Maybe It's Because I'm Not Fat?

Many things that I have seen in this life seem like a mirror. I'm seeing somebody else do something that I worry I do just like them.
When the young woman expressed concern that a co-worker didn't like her, she expressed the thought that perhaps it was because the co-worker was obese and she was relatively thin. She went on to explain that most of the person's friends at work were fat, so possibly that could explain it.
It didn't sound impossible, except for one thing: The person explaining this to me is one of the more annoying people I have met. At first, she comes across as friendly, but then you realize that almost all conversations come off as some kind of passive-aggressive attack. Just about everybody that deals with her on a day to day basis, sooner or later explodes to her to just leave them alone. I swear she has the hide of an elephant, because none of that seems to dissuade her from doing these things.
The smart thing to do would be to tell her to stop these behaviors and she could start making friends instead of enemies, but as another co-worked announced, she is doing this wantonly and not by accident.
There are just some things you don't want to hear and others you just don't hear. I'm working harder to remember that.

The Roller Coaster Year Of This Life

It is the middle of December 2015, and this has definitely been the craziest year of my life. I went from layoff to retirement...to the biggest job of my life. In some truly strange twist, this job is not as difficult as my first job working at a car wash when I was 13 years old.
Many times, I wish I was home, taking care of the yard, and then think of how much they are paying me to be at work instead. So, I have money, and not enough time, and I seem to remember having that complaint before.
The Rock City band retired, due to health issues of the leader, and the new band I'm working with Peter Love, seems plagued with health issues as well. All of this stuff has made me realize just how fortunate I am to be healthy right now. Many people my age are not in the greatest shape, and I will not take it for granted. I'm out running every day, but I'm not as fast or strong as I was a few years ago. I think I will just accept that I'm happy that I can still run 5 miles, no matter how long it takes.
The last month has had some strange weather and surfing has been on the back burner. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks. Oddly, in order to make less money this year, I'm taking a couple of weeks off. I would never have imagined that kind of problem before now.
The future is uncertain, and I would not even venture a guess about six months from now, but I am pretty sure it will not be the same as today. About that, I am excited....

A Turning Point

Today is an important day....the kind of day that keeps you awake at night. I've only had to make a few big moves in life and this will be another one. I can truthfully say that I have no idea where this will go...I should have a big smile on my face when it is over, but there are at least three possible outcomes and I have no idea which one will prevail.
I will say that work was boring and cold for the first month, and then got exciting last week. It really looks like I am the expert they needed for this project and that is a good feeling after my last boss. The rule in life should be: never stick around for a bad boss, hoping that you outlast them...that trick doesn't work...

61 Years On The Planet!

Here it is! It is the time of life I was waiting for. I worked and saved, got hit by the layoff and then: 6 months of the best times ever. And now...I go to work Tuesday. It's not a job by my definition, it is a "Project". In my mind, contract work is a project. I think that there are recruiting folks that would say working without benefits is the new career, but I think it is just a reflection of the bad times.
My new rule? Do not become dependent upon an employer. I actually knew this a while back, but now I'm living my rule. Money that I make will be socked away for the next rainy day that is sure to come.
On the positive side, the Project sounds exciting and I'd like to put my skills to the test. The people are great and I have the Prius for the long commute. The only true unknown is what the I-4 construction will be like. The newspaper is describing the near future as hell-on-wheels, and I will be driving right through the mess...and that's why I call it a 'Project'.
Music seems to be in a holding pattern, while I am surfing, fishing, and being outdoors all that I possibly can. This morning, I am so sore from two weeks at the beach, that I am almost ready for a rainy day to recover. My surfing is reaching a level that I thought once would never happen. I just needed the right equipment and enough days of surfing in a row to hone my skills.
Crazy thing....I still cannot see 6 months into the future...and I am used to it now. I'm working at being right in the moment and just enjoying the now...pretty easy to do when your life is at the beach!

6 Months In

April and plenty of April showers. This morning was to be a surfing trip, but the sky is full of moisture and it's already raining over at the beach. And the waves? They disappeared last night...but there will be many more opportunities.
The job market seems really lukewarm. If the job market is like Craiglist, then what we have right now are guys saying "I'll give you half of what you are asking for it"...without really being sure what it is that they are buying. In other words...pawnshops trying to scarf up things of possible value for resale. What I want is the market where somebody truly wants what you are selling and you come together on a price that makes you both feel satisfied. That has happened recently for me on Craigslist, I just need to see that in the job market as well. I have a funny feeling that what is being said aloud and in print differs from what is really going on. For example, I went on the 'reemployment job site' where they brag that our governor has reduced the unemployed from 551,000 to 81,000...sounds good to me! Then I call the help desk for a problem with the site and get...sorry for the 10+ minute wait time, we are very busy...and then I finally get a rude person that treats me like dirt. I know, I know, what did I really expect? I just kinda thought that with the huge dropoff in business there, I might get, I don't know, a little bit better help?

Five Months In..

Well, it is five months after the layoff. How does it feel? Every day I get up with a list of things to do that I cannot possibly accomplish. Today is a little more relaxed and just maybe I'm starting to get an idea of what one can get done in a day. It's cold and clear out and I'm thinking running and paddleboarding are going to be in the mix. The studio is almost all the way organized and I'm finally getting rid of stuff I don't need on Craigslist. Yesterday, I built a rack to store my surfing gear the way it needs to be stored...it's not that I'm nearing completion or perfection, but I think I can finally see that I'm making a difference in the chaos that has been created by 32 years of living in this house on the run.
Jobwise and business? I now believe that it is still a much tougher time than people would have you believe. I saw a job listed yesterday for something similar to the work I did, but for someone with 3 year's experience, and it paid 36k...I know 20 something's making 70k in the same field. My feeling is that what is wrong right now is too many people fighting for the jobs and it has brought the price down and created this market that may not have a good place for me. This isn't bad though. It is creating an environment where I need to focus and what I can do, versus, "just plug me into the next open cubicle". At some point in life you need to wake up and find out what else you can do. All I can say is that I wake up happy every day, happy that I'm alive and able to enjoy this world...