Good morning Internet.
You may have noticed the prolonged absence on this blog. Please rest assured this is temporary, and normal posting will resume as soon as possible. Unless, of course, the main author's head does actually spontanously combust and thus render blogging impossible. The odds are not good right now.
Gosh. I guess I'll summarize in attempt to make this blog post less than twelve weeks long to read.
1. Sister got into a car wreck. (She's okay now.)
2. Grandma reached a point where she needs more support with things like weekly grocery shopping, etc. This is a pleasure, I assure you, and I am SO thankful to be out of a job and thus be able to be the lucky one to spend this time with her. (Unemployment is such a mixed blessing.)
3. My mother spend a few days in the hospital. Her heart can't handle her job. Her finances can't sustain the absence of her job. Everyone is full of fear and full of prayer with what will happen to GM. Whatever happens to GM will determine what happens to my father's job, and their entire retirement.
4. Aaron had a nasty class load that ended 48 hours ago. This kept me just as busy as he was. His summar load starts tomorrow night for him.
5. We helped friends move their stuff from Canada to the USA. Exhausting, and took way longer than expected.
6. My masters thesis has to be finished soon. I mean HAS to be. Or I don't get my degree without first retaking other courses. I graduate in August. You would not believe the workload I have right now, or the ridiculously short time I have to get it done.
7. Of course, I can't make a list of what's going on in my life without including the economy! and jobsearch! and financial worry! and stress. I have NO leads. I have LITTLE hope. I have LOTS of tears. This morning the news announced the unemployment in Michigan at 12.6%, and cited it the highest in the country. I thought I saw stats that it was over 13% a few months ago, but that may have been a different deal. Maybe one is state-wide and one is based on a national average? I don't know. Anyhow, the report of a current 12.6% status also advised we can expect to climb to 14% by the end of the year, and might even see 15% into 2010. What happened to the prediction that things were bouncing back? Hello, Obama? You there? We don't expect extravagance. I only want to work for a living as I've always done, feel a purpose, help feed and house my family, and not live in this brand of fear every day. Don't even tell me your posse can't fix this. Shut off the damn NAFTA pipe, place some proper tariffs on imports, use your "stimulus" ideas in ways that WORK, and get our economy back on track. This is an amazing country full of talent that can't be described in words, and we're falling apart.
Anyway. The next few days are going to be among the worst as far as crunch and workload. I don't know when I'll be back, but I know I will be back. And, hopefully, I'll be back with some sort of happy news to share, and a little less whining. Ciao, bellas.
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The day's drama part duex.
So. I found those credit cards in less than five minutes, thank you very much. I guess the improvements in organization have really made a difference. This is a much needed boost of encouragement to keep going and finish making the house perfectly organized and easy to maintain before I go back to work. Assuming of course that I go back to work. Soon.
I found the cards, got online, registered and activated the new account number, and paid the $6.82 full balance. The due date wasn't until April 6th, but I couldn't see that until registering the new account number. So all was well. Until, I went on to pay the other credit cards.
And there on a differend card was a charge for Macafee. $42.39. We haven't had Macafee in over a year. Thus began the long drawn out process of calling and explaining to someone in India that I do NOT have a Macafee account, and someone has used our account number.
It turned out to not be fraudulent. It was a mistake, but not a case of stolen credit card numbers. They put through some sort of "auto re-enrollment" for our service that ended over a year ago. Nobody could explain how or why this happened. They seemed rather puzzled by it. But it's fixed. And now, at 11 am, I can go start the millions of other things I wanted to have done by lunchtime.
Please let me go back to work soon. This staying at home stuff sucks. If I had a baby here, it might be a whole different story. But it's just me and the dog. And a whole lot of organization to do. And floors to clean. Etc. etc. Today is also cat box day. See you all tomorrow.
I found the cards, got online, registered and activated the new account number, and paid the $6.82 full balance. The due date wasn't until April 6th, but I couldn't see that until registering the new account number. So all was well. Until, I went on to pay the other credit cards.
And there on a differend card was a charge for Macafee. $42.39. We haven't had Macafee in over a year. Thus began the long drawn out process of calling and explaining to someone in India that I do NOT have a Macafee account, and someone has used our account number.
It turned out to not be fraudulent. It was a mistake, but not a case of stolen credit card numbers. They put through some sort of "auto re-enrollment" for our service that ended over a year ago. Nobody could explain how or why this happened. They seemed rather puzzled by it. But it's fixed. And now, at 11 am, I can go start the millions of other things I wanted to have done by lunchtime.
Please let me go back to work soon. This staying at home stuff sucks. If I had a baby here, it might be a whole different story. But it's just me and the dog. And a whole lot of organization to do. And floors to clean. Etc. etc. Today is also cat box day. See you all tomorrow.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Apology. And a robin.
I've been MIA from writing for days, which should be a rarity if ever an occurrence at all. It's partially due to being very busy trying to help Aaron wrap up the tail end of his semester here. (I should say midmester - his stints are 8 weeks long each.)
But more influencing than busy days around here is a lack of anything positive to think about or write about. It's been a time of serious fear and worry. It's not as though these problems and fears are so personal that they can't be shared. It's really more that there is no humor or hope found in their descriptions. It isn't worth the time to write them and risk spreading dread. Also, it's not even as though I'd want to reflect back on those words later on this blog. I can promise you that when this time passes, most of it I'll prefer to forget the finer details of.
I know that's vague, which might be annoying to readers. I'm sorry for that. What I will say is that we're an entire family, all of working class people, and the economy in the Detroit area is really, really bad. Going through some of this myself is one thing. Watching my parents get touched by it is something else. It's devastating. And right now, every one of us is in fear of one kind or another.
And then right behind the fear and worry is the guilt that we are all still living under roofs with running water, heat, and electricity. The news this morning showed footage of these various "shanty towns" where newly homeless people have moved into tents. Tents! This took my mind driectly to a family I've known for a very long time with three young children who just lost their home. They live about four or five miles from us.
Just now I peered through tears into the backyard and saw the first robin of the season! Spring is here 11 days early for me.
I got a picture of it. I'm not sure if it's really visible in the picture or not, but it sat there while I snapped a shot.
Isn't it funny how little messages of hope come right when you need them the most?
But more influencing than busy days around here is a lack of anything positive to think about or write about. It's been a time of serious fear and worry. It's not as though these problems and fears are so personal that they can't be shared. It's really more that there is no humor or hope found in their descriptions. It isn't worth the time to write them and risk spreading dread. Also, it's not even as though I'd want to reflect back on those words later on this blog. I can promise you that when this time passes, most of it I'll prefer to forget the finer details of.
I know that's vague, which might be annoying to readers. I'm sorry for that. What I will say is that we're an entire family, all of working class people, and the economy in the Detroit area is really, really bad. Going through some of this myself is one thing. Watching my parents get touched by it is something else. It's devastating. And right now, every one of us is in fear of one kind or another.
And then right behind the fear and worry is the guilt that we are all still living under roofs with running water, heat, and electricity. The news this morning showed footage of these various "shanty towns" where newly homeless people have moved into tents. Tents! This took my mind driectly to a family I've known for a very long time with three young children who just lost their home. They live about four or five miles from us.
Just now I peered through tears into the backyard and saw the first robin of the season! Spring is here 11 days early for me.
I got a picture of it. I'm not sure if it's really visible in the picture or not, but it sat there while I snapped a shot.
Isn't it funny how little messages of hope come right when you need them the most?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The one with a disappearing appendix and two interviews
This morning I was not only greeted with texted birthday sentiments, but also news that my sister had been taken in for emergency surgery. So of course the plans for the day were flexed a bit as would be expected. She is okay, and there is even a chance they'll release her tonight. I had a chance to run out and get her a balloon and some flowers (yikes! get-well gifts of that nature cost so much more near Valentine's Day... but I think she liked them.) Her appendix had decided to quit working and possibly begin to "leak." The fear was that it would rupture, or per chance had already done so. If the thing had already ruptured, she would not be able to get to the version of the surgery where they make three small holes and pull it out. The old school version has to be used if there is a rupture, and that involves a more hefty incision. But thankfully, the abridged version of the appendix extraction worked.
I had to leave the hospital by 1 pm for an interview. For a job today that I was shocked and horrified to find paid far less than 1/4 my old base annual salary before bonus, car, etc. etc. I have not earned that little since my junior year in high school. The weekly paychecks would literally be less than unemployment, which is not easy to live on while job searching anyhow. (But because we're lucky enough to have one of us still working, and I cashed out essentially every investment we had when I lost my job given the state of the economy, we can still eat and have the lights on. We're grateful for the littlest things these days...)
My other sister had a much better day than the one mentioned above. She had a job interview today too, for an amazing opportunity with a company in Chicago. She should hear from them by tomorrow either way.
And now, I'm off to birthday dinner with my family.
I had to leave the hospital by 1 pm for an interview. For a job today that I was shocked and horrified to find paid far less than 1/4 my old base annual salary before bonus, car, etc. etc. I have not earned that little since my junior year in high school. The weekly paychecks would literally be less than unemployment, which is not easy to live on while job searching anyhow. (But because we're lucky enough to have one of us still working, and I cashed out essentially every investment we had when I lost my job given the state of the economy, we can still eat and have the lights on. We're grateful for the littlest things these days...)
My other sister had a much better day than the one mentioned above. She had a job interview today too, for an amazing opportunity with a company in Chicago. She should hear from them by tomorrow either way.
And now, I'm off to birthday dinner with my family.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Top ten lists...
Top ten worst things about being laid off:
1. I'm supposed to keep the house clean. Actually clean, not just picked up.
2. Not much human interaction going on these days.
3. Recruiters are generally rude and do not return phone calls. I hate this. Why is this?
4. Everyone seems to think this is the time to ask incessantly if we are going to have a baby. You know, since I'm "off" and all.
5. The foster kid has 8 - 12 more hours each day during the week to drive me batty.
6. The dog has gotten so attached to me that I fear she won't survive my going back to work eventually. Yes, she is lying at my feet. Maintaining physical contact all day long. If I go to the kitchen, she goes. If I go to the bathroom, she goes.
7. This will be yet another year we don't make our Peachtree trip. Because we always spend a crapload of money, so if we don't have it, we don't go. Last trip was 2005, if I remember correctly.
8. I have no cause to put pretty clothes on every day. And shoes. Heck, most days I don't even wear shoes at all except to start Aaron's truck in the morning.
9. There are no deadlines, and therefore no motivation for any of the tasks that need to get done most days.
10. I'm not a fan of television. If you are not a fan of television, stuck at home is not a good place for you to be.
Top ten best things about being laid off:
1. I really did need a break. It hurts my soul to admit that, but I needed a break.
2. I figured out I can cook. And I like it. The cost of feeding our bodies will be far less when I go back to work, because we will not fund Chili's or B-Dubs for multiple meals each week.
3. The little things get done. Which otherwise, during normal lifestyle commencement, never get done.
4. The basement will soon be clean. Seriously. This is huge. I will have to take pictures. Then have a party.
5. I have seen certain family members more in the past three months than I usually do in about the span of a year.
6. Aaron can focus on work and school, because I'm home to do everything else. This is actually a very cool thing.
7. A tank of gas in my car lasts two months. It used to last 5 - 6 days.
8. I have time to go to the gym. Although, admittedly, I have not gone once yet. (I didn't have a car to use during the day until about a week or so ago.)
9. I have had a chance to realize that, believe it or not, there are more purposes in life than just working a gazillion hours.
10. I have time for things like this. To actually blog, and not just spend 7 - 20 minutes per day flying through the pages I follow and reading everyone else's.
And with that, I'm off to clean the house. Really clean it, not just pick up and straighten. (hee.)
1. I'm supposed to keep the house clean. Actually clean, not just picked up.
2. Not much human interaction going on these days.
3. Recruiters are generally rude and do not return phone calls. I hate this. Why is this?
4. Everyone seems to think this is the time to ask incessantly if we are going to have a baby. You know, since I'm "off" and all.
5. The foster kid has 8 - 12 more hours each day during the week to drive me batty.
6. The dog has gotten so attached to me that I fear she won't survive my going back to work eventually. Yes, she is lying at my feet. Maintaining physical contact all day long. If I go to the kitchen, she goes. If I go to the bathroom, she goes.
7. This will be yet another year we don't make our Peachtree trip. Because we always spend a crapload of money, so if we don't have it, we don't go. Last trip was 2005, if I remember correctly.
8. I have no cause to put pretty clothes on every day. And shoes. Heck, most days I don't even wear shoes at all except to start Aaron's truck in the morning.
9. There are no deadlines, and therefore no motivation for any of the tasks that need to get done most days.
10. I'm not a fan of television. If you are not a fan of television, stuck at home is not a good place for you to be.
Top ten best things about being laid off:
1. I really did need a break. It hurts my soul to admit that, but I needed a break.
2. I figured out I can cook. And I like it. The cost of feeding our bodies will be far less when I go back to work, because we will not fund Chili's or B-Dubs for multiple meals each week.
3. The little things get done. Which otherwise, during normal lifestyle commencement, never get done.
4. The basement will soon be clean. Seriously. This is huge. I will have to take pictures. Then have a party.
5. I have seen certain family members more in the past three months than I usually do in about the span of a year.
6. Aaron can focus on work and school, because I'm home to do everything else. This is actually a very cool thing.
7. A tank of gas in my car lasts two months. It used to last 5 - 6 days.
8. I have time to go to the gym. Although, admittedly, I have not gone once yet. (I didn't have a car to use during the day until about a week or so ago.)
9. I have had a chance to realize that, believe it or not, there are more purposes in life than just working a gazillion hours.
10. I have time for things like this. To actually blog, and not just spend 7 - 20 minutes per day flying through the pages I follow and reading everyone else's.
And with that, I'm off to clean the house. Really clean it, not just pick up and straighten. (hee.)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Another one joins the ranks....
I just got a call this afternoon from a very dear friend who got laid off on Monday. She had a feeling it was coming, but I can tell you from personal experience it never helps all that much. It's so hard for any of us to not feel worthless and helpless in this situation.
It was great to hear from her, and I'm glad she called. I'm thankful that she was a little more upbeat at the end of our conversation than she was at the beginning. Hopefully a reminder that she's not alone, and that she has friends to lean on helps. She was also in that "place" where she sat there not knowing what to do first. I know that "place" all too well, so I was able to help her get moving. Now if someone could just help me get moving again.... My job hunt has really been at a standstill this week. I'm sad, and I can't get started. It's very difficult to explain these feelings accurately to anyone who hasn't been in this situation recently, if even at all.
If anyone caught the Today show this morning, there was a piece about job fairs all across the country. People camping out in tents the night before. 250+ people spending the night at a firehouse for 35 open positions. The worst detail? Over 11 million Americans are out of work right now. All we can do is pray and wait.
In other (and better!) news, Aaron's job is going wonderfully, and he's liking this whole housewife thing better than I am... :o) But I don't hate it as much anymore. It's really kind of nice for a change. Hopefully a temporary change. I'm not too shy to say I'm still not very good at it. There are no deadlines or pressure or challenges. Therefore, as my brain is wired naturally, there is no reason to get moving. Not a good thing. I've tried to make a game out of it. Sort of like a "beat the clock" game. It worked for ahile. I'm bored with it now and just want to go to work. (sigh...)
Hopefully soon.
It was great to hear from her, and I'm glad she called. I'm thankful that she was a little more upbeat at the end of our conversation than she was at the beginning. Hopefully a reminder that she's not alone, and that she has friends to lean on helps. She was also in that "place" where she sat there not knowing what to do first. I know that "place" all too well, so I was able to help her get moving. Now if someone could just help me get moving again.... My job hunt has really been at a standstill this week. I'm sad, and I can't get started. It's very difficult to explain these feelings accurately to anyone who hasn't been in this situation recently, if even at all.
If anyone caught the Today show this morning, there was a piece about job fairs all across the country. People camping out in tents the night before. 250+ people spending the night at a firehouse for 35 open positions. The worst detail? Over 11 million Americans are out of work right now. All we can do is pray and wait.
In other (and better!) news, Aaron's job is going wonderfully, and he's liking this whole housewife thing better than I am... :o) But I don't hate it as much anymore. It's really kind of nice for a change. Hopefully a temporary change. I'm not too shy to say I'm still not very good at it. There are no deadlines or pressure or challenges. Therefore, as my brain is wired naturally, there is no reason to get moving. Not a good thing. I've tried to make a game out of it. Sort of like a "beat the clock" game. It worked for ahile. I'm bored with it now and just want to go to work. (sigh...)
Hopefully soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)