Job Hunting...

...hardens the unemployed. Encouraging remarks don't inspire me - acceptance does.

As I look for work, many people remind me of the slumping economy, while encouraging me to "go out and get what I want" because I have "a strong resume with strong skills." Yet these same people tell me that they can't hire me - there's just no way while they're struggling to make ends meet themselves.

So I spend hours at the computer hunting for a job, sending e-mails to countless companies, tweaking my resume, etc., all while my wife works 30 hours a week at almost minimum wage. I've gotten dozens of rejections, and no interviews.

Woah, I slacked....

I apologize, I didn't realize I went three weeks without really writing. Crazy.

The Career Search

Here's some jobs I currently looking at:

WEB EDITOR / WRITER (Seattle)

Director of Research, Web and Publications Coordinator (Downtown Seattle)

So much yet to do, and no want to do them...

I reserved the U-haul and packed half the house. I really don't want to do anything else, but I must. I still need to get rid of my freezer, some furniture and a bunch of junk.

I almost finished my resume today. I think I don't look very good on paper, but my resume looks good at least.

I meant to post this yesterday ... but anyway ... on to yoga...

Yesterday, Cyndi and I found out that we need to vacate our house by May 31st, or else the landlord would need us to pay rent for the whole month of June. We originally planned to stay until June 15th, based on an agreement with new tenants coming in June.

Knowing the kids had school until June 12th, we worked out a deal with the new tenants, through the landlord, to let us stay until June 15th, provided that we would empty a bedroom by May 15th for them to start moving things into the house. We kept up our end of the bargain, emptying Laura’s room last week. Laura moved into Mikie’s room a few weeks ago, packing her belongings all the while. I expected the new tenants to show up this weekend, wanting to move their stuff into the room. They never did.

The landlord called us yesterday, telling us the deal with the new tenants would not work. They would not pay the months if they couldn’t move in on June 1st. When we explained that we emptied a room, he said that doesn’t matter, they won’t pay. So, rather than pay the extra, we’ll just leave early. But the new tenants do not get to move their stuff in – we won’t let them.

We made the mistake of not talking directly to the new tenants ourselves. We could have avoided disaster with just a little more effort. I learned in many of my communication classes about the message, receiver, noise, etc, about how the more repeated the message, the more distorted, and how using the landlord to communicate for us could have given the new tenants the message that we don’t care about them or their wants and needs. But who cares! Stand by your word, dammit! I stand by mine.

Laura needs constant supervision...

I love my children. I love my daughter. I would do anything for her. Seriously, I would die for her. Have I convinced you yet? I guess I'm just trying to remember those convictions for myself.

My daughter, Laura, repeats my childhood – by doing exactly what I did as a child. Sometimes I understand why I received so many beatings and groundings as a child. How did my parents not have a stroke?

Laura refuses to keep up on her homework. I would like to see her pass the 5th grade, but that might not happen. I had to keep her home from 5th grade camp two weeks ago, because she told her teacher that she would not stay in from recess to do the "effing" homework that she had told me the night before that she did not have. So, during the week she should have been at camp, I had her working on her book projects, which I thought she had finished. When Cyndi got a call from Laura's teacher saying she hadn't turned them in, we found out she hadn't finished them after all. She only did the project, not the writing. AARGH!

So now she argues for hours about how much work it is to write three quarters of a page summary from a 200 page book. But then she sits down and writes for an hour and finishes it. So, it takes longer for her to argue than it does to do the work.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

I found out this morning that the Isuzu Rodeo only needed $175 worth of work – less than I had expected. The spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor need replaced. I wanted to do the work myself so that it would be cheaper, but then I realized that the mechanic wanted almost $90 just for the diagnostic. So after paying for the diagnostic and buying new parts, it would almost be just as much. I decided they could just fix it. Hopefully that's all that's wrong with it.

Here's the Lowdown....

Hello all! I'm starting this as a reminder to myself that I need to write on a daily basis to keep up on my craft. The way I figure it, use it or lose, and school won't be making me use it anymore. And since I don't have a career yet, I might as well blog. Besides, employers (especially in my field) like to see tangible material.

Today, I sit in the Pullman Regional Hospital waiting room while my 11-year-old daughter, Laura, gets an MRI on her arm. Her soon-to-be-13-year-old brother, Maarty, accidentally broke her arm when he landed on her while both jumped on the trampoline. I told him the day before that he needed to stop being so physical with his little sister because one of these times he's going to accidentally break an arm. He did. Anyway, the doctor noticed some irregularity on her x-rays, so she gets an MRI.

We plan to move to Bremerton, WA soon. Cyndi (wife for those who don't know) already secured a job at the Safeway, and I really haven't even started looking. We have our eyes (and emails, phone calls, etc.) on a house only a block away from where we used to live, before I dragged the family across the state to Pullman three years ago. The four-bedroom house includes a washer and dryer, has a fenced back yard, and allows pets. We still have our Section 8 voucher, so we should end up paying less than half the $1,250/month rent. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Later this afternoon, I take the Isuzu to the shop. The truck has been sputtering as of lately, and I think the fuel pump might be going out again. The fuel tank should also be replaced, considering I know it's filled with rust. I've been changing the fuel filter almost monthly for the last year, and every time I do, I find it filled with rust. Maybe the fuel injectors need cleaned, too. I might lose an arm and a leg on this one.

I just realized I also have to deal with the GMC Van, too. That vehicle sits broken down in the parking lot of the apartments where we used to live, before we moved into the four-bedroom where we currently reside. The van must be towed down to the shop. I don't think I'll be able to afford that one. To the junkyard for that vehicle, most likely.

Well, now that I've written a book, I'll post a list of what I still need to do.

• Find a moving van or truck and trailer
• Get GMC Van to the shop
• Empty Laura's room by Friday for new tenants
• Build Resume
• Apply for jobs
• Print and fill out housing papers
• Sell appliances
• Organize garage sale
• Minimize, minimize, minimize

Well, I think that's all for now. I'll continually update this blog about our move, maybe even add some pics, too!

Goodbye for now!