Hopefully no one reading this post will be unprepared for a sudden loss of a job. I wasn't, thankfully.
It had been a dozen years since I've actually been looking for work and even longer since I've changed careers. I knew that my tenure in the home improvement center where I had been working was coming to an end - there was a big, red target painted on my back. That there was a target was hard to miss. I actually started my quest for a new career nearly six months before the quest was forced upon me. That's when I started to do some serious self-examination.
You've heard me say it more than a time or two - "I want to find out what I want to be when I grow up."
Well, I've found out what I want to be: I want to be a best-selling author.
But best-selling author requires time and patience; in the meanwhilst, I needed to find some way to generate income. Fairy dust and my savings account only go so far. I came to the conclusion that what I needed was a cash income of some sort with hours which would allow me the opportunity to write for several hours each day. I'm pretty sure I've found that source, but before I make the reveal, let me tell you of a few of my adventures.
I used the Web to distribute my resume practically from the get-go and was "hired" almost immediately by a telemarketing firm. I "interviewed" after I was "hired" by way of instant messaging. Two and a half freakin' hours! After losing a sum of money put down as a deposit for the machine and the hardware I was required to have to do the job, I was back on the net again the next day with the same person who was insisting that I pay another fee for another required program. Sorry, lady, I will only be suckered once... and until I am refunded what I paid into your greedy little con-game, I will say nothing good about Sykes Enterprises. It's a con. After being fleeced, I went on-line and found out that Sykes has built a poor reputation with a bunch of other people as well. I have filed a complaint with the FTC as well as with the supposed CEO/Owner of the company. Apparently, Mr. Sykes doesn't give a damn about his reputation.
I laid low until the ax fell. When I started to renew my search in earnest, I found that there are plenty of opportunities out there to sell insurance, or to sell insurance, or even to sell insurance.
My first exposure to the insurance sales opportunity was with a true gentleman, Steve Kempton, who took the time to recruit me to sell insurance for AFLAC. We had a nice little chat in person and had been in communication on-line regarding his product. He was up front about the costs involved as well as what I should expect in the way of hours and income. I was impressed. I told him so. If my first choice doesn't pan out the way I want it to, I would have a chat with him again.
I took the time to talk with a couple of other insurance sales organizations; one of them, based thirty five miles from here, was run by a charming couple with similar roots to mine selling for an umbrella company based less than ten miles from me. I politely bowed out, not wanting to be that annoying SOB everyone avoids - I want to keep my friends, thank you. The umbrella company, an outfit called Torchmark, sells insurance through other companies as well, and I'll be darned if some of those other companies didn't try to call me, too!
One other insurance deal of note came up - actually the company was selling other services - mostly investments. The interesting thing about that interview was that there was an office for the Slovak Republic in the building. I almost decided to investigate but chickened out so that I wouldn't have to deal with Dallas rush hour traffic.
I had a couple of interviews with a company which sells lease-return automobiles on the internet. My most recent interview was with an Englishman using a phone based in northern Virginia. I don't expect a call back from the company and if I did get one, I'd be really tempted to consider an offer. My sister said that my brother in law would see it as being his ideal job.
After doing a lot of sifting and a lot of soul searching, I have decided to go to the effort of earning a license to sell Real-Estate and then hooking up with a company where I can be that annoying fellow who is always wanting to sell a house. There are some start-up costs involved, including having to take a series of classes and pass an examination, but I believe that I have found something which I would enjoy doing for the next 10-15 years.
With most of the insurance "opportunities", I'd be lucky to make it 10-15 months (or even weeks). My friend Steve Powell said it best: "I sold insurance for six weeks without making a dime before I decided that I didn't want to sell insurance." A word from the wise.
I briefly considered studying to be a "Paralegal", but got really annoyed when I got a phone call within seconds of making an inquiry of a paralegal school wanting me to sign up for a course then and there. I had a similar call from a telemarketer today while I was in the process of finding information about obtaining affordable health insurance.
My choice is a leap of faith, to be sure. There are some people who would find what I am determined to do as something out of their comfort zone - but unless I venture out of that comfort zone, I would probably end up working somewhere I didn't like - again - and I wouldn't be pursuing my dream of becoming a best-selling author at the same time.
Stay tuned. I'll keep you updated.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Friday, April 26, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Selling Kirby Vacuum Cleaners
While cruising Facebook this morning, I ran across this little exchange:
Sunday, April 21, 2013
All the news that's fit to criticize
Between running as hard as I can to get my ideas on paper, arranging a "Closing" for DFW Cursillo, figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, mourning the loss of my friend Norman (see previous Blog) and trying to make sense out of the Boston Marathon bombings, I had a rather productive week last week.
Most of my brain farts regarding The Magnolia Chronicles have cleared and I have slightly less than half of the story assembled with roughly 75% of all of the elements written. Most of my efforts this past week have centered on Emily Stevens and Kevin Peel with character readings by Frank-Frank the Dog. I have distributed parts of my efforts to various acquaintances and have been encouraged by the feedback on this work in progress.
I was encouraged, too, by the feedback I received from my previous blog entry - "Who's Norm Shor?" For those of you who have read my book The Legacy of Miss Annie Darden Coggins, you may recall that I incorporated Norm Shor as a passing character. His widow appreciated my inclusion of him in my first book. I hope that she appreciates her name appearing in The Magnolia Chronicles.
While I was writing on Saturday afternoon, I noted something I saw on the internet into one of my margins. Please note that quite a bit of what I write is done in long hand on a legal pad before I toss it into a word processor. The habit is one of my 'quirks'. What I noted was concerning a political cartoon which suggested that the "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" in this country was probably upset that the Boston bombers were not white tea party types.
The term "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" is one of those which is extremely "loaded", and I'm quite frankly tired of hearing the term every time some conservative feels like slamming the press for being too "Liberal". Mind you, I am also sick and tired of hearing liberal comments about conservative mouthpieces like Fox or Newsmax. In my humble opinion, damning press reports as being either too liberal or too conservative sounds like someone wanting censorship imposed on those with viewpoints other than their own. This "My viewpoint is correct, yours is trash..." runs contrary to the First Amendment of this "Constitution" every third person seems to have handy in his/her pocket.
The media ain't perfect - sometimes even jumping to wrong conclusions.
Earlier this month, the District Attorney of Kaufman County and his wife were slain in their home - brutally murdered by unknown assailants. "IT HAS TO BE THE NAZIS", the local newspaper quite literally screamed, placing the blame on a group called "The Aryan Brotherhood", a prison gang which may have held a grudge against Kaufman County. We learned this week, though, that the real assailants (alleged) were a disaffected former Kaufman County Constable and his wife.
And this was concluded after all of the newsprint wasted on the nazis. (Note to my spell-checker: the word nazi does not merit a capital letter.)
The point here is that yes, the media isn't perfect and yes, the media has bias - but don't we all to some degree or another? Before knocking someone else's choice of media and telling them in so many words that they are wrong, know that there are others who would think the same thing about your choice.
People will believe who they want to believe. It's a Constitutional right.
And that's the truth!
Be Seeing You.
bdharrell
Most of my brain farts regarding The Magnolia Chronicles have cleared and I have slightly less than half of the story assembled with roughly 75% of all of the elements written. Most of my efforts this past week have centered on Emily Stevens and Kevin Peel with character readings by Frank-Frank the Dog. I have distributed parts of my efforts to various acquaintances and have been encouraged by the feedback on this work in progress.
I was encouraged, too, by the feedback I received from my previous blog entry - "Who's Norm Shor?" For those of you who have read my book The Legacy of Miss Annie Darden Coggins, you may recall that I incorporated Norm Shor as a passing character. His widow appreciated my inclusion of him in my first book. I hope that she appreciates her name appearing in The Magnolia Chronicles.
While I was writing on Saturday afternoon, I noted something I saw on the internet into one of my margins. Please note that quite a bit of what I write is done in long hand on a legal pad before I toss it into a word processor. The habit is one of my 'quirks'. What I noted was concerning a political cartoon which suggested that the "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" in this country was probably upset that the Boston bombers were not white tea party types.
The term "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" is one of those which is extremely "loaded", and I'm quite frankly tired of hearing the term every time some conservative feels like slamming the press for being too "Liberal". Mind you, I am also sick and tired of hearing liberal comments about conservative mouthpieces like Fox or Newsmax. In my humble opinion, damning press reports as being either too liberal or too conservative sounds like someone wanting censorship imposed on those with viewpoints other than their own. This "My viewpoint is correct, yours is trash..." runs contrary to the First Amendment of this "Constitution" every third person seems to have handy in his/her pocket.
The media ain't perfect - sometimes even jumping to wrong conclusions.
Earlier this month, the District Attorney of Kaufman County and his wife were slain in their home - brutally murdered by unknown assailants. "IT HAS TO BE THE NAZIS", the local newspaper quite literally screamed, placing the blame on a group called "The Aryan Brotherhood", a prison gang which may have held a grudge against Kaufman County. We learned this week, though, that the real assailants (alleged) were a disaffected former Kaufman County Constable and his wife.
And this was concluded after all of the newsprint wasted on the nazis. (Note to my spell-checker: the word nazi does not merit a capital letter.)
The point here is that yes, the media isn't perfect and yes, the media has bias - but don't we all to some degree or another? Before knocking someone else's choice of media and telling them in so many words that they are wrong, know that there are others who would think the same thing about your choice.
People will believe who they want to believe. It's a Constitutional right.
And that's the truth!
Be Seeing You.
bdharrell
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Who's Norm Shor?
Back in the day when I was young and making minimum wage and all the records I could eat, I was introduced to an odd sort of fellow named Norm Shor. Norm was an enigma. He was introduced to me by another radio person, Steve Streitenberger. Norm was rooming with and working with Steve at WBEX in Chillicothe, Ohio. Apparently he had come to town on the bus after having worked in either Pomeroy or Gallipolis - leaving there for some unnamed reason. More than likely he had become part of the 'churn' which radio stations were infamous for back in those days. There was a reason that we were paid minimum wage and all the records we could eat... everyone wanted to be on the radio because anyone could be a star. With so many people bunching up and wanting a shot, station owners and managers could fire people at will and not have to worry who would be available to fill the just-vacated time slot.
Norm and I grew a friendship. Part of it had to do with our grasp of current music. Part of it had to do with our enthusiasm for radio. Part of it had to do with the fact that I understood Norm better than most of the people he worked with. Norm is Jewish. Having grown up with Jews in close proximity, I understood the mind set a little better than most.
For several years, I kept up with Norm as he moved through various jobs in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. On occasion I would go and visit him. He would take me on a tour of whatever station he was working at at the time and introduce me to some of his colleagues. It seemed like every six months or so, he would be somewhere new and would be asking me to come to see him or would be down to wherever I was working so that we could spend long hours talking about the radio business and what we would do if ever we were left in charge.
It was on a trip to Uniontown, Pennsylvania that I discovered another of Norm's passions: Pittsburgh. I went up to visit him after stopping to see my grandparents in West Virginia. After spending a night in his tiny apartment, we drove up to Pittsburgh to meet his father and his step-mother. The elder Mr. Shor was in the furniture business and was attempting to get Norm involved in something other than radio. Norm would not hear of it. He was too much in love with being Pat O'Day (his stage name) and spinning records.
Norm showed me around Pittsburgh and shared his love for the city and its peculiarities on that and on several other occasions. I recall going to a place called "Rhoda's" over in Squirrel Hill and eating the best corned beef sandwich I have ever had in my life.
In the summer of 1980, radio came to a temporary end for me. I was let go of a radio station in Parkersburg, West Virginia for having the gall to insist that they allow me to take the time off I had earned. I got a line on a job in Steubenville, Ohio and decided to follow up the interview with a trip to Erie, Pennsylvania where Norm had a job... and a girlfriend. He told me that he was living with this woman (oh, the horror) and that his parents didn't mind - in fact, told me, "... they are relieved to know that I'm not gay!"
The girlfriend, Karen, became his wife. They were inseparable. She filled in where he left off and vice-versa. She went where Norm went, following him to Iowa at one point, then back to Pennsylvania. I was in Texas during the Iowa years. When I came back and got married for the first time, Norm and Karen were there - still sharing radio stories and by that time, life in general. When my kids came along, Norm and Karen were named their Jewish Godparents. We'd visit them on vacation in Erie, in Pittsburgh and for a short time in York, Pennsylvania. They'd come down on occasion, at least twice with "The Dog, Aderic" as my daughter called him.
We moved to Texas and kept up with the Shors by telephone, usually once every two to three months or so. Karen had continued her education while Norm never really found an occupation which he felt he could relate to like radio. Our calls became for both of us, highlights of our existence.
The call I didn't want to get came a few years back. Norm had been having problems and had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Karen managed to get him to Dallas before he got too bad - we spent one final afternoon in the shadow of downtown Dallas recalling old times and trying to pretend that everything was going to be just as it was.
My marriage dissolved. I kept in contact with Karen, partly because of my friendship with Norman and partly because I had grown an affection for her as well. We kept in touch through the internet; Karen would keep me up to date on Norm's condition as it deteriorated - I kept voicing my support while sharing parts of my life and my re-marriage.
Last summer, Carol and I met with Karen Shor at Geneva on the Lake. I had expressed a desire to go and visit with my old friend one more time. Karen (wisely) told me that it would be better if I didn't; that I should remember Norm as he was.
Norman Shor's body gave up the ghost this morning (April 17, 2013) shortly after 9 in the morning eastern time. Because of the Alzheimer's, the Norm Shor I remember passed on several years ago. "His body finally figured it out" Karen said in her e-mail earlier today.
So, who's Norm Shor? I recall having that question posed by the manager of a radio station on the outskirts of Wheeling at some point back in the mid '70s. I learned of a job opening at that station and had gone to apply for it. That manager asked who referred me and I told him that I was sent there by Norm Shor. "Who's Norm Shor?" he asked. I told him then as I would tell him today. "He's one of my best friends. That's who's Norm Shor."
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Norm and I grew a friendship. Part of it had to do with our grasp of current music. Part of it had to do with our enthusiasm for radio. Part of it had to do with the fact that I understood Norm better than most of the people he worked with. Norm is Jewish. Having grown up with Jews in close proximity, I understood the mind set a little better than most.
For several years, I kept up with Norm as he moved through various jobs in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. On occasion I would go and visit him. He would take me on a tour of whatever station he was working at at the time and introduce me to some of his colleagues. It seemed like every six months or so, he would be somewhere new and would be asking me to come to see him or would be down to wherever I was working so that we could spend long hours talking about the radio business and what we would do if ever we were left in charge.
It was on a trip to Uniontown, Pennsylvania that I discovered another of Norm's passions: Pittsburgh. I went up to visit him after stopping to see my grandparents in West Virginia. After spending a night in his tiny apartment, we drove up to Pittsburgh to meet his father and his step-mother. The elder Mr. Shor was in the furniture business and was attempting to get Norm involved in something other than radio. Norm would not hear of it. He was too much in love with being Pat O'Day (his stage name) and spinning records.
Norm showed me around Pittsburgh and shared his love for the city and its peculiarities on that and on several other occasions. I recall going to a place called "Rhoda's" over in Squirrel Hill and eating the best corned beef sandwich I have ever had in my life.
In the summer of 1980, radio came to a temporary end for me. I was let go of a radio station in Parkersburg, West Virginia for having the gall to insist that they allow me to take the time off I had earned. I got a line on a job in Steubenville, Ohio and decided to follow up the interview with a trip to Erie, Pennsylvania where Norm had a job... and a girlfriend. He told me that he was living with this woman (oh, the horror) and that his parents didn't mind - in fact, told me, "... they are relieved to know that I'm not gay!"
The girlfriend, Karen, became his wife. They were inseparable. She filled in where he left off and vice-versa. She went where Norm went, following him to Iowa at one point, then back to Pennsylvania. I was in Texas during the Iowa years. When I came back and got married for the first time, Norm and Karen were there - still sharing radio stories and by that time, life in general. When my kids came along, Norm and Karen were named their Jewish Godparents. We'd visit them on vacation in Erie, in Pittsburgh and for a short time in York, Pennsylvania. They'd come down on occasion, at least twice with "The Dog, Aderic" as my daughter called him.
We moved to Texas and kept up with the Shors by telephone, usually once every two to three months or so. Karen had continued her education while Norm never really found an occupation which he felt he could relate to like radio. Our calls became for both of us, highlights of our existence.
The call I didn't want to get came a few years back. Norm had been having problems and had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Karen managed to get him to Dallas before he got too bad - we spent one final afternoon in the shadow of downtown Dallas recalling old times and trying to pretend that everything was going to be just as it was.
My marriage dissolved. I kept in contact with Karen, partly because of my friendship with Norman and partly because I had grown an affection for her as well. We kept in touch through the internet; Karen would keep me up to date on Norm's condition as it deteriorated - I kept voicing my support while sharing parts of my life and my re-marriage.
Last summer, Carol and I met with Karen Shor at Geneva on the Lake. I had expressed a desire to go and visit with my old friend one more time. Karen (wisely) told me that it would be better if I didn't; that I should remember Norm as he was.
Norman Shor's body gave up the ghost this morning (April 17, 2013) shortly after 9 in the morning eastern time. Because of the Alzheimer's, the Norm Shor I remember passed on several years ago. "His body finally figured it out" Karen said in her e-mail earlier today.
So, who's Norm Shor? I recall having that question posed by the manager of a radio station on the outskirts of Wheeling at some point back in the mid '70s. I learned of a job opening at that station and had gone to apply for it. That manager asked who referred me and I told him that I was sent there by Norm Shor. "Who's Norm Shor?" he asked. I told him then as I would tell him today. "He's one of my best friends. That's who's Norm Shor."
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Hearing What You Want to Hear
On Tuesday morning I posted a quick blurb on Facebook extolling the virtues of the page as a rapid means to spread misinformation at the speed of light.
Perhaps I should clarify that post just a little. Facebook has been on the leading edge of telling people what they want to hear.
The Hell with facts.
Take the Boston Marathon explosions. Within hours, I was informed through various sources that there were at least a dozen people killed and hundreds injured. One of those killed was an eight year old girl who was running to honor the 26 kids killed in Newtown last month. It was an "inside job" - a "false flag" operation. There were groups accusing "the evil left-wing media" of accusing "the evil right-wing militias" without cause and justification.
Need I go on?
The sane among us know that there were only 3 deaths and scores of injuries, including a young boy who was there to be with his father after his father finished the Marathon. The Marathon runs 26.2 miles every year. No, it wasn't adjusted to commemorate Newtown. And quite honestly, no one knows who is responsible and we may not know for a while. It took police a couple of years to find out who the bomber was at the Atlanta Olympics.
So there.
In as far as the groups whining (again) about the evils of the "left wing media elite" manipulating the media stream, well, with the internet, we have reached an age where we can reach people with messages that people want to hear.
For instance, I received a photo the other day which "proves" that President Obama is a Muslim because of a book he was shown carrying had a title written by a Muslim about a "Post American" world. The photo was presented in the same format seen in grocery store "Tattle Sheets"; newspapers which have told us about such things as "President (insert name of sitting President here)'s Steamy Affair which will Destroy his marriage" or "(Insert name of lovable TV/Movie personality)'s Sad Last Days" or "Elvis Seen Greeting Space Alien". The technique is called "Photoshop". It's universally used (well, almost universally used) with results which can range anywhere from funny to damning. In this case, the person sending the photo wanted to hear that the President is a no-good, stinkin' Muslim out to destroy our country and send decent folks into slavery, so, the person decided that the photo was genuine and without a further thought, passed it along.
I wonder if that person ever gave a thought to the possibility that the book being carried by the President was photoshopped in by someone wanting to manipulate that person's opinion.
The hits just kept on coming quickly and furiously to the point where folks who have been known to blatantly manipulate public opinion were pointing fingers to other groups, accusing them of blatantly attempting to manipulate public opinion.
It's getting to the point where it's difficult to find some good, honest journalism these days.
I really don't want slanted news. If a newsman or woman has an ax to grind involving a news story, then they need to get the hell out of the business. It's like having a Judge who does not excuse himself from hearing a case in which he has a vested interest. It's not ethical, if not downright dishonest.
-----
Enough of the soapbox.
Despite the goings on in Boston yesterday, I managed to bang out over 2k words toward The Magnolia Chronicles and discovered a couple of aspects about one of the characters. Those aspects and a couple of other events are shaping the story in what I will term an evolutionary fashion. I hope to have the story completed and edited by this time next month, the good Lord willing the creek don't rise.
Actually, I am hoping for an interruption in the form of a job. I'm headed out in a short while to a job fair. So far all I've received are invitations from people wanting me to sell life insurance and a job offer from a company claiming to be located in Nevada, but, possessing an internet address attributed to a person in Poland. Perhaps it's a defensive move as my blog is getting hits from people in Germany and Russia!
Anyhoo, nothing more to report at the moment. Thanks for putting up with me.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Perhaps I should clarify that post just a little. Facebook has been on the leading edge of telling people what they want to hear.
The Hell with facts.
Take the Boston Marathon explosions. Within hours, I was informed through various sources that there were at least a dozen people killed and hundreds injured. One of those killed was an eight year old girl who was running to honor the 26 kids killed in Newtown last month. It was an "inside job" - a "false flag" operation. There were groups accusing "the evil left-wing media" of accusing "the evil right-wing militias" without cause and justification.
Need I go on?
The sane among us know that there were only 3 deaths and scores of injuries, including a young boy who was there to be with his father after his father finished the Marathon. The Marathon runs 26.2 miles every year. No, it wasn't adjusted to commemorate Newtown. And quite honestly, no one knows who is responsible and we may not know for a while. It took police a couple of years to find out who the bomber was at the Atlanta Olympics.
So there.
In as far as the groups whining (again) about the evils of the "left wing media elite" manipulating the media stream, well, with the internet, we have reached an age where we can reach people with messages that people want to hear.
For instance, I received a photo the other day which "proves" that President Obama is a Muslim because of a book he was shown carrying had a title written by a Muslim about a "Post American" world. The photo was presented in the same format seen in grocery store "Tattle Sheets"; newspapers which have told us about such things as "President (insert name of sitting President here)'s Steamy Affair which will Destroy his marriage" or "(Insert name of lovable TV/Movie personality)'s Sad Last Days" or "Elvis Seen Greeting Space Alien". The technique is called "Photoshop". It's universally used (well, almost universally used) with results which can range anywhere from funny to damning. In this case, the person sending the photo wanted to hear that the President is a no-good, stinkin' Muslim out to destroy our country and send decent folks into slavery, so, the person decided that the photo was genuine and without a further thought, passed it along.
I wonder if that person ever gave a thought to the possibility that the book being carried by the President was photoshopped in by someone wanting to manipulate that person's opinion.
The hits just kept on coming quickly and furiously to the point where folks who have been known to blatantly manipulate public opinion were pointing fingers to other groups, accusing them of blatantly attempting to manipulate public opinion.
It's getting to the point where it's difficult to find some good, honest journalism these days.
I really don't want slanted news. If a newsman or woman has an ax to grind involving a news story, then they need to get the hell out of the business. It's like having a Judge who does not excuse himself from hearing a case in which he has a vested interest. It's not ethical, if not downright dishonest.
-----
Enough of the soapbox.
Despite the goings on in Boston yesterday, I managed to bang out over 2k words toward The Magnolia Chronicles and discovered a couple of aspects about one of the characters. Those aspects and a couple of other events are shaping the story in what I will term an evolutionary fashion. I hope to have the story completed and edited by this time next month, the good Lord willing the creek don't rise.
Actually, I am hoping for an interruption in the form of a job. I'm headed out in a short while to a job fair. So far all I've received are invitations from people wanting me to sell life insurance and a job offer from a company claiming to be located in Nevada, but, possessing an internet address attributed to a person in Poland. Perhaps it's a defensive move as my blog is getting hits from people in Germany and Russia!
Anyhoo, nothing more to report at the moment. Thanks for putting up with me.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Some Things Go Faster Than Others
On Wednesday I finished what should be close to the final draft of Whatever Happened to Suddsy Watters, a project I started in earnest just four weeks ago. It is now awaiting rigorous inspection from a good friend and Editor up in Pennsylvania before it gets unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
The story is about a local television kid's show host who disappears at the end of a twenty year run. Suddsy is essentially a kid in a man's body who has had some difficulty growing up. Many of us have that same difficulty - at least that's what I'll admit to.
Freely
I did it this afternoon as a matter of fact. I had a second interview at a place about 38 miles from my front door with a woman who is the co-owner of an agency I had considered joining. I had decided that I wanted more than just a "job" this time out. I want something more substantial. So, I told her that I was still deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. Yep... I'm still deciding.
I won't take up any potential offer at the agency I was dealing with. There have been several other opportunities come up much closer to home. Besides, there only seems to be one note - one product to sell and the intimation that there is a high washout rate. My discovery process about the particular offer mentioned and another one tossed my way on Friday seems to indicate that there are companies who prey on those of us who are out of work.
It's a damn shame, really. Both companies hold out the carrot of six figure paychecks and all the gold that we can eat if we really apply ourselves and buy into their companies. The hook is that our job will be to "help people". The reality is that a high percentage of folk who go into the companies with high hopes end up finding themselves even more broke and more desperate than when they started. All that happens is that the money goes out faster than it had before dealing with those people.
Knowing what I already suspected was part of that growing process I was talking about.
-----
Part of the reason I am enjoying the writing is that it's helping me discover some aspects about myself and in the process it's helping me grow up. In the four short weeks from concept to a semi-finished product, I have come to the conclusion that some ideas grow faster than others. Sometimes they grow in unexpected ways.
For instance, I did a quick 1500 word story about cookies. The basic premise was that a Pastor's wife was in the middle of making cookies for a pot luck dinner (or a carry-in) and was told no. She didn't need to bring anything. She took the cookies anyway, only to discover that everyone else brought cookies! The story has an additional element which will help to tie it in with other short stories which will appear in a collection I am tentatively calling The Magnolia Chronicles. It was that additional element which happened to sneak into a simple little story which reminded me that sometimes stories, like life, grow in unexpected ways.
This writing gig isn't too bad. If Suddsy does well and the story hits a nerve, I might consider writing to be more than just a hobby. There are two other books (at least) in the works as well as the potential to commercialize this blog. Nah... I won't commercialize the blog, at least quite yet. I'll just keep writing until I hit more nerves than I have.
In the meantime, I'm still looking. Don't know where I'll land or even if I'll grow up. Will keep you posted.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
The story is about a local television kid's show host who disappears at the end of a twenty year run. Suddsy is essentially a kid in a man's body who has had some difficulty growing up. Many of us have that same difficulty - at least that's what I'll admit to.
Freely
I did it this afternoon as a matter of fact. I had a second interview at a place about 38 miles from my front door with a woman who is the co-owner of an agency I had considered joining. I had decided that I wanted more than just a "job" this time out. I want something more substantial. So, I told her that I was still deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. Yep... I'm still deciding.
I won't take up any potential offer at the agency I was dealing with. There have been several other opportunities come up much closer to home. Besides, there only seems to be one note - one product to sell and the intimation that there is a high washout rate. My discovery process about the particular offer mentioned and another one tossed my way on Friday seems to indicate that there are companies who prey on those of us who are out of work.
It's a damn shame, really. Both companies hold out the carrot of six figure paychecks and all the gold that we can eat if we really apply ourselves and buy into their companies. The hook is that our job will be to "help people". The reality is that a high percentage of folk who go into the companies with high hopes end up finding themselves even more broke and more desperate than when they started. All that happens is that the money goes out faster than it had before dealing with those people.
Knowing what I already suspected was part of that growing process I was talking about.
-----
Part of the reason I am enjoying the writing is that it's helping me discover some aspects about myself and in the process it's helping me grow up. In the four short weeks from concept to a semi-finished product, I have come to the conclusion that some ideas grow faster than others. Sometimes they grow in unexpected ways.
For instance, I did a quick 1500 word story about cookies. The basic premise was that a Pastor's wife was in the middle of making cookies for a pot luck dinner (or a carry-in) and was told no. She didn't need to bring anything. She took the cookies anyway, only to discover that everyone else brought cookies! The story has an additional element which will help to tie it in with other short stories which will appear in a collection I am tentatively calling The Magnolia Chronicles. It was that additional element which happened to sneak into a simple little story which reminded me that sometimes stories, like life, grow in unexpected ways.
This writing gig isn't too bad. If Suddsy does well and the story hits a nerve, I might consider writing to be more than just a hobby. There are two other books (at least) in the works as well as the potential to commercialize this blog. Nah... I won't commercialize the blog, at least quite yet. I'll just keep writing until I hit more nerves than I have.
In the meantime, I'm still looking. Don't know where I'll land or even if I'll grow up. Will keep you posted.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Two Weeks In
Well, it's been two weeks since I've been 'liberated' from the jaws of the home improvement firm I once worked for and life so far has been just dandy. Some of the physical ills I've had over the past several months seem to have been disappearing... a good thing... and I have not had any broken fingernails from having had to 'play tiddley-winks with manhole covers' as I called it.
Yes, life is good. My mental attitude is improving and my optimism is unbounded. Good thing, too, considering some of what I've run across this past fortnight.
To begin with, let me just say that I have posted my resume on line... a very short, concise piece which has led to some very interesting results.
No, I'm not interested in working in a boiler room, calling people and asking if they have Prince Albert in a Can or ask if their refrigerator is running... and no, I don't care to talk with you if you are selling me something like a higher education or a spa. My phone is for my use, not yours to sell me something. I don't want to be the person calling unbidden into someone's private life trying to sell them a higher education or a spa.
So far, I have seen dozens of possibilities thrust across my computer screen and have pursued at least two of them. The first was a very promising interview with a company which most of you probably know and involves a business opportunity which on the surface offers a more than generous return on a modest investment. There are other similar opportunities of the type available and I plan to investigate more than just one in the coming weeks.
The other interview came out of the blue quite literally as I started to write this blog yesterday. It was a preliminary interview conducted by a third party for a company which I am familiar with here in the DFW area. It involves selling something which I have sold previously and am to a degree a bit hesitant to attempt selling again. The saving grace is that the sales model is different than other enterprises of the sort.
When I haven't been busy combing through the internet, trying to put together a team to close a Cursillo in about two and a half weeks or playing taxicab driver, amateur plumber/landscaper and Mr. Mom (the dishes aren't stacking up as quickly these days), I am moving apace with a happy-go-lucky hobo named Suddsy Watters.
Yeah, that same Suddsy Watters.
For the most part the story has been writing itself. In the space of just a few days I have written over 10k words on Suddsy's saga. At this rate, I'm confident that I may have a complete first draft ready within this month.
Nothing else on this end, at least for the day... warm temperatures are back, so, it's into the yard here in a few moments, or out on the bicycle, perhaps.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Yes, life is good. My mental attitude is improving and my optimism is unbounded. Good thing, too, considering some of what I've run across this past fortnight.
To begin with, let me just say that I have posted my resume on line... a very short, concise piece which has led to some very interesting results.
No, I'm not interested in working in a boiler room, calling people and asking if they have Prince Albert in a Can or ask if their refrigerator is running... and no, I don't care to talk with you if you are selling me something like a higher education or a spa. My phone is for my use, not yours to sell me something. I don't want to be the person calling unbidden into someone's private life trying to sell them a higher education or a spa.
So far, I have seen dozens of possibilities thrust across my computer screen and have pursued at least two of them. The first was a very promising interview with a company which most of you probably know and involves a business opportunity which on the surface offers a more than generous return on a modest investment. There are other similar opportunities of the type available and I plan to investigate more than just one in the coming weeks.
The other interview came out of the blue quite literally as I started to write this blog yesterday. It was a preliminary interview conducted by a third party for a company which I am familiar with here in the DFW area. It involves selling something which I have sold previously and am to a degree a bit hesitant to attempt selling again. The saving grace is that the sales model is different than other enterprises of the sort.
When I haven't been busy combing through the internet, trying to put together a team to close a Cursillo in about two and a half weeks or playing taxicab driver, amateur plumber/landscaper and Mr. Mom (the dishes aren't stacking up as quickly these days), I am moving apace with a happy-go-lucky hobo named Suddsy Watters.
Yeah, that same Suddsy Watters.
For the most part the story has been writing itself. In the space of just a few days I have written over 10k words on Suddsy's saga. At this rate, I'm confident that I may have a complete first draft ready within this month.
Nothing else on this end, at least for the day... warm temperatures are back, so, it's into the yard here in a few moments, or out on the bicycle, perhaps.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Taste
For a little bit this morning I was pre-occupied with taste. It was initiated when a friend of mine living in Nevada posted a Jeopardy answer to which the question was: "What is (Skyline) Chili?" Skyline Chili is an anomaly found primarily in southern Ohio and is unique in that it contains cocoa, cinnamon, and is served over spaghetti. This fellow in Nevada was a transplant who has made it a point to run into a Skyline Chili parlor every time he heads back to visit friends in the Buckeye State.
I'm guilty of doing the same thing, but with a different twist.
Years ago I became enamored of Herr's Salt and Vinegar potato chips. Herr's bought the chip factory in Chillicothe from the Carroll family back in the '70s and came forward with a delightful treat embraced by many members of my extended family. My two oldest nieces dubbed them "juicy chips" as in "Grandpa, can I have some of your juicy chips?" My father was more than happy to allow them access to his private stash.
Eventually, I moved out of the area where Herr's distributed their product. If I was going to find more "juicy chips", I had to find other, less satisfying in some cases, substitutes. For a while, Lay's offered Salt and Vinegar chips here in north Texas then inexplicably dropped the flavor. What really frustrated me was that they were still selling Salt and Vinegar chips at least in Ohio. Damn! I would think that Frito-Lay, based literally next door in Plano, Texas, would consent to offering Salt and Vinegar chips again to us poor ex yankees living here in Allen! But no... they saw fit to offer bags of "Chicken and Waffles" chips as part of some sort of contest. (Yes, I bit, but only because I had heard so much about the combination, a local abnormality, that I just had to try.)
My usual way to get my fix soon became to take a trip to Ohio or to find someone taking a trip to Ohio to get several bags to bring down here. The problem I had was that if I went up and purchased, say, two bags of chips, at least one, if not both of the bags would be gone by the time I got back here to Texas. They're great while on the road. I also got in the habit of purchasing other brands of Salt and Vinegar chips if Herr's weren't available. Tom's and Snyder's have fairly good substitutes... that is, when I can find them.
I have found other people who have particular preferences in chips who have been similarly frustrated by the lack of distribution of their favorites in this area. One woman I know would quite gladly kill for access to Wise potato chips... a friend in McKinney (just to the north of us) is partial to Mike-Sells. There seems to be something about the way each of the chips is made which makes fans of otherwise sane and rational people.
Which leads me up to a few months ago when I stopped into an Odd Lots/Big Lots store and made a wonderful discovery. There in front of me were bags and bags of Herr's chips! No Salt and Vinegar chips, but Herr's chips!!! I took home a package of Horseradish and Cheese flavored chips and was sated... the horseradish was particularly potent and particularly welcome. Not only was I able to satisfy my craving for Herr's chips, but someone at Odd Lots/Big Lots seemed to be listening. Wise, Snyders and Mike-Sells chips were on display as well.
At least someone was listening.
In this past week, I noted that Herr's chips are available at my local "Tom Thumb" store as well as at a "Cracker Barrel" where the family gathered for an Easter dinner. Dang! It was almost like being back in Ohio!
To be fair, there are other food items from other parts of the country which I particularly appreciate. Texas-style barbecue can't be beat... unless you're talking about the Tennessee style served at a local place called Bar - B - Cuties, or Virginia style, or Kansas City Style... come to think of it, I have yet to find a barbecue I dislike. The aforementioned Chicken and Waffles are decent - yes it seems like an odd combination, but it actually works. Friends in Chillicothe will swear that the best-ever pizza is at Jerry's on Paint Street as I'm certain that residents in other places will direct you to their own home-town favorite when you visit.
Back to Skyline Chili. I'm happy that Skyline Chili made it to Jeopardy... adding more useless trivia to those of us who delight in being fed morsels of trivia. I'm sure that the local Kroger will see a slight uptick on sales of both the canned and frozen Skyline Chili I see everyday here in my little section of DFW.
Now, if I can just convince them that Herr's Salt and Vinegar will cause an avalanche of customers... I'm ready to buy.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
I'm guilty of doing the same thing, but with a different twist.
Years ago I became enamored of Herr's Salt and Vinegar potato chips. Herr's bought the chip factory in Chillicothe from the Carroll family back in the '70s and came forward with a delightful treat embraced by many members of my extended family. My two oldest nieces dubbed them "juicy chips" as in "Grandpa, can I have some of your juicy chips?" My father was more than happy to allow them access to his private stash.
Eventually, I moved out of the area where Herr's distributed their product. If I was going to find more "juicy chips", I had to find other, less satisfying in some cases, substitutes. For a while, Lay's offered Salt and Vinegar chips here in north Texas then inexplicably dropped the flavor. What really frustrated me was that they were still selling Salt and Vinegar chips at least in Ohio. Damn! I would think that Frito-Lay, based literally next door in Plano, Texas, would consent to offering Salt and Vinegar chips again to us poor ex yankees living here in Allen! But no... they saw fit to offer bags of "Chicken and Waffles" chips as part of some sort of contest. (Yes, I bit, but only because I had heard so much about the combination, a local abnormality, that I just had to try.)
My usual way to get my fix soon became to take a trip to Ohio or to find someone taking a trip to Ohio to get several bags to bring down here. The problem I had was that if I went up and purchased, say, two bags of chips, at least one, if not both of the bags would be gone by the time I got back here to Texas. They're great while on the road. I also got in the habit of purchasing other brands of Salt and Vinegar chips if Herr's weren't available. Tom's and Snyder's have fairly good substitutes... that is, when I can find them.
I have found other people who have particular preferences in chips who have been similarly frustrated by the lack of distribution of their favorites in this area. One woman I know would quite gladly kill for access to Wise potato chips... a friend in McKinney (just to the north of us) is partial to Mike-Sells. There seems to be something about the way each of the chips is made which makes fans of otherwise sane and rational people.
Which leads me up to a few months ago when I stopped into an Odd Lots/Big Lots store and made a wonderful discovery. There in front of me were bags and bags of Herr's chips! No Salt and Vinegar chips, but Herr's chips!!! I took home a package of Horseradish and Cheese flavored chips and was sated... the horseradish was particularly potent and particularly welcome. Not only was I able to satisfy my craving for Herr's chips, but someone at Odd Lots/Big Lots seemed to be listening. Wise, Snyders and Mike-Sells chips were on display as well.
At least someone was listening.
In this past week, I noted that Herr's chips are available at my local "Tom Thumb" store as well as at a "Cracker Barrel" where the family gathered for an Easter dinner. Dang! It was almost like being back in Ohio!
To be fair, there are other food items from other parts of the country which I particularly appreciate. Texas-style barbecue can't be beat... unless you're talking about the Tennessee style served at a local place called Bar - B - Cuties, or Virginia style, or Kansas City Style... come to think of it, I have yet to find a barbecue I dislike. The aforementioned Chicken and Waffles are decent - yes it seems like an odd combination, but it actually works. Friends in Chillicothe will swear that the best-ever pizza is at Jerry's on Paint Street as I'm certain that residents in other places will direct you to their own home-town favorite when you visit.
Back to Skyline Chili. I'm happy that Skyline Chili made it to Jeopardy... adding more useless trivia to those of us who delight in being fed morsels of trivia. I'm sure that the local Kroger will see a slight uptick on sales of both the canned and frozen Skyline Chili I see everyday here in my little section of DFW.
Now, if I can just convince them that Herr's Salt and Vinegar will cause an avalanche of customers... I'm ready to buy.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
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