Howdy! Well, classes are coming to an end for this semester. I have my last classes this week and exams the next. I am still not sure what grades I will end up with since I don’t really understand what my professor is looking for in my responses to his questions. You see, while he is brilliant, his mind works a lot differently than mine. I am, unfortunately, pretty literal when it comes to things like History. Don’t get me wrong, I have worked in a couple advertising agencies and have helped on some pretty creative campaigns. It’s just when I am told that every movie ever made has some underlying social statement attached to it that I falter. Really? Is Tropic Thunder making a statement about violence in the movies and about how far gone the audience is that we do not even believe the violence we see on the screen? Or was it just a farce of many was movies? Or was it just mindless fun? Apparently, it was not just mindless fun as the ‘professor’s pets’ crew in my class will tell you. They read so much into every movie ever made, it kind of freaks me out.
Are the folks in Hollywood really that smart that they take on major social issues through thinly veiled story lines? Was The Magnificent Sevenan anti-Vietnam film or was it a Western that broke boundaries in the technology of blood and gore? Was it both? Was it neither?
ARGH! I hope you can see my dilema. I am putting the final touches on my research paper for one of my classes. It is supposed to discuss the historical mistakes that are in the film. Of course, I got overambitious at the beginning of the semester and chose a deep foreign film…stupid me. And, of course, my literal brain was looking for actual mistakes. My professor really helped me out by telling me to look for what was not in the film. Who did they leave out when they told their story? I am writing a better paper now, thanks to him, but will it be good enough?
On the job front, it is freezing. I have just bought two domains and I am going to try my hand at posting my resume up on them to see if I get more calls and emails. I never thought that I would find myself in this position. I have always worked. Since I was 15, I have had a job. I have never been unable to find a job. This is just amazing. How is this possible? And how can those knobs in D.C. live with themselves?
I worked for a company in the late 90′s. An internet start up…was that too obvious? Anywho, when investors quit investing in the company because they were nervous about the future, all of the executives quit collecting their salaries and kept paying us worker bees until the finances rebounded. Shouldn’t the failed lawyers in D.C. do the same thing? Our country/company is failing. We are bankrupt. If everyone we have borrowed money from comes knocking on the proverbial door for their money, we are seriously screwed. I know if the fools in office quit taking their salaries, it would not have a huge effect on the bottom line, but…I believe it would have a huge effect on their ego’s. Maybe I am giving them too much credit for still having human emotions that don’t center around themselves, but it it worth a try. Take away their perks, cut their staffs, take away their salaries until every American who wants a job has a job. Before you try to tell me this mess is not their fault, I am going to say bullshit. The majority of the failed lawyers up there have been in office over 20 years. This whole debacle cannot be laid to rest on any one President’s shoulders. But, it can be laid on the shoulders of the fools who create and pass most of the legislation that led to the depression. (of course if I take it a step further, this is really our fault because we keep voting these idiots into office!)
Let’s right the wrongs. Vote every single incumbent out of office in November. Don’t vote party lines, they don’t mean anything any way. Those jokers up there don’t really care, they just want to stay in office. Vote ALL of the incumbents out of office. We really need term limitations on them, but they will not do it themselves, so…we need to do it for them. If any Congressman has been in office two terms, they are out. O-U-T. This will help, not solve but help, the problems with the special interest groups and PACs. For example, did you know that right at this moment there are over 125 former Congressional staff members working for the financial institutions to block any oversight or, heaven forbid, regulation of their practices? The same financial institutions that almost took this country down? Scary, eh?
So, here is how I see it. To start us on the road to recovery and get us out of this depression, we, yes we, the American people need to fight for:
Congress and the President not taking their salary until every American who wants to work has a job.
Term limitation on Congressmen – remember, it is up to us to make this happen. Get out there and VOTE. we can change things. Two terms max!
Flat income tax – 12 %, 15%, whatever. Just make it easier for the taxpayers and the government. Did you know that two HUGE corporations that were extremely profitable last year paid NO federal taxes???? Ridiculous.
Presidential Line Item Veto – Save us from the rampant pork barrelling and backroom deals. Allow the President to cut lines from bills. If Congress wants them in there so badly, they can vote to overrule the veto. Do we really need money for studying cow patties in a bill that is supposed to cover Education? No, we don’t.
Yes, I am on a soapbox. I am not as angry as I have been, but I am still appalled at the actions of those knobs in Washington. They are not listening to us. We are the ones who are hurting. We are the ones with no jobs. We are the ones who are losing out homes. We are suffering and our government is doing nothing about it but putting on a show and trying to distract us with the promise of free healthcare. (I won’t start in on that hot mess this time.)
Register to vote. Let’s run those jerks out of office this November. I just hope that I have not had to sell my computer and other belongings to keep my house by then…although, it would be easier to clean without all this stuff in the way!
Tags:
College,
congress,
D.C.,
depression,
exams,
Hollywood,
term limitation,
Tropic Thunder,
Vote
Hey there folks, and sp*mmers? Wow, I signed into my account the other day and found 200+ sp*m comments. I signed in again tonight and there were nine new ones. I have also noticed a lot of this nonsense in comment sections of ‘real’ websites. Do people really follow these links or buy these questionable products? I guess they do…
Anywho, back to me, ha! Where have I been you might ask. I’ve been here, just not feeling much like writing. I am still in school, although not doing as well as I would like to do or have done in the past. When I left college 20+ years ago, I had a 3.8 gpa. Not too shabby. This time around, I am not sure what grades I am going to get. I do well in class and answer questions, participate in the class discussion and get the answers right. Now, on tests and papers, I am not doing so well. See, I am supposed to be taking History classes but it feels like I am taking film classes. I have the same professor for both classes and I do enjoy the classes and the discussions, but I am supposed to be taking History classes. We shall see.
I have been out of work for over a year. It is frustrating, humiliating, humbling, tiring, etc. I work 40+ hours a week trying to find work. I have sent out over 5,000 resumes and made over 10,000 phone calls. I have had my resume rewritten 4 times. The ‘experts’ say the ‘recession’ is slowly ending. I’m not seeing that. I am also tired of people refering to this as a recession. This is a depression. Why not call it what it is? What are people in 100 years from now going to say? It would be really interesting to hear their take on all that is happening right now, because I don’t know how we fix this mess. I know the folks in D.C. don’t know how to fix it or how to help us fix it. It will be interesting to read this post 10 years from now.
Will I be angry with myself for being so down? Will I understand? Will the U.S. exist the way it does now?
Jeez, I made that comment to my mother without thinking ahead. I got the usual baby boomer stuff about how every man in her generation willingly served in the military and how I should never forget all that these men fought for and how they fought to protect our freedom and that without their sacrifice, I would not have the chances that I have now. Well, while I respect anyone who serves in our military, I am not seeing a whole lot of chances right now. I have worked very hard since I was 15 years old and right now, I would, my family and I would not have a home without my parent’s help. I will never be able to thank them enough for all they have done for me, never. But, the crap that is fed to us, “Work hard and you can be anything you want to be”, is just that, crap.
Yes, I am negative, negative, negative right now. Anyone who says they never feel this way is a big, fat liar. Everyone gets down, everyone feels horrible sometimes. Right now, I am exhausted.
If you have read this far, I congratulate you. This post is a rambling, strange one. Sorry for that. I will try to be more positive in future posts. I am still not sure anyone is reading this. I would like to be one of those cool bloggers who gets noticed and read all the time, but I am not sure how to do it. As I said about my classes, we shall see. In the meantime, I will just keep posting my posts. I do feel better after I write, although I am sure some folks would say that I should just put this all in a Word document and keep it totally private. They might be right.
We shall see.
Howdy, I just reviewed all of my ‘matching’ jobs prospects at a variety of sites. I am puzzled by several things. A lot of the job descriptions I read state that the position is commission only, yes, I am in sales. And they then go on to state that they will not negotiate and they are not offering insurance, PTO, etc. I am not talking about a few job descriptions, I am talking about a lot of them.
Also, the kicker today was a job description that stated there would be a phone interview and then an in person interview at their corporate offices. Mind you, this is for a position in the South and the HQ is located in the Northeast. This is not unusual. What is unusual is that the job description states, “There will be no reimbursements for this In-Person interview.”
Seriously?
I mean, seriously??????????
People, including myself, desperately want to get back to work. I want to find a great job and stay there until I retire. I really do. But in order for me to do that, I have to work for a company that I know values me. I bust my tail for them, they treat me like a human being and not a random commodity.
Do companies really think that people are going to stay with them when the economy recovers if the company has treated them badly? Paying someone commission only is treating them badly. Not offering benefits is treating a person badly. If a company won’t invest in their people, why should their people invest in them?
Not paying for someone to come interview with your company is just plain cheap. Would anyone really want to work for a company that cannot afford to pay for them to come interview at their HQ? To me, the above statement reeks of financial insecurity. Plus it is just plain insulting.
All these companies that are taking advantage of people now while the economy and job market stink, need to realize that human beings, not disposable tissues work for them. When the economy and job market recover, all these cheap, insulting companies are going to lose employees by the truck loads.
No one wants to work where they are not appreciate. No one.
Yep, reading through those job listings really ticked me off this morning.
Go tell someone in your life, be it a spouse, child, sibling, parent, or employee that you appreciate them. Thank them for everything that they do for you. The words Thank you go a long way, especially today.
Thanks for listening.
Tags:
economy,
interviews,
job listings,
job market
Yes, like everyone, I Google myself a couple times a year. I just want to see what is out there. Usually, not much. I am not on Facebook, in the News, or other things.
This week, I was reading an article that said prospective employers are Googling prospective employees. I understand this. You don’t want someone representing your company that has a sleazy web presence or is flashing drugs in a picture. But, if someone Googled me, they would find this blog and some comments I have posted on another website. I wonder if someone would not hire me for what I have written?
My knee jerk reaction was to take down any of the personal stuff on my blog and just leave the book reviews, etc. But I made myself wait and I am glad that I did. Yes, this blog is out there for anyone to read. Yes, I do get a bit personal sometimes. But, this is me, warts and all.
I am a great employee. I care about the company, coworkers, and clients. If a company is paying me money that allows me to take care of my family, I will give them 100%. If I chose to express myself here, as long as I am not breaking any laws or hurting anyone, well, that is my business. As soon as I do get another job, I will be singing the praises of the company that hires me. I will discuss my day to day job. I will NOT disclose the name of the company because that is private.
Yep, I am still diligently looking for a job. Placing phone calls, sending emails, I have even sent out some old school paper resumes and cover letters. Trying hard to shake it up! Also, it keeps me from falling into a rut for the 40+ hours I spend a week looking. No luck yet.
I am going back to school in January. Finally finishing up my Bachelors Degree. Boy did I screw up when I first went to college. I still apologize to my parents! But, I am on track now. Not sure how long it will take me, but I am taking 3 classes in the Spring. Two at night and one online. In fact, I get to go to orientation next week. Old me with a bunch of young’uns. Should be good for a laugh.
Have a great weekend, I am going to work on a couple of book reviews now, so stay tuned!
Tags:
Google,
job,
school
Am I alone in being sick of seeing ads for white teeth or for ‘mom’s making $70 an hour at home’? These and many others are misleading and have cost some folks a lot of money. One would think that like magazine advertising, these ads would be relegated to ‘non-news’ websites, but they are not. These ads are on CNN, USAToday, etc.
Don’t these websites who are supposed to present ‘just the facts’ have a duty to not have these less than legitimate ads on their websites? Shouldn’t these folks only carry ads from real companies? Wouldn’t these ads and illegitimate companies be fewer in numbers if legitimate websites did not show their ads on their websites? Yes, I know that a lot of websites ‘lease’ their ad space to other companies that then sell the space to other companies. But shouldn’t someone’s conscience be screaming in their ear, “don’t advertise scams!”?
Yes, as one of the many millions of folks unable to find a job, I know there are bigger problems out there in the world. But….BUT, isn’t this example just one symptom of the bigger problem in this world?
What is that bigger problem, you might ask?
The bigger problem is, to steal Dave Ramsey’s phrase, is that too many of us are Bass. We want the new shiny things. We want the new cars, jewelry, houses, toys, etc. and damn anyone who gets in our way. We all keep swimming toward the shiny things and we don’t care who we hurt in our pursuit of the next thing that will “truly make us happy”. We don’t care that our neighbor may be having trouble putting food on the table. We don’t care that our friend might be losing their home because someone who made a snap decision let them go from their job. We don’t care that children are starving and need the breakfast that is served at school on Monday because it is the first meal they have eaten since their lunch on Friday.
WE DO NOT CARE!
I challenge all of you. I am challenging myself. Help one person every day. Every single day, you need to help one person. Be it as simple as opening the door for the woman pushing a stroller or the delivery guy with a full handcart, help one person every day. If you hear about a job, post it on your blog, send it to everyone in your email address book. With the huge number of us that are out of work, someone in your ‘circle’ knows someone that needs a job. If you are lucky enough to have disposable income, donate money to a cause close to your heart. If you don’t have money, donate your time. One hour a week, that’s all. If we all donated one hour of our time a week, this world would be a much better place. Drop your change from McDonald’s or Panera into their charity box. Leave a dollar in the flap of a box at the grocery store. Help one person a day.
That is my challenge to everyone. Help a person a day, don’t brag about it, just do it. I recently ran out of gas and had to pull into a turn lane of a shopping center. At least 75 cars passed me by, glaring because I was blocking a lane. Two people, only two people stopped to ask if I needed help. Now, I stop every time I see someone with a car in distress. We normally do not help anyone but ourselves until it directly affects us. I am guilty of this, very guilty, but I am trying to make amends.
Do it with me. Help one person a day. Tell everyone you know to help one person a day. If we could get this off the ground, we would see a whole new world in just a year’s time. It won’t hurt us to try. It won’t cost you anything unless you have money to give. Just making someone smile or saying thank you to someone you know is never told thank you is helping someone.
Help one person a day. Let me know how it works out for you.
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