I Got Work!

[WX7P]

Found a job in Menlo Park after 4 months of unemployment. I'm staying at my parent's house in Fremont (across the Dumbo aka Dumbarton Bridge) during the week and going back to my wife in Sac on the weekends. Beats being on the dole.

What's funny about this job is the audition process. They've run a bunch of temps in, and they've cut a few after just a few days. I guess they think they can be picky because the job market is so shitty right now. I am extremely overqualified for what I am doing, but I'm happy to have the work.

I hate living with my parents and being away from my wife, but the hole in my resume was worse.

[NQ6U]

Well, all reet! Congrats!

Menlo Park is just a few miles down US 101 from the 'rents place in San Mateo.

[N8YX]

Excellent!

Things are beginning to get "interesting" around these parts. Apparently the IT/service economy has begun rebuilding itself to the point that there are a number of opportunities to be had...and the exodus has (predictably) begun.

[W0KCS]

It's ALWAYS good to have work. Congrats!

[suddenseer]

I did not know you were without work. CONGRATS!!! I understand the overqualified bit all too well. Work is work, I had not punched a time clock in 30 years. I have been doing it every work day for 2 years. 2/3 of a loaf is better than no loaf. Too bad you're not a world class trombone player like your offspring.8)

[KG4CGC]

Congratulations!
And remember, like my last employer proved to be the case:
"We say we want you to work smarter but we really want to break your back."

[kf0rt]

Chilled legumes, Dave - glad to hear it! Hope you got in a bit of R&R in those 4 months (beyond truckin' through Denver). My ex-boss just got work again after being off 16 months to the day. High stress suckage...

[W3MIV]

Mazel tov, Dave! Hope you soon find something closer to home.

[w2amr]

All the best buddy.:clap:

[WØTKX]

Well, yay and a half! :agree:

[ki4itv]

Congratulations! w00t!:agree:

[kc7jty]

Muy bueno mi hermano.

[PA5COR]

Congrats on the job!!

[W3WN]

Congrats!

And you know, of course, the fact that you're currently employed makes you more attractive & desirable...

...to potential employers...

[N5RLR]

Congratulations! :agree:

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

So true.
Once you get a job it is easy to find a job!

[NQ6U]

Hello.

So true.
Once you get a job it is easy to find a job!

Yeah--if my prior experience is any guide, you will get three more job offers in the next week.

[WX7P]

Congrats!

And you know, of course, the fact that you're currently employed makes you more attractive & desirable...

...to potential employers...

Exactamundo, Ron.

That's why I took this gig, even though it's kind of pain in the ass, and a little beneath my abilities. At 52, I don't want a huge time hole in my resume. I was out 7 months the last time which wasn't good. I saw applicants at my previous job get dinged because they weren't "current", which is kind of stupid, because claim handling is claim handling if you know what you're doing.

I'm hoping to use this gig as a springboard to getting a job back up here in Sac. Sarah works for a local sanitation district as an instrumentation tech, so it would be stupid for us to move to the Bay Area. Eventually, I'd love to move to Placerville on some acreage and start putting up antennas. It's not out of the question. Placer County on 160 anyone? Anyone want to buy some beautiful vacation property in Tulelake? Huh? Huh?

Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone. Carlo: What time is dinner at your Mom's house?

[kc7jty]

GL on the aspirations.

[n6hcm]

that's great news. i didn't realize you were looking for work ... menlo park isn't a bad place to work (although i can understand wanting to be closer to home). my biggest problem with menlo park is kepler's (http://keplers.com/) (i remember it not being too far from where the caltrain passes by, and if i got to the train stop early i'd end up leaving some money behind there ...

[WX7P]

that's great news. i didn't realize you were looking for work ... menlo park isn't a bad place to work (although i can understand wanting to be closer to home). my biggest problem with menlo park is kepler's (http://keplers.com/) (i remember it not being too far from where the caltrain passes by, and if i got to the train stop early i'd end up leaving some money behind there ...

Thanks for the tip, Henri. I haven't seen anything from Kevin Starr since he used to write for the Examiner. I'll have to check Kepler's out. As you know, I'm sure, Fremont is not the cultural center of the universe, although there are some really good Afghan restaurants there.

Side comment. When I was in grade school in Fremont in the 60's, the town was 99% white. Plumbers, electricians and GM workers were pretty much the population. My parents crappy subdivision even had covenants against non-white homeowners that the realtors tacitly enforced until the early 70's. All the Mexicanos lived in Union City or Milpitas and Indian subcontinent Hindus or Sikhs were unheard of. We had two black families in my Junior High School. That's it.

Fast forward a few years. Fremont is now a polyglot of ethnicity. There are a few long term residents like my parents, but most of the residents now are Asian, Hindu or middle eastern. Still no black people to speak of, they tend to live in the north or west bay. I'd say that Fremont is now 20% white and the town is CROWDED. It's funny. There's still nothing to do there, even with all that diversity. We could start the evils of development debate, but that's the subject of another thread.

It's ironic that I'm spending time there now. I hated Fremont while growing up. My high school (Irvington) looked like a minimum security prison, classrooms with no windows. I never understood why my parents lived there all these years. They were both from San Jose, which even in the 70's was a far cooler place. I used to love going to San Jose to visit the grandparents back in the day. My Dad's parents lived off West San Carlos in San Jose which was used car lot central. I saw many a 58 Ford or Edsel for 200 bucks. I'd spend all day looking at cars. Didn't have that in Fremont. Everything HAD to be new.

[N2NH]

Congratulations. Good to see people getting work again. Been working here (seasonal) for over a month. I actually had to turn down another job, who is now waiting to hire me.

I guess the economy is getting better after all.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

The economy is recovering, but things have changed.
Big oil is again drilling for black gold, and hiring.
The construction industry is coming back slowly.
But they are counting pennies, so it is Mexicans wherever possible a people from India and Pakistan for other roles.
Rackspace bought the old Windsor Park mall and have turned it in a combo works joint and residence for a few hundred "rackers".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rackspace
The city of Windcrest actually owns "rackerland".
For their efforts, the workers get a H1b visa sponsor plus a place to live in a protected environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa
One wing is "Little Lahore", the other one looks like a mini Taj Mahal!
The place is VERY kid friendly, almost a theme park. ;)

[WV6Z]

Congrats Dave, now, tea break is over, back on your head!

Seriously, best wishes bro!

[WX7P]

Congrats Dave, now, tea break is over, back on your head!

Seriously, best wishes bro!

Thanks, Tom. Nice to hear from you!

Being unemployed BLOWS. I'm starting to wonder how I'll handle retirement.

[KG4CGC]

Thanks, Tom. Nice to hear from you!

Being unemployed BLOWS. I'm starting to wonder how I'll handle retirement.
With the right hype, the wire antenna business.

[W3WN]

Exactamundo, Ron.

That's why I took this gig, even though it's kind of pain in the ass, and a little beneath my abilities. At 52, I don't want a huge time hole in my resume. I was out 7 months the last time which wasn't good. I saw applicants at my previous job get dinged because they weren't "current", which is kind of stupid, because claim handling is claim handling if you know what you're doing.

I'm hoping to use this gig as a springboard to getting a job back up here in Sac. Sarah works for a local sanitation district as an instrumentation tech, so it would be stupid for us to move to the Bay Area. Eventually, I'd love to move to Placerville on some acreage and start putting up antennas. It's not out of the question. Placer County on 160 anyone? Anyone want to buy some beautiful vacation property in Tulelake? Huh? Huh?

Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone. Carlo: What time is dinner at your Mom's house?
I don't care what county, I need California on 160. Now that the wire's back up in the air (*) and I'm no longer warming earthworms when I transmit, maybe we can make a sked? Please?


(*) when the tree service trimmed the neighbor's tree that was the skyhook (with permission!) for my inverted "L", the took the wire down, trimmed, and put it back. In that tree. Unfortunately, they tied the other end at ground level at the base of another tree, leaving about 30 - 40 feet of wire in a pile at the base of the tree. I went into the woods right after half time, threw a rope up over a tree branch, hauled it back up, and tied it back where it's supposed to be.

Oh well, they meant well. They didn't HAVE to put the wire back in the support tree, so I guess I can't kvtech...

[W3WN]

Thanks, Tom. Nice to hear from you!

Being unemployed BLOWS. I'm starting to wonder how I'll handle retirement.

I'm hoping to buy a few acres and become a farmer. I plan to grow antennas.

[KG4CGC]

I'm hoping to buy a few acres and become a farmer. I plan to grow antennas.
They told me you couldn't plant sausage seeds. They told me they wouldn't grow. Well I showed them.
~Mayor Adam West

[W3MIV]

... so I guess I can't kvtech...

Sure you can. Kvetching has become an American national pastime. It is more popular even than baseball.