"...all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it's seems as though there here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday. Suddenly..." No, not really, but isn't it a nice thing to start off a rambling blog with a bit of verse from a Beatles tune... I'm still unemployed after 11 weeks.
I had a nice little interview with a company in Orange yesterday. I've got a good feeling about it, even though I'm a bit over qualified. The interviewer was super nice, the company seems stable and I really hope I get this job.
Winter is here in southern California finally in full force with a weeks worth of storms looming to hopefully mitigate the drought that has been going on for months. It's snowing on the Grapevine and maybe on the Devore Pass, too, this morning which makes it cold-cold-cold down in the valley below. The wind patters generally travel from the desert out to the sea, so now my Orange County home is as cold as it has been all season. The proof was the $132 electric bill I received for December because we were running the heaters in the bedrooms at night. January's bill is probably going to be the same or worse.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Vote!
Every red-blooded citizen of Orange County should be registered to vote by midnight on 01/22/08. Why? Because this is the first time in the history of voting in the United States that you have the opportunity to vote for someone other than a white Anglo-Saxon bloated businessman AKA "The Man" when you cast your vote during the presidential primary election occurring on February 5, 2008. And I think that's fabulous. Why shouldn't our elected officials look more like us? Have you looked at the census statistics for 2000?
50.8% of the total population are female
24.5% of Americans are something other than white
10.4% of Americans are veterans
...and look who is running for president...
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
John McCain
But what really gets me going is not the presidential election at all. It's the California budget crisis and the pending propositions that ratify Indian gaming agreements with the state to pay even more in order to expand their casinos. Why does this bother me so? Not because the Indians want to expand their business, but because I don't want the California budget to be magically solved on the backs of Indians who finally have a voice at the table because they are holding more money in their hands now than ever before when the state government refuses to take action to preserve the public services the illegal immigrants drain from the property tax payers.
These two things especially need to be fixed:
1. You don't have to be a citizen to get a public school education. All you have to show is a proof of residence.
2. You don't have to be able to pay for medical services because everyone knows you can go to the emergency room of any hospital and not be refused treatment.
50.8% of the total population are female
24.5% of Americans are something other than white
10.4% of Americans are veterans
...and look who is running for president...
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
John McCain
But what really gets me going is not the presidential election at all. It's the California budget crisis and the pending propositions that ratify Indian gaming agreements with the state to pay even more in order to expand their casinos. Why does this bother me so? Not because the Indians want to expand their business, but because I don't want the California budget to be magically solved on the backs of Indians who finally have a voice at the table because they are holding more money in their hands now than ever before when the state government refuses to take action to preserve the public services the illegal immigrants drain from the property tax payers.
These two things especially need to be fixed:
1. You don't have to be a citizen to get a public school education. All you have to show is a proof of residence.
2. You don't have to be able to pay for medical services because everyone knows you can go to the emergency room of any hospital and not be refused treatment.
I'm trying to keep my head up and a good attitude about this but...
I found this article today about a part-time job opening at a restaurant in Ohio and now I think I don't feel so bad anymore about my personal situation. Click on the title to access the full article. At least I giggled a little.
My friend who helped me revamp my resume woke me up this morning with a telephone call because he was on Cincinnati time and hanging out in the airport waiting for his flight. I know the feeling. I usually just take a light nap waiting for my flights. He said he had a feeling about today...
I got a telephone call from a recruiter today about an administrative assistant's position. I did a telephone interview, so we'll see.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bush is stimulating again
"swift and temporary actions" is what President Bush said today in a speach about a tax rebate to get business to create jobs and people to buy consumer goods.
Wasn't this the same guy that lined my pocket with somewhere around $50 when he first started in this job?
Well, Mr. Bush, I got to tell you... you can hand out all of the tax rebates you want, but it's not going to bring back all of the jobs lost because of the greed and fraud perpetuated in the mortgage market collapse. It's also not going to bring back all the manufacturing jobs that ran to cheap paying countries due to NAFTA either.
This is the first time I've been out of a job in 14 years and I've never been laid off until now. How are you going to fix that for me? How are you going to make sure that my interest-only mortgage doesn't go into foreclosure? Because I'm out of work, my only option right now is to modify my loan, but that's *if* my servicer agrees.
Wasn't this the same guy that lined my pocket with somewhere around $50 when he first started in this job?
Well, Mr. Bush, I got to tell you... you can hand out all of the tax rebates you want, but it's not going to bring back all of the jobs lost because of the greed and fraud perpetuated in the mortgage market collapse. It's also not going to bring back all the manufacturing jobs that ran to cheap paying countries due to NAFTA either.
This is the first time I've been out of a job in 14 years and I've never been laid off until now. How are you going to fix that for me? How are you going to make sure that my interest-only mortgage doesn't go into foreclosure? Because I'm out of work, my only option right now is to modify my loan, but that's *if* my servicer agrees.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Music on prime time TV 01/17/2008
Chase credit card commercial = Queen - I Want It All
My Name Is Earl (Hector and Jamal episode) = Montrose - Rock Candy
Nissan commercial = Stevie Ray Vaughn - Pride and Joy
Carnival Cruise commercial = Queen - Best Friend
My Name Is Earl (Hector and Jamal episode) = Montrose - Rock Candy
Nissan commercial = Stevie Ray Vaughn - Pride and Joy
Carnival Cruise commercial = Queen - Best Friend
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Life Lessons
Life Lessons
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion.
Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.
Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion.
Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.
Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Windy and Warm
If you weren't cognisant of the fact that today was still in the first half of January, you' think it was a nice warm spring day with the Santa Ana winds blowing the cold wintry air away.
Weeks like this are the one's that bring snowbirds from the frigged northeast to live in California permanently. It will be 70ish all week.
Weeks like this are the one's that bring snowbirds from the frigged northeast to live in California permanently. It will be 70ish all week.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Local Pop God
(Click above for full page)
My friend Kenny Howes was in the Orange County Register today. Woohoo! He's performing with his new band, The Fridge, as well as part of The Pop Dudes tonight, January 11, 2008, at Fitzgerald's Pub, Huntington Beach, during John Borack's "Shake Some Action" book release party.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
$25 Off H&R Block
On and off, I get into the habit of clipping coupons and today was one of those moments. Yahoo Mail was telling me to "go get coupons". O.K., I'll indulge them and see what it's all about. I rather get something like that online then be sent to a site to buy something I don't really need with money I don't have to spend right now. So I click onto the coupons site and and near the very end of this pretty good coupon list which is mostly for food - thank you, is a $25 coupon for tax services with H&R Block. If you going to be using them anyway to sort all of your grocery bags full of receipts and file your 1040 at their office, why not use a freakin coupon and get some money off their fee, right?
Click here for $25 off H&R Block Tax Services
The coupon list. Input your zip code and you may get even more coupons targeted to your location.
Click here for $25 off H&R Block Tax Services
The coupon list. Input your zip code and you may get even more coupons targeted to your location.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Invasion of the Starbucks
Dear Starbucks,
I live in a town located in the heart of Orange County, California. I believe my hometown has close to 100,000 residents, and even though I don't live in the most desirable place around, your company has chosen to invade it like a plague. I have no less than 8 of your shops within the confines of my fair city, many even within walking distance of eachother. The worst offense is the two shops that flank each end of the block on the street of our local high school. "Hook 'um young and they'll be a customer for life!", is the words I can hear echoing all the way from your offices in Washington state from inside your boardroom right before the evil laughter begins again and you throw the fees collected from all of the carmello mocha lates in the air.
I live in a town located in the heart of Orange County, California. I believe my hometown has close to 100,000 residents, and even though I don't live in the most desirable place around, your company has chosen to invade it like a plague. I have no less than 8 of your shops within the confines of my fair city, many even within walking distance of eachother. The worst offense is the two shops that flank each end of the block on the street of our local high school. "Hook 'um young and they'll be a customer for life!", is the words I can hear echoing all the way from your offices in Washington state from inside your boardroom right before the evil laughter begins again and you throw the fees collected from all of the carmello mocha lates in the air.
Specimens:
1. Red Hill x Edinger "new"
2. Red Hill x El Camino Real "east side of high school"
3. El Camino Real x Newport "west side of high school" "newner"
4. Newport Ave "old Ditrick's site"
5. Newport Ave "original site at Larwin Sq. on 1st St."
6. Barnes & Noble "Irvine Marketplace"
7. Park Ave "Inside Target @ Tustin Legacy"
8. 17th St. "French Quarter"
In conclusion:
disposable income = your extra $ Starbucks wants
snack money = your extra $ Starbucks wants
breakfast beverage = your extra $ Starbucks wants
coffee break = your extra $ Starbucks wants
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
