DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

A beautiful day outside. The knowledge that there is weather like this makes the never ending winter almost tolerable - this is the light at the end of the tunnel. But we have the rest of spring, summer and fall before we have to deal with that winter mess again. June will mark the 3rd month I have been at my new job. Things are going well - I am working on projects that are right up my alley, and I am enjoying the challenges. I try to keep in touch with the colleagues that are still out of work. I don't always hear back from them - I guess in some ways, I am now "one of them" - the people that still have jobs. In my own case, I think the search, or the mindset that I was searching, caused me to put up a barrier between me and my working friends. I unnecessarily carried a sense of inadequacy because of my unemployed status. I shudder to think of my mindset if I was still idle. Anyway, the fact that I have that many unemployed friends is concerning. Things are s

My last day off after a 4 day weekend. I had to take Friday off to get a new cable provider installed, which didn't happen, so that was kind of a wasted day. We had a nice birthday party for my son, and today is clean up day. I went to the health club this morning and was shocked when I stepped on the scale - I gained back all the weight I lost while off work. I was walking several times a day back then, now the sedentary day behind the desk has put the weight back on. The diet starts tomorrow - might as well enjoy one more day of gluttony. I saw an article today on what is lost when you take a pay cut to get back on the job. The study said that those that took a pay cut back in 1982 never made it back. No big surprise there, I guess. In my own case, it will take a long, long time to make up the difference between what I was making before and what I am at now. But, there is certainly a greater degree of job satisfaction now, and you can't put a price on that. There is

Finally the weather is feeling like spring. Sunny, warm - this is the weather that makes living in Chicago tolerable. I am going to a vendor presentation today. this down economy has affected everyone - I get the same sense of over anxiousness from sales reps as I myself was projecting when I was interviewing. I am sure it is very tough for anyone selling capitial equipment these days, as companies are not investing in anything beyond their current payroll. Imagine how tough it is for the companies that sell cars, boats, RVs and other luxury items. I shudder to think........the economy is still deep in the crapper, and will be for a long time. Whenever I am working a job, I always dream of taking up some kind of side career that will blossom into some fantastically lucrative full time career. Then I realize that I am too lazy and too complacent to venture outside the confines of my traditional job to start a backup plan. We discover that we are good at something that someone wil

A very busy weekend. I played in a golf outing from work on Saturday, and we drove to Champaign and back yesterday for graduation. They had a beautiful ceremony - all the excitement and happy faces - family pictures, lots of proud parents (myself included). Now for the reality. Will these energetic young graduates find jobs? Will they be saddled with debt from their student loans while they work at a job formally done by someone without a degree. I graduated college in May, 1980, and it took me until October to find my first job. I would imagine the expected time it takes to find a suitable job is even longer these days. And what would be considered a suitable job anyway? I hate to be the wet blanket here, but I couldn't help but temper my own happiness and excitement of the day by what awaits once we leave the comfort zone of Champaign/Urbana. I guess the cruel world awaits - as we all know and have experienced firsthand. At any rate, it's Monday. time to get busy. More though

Another rainy day. I guess we can't expect more than one nice day in a row. The business pages these days seem to have lost the focus on the unemployment situation, although I suspect the problem is as bad, or worse than ever. I see a lot of stories about average salaries coming down and I imagine that will be the trend. And some exec will be rewarded with a huge bonus for reducing costs - again, on the back of the rank and file. The story about the AIG bonuses being 3 times what was originally reported made barely a ripple. Where does it end? We are struggling to get by and the govt can't give away our hard earned money (or that of our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren) fast enough. I got a note from someone who had landed a very nice job after a frustrating search. (congrats Aleta) It is encouraging to hear that there are some good jobs out there. The competition is fierce, but there is a spot for each of us. You just have to keep telling yourself that. In my c

I was cleaning out my wallet, and came across the debit card from unemployment. During the time off, that piece of plastic was so representative of the situation. Every 2 weeks, a sum of money not nearly enough to sustain a family of 3 was deposited. Every 10 days, I would be checking the balance on line, and taking care to only buy what I absolutely needed - one day work of food, 10 bucks in gas, whatever I absolutely needed. The card was like an admission ticket to Wal Mart - it gave me something to do, and a means to go and buy an item and kill 15 minutes of a long day. That little piece of plastic....... Makes you realize the only thing between being relatively comfortable and in financial distress is the day to day security of having a job. Each day you work is one more day you have held your own with the bills and the finanacial drain. Having been off 6 months has set us back, but I know we arent the only ones. To paraphrase an old joke, "I was off for 6 months and b

I ran into a neighbor while walking the dog last night. She asked if I had found a job yet, and my reply was that I had found one 2 months ago. It occured to me how quickly that time passed. Just as the almost 6 months of unemployment did. While I was going through it, each day seemed to pass excrutiatingly slowly, but looking back at it, the time since September flew by. When I stop and reflect on it all, it is such a crazy journey. For that time, the job search is all that there is. Looking for a job, looking for things to apply for, checking email and job boards.....no matter what you try to do, that one thing seems to dominate your day. It would be so nice if you knew when the end of the search would be once you started, but it isn't that easy, is it? Anyway, I am at the point when I can look back at that time and not cringe too much anymore. but I certainly don't long to do that again. have a good day - one of these days the rain will stay away.

Beautiful day today. My son starts baseball and the weather is finally cooperating. It is so nice to have some good weather - I have been outside as much as possible, and hence, not sitting in front of a computer. The next 6 months almost make up for the depressing winter we just went through. Now that I am working, I delete without opening the auto job notifications I get from Careerbuilder, Monster, etc. I remember the days when I eagerly awaited the Sunday Trib and its thick job section. Scanning each category, handwriting a cover letter, getting a rejection letter via regular mail. The whole thing is so cold and impersonal now. That's progress, huh? The new job is moving right along. Learing the organization, its clients, the processes. Getting an opportunity to implement some controls and metrics for my area is a great opportunity. An acquaintace that I had helped get a part time job told me yesterday that he got up early and felt good about himself. And I knew exact