A Variety of Items
So, longing to write again, I tried to bite the bullet the other day. I've only written once since I lost my job. I don't stare at white pages or anything like that. The impetus is just entirely gone. Back in 2004 when I ended up in the hospital, the months following I had no sex drive whatsoever. I mean nothing. It was as if I was born with no desire whatsoever. It wasn't like I wanted to and couldn't. I just didn't want to. It didn't even enter my mind. This is much the same way. I am so wicked stressed that the notion of being creative simply wearies me. I tried, but nothing occurred. In fact, I question the decisions I made previously. Of course, I was already questioning those decisions so I don't think it's just a negative reaction of stress. I don't like writng BBQ in present tense. I want to switch it to past tense. That didn't work with the "Do you see that person over there" bit. I was trying to make it informal, casual, even flippant. I think I pushed it too far. It seems amateurish, gimmicky. I thought I'd start on a chapter I had already started. I looked at the chapter where I first introduce the bad guy. CRAP! Utter and absolute crap. Looks like something I would have written in college. Festering piece of poorly worded, randomly formed "look danger" bullshit that doesn't establish any kind of actual atmosphere or menace. Wanting to overcome the Hoover Dam of stress blockage, I started with the absolutely wrong chapter to work on.
I've been watching Life online. It's a good show. Hugh Lorie is really doing a good job. The show has progressed out of its infancy as well. The other characters have gotten used to his eccentricities so the reactions aren't always the same cookie-cutter "you're weird!" responses. Well last night's episode was phenomenal. I love when Crews gets to give the "convict stare." Those moments where someone pushes him out of his zen focus and reminds him of the life he led inside. Bad ass! And then the ending!!! OH MY GOD THE ENDING! What a fantastic ending! That's the kind of ending you use during sweeps week or at the end of the season! Wicked awesome!
I've applied to a lot of different places in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. A lot of these places don't fit my job qualifications exactly, but it's like fitting a round peg in a larger square hole. It fits, but the corners are empty. There are really only three companies where I fit exactly, and they're all competitors of Elsevier: Houghton Mifflin, Pearson, and Cengage. Of these three, I expected to end up working at Pearson. It's a direct competitor of Elsevier of an equivalent size. They had job openings that fit my experience perfectly. And I didn't get it. I didn't even get interviewed. I didn't even get a phone call. Nothing. Interviewing and not getting it is unfortunate. Not even being called rocks all my faith that I'll get a new job in a timely fashion. I stayed up until 4:30 last night and only went to bed because I knew Jen would be mad if I stayed up all night.
Speaking of Elsevier, my old department did a customer satisfaction survey of the other publishing departments. Which location scored the best? Burlington, Massachusetts. Who was the ONLY person who worked that office? Me. Oh irony you taste like honey.
Speaking of Jen, not to jinx things, but things are going really well. After we got past the sleeping problems and the almost breaking up in the middle of the year, we're in a better place than we've ever been. It would be better if I had a job, but still, I have a great relationship. I'm glad we endured to make it to this place.
Speaking of watching TV online, I'm annoyed at the Discover Card commercials on NBC. Their new advertising gimmick says "Wouldn't it be easier if credit card companies cared about us? Wouldn't it be easier to manage your payments responsibly?" Oh, so the only reason you keep an average of $2000 of credit card debt per adult citizen is because the credit card companies hate you. I never knew personal responsibility didn't factor into things. Silly me. I lived YEARS on credit cards. I graduated college because of credit cards. And you know what, none of those mistakes or failures of financial prudence were because my credit card companies weren't my friend. You want credit cards to act like your friend, then restrict maximum APR limits so that users can't have a 32% interest rate on the balance they're already having trouble paying off. You know when I started getting out of credit card debt? When the APR on my cards decreased so that the monthly payment wasn't equal to the monthly interest charge and I could actually start paying down the principle.
And last, I was reading the AP this morning and their headline is "President-Elect Promises Change, Appoints Insiders." Yes, because appointing people who can get the job done is clearly the wrong decision. How, after 8 years of George W. Bush, is this notion of the Washington Outsider so idealized. It's not a one-man government even if it acts like it at times. There are three branches to the government and the executive is the weakest (or is supposed to be). The presumption that a person can be elected president, appoint people who have no experience in Washington, and be effective is stupid. The Congress is what effects change and for the president to have suitable influence on that policy, he has to have staff that can work with and influence that congress. And what pisses me off is that the reporters know it! It's news theater. Report something relevant, goddamnit.
I've been watching Life online. It's a good show. Hugh Lorie is really doing a good job. The show has progressed out of its infancy as well. The other characters have gotten used to his eccentricities so the reactions aren't always the same cookie-cutter "you're weird!" responses. Well last night's episode was phenomenal. I love when Crews gets to give the "convict stare." Those moments where someone pushes him out of his zen focus and reminds him of the life he led inside. Bad ass! And then the ending!!! OH MY GOD THE ENDING! What a fantastic ending! That's the kind of ending you use during sweeps week or at the end of the season! Wicked awesome!
I've applied to a lot of different places in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. A lot of these places don't fit my job qualifications exactly, but it's like fitting a round peg in a larger square hole. It fits, but the corners are empty. There are really only three companies where I fit exactly, and they're all competitors of Elsevier: Houghton Mifflin, Pearson, and Cengage. Of these three, I expected to end up working at Pearson. It's a direct competitor of Elsevier of an equivalent size. They had job openings that fit my experience perfectly. And I didn't get it. I didn't even get interviewed. I didn't even get a phone call. Nothing. Interviewing and not getting it is unfortunate. Not even being called rocks all my faith that I'll get a new job in a timely fashion. I stayed up until 4:30 last night and only went to bed because I knew Jen would be mad if I stayed up all night.
Speaking of Elsevier, my old department did a customer satisfaction survey of the other publishing departments. Which location scored the best? Burlington, Massachusetts. Who was the ONLY person who worked that office? Me. Oh irony you taste like honey.
Speaking of Jen, not to jinx things, but things are going really well. After we got past the sleeping problems and the almost breaking up in the middle of the year, we're in a better place than we've ever been. It would be better if I had a job, but still, I have a great relationship. I'm glad we endured to make it to this place.
Speaking of watching TV online, I'm annoyed at the Discover Card commercials on NBC. Their new advertising gimmick says "Wouldn't it be easier if credit card companies cared about us? Wouldn't it be easier to manage your payments responsibly?" Oh, so the only reason you keep an average of $2000 of credit card debt per adult citizen is because the credit card companies hate you. I never knew personal responsibility didn't factor into things. Silly me. I lived YEARS on credit cards. I graduated college because of credit cards. And you know what, none of those mistakes or failures of financial prudence were because my credit card companies weren't my friend. You want credit cards to act like your friend, then restrict maximum APR limits so that users can't have a 32% interest rate on the balance they're already having trouble paying off. You know when I started getting out of credit card debt? When the APR on my cards decreased so that the monthly payment wasn't equal to the monthly interest charge and I could actually start paying down the principle.
And last, I was reading the AP this morning and their headline is "President-Elect Promises Change, Appoints Insiders." Yes, because appointing people who can get the job done is clearly the wrong decision. How, after 8 years of George W. Bush, is this notion of the Washington Outsider so idealized. It's not a one-man government even if it acts like it at times. There are three branches to the government and the executive is the weakest (or is supposed to be). The presumption that a person can be elected president, appoint people who have no experience in Washington, and be effective is stupid. The Congress is what effects change and for the president to have suitable influence on that policy, he has to have staff that can work with and influence that congress. And what pisses me off is that the reporters know it! It's news theater. Report something relevant, goddamnit.