I hope all of you are recovering from your Christmas festivities. I went to bed about 11 or so last night which is early for me and I woke up at about 3:30 am. I am not sure what that means but I am not overly thrilled about it that is for sure. So I am writing this at about 5 am after playing several games of Football Manager 11 followed up by a losing effort in League of Legends. I saw basically two movies this weekend. Well more like 1 and a half. I went on Christmas day to see "The Kings Speech" with my parents and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. There were a couple of things that it did for me. It highlighted an area of history that I have always been a little bit interested in as well as showing me some new aspects of what was going on that I had not learned about in school. So if you are looking for a relatively cerebral film that tells a good story I would highly recommend it.
The other film that I only watched part of was "Inception" now I realize that is was kind of the hot film from last year. There were several stories written about it and many of the webcomics and blogs I read wrote about it. There was a big twist at the end that was supposed to be surprising and it dealt with what is really reality and how do we perceive it. I think maybe the idea that if I feel it is reality then it is reality even if in truth I am in a tube being fed paste kind of like "The Matrix" or if your actually intelligent or well read Plato's The Cave. But enough of my snarkiness. So after about 20 minutes or so of Leonardo DiCaprio fiddling around in peoples dreams along with some things in real life which I suspect were actually Leonardos dreams. (Spoiler) I realized that I just did not care about this story. It has been told and retold and retold better and in a far more interesting manner then this film.
I think that both reality and the nature of Free Will are big deals and important questions for those of us who care about that kind of thing to process but it is not done well in this film and it doesn't need to be redone by another ham-handed director. In this case the only good thing being that it wasn't a film directed by M. Night Shamaladingdong because he is a hack of the highest order. I believe that I will say that again just because it makes me feel good. M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN IS A HACK OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!!! Ahh that feels nice. Say it with me. I feel better and I think you will also.
A different sort of film that I would highly recommend is "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" it is pure escapism but oh so much fun. I love that you basically take a seat and then are along for the ride and if, like me, you have grown up playing video games or reading comic books then you will enjoy it even more. Check it out. You will not be sorry and if you are then it is possible that we may not be able to be friends. I am sorry but that is just the way it is. There are some things that are to much for me to get past. So you think real long and hard before you give me your two cents concerning this film. Because if you do not like it my wrath will come down upon you like Thor's hammer with the wrath and fury of two suns colliding!!!!
COUNT ON THAT!!!!!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday
Hello again my friends, I hope this Monday finds you well. We are moving closer to Christmas and then New Years I would love to say I am excited about this but in all honesty it is just not that big of a deal to me. These last two years the holiday season has just kind of blended together in a lump and have not been either the most satisfying or the most fun. Not that they have to be and apart from a few peaks during time spent with friends it has been overall a pretty bleak couple of years. One benefit is that at least at this point I can only hope things began to get better.
I have made some new friends in this last year and gotten re-acquainted with some old friends and that has been a good thing. But this is really not where I expected to be at 41 years old. "Ouch" I know it shouldn't hurt me to write that down but it does. I think I had some unspoken expectations about what it would mean and look like to be 41 and I am certainly not meeting them. I realize that this isn't the end of the world it is just the reality of what I am dealing with. I am fully aware that things could be far worse.
That being said. One of the things that I do miss most of all is riding the train on a daily basis. I wish I had the money to just get up in the morning and drive to Wilsonville and hop on the train and ride it back and forth. I really used to enjoy the time I spent both riding the train and writing on it. I am really hoping for a job that will allow me some of that again. I think it was good time well spent and better time then sitting in my car on 217 that is for sure.
It has been an odd experience being unemployed for this long. I wish I could be more productive in terms of my writing but it is hard to motivate myself to be angry about things or feel that excited or upset. I think part of my defense mechanism so I do not freak out about money getting tighter is to not allow myself to feel super emotional about anything and keep myself locked down which we all now is not a healthy way to live and not how I have ever lived my life. There are some pretty important things going on in the world politically right now and I just am unable to bring myself to be excited about them. Oh sure, there is a feeling in the back of my mind that I really should care about that and that this is a big deal but I just do not feel the urge to be either righteously indignant or really happy about it.
I know there are people who think that I am depressed and I should go visit someone but that is not an option right now. I hope that one day it will be and perhaps I can continue to use this blog as a way to process some of what I am feeling but also I am not sure if this is the correct forum for such a thing as well. Talk to you later folks.
I have made some new friends in this last year and gotten re-acquainted with some old friends and that has been a good thing. But this is really not where I expected to be at 41 years old. "Ouch" I know it shouldn't hurt me to write that down but it does. I think I had some unspoken expectations about what it would mean and look like to be 41 and I am certainly not meeting them. I realize that this isn't the end of the world it is just the reality of what I am dealing with. I am fully aware that things could be far worse.
That being said. One of the things that I do miss most of all is riding the train on a daily basis. I wish I had the money to just get up in the morning and drive to Wilsonville and hop on the train and ride it back and forth. I really used to enjoy the time I spent both riding the train and writing on it. I am really hoping for a job that will allow me some of that again. I think it was good time well spent and better time then sitting in my car on 217 that is for sure.
It has been an odd experience being unemployed for this long. I wish I could be more productive in terms of my writing but it is hard to motivate myself to be angry about things or feel that excited or upset. I think part of my defense mechanism so I do not freak out about money getting tighter is to not allow myself to feel super emotional about anything and keep myself locked down which we all now is not a healthy way to live and not how I have ever lived my life. There are some pretty important things going on in the world politically right now and I just am unable to bring myself to be excited about them. Oh sure, there is a feeling in the back of my mind that I really should care about that and that this is a big deal but I just do not feel the urge to be either righteously indignant or really happy about it.
I know there are people who think that I am depressed and I should go visit someone but that is not an option right now. I hope that one day it will be and perhaps I can continue to use this blog as a way to process some of what I am feeling but also I am not sure if this is the correct forum for such a thing as well. Talk to you later folks.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Dispatches From the World of Film
So I just finished watching a film called Pirate Radio and I have to tell you. I really, really enjoyed it. As anyone who knows me can tell you I am a sucker for a film that uses music in a good way and if it is a film that is about music as well then I am pretty much locked in. One of my favorite films of all time is Almost Famous and I have touched on that here before. But I want to encourage all you to check Pirate Radio out. The trailer is below
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday
Pretty crazy wild weather day yesterday. I know that we on average in Oregon get a couple of tornadoes a year but wow. The one that hit Aumsville yesterday was a doozy. The air temperature alone has been really higher then normal I think for the last week or so. I tend to wear shorts given a choice even in the winter time but I often have a long sleeve shirt on or a light jacket over it but Monday I was out doing some things and I just had on a t-shirt and shorts. Even for me that is a bit extreme in December but I wasn't uncomfortable at all.
I did read an interesting thing this morning. I do not know if all of my readers, or any for that matter, will remember this but right after President Obama was elected there was a huge rush on handguns in America. You couldn't turn on the television or radio or read a political blog without someone talking about the shortage of both guns and ammunition. Well it seems that times have changed again. The ammunition shortage is over there seems to be plenty of that to go around. Also Obama has made no significant moves to control or outlaw guns. Because of that along with some other things both societal and economically related. A large amount the guns purchased in the post election surge are being resold in the used market or private person to person sales. In fact gun manufactures Smith & Wesson actually posted a loss this last quarter. I am not sure what it all means other then that I think that people are not running as scared as they used to be running. They seem to be scared about other things but not about guns being taken away or ammunition being outlawed.
I think the people that actually benefited from this whole thing was the National Rifle Association (NRA). The annual revenue for the NRA is around $250 Million. Which is fine people can give money to who they see fit. I just find it interesting that what drives such giving is pure abject fear. I know that we try to rise above the emotional and like to think that we are rational beings but in our core the reptile brain freaks out and pushes us to do things that are emotionally based and may not be in our best interests. I find that fascinating.
I did read an interesting thing this morning. I do not know if all of my readers, or any for that matter, will remember this but right after President Obama was elected there was a huge rush on handguns in America. You couldn't turn on the television or radio or read a political blog without someone talking about the shortage of both guns and ammunition. Well it seems that times have changed again. The ammunition shortage is over there seems to be plenty of that to go around. Also Obama has made no significant moves to control or outlaw guns. Because of that along with some other things both societal and economically related. A large amount the guns purchased in the post election surge are being resold in the used market or private person to person sales. In fact gun manufactures Smith & Wesson actually posted a loss this last quarter. I am not sure what it all means other then that I think that people are not running as scared as they used to be running. They seem to be scared about other things but not about guns being taken away or ammunition being outlawed.
I think the people that actually benefited from this whole thing was the National Rifle Association (NRA). The annual revenue for the NRA is around $250 Million. Which is fine people can give money to who they see fit. I just find it interesting that what drives such giving is pure abject fear. I know that we try to rise above the emotional and like to think that we are rational beings but in our core the reptile brain freaks out and pushes us to do things that are emotionally based and may not be in our best interests. I find that fascinating.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday
Not feeling super inspired this morning. But on the plus side I am not feeling really cynical either so I suppose that is a good thing. I am just trying to keep the wheels turning. You folks have a good day.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday
So, I, had an interesting thought this morning as I was getting ready to head down to the coffee shop. It came about because of a discussion that my house-mate and I had yesterday during the Pittsburgh Steelers game. They were showing basically the same Toyota car commercial over and over during the breaks. It was a national commercial and the point of it was that you never know who you will see buying a Toyota. What my house-mate commented on was that it also seemed that you would never see any African-Americans at the Toyota dealerships and very few Hispanics other then Eric Estrada, but I do not think famous people count, because in this case it was special because he was Eric Estrada not because he was Hispanic. When my friend pointed that out I countered with "Well perhaps African-Americans do not buy Toyotas. Maybe it is a demographic thing?" Now, I was being factitious but it made me think. I have grown up in Salem, Oregon. It is a small to midsized town in the heart of the Willamette Valley and on the west side of Oregon. I am within a hour long drive or less from the Pacific Ocean.
Now, I grew up here and Salem is a pretty white town. It is possible that we are now more then 50% Hispanic I do not know the exact numbers but I know as a child the few people of color in my grade school all the way through to high school were usually Asian of some sort. There were just not very many African Americans. But what I wonder is...should I care about that? Should it bother me when I see a commercial that is obviously whitewashed or conversely been run through some sort of committee that said well we need a rainbow so lets get one of every race. To me that is not realistic.
Now, do not get me wrong I have no problem with integration and the more people of differing backgrounds and experiences the more exciting a place can be to live and I think the food in those places will be better by far then a place that is predominately one race or the other. But, I am unable to control who moves where and I tend to feel like these things happen organically and do not happen smoothly or well when done artificially.
So should I be concerned about something that I really have no control over other then that I in my own personal life can be welcoming to all peoples. I am not in a position of authority. I am unable to make laws that will impact societal mores one way or the other. So should it bother me if notice a commercial is racist? Does it make me a bad person if it doesn't bother me?
Just some thoughts that are bouncing around in the old noggin this morning.
Now, I grew up here and Salem is a pretty white town. It is possible that we are now more then 50% Hispanic I do not know the exact numbers but I know as a child the few people of color in my grade school all the way through to high school were usually Asian of some sort. There were just not very many African Americans. But what I wonder is...should I care about that? Should it bother me when I see a commercial that is obviously whitewashed or conversely been run through some sort of committee that said well we need a rainbow so lets get one of every race. To me that is not realistic.
Now, do not get me wrong I have no problem with integration and the more people of differing backgrounds and experiences the more exciting a place can be to live and I think the food in those places will be better by far then a place that is predominately one race or the other. But, I am unable to control who moves where and I tend to feel like these things happen organically and do not happen smoothly or well when done artificially.
So should I be concerned about something that I really have no control over other then that I in my own personal life can be welcoming to all peoples. I am not in a position of authority. I am unable to make laws that will impact societal mores one way or the other. So should it bother me if notice a commercial is racist? Does it make me a bad person if it doesn't bother me?
Just some thoughts that are bouncing around in the old noggin this morning.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Television
So I watched The Office last night or actually this morning on the DVR and I do not remember Michael Scott being so detached from reality. I realize he has always been a little out there. But last night seemed like he really is just detached from reality. I enjoyed the show but I wonder how much longer it can go on. It seems a little stale to me.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Thursday
Blah, blah, blah.........I got nothing today. perhaps I will post something this afternoon.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Wednesday?
Today is Wednesday. I need to keep repeating that because I woke up thinking it was Saturday. I am not sure why. I went to bed between 10 and 11 and slept until 7:30 so I am not really sure what this new schedule is doing but it feels like my body clock is adjusting to something. I am just not sure what it is adjusting to.
I am still trying to figure out some sort of thematic theme that I want this blog to operate under be it entertainment or politics or just whatever pops into my head. I realize that is what it is right now but it worries me that the random nature of the writings will drive some readers away. Not that I am trying to make money off of this but you know that kind of thing is always pretty cool. I think my ultimate goal is to get rich enough that I can complain about the Government taking to much of my hard earned money. I doubt that will ever happen though.
Oh!! I did hear something last night that I found really interesting. I was half listening to the Daily Show and they had a retired general named Hugh Shelton on who has just released a book detailing his 40 years in the U.S. Army. That alone might make for some interesting reading but what I found even more interesting was that after the general walked out. Jon Stewart said "I heard you just recovered from an injury?" The general went on to detail how he had fallen out of a tree or off of a ladder and been paralyzed. He was ultimately taken the military hospital in DC and they elevated his blood pressure to, in his words, "dangerous levels" for about 8 hours and he was cured. I am sure the actual procedure was far more complicated then that but I still thought it was pretty amazing that some one figured out if we can really get blood around the injured areas maybe the human body can fix itself. I think that is pretty neat and I am constantly astounded at how the human body can repair itself.
That is all for today. Keep on rocking folks!!
I am still trying to figure out some sort of thematic theme that I want this blog to operate under be it entertainment or politics or just whatever pops into my head. I realize that is what it is right now but it worries me that the random nature of the writings will drive some readers away. Not that I am trying to make money off of this but you know that kind of thing is always pretty cool. I think my ultimate goal is to get rich enough that I can complain about the Government taking to much of my hard earned money. I doubt that will ever happen though.
Oh!! I did hear something last night that I found really interesting. I was half listening to the Daily Show and they had a retired general named Hugh Shelton on who has just released a book detailing his 40 years in the U.S. Army. That alone might make for some interesting reading but what I found even more interesting was that after the general walked out. Jon Stewart said "I heard you just recovered from an injury?" The general went on to detail how he had fallen out of a tree or off of a ladder and been paralyzed. He was ultimately taken the military hospital in DC and they elevated his blood pressure to, in his words, "dangerous levels" for about 8 hours and he was cured. I am sure the actual procedure was far more complicated then that but I still thought it was pretty amazing that some one figured out if we can really get blood around the injured areas maybe the human body can fix itself. I think that is pretty neat and I am constantly astounded at how the human body can repair itself.
That is all for today. Keep on rocking folks!!
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Tuesday for Tea
Well day 2 of trying to get myself on some sort of reasonable schedule started bright and early. I went to bed last night between 11 and midnight and I woke up this morning at 4 am. I am not sure if this is good or bad. If I fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon I am pretty sure it is a bad thing. But all that aside here I am awake and typing and drinking my second cup of black tea which I have sweetened with some tasty blackberry honey.
So I sit here listening to several different morning shows on NPR and trying to figure out the best way to get a job. They just did a quick blurb on the radio about people working longer in life because they will not have enough in savings to retire on and I thought "oh boy. I also have that to look forward to." I do not say that to be a downer it is just the sad truth. I need to find a job that pays the bills as well as allows me to save a little bit and has some form of health insurance attached to it. Or, pays enough to allow me to purchase my own health care.
Today is also Dec 7th. Which is Pearl Harbor day. I would be remiss not to acknowledge that. I have a far older 3rd cousin I believe who was in Pearl Harbor I have never met the man but my mother has always talked fondly of him. I am thankful for the service he did for the country and for servicemen and women who do an extraordinarily hard job as far as I am concerned and all personal politics aside I am not sure that it is a job that I could do.
Well that is it for today. I do not have any real tidbits of wisdom for you but I hope that will happen as I continue to progress in my daily writings and try to find some form of theme to work under. I have some vague ideas about using a book on writing that I have as some sort of a catalyst for my daily writings so we will see if that idea comes to pass or not.
Have a good day.
So I sit here listening to several different morning shows on NPR and trying to figure out the best way to get a job. They just did a quick blurb on the radio about people working longer in life because they will not have enough in savings to retire on and I thought "oh boy. I also have that to look forward to." I do not say that to be a downer it is just the sad truth. I need to find a job that pays the bills as well as allows me to save a little bit and has some form of health insurance attached to it. Or, pays enough to allow me to purchase my own health care.
Today is also Dec 7th. Which is Pearl Harbor day. I would be remiss not to acknowledge that. I have a far older 3rd cousin I believe who was in Pearl Harbor I have never met the man but my mother has always talked fondly of him. I am thankful for the service he did for the country and for servicemen and women who do an extraordinarily hard job as far as I am concerned and all personal politics aside I am not sure that it is a job that I could do.
Well that is it for today. I do not have any real tidbits of wisdom for you but I hope that will happen as I continue to progress in my daily writings and try to find some form of theme to work under. I have some vague ideas about using a book on writing that I have as some sort of a catalyst for my daily writings so we will see if that idea comes to pass or not.
Have a good day.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Foggy Groggy Monday
Well it is Monday morning as usual and I am not typing well. I am feeling a little foggy this morning. I am not sure why. I thought I slept pretty well. I mean sure I stayed up probably later then I should have but that is nothing strange for me. But, when the alarm went off this morning at 7:30 I lay there in bed trying to get a handle on what day it was. That is not the norm for me at all. I am even one and a half cups of coffee down and still not all together there. I am torn because I feel like I need to be productive and find five new jobs to apply for. As well as work on updating my resume and trying to find the perfect sounding phrase that will make a prospective employer say "Wow! This Lance is the right person for the job. I will call him up right a way." Or just calling today a wash and curling up on the couch wrapped in my comforter and watching movies on the Lifetime channel.
I am really feeling the need lately to get myself on some form of schedule that is like having a job. I have been unemployed since July and I am starting to fall into staying up to late and wondering around the house in my pajamas kind of behavior and I know that is going to make finding a job that much harder. I think I am going to start working on fixing this by pledging to you my faithful reader or readers as the case my be and trying to post daily. I hope that will help me actually focus my time on the internet as well as allow me to sharpen my research and my writing skills. As usual I am not sure what path this will take in terms of form of blog posts or what particular topics I might be addressing but rest assured I will be blowing your socks of with the power and majesty of my writings.
So be prepared for the losing of your socks!!
I am really feeling the need lately to get myself on some form of schedule that is like having a job. I have been unemployed since July and I am starting to fall into staying up to late and wondering around the house in my pajamas kind of behavior and I know that is going to make finding a job that much harder. I think I am going to start working on fixing this by pledging to you my faithful reader or readers as the case my be and trying to post daily. I hope that will help me actually focus my time on the internet as well as allow me to sharpen my research and my writing skills. As usual I am not sure what path this will take in terms of form of blog posts or what particular topics I might be addressing but rest assured I will be blowing your socks of with the power and majesty of my writings.
So be prepared for the losing of your socks!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Coffee Monday
It is Monday and I am at the Broadway Coffeehouse enjoying my job search and my coffee and marionberry (sp?) scone. I find that even though I do not like being unemployed and I do need to find work soon. For reasons both economic and social and mental. I really do like having a Monday morning free to step in to the coffee shop have a cup or two or three and do some writing and some searching. It gets me out of the house and allows me to listen to people around me and to marvel at some of the things people say and how people act. I would again recommend the Broadway Coffeehouse to those of you who have not tried it out. I do not believe you will be disappointed at all.
I had an interesting past week and weekend. It was Thanksgiving and so I did all of the usual family stuff. I went to my Parents house and there were several members of the extended family there all from my mothers side of the family. Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and some assorted second Cousins it is always good to see them. But what I did this weekend that was different was that I took a drive out to the Brigittine Monastery in Amity, OR. The initial reason for the drive was because a potential wine tasting trip fell through and I had heard that the monks sold some very tasty fudge out there so I convinced or to be more accurate once they were in my car I just drove people out there. I found that I really enjoyed being out there. I live in a world of almost constant noise of some sort. It is either people talking or it is music or electronics of some sort and it is always around me. When we pulled up to the monastery there was a sense of peace and quiet all around me. We went into the main building which houses the gift shop and met a monk there who answered some of our questions and gave us a fudge sample.
(The fudge is amazing by the way. I purchased a pound of it for $10. It is really very tasty and I am sure that I should not be eating it. But I believe that since it is fudge made in a monastery it makes it Godly and I also understand that Godly fudge or chocolate has no calories to it. So eat away.)
The origin of the Brigittine order is an interesting one.
"The Order of The Most Holy Savior, popularly known as Brigittine, was founded in the year 1370 by St. Birgitta of Sweden to give praise and honor to God. Elements which characterize the Brigittine Order include a deep love of Christ, especially in remembrance of His sufferings, the fullness of liturgical worship, a respect for learning and authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Mother of God, all incorporated into a simple monastic life style."
The comes from their website. But I am in the process of reading about the group and St Birgitta herself. I am finding it pretty interesting. I hope to share more about that in the future. But, all that being said I would encourage people to take the trip out there and check it out. The level of calm it can bring to you is simply amazing.
One last thing. I turn 41 tomorrow. I am in a completely different place this year then last year. I believe that is a good thing and as soon as I get this job thing taken care of then everything should be looking rosy. I do not mention my birthday to get attention I just want to make note that I am in a better place now then I was last year at this time. Well better emotionally and mentally if not fiscally but that is another issue. I just know that I wouldn't be in the better place I am in if not for the support of my friends. I will not name names I believe most of you know who you are and what you mean to me and I will probably be talking with you in some form or another as the week progresses but I just wanted to make mention of that and say thank you to them on my blog. You all mean the world to me.
Have a good week folks.
I had an interesting past week and weekend. It was Thanksgiving and so I did all of the usual family stuff. I went to my Parents house and there were several members of the extended family there all from my mothers side of the family. Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and some assorted second Cousins it is always good to see them. But what I did this weekend that was different was that I took a drive out to the Brigittine Monastery in Amity, OR. The initial reason for the drive was because a potential wine tasting trip fell through and I had heard that the monks sold some very tasty fudge out there so I convinced or to be more accurate once they were in my car I just drove people out there. I found that I really enjoyed being out there. I live in a world of almost constant noise of some sort. It is either people talking or it is music or electronics of some sort and it is always around me. When we pulled up to the monastery there was a sense of peace and quiet all around me. We went into the main building which houses the gift shop and met a monk there who answered some of our questions and gave us a fudge sample.
(The fudge is amazing by the way. I purchased a pound of it for $10. It is really very tasty and I am sure that I should not be eating it. But I believe that since it is fudge made in a monastery it makes it Godly and I also understand that Godly fudge or chocolate has no calories to it. So eat away.)
The origin of the Brigittine order is an interesting one.
"The Order of The Most Holy Savior, popularly known as Brigittine, was founded in the year 1370 by St. Birgitta of Sweden to give praise and honor to God. Elements which characterize the Brigittine Order include a deep love of Christ, especially in remembrance of His sufferings, the fullness of liturgical worship, a respect for learning and authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Mother of God, all incorporated into a simple monastic life style."
The comes from their website. But I am in the process of reading about the group and St Birgitta herself. I am finding it pretty interesting. I hope to share more about that in the future. But, all that being said I would encourage people to take the trip out there and check it out. The level of calm it can bring to you is simply amazing.
One last thing. I turn 41 tomorrow. I am in a completely different place this year then last year. I believe that is a good thing and as soon as I get this job thing taken care of then everything should be looking rosy. I do not mention my birthday to get attention I just want to make note that I am in a better place now then I was last year at this time. Well better emotionally and mentally if not fiscally but that is another issue. I just know that I wouldn't be in the better place I am in if not for the support of my friends. I will not name names I believe most of you know who you are and what you mean to me and I will probably be talking with you in some form or another as the week progresses but I just wanted to make mention of that and say thank you to them on my blog. You all mean the world to me.
Have a good week folks.
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Hunt Continues
So last week as I was sitting in the coffee shop writing my weekly post. I was reminded that a friend had said I should apply at T-Mobile for there call center here in Salem. So I decided to check it out. I filled out the online application in what was a pretty painless process but then I noticed that there was a sort of assessment test as well. I headed home and took the test and sent it in. I didn't give it much thought after that.
Well about a half hour to an hour later the phone range and it was T-Mobile telling me that I had passed the assessment and they would like to do a phone interview. I said of course and they set it up for the following Tuesday. Wow, I thought, I have never had a response to an application come so fast before that is really a good sign. Moving forward in time, Tuesday rolled around and the phone interview came. It was pretty simple just some questions about job history and what kind of skills I had and what I would do or have done in specific situations. As the interview wrapped up the lady told me that they would like to set up a face to face interview and that I had passed the first two steps of the process. I was pretty pleased about that and even more pleased when they called the next day and told me that they needed to set up a background check. So, for me, when the background check process started it made me really feel like I had a shot at this job. I mean why would they spend money on a background check if they were not serious about hiring me and it really felt like to me that things were going to end well.
Thursday morning dawned bright and clear and I awoke nervous. That isn't that uncommon for me as I am a little prone to butterflies in stressful situations. I used to get almost sick to my stomach before slowpitch softball games and I have come close to throwing up before public speaking. But I spent the morning getting myself ready for the interview and settling myself down and off I went to T-Mobile's Salem call center. When I got there I was shown a 5 minute DVD extolling the virtues of working for T-Mobile and how great it was there. It was almost like they were trying to sell themselves to me. When that ended I let the desk person know and I went and sat on the couch out front.
And I sat. And sat. And Sat. The interview was for 1 pm and I believe at about 1:15 out walked the person doing the interview. We went off and he proceeded to ask me pre-written questions from a sheet that had question choices for him to pick from. I spent most of the interview looking at the top of his head as he wrote down my answers. It really could have been an interview administered by a computer for all of the personal interaction that there was. We got done and he told me that I would hear from them on Monday or Tuesday. Well, that is that, I thought as I was driving home. I had heard back from an old employer that he had received a call from the background checkers so I thought that was good. Well on the drive home my phone beeped to tell me that I had an email. When I got home I checked it because as we all know it is illegal to check your phone while driving and I am a super safe driver. *wink*
Well the email told me I would not be getting the job. Now, that is fine. I am a little upset by that but I have not been hired for things before. But, what hurts I think is that I got past the first two levels with I believe just the background check and face to face interview left to go and was starting to feel really confident that the job was going to be mine. It was more the speed of finding out. It felt like he sent off the email as soon as he had returned to his office. It seemed like the response was so quick because his mind had already been made up. I realize that they are well within there rights to not hire me. But I think the process in which they let me know could have been a better one.
So the search continues. I hope I find something soon. Or something finds me.
Well about a half hour to an hour later the phone range and it was T-Mobile telling me that I had passed the assessment and they would like to do a phone interview. I said of course and they set it up for the following Tuesday. Wow, I thought, I have never had a response to an application come so fast before that is really a good sign. Moving forward in time, Tuesday rolled around and the phone interview came. It was pretty simple just some questions about job history and what kind of skills I had and what I would do or have done in specific situations. As the interview wrapped up the lady told me that they would like to set up a face to face interview and that I had passed the first two steps of the process. I was pretty pleased about that and even more pleased when they called the next day and told me that they needed to set up a background check. So, for me, when the background check process started it made me really feel like I had a shot at this job. I mean why would they spend money on a background check if they were not serious about hiring me and it really felt like to me that things were going to end well.
Thursday morning dawned bright and clear and I awoke nervous. That isn't that uncommon for me as I am a little prone to butterflies in stressful situations. I used to get almost sick to my stomach before slowpitch softball games and I have come close to throwing up before public speaking. But I spent the morning getting myself ready for the interview and settling myself down and off I went to T-Mobile's Salem call center. When I got there I was shown a 5 minute DVD extolling the virtues of working for T-Mobile and how great it was there. It was almost like they were trying to sell themselves to me. When that ended I let the desk person know and I went and sat on the couch out front.
And I sat. And sat. And Sat. The interview was for 1 pm and I believe at about 1:15 out walked the person doing the interview. We went off and he proceeded to ask me pre-written questions from a sheet that had question choices for him to pick from. I spent most of the interview looking at the top of his head as he wrote down my answers. It really could have been an interview administered by a computer for all of the personal interaction that there was. We got done and he told me that I would hear from them on Monday or Tuesday. Well, that is that, I thought as I was driving home. I had heard back from an old employer that he had received a call from the background checkers so I thought that was good. Well on the drive home my phone beeped to tell me that I had an email. When I got home I checked it because as we all know it is illegal to check your phone while driving and I am a super safe driver. *wink*
Well the email told me I would not be getting the job. Now, that is fine. I am a little upset by that but I have not been hired for things before. But, what hurts I think is that I got past the first two levels with I believe just the background check and face to face interview left to go and was starting to feel really confident that the job was going to be mine. It was more the speed of finding out. It felt like he sent off the email as soon as he had returned to his office. It seemed like the response was so quick because his mind had already been made up. I realize that they are well within there rights to not hire me. But I think the process in which they let me know could have been a better one.
So the search continues. I hope I find something soon. Or something finds me.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pizza Thoughts
I went to have pizza last night at my friends house. It is always a fun time and there is usually some form of pleasant discussion. The basic model is kind of cool the host makes the pizza dough and supplies the sauce and cheese and people bring whatever kind of toppings they want and they just start cranking out the pizzas. I throughly enjoy it most of the time.
Some of the conversations last night ranged from the Meyers-Briggs test on personality to politics both local and global and what motivated people to run for office and the different tools used by companies to sell things. It was a good evening and I usually enjoy pretty much anything that has an interesting conversation and an intelligent one. Well, last nights had both so that is always a good thing. I do not really have any profound nuggets of wisdom to share but it was a good evening non the less.
That being said. I just want to encourage my readers to get together now and then with friends in person and have actual conversations. I mean keep them civil but actually discuss things that have some depth. It is better for everyone to have to do a little bit of thinking about why they think like they think. I do not mean condemn them for being wrong or calling them stupid if you disagree I just mean have a conversation about it. Who knows you may even find that you agree on more then you think you do. I know I am often pleasantly surprised that I agree with someone when on the surface it looks like I would not.
Give that a thought at Thanksgiving this year when your crazy uncle starts going on and on about his latest Big Government theory. Take a moment, take a breath and actually have a conversation with them. You might be amazed at the result.
Some of the conversations last night ranged from the Meyers-Briggs test on personality to politics both local and global and what motivated people to run for office and the different tools used by companies to sell things. It was a good evening and I usually enjoy pretty much anything that has an interesting conversation and an intelligent one. Well, last nights had both so that is always a good thing. I do not really have any profound nuggets of wisdom to share but it was a good evening non the less.
That being said. I just want to encourage my readers to get together now and then with friends in person and have actual conversations. I mean keep them civil but actually discuss things that have some depth. It is better for everyone to have to do a little bit of thinking about why they think like they think. I do not mean condemn them for being wrong or calling them stupid if you disagree I just mean have a conversation about it. Who knows you may even find that you agree on more then you think you do. I know I am often pleasantly surprised that I agree with someone when on the surface it looks like I would not.
Give that a thought at Thanksgiving this year when your crazy uncle starts going on and on about his latest Big Government theory. Take a moment, take a breath and actually have a conversation with them. You might be amazed at the result.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Post Election Blues
The election is over and America does not seem to have fallen apart. I am surprised. I thought after seeing all of the commercials during the campaign season that if the wrong candidate was elected the whole country was going to burst into flames. I am waiting for it to happen but so far everything seems to be running like normal. I know my life hasn't changed really at all. But in reality my life has never changed following an election. Even after the election of Obama nothing in my life has really changed as far as politics go.
I find it so interesting that we get so worked up about the elections and yet basically things seem always the same. I realize it may change for other people but I am not sure who. I like to vote and I like to be invested and to pay attention to what is going on in the world. But I have really felt like on a personal level my life has been all that affected by whoever the President is. I realize I might feel a greater sense of fear or urgency if I listened to Glenn Beck or Rachel Maddow but I don't. I like to think that this keeps me a little more grounded and less likely to be all worked up about things that that are past my level of control and in some cases, honestly, my understanding.
One example that pops into my head is from either last year or the year before. There was a gentlemen running around named Lord Christopher Monckton and he went on Glenn Beck to talk about the one world government that was coming as soon as Obama and the United States signed on to the climate treaty in Copenhagen. Well it has been a year since he was on Beck and since the meeting in Copenhagen. Well what has happened in this past year? Well, in short, not much. It seemed like last year at this time amongst some of my conservative friends there was a real sense of fear and almost panic that Obama was going to be giving away our Democracy by signing some sort of world government treaty in Copenhagen.
This just did not happen. But. No one seems to want to talk about the predictions that Beck throws out there to make people scared and angry. The man makes millions and millions of dollars a year from radio and television and books by spreading fear and distrust and people continue to swallow it like pigs from a trough. I just do not get it.
It is the same on the more liberal stations as well. The more agitated the audience is the more likely they are to purchase books or give money to campaigns to fight against the so called opposing side. I do not think that politics in America need to be trench warfare. It doesn't benefit us as a people or humanity in general to be so angry about things that basically most of us have no real control over and actually may not even happen.
I do not think that Oregon is going to be setback by Kitzhaber being elected. I think that things will basically continue like normal. But, I am sure that all of the usual suspects well continue to spread fear and anger all for the sake of making themselves even more wealthy. I am not sure how they sleep at night but they probably do it on a very expensive mattress and in a very expensive home.
I find it so interesting that we get so worked up about the elections and yet basically things seem always the same. I realize it may change for other people but I am not sure who. I like to vote and I like to be invested and to pay attention to what is going on in the world. But I have really felt like on a personal level my life has been all that affected by whoever the President is. I realize I might feel a greater sense of fear or urgency if I listened to Glenn Beck or Rachel Maddow but I don't. I like to think that this keeps me a little more grounded and less likely to be all worked up about things that that are past my level of control and in some cases, honestly, my understanding.
One example that pops into my head is from either last year or the year before. There was a gentlemen running around named Lord Christopher Monckton and he went on Glenn Beck to talk about the one world government that was coming as soon as Obama and the United States signed on to the climate treaty in Copenhagen. Well it has been a year since he was on Beck and since the meeting in Copenhagen. Well what has happened in this past year? Well, in short, not much. It seemed like last year at this time amongst some of my conservative friends there was a real sense of fear and almost panic that Obama was going to be giving away our Democracy by signing some sort of world government treaty in Copenhagen.
This just did not happen. But. No one seems to want to talk about the predictions that Beck throws out there to make people scared and angry. The man makes millions and millions of dollars a year from radio and television and books by spreading fear and distrust and people continue to swallow it like pigs from a trough. I just do not get it.
It is the same on the more liberal stations as well. The more agitated the audience is the more likely they are to purchase books or give money to campaigns to fight against the so called opposing side. I do not think that politics in America need to be trench warfare. It doesn't benefit us as a people or humanity in general to be so angry about things that basically most of us have no real control over and actually may not even happen.
I do not think that Oregon is going to be setback by Kitzhaber being elected. I think that things will basically continue like normal. But, I am sure that all of the usual suspects well continue to spread fear and anger all for the sake of making themselves even more wealthy. I am not sure how they sleep at night but they probably do it on a very expensive mattress and in a very expensive home.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Voting Day
Tuesday November 2nd is election day. Things are a little different in Oregon because of our vote by mail system. So rather then going into your local precinct headquarters we get a ballot in the mail a few weeks before the election that we are supposed to fill out and mail back in. If we do not mail it in early enough then you can drop it off on election day at different drop points all around the state.
Earlier this month after I had filled out my ballot and mailed it off I raised a question on my Facebook page about purchasing a stamp to mail in my ballot. This made for an interesting discussion and one that I want to bring over to the blog. So first I will put in some of what people said on my post and then hopefully we can get some comments to address the different points people made.
So what I said was this
"Lance Cummins has voted and now would like to begin the conversation about the vote by mail process in Oregon and why he has to use his own stamps to mail it back in."
I received several different comments some from people letting me know that I didn't have to mail that I could go drop it off. Which was already aware of. On a personal level it doesn't really bother me to buy my own stamp and I like the flexibility of doing my research and being an informed voter and then mailing it in as opposed to going to the HQ and voting in the booth. I mainly was just wanting to see what people thought.
My friend and regular commentator on this blog, Joel, had this to say:
"if they wish to use the VBM process, make the ballot postage paid. It in essence a poll tax. I do understand that if we had to go to a polling place we would have to expend resources to do so as well."
I felt like that was a valid point. By buying a stamp I am in effect paying for the privilege of voting.
Another friend and regular commentator Macy had this to say:
"for me, I just am not seeing how a stamp is more expensive/intrusive than the old system of having to show up at the ballot box at a specific day, taking time out of your schedule (and maybe hours off work) in order to stand in line. It seems I never turn my ballot in early, so I always drop it by a drop-site, which isn't inconvenient as they have them all over the place and I can just combine it with another errand."
I thought she made a good point that is does come down a little bit to what it feels like for each person. Some people really felt like going to the HQ was a hassle and too to much time out of the day. I have heard stories about people voting in other states, never Oregon, and having to wait 4 and 5 or more hours to vote. Now for me that is unacceptable. I like to vote I enjoy it. But I can't imagine that I would wait that long to cast my ballot no matter how important it was. I mean lets just be honest. How many of us would wait that long?
My friend and fellow blogger Christopher closed with this thought:
"If I were king for a day I'd burn the vote by mail law and go back to the old system. I really liked going to vote at the local voting booth, it made me feel like a citizen."
I can understand where he is coming from. I do not agree. I like to vote by mail. But, I also like feeling like a citizen and right now with politics the way they are it is very easy to feel unconnected to government and to feel like your vote really counts for nothing. Which is really to bad. In Australia and Venezuela voting is mandatory and I do not think that is a good thing. As much as I think everyone should vote I also like that in America I am able to not vote if I feel so inclined. Though I also think you void your right to complain if you do not vote. I know it is easy to be cynical and say that special interests control government and I do feel that the Supreme Courts ruling about the person hood of corporations does not help things. But voting is the only way I have, you have, to be heard. I am not going to use violence to get my message across. So for me being involved by voting is how I say part of the solution. So get out and vote people!! Do it for me.
Earlier this month after I had filled out my ballot and mailed it off I raised a question on my Facebook page about purchasing a stamp to mail in my ballot. This made for an interesting discussion and one that I want to bring over to the blog. So first I will put in some of what people said on my post and then hopefully we can get some comments to address the different points people made.
So what I said was this
"Lance Cummins has voted and now would like to begin the conversation about the vote by mail process in Oregon and why he has to use his own stamps to mail it back in."
I received several different comments some from people letting me know that I didn't have to mail that I could go drop it off. Which was already aware of. On a personal level it doesn't really bother me to buy my own stamp and I like the flexibility of doing my research and being an informed voter and then mailing it in as opposed to going to the HQ and voting in the booth. I mainly was just wanting to see what people thought.
My friend and regular commentator on this blog, Joel, had this to say:
"if they wish to use the VBM process, make the ballot postage paid. It in essence a poll tax. I do understand that if we had to go to a polling place we would have to expend resources to do so as well."
I felt like that was a valid point. By buying a stamp I am in effect paying for the privilege of voting.
Another friend and regular commentator Macy had this to say:
"for me, I just am not seeing how a stamp is more expensive/intrusive than the old system of having to show up at the ballot box at a specific day, taking time out of your schedule (and maybe hours off work) in order to stand in line. It seems I never turn my ballot in early, so I always drop it by a drop-site, which isn't inconvenient as they have them all over the place and I can just combine it with another errand."
I thought she made a good point that is does come down a little bit to what it feels like for each person. Some people really felt like going to the HQ was a hassle and too to much time out of the day. I have heard stories about people voting in other states, never Oregon, and having to wait 4 and 5 or more hours to vote. Now for me that is unacceptable. I like to vote I enjoy it. But I can't imagine that I would wait that long to cast my ballot no matter how important it was. I mean lets just be honest. How many of us would wait that long?
My friend and fellow blogger Christopher closed with this thought:
"If I were king for a day I'd burn the vote by mail law and go back to the old system. I really liked going to vote at the local voting booth, it made me feel like a citizen."
I can understand where he is coming from. I do not agree. I like to vote by mail. But, I also like feeling like a citizen and right now with politics the way they are it is very easy to feel unconnected to government and to feel like your vote really counts for nothing. Which is really to bad. In Australia and Venezuela voting is mandatory and I do not think that is a good thing. As much as I think everyone should vote I also like that in America I am able to not vote if I feel so inclined. Though I also think you void your right to complain if you do not vote. I know it is easy to be cynical and say that special interests control government and I do feel that the Supreme Courts ruling about the person hood of corporations does not help things. But voting is the only way I have, you have, to be heard. I am not going to use violence to get my message across. So for me being involved by voting is how I say part of the solution. So get out and vote people!! Do it for me.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Direct Democracy
There was an article in yesterdays paper. The Oregonian to be exact that I linked to above. It is written about Direct Democracy in Oregon and asks if it is a good thing for the state. I think the author asks some good questions but his overall position is one that after 1912 all the good that the initiative system brought to Oregon politics was done and now the system has just brought us a bloated constitution and a budget that is out of control because state legislature is handcuffed by the whims of the public at large. In the interest of full disclosure I must add that I have been employed in the past by a signature gathering firm and will do so again if the opportunity presents itself.
I have to disagree. I realize there are problems with the system in Oregon. But, there are problems with every states system and nothing is going to make every voter happy. But DIRECT DEMOCRACY is what makes Oregon special. It is what allows the average voter to have a voice. I may disagree and often I do with where the money is coming from or what the particular issue is that we are going to be voting on. But, I get to vote. In other states I am not afforded even that. There are laws passed without any discussion or input from the voters who put the politicians in office in the first place.
To get rid of this would take the state backwards to a time when the elite where the ones voting and they liked it that way. Yes, Democracy is messy and ugly and that is how it should be. In truth if you want things to be run smoothly then we should install a benevolent dictator. Because, believe me, then things would run smoothly. The budget would be balanced, trains would run on time, and most likely Oregon would be a much quieter place to live. But, this idea goes completely against the so called origins of the United States. I believe that Direct Democracy serves the people best as messy as it is. It allows the people a voice and that voice is loud and sometimes unorganized and ugly but it is a voice.
As far as I am concerned, I would not have it any other way.
I have to disagree. I realize there are problems with the system in Oregon. But, there are problems with every states system and nothing is going to make every voter happy. But DIRECT DEMOCRACY is what makes Oregon special. It is what allows the average voter to have a voice. I may disagree and often I do with where the money is coming from or what the particular issue is that we are going to be voting on. But, I get to vote. In other states I am not afforded even that. There are laws passed without any discussion or input from the voters who put the politicians in office in the first place.
To get rid of this would take the state backwards to a time when the elite where the ones voting and they liked it that way. Yes, Democracy is messy and ugly and that is how it should be. In truth if you want things to be run smoothly then we should install a benevolent dictator. Because, believe me, then things would run smoothly. The budget would be balanced, trains would run on time, and most likely Oregon would be a much quieter place to live. But, this idea goes completely against the so called origins of the United States. I believe that Direct Democracy serves the people best as messy as it is. It allows the people a voice and that voice is loud and sometimes unorganized and ugly but it is a voice.
As far as I am concerned, I would not have it any other way.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Back in the Coffee Shop
Well it is Monday morning and I am drinking my cup of coffee and reading the news and trying to figure out what jobs I want to apply for today. Overall it feels like a pretty good morning. One thing that I do miss though is the drive to Wilsonville and then the train to Beaverton. I always enjoyed the fall and winter mornings and watching the leaves change color and looking at the fog as the train moved along.
I got nothing else you folks have a nice day.
I got nothing else you folks have a nice day.
Monday, October 11, 2010
What to write.
Well it is Monday the 11th of October. I am sitting in my coffee shop and trying to decide what I should write about this morning. It seems like there is always some political issue I could get fired up about or perhaps a new movie or television show that I want people to know about. But, I sometimes do not feel led to go in that direction. The problem is that while I may not be led to go in that direction I am not led to go in another so I just sit and my mind spins its wheels.
My last post that I did about the argument I had on the Facebook really got me thinking about why I post and why I find political things interesting. It isn't that I like to upset people or to make myself upset. Sure there is some energy that goes along with being fired up about something and making myself righteously indignant about an issue. I will freely admit that it can be kind of fun to put myself in that position. But, really, I do not like being upset. I do not enjoy hurting someones feelings or having mine hurt which I think is often why I try to be dispassionate in my discussions about politics and social issues and why I think the talking heads on television (I. E. Beck, Olberman, Riley, Maddow) tend to make me so crazy.
I realize that they are entitled to their opinion along with everyone else but it feels like there opinion is given so loudly that no one else can get a word in edgewise. I do love a good discussion and listening and being able to join into a good intelligent conversation about politics or religion or entertainment is really one of life's great joys for me. I think that is one of the really great things about the Internet because it allows for people from all over the world to meet in a sense and just talk. Take my tiny little blog for instance. I do not have a lot of readers I get a few a week but according to my tracker thing I have had readers from Europe and South America as well as all over the United States. I mean that just blows my mind. I would like it even more if everyone would comment so conversations would develop but I also understand that often a person needs to be really upset to reply to a post.
That is where a problem can start for me because in my desire to get a response so I know people are reading I sometimes feel like I need to post things to get people angry. It isn't that I want to be a "muckraker" but it feels like that in my attempt to generate conversation.
Well that feels like it is about for today. I need to do some job searching so off I go.
My last post that I did about the argument I had on the Facebook really got me thinking about why I post and why I find political things interesting. It isn't that I like to upset people or to make myself upset. Sure there is some energy that goes along with being fired up about something and making myself righteously indignant about an issue. I will freely admit that it can be kind of fun to put myself in that position. But, really, I do not like being upset. I do not enjoy hurting someones feelings or having mine hurt which I think is often why I try to be dispassionate in my discussions about politics and social issues and why I think the talking heads on television (I. E. Beck, Olberman, Riley, Maddow) tend to make me so crazy.
I realize that they are entitled to their opinion along with everyone else but it feels like there opinion is given so loudly that no one else can get a word in edgewise. I do love a good discussion and listening and being able to join into a good intelligent conversation about politics or religion or entertainment is really one of life's great joys for me. I think that is one of the really great things about the Internet because it allows for people from all over the world to meet in a sense and just talk. Take my tiny little blog for instance. I do not have a lot of readers I get a few a week but according to my tracker thing I have had readers from Europe and South America as well as all over the United States. I mean that just blows my mind. I would like it even more if everyone would comment so conversations would develop but I also understand that often a person needs to be really upset to reply to a post.
That is where a problem can start for me because in my desire to get a response so I know people are reading I sometimes feel like I need to post things to get people angry. It isn't that I want to be a "muckraker" but it feels like that in my attempt to generate conversation.
Well that feels like it is about for today. I need to do some job searching so off I go.
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