his birthday. The kids always love cousin play time so we all had a good time.
Skyler's 5th birthday was the positive highlight of the month. We had a smaller-than-usual party, which was really nice. She even had her best friend from pre-school come. They get along really well and are fun to watch when they play together.
Also, sometime during the month, I agreed to be a t-ball/6u (six and under) manager in Whittier Girls Softball League (WGSL). This will be my first softball coaching experience and hopefully there will be many more after this. I was able to get in touch with all the parents and starting getting ready for the season. We had our first team meeting last night and it went well. I already have a Team Mom and a couple of coaches...very encouraging.
Unfortunately, the month was highlighted by big injuries to both kids. Skyler gave herself the biggest bump I have ever seen on a head. Apparently she was running at my in-law's house and she wound up knocking her head on one of the dining room chairs. The bump on her head was literally as big as half a golf ball. I didn't think heads could swell that much. After it went down, the bruise formed and colorful. Fortunately, it was just a bad bruise and nothing else. She's back to normal now although there is still some slight bruising that has yet to go away.
The moment of the month, although not fun at all, would have to be this past weekend at my parents' house. We were over there to have dinner and celebrate my dad's birthday, which was on the 27th. We brought the kids' scooters so they could ride them around the backyard. While I'm on the phone with one of my softball parents, I hear Courtney come into the house crying. I figure she fell and got hurt like she does on occasion. I was right, but this was a lot worse. She came in holding her hand under her chin. Most of her chin up to the lip was solid red. I realized when my mom reacted the way she did that it was serious. With that much blood coming from her mouth (inside and out) I was a little freaked. I don't like seeing my kids get hurt, let alone that much blood coming from them. Turns out while on her scooter, she was turning, hit a groove, which stopped the scooter, but not her. She landed on her left knee (really bad bruise) and the left side of her mouth. Talk about being scared as a parent, boy was I. We don't have insurance right now, but when I found out Urgent Care was open for another 20 minutes or so, I decided she should go. Fortunately, they discounted the office visit and we got an antibiotic (generic). All in all, we only paid $100 for everything related to the injury. I'll take that. Now she is healing. The swelling is gone and a very large scab covers most of the left side of the left side of her lip. I'm very glad that she is ok and talking more normal. We kept her home from church on Sunday and school on Monday to allow it to heal a little before exposing it to the dangers of the school yard. Her first day back was a little tough because she had to answer the question "What happened?" a million times. It's hard as a parent to see your kids go through something like that, but you can't protect them from everything. Just been there when they need you.
On a brighter note, there was some positive news on the job front. I was contacted by two different companies, the same week, about openings they had and thought I may be a good fit for. This week I have an interview with each. I had my initial interview with a recruiter from Experian yesterday and will hear back early next week. Tomorrow, I have an interview with Time Warner Cable (with the Controller). I'm hoping one of these works out, but as I've learned, this is a very slow process. God is teaching me patience, and apparently I need a lot of practice.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Quick Update - Good Day!
Today is turning out to be one of those days where everything seems to be going well. We had to order a new printer because our other one is really flaky and Traci needs one in order to print model releases and CD covers for her business. Fortunately, we found a really good deal at Costco.com and ordered it yesterday. We chose standard shipping which said 7-10 business days. It showed up today! Sweet!!
I was supposed to get my softball roster yesterday (I'm managing Courtney and Skyler's team), but they wound up not getting released. Therefore, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the team roster tonight in my e-mail. Then I have to get right to work as uniform sizings are this Saturday (and I have no coaches as of now...something else I need to work on). I can't wait for the season to start.
Finally, probably the most exciting this today, I was contacted today through LinkedIn by a recruiter for Experian about a job she thinks I could be a strong match for. I responded that I am interested and am now waiting for a response or call back.
Let's hope things keep heading this positive direction!
I was supposed to get my softball roster yesterday (I'm managing Courtney and Skyler's team), but they wound up not getting released. Therefore, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the team roster tonight in my e-mail. Then I have to get right to work as uniform sizings are this Saturday (and I have no coaches as of now...something else I need to work on). I can't wait for the season to start.
Finally, probably the most exciting this today, I was contacted today through LinkedIn by a recruiter for Experian about a job she thinks I could be a strong match for. I responded that I am interested and am now waiting for a response or call back.
Let's hope things keep heading this positive direction!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Happy New Year
I just realized I haven't blogged in over a month. Oops. Oh well, that happens. The holidays kind of keep things busy, though. And once the holidays are past, we are full steam into birthday mode.
This past Saturday was Skyler's birthday party and it went really well. We invited maybe half as many people as we normally do and it was much more comfortable in the house. She got a lot of things to play with and some cute clothes. The bouncer was a hit as always, and we got it for free since it was delivered a little after the party had started. We were ready to stop using this place, but since they seemed genuinely sorry and let us use it for free, they are still on our usable list.
Skyler is now 5 and she is very excited about. Her class celebrated her birthday last Wednesday since she doesn't go on Thursdays. She got to wear a special birthday hat and we brought Rice Crispie treats for their snack. It was fun to be there for it. Her teachers asked her how old she was and she said 4. This confused the teachers until they asked how old she would be tomorrow. She said that tomorrow (Thursday) she would be 5. She is so literal...just like me.
Traci's photography is going well. We found a good deal on a 2TB external hard drive so we now have that and our computer and all of Traci's pictures, are backed up. It's nice to have that comfort. After all, we've had our computer for 6 years now. We've had our printer for 2 1/2 years and it's on it's last leg. One of the nice things about Traci's business is that so many of our purchases are write offs! It also has other perks. Traci has booked her first wedding in March, and it turns out that payment for her services is that we get to go on the cruise where the wedding is...FOR FREE!!!!
I'm still looking for a job now that I have been out of work for 3 1/2 months. Money has been ok to this point, but it's starting to get scary. I've had a couple of good leads and prospects, but they haven't panned out. I had two interviews with Kaiser, but they decided to go with internal people. I met with a construction management company about being a Project (contract) manager, but the only thing I was missing was medical equipment purchasing experience. I was contacted a week ago about submitting my resume for a position at Chevron as a contractor. It would be an 18-month contract. There would be no benefits or paid time off, but it would be like a promotion with higher pay. Looking strictly at base pay (salary before and hourly for this), it's about a 50% pay increase. I think I could manage that. However, it is one of those too good to be true type feelings I have so I don't' have any expectations. They said they wanted to fill it as quickly as possible, but I didn't hear anything back last week after I was contacted on Monday. I sent a couple of e-mails and left a voice mail so I'm going to try to not contact them too much this week for fear of irritating them, but still let them know that I am very interested in this position. We'll see.
Softball season is coming up and both girls are signed up. This is the first year Skyler has been eligible so this is the only year she and Courtney will be in the same division. I have also signed up to be a coach so I'm especially looking forward to the season. If I get a job before or during the season, that may complicate things, but we'll figure something out.
Over the weekend I was asked to be a part of a wedding this Summer if I am able to (i.e. have a job/am financially able to go). It's in Missouri which is why the finances are an issue. I'm hoping it works out because I really want to be a part of my good friend's wedding.
Well, I guess it's back to Facebook for me since Traci and the girls are at a teddy bear tea party. TTFN!
This past Saturday was Skyler's birthday party and it went really well. We invited maybe half as many people as we normally do and it was much more comfortable in the house. She got a lot of things to play with and some cute clothes. The bouncer was a hit as always, and we got it for free since it was delivered a little after the party had started. We were ready to stop using this place, but since they seemed genuinely sorry and let us use it for free, they are still on our usable list.
Skyler is now 5 and she is very excited about. Her class celebrated her birthday last Wednesday since she doesn't go on Thursdays. She got to wear a special birthday hat and we brought Rice Crispie treats for their snack. It was fun to be there for it. Her teachers asked her how old she was and she said 4. This confused the teachers until they asked how old she would be tomorrow. She said that tomorrow (Thursday) she would be 5. She is so literal...just like me.
Traci's photography is going well. We found a good deal on a 2TB external hard drive so we now have that and our computer and all of Traci's pictures, are backed up. It's nice to have that comfort. After all, we've had our computer for 6 years now. We've had our printer for 2 1/2 years and it's on it's last leg. One of the nice things about Traci's business is that so many of our purchases are write offs! It also has other perks. Traci has booked her first wedding in March, and it turns out that payment for her services is that we get to go on the cruise where the wedding is...FOR FREE!!!!
I'm still looking for a job now that I have been out of work for 3 1/2 months. Money has been ok to this point, but it's starting to get scary. I've had a couple of good leads and prospects, but they haven't panned out. I had two interviews with Kaiser, but they decided to go with internal people. I met with a construction management company about being a Project (contract) manager, but the only thing I was missing was medical equipment purchasing experience. I was contacted a week ago about submitting my resume for a position at Chevron as a contractor. It would be an 18-month contract. There would be no benefits or paid time off, but it would be like a promotion with higher pay. Looking strictly at base pay (salary before and hourly for this), it's about a 50% pay increase. I think I could manage that. However, it is one of those too good to be true type feelings I have so I don't' have any expectations. They said they wanted to fill it as quickly as possible, but I didn't hear anything back last week after I was contacted on Monday. I sent a couple of e-mails and left a voice mail so I'm going to try to not contact them too much this week for fear of irritating them, but still let them know that I am very interested in this position. We'll see.
Softball season is coming up and both girls are signed up. This is the first year Skyler has been eligible so this is the only year she and Courtney will be in the same division. I have also signed up to be a coach so I'm especially looking forward to the season. If I get a job before or during the season, that may complicate things, but we'll figure something out.
Over the weekend I was asked to be a part of a wedding this Summer if I am able to (i.e. have a job/am financially able to go). It's in Missouri which is why the finances are an issue. I'm hoping it works out because I really want to be a part of my good friend's wedding.
Well, I guess it's back to Facebook for me since Traci and the girls are at a teddy bear tea party. TTFN!
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Ok, so as you might be able to guess from the title of this blog, there are three main topics I'll hit on to let you know how life is right now. So let's begin.
THE GOOD - This weekend is the weekend of Christmas performances. Courtney has one tonight at school, and then 4 at church over the weekend: 1 Saturday and 3 Sunday. At church, Skyler has 2 performances (1 Saturday and 1 Sunday), immediately preceding Courtney's performances. This is always a great time and one of the biggest joys as a parent. I know they both enjoy singing and love it. They also love it because they get to wear the new Christmas dresses their grandma (my mom) bought them. Courtney has been counting down the days to when she could wear her dress and tonight is the night...finally!
Also, today is a happy day for me and Traci because it was 16 years ago we started dating. (It has been 21 years this month since we were first boyfriend and girlfriend.) Not really any special plans prepared as our schedule is pretty busy, but just remembering this day makes me happy! Happy anniversary, Hon!!!!!!!!
It's also been a lot of fun to watch Traci take on the challenge of her own business and so far it is going pretty well. She has been busy with many photo sessions since early November and is actually at one right now as I type this. She has more on the calendar, into January, and there are no signs of slowing up yet. I know the Christmas season is helping, but I've heard and seen good things from these initial sessions. It will be fun to watch as things progress!
THE BAD - Yes, I am still unemployed. My last day at work was October 1 and my last day of getting paid was November 9. At least the last check included a week and a half of vacation I didn't use. Somehow, we have managed to make that check last. However, it is pretty much gone. I am expecting more money coming including payment for working the polls on election day, stock dividends (from Chevron), severance and my pension/retirement. Once the severance shows up, we should be fine into January, which is when the retirement should come. However, in the big picture, I need a job. Kaiser didn't work out (twice!), which bummed me out after having gone through 2 interviews with them. I supposedly have a possible opportunity in the works right now, but no call for an interview yet. I've learned not to make assumptions about anything until it actually happens. If this does happen to work out, it could be great...IF. But until I get that call, I'm trying to keep from getting my hopes up.
THE UGLY - When we dropped Skyler off at preschool (Whittier Christian) this morning, there was some information about her school Christmas performance, which we had expected prior to now. However, we were shocked when we saw that we would have to pay to watch our daughter, Skyler, perform this year!! What that heck is that about?!?!?!?!?! It's $6/seat, which means we'll need $18 for the three of us to watch her sing. $18 may not seem like a lot, but when you have no income (Traci's income is going towards additional supplies for her business) it's especially frustrating. We are not going to pull Skyler from the performance, as has been suggested by some, because she has put a lot of time and practice in at school and should be able to present the final product with her schoolmates and friends and I don't think it's fair to her. She shouldn't be punished for a dumb decision made by the school.
There are two things the preschool is doing different this year than in past years: 1) the preschool is performing with the elementary kids, and 2) it's at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts. That is probably why I suspect they are charging, but still. Does it have to be such a big venue for a school performance? This just pisses me off because the last thing we need is an additional expense right now.
Courtney went to preschool there for two years and this is Skyler's second (and final) year there. We have made a lot of effort to cut our budget and eliminate things we can do without. There are two things we have discussed before but have decided not to touch them...yet. One is World Vision. We may have things rough right now, but our "rough" and how rough the life of our Malawi child is, are completely different. Therefore, we decided that we needed to continue that. The other item is Skyler's preschool. It's $360/month for three half days a week. (It is more expensive than other preschools we checked out, but we also get more than we would get at those other places. Plus we know all the teachers at WCS are followers of Christ, which I question at at least one other preschool we checked out.) We decided she should be able to go to preschool since she loves it and it's been a great experience for her. If I don't land a job in the next couple months, that may be a cut we have to make, which will break all of our hearts, and I don't want to go there. So to summarize my feelings about this whole pay-to-see-your-child-perform thing, I think Whittier Christian really needs to rethink what they are doing. I think it's crap and I'm a little pissed off.
My meds seem to keep me even-keeled and positive, but those negative feelings keep creeping in periodically. At least they are not that bad, but they do worry me occasionally because of the whole job situation, and the last thing I want to happen right now is to go back to where I was. I don't think that will happen, but I can't say it's not possible. I know God is with me and on my side and has plans for me, but I just don't like the timing, whatever it is. I guess it's just His way of reminding me he is in control and to trust Him. I'm excited to see what happens, but just wish I knew when it would happen. All in good time I assume.
THE GOOD - This weekend is the weekend of Christmas performances. Courtney has one tonight at school, and then 4 at church over the weekend: 1 Saturday and 3 Sunday. At church, Skyler has 2 performances (1 Saturday and 1 Sunday), immediately preceding Courtney's performances. This is always a great time and one of the biggest joys as a parent. I know they both enjoy singing and love it. They also love it because they get to wear the new Christmas dresses their grandma (my mom) bought them. Courtney has been counting down the days to when she could wear her dress and tonight is the night...finally!
Also, today is a happy day for me and Traci because it was 16 years ago we started dating. (It has been 21 years this month since we were first boyfriend and girlfriend.) Not really any special plans prepared as our schedule is pretty busy, but just remembering this day makes me happy! Happy anniversary, Hon!!!!!!!!
It's also been a lot of fun to watch Traci take on the challenge of her own business and so far it is going pretty well. She has been busy with many photo sessions since early November and is actually at one right now as I type this. She has more on the calendar, into January, and there are no signs of slowing up yet. I know the Christmas season is helping, but I've heard and seen good things from these initial sessions. It will be fun to watch as things progress!
THE BAD - Yes, I am still unemployed. My last day at work was October 1 and my last day of getting paid was November 9. At least the last check included a week and a half of vacation I didn't use. Somehow, we have managed to make that check last. However, it is pretty much gone. I am expecting more money coming including payment for working the polls on election day, stock dividends (from Chevron), severance and my pension/retirement. Once the severance shows up, we should be fine into January, which is when the retirement should come. However, in the big picture, I need a job. Kaiser didn't work out (twice!), which bummed me out after having gone through 2 interviews with them. I supposedly have a possible opportunity in the works right now, but no call for an interview yet. I've learned not to make assumptions about anything until it actually happens. If this does happen to work out, it could be great...IF. But until I get that call, I'm trying to keep from getting my hopes up.
THE UGLY - When we dropped Skyler off at preschool (Whittier Christian) this morning, there was some information about her school Christmas performance, which we had expected prior to now. However, we were shocked when we saw that we would have to pay to watch our daughter, Skyler, perform this year!! What that heck is that about?!?!?!?!?! It's $6/seat, which means we'll need $18 for the three of us to watch her sing. $18 may not seem like a lot, but when you have no income (Traci's income is going towards additional supplies for her business) it's especially frustrating. We are not going to pull Skyler from the performance, as has been suggested by some, because she has put a lot of time and practice in at school and should be able to present the final product with her schoolmates and friends and I don't think it's fair to her. She shouldn't be punished for a dumb decision made by the school.
There are two things the preschool is doing different this year than in past years: 1) the preschool is performing with the elementary kids, and 2) it's at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts. That is probably why I suspect they are charging, but still. Does it have to be such a big venue for a school performance? This just pisses me off because the last thing we need is an additional expense right now.
Courtney went to preschool there for two years and this is Skyler's second (and final) year there. We have made a lot of effort to cut our budget and eliminate things we can do without. There are two things we have discussed before but have decided not to touch them...yet. One is World Vision. We may have things rough right now, but our "rough" and how rough the life of our Malawi child is, are completely different. Therefore, we decided that we needed to continue that. The other item is Skyler's preschool. It's $360/month for three half days a week. (It is more expensive than other preschools we checked out, but we also get more than we would get at those other places. Plus we know all the teachers at WCS are followers of Christ, which I question at at least one other preschool we checked out.) We decided she should be able to go to preschool since she loves it and it's been a great experience for her. If I don't land a job in the next couple months, that may be a cut we have to make, which will break all of our hearts, and I don't want to go there. So to summarize my feelings about this whole pay-to-see-your-child-perform thing, I think Whittier Christian really needs to rethink what they are doing. I think it's crap and I'm a little pissed off.
My meds seem to keep me even-keeled and positive, but those negative feelings keep creeping in periodically. At least they are not that bad, but they do worry me occasionally because of the whole job situation, and the last thing I want to happen right now is to go back to where I was. I don't think that will happen, but I can't say it's not possible. I know God is with me and on my side and has plans for me, but I just don't like the timing, whatever it is. I guess it's just His way of reminding me he is in control and to trust Him. I'm excited to see what happens, but just wish I knew when it would happen. All in good time I assume.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Mindful Diarrhea
It's about 11:00pm as I start to write this and while I should be going to bed, there are too many things going through my mind to allow me to go to sleep right now...a movie I just watched the end of, a disturbing trend I've noticed on the news and life in general.
We just started a free 90-day trials of a movie package through FiOS and tonight is the first night we have had access to it. I caught the end of a movie that just disturbed me somewhat. What happened was this...there was a couple that was engaged to be married, and his friends throw him a crazy frat house bachelor party. He does things he's not supposed to and gets caught in a situation he should not have been in in the first place. This was partly setup by his fiance's ex. Because of this, he is late to his wedding, arriving as his then former fiance is walking out of the church married to the ex that set him up. He (former ex, now husband) cheats on her almost immediately and she goes running back to the guy she was going to marry in the first place.
The whole premise of a bachelor party like that doesn't sit well with me in the first place. I know I would not have been able to look Traci in the eyes at our wedding and seriously mean the vows I said to her if I had been through something like that. I'm glad my bachelor was pretty cool...box seats to a Dodger game (where I was forced to wear a Giants hat for the entire game) driven there by limo (which was way cool!) and I think that was after we hung out for a bit at Dave & Buster's. My type of laid back gathering.
Along the same lines, we already have dates saved for three wedding next year, and each of them in a cool place! The first one is on a cruise ship, although sadly enough, we will not be able to go on the cruise with everyone else afterwards. The second one is in Colorado, which we would love to go to, but probably will not know until just before. The third wedding is two weeks after the second one and is in the Mid-west. I would love to attend all three if invited, but money will be the key issue. (Isn't it always!)
The second disturbing trend is kids being killed and more specifically being killed by crazy parents that are seeking to do harm. I have heard of two cases like this in the past week locally in So Cal. it's ridiculous to me. I don't care what the reason is for wanting to do harm, there is just no excuse for actions like this. My personal opinion is that is probably a lack of maturity, at least in some cases, and in others it could very well be a mental disorder. (I understand what it is like to have mental problems and think crazy things. That's where I was exactly one year ago.) One of the incidents was where a 19 year-old and her 10 day-old baby were killed by the father/ex-boyfriend when the mother wouldn't let him have the baby earlier in the day. Hearing about that reminded of a show I watched briefly for the first time the other day..."16 and Pregnant". I think it's on MTV. The girl was pregnant and the boyfriend was rarely home because of work and then hanging out with friends. He was ignorantly irresponsible; not for the work, but for always going out with friends (pretty much every day) after work.
Watch out, here comes my soapbox to pick me up. If you have sex, you know what the potential consequences are! (Perhaps my assumption is ignorant, but I like to think that people who get themselves into a situation where they can actually have sex have half a brain that works.) You should understand that before you put yourself into that situation. This leads into my beliefs on abortion (uh oh, rare controversial topic opinion ahead). It seems that many women and nearly all politicians are pro-choice. I would not have a problem with this concept if the baby inside the womb was able to say "I don't want my parents! They are stupid and are not capable of taking care of me!" There is only one situation where I think abortion is ok, and that is if the mother's life is in jeopardy. In other words, it is a matter of losing two lives or one. I have a friend who was unfortunately and unexpectedly in that situation. It was not something she wanted to do, but needed to do in order to try to fight for her life. Unfortunately, she passed away a year and a half later. The one aspect of abortion that I'm kind of semi-iffy on is rape. On one side, sex was forced not desired. On the other side, I don't believe in murder, and yes I do think abortion is murder. Please explain to me how stopping a beating heart is not considered killing life, or how eliminating something that will develop a beating heart is not wrong. Therefore, I still think that abortion from rape is not ok, even though it is probably not wanted. Ok, the soapbox has left.
Other things in life that are constantly running through my head all seem to revolve around my job situation. I have now been home from work for over a month, and although I am still on payroll through next Tuesday and have a severance package coming after that, I still wonder how long this will go on and how I will be able to provide for my family should this extend beyond our financial means. I do have one potential job in the works, but it's just that: in the works. Nothing is certain until I am on-site, being paid to work, and the prospective job would have me as a contractor, which is somewhat unsettling although I believe that once I'm in there, I will prove to them that they need to keep me around. I've heard of many instances where people are out of work for several months, some over a year, in this economy. So if this job does come through, I will consider myself lucky and privileged.
Well, I don't know about you, but I feel better and have cleared my mind somewhat. Hopefully I can sleep better now. Especially since we have soccer in the morning, followed by a 3-hour drive to Santa Maria where we are spending the night, courtesy of one of Traci's clients (high school friend) is paying for our hotel for us so that Traci can do a photo shoot for them. Oh, and I have to do more laundry, too. Gotta be sure we have everything ready for the trip that we need!
We just started a free 90-day trials of a movie package through FiOS and tonight is the first night we have had access to it. I caught the end of a movie that just disturbed me somewhat. What happened was this...there was a couple that was engaged to be married, and his friends throw him a crazy frat house bachelor party. He does things he's not supposed to and gets caught in a situation he should not have been in in the first place. This was partly setup by his fiance's ex. Because of this, he is late to his wedding, arriving as his then former fiance is walking out of the church married to the ex that set him up. He (former ex, now husband) cheats on her almost immediately and she goes running back to the guy she was going to marry in the first place.
The whole premise of a bachelor party like that doesn't sit well with me in the first place. I know I would not have been able to look Traci in the eyes at our wedding and seriously mean the vows I said to her if I had been through something like that. I'm glad my bachelor was pretty cool...box seats to a Dodger game (where I was forced to wear a Giants hat for the entire game) driven there by limo (which was way cool!) and I think that was after we hung out for a bit at Dave & Buster's. My type of laid back gathering.
Along the same lines, we already have dates saved for three wedding next year, and each of them in a cool place! The first one is on a cruise ship, although sadly enough, we will not be able to go on the cruise with everyone else afterwards. The second one is in Colorado, which we would love to go to, but probably will not know until just before. The third wedding is two weeks after the second one and is in the Mid-west. I would love to attend all three if invited, but money will be the key issue. (Isn't it always!)
The second disturbing trend is kids being killed and more specifically being killed by crazy parents that are seeking to do harm. I have heard of two cases like this in the past week locally in So Cal. it's ridiculous to me. I don't care what the reason is for wanting to do harm, there is just no excuse for actions like this. My personal opinion is that is probably a lack of maturity, at least in some cases, and in others it could very well be a mental disorder. (I understand what it is like to have mental problems and think crazy things. That's where I was exactly one year ago.) One of the incidents was where a 19 year-old and her 10 day-old baby were killed by the father/ex-boyfriend when the mother wouldn't let him have the baby earlier in the day. Hearing about that reminded of a show I watched briefly for the first time the other day..."16 and Pregnant". I think it's on MTV. The girl was pregnant and the boyfriend was rarely home because of work and then hanging out with friends. He was ignorantly irresponsible; not for the work, but for always going out with friends (pretty much every day) after work.
Watch out, here comes my soapbox to pick me up. If you have sex, you know what the potential consequences are! (Perhaps my assumption is ignorant, but I like to think that people who get themselves into a situation where they can actually have sex have half a brain that works.) You should understand that before you put yourself into that situation. This leads into my beliefs on abortion (uh oh, rare controversial topic opinion ahead). It seems that many women and nearly all politicians are pro-choice. I would not have a problem with this concept if the baby inside the womb was able to say "I don't want my parents! They are stupid and are not capable of taking care of me!" There is only one situation where I think abortion is ok, and that is if the mother's life is in jeopardy. In other words, it is a matter of losing two lives or one. I have a friend who was unfortunately and unexpectedly in that situation. It was not something she wanted to do, but needed to do in order to try to fight for her life. Unfortunately, she passed away a year and a half later. The one aspect of abortion that I'm kind of semi-iffy on is rape. On one side, sex was forced not desired. On the other side, I don't believe in murder, and yes I do think abortion is murder. Please explain to me how stopping a beating heart is not considered killing life, or how eliminating something that will develop a beating heart is not wrong. Therefore, I still think that abortion from rape is not ok, even though it is probably not wanted. Ok, the soapbox has left.
Other things in life that are constantly running through my head all seem to revolve around my job situation. I have now been home from work for over a month, and although I am still on payroll through next Tuesday and have a severance package coming after that, I still wonder how long this will go on and how I will be able to provide for my family should this extend beyond our financial means. I do have one potential job in the works, but it's just that: in the works. Nothing is certain until I am on-site, being paid to work, and the prospective job would have me as a contractor, which is somewhat unsettling although I believe that once I'm in there, I will prove to them that they need to keep me around. I've heard of many instances where people are out of work for several months, some over a year, in this economy. So if this job does come through, I will consider myself lucky and privileged.
Well, I don't know about you, but I feel better and have cleared my mind somewhat. Hopefully I can sleep better now. Especially since we have soccer in the morning, followed by a 3-hour drive to Santa Maria where we are spending the night, courtesy of one of Traci's clients (high school friend) is paying for our hotel for us so that Traci can do a photo shoot for them. Oh, and I have to do more laundry, too. Gotta be sure we have everything ready for the trip that we need!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Job(less) Update
In my last post, I mentioned that I was expecting a call from a company (Kaiser) that seemed to have interest in me. Well, in the time since that post, I have had two interviews with them. The first was with the recruiter and lasted about a half hour. I made it past that screening and had a second interview yesterday. That one lasted an hour and 14 minutes, and I am not waiting to hear what happens next, which I was told I should know in the next few days. I feel good about how it went and am really hoping they feel the same way, which should mean a third interview, face-to-face finally...hopefully...since the first two have been via phone.
One thing that I feel good about is that I don't really get that nervous for interviews, especially over the phone. Also, since I have taken advantage of the career counselor services provided by Chevron, I was pretty well prepared for this last interview since I had been given a cd by my counselor about nearly 100 interview questions and how they should/could be answered. I remember two questions I was asked were worded exactly the same on the cd as they were in the interview. The interviewer, who would be my manager if I'm hired, seemed to be pretty interested in many of the things I was saying. he spent most of the interview asking me about a variety of different situations that I had experienced, which made the interview that much easier. There was only one that I had a little trouble coming up with an answer for, but I did come up with one.
Needless to say, I'm really hoping this will work out and that they realize that I'm the right person for them to hire. The commute (Pasadena) would be 2 miles longer than my current commute (El Segundo), which is manageable. This would also represent the third general area of the "Southland" that I have worked in: Irvine, El Segundo, Pasadena. To me that is kind of cool because it gives me more familiarity with southern California, especially when it comes to alternate route. I already have the alternate route to/from Pasadena recognized, and it would cut the commute to 21 miles via surface streets the entire way!
So what have I been doing with all this time at home? The biggest thing to me is spending time with the family. I get to take the kids to school and pick them up, which I love doing. I get to spend more time with Traci, although with the way Traci Steinman Photography is going, she is pretty busy now, not to mention that she is also co-coordinator for MOPS at our church, which is another job all by itself. I have been doing some job searching, although that has slowed considerably with the prospects of this job at Kaiser. Plus I have attended a few webinars related to job search preparations, via the career counseling services company.
I also spend time just hanging out. It's been nice to be able to watch the playoff games that are on during the day (even though the Dodgers are already playing golf) and I have taken Skyler to Disneyland a couple of times while Courtney has been in school. I'm planning on taking Courtney by herself on the 29th since she doesn't have school that day (parent conferences) so that we can do all the fast and crazy rides she wants since we're kind of limited when we usually go.
The highlight of my week has remained Saturday because of the joy I experience coaching Skyler's soccer team. I haven't felt that good about doing something in quite a while. The kids are great, the patents are great, my assistant coach is great and my team mom is great. Of course it helps that the Asst. Coach and Team Mom are family, but that makes it that much better.
Traci and the girls will be home from the gym soon, so I better catch up on the Yanks-Rangers game and hope that the Rangers are taking control of the series! Too late, they're home and need to get ready for bed...the girls anyway.
One thing that I feel good about is that I don't really get that nervous for interviews, especially over the phone. Also, since I have taken advantage of the career counselor services provided by Chevron, I was pretty well prepared for this last interview since I had been given a cd by my counselor about nearly 100 interview questions and how they should/could be answered. I remember two questions I was asked were worded exactly the same on the cd as they were in the interview. The interviewer, who would be my manager if I'm hired, seemed to be pretty interested in many of the things I was saying. he spent most of the interview asking me about a variety of different situations that I had experienced, which made the interview that much easier. There was only one that I had a little trouble coming up with an answer for, but I did come up with one.
Needless to say, I'm really hoping this will work out and that they realize that I'm the right person for them to hire. The commute (Pasadena) would be 2 miles longer than my current commute (El Segundo), which is manageable. This would also represent the third general area of the "Southland" that I have worked in: Irvine, El Segundo, Pasadena. To me that is kind of cool because it gives me more familiarity with southern California, especially when it comes to alternate route. I already have the alternate route to/from Pasadena recognized, and it would cut the commute to 21 miles via surface streets the entire way!
So what have I been doing with all this time at home? The biggest thing to me is spending time with the family. I get to take the kids to school and pick them up, which I love doing. I get to spend more time with Traci, although with the way Traci Steinman Photography is going, she is pretty busy now, not to mention that she is also co-coordinator for MOPS at our church, which is another job all by itself. I have been doing some job searching, although that has slowed considerably with the prospects of this job at Kaiser. Plus I have attended a few webinars related to job search preparations, via the career counseling services company.
I also spend time just hanging out. It's been nice to be able to watch the playoff games that are on during the day (even though the Dodgers are already playing golf) and I have taken Skyler to Disneyland a couple of times while Courtney has been in school. I'm planning on taking Courtney by herself on the 29th since she doesn't have school that day (parent conferences) so that we can do all the fast and crazy rides she wants since we're kind of limited when we usually go.
The highlight of my week has remained Saturday because of the joy I experience coaching Skyler's soccer team. I haven't felt that good about doing something in quite a while. The kids are great, the patents are great, my assistant coach is great and my team mom is great. Of course it helps that the Asst. Coach and Team Mom are family, but that makes it that much better.
Traci and the girls will be home from the gym soon, so I better catch up on the Yanks-Rangers game and hope that the Rangers are taking control of the series! Too late, they're home and need to get ready for bed...the girls anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)