Bird Poop x2

Today was a gorgeous day. By far the most beautiful day of the year, so far. I think we pretty much skipped spring all together, and headed straight for summer.

So, I headed out - putting a short-sleeved shirt on for the first time this year. I wasn't out for long before I started regretting wearing my jeans, wishing I'd went with the shorts instead.

Anyway - I decided on another "first" of the year. A nice refreshing ice cream, outdoors, enjoying the warm weather. So, there I am - sitting outside at a local McDonald's enjoying an ice cold McFlurry. There is a family seated behind me... a bunch of kids running around playing and they too are enjoying the wonderful weather.

"Boo!"

I continue to enjoy my ice cream.

"Booooo! Whaaaa!"

I turn around to see what is going on. There is this kid chasing some birds (isn't it funny how many birds gather around in places like these? Hoping to capitalize on some spilled food.). I figure - let the kid chase the birds... what do I care? I'm enjoying my first ice cream, and the weather is perfect!

"Stop it!", the mother suddenly hisses at the kid. "Don't chase the birds!"

"I don't like birds. Birds poop everywhere! Booooo!"

"The birds aren't going to poop here", the mom says. The kid is chasing after a bird which whizzes by a little too close to me for comfort. He continues and stops right at my side... and speaks to me sincerely.

"Do you want a bird to poop you on the head?"

"No, I sure don't", I tell the kid.

"Yeah... MOM! See? I hafta chase the birds away!". The kid continues to run after the poor birds, hollering and screaming at them. I'm just thinking - Yeah, keep that up kid and one of those birds WILL poop me on the head!

............

Speaking of bird poop. I'm keeping this short. But the son of a bitching UO over here have indeed completely lost their mind - as I was told by others once they learned I was headed for the dreaded world of unemployment.

So, I had been in there - listing my qualifications, and what kind of jobs I was looking to get. Of course, I put media related jobs at the top of my priority list. This is where I want to be, this is what I once got a degree in. I have been on the wrong track working retail for far too long - I find it reasonable trying to get my job-life back on the right track. I would take retail temporarily, but I really need to get a job in film, television or any other form of production company.

Today, I had a personal meeting at the UO with a schmuck who decided it would be in their best interest that I not be listed for those jobs. Yes, their interest - they don't care about what I want... So I tell the guy:

"How am I supposed to get the job I want if I'm not listed in the database as a candidate for these jobs?"

"Well, you can look for these jobs on your own, if you want. But retail is where we will try to fit you in."

"I don't really want to do retail again. I am hoping that my education will land me a job where I want to be."

"But, you don't have enough experience. To be qualified to apply for these jobs, you need more experience."

"Alright, never mind. List me in that database however you so please. I don't care."

"We need to find you a job as quickly as possible", the guy pauses... "Here is one!". He shows me the computer screen.

Some company who are looking for carpenters and painters - they go to different places all over the country and do contract jobs - apparently.

"Uh... I have no experience in carpentry or painting."

"You listed that you assembled furniture at your last job."

I was dumbfounded... flabbergasted.

"Assembling furniture has got nothing to do with carpentry, and certainly not painting."

"Ok... I'll let you off the hook on that job then."

Yup... this is a normal day at the UO around these parts. I'm obviously experienced enough to apply for a job I would not be capable of doing, because I did something vaguely similar at a recent job - yet I am not qualified to apply for jobs in the field in which I got my education...

...Y'all know where I can get one of those nifty little bombs? The kind that goes BOOM?

WWC / Page 123 Meme

As the week hits Tuesday we all know what's going down by now... that's right - it is all about the Weekly Words Challenge! Hosted by the lovely no-day pretender Tink of Pickled Beef, this week we bring you the words ONE and WATER to play with.

Now, I meant to catch up a bit with all y'all's blogs today, but let me just tell you I've had a horror day of the first degree! Starting off with talking to some imbecile over at the UO (of which details I will not go into, because we're all getting sick of the UO talk), after which I go to the car wash to get my car all nice and shiny. Yup - it got nice and shiny, and will cost me a pretty penny. Fucking numbnuts R.E.H. left the damn antenna up, and will have to replace it. See, I don't usually go to the auto car-wash. I do it manually... so I just didn't think about what the consequences of listening to music in the car would be...

After that, I quickly (is how I thought it would happen) decided to get my summer tires on the car. I had them at this place for storage over the winter (by law in Sweden you have to change tires each summer and winter, and after May 1st you are not allowed to have winter tires on). I sat and waited at the place for over two hours to get the job done... after which it was too late to get to the shop and fix the antenna.

They were nice enough though, and even bought me some ice-cream. Spring has sprung (HA!) upon us in a hurry - almost to the point of skipping it all together, bring on summer straight away. Nice and warm out today.

Ooooh... I started rambling. Let's move on!

I've been tagged with a couple of meme's and decided to get one of them out of the way today on WWC day.

The HOT and SEXY Spiky Zora Jones over at Bit Player Reflects wants to know what book I'm currently reading, and tagged me to do the 123rd page meme that I've seen going around for a while. In case you haven't caught up on her blog, it is about time you do so - her blog is as HOT and SEXY as she is (somebody fan me!).

Let's get down to it - there are rules (but I will not tag anyone else... feel free to do it if you feel so inclined) .

The rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book = Currently picking up on some of the books I missed reading back in the 80's when they were new ;) This one was left behind in the States, and I got it back last year. Only now have I gotten the chance to read it... The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.

2. Open to page 123 = Oki doki.

3. Find the fifth sentence = "If it happened to me, I suppose I would," the man said.

4. Post the next three sentences = "Well, I hope your mother gets better in a hurry."
"You and me both," Jack said with perfect honesty. And that held them until the signs for the Oatley exit began to appear.

5. Tag five people = Nope!

With that taken care of... let's have a look at this weeks WWC pictures:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I was running out of WATER pictures, because I've used so many shots of the river and the lakes in my surroundings for other WWC words - but I was able to find a few new locations.

Next week we'll be playing with the words THREE and FIRE.

Unemployed Ramblings

After a bit of rowdy shenanigans over the weekend, it is time for me to do one of those "ramblings" posts again. You know, where I talk a little about this and then a bit about that - stuff that is currently on my mind in one way or another.

And, more so than anything - the fact that I am now officially unemployed (as of today) is one thing that is on my mind. The workings of being unemployed in this country is absolutely crazy, and from what I hear, it is a lot worse now than it was when I last experienced this state of being about 4+ years ago. Hence, the title of todays ramblings are "Unemployed Ramblings".

The Unemployement Office: The place to go when out of a job is the Unemployement Office. This is required for you to recieve payment from the Union (we pay monthly as we work - or not - to a pool of money from which we can collect unemployment benefits for up to six months... after that, we become the product of the welfare system). Unless you are registered with the unemployment office, you can not collect the money.

This all sounds reasonable to me. But, it is how things at the UO (Unemployment Office) are handled that pisses me off. Not only do they treat you like dirt - they refuse to help you, and as you walk in with a million questions (as you don't have a clue how things work around here) they point you to a computer. I don't want a computer, I can log onto that site at home... I came all the way down here because I felt the need to speak to a human being and have my questions answered. You then have to book a meeting, and hope you get to talk with someone who knows a thing or two. From my last experience of this place - very few of the people working here can tell you a damn thing worth knowing.

Top this off with the fact that they force people to take jobs - any jobs they think are suitable for you. That means, that because I have experience in retail - every single retail job available is going to be forced upon me. They don't give a damn that I don't want to work in that line of work any more... and if I refuse - there goes my benefits, and welfare isn't going to give me any money either... so I would stand without any form of income (save from robbing a few convenience stores and the occasional boondocks bank). Lately, I hear from others, they have also taken it upon themselves to force people to move to another city if they can find you a job there... listen - I'm not moving to another city in Sweden - if I'm moving, it'll be a hell of a lot longer than that. I've even heard of some people being forced to take a job in our neighboring country of Norway (see, them Norwegians actually have jobs)... how in the hell is that going to help the unemployment crisis is Sweden?

Beware, as this goes on, that I may have some very angry rants on this blog - it's all coming back to me now. What it is like to be unemployed in this country. I swear to you, I would rather be locked up in jail... hell, they even have their own Union Reps in jails over here - not long ago (and, no I'm not kidding) they were fighting for their rights to have televisions in their cells, and for their rights to have access to PORN!

Guys... these are criminals? Many of them sexual predators... they have NO right for porn. You know, as long as TV and porn is readily available - I'll go to jail and actually enjoy it too.

See how that happens? You talk about the UO, and you finish up in jail. It is all too much of a possibility that this happens too... I might end up hurting someone in one of my visits there.

"HOUSE DOCTORS": A number of years ago, things changed in the local medical centers. We no longer belonged to a certain health facility, but rather to a specific doctor. As these changes took place, I know I filled out the papers so that I could see the same doctor I had been going to since I was a kid. I didn't need a visit to the doctor's office in about three years, and upon my arrival I found out that I did not belong to this hospital, and as such I was not welcome. I was furious!

It's been another couple of years, and for the past six months my left shoulder has been bothering me. It really flares up when I try certain exercises at the gym, so for quite some time I've known that I need to go see a doctor about it... you know - after six months you can feel pretty certain it isn't going away by itself. So, today, I actually went back and was able to sign up to a doctor at the same hospital I've always gone to. Not my old doctor, but some new woman doc... I'll be giving her a call tomorrow and see if I can come in and have a look at that shoulder.

Balloon Angioplasty: Hospitals seems to be the theme today. Interestingly enough, apart from jail, hospitals are a likely place to end up when dealing with the UO. Either on account of a mental breakdown, or from stress-induced heart failure. Heart failure is not something to joke about...

One of my best friends, only 41 years old, apparently had to have a coronary angioplasty last week. He had been feeling down for a couple of months, and when he went out for a walk, he had to stop and catch his breath every so often. And, then he was feeling this intense pressure in his chest. For months he figured he had an infection of sorts, and didn't think much of it. He finally did go to the doctor's to have it checked out, and was rushed to the hospital for the surgery.

These things scare the living crap out of me... these things remind me that I am getting old. My friends are getting old, and dammit do I have some living left to do. Now, 41 is very young to suffer from this - and the fact that he has diabetes is part of what caused it.

I only heard of these news this weekend, and ran into him at the grocery store today. I was going to call him tonight anyway to check up on him. He was doing great now, and was out walking a few miles every day... and he didn't have to stop and catch his breath anymore. For that he was grateful!

Party was wild: I'll finish this rambling up on a lighter note. The party this weekend was a success. Apart from the new woman at my old job, whom I detest, we were a good group of people who got together. This new woman, by the way, has become the manager of the store since I was let go... Thank the Lord I am no longer there!

Anyway... we had fun, drinking, eating nachos and playing Singstar on the Playstation. That stupid game actually figured I hit the notes pretty well... I'm sure the judges of American Idol would say otherwise... I did not sing a pretty tune, I tell you!

We hit the bars later on, and even I spent a lot of time strutting my stuff on the dance floor... I can NOT dance, I tell you (so that leaves me out of favor with the judges of "Do You Think You Can Dance..." as well.)

I also met a couple of old friends that I haven't seen in many years. That's always fun... and then I hooked up with some drunk bimbo for a while, but it ended right there (and all for the better).

Yesterday... as usual... I paid the price for having a bit of fun. It's getting more and more expensive by the year to party... gone are the days when you could get hammered and then get up and be productive the next day. I have a strong resemblance to a zombie the day after...

Inside Looking Out

I said that I was going to go a little "old-style" on you people this week, and blog a little bit about the current situation that I find myself in. As you regular readers have probably noticed, there has been a lack of posts that speak of what is going on in my life of late... well, let's have a peak, shall we - and I'm sorry I don't have too many good news to share.

Apart from the party happening this weekend, there really isn't anything fun to report.

I mean, as I lost my job, I thought of it as a good opportunity. I hated the place, and under no circumstances would I want to return to work there - I am still very pleased to be out of that hell hole.

But, what I have found out since I didn't have a place to go every day for work is this.

A) I have a tendency to fall into apathy. I am nowhere near as productive now that I should have all the time in the world to be that. I am not utilizing all this freedom to my advantage, and time flies.

B) When looking for a new job, I have only come to the conclusion that there isn't a single job out there that I would enjoy working at. At least not jobs that are available or jobs that I am qualified to do.

Now, I thought about packing up and leaving the country. Fucking brilliant idea (excuse the french, but I get emotional sometimes)! This is in fact the one thing that I really feel would be right for me at the moment. It is right for me if I am being 100% selfish, that is.

I'm still planning to go - but it won't be likely to happen until earliest at the end of the year - probably even next year sometime. In the meantime I need to save up a few dollars to get me started when I get over to the States. I mean, I'm gonna need some rent money, a car, and enough cash left over to feed me for two-three moths until I am sure I have a steady income... or, I could try to get a job from here and have that ready for me when I land. I wonder how that would work?

Either way... I could use some more savings before moving. I am not going to completely drain my current life savings for the move, because who knows the repurcussions I would suffer then! And, saving up money means I need a job, because what I get from the state is barely going to cover my bills. And, I'll probably be living off pasta and... well pasta and ketchup. Water on the side ;) Nah, it's not gonna be that bad... I'll probably be able to afford a bowl of freshly boiled rice every once in a while.

This job that I should get could be anything that pays a decent salary. I can't be too picky, but still I am faced with a few retail jobs as the only choice, and Lord knows I don't want to do retail again. I did see a sales job that would require a lot of travelling, and that I could do - I like to travel. Problem was, salary was only based on sales, no basic payment at all, and I've tried that before. That was the only job I ever had in which I actually lost money instead of made any. At least I got to stay at hotels for free for a month. In total, though, I'd lost about 2.000 dollars on that job in one month... so you can see my aversion towards these types of businesses.

Writing... journalism. This I could do, and I do believe I could do it well. A few years ago I even wrote a few pieces for the local newspaper, and I did a couple of movie reviews. But, try to get hired at a newspaper without a degree in journalism to show... not gonna happen.

So... should I go back to school? I guess - if I want to get a better job than your average junk piece of work. But, going to school right now is a waste of time and money. If indeed I am going to move, that is simply out of the question.

End result of all that I just wrote is - I really don't know what I want or what to do to get it. Not right now.

So, at the moment, I try to spend some time at the gym working out. I've thought about going out into the woods for a jog once every day, now that spring finally does seem to have arrived... I need a pair of jogging shoes for that.

So, yeah. Over all, I am a little down. Have been for a couple of weeks now, and it's taking its toll on my blogging as well. For some weird reason, it seems, getting a job and actually having less free time, would give me more time to effectively be productive and creative...

Apart from that, you might say that I am being a bit slothful at the moment... and we will probably have a little closer look at that tomorrow, as (fittingly enough) I will discuss the sin labeled Sloth of the 7 Deadly Sins series tomorrow.