What Fresh Hell Is This?

Apparently, that how Dorothy Parker answered the telephone.  Supposedly it originated when someone interrupted her train of thought, but she ended up using it as a greeting, to answer the phone or the door.  I might have to try it.

In any case, it's been a long month.  I've been banging out resumes to anyone with an open position, and so far all I've received was one response, a politely-worded "Thanks, but the position has been filled."  I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to change professions.  I've not worked in any business but hotels since 1998.  I've got no degrees, so it's mostly been one long series of working the same job over and over, with little to no hope of advancement.  I'd go back to school, but no one will finance my education until I pay off my debts, including a student loan which dates back to 1991.

My sister (ex-in-law, whatever) suggested I shift my job search south, as her husband is doing.  She suggested Panama City and Orlando (the vacation capital of America).  Both have some nice positions open, but most of the ads I saw are only taking walk-in applicants.  I don't have access to a vehicle now (Vicki sold her van), so I can't exactly drive to either place to apply.  Since I came to Florida, I've had the feeling that Tallahassee was only a way station, that I'm meant to travel further south.  Orlando, or even Miami would put me much closer to a lot of trans-friendly business and support structures, too.

If I don't find another job soon, I'll have to vacate the guest house and move back in with my sister.  She ditched the big house in December and moved her brood into a double-wide by the airport.  She's getting ready to oust a housemate next month, so I might be able to move into my own room again.

The day I lost my job, I did a little shopping.  A trip to the mall yielded a new purse from Burlington Coat Factory, and at Game Stop I found a used copy of Halo 3: ODST.  I originally wrote a little about this game back in 2009, but I sidestepped it in my anticipation of Mass Effect 2.  I haven't had much else to do in the last few weeks, and the game has eaten up lots of hours.
 
Deprived of a vehicle, I've been doing a lot of walking.  The shopping center with a Publix grocery store and my favorite nail salon is 2.8 miles from my current residence.  A Walmart SuperCenter is 3.3 miles away, in the other direction.  Daytime temps have reached the seventies, so the walking's been good.  Twice people driving by have honked their horns and waved at me, but they were traveling too fast for me to see who they were.  I suppose they might have been some people I used to work with at the hotel, but I didn't see them.  Today a dude drove by shouting something derogatory.  I didn't hear the words, but I'd know that tone anywhere.  Again, he whizzed by at 50 mph, and I have no idea what he said or why.  I just went about my business.

Oh, Well...

Remember that "good position with a decent company"?  I was summoned into work this afternoon for a "counseling session" wherein I was terminated.  Yeah.

Back in December I made a couple of minor mistakes.  I was called in for a counseling session, written up and told that the company really wanted to retain my services, so I should focus on improving my work and improving my interaction with guests and coworkers.  I've worked hard, and I thought I was doing well.  I haven't heard a word of negativity from anyone in the nearly six weeks since my write-up.

I was fired, but the company won't fight if I apply for unemployment.  Ironically, the GM, who handled my termination, said that he'd be happy to provide me with a reference.  No one who's ever fired me has given me a reference.  It's a little thing, but I'll take it.

I'm in the process of updating my resume, and I've got Craigslist open in another tab.  I've already seen a couple of positions that might be for me.

One Year Later

It was exactly a year ago, almost to the minute, when I stepped off the plane and began my life in Tallahassee, Florida.  If you'll recall, I didn't exactly enjoy the moving process, and Florida did not seem to be the promised land it was made out to be.  None of my plans to sit back and let the world take care of things have ever come to any meaningful fruition, so after a few weeks of wallowing in self pity, I settled down into the business of starting over again.

It's been a slow process.  I didn't try to go back to work right away, but once the hunt began in earnest, I found a good position with a decent company.  Around the same time the Leon County Commission added sexual preference and gender identity to the classes protected under the local civil rights ordinance.  I have yet to take any sort of action on that item, but it's a new year.

A few weeks ago, I received an invite to join a TG support group on Facebook, and it looks like they actually have meetings here in Tallahassee.  There's a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, and I'm going to try to attend.  The Wednesday after is my birthday.  I don't yet have plans, but I requested the night off so I could have my schedule clear in case something comes up.  Worst case, I'll treat myself to a movie or something, but I'd really like to not be alone.

Coincidentally, It's Groundhog Day.  A couple of hours ago, it's said, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow and did not see his shadow, supposedly predicting an early end to winter.  Most of the US is covered in snow, some of the worst ever seen, but not here in Florida.  Down in the south of the state it's 81° F, but daytime temps here top out in the 60s.  It's still chilly at night, but that'll end soon.

I Was Wrong

I wrote last night's piece in anger.  I was wrong.  Comcast haven't taken control of anything at NBC yet, let alone given anyone there instructions about how to run their networks.  Apparently KO's been looking to get out of MSNBC for some time, and they didn't know he was going to leave until he said it on air.

Politics USA: Olbermann Wanted Out



I like the line, "Stop organizing life around the people who don't get the joke."

The World Turned Upside Down

So I haven't been able to get online from home since late Thursday night, and to add insult to injury, the cable was out most of the night and following day.  So I didn't know that Keith Olbermann is out at MSNBC until I came into work last night.  MSNBC came in clear for about ten seconds during Countdown, then the screen reverted to black.

I don't really watch much television anymore, and I suppose that frees up five hours to do something else, or discover another program.  I read that they're going to shuffle their evening lineup around to fill the gap, starting with moving Lawrence O'Donnell's program into Keith's slot.  Can they still call it The Last Word if it appears closer to the middle of the evening?  I'll still tune in to watch Rachel Maddow, but she's the only one who's not on during my normal sleeping hours.  Don't get me wrong.  I like MSNBC's other personalities, but I don't see myself rolling out of bed early to watch Chris Matthews or Cenk Uygur.  No offense, guys!

Mom was the one who turned me on to the show.  We used to laugh together over the phone during his Worst Person segments.  Watching the show the last few years has helped me retain a little sanity by continuing something I started with her.  Now that's gone.  Thanks, Comcast!

I'm on Totally Jacked Up Aircraft Photos

I love to take pictures of airplanes.  This dovetailed nicely with volunteering at the Carolinas Aviation Museum when I was in Charlotte, because it was often possible to work and shoot photos at the same time.  The museum, in its original location was perfectly sited between two of the runways, and I got lots of nifty shots.  I also got a lot of duds.  Handheld point-and-shoot digital cameras aren't really made for shooting fast-moving objects.  In the older models there's a sizable gap between when you press the button and when the camera actually takes the picture.  Taking the kind of pictures I like to take was a learning experience, but I got pretty good at it.  That said, I still take lousy pictures from time to time.

I don't remember exactly when or how I discovered Totally Jacked Up Aircraft Photos.  Suffice to say that it provides a little spot of humor in the midst of all the serious blogs I read.  At first, I had no intention of submitting anything to the blog.  After all, I aspire to taking good pictures.  Why would I want to share my failures?

Errare est humanum.

Never Surrender

Filled In

In my "Moved" post from December, I wrote that I was going to get my nails done, and was thinking of going acrylic. For whatever reason, I never followed up on that little tidbit.

I got my pedicure in the usual way, but I talked to the nail tech, a nice lady named Kim, and told her how I was feeling. I thought acrylic nails were those plastic-looking things, but what she did was brush on this acrylic powder, and shape the nails that way. Once they were buffed into the proper shape, she gave me the American manicure I wanted. That was three weeks ago.

I am pleased to report that the acrylic held up great.  The polish was starting to look a little ragged the last few days, but it looked okay for work.  My nails had gotten long in the interim, and if they had been natural, I'd have worried about breaking them.

Today I went in for another pedicure and got my first fill-in.  This is where the tech brushes on additional acrylic to fill in the gap between the previously applied stuff and the nail bed, and then buffs it all down to shape.  For years I've been coming into salons and seeing the price list for "Full Set" and "Fill-Ins", without comprehension.  Now I understand.  I can be so dense sometimes.

After the last trip to the salon, I took photos of my nails to show off here, but a few days after my camera died inexplicably, so you'll just have to imagine how they look.