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evansz
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| so the doldrums of being unemployed have been replaced with a flurry of work at two different locations. sandia prep has been working me a lot as a sub and i think that's awesome. its a great school and i'm hoping their interest now means there will be interest when it comes to getting a full time position. just have to wait and see on that front.
the other place has been REI. i applied on a whim when i was buying a new pair of shoes one day and sure enough, i got hired to come in as a cashier for the holiday season. i'd like to be able to move up into something else as time goes on but i need to get basic experience there first. i've only been through training so far and have yet to get behind the counter (thursday is my first shift) but it feels like a good environment to work in and i'm looking forward to it.
the dating front is always filled with intrigue and excitement (not really) and i have nothing to comment on at this moment. some dates here and there, some interesting prospects, but nothing definite yet.
my vb team is in the championship game tomorrow night and while i don't want to sound cocky or think that we can't lose, after only losing a set the entire season (out of 24 sets total), i think we stand a pretty good chance of winning it all. let ya know how we do after it is done.
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| when i first decided to leave lima and make my way back to the states, i knew there was going to be a period of time where i was going to be unemployed. it didn't bother me much as i've never had an issue getting a job. over the years i've been spoiled to have gone to job fairs and had multiple job offers on the table w/in 48 hours. this has not been one of those experiences.
with money starting to get a little thin, i went back to the classroom last week as a sub at a local prep school. a great place with good kids and probably someplace that i'd really like to work in, only problem is my timing. i managed to get here after the hiring was all said and done (although i don't know if they had a position for me anyways) and no job was to be had. but that was my plan, to be out of the classroom for a little bit, like a couple of years, and then return gloriously and with renewed vigor.
i underestimated what it would take for me to retool myself and make my skills more presentable to the market today. i also happened to move back in the middle of the greatest economic disaster in the last 70+ years in the united states. if the federal gov't doesn't bail out the banks by monday, life could get a whole lot worse here - i won't be the only sod who is looking for a job...
but being unemployed has a funny way of affecting you. i find myself losing confidence in my abilities at times and self-conscious about being unemployed. the dating scene does feel a little different; i feel like my potential dates look at me differently, like i'm a loser for not having a job. whether they do or not, i don't know (nor do i really want to ask) but it does feel different. my intention was to work at a book store, earning minimum wage, and chill out until i returned to the classroom. let's just say that i'm still living with my parents and still looking for a job that will allow me to live out on my own. i also had some insight about dating due to a relationship that i was recently trying to work out, feel free to read about that exploit over on my other blog.
i know its not an exciting update but what can i say, its life when you're unemployed...
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| this morning started with a rather unhappy beginning, the realization that i critter had made its way into the engine compartment of my van again, wrecking havoc with its teeth. its seems as though there is a packrat who likes the wires that make up my engine, most notably those of the spark plugs. the first time he (i'm assuming its a he) ate through the lead wire, the one coming from the distributor cap, making the car unable to start. this time the bugger chewed through twice wires, both to spark plugs which means i'm gonna have to go out and buy a new set of wires to hook up.
i so wanna kill this varmit as he has cost me over $50 in parts not to mention that i'm gonna spend the afternoon moving shit around in the yard so he doesn't have a place to hide. on top of that, i'm going to go buy a trap so that we can keep him from doing it again or to other vehicles around. death to varmits!
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| for those of you who saw the comment i put up on facebook on tuesday will know that i was very excited to have health care insurance. after dealing w/ blue cross & blue shield of new mexico, i was beginning to think that no one wants to cover the individual person who needs insurance - the money is to be made w/ insurance being sold to companies. so when united heath care said that they would be able to underwrite a policy for me for about the same price as what bcbsnm had offered me, i was stoked.
my paperwork w/ my policy came in the mail on tuesday (since monday was a holiday, labor day) and i was excited to have insurance. i promptly got on my motorcycle and went for a ride. i had been waiting for months to ride, since my last policy from my last employer expired back on the 15th of july. it felt so good to tool around and do errands on the bike; heck - just being out on the bike was nice. and then came this morning.
i took the time to read through the policy bit by bit and found that the policy doesn't cover me when i am operating or riding on a motorcycle. one of the questions that i was asked when i was applying for the policy is, "do you have a motorcycle?" and "do you have a motorcycle license?". of course i do. and i'm a good rider too, you stupid motherfuckers. i wear a bright yellow jacket and helmet, put big fucking headlights on my bike to be noticed, and an air horn that is usually used on big-ass motherfuckin' trucks. i'm about as paranoid and safe as anyone can be when riding a motorcycle. but yet, united health care put a rider on my policy stating that i wasn't covered for any health related expenses incurred on my motorcycle. why do you think i wanted a policy so badly you dumb asses? so that i could use the $1900 deductable to go see a doctor for a frackin' hangnail????
so now i'm back to where i was 2 months ago, although out a couple of hundred dollars (what it took to start the policy). back to not being able to ride a cheap mode of transportation b/c of the narrow minded folks in the insurance industry. what they should be doing is charging more for motorists who drive bigger cars since they cause the most damage to riders when we get hit. or dumb ass cagers (what we call people who drive cars) who get into accident w/ motorcyclists - charge 'em an arm and a leg when they swipe one of us cuz they sure aren't paying attention to other people on the road. i know - i see you fucking clueless assholes driving down the road on your cell phones while turning left across traffic. most motorcyclists are hit by drivers turning left, ya know that?
ahhh, can you tell that i'm in the midst of culture shock about how the US operates? the joys of repatriation and adjusting back to a place that i lovingly call "home".
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| today is yet another celebration of my 29th birthday - my 9th anniversary of the date to be precise. the day should prove to be unusually uneventful b/c for the first time since i was in the navy, i'm not in a classroom or out on a band camp field w/ students. instead i'm sitting here at my computer getting a huge influx of birthday wishes from friends on myspace and facebook, ya just gotta love social networking tools. i must admit that a few years ago i never would have appreciated what sites like myspace and facebook could do but now i see how good they can be (and also what a great drain on time they can be). it is nice to hear from old friends and students, especially when they are saying 'congrats on not dying yet'. lol
i feel like things are starting to improve around here. while there are still big question marks in my life (health care, employment, dating situation), i feel like i'm starting to get a hand other parts of my life and more secure w/ living here in ABQ. a website was recommended to me, meetup.com, as a place to meet people and groups in the area. i've signed up to play in a volleyball league, have found a group of spanish speakers willing to help out us gringos, and a motorcycle group to ride with (once i get health care). i hope it all pans out and look forward to becoming better adjusted to my new city.
last night was another trip back out on the ice - this time i moved up a division (to the "c" div) and played w/ another new team - sibir (don't ask me, i have no idea what it means). as readers will note, its been a month since i played and i was a bit worried about going out and playing w/ a new team at a new level after not having skated in a month. so i strapped on the pads and hit the ice w/ not-so-great results to start off. first shot in the first minute went under the right pad and in - not the way i wanted to start the game. it quickly became 2-0 after i gave up a big rebound and the D failed to clear it, resulting in a rather open net goal. i'm sure my team was beginning to wonder about my skills but i got into the game and started picking up the puck better. we scored late in the first and ended the period down only 2-1. a powerplay in the 2nd saw us draw even and w/in a minute of tying the game, a high shot went b/w my arm and chest (i was standing and don't know how it went in). at the end of 2, we were still down by 1, 3-2. 3rd period we are cranked it up and scored 2 goals while i managed to hold on to the lead. i had some great help from my defense and we all were in a great mood after the 4-3 victory. the team capatin was expecting to lose by a couple and was very pleased to come out with a W. and i am happy too!  two subbing ops and two victories for teams that didn't expect them. hopefully this means that i'll be asked back to play w/ more teams in the future.
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