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Thursday, November 29, 2012

On Waiting

So I heard back from my potential new employer for my dream job. There is good news and bad news. Good news, I am still the front runner for the job. Bad news, they will accept applications throught Christmas and make a hiring decision in the New Year. So I wait.

On the plus side, December is an excellent month to not work and I have not had a vacation of any length in several years so I am enjoying the time. On the downside, until I have actually gotten the new job I am a bit nervous about the future.

When I graduated many years ago i was given a copy of Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go" In that book we are warned that one day we will come to a "waiting place". I have to agree with the assesment in that story that the waiting place is not a place that is very enjoyable. Unfortunately sometimes we have no choice but to wait. I can only hope that the wait is worth it.

In the meantime, I am just focusing on being the best Dad and Husband I can be. Spending extra time with my family is by far the greatest benefit of the entire situation.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

On Being Thankful in trying times

Every life has its ups and downs. Good days and bad. Days when we feel more thankful than others. I must admit that this particular Thanksgiving I woke up feeling much more "woe is me" than thankful for what I have.

I started thinking about the election which did not go the way I wanted, then about my own employment situation and then spiraled down from there. I was feeling pretty bleak. So I decided to talk to one of the wisest people I know, my nine year old daughter. She had been watching the Macy's Parade and apparently they had been talking about what they were thankful for. She looked up at me and said "Daddy, I am thankful for you."

That is when it hit me. I truly am the luckiest man alive. I have a wonderful family that loves and supports me. I live in the greatest nation on Earth. I have friends from all over who read this blog and offer support. All in all I have a lot to be thankful for.

It is easy to look at that glass as half empty, but when you think about how much is still in that glass, your whole outlook will change. So in spite of everything I AM thankful today. I wish each and every one of you a fantastic day and the chance to embrace the wonders in your own lives, even if you have to look a bit to find them.

I feel as though I could go on about this for some time, but instead I think I will watch the parade with my kids. Give your loved ones an extra little hug for me today and enjoy each and every blessing the day gives you to the fullest.

From my family to yours:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Monday, November 19, 2012

On Week One of Being Unemployed

So a full week has passed since I was relieved of my job and things are going about as well as can be expected. I have managed to settle into a routine of sorts. I have spent a few hours each morning of this last week working on my resume. (Thanks to a dear friend who gave me his resume to use as a template) I then plan dinner, do laundry and dishes and follow that with any shopping that needs to be done.

I have met with one potential new employer and am very excited about that prospect (it is basically the job I have dreamed about having since school) although no decision will be made until after Thanksgiving. The fact that I am the only person that has so far expressed interest in this job gives me quite a bit of hope.

The most surprising thing about being unemployed is learning how truly unhappy I was in my old job. All those who have been around me this last week have noticed that I am happier and more full of life than I had been in months. My pastor mentioned it first and then my family confirmed that he was correct. I have to admit that I do feel more at ease than I have in a long while. My only concern is securing health insurance before my current plan expires at the end of the month. But as long as the severance payment comes through before then I can survive a month on COBRA in a worst case scenario.

Another thing that has surprised me about losing my job is how much more sensitive I am to news about others losing their job. The story of Hostess hit me hard as I pondered the mentality that would chose no paycheck over a smaller paycheck. This reinforces my long held belief that Unions have outlived their usefulness by nearly half a century. But more on Hostess later.

In the meantime, Thank you all again for your support. And keep clicking those ads. ;)



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

News, Fake and unreal

Walt Disney announced the purchase of Lucasfilm recently and plans to make a new trilogy of Star Wars Films. Rumor has it that episode VII will reveal that Princess Leia has traded her voice to a seahag in order to walk on land, R2D2 is actually an enchanted clock and C3PO is a candlestick, Han Solo is being recast as a rough but lovable talking dog, And Luke Skywalker will now be played by Robin Williams

Entertainment: General David Petreaus resigned from the CIA this week to work on a revival of the popular comedy Soap. In the new edition the exploits of the Tate and Campbell families will be replaced by people crossing paths with 2 famous US Generals. Early reviews are mostly negative.

Election: It was learned that Obama won an unprecedented 100% of the vote in areas of PA and OH. Despite the fact that this has never happened before and Republican inspectors were barred from those ares for hours on election day, AG Holder says there is no cause for concern. "For many decades now people with Hussein in their name tend to get extremely high percentage of the vote, this is normal"


Economy: The Markets celebrated Obama's reelection with an unusual inverse bounce. In which they lost hundreds of points and have kept falling. In a statement Obama thanked the markets for the "show of confidence by getting rid of excess value in order to make room for growth." Most economists have refused to speak on the record since the reelection.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

On Evangelical Conservatism

It has been one week since Obama was re-elected and I have been pondering exactly what this means and why it happened. Basically, Obama won because he was able to convince his voters that he was exciting and good and that horrible things would happen if they did not follow him.

Who else is able to sell a line like that? Tent revivalists.

I propose that the conservatives find a standard bearer right now. Someone young and smooth. Someone with the ability to reach the people and sell a message. Get the people excited about Conservatism the way tent preachers get people excited about Jesus.

I suggest taking this idea to the extreme. Set up a touring carnival almost. Set up a tent, sell popcorn and funnel cakes and get everyone clamouring about the "Good News" that we CAN cut taxes and reduce the deficit! That not only will Grandma NOT be thrown out on the street we are going to make sure future Grandmas are protected as well! That it is possible to use our resources wisely and that a coal plant will make jobs not kill people!

We need light shows and fog machines. Catchy songs that can be sung and remembered by the audience. We need energy.

The conservative ideal is one that most people cherish in this Nation. The problem is that it is hard at times. Liberalism, like the Dark Side of the Force is not stronger but it is faster and more seductive. We need to counter that with some flash of our own.

But most importantly, like those tent preachers we need to address the masses and stop just addressing the choir. So get out there and spread the message, and together we can save the soul of the Nation.

Monday, November 12, 2012

This is Not the Post I had Wanted to Write (Ever)

Last Friday I joined the ranks of so many others around the nation and lost my job. The exact reason why this happened is unimportant, let me only say that it was very unexpected. So now I am facing a Monday morning in which I have no job to go to for the first time in a very long time.

The thing that I have noticed first is the overwhelming inertia that seems to be holding me almost physically in bed today. Once I overcame that I had to come up with some sort of schedule for myself in order to keep moving, lest inertia win again. So, I have dressed and gotten my kids up and about, made breakfasts and started to think about and plan my job search.

First I will need to rewrite my resume. this is a big task that I am not looking forward to. I have not had to write a resume in a very long time and will need to start from scratch. What makes the resume writing even more daunting I have learned that a position which turns out to be the job I have dreamed about for years has just come open at the same time that I find myself looking for a new career. This makes me very nervous as I work on the resume wanting it to be as near to perfect as possible so that maybe just maybe the dream job can be mine and this unemployment will last no longer than an average vacation.

Whatever happens I intend to chronicle my job search here. You dear readers have been a constant joy to me. I can almost feel the support through the net.

One last thing today. Please check out my sponsors. Clicking on an ad costs you nothing and exposes you to a product or service you may be able to use. On the other hand a click does help me out quite a bit so each one is appreciated.

PS. This blog will still have all the things you look for and I will only post about the job hunt once a week. Come back tomorrow for my thoughts on re branding the Conservative Movement.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

On Barack Obama and The 58 million idiots in this nation

So it is official. Barack Obama has won re-election. I wish I could say this shocks me, but since he was elected the first time a second term is not that stunning. Pundits will look for any number of reasons as to why he won or Romney lost. Some will say it was Hurricane Sandy, others will claim it was Romney's failure to attack in the last 2 debates. Some will say it was Obama's massive get out the vote effort.

I have a different take.

I spent all day yesterday at my local polling place. A precinct that Obama carried nearly 2-1. Here are the things I observed:

1) Approximately 1-25 Obama voters was unable to fill out their ballot correctly the first time and had to redo it.

2) Approximately 1-10 Obama supporters felt it was appropriate to show up to vote in pajamas

3) Approximately 1-5 Obama supporters look like Jesse from Breaking Bad


Obama knows his voters. He knew Romney was right when he said "47% are going to support Obama no matter what".  That is why he made his campaign a defense of Big Bird. That is why he claimed that Romney wanted to throw Grandma out on the street. He knew his voters would react.

Romney tried to run on issues. Ran on big ideas and hope for the future. Obama scared his supporters by demonizing Romney.

Some people on the far right have claimed that Obama might be the Anti-Christ. Looking at the turnout from yesterday, Romney should have run on that platform instead of the big ideas campaign he ran. Think about it for a moment. Obama claimed that Romney wanted to imprison Big Bird, Throw Grandma out of her home and reduce women's rights to the level of Saudi Arabia. How is that any more honest or right than if Romney had claimed Obama to be the living embodiment of Satan himself?

We have gotten to the point in this nation that the voters no longer want to think for themselves. Sound bites and 30 second ads are all they care to process. The ideas of 5 Trillion dollars in debt, of double digit unemployment, of skyrocketing health care costs are too staggering to contemplate. But defending Big Bird? Well, who doesn't love Big Bird?

So petty little lies took the place of big ideas. So here is an idea for the next Republican Candidate: come out swinging. Start by claiming your opponent once tried to rape you and then go from there. The bigger the lie the more likely it is to be believed. Don't worry about big ideas, people don't listen anyway.