Another Fine Mess...

While I have used computers for over ten years now in my (former) work, I really know little about those essential (I'm told) programs WORD and EXCEL. So, courtesy of Oregon Employment Division, and we taxpayers who support it, I am now registered in a class for EXCEL that will last two weeks and amount to about six hours of instruction on the program and even math they have to throw in to get the state to pay the freight. I would have preferred learning WORD, but maybe later.

Happy Holidays!

Here we all are at Christmas Eve, safely back from a long hard drive from Orange County Ca. to Oregon. As anticipated, the coast highway had snow alongside, but none on the road. Still, all those "icy" signs along the road gave me pause and and I drove more cautiously than my twenty year old daughter approved of. But, tell me, is there a father anywhere who can totally relax with his daughter of any age at the wheel? She is a very good driver, just sort of aggressive where I tend to be defensive, so I did most of the driving. My shoulders are still tense. She is staying with us for a few days until the little house on the alley near campus she rented has the broken pipe that occurred during our cold snap repaired. It is fitting that she is independent at her age, but boy, is she ever! What a strong young woman she has become. Anyway, I want to wish anyone who reads this a very happy holiday season and let's hope we all have a more prosperous New Year

Hazy Shade of Winter

(You can hear that Paul Simon song on Youtube, also by the Bangles )
Thursday, and I am preoccupied with an impending trip that will be more work than fun. I am flying to John Wayne International Airport at 5:30 AM Saturday to meet my twenty year old daughter who will be driving up from San Diego. We will then leave immediately for Oregon with the hope of avoiding snow, ice and other hazards to arrive sometime Sunday. I am presently thinking that Highway 101 is the best route, but will keep checking the weather predictions and hope for the best. We will buy some chains of course.
The snow here on the West side of the Cascades has melted with new rain, but a new cold front is supposed to arrive by Sunday, so who knows?
The job front is as bleak as the sky right now, but I attribute that to the season and look forward to the departure of The Current Occupant of the White House with enthusiasm. I think attitudes will improve markedly with that event.
Anne has put some beautiful one of a kind handmade purses on Etsy.com and if they are viewed, someone will want them I'm sure.

What?! Tuesday Already?

Snow! Not a lot really, but enough to close schools, create icy, slick roads and cause accidents. I stayed in all day yesterday, except for scraping the sidewalk approach to the house and the driveway a little. Snow is nice on cards and in the mountains, but makes things difficult in cities. My daughter (age 20), is leaving San Diego sometime in the next few days to drive back to Oregon, and I am probably going to find a way to meet her in northern CA and drive back here with her. Greyhound? $110 for a one-way to Sacramento. A friend leaves tomorrow for the bay area and I could get a ride, but then have to wait two days for her to find me. I put a rideshare ad on Craigslist, we'll see what comes of that. Like the economy, I am unsettled and a little up and down about all this holiday stuff, but we have a roof over us, food in the fridge, the wine rack is not empty, and a new administration is coming that will bring a climate of hope to the whole country. I still expect to get a job any day now, early in January probably.

So, Why do I keep starting posts with "So?"

I won't do that again. Saturday... shopping for groceries, preparing for bad very cold snowy weather by covering vents and faucets, dragged some leaves out of the roof gutter, and had some well-deserved coffee. Anne is still busy with her website and her TBA plan to have passive income, so I began a pot of Italian vegetable bean soup. Now, this soup began to grow in the crockpot as I added a littlel Italian sausage, carrots, potatoes, 32 oz.of broth, and ooops, too much water. The thing is, the first line of the recipe said something about four quarts of water, which was to cook the pasta in separately, (who knew?) so I put in a quart and a quart of vegetable broth before I noticed that the liquid level in the pot was rising to a level that predicted flooding. When we get ready to eat it I am supposed to add some cooked pasta and green beans, in which case I will have to get a vat, and call in the neighbors to eat. The surprising thing is that the broth tastes pretty good so far, so time will tell. My other cuisine adventure today is in the oven, ground turkey meatloaf in a muffin tin, six muffin spots filled with (I hope) delicious stuff. That is my Saturday, with a Netflix movie to follow dinner. Life is an adventure.

So here's what I do on weekdays...

I am usually up by 6:30 AM, eat a hearty breakfast of Wheaties (Wheaties post coming soon) and whole wheat toast, shower, shave and by 8 I am ready for that interview which I am certain will happen soon. I check my email, the Craigslist job boards, the State job boards, and apply for any job that looks feasible. Then, I am off to the local State Workforce office to learn more about Word, Excel or something equally stimulating. I am late this morning because I was awake about an hour or so at 3:30, but will be back on schedule soon.
(Later that same day...) So now it is 7 PM, Friday night, and no, I did not get a call for an interview today, maybe Monday?
My SO has been dealing with her own ultra-stress, you see, she still owns a house in Redmond, OR with a view of the Cascades and hardwood floors that she has been unable to sell or rent. Talk about an Alligator! She has been working for days, many days, on her new website aimed at out of work construction execs, engineers and tunnel guys (are there any tunnel women?) telling what they need to do about new jobs and resumes and all manner of invaluable info. Then she decided to put this book she published, The Pulpit and the Bottle, out as an Ebook, so much more work doing that. I suggested that we go to the movies this afternoon to give her a break. We saw Australia, and it was 4 Star we both thought. I was doing turkey meatloaf tonight, but the movie was long, so the frozen manicotti is in the oven, and the timer is going off, soooo will quit this thang for today.

So here's what's new...

Since that day when I was told that my services as a title examiner would no longer be needed, I have been quite busy. My first order of business was to apply for unemployment benefits, which was easily accomplished online, including direct deposit. That done, I dutifully began seeking new employment. I have applied at the other title companies in town, knowing that none were hiring, but keeping my name out and satisfying employment dept requirements. Additionally, I have applied for some things that sound as if they would be "fun" but low paying jobs, such as Borders Books, Barnes & Noble Books, Trader Joe's ( I was once upon a time in the grocery business in Texas and California), newspaper ad sales, newspaper reporter, Community Service Manager for a major charity, Senior Development Associate for local non-profit, Sales Rep for "Undisclosed," and twice now for an Unemployment Claims Specialist with the State of Oregon. Hmmm.... no interviews yet, but some of these jobs must be still open and they will call soon... In the interim, I have been going to the Workforce office and learning about Word and Excel. Word is progressing, Excel is greek.