The Week After

Last Friday was when I finally got my walking papers from work.  Been kinda busy doing stuff around the house, and spending lots of time at the library looking up potential employers in Texas.  Still no home net access (probably a while before there will be again) but it may be working to my advantage.  Forcing me to get up off my butt and do something productive.  And using my time productively at the library. 

So, how am I feeling being out of work?  Interesting experience.  My first week of being unemployed in about fourteen years.  Kinda surreal.

And I don’t miss my job one bit.

I do miss some of my coworkers.  But I don’t miss the daily grind, the feeling of plodding along until my next break, my lunch, the end of my shift.  Repeated daily, interrupted occasionally by weekends and holidays.

Currently I’m trying to spice up my resume.  The problem is that I have a reputation as a good, solid worker, but few tangible accomplishments to put down.  That’s the problem when you’ve run a printing press for the past eleven years.  Management can’t distinguish between you and the machine.  Effectively, you are the machine.  Not helping is the fact that they kept you doing the same thing the whole time because “that’s where you’re needed most”.  If I was smart, I would’ve left years ago.  But the kids were younger and the benefits were good, so I stayed.

In the meantime, I’ve put a couple of tires on my car and one on Yes Dear’s van.  Hopefully in a couple more weeks we can afford two more to replace the maypops on the back of my car.

A few things on my mind.  First of all, I’m really disappointed in someone from church who offered their services in writing a resume.  That was two months ago.  He sent me a template and I completed it and sent it back, and have gotten nothing since.  I’ve spoken with him a few times at church and he apologized, saying he was busy and he would get it to me soon, but it never happened.  So I stopped asking. 

Mind, this was a freely volunteered service, so it’s not like I’m out any money.  And I fully understand he gets busy and has a family to deal with, etc.  The point is, when you volunteer your services to someone, you follow through.  Or find someone else that can help if you discover you’re in over your head.  Or don’t volunteer at all.  Especially when the person you volunteer to can really use your help and is relying on you.  My mistake.

Just one of my pet peeves.  When I offer my services, I do my best to follow through.  Period.

Another worry is my impending move.  Starting with my aging Bonnie, hoping it will make the drive and last a while longer out there.  Like at least another year.  Because if it goes down, I’m completely screwed.

Wait a second, isn’t Christmas next week?  Damn, almost forgot.

Truthfully, I think everything will eventually work out.  Just need to have a little more faith.  Particularly in myself.

~ by The Real Dave on December 18, 2008.