Way cooler

It's been so hot here for the last three days that I feel like I've been thirty seconds away from heatstroke at any given moment. Got over 90 degrees in the apartment this afternoon. I mean, you know you're in trouble when the rug burns your bare feet. But bless the rain gods, we had a little thunderstorm this afternoon and it's cooling down. It's a very damp cool, but you take what you can get in the South.

And speaking of cool, a friend sent me this video that has to be at least ten years old. I was at this party. We were saying goodbye to the piano player, Tom McClung, who was moving to Paris.



I don't recognize a couple of them, but the rest of these guys are some of the coolest people on the planet and I love them all like family.

Working for a living

Well I didn't want to say anything sooner, since I'm superstitious and didn't want to jinx it, but it appears I do have a job at the big box store. It's not much of a job. It's not at all clear how many hours I'll get out of it. In fact, it's not even a job yet since it appears there's about another million hours of orientation to go through but I am in possession of my official new hire folder and went through the first two hours of orientation today.

Have to go back Saturday for a few hours of watching videos on how to be a good employee I guess. And then there's another training session which I assume will cover how to operate the cash register.

The worst part is I'm going to have to buy some clothes. I got the black pants covered. Hell most of everything I own is black but I don't have any white or red shirts. It appears I can get away with just a white tshirt though if I do the shirt and vest thing so that's okay. I saw Walgreens was selling generic white tshirts for 4 for ten bucks. Guess I'll go pick up a couple.

Anyway, I have a job. I won't make enough to pay the bills but it's a start. And it appears I'll get an employee discount card, so there's that.

For all us old fogeys

Best old video I've seen in ages. Loved this song.



And a couple of other links for us oldsters. Old rock stars, then and now. Some of them actually look better when they're old. Also, a blog that revists the 60s. It's visually boring but has some fantastic links. Hours of fun for old folks here.

And I loved this one too. The seductive Women of Film Noir. Pictures and little bios of the sultry sirens from the days when movies actually relied on plot and character development instead of chase scenes and special effects.

Libby's Lazy Cookbook

I tend not to fuss too much with cooking for myself so I'm always looking for easy but healthy meals. Picked up this recipe from Roger Ebert today when I checked into Twitter. Don't usually count calories, but this one comes with count. The whole batch is about 700 calories. Divide by 4 and throw in two corn tortillas and you're looking at about 285 calories for a really filling, tasty, and nutritious meal.

3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
a pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper (adjust to taste)
1 Can Black Beans, drained
1/2 of a 10oz bag frozen corn (or 1 can, drained)
1/2 of 14 oz jar of salsa

Dice onion and garlic.
Saute in non-stick pan until soft and fragrant.
Add cayenne.
Add beans and corn.
Add salsa.
Heat through, stirring occasionally.
Serve with warm corn tortillas.

I hate corn tortillas so I would use flour ones instead. I'd add ground cumin and throw in one of those tiny cans of chopped green chile and I'd also add fresh chopped tomato and little grated cheese at the end. But it looks like a great meal. Picture at the link.

Universe works in mysterious ways

Don't remember if I mentioned here about when I tried to apply for a job at the new Dairy Queen and the guy sneered at me. Wouldn't even give me an application. Well, I've taken to going to the library every day and reading the local newspaper. I see they just had a armed robbery this week. Employees were herded into the back room, tied up with duct tape and a couple got pistol whipped. Sorry it happened to them, but it makes me feel better about not getting that job. Guess the universe is still looking out for me after all.

And I've cruised by the new bar that didn't hire me. Think I was right about the self-segregating thing. Only black people in there. It looked like they were doing alright the other day. Saw a few people milling around outside. But I walked by last night late enough so I could see inside through the window. Looks like they hired a young girl. Only one person at the bar. Wouldn't have made any money there even they had hired me.

Swallowtales

The swallowtail butterflies have arrived. There's a few black ones, but mostly we get these yellows.

Saw a giant one on my way home from the library the other day. Swear it was almost as big as my hand and it preened for me for at least five minutes, flitting from flower to flower in front of the tax office.

Then on the main street I saw an injured one. It was flopping around, barely able to fly. When it landed, I checked it out. Picture me, crouching on the sidewalk talking to a butterfly. I thought at first the problem was a broken wing. He had a little chunk missing but on closer inspection I could see the real problem was his tails were caught in a fragment of spider web.

I tried to help. I explained to him, if he would just sit still for a moment, I could break up the web with a little stick and he would be able to fly again. He wasn't buying it. He freaked and tried to fly off a couple more times. The good news is, it appears he managed to break the webbing from all the activity. When I left him he was hanging from the tree, panting, but his wings were open again. So there's that. [photo]

So complicated

I can't believe how complicated this big box store job process has become. Had my interview on Tuesday and I think it went well. It looked like she was going to give me the job but apparently you need to show your social security card before they'll even run the background check on you. I've had quite a few jobs in my lifetime and I've never had to show that card to anyone. It was a miracle I still even had it since it's the original card I got when I was about ten years old when my parents opened up a savings account for me. Still has my childhood address on it.

So I brought it in the next day, as instructed, along with a bunch of official papers to prove that I am still this person, but that wasn't good enough. I need a new one and of course, it was too late to get it on the same day. So I trotted over the next day and no problem getting a new card, except that it won't be mailed for a couple of weeks. Then I had to wait another day to go back to the big box store because the hiring person was off.

So I trot over to the big box store again this morning, as instructed, well before 11:00 when she was supposed to leave. But instead she's in a meeting that's going to go on for hours. Turns out today wasn't such a good day for her after all and I have to go back yet another time tomorrow. The good news is apparently the receipt the social security guy gave me will be acceptable in lieu of the actual card. So there's that.

But really, what a production. I mean we're talking a minimum wage cashier's job with no guaranteed schedule or hours. Could end being as little as four hours a week. I expect it will take another trips to get all the paperwork done at this rate. Under other circumstances, I would have been tempted to take the whole thing as a sign that I'm just not supposed to take this job. But I guess it's good practice should I get an interview for a better one and Lord knows, it's been a long time since I've had to do this, so I guess it's all good.

Meanwhile, it looks like I didn't get the bartending job at the new sports bar. They have a grand opening sign in the window and the shades were up. It may be that I was wrong color for that one anyway. There appeared to be two people in there and they weren't white. And the place is owned by black guys, so maybe it's one of these self-segregating deals, like the two hairdressing joints down the street.

On the brighter side, the county is hiring and there were a couple of jobs I'm qualified for. One closed today so I just got back from hand delivering the application. They don't take resumes. And there's a second one that doesn't close until Wednesday. Thinking I don't have real shot at either of those. I suspect in a town of this size, the government jobs go to friends and relatives of people who already work there, but hey it's a worth a shot. The app isn't that complicated.

The good old days

I was looking for something else when I ran across this old cartoon. I used to love these Terry Toons as a kid. Those really were simpler times.

Happy Independence Day

I read this week that 26% of Americans don't know why we celebrate this holiday. Maybe it's because we stopped calling it Independence Day. Of course, I've also heard almost that many don't know that Hawaii is a state so maybe it's just that our schools aren't doing their job anymore. Whatever, despite our problems, this is a still a really great country and it's good to celebrate its birthday. Most people are posting the national anthem, but I've always liked this song better.



But if you're a traditionalist Marvin Gaye's Star Spangled Banner is really nice. And for the old hippies, the 60s classic from Jimi Hendrix never gets old.

Also, in honor of the holiday, fun interactive google logo today. Enjoy your celebrations and be careful shooting off those fireworks. Heard some guy in New York state already blew his arm off.

One small step forward

Heh. The positive thinking is working already. Just a got a call from a big box store from an application I put in on-line weeks ago. I was beginning think these on-line apps were a waste of time and that no one reads them. But I have an interview on Tuesday. It's only for part time but hey, it's a start.

Still alive and kicking

For those of you who might be worried, sorry to leave you hanging all week. I've widened my job search to within a 45 minute commute so there have been a few more jobs to apply for and I probably spend too much time obsessing over the cover letters and tweaking the resumes to fit the job. It takes me at least an hour to put just one application together for the better jobs. It also took a lot of time to research where to find listings for the other towns and then there's finding the bigger companies websites since they often just advertise an opening under their careers section. I'm not getting any better response but at least having more possibilites gives me the sense that I'm moving instead of dead stalled.

I suppose it's impossible for employers to at least acknowledge the receipt of your pitch anymore with the volume of applications they get, but that's really the worst part. Not even getting the standard, thank you for your resume. I was really hoping to hear from the TV station that needed a AA for the newsdirector. Hours weren't great and the commute would have been a killer but it looked like a really interesting job and my unique skill set would have been perfect for it.

Oh well, nothing to do but keep trying. I'm still surviving and not homeless yet thanks to the kindness and generosity of many people, with a big shoutout to my sister and brother. Far from out of the woods but still alive and working hard to maintain a positive outlook. Something has got to come up eventually. I'm a good worker and I've always told other people in their times of trouble that the universe gives us what we need. Now is my time to put that belief to that test for myself. And on the bright side, I didn't the get the bartending job at the nice restaurant but the sports bar across the street still hasn't opened so I haven't totally given on that one. One small glimmer of hope still twinkling for a job I could walk to.

Anyway, I've also been trying to keep up my political blogs to whatever extent I can so that's why I disappeared for the week. But I'm at the point now where I have a lot of job sites bookmarked and can just check the updates daily, so I should be posting here a bit more again. Thanks as always for sticking with me. I cherish you all dearly.