Do you ever have the feeling that your life is stuck in an endless loop. The terrible feeling that you may be living the exact same day over and over. Getting up at the same time. Eating at the same time. Going to work at the same time. Doing the same thing as the day before and will be doing the same thing the next day. Going home at the same time (mercifully...). Go to bed at the same time. Repeat.
Yeah, that's the feeling that I've been having for a while now. Don't get me wrong, having a good job these days is quite an accomplishment, and I'm thankful for it, but let's just say that the monotony sometimes becomes overwhelming.
Five years ago, if someone had told me that this is where I'd be stuck, I would've told them that they're full of shit. Back then everything was looking up, and the economy seemed to have nowhere to go but up. A few years and a few layoffs later, here I am. So it goes. For now.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Machine
This is a blog that I wrote a couple of years ago, in 2009, I believe, after I had already been laid off twice, and a couple of months before my third layoff. I think the message still applies in 2012...
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I have realized that if you work for a Corporation, no matter the size, that Corporation will inevitably attempt to control every aspect of your life.
For a year-and-a-half I worked for a major Corporation in the housing industry, where I loved all my co-workers, the family atmosphere, and the close-knit work environment. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be around all day. When it came to the upper management, however, I quickly discovered that "the best and brightest" that the company had to offer had their heads so far up their rear ends that they could see their own tonsils.
The smaller Corporation that I'm at now isn't much better.
For the last 6 months there have been so many layoffs in the building and housing industry, and every time that it happened, management would send one of their "suits" give the "we're 'right-sized' for this market, now" speech. I think that this was little more than a [poor] tactic used to prevent morale from sinking too low, even though speaking from first-hand experience, I can tell you that morale did get very, very low. Even after their speech, they would come back two or three months later, and lay off even more people. Followed by the same speech again. And don't forget...they expect those that remain to do twice the work for no extra money. They better be glad they still have a job! Or so they would say.
You realize that these big companies do not care about the little guy who works long hours to keep the place running, and who relies on his comparatively meager paycheck to put food on the table, to pay bills, to buy the gas that he uses to get to work and to keep clothes on the backs of his family. The company is only looking out for the high-salaried Executives who are supposed to know how to properly manage a company to prevent such layoffs from happening in the first place. They have their BMW/Mercedes/Giant GMC truck paid for by the company, they take "business trips" on the company dime (which amount to little more than a company-sponsored fishing vacation). They don't really DO anything.
So, the point in all this is this:
Don't give a Corporation any more loyalty than they are going to give you...none. If a better offer comes along, snap it up...they would do the exact same thing. Keep your eyes open and keep your hook in the water. Look out for yourself.
Go well, my friends.
**************
I have realized that if you work for a Corporation, no matter the size, that Corporation will inevitably attempt to control every aspect of your life.
For a year-and-a-half I worked for a major Corporation in the housing industry, where I loved all my co-workers, the family atmosphere, and the close-knit work environment. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be around all day. When it came to the upper management, however, I quickly discovered that "the best and brightest" that the company had to offer had their heads so far up their rear ends that they could see their own tonsils.
The smaller Corporation that I'm at now isn't much better.
For the last 6 months there have been so many layoffs in the building and housing industry, and every time that it happened, management would send one of their "suits" give the "we're 'right-sized' for this market, now" speech. I think that this was little more than a [poor] tactic used to prevent morale from sinking too low, even though speaking from first-hand experience, I can tell you that morale did get very, very low. Even after their speech, they would come back two or three months later, and lay off even more people. Followed by the same speech again. And don't forget...they expect those that remain to do twice the work for no extra money. They better be glad they still have a job! Or so they would say.
You realize that these big companies do not care about the little guy who works long hours to keep the place running, and who relies on his comparatively meager paycheck to put food on the table, to pay bills, to buy the gas that he uses to get to work and to keep clothes on the backs of his family. The company is only looking out for the high-salaried Executives who are supposed to know how to properly manage a company to prevent such layoffs from happening in the first place. They have their BMW/Mercedes/Giant GMC truck paid for by the company, they take "business trips" on the company dime (which amount to little more than a company-sponsored fishing vacation). They don't really DO anything.
So, the point in all this is this:
Don't give a Corporation any more loyalty than they are going to give you...none. If a better offer comes along, snap it up...they would do the exact same thing. Keep your eyes open and keep your hook in the water. Look out for yourself.
Go well, my friends.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Back Then...
Remember when Punk was really Punk?
I swear to the non-existent holy deity of your choice...the next kid who tells me that Green Day or the freakin' Pixies are great Punk Rock bands...is going to get a broken nose!
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| Johnny Rotten and The Sex Pistols -- when Punk was real |
Voting for What's Right
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| He is the only candidate who will turn this country in the right direction. How? By doing something truly revolutionary. By following the Constitution. |
Friday, July 8, 2011
The End of an Era
Today marks the very last flight of the Space Shuttle, as Atlantis blasted off from Cape Canaveral on mission STS-135. She's carrying a crew of only 4...the Shuttle usually carries a crew of 7.
It's very bittersweet for fans of space flight. The Shuttle has had it's share of ups and downs throughout the years, the great successes, and the tragic losses of the Challenger and Colombia with all crewmembers perishing.
However, I think we should also consider the benefits that the Shuttle program has provided for us here on the ground. The program created literally thousands of jobs throughout the country. You see, the Shuttles needed a constant supply of replacement parts, which kept all those individuals busy. Job losses are already being felt because of the retirement of the Shuttle fleet.
Not only did the Shuttle program spur the creation of thousands of jobs, it also led to some very important advances in the technology scene, as well as some critical medical research.
We can thank the cancellation of the program and the loss of all those jobs, and the technical and medical benefits to "elected officials" (I use both of those terms very loosely...). You see, there are some individuals in Washington D.C. who think that the Shuttle is outdated, and needed to be retired, and replaced by a flight system that doesn't even exist yet. Seems like a major lapse in judgement to me, but then again, I think that we've all come to expect that from Washington over the last few years.
So, now what? Well, for the time being we're going to rely on the Russians to launch our Astronauts into outer space. Wait, the Russians? Didn't we spend billions of dollars starting in the 1950s to beat them in the "space race" and develop space flight systems that would be capable of outpacing theirs? Yep, we sure did. I'd hate to consider all that research and development a lost cause. But, thanks to those previously mentioned politicians who've slashed NASA's budget, we are now relying on the former Soviet Union to be our portal into outer space.
I'm sure that our former Cold War enemies are relishing in this small victory and the American dollars that they'll be pocketing. But I'm also hopeful that NASA will introduce out next space vehicle sooner rather than later. I'd rather not spend tax dollars supporting the space program of a hugely corrupt country like Russia. Remember folks, just because it's no longer called the Soviet Union doesn't mean that their ideology, methods and tactics aren't alive and well, because they are. They're just disguised in a very thin veil of dysfunctional Democracy.
Just a little food for thought this Friday.
It's very bittersweet for fans of space flight. The Shuttle has had it's share of ups and downs throughout the years, the great successes, and the tragic losses of the Challenger and Colombia with all crewmembers perishing.
However, I think we should also consider the benefits that the Shuttle program has provided for us here on the ground. The program created literally thousands of jobs throughout the country. You see, the Shuttles needed a constant supply of replacement parts, which kept all those individuals busy. Job losses are already being felt because of the retirement of the Shuttle fleet.
Not only did the Shuttle program spur the creation of thousands of jobs, it also led to some very important advances in the technology scene, as well as some critical medical research.
We can thank the cancellation of the program and the loss of all those jobs, and the technical and medical benefits to "elected officials" (I use both of those terms very loosely...). You see, there are some individuals in Washington D.C. who think that the Shuttle is outdated, and needed to be retired, and replaced by a flight system that doesn't even exist yet. Seems like a major lapse in judgement to me, but then again, I think that we've all come to expect that from Washington over the last few years.
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| Atlantis lifts off on the last Shuttle flight |
I'm sure that our former Cold War enemies are relishing in this small victory and the American dollars that they'll be pocketing. But I'm also hopeful that NASA will introduce out next space vehicle sooner rather than later. I'd rather not spend tax dollars supporting the space program of a hugely corrupt country like Russia. Remember folks, just because it's no longer called the Soviet Union doesn't mean that their ideology, methods and tactics aren't alive and well, because they are. They're just disguised in a very thin veil of dysfunctional Democracy.
Just a little food for thought this Friday.
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