The Bosque

From the Effingham (Illinois) Daily News: An above-ground storage tank north of St. Elmo containing a natural gas byproduct caught on fire Wednesday injuring two workers.

The fire occurred at Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America Station 206 at about 1 p.m. when welding caused the tank to ignite resulting in several explosions, according to eye witnesses.

Effingham is about 100 miles east of St. Louis. St. Elmo is about 15 miles before Effingham.

To the greatest woman in the world...Happy birthday, April! I love you!

xoxo

Nick Lucchesi over at the Riverfront Times wrote today about the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by Francine Katz against Anheuser-Busch:

The suit filed by Francine Katz claims Anheuser-Busch (now AB-InBev) has a "locker room and frat party atmosphere" that works against female employees.

The minute I heard this, I (and Nick and lots of other people) screamed out a collective, "Nooooooo! Stop playin'!" Nick then displayed a number of ads that A-B has put out for its beers over the years that feature women.

Not too often is something so obvious...I think this is one of those times.

First question asked in my interview today: "I see that you have a Masters degree...why do you want to do contract work?"

*sigh*

Lord willing, this interview will go well tomorrow. Then I can start the job in a week or two. Then April and I can get our own place again...maybe even before Christmas!

I don't want to get cocky or overly optimistic...but optimism is all we really have right now. I gotta have some of it.

Please let this interview go well...PLEASE let this interview go well...

I am feeling so run down the past couple weeks. I'm letting too much stress overtake me. I could so use a good night's sleep...haven't had that in a while.

I also need to learn to let go of the contempt and frustration that I have towards several people right now. It's not helping me physically for sure, and it's spiritually hurting me too.

Just let me do well Monday...

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's website: After a marathon session of debates and amendments, city aldermen approved a bill Friday banning smoking in most bars and restaurants on Friday.

Now they’ll have to wait for the county to decide if it goes into effect.

The bill, approved by a sizable majority, would ban indoor smoking — with several key exceptions — provided St. Louis County approves a similar prohibition.

If nothing else, the board’s action increases the stakes at next month’s election, where voters in St. Louis County will now, in effect, decide the smoking ban issue for much of the region.

The County will probably support their bill...and Illinois already has a statewide ban. Businesses are not going to go under. No one is going to head to St. Charles or Jefferson County. Smokers will go outside, light up and bitch about how much the government sucks. In other words, life will go on with little disruption.

I feel like I talk about it too much, and other people have their own problems...so here it goes: May I find a job that is a good fit for me and for my family. Lord willing, I will earn a chance to prove my mettle.

Amen.

I got rejected by a placement firm yesterday...because I don't have enough recent administrative experience. Never mind that I have 17 years of admin experience and 5 years of management experience...not to mention the fact that I kept up with the world around me while I was not in an office setting.

Frustrating...but I gotta keep moving forward.

Thank you for deciding to marry me two years ago today. I don't know who or what I would be without you, and I don't want to even think about it.

I love you,
Mr. Kitty
xoxo

Something has to give this week...I really do need to have some sort of income by the end of this week. I don't want to get into all the nitty-gritty details, but I have to be back at work next Monday morning or at least have some sort of income stream.

And I could use your help. I don't want your money...I want your connections, your knowledge, your suggestions, your influence and/or your support. And I'll never ask again after this.

I have 18 years of working experience...my specialties are management, training & development and business analysis. I know some fancy programs, software and hardware, but not as much as IT folks. I have a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Business Management. I'm a hard worker, a quick learner, good with teams or running solo and I don't ask for much. If the pay is worth it, I'll move anywhere in the US or Canada.

The reality of the situation is this: A lot of people don't want to hire a person with a Masters for a job that requires less. They're afraid that such a person will bolt when the market improves. On the other end, you have employers that are incredibly picky...and rightfully so. They want really specific things...and if you don't know them, they can wait for someone that does know.

Which brings me back to retail or delivery. Delivery would be alright, though I'm not seeing a lot of jobs in that field right now. And I wouldn't mind doing retail, except that I can't stand or sit for long periods of time...at least for the foreseeable future.

So there you have it, and there you are. If you can help me, please send me an e-mail...first type terryb, then put an at sign after that, then put the domain name sicomoro.us.

Thank you.

So you might have heard the recent story about a suspended firefighter near Philadelphia. He refused to remove a sticker of the American flag from the outside of his locker, but nothing is allowed on the outside of lockers. Here's the story from Fox 29 in Philadelphia.

On the surface, this sounds extreme. It's the American flag, and it's a small sticker at that. What kind of problems could this really cause? And of course, you have a bunch of chest-thumping proud Americans all over this like flies on crap...read the comments at the end of the story. But one poster rose above all the emotion and broke it down as clear as day:

"As much as I love my country, and service to it, this isn't about free speech...this is simply the inability of one individual to follow a simple rule. He can put his sticker on anything that is his PRIVATE property, but his locker does not belong to him. I say make the suspension permanent if he wants to press it...I'm sure there are countless fire departments lining up to hire his undisciplined ass.

And this probably wouldn't have been a problem in the first place if some dummy hadn't ruined it for everybody:

He said he was told displaying the sticker on the outside of the locker is a violation of department policy. Personal items can be posted inside the lockers.

The firefighters' union said 11 other firefighters were warned they should remove personal items from the outside of lockers or face similar suspensions, all without pay.

The order came after an incident over the summer, when some firefighters complained about a cartoon posted at the firehouse. They found it racially-offensive.

It only takes one to ruin the fun...

Look who decided to return after almost 2 weeks away:



It's so nice to see the Sun again. God, it's been so depressing with all the rain and clouds.

...you should probably stick to making sure couples that want to marry have their ducks in a row, then marry them.

From MSNBC: Louisiana’s governor and a U.S. senator joined Friday in calling for the ouster of a local official who refused to marry an interracial couple, saying his actions clearly broke the law.

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in the southeastern part of the state, refused to issue a marriage license earlier this month to Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, who is black. His refusal has prompted calls for an investigation or resignation from civil and constitutional rights groups and the state’s Legislative Black Caucus.

Ya know, I used to think that I was a rough-looking baby when I came out the womb. But I've been recently using my baby picture as my profile picture on Facebook...and it's starting to grow on me. I was a cute baby, wasn't I? :)

So I'm sitting up at Starbucks tonight with the Mrs. and our friend, Amy. As we're sitting there, I noticed this kid--maybe early 20-something?--come in, holding a new CD and a rose. Awww! I don't know if he was in the wooing stage or if he already has a gal...or guy. But I thought it was cute...it was a page right out of my swooning handbook...ask April. ;)

As I was leaving, I noticed him outside on his cell phone. By the time I got in my car and was on the street, he was walking across the street to who knows where.

So...I wonder what happened. Was it a miscommunication about where to meet? Was it a romantic plan he set up that didn't pan out? Did he get the "I just wanna be friends" spiel? The possibilities are endless!

No...not me. I just went to the doctor yesterday and to the chiropractor today...I'm good.

Our dear friend Missy (my wife's Maid of Honor) has been battling digestive issues for a few months now, even spending a week in the hospital in August. We were under the impression that she was doing better with medication and diet changes. But we was had.

She's still been having issues, and has been in the hospital since Saturday. She called us this morning to tell us this and that she was having surgery later today. She just came out of surgery, having had part of her large intestine removed. Doctors think this will help reduce her problems.

Of course, we dropped everything to be with her today...and definitely don't mind doing so because we love her to death. But if she ever pulls a stunt like this again, she's gonna need surgery to have my foot removed from her ass.

And so, at this very moment on Sunday October 12, 1975, I came into the world...and I've been confusing and disturbing the populace ever since.

I thought I hit bottom in 2005, when I got sick with my heart condition. But apparently, no...I needed to fall a little further. This year has been awful and incredibly challenging...but it could be worse. I'm grateful for all my family and friends, and things will eventually get better.

So Happy Birthday to me...whoohoo!

...but this is overkill:



Yes, it's real.

A couple weeks ago, I sent my resume to this temp agency with locations across the country. Each day, you can send your resume to up to 10 offices. Over the course of a few days, I sent it to all the offices in Missouri and Illinois, along with a few other spots, like Philadelphia.

One of the offices I sent it to was in Springfield, IL, about 100 miles north of St. Louis. I've been to Springfield many times and like the city. If the agency had a long-term temp or permanent job where the pay was worthwhile, I could relocate to Springfield quickly. Like, if I got a call right now, I could be there Friday and probably have an apartment or place to stay by the end of the weekend. I got an e-mail from the Springfield office earlier today:

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding employment through (blah blah blah). At the present time, we are not engaged in a search that would suit your particular experience near your location. The client companies we represent are located primarily in the Springfield, Illinois market. However, (blah blah blah) is an international company with 600 locations world-wide. For a complete listing of (blah blah blah) office locations, see our web site at (blah blah blah). Thanks!

Okay...I got a similar e-mail from their office in Bloomington, IL last week (which is about 160 miles north of St. Louis). The same situation applies there as it does to Springfield. So this is the reply that I sent both offices:

Hi (whatever),

As I'm sure you know, the current state of the economy is not great. I have a Masters degree and can barely find temp work in large cities like St. Louis or Chicago. For the past 3 months, I've been sending my resume all across the country...I'm willing to go wherever the jobs are. If your office had an opportunity that was a good fit for me and the pay was right, I could relocate to (your town) within days. Especially given that it's only (so many) miles north of St. Louis, and I already have familiarity with the area.

So if you're still not able to assist me, I understand. But if an opportunity comes through your office that might be good for me, I hope you'll keep me under consideration.

Thanks,
(me)

That apparently worked for Bloomington...I haven't heard back from them since. But the gal from Springfield responded a short time after I sent my reply:

Hi Terry,

Due to the typically short notice in which we fill our open jobs, we aren’t able to consider applicants from outside of Springfield, IL. I would encourage you to apply to the (blah blah blah) offices near your area; they would have the best opportunities for you to find work quickly.

I do wish you the best of luck in your job search!

Thanks,
(whatever)

Alrighty then!

Hey folks,

I don't know how many of you like techno or electronic music, but I've been working on a project lately called Gujunega. (GOO-joo-NAY-guh) is the phonetic spelling for the Cherokee word that means "sycamore." I didn't want to use the Sycamore name for this music because that doesn't feel right.

Anyway, I've created a few songs so far that can be heard at http://myspace.com/gujunega. I don't care for using MySpace, but Facebook makes you jump through hoops to upload your music and then takes forever to approve it.

All the music is created by GarageBand...specifically GarageBand 2, as that's what my MIL has on her iMac. I had to pawn off my guitars recently, but still wanted to make music. So, this is what I'm working on now until I can buy new axes.

So, if you dig techno, head on over and take a listen and share your thoughts. I don't care if you think it's the worst music on Earth...just be honest with me. I'm a big boy...I can handle it.

Enjoy!

I've been unemployed since the end of August. I barely see my wife these days because she's going to school full-time and is now working almost full-time. I live in my mother-in-law's house, and will probably be here at least another year. I had to sell my bass, my guitar, my effects board and my PS2 and all its games. And I hit my highest weight ever 2 weeks ago.

But you know what? I'm happy to be alive. I have a wonderful wife, a roof over my head and caring friends and family. The situation is not very good right now...but it will get better. And it could be a whole lot worse.

All I can do is keep plugging away...eventually I'll have a job and my wife will be done with culinary school. And I'll be able to buy my guitars back and she can have her dream kitchen. And we will have our own place to live again...hopefully a house!

I've been in some pretty dark moods the past few weeks. I just try to keep telling myself that things WILL get better. It may take a while, but it will get better.

I am hoping...HOPING...that this is the absolute low point in my life. I thought I hit it when I got sick 4 years ago, but no...this seems to be the low. And if this IS the low, then I'm gonna be alright.