After spending a long day in El Cajon last Saturday, helping our pastor friend and his family move, I realized that this coming weekend (starting in a few minutes), will be the last entire weekend I spend at home/in town at least until mid-August. I guess I better enjoy it.
Next weekend, we head to San Diego for a day for Traci's family's (dad's side) annual family reunion in Mission Bay in San Diego. It's always fun and when it's not overcast, it's great weather usually.
The weekend after that, I am in St. Louis for my friends wedding, which I am a groomsman in. I'm very excited about this because we have been friend for about 20 years now. Also, I've never been to St. Louis, and the night I get there (two weeks from today), I will be enjoying a Cardinals-Astros game at Busch Stadium; another ballpark I can check off my list!
The weekend after that is our annual camping trip with Traci's family, which normally is at Shaver Lake, but this year will be at a new place in northern California.
Th weekend after that, we will be in the San Diego area (again!) to support our pastor who is being installed as the new Co-lead Pastor of a young church in La Mesa.
The weekend after that, we are all home for the weekend. The weekend after that, I will be camping with the guys from my Bible study group. And believe it or not, that leads up to the week that the girls go back to school. No wonder Summer flies by so quickly!
Hopefully somewhere in all that craziness, I will start a new job. I have a few prospects out there, and they are scattered all over the U.S. The job I want the most is also the one local prospect I have right now: Disney!!!! If you know me, you may know that I worked at Disneyland (1995-1999) while working on my undergraduate degree. I loved it and once I realized teaching was not where I wanted to be, I wished I had stayed with Disney because I loved working there. Well, this may be the one opportunity I have to land something there. I have sent them so many resumes over the years and to actually talk to a Disney HR recruiting employee this week was awesome! It seemed like the screening call we had went pretty well. I should know by Friday (tomorrow) whether or not they want to interview me for the position. The commute would not be fun as the job would be located in Burbank, but for Disney, I would do it in a heartbeat! I'm praying and hoping that this works out. Only God knows, and I hope this is His plan for me, but that is for Him to know and me to find out.
I also have a resume in with Chevron for the same type of position (same exact work) I was doing before the layoff. However, this position is located in Salt Lake City. That would be interesting since the weather is a lot different than here and we have no family there. Fortunately we do have some friends that live in that area. I haven't heard anything from Chevron yet since the posting is open until July 29.
The other prospect is for the government, and is located in Washington, DC, but the salary starts at about 10% above what I was making at Chevron and goes up from there. Again, much different weather, but for that much money, it would be worth the move, and the extra money could go towards travel to come back and visit family once in a while.
However, I still sit here waiting for more calls regarding positions I've applied for and continue looking for new jobs and using new job search resources I learn about. I'll tell you though, if you are currently searching for a job, I highly highly highly recommend LinkedIn. I have been contacted by a number of recruiters who came across my profile there.
I should probably sign off now since it's about midnight, which means it's almost Friday, which means it's the day I should hear back from Disney, which could be the beginning of something magical!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Crazy Week
This week has the busiest one in a while and it's not slowing down. The girls started swim lessons this week and will finish them up next Friday. i love watching them because they love to be int he water and swim. It just makes me a proud daddy...makes me very happy.
It all goes back to Sunday. If you remember, last weekend was a bad weekend emotionally for me due to the rejection from Hawaiian Airlines. But nonetheless, life goes on. Sunday after church, we went to a picnic at the park with my Bible Study group and their families, which was pretty fun. After that we spent the evening at our church for their Patriotic Concert on the Lawn.
Monday, of course, was the 4th. We started off going to a friend's house for an lunchtime holiday BBQ and the kids had fun with some water play. After that it was straight to Traci's aunt and uncle's house for a huge block party and fireworks. Skyler was scared by most of the fireworks, especially the illegally professional ones that were very loud. There was actually one down the street that exploded before leaving the ground. I couldn't tell if anybody got hurt, but it was pretty scary to see.
Tuesday the girls started swim lessons and that was pretty much it besides my quarterly psych appointment.
Wednesday after swim lessons, we headed to the beach for the first time this year. Of course the girls had a ton of fun. This also represented the first time that we let the girls go in the water without holding their hands, so Traci and I were kind of on edge watching them nearby. They actually did pretty well and between that and playing in the sand, they were pretty happy. After that we headed to my sister's mother-in-law's fiance's house for an impromptu BBQ. She treats our girls as if they were her own granddaughters which is very sweet. It gave us a chance to get to know her fiance a little better too, which was nice. He has two dogs and the girls enjoyed playing with them and petting them. Dinner was also great! We all even took a walk to a nearby park where the girls got play a little before we finally headed home.
Thursday after swim lessons we headed to a friend's house for some fun swim time. I was used as a floating jungle gym by the girls, and it was a lot of fun. It's times like those I really cherish. After that, we went home for a little bit before heading off to my kickball game, the first time Traci and the girls had been able to make it to a game. I enjoyed having them there to watch, and we won so that was pretty cool too. (We are 2-1 now, by the way!)
Today after lessons, our swim day was cancelled which was nice because it gave enough time to come home and prep the girls for their auditions today. Yesterday we were notified that each girl had an audition today, so Traci took Skyler to her audition in Santa Monica while I took Courtney to her audition in Hollywood. When Courtney and I arrived, we learned that the casting people were on lunch for another 45 minutes so we walked down the street (in Hollywood, remember) to a nearby Jack in the Box for a snack. As we arrived, there were a man and a woman yelling at each other looking like they were going to go at it (fight) right outside the JITB. I calmly walked Courtney way around them and into the restaurant to make sure we were both safe. Once inside we got our food and I had to let Courtney know not to stare at a woman who was talking to people who weren't there, if you know what I mean. Ahhhh...just another day in Hollywood! After we made it home, we had a chance to eat dinner and get the girls packed and over to Traci's parents' house for a sleepover tonight. The reason for the sleepover?
Tomorrow morning, Traci and I head over the house of one of our pastors to help them move to their new house in El Cajon, near San Diego, since he is becoming Co-lead Pastor of a church down there. Needless to say it will be a busy Saturday...again.
Despite all this busyness, I have still made time to apply to a number of jobs. How many will I actually have a chance at? Based on my success so far...none. But if I don't keep trying, nothing will happen. However, I am getting in touch with a recruiter that helped one my friends a little while back. I'm hoping that may help end the drought, but I'll believe once it happens. So in honor of Will and Kate's visit to L.A., chin up!
It all goes back to Sunday. If you remember, last weekend was a bad weekend emotionally for me due to the rejection from Hawaiian Airlines. But nonetheless, life goes on. Sunday after church, we went to a picnic at the park with my Bible Study group and their families, which was pretty fun. After that we spent the evening at our church for their Patriotic Concert on the Lawn.
Monday, of course, was the 4th. We started off going to a friend's house for an lunchtime holiday BBQ and the kids had fun with some water play. After that it was straight to Traci's aunt and uncle's house for a huge block party and fireworks. Skyler was scared by most of the fireworks, especially the illegally professional ones that were very loud. There was actually one down the street that exploded before leaving the ground. I couldn't tell if anybody got hurt, but it was pretty scary to see.
Tuesday the girls started swim lessons and that was pretty much it besides my quarterly psych appointment.
Wednesday after swim lessons, we headed to the beach for the first time this year. Of course the girls had a ton of fun. This also represented the first time that we let the girls go in the water without holding their hands, so Traci and I were kind of on edge watching them nearby. They actually did pretty well and between that and playing in the sand, they were pretty happy. After that we headed to my sister's mother-in-law's fiance's house for an impromptu BBQ. She treats our girls as if they were her own granddaughters which is very sweet. It gave us a chance to get to know her fiance a little better too, which was nice. He has two dogs and the girls enjoyed playing with them and petting them. Dinner was also great! We all even took a walk to a nearby park where the girls got play a little before we finally headed home.
Thursday after swim lessons we headed to a friend's house for some fun swim time. I was used as a floating jungle gym by the girls, and it was a lot of fun. It's times like those I really cherish. After that, we went home for a little bit before heading off to my kickball game, the first time Traci and the girls had been able to make it to a game. I enjoyed having them there to watch, and we won so that was pretty cool too. (We are 2-1 now, by the way!)
Today after lessons, our swim day was cancelled which was nice because it gave enough time to come home and prep the girls for their auditions today. Yesterday we were notified that each girl had an audition today, so Traci took Skyler to her audition in Santa Monica while I took Courtney to her audition in Hollywood. When Courtney and I arrived, we learned that the casting people were on lunch for another 45 minutes so we walked down the street (in Hollywood, remember) to a nearby Jack in the Box for a snack. As we arrived, there were a man and a woman yelling at each other looking like they were going to go at it (fight) right outside the JITB. I calmly walked Courtney way around them and into the restaurant to make sure we were both safe. Once inside we got our food and I had to let Courtney know not to stare at a woman who was talking to people who weren't there, if you know what I mean. Ahhhh...just another day in Hollywood! After we made it home, we had a chance to eat dinner and get the girls packed and over to Traci's parents' house for a sleepover tonight. The reason for the sleepover?
Tomorrow morning, Traci and I head over the house of one of our pastors to help them move to their new house in El Cajon, near San Diego, since he is becoming Co-lead Pastor of a church down there. Needless to say it will be a busy Saturday...again.
Despite all this busyness, I have still made time to apply to a number of jobs. How many will I actually have a chance at? Based on my success so far...none. But if I don't keep trying, nothing will happen. However, I am getting in touch with a recruiter that helped one my friends a little while back. I'm hoping that may help end the drought, but I'll believe once it happens. So in honor of Will and Kate's visit to L.A., chin up!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Rough Weekend
Usually this is a very fun weekend as we celebrate the birth of our country. This year has been a little different so far, though. As you may or may not know, I recently had two interviews with Hawaiian Airlines. This would have been a major move as we would have needed to relocate to Hawaii since the position was based out of Honolulu. However, yesterday morning I received an e-mail from the recruiter who originally contacted me about the position. It said that they decided to pass on me and provided 3 reasons the VP, who most recently interviewed me, gave for taking me out of the running. Two of those three reasons were total crap, which is the main reason I am so pissed and upset about this missed opportunity. The one that gets me the most is that he didn't understand why I left Chevron because he assumed they were doing fine. Here's the two part problem I have with that. First, he assumed! Secondly, he never asked me! I'll give him the fact that although Chevron was crying that they weren't doing well (I guess only making $10 billion in 2009 isn't good enough, never mind the $20 billion they made last year, you know, the year they made all the workforce cuts...don't even get me started on that). Most companies would be fine with that, but not Chevronor other oil companies. Regardless, if he wondered about it, why didn't he freakin' bring it up? But, what's done is done. However, if the first guy "really liked" me (per the recruiter who talked with him), did he talk to the VP? Now I'm just running "what if?" scenarios through my head.
Of course our parents are glad that we aren't moving, but I don't care and don't want to hear that right now. That's almost motivation for me to look exclusively for jobs outside our current area. (Can you tell I'm a little bitter?) I really had my hopes up for this possibility, especially since the first interviewer liked me so much. All I've got to say is thank goodness for my meds. If I didn't have those, who knows how low I would have gotten this weekend; yesterday was bad enough on them. At least I have my next psych appointment on Tuesday.
I have applied for a couple of jobs since the rejection, one based in Texas (with another airline) and one based locally with a high-end sunglasses company. I'm not expecting anything to happen, but at least I've applied.
I have become very frustrated with this whole job search thing. My career coach said that if you get in for an interview, you are 80% of the way there (to getting hired). He also gave me a stat about if you get a second interview. I think it was over 90%, but I'm going to assume only 90% for hte purpose of the following calculation. If it were true, that would mean that I have a (.1 x .1 x .1 =) .001 = .1% chance of not getting hired by any of those three employers. So does that mean that I suck that bad or am I just lucky to be the one person out every 1,000 that has 2 interviews with 3 different employers and doesn't get hired. See where I'm going with this? If I assume that the probability was 95% instead of 90%, there would be a .0125% chance of me not getting any of the three jobs.
Now that I have passed the 9-month unemployment mark I feel like my faith is starting to be challenged. I know God has a plan for me, but what is it and how long will this continue? Is He going to take me to the edge again, like 2 years ago? Is this some kind of test? Whatever it is He's doing, I hope He enlightens me soon. I'm getting sick of this waiting game!
Oh and on top of all this, there are other things to worry about...big things. We have only one payment (for August) left on our temporary loan modification plan. After that, we are done with payments if I'm still unemployed, which means we will have to get rid of the house. Then, after October 1 (ironically, the 1-year anniversary of me being unemployed), my unemployment claim maxes out and we will have pretty much no income. Feels like a perfect storm is brewing to me.
One more thing that irks me is that I keep hearing that those who are currently working have an easier time finding a new job that those who are unemployed. Please tell me I'm stupid, because this doesn't make sense to me.
Ok, I think I'm done venting. Now I just need to calm down so I can actually sleep tonight.
Of course our parents are glad that we aren't moving, but I don't care and don't want to hear that right now. That's almost motivation for me to look exclusively for jobs outside our current area. (Can you tell I'm a little bitter?) I really had my hopes up for this possibility, especially since the first interviewer liked me so much. All I've got to say is thank goodness for my meds. If I didn't have those, who knows how low I would have gotten this weekend; yesterday was bad enough on them. At least I have my next psych appointment on Tuesday.
I have applied for a couple of jobs since the rejection, one based in Texas (with another airline) and one based locally with a high-end sunglasses company. I'm not expecting anything to happen, but at least I've applied.
I have become very frustrated with this whole job search thing. My career coach said that if you get in for an interview, you are 80% of the way there (to getting hired). He also gave me a stat about if you get a second interview. I think it was over 90%, but I'm going to assume only 90% for hte purpose of the following calculation. If it were true, that would mean that I have a (.1 x .1 x .1 =) .001 = .1% chance of not getting hired by any of those three employers. So does that mean that I suck that bad or am I just lucky to be the one person out every 1,000 that has 2 interviews with 3 different employers and doesn't get hired. See where I'm going with this? If I assume that the probability was 95% instead of 90%, there would be a .0125% chance of me not getting any of the three jobs.
Now that I have passed the 9-month unemployment mark I feel like my faith is starting to be challenged. I know God has a plan for me, but what is it and how long will this continue? Is He going to take me to the edge again, like 2 years ago? Is this some kind of test? Whatever it is He's doing, I hope He enlightens me soon. I'm getting sick of this waiting game!
Oh and on top of all this, there are other things to worry about...big things. We have only one payment (for August) left on our temporary loan modification plan. After that, we are done with payments if I'm still unemployed, which means we will have to get rid of the house. Then, after October 1 (ironically, the 1-year anniversary of me being unemployed), my unemployment claim maxes out and we will have pretty much no income. Feels like a perfect storm is brewing to me.
One more thing that irks me is that I keep hearing that those who are currently working have an easier time finding a new job that those who are unemployed. Please tell me I'm stupid, because this doesn't make sense to me.
Ok, I think I'm done venting. Now I just need to calm down so I can actually sleep tonight.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Summer Vacation
It's hard to believe that Skyler is on vacation already and Courtney will be once she finishes up school tomorrow. When I was let go back in October, I never imagined myself still being unemployed come Summer Vacation. But here we are and here I am. All in all, I'm kind of excited about it, though. It will be fun to spend a lot of time with the girls being home all day. I'm sure there will be days when I don't feel that way, but I think it will be fun overall.
This is shaping up to be a very interesting and potentially big-changes kind of Summer. I'm currently in the process of working on three job leads. One feels dead though since my last interview was the end of March, even thought they have told me they haven't filled the position. One is just getting restarted thanks to a request for a lower pay rate. The other, most promising, opportunity is being delayed by people taking vacations. This opportunity would relocate us pretty far away, but I have at least two more rounds of interviews, so it's far from a sure thing. They have told me they are in the process of coordinating schedules for the second interview, but with some people being out of town, that really slows things up. I'll know next week though. I won't give any more details on it because there is such a ways to go in the process. However, if I get flown out for an interview, that will sound like a very strong possibility and will probably give more insight then. For now, we wait.
Our family has our first fun Summer activity planned for next week. We have our first visit to the Getty Museum planned for next week. I'm not a big museum guy, but this should be worth it. It will make for a good day trip. It happens to be on the 17th anniversary of my high school graduation, which is pretty scary to think about.
I'm also doing something kind of crazy. I am on a kickball team. Yes, a game that I hadn't played since elementary school until our practice this past Monday. I am still recovering physically from that, but it was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to playing, currently as a sub, and seeing how that all goes. The first game is Thursday next week and we'll have to see if I'm able to get out of bed on Friday. Hopefully I will...me and Traci's 12th anniversary is that Sunday, the 26th.
This is shaping up to be a very interesting and potentially big-changes kind of Summer. I'm currently in the process of working on three job leads. One feels dead though since my last interview was the end of March, even thought they have told me they haven't filled the position. One is just getting restarted thanks to a request for a lower pay rate. The other, most promising, opportunity is being delayed by people taking vacations. This opportunity would relocate us pretty far away, but I have at least two more rounds of interviews, so it's far from a sure thing. They have told me they are in the process of coordinating schedules for the second interview, but with some people being out of town, that really slows things up. I'll know next week though. I won't give any more details on it because there is such a ways to go in the process. However, if I get flown out for an interview, that will sound like a very strong possibility and will probably give more insight then. For now, we wait.
Our family has our first fun Summer activity planned for next week. We have our first visit to the Getty Museum planned for next week. I'm not a big museum guy, but this should be worth it. It will make for a good day trip. It happens to be on the 17th anniversary of my high school graduation, which is pretty scary to think about.
I'm also doing something kind of crazy. I am on a kickball team. Yes, a game that I hadn't played since elementary school until our practice this past Monday. I am still recovering physically from that, but it was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to playing, currently as a sub, and seeing how that all goes. The first game is Thursday next week and we'll have to see if I'm able to get out of bed on Friday. Hopefully I will...me and Traci's 12th anniversary is that Sunday, the 26th.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Another Interview
Had an interview for a position with BP today. It's a local position based out of Carson. I think it went pretty well and should know something by the end of this week, according to the guy who interviewed me. It is only a 6-month contract position, but it would be living off of unemployment and savings. Although it seemed to go well, it would only be a good short-term solution, not long-term, which is a concern for me. If I were to accept this position, if it is offered to me, I would not stop looking for other jobs or take myself out of the interview process for Hawaiian Airlines, which is a full-time, employee position, with benefits and everything. (BP would just be pay, no benefits, paid time off, etc.)
The concerns about the long-term picture with BP has more than one component. One is that it is pretty certain to be just a 6-month position, meaning I would be without a job come the beginning of 2012. While they are currently looking to fill the position with a contracted worker, they would still be searching and interviewing to fill it with a "permanent" full-time employee, meaning I may or may not be in the running. Secondly, the refinery I would be working at is in the process of being sold. When the sale happens, who knows what that could mean for me as an employee there. I could be kept around by the new owner or I could be let go if they decide they have someone else in mind that they would like to bring in. Of course they could offer me the position and everything could work out, but it seems like that has as much of a chance of happening as the concerns I just pointed out. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Meanwhile, I'm waiting to hear on when my second interview with Hawaiian Airlines will be. The guy who interviewed me the first time (Sr. Director of Strategic Procurement) is now on vacation the rest of this week. I haven't gotten a call back from the (external) recruiter for this position, who is traveling today, either. I'm assuming I will know when the next interview is sometime next week, which could be a problem depending on whether or not BP makes an offer. It's a lot to think about, but I'm really just running possible scenarios through my head at this point since nothing has happened. With my active mind, stuff like this constantly runs through my head and I try to think of what I would do in the different possible situations, but who knows. There could be something else out there that I don't know about yet.
The concerns about the long-term picture with BP has more than one component. One is that it is pretty certain to be just a 6-month position, meaning I would be without a job come the beginning of 2012. While they are currently looking to fill the position with a contracted worker, they would still be searching and interviewing to fill it with a "permanent" full-time employee, meaning I may or may not be in the running. Secondly, the refinery I would be working at is in the process of being sold. When the sale happens, who knows what that could mean for me as an employee there. I could be kept around by the new owner or I could be let go if they decide they have someone else in mind that they would like to bring in. Of course they could offer me the position and everything could work out, but it seems like that has as much of a chance of happening as the concerns I just pointed out. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Meanwhile, I'm waiting to hear on when my second interview with Hawaiian Airlines will be. The guy who interviewed me the first time (Sr. Director of Strategic Procurement) is now on vacation the rest of this week. I haven't gotten a call back from the (external) recruiter for this position, who is traveling today, either. I'm assuming I will know when the next interview is sometime next week, which could be a problem depending on whether or not BP makes an offer. It's a lot to think about, but I'm really just running possible scenarios through my head at this point since nothing has happened. With my active mind, stuff like this constantly runs through my head and I try to think of what I would do in the different possible situations, but who knows. There could be something else out there that I don't know about yet.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
8 Months
It's hard to believe that I've been unemployed for 8 months now. However, with the recent activity in the job search, it seems like that may come to an end soon, possibly before the 9 month mark. Last week, I had interviews with an employment agency and Hawaiian Airlines. The agency then called me back later last week with a possibility, but I requested not to be considered for it because of the 25% pay decrease and my current search activity. Hawaiian Airlines is currently in the process of arranging a second interview (phone) and I should hear back from them once they have found a time that all 5 of their employees can talk. Then earlier this morning, I received confirmation of my interview with BP next Tuesday. It's nice to have all this activity right now. I'm just really hoping I can land one of these.
School's almost out for the kids. Skyler finishes up preschool next week and Courtney finishes school the week after. When I was let go last October, I never imagined I would still be unemployed when Summer vacation rolled around, let alone still have some money.
Plans for Summer vacation are forming pretty well. We have our annual camping trip in early August scheduled, which comes right after my (alone) trip to St. Louis to be in my friend's wedding at the end of July. The girls will have swimming lessons like usual and there is a reading program at the library again, which they did last Summer. We also have our first trip to the Getty Museum planned for later this month. Depending on how the next interview goes with Hawaiian Airlines, Traci and I may be making a brief trip to Honolulu for final interviews, but I need to get past the next one first.
School's almost out for the kids. Skyler finishes up preschool next week and Courtney finishes school the week after. When I was let go last October, I never imagined I would still be unemployed when Summer vacation rolled around, let alone still have some money.
Plans for Summer vacation are forming pretty well. We have our annual camping trip in early August scheduled, which comes right after my (alone) trip to St. Louis to be in my friend's wedding at the end of July. The girls will have swimming lessons like usual and there is a reading program at the library again, which they did last Summer. We also have our first trip to the Getty Museum planned for later this month. Depending on how the next interview goes with Hawaiian Airlines, Traci and I may be making a brief trip to Honolulu for final interviews, but I need to get past the next one first.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Job Search - Still Going
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.
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.
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.
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