Movie Quote of the Week

Well, if we do get canned, we won't be the only ones to lose our jobs because of a machine.
--Joan Blondell, Desk Set (1957)

Random Thoughts

Wow! The majority political party in a country much beset by high unemployment got voted out of power in an election year! Who in his or her right mind would have seen that coming?

I am so glad that none of my friends in the nursing community worked at the local hospital that messed up so badly with the Thomas Eric Duncan case.

If you dislike welfare recipients so much, why don't you hire one? If you're not in a position to make decisions about hiring because you're not the boss of your workplace, why not encourage your boss to hire a welfare recipient? It should go without saying that not everyone on welfare wants to be there. So why not help reduce the welfare state by helping someone seek employment?

The same bank employee who is eager to help you set up your account will generally not be so eager to help you if you ask for a job application.

How come you hear so much about people writing short stories but never about anyone writing a long story?

It is usually a lot easier to talk about how enlightened you are than to actually show it through your actions.

Actions not only speak louder than words but they also tend to drown them out.

A lot of the people who support the welfare system with their taxes are not much richer than the richest person on welfare. However, a lot of people tend to forget that.

One of the worst criminals in the world is the one who wear a badge.

It takes little courage to diss poor people and even less if you do so while working at a job that does not require the support of poor people.

Last time I checked, it was not illegal immigrants or welfare recipients that caused the recent economic crisis but that did not stop people from criticizing them.

Funny how the people who continually brag about how much they care about poor people never seem to show up when one of my poorer neighbors needs help.

The same person who will badmouth someone to your face today will be badmouthing you behind your back tomorrow.

Some people in my condominium complex find it much more convenient to buy a pack of cigarettes from their neighbor than to walk across the street and buy one from the local convenience store. For that matter, some of my neighbors find it more convenient to pay someone to drive them somewhere than to take the bus -- even though my complex is located on a DART route. I guess all of this is good news for those who would like to think that American capitalism is not doomed but it is not likely to make supporters of public transportation feel happy.

I hate myself for loving Who.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXVIII

As I have said before, I don't think God will look too kindly upon the type of employers who are using this time to take advantage of people.

That said, I thought I had a chance at a permanent position this week but my mother's online research led me to suspect that the employer in question was not too creditable. Just more proof that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Random Thoughts

What does it say about my life that my initial response to the first declaration of love I have received from a woman since I broke up with my former bride-to-be was to try to argue her out of it?

Do I have to vote for a presidential candidate this year?

If automation is truly putting an end to the repetitive and soul-destroying jobs of yesteryear, why do so many of the jobs available nowadays tend to be repetitive and soul-destroying?

Of course, having to continually search for work in this economic climate isn't exactly an ego-booster either.

If atheism is so fashionable nowadays, why do so many people other than me throw around words like "soul-destroying"? I thought atheists didn't recognize the existence of a soul.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXVII

Apparently that dream I mentioned in my last installment of this feature did not come true.

But I'm still searching. Even though life does make it frustrating. My having to drive all the way to Irving this past week for a job interview that was ultimately fruitless doesn't make things seem much better. Especially since my would-be employer rejected me for reasons he could have found out when I was initially interviewed by phone.

Learn, Larry, Learn

There are many things I could say about the 2011 movie Larry Crowne but the one idea that keeps coming to mind is that it was meant to be sort of an anti-Crash. Instead of giving the movie-going public yet another scenario a la the 2005 movie Crash in which people of varying races and ethnicities spent most of their time symbolically tearing each other apart, Larry Crowne gave us a scenario in which the same variety of people came together to accomplish a common goal. In this case, the goal was the intellectual enabling of recently unemployed store clerk Larry Crowne.

What made Larry Crowne so special? The movie never really said though I imagine it has something to do with the fact that he was both a nice guy and a character played by Tom Hanks. A more sophisticated analysis was downplayed by a screenplay that found more pleasure in a running gag involving confiscated cell phones than in any serious social commentary.

For the record, the movie deserved some credit for inspiring my little sister to think seriously about going back to school like the title character did. However apart from that, the best thing I could say about the film is that it never promised to be more than a pleasant way to spend two hours enjoying the local movie theatre's air conditioning and on that one point, it most definitely delivered.

Here We Go Again

My life right now seems like a zany TV sitcom without the humor. My internet connection went down yesterday and I suspect a virus is responsible. I spent most of the day trying to solve the problem with one form of tech support; tomorrow I get to consult the people who helped me fix the last problem.

On the plus side, I'm interviewing for a job next week. And I think I have a new friend on the Internet. My biggest worry until yesterday was the discovery that I had to wear bifocals, but at least that means that I can still see.

Anyway, I might not be as prompt with my regular features this week but it's not because I don't want to be.

Thank you and muchas gracias for your patience.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXVI

I actually had a dream Friday night in which I was training for a new job.

So that's a good sign, right?

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXV

I got a reprieve from TEC just in time for the holidays. They finally paid me the “backpay” they've owed me since November so I should be okay for the next few weeks.

Now I gotta decide what I should do if I don't find a job between now and January.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXIV

Sigh! I lost my job today, oh, boy. The English Army had just won the war...

Actually I lost my job yesterday just when I was due to pick up my first paycheck.

So it is back to square one again and praying TEC agrees to let me run out my original claim rather than make me start over with a new one while they investigate the departure from my last job with the speed of molasses.

I am getting really tired of this. I kept my last steady job prior to the three most recent for over eleven years and I stayed at my second job for over five. Now suddenly it seems like I cannot keep a single job for over a week.

It also seems like the only people who are hiring pay beer-level salaries, expect champagne-level service and generally train one in an atmosphere that makes it almost impossbile for anyone above a certain age -- even people who want to learn -- to concentrate on their training. I do not like to gripe about my employers but I get so tired of seeing grown people treated like children just because they want a paycheck. It did not help that while my trainers seemed like decent enough people, one of the ladies I had to work right next to kept her i-pod turned up so loud I would have to have been stone deaf not to hear it and if that was not bad enough, she seemed to have an unerring instinct for choosing the loudest and trashiest music to listen to.

Oh, well. Perhaps my next job will be better. Perhaps...

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXIII

I just started on a new job this past week and only time will tell whether it proves to be something long-term or just a brief hiatus from collecting unemployment checks.

I so miss the informal camraderie of your average workplace that I hope it's long-term even though it's not exactly a fun job. However, once again I must note that it's too early to tell.

I'll try to keep up with the regular blogging but I may end up concentrating more on the weekend features. If I'm lucky. After all, I first started this blog when I was working full-time so I shouldn't have any problems. But I don't wish to make any promises that it's not in my power to keep.

If nothing else, the past year or so of unemployment have made me realize more than ever how many people out there work long tedious hours of thankless labor just to pay the bills. Of course, having grown up among people who had worked a great variety of thankless jobs themselves, I kinda suspected this but this past year brought it to my attention in a way that I can't rightly ignore.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXII

Hurray! I may have a job Monday. I know I've said that before but this time I'm keeping my fingers triple crossed.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXI

Well, the new job I was talking about last time was supposed to start on October 8 and it is now October 11 so I guess I didn't get it.

If that wasn't bad enough, I had some unexpected car repairs I had to undergo. Plus I learned the hard way to always make sure you have a car jack in your trunk. Though I must admit it was a bit amusing to find out how difficult it was to find a car jack nowadays without going to an auto parts store. Given all the stores out there which don't specialize in auto parts but which have auto parts sections, I would have thought it would be easy to buy one but apparently not. Perhaps that is because jacks aren't something you buy on a regular basis so stores looking to save room in their auto parts inventory inevitably choose to not carry them.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have enough cash on hand to take care of the car repairs without having to borrow from my family but I really should have been spending it on other stuff. Then again, there was nothing I'm going to get a regular job without reliable transportation unless I'm lucky enough to find one on a bus route. But those are even scarcer than jobs in general.

Anyway, I might have a better job opportunity lined up this week. We will see.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XX

Well, TEC finally honored my latest unemployment claim this past week and paid me for the last month and half. It is surprising how fast it went -- and yes, most of it went toward either gas or bills but at least I am no longer having to choose between applying for food stamps and hitting the blood bank. Plus a good friend gave me some cash and some spare groceries as a belated birthday gift which was very handy for me. God bless her very much.

Moreover, I may have a job next month. I am keeping my fingers crossed lest I jinx something but there is a strong possibility I might get hired very soon. Of course, I will not be totally sure until I am actually working but in the meantime, it is good to have hope for a change.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XIX

I'm still officially in limbo as far as the job market is concerned. I am still in limbo as far as TEC (the Texas Employment Commission) is concerned too.

I am still looking but I find it increasingly hard not to feel depressed.

I got so far low on cash I actually paid a visit to one of the local blood banks last week to get some extra money. Of course, most such places don't admit to buying blood anymore; they admit to buying plasma. And thanks to the AIDS crisis, they don't miss an opportunity to lecture would-be donors on the symptoms of HIV -- or to discourage any would-be donor who may be looking for a free HIV test.

It seemed like it took forever to donate my blood the first time I went but this week it went quicker. I would rather not go again but I suspect I may have to if I do not find a job this week. I just hope my veins hold out.

Anyway, I gave up my cable and my cell phone last week in order to cut back on expenses. I'm beginning to wish I had done it sooner but then there is a lot of things I wish I had done a long time ago. And regret is not particularly helpful right now.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XVIII

My sister spent most of her birthday celebration kvetching about her new job but deep down it seemed obvious that she was glad to be working. Besides, as one who once worked a retail position similar to my sister's current job, I must admit that it's kinda hard to hold that type of job and not kvetch. In private, at least.

Me? I'm still searching. It's been over a year since I got laid off so I suspect I'll have to renew my application.

I've been trying to resist commenting on the job situation but I will say this: I don't think God will look too kindly upon the type of employers who are using this time to take advantage of people.

In other news, a young person in my training class complained about how the "old" people were taking up the good jobs that would normally be open to people his age. (He was in his late teens.) Ironically, the last time I spoke to a fortysomething co-worker who had also been laid off by my former employer, she gave the impression that all the good jobs were going to the young folks and that people her age were being passed over because they were "over-qualified." That just goes to show it's always something.

Perhaps it would be easier to acknowledge that no one group is getting off scot-free in this economy. Except for employers. And I'm sure they have their troubles too.

Pop Song of the Week: “Allentown”

Today most of the forms one needs to fill out are on the Internet but apart from that, it's eerie how much of this song still rings true.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XVII

I spent a pleasant evening with a friend on Wednesday and enjoyed a very good night's sleep on Thursday so naturally I lost my job on Friday. Technically, I was still in training but it still smarts to find myself back at square one.

Perhaps it was a blessing and I'll end up getting a better job in the long run. Perhaps.

On the bright side, my sister found a part-time job this past week and one of my female friends got a job as a state inspector. So maybe things are becoming more favorable in the job market. We'll see.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XVI

I made it through the first week of training by what seems to be the skin of my teeth. Hopefully, this next week will be better.

For some reason, the course reminds of high school, only without the attempts at discipline and the ability to catch up by reading a book. Some of the students -- despite being adults -- violate the rules against Internet usage during class so shamefully it seems a wonder that they bother showing up. Plus there is the irony of a foreign-owned company seeming to be more eager to employ American citizens than many American-owned companies.

Because I am waking up earlier than I used to, I will probably be way too tired to do much blogging save on the weekends. But I will do the best I can. Seriously.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XV

As I noted in a recent post, I finally found an employer who would have me and I start training for my new position on Monday. So in the meantime, I'm keeping all my digits crossed.