DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

Very busy at work this week.  In the payroll business, you will always have the same amount of work to do, it will just be on a condensed schedule.  Tomorrow is the national holiday, but I am working.   but, in my position as a Director, I don't have to work tomorrow - I want to go.  If for no other reason than to buy the team lunch, let them know I appreciate what they do.  I am fortunate to have a very high functioning team, and I let them know that when it is appropriate.  It is very frustrating that I commend them for doing 13990 packages correct in a month, while others may only focus on the 10 that they didn't do correctly.  but, good enough is never good enough I guess.  at any rate, we have some higher temperatures, rain in the forecast, so the winter is taking a break. I was looking at the stats that the site keeps on the blog.  Are there really folks from around the world that read these posts?  if so, please post a comment - I would be interested to know if the sta

Hard to believe that Christmas is here and gone already.  and on to New Years.  Really busy at work, which is always good.  We hired 4 very good people to help with our year end production.  Each from a different background, skill set, demographic.  Very hard working - just a microcosm of those who are in the market.  I hired a part time person a month back.  The guy is about my age, with extensive experience in the car sales industry.  His job was cut months back.  No surprise - there are 5 very large dealerships in a half mile stretch of a busy street that are all closed.  You wonder how many sales people, support people, mechanics, etc have been affected by the closing of those 5 dealerships.  And that is just one suburb - every town has the same 5 or 15 or 50 dealerships that have closed.  You wonder when it will end and turn for the better. I played basketball the other night for the first time since I hurt my hamstring in October.  What a disaster.  At this age, even a week off

A day off.  Back to work tomorrow.  It is garbage day, and there really aren't the big piles of garbage that you'd expect to see after Christmas.  Maybe everybody is dialing back a bit.  We had a nice holiday, and everybody seemed to get what they wanted.  I will run around a bit today and take it easy.  Playing basketball tonight for the first time since October when I tore my hamstring.  We'll see how that goes.  I don't think I have broken a sweat since that night.  Hopefully my body will hold up for the next 8 weeks that we have the gym.  More snow yesterday.  Not even January yet and we have been dumped on 4 or 5 times.  Looks like the east coast got it worse.  I made a roast on the grill last night - I haven't bbq'd in a long time - but everything is better cooked on the grill.  Now I have to go buy a new grill cover since mine was destroyed when I took it off.  Frozen plastic does not bend too well. Saw an article today that 84% of workers hope to swith

Christmas Day.  Had a nice time last night at my brother's.  Came home and opened presents and got some nice things.  No golf balls though.  I only have 4 months to get my own, I guess.  More snow last night - this winter seems long already.  I already read the paper this morning - not much in the news.  As I have written before, the days of the job search were marked with being online at 6 am, fruitlessly sending out resumes.  I couldn't wait for the holidays to be over to get back to a less depressing time to conduct the job search.  So, for those of you in that boat, remember, the normal, frustrating days are just ahead of us.  As for me, I am looking forward to the start of the new year to turn the page on the old, and seek the new.  Whatever that may be. Merry Christmas

A day off, and Christmas Eve. Nice day to do nothing, since either you are prepared for the holiday or you're not. I am not much of a Christmas person. As long as my family has everything they want, and their health, that is fine by me. I never ask for anything since I do my fishing trip in the summer. Maybe some golf balls would be nice..... Really crazy week at work. I ship all over the country, and weather issues played havoc with my shipments this week. Spent way too much time putting out fires. But to revisit the topic that started this blog, I would rather work 60 hrs a week than to not have anything to do. Sometimes when I am at the computer that I did all my job searching at, I get flashbacks from the days of sitting there from before sunrise to after sunset. I wonder how many hours I spent there....I am sure those in the market can tell me. I took my son out to lunch yesterday and we talked about how two years ago at this time I helped him with a science project.

Christmas week. Of course, I have done nothing to prepare. so, I better go out and get a few gifts. Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, and it will be 6 to 8 weeks before we notice any increase in daylight. the weather has really been bad so far - winter came a month early, and hopefully it ends a month early too. I remember so distinctly 2 yrs ago this very week. the frustration of sending resumes that you know will won't even be read. but that was then. have to keep looking forward and put the past in the past. I still read the articles I see on the unemployed and their plight. Anyone who has been through it probably does. As a friend once told me it is the scar that does not heal. so anyway - onward. much to do, and next month will be much busier. and we are crazy busy now. so, that is a good thing.

Still very cold. More January weather than mid-December. The xmas related parties at work are starting. As I have writted before, that was the thing that made unemployment during the holdiays so trying - not being included in the parties and events around work. But, for the second xmas in a row, I do not have that frustration to deal with. I am hoping those seeking jobs find them in the new year - as I am sure they all do too. I still see the occasional article about those struggling with joblessness, but not to the degree that we did a year ago. Even though the problem is as bad or worse. Let's all do what we can to help those wherever we can. and so, back to work.

Not even officially winter yet - but sure is winter weather. too cold and snowy for the beginning of December - and we won't see nice weather until March at the earliest. I haven't done any outside winter activities in years (decades) and so the time from January to Spring feels longer every year. As it is, gearing up for Christmas, and for the busy activity at work in January. In the payroll industry, January is when all the w2s have to be produced and shipped, in addition to all normal business. so, it will be a busy month ahead. My fishing buddies and I go to the All Canada show in mid January and book our summer trip. That gives us something to look forward to. And hopefully an early spring so we can start golfing again. I read a good book on the finanacial meltdown "Griftopia" by Matt Taibbi. It is both informative and infuriating - much of the present mess was caused by the greed of the financial industry. and they all benefitted from the meltdown and s