Hurry Up and Wait, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Create My Own Momentum

Hurry up and wait. This is an expression that is widely used in the film industry to describe the momentum that happens on sets. The film crew (you know, everyone BUT the actors, a.k.a. the people who really make a movie) busts their humps to get a scene set before the “talent” saunters out of their trailer to share their “craft” with the world. In other words, a never ending cycle of LeBron James’ “Decision” special.

Anyways, the crew kills themselves to get things right and then the actors come in and take all sorts of sweet Jesus time to do their scenes and get it right before the director yells cut, the producers check to see that no overtime in incurred, and the crew kills themselves again. The world of unemployment is much like this.

Because I had been through a layoff and job search before, I knew that the key to remaining as positive as possible was to keep myself occupied. I haven’t always been superbly successful at this (I hit one gawd-awful week-long funk in early September), but by and large I have done pretty well. In addition to searching for the next great job, I developed a proposal for a community-based program, launched a bike program at my kids’ school, received a grant for said program, co-chaired the school’s garden project, started this blog, co-coached my son’s First Lego League Team, and reintroduced myself to the practices of household maintenance. And I got to ride my bike a whole bunch, which is nice. For an unemployed guy, I’ve been pretty busy.

When I do search and apply for jobs, it’s in rushes of clusters. I would seem to find a few interesting possibilities in a row and hurry up and blast off the resumes. And then I would wait. Hurry up and wait. Egad.

This hurry/wait phenomenon took a different turn for me over the past month. A few weeks back, I received an email from a former colleague at ASU probing my interest in possibly returning to that institution in a limited role. Never being one to deny an opportunity to explore options (and honestly harboring no ill will or reason to not want to return) I expressed interest and agreed to meet with my old boss to discuss this potential post.

That same week, I was talking with a fellow parent at my son’s Scout meeting and we discovered that we had a mutual acquaintance and he mentioned how this acquaintance was looking for someone with my general skill set. Again, I expressed interest in meeting up with this person and see what suggestions he might have. I met with him a few days later and what was supposed to be an informal “good to see you” meeting quickly became a formal job interview with another department director from his firm.

Then that night I received an email from a parent from school who also happens to be an editor for the Phoenix New Times. She had seen an earlier post of this blog, complimented my writing and asked if I would be interested in writing for the New Times’ art and culture blog Jackalope Ranch. I figured she was drunk but I had to take her up on her offer.

I had gone five months with nary a smidgen of interest in my services outside of my own do-gooder efforts, yet in the course of one week I felt like LeBron the night he became a free agent. This was niiiiiice. And it was fast. Perhaps too fast?

Jackalope Ranch immediately sent me on my blogging duty and I now am featured weekly, producing a cycling-centric blog called, aptly, Cycle.

The other two possibilities have, well…aged.

I had the initial meeting at ASU with my old boss and colleague where they outlined what they needed and asked if I would be a) interested in coming back, and b) interested in this job. The situation actually sounded really good and the half time commitment meant I could continue playing Mr. Mom and work on those other projects that I had invested time and energy. They expressed that they would like to get me started fairly quickly to get me up to speed and ready for an upcoming event. Then Thanksgiving came…and went.

The other interview with the old acquaintance also went very well, there was some good chemistry happening, and they seemed to like my answers. But both gentlemen continually bracketed the interview with caveat that their search was in the infancy stages. After the meeting, I sent off my usual “Thank you for your time” emails. All is quiet on that front ever since.

In the middle of all of this, I coordinated the first bike safety rodeo for the school’s bike program. It was by all account a huge success. We had 50+ participants (31 students), gave away 14 free bike helmets (thank you Phoenix Children’s Hospital!), and were welcomed by a board member of the National PTA who formally announced our grant. I even had a commitment from Ironman to have a pro racer come and speak to the kids, but she couldn’t get away from her race commitments in time.

Hurry up and wait.

Well, as of this afternoon the wait is officially over – kind of. Today I met with the Dean at ASU and formally accepted the half time position back at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. And I have the best title EVER: Special Advisor to the Dean – Coordinates Advisory Boards and Community Groups. Picture that on a business card, pal! And I am going to be communing with alumni and community partners who have hiring authority or influence for major firms, companies and organizations across the Valley.

So while I am no longer officially unemployed, I am not yet a member of that highly vaunted full-timers club. But I like this set-up. I’ll be bringing a bit of cash home and getting back to work (both are really nice for the old ego) while I continue to write about cycling, develop the bike program, and continue this great bonding experience with my offspring. Heading into the holidays I feel like the wind is at my back and I have no need to complain.

What Do We Work For?

I used to be fond of pointing out that we (when fully employed) spend more of our waking hours at our jobs interacting with our co-workers than we do at home with our families and friends. The employed must be devoted and focused on earning their keep. It has become an American social norm, no matter how much some advocate for flex schedules, a four day work week, or mid-day siestas.

Jobs easily consume us. It’s understandable to fixate on the things in our jobs that drive us crazy. I’ve encountered some people who actually prefer to live in their state of unpleasant drama at work than find their happy place. I was guilty of this myself some years back when I was younger and full of answers but empty of chutzpah to do anything about it. We become obsessed with the negative work crap we can’t control.

I recently realized that there was a time when I absolutely hated going to work when things got bad at the office. I would get this feeling of dread and nausea as the morning alarm went off and I joined the lines of other ants marching towards their daily cubicle homes. I wasn’t experiencing anything unusually bad at those jobs, just your run-in-the-mill crappy days filled with typical jackass co-workers, idiot supervisors, or damned missed deadlines.

While crappy work days will always occur (again, when fully employed), there eventually came a point when I ceased having those nausea-filled days of dread. It never occurred to me exactly when that time was until I started doing all that great inner-reflection that comes with being jobless. Those ill feelings went away after I was RIF’d from my position with an internet broadcasting company in the autumn of 2001. That also was when my wife and I welcomed our first son, Lucas, into our family. In the time since, I have had many heartburn-inducing challenges at my jobs, but I always had a greater purpose. In fact, that greater purpose sometimes became the thing I dreaded to return to. But that’s life.

So, here I now sit, on the outside of those conversations of employment-based venting and frustration. And I don’t want to seem unsympathetic to those who are fortunate to be employed and subjected to those crappy days, jackass co-workers, idiot supervisors, and damn missed deadlines. BUT…

I am really freaking sick and tired of hearing people who are fortunate enough to be employed bitch about those crappy days, jackass co-workers, idiot supervisors and damn missed deadlines (and I am not alone). There is no such thing as a perfect job. There never will be. Sure, not everyone works simply to provide. I’ve gotten to know quite a few people who truly do live for their work. But being fairly compensated for your labor has become a precious commodity these days. The employed are lucky and there is not a single person who has lost a job over the last three years who wouldn’t do anything to reverse that circumstance.

So, to anyone who has a job and a bad day, before you go off about how bad you have it, take a few seconds to consider who you are venting to…and go have a kid. Raising children makes any job seem easy.

Employment...errr...Election Day

It’s an odd feeling to be an unemployed voter, especially as we sit in the midst of this horrible period of our nation’s history in terms of employment. Over these last weeks leading up to today’s General Election, there’s been so much rhetoric thrown around about the state of our economy and why there aren’t more jobs and who is to blame that it becomes easy to forget what voting for a candidate truly represents. 

I know that a majority of people in the country right now feel the fault of our current situation falls squarely on the President and those in his party. But it’s impossible to place total blame there as this miserable economy was created before this President ever took office.

I know that those on the left blame the previous President and those in his party. But there has been some time rectify this economy somewhat, and let’s face it…President Obama has not been super duper in terms of reaching out and leading the middle class that he claims to champion. Besides, it was a Democrat Congress over the last two years of President Bush’s administration when this recession took hold.

So, here we are today with what is, in effect, a referendum on the rehiring or firing/hiring of a few select people who have decided to direct their careers towards public service and leadership. I, one of the unemployed, get to be a hiring manager for a day. Well, one of (hopefully) millions of hiring managers across this country. Sure, I have in mind a specific set of skills and ideologies that I believe shape the ideal candidate for each position, and my desired qualifications are going to differ from at least half of the other hiring managers providing input today. So be it.

I don't have the answers (even though I sometimes act like I do, often to the great dismay of my wife and family). Heck, if I did I probably wouldn't be searching for a job right now. But, it’s kind of weird thinking that I have some infinitesimal amount of influence on some good (and some not so good…and some downright horrible) people hoping to obtain employment to, in part, represent me. The depressing thought is that, most likely, those who will be awarded these jobs will have absolutely no interest in representing me in any way.

Should make for an interesting next couple of years, if nothing else.

Unemployment Training

“You have been selected to attend this reemployment orientation session because you have been receiving unemployment insurance benefits for at least a month now, which means you are doing something wrong.”

This was the warm welcome I and 39 other unemployed individuals received from our orientation facilitator the morning of Sept. 27, yet his rehearsed delivery made it clear many other unfortunate souls have received the same greeting. You see, I was mandated by the Arizona Department of Economic Security to devote one to three hours of my Monday for a training session “which will provide you with comprehensive information about reemployment services available to you.”

The notion that in this job market and national economy, which has Arizona at an unemployment rate of ten percent, one month of unemployment would certainly be our fault. None the less, I was called to serve and so I did mainly because if I elected not to my unemployment insurance benefits would be discontinued.

Yes, it is very important that I use this time to have a greater understanding of what the State of Arizona offers to assist me in finding work instead of, oh…I don’t know…actually look for work. According to my summons, DES records identified me as being one who could benefit from these services. Services such as Basic Computer Classes, Resume Writing Lab, Networking, and “Boomers & Beyond”.

I was greeted by the lovely gentleman who would turn out to be my session facilitator with a thundering, “May I help you?”

This guy was in his late-20’s/early 30’s, dressed in slacks and a button down straight from Kohls, sleeves rolled up, his belly filling the shirt enough to see he didn’t exercise but wasn’t really fat. And clearly he had all the answers. When he was not welcoming all of his guests/hostages, he was discussing at full volume the experience of consuming raw pumpkin with a fellow front desk receptionist about.

“I have an appointment,” I replied.

“With who?”

Dude had me with that question. I pulled my referral form out to see if there was a name. There wasn’t.

“I have no idea.”

“Fill out these two pages and hand them back.”

Seriously. That was the exchange. This guy knew what the drill was and obviously was anticipating forty-plus people to arrive between 9:30 and 9:45. One would think he could lead with “Are you here for the orientation?”, but no. He had the job and clearly liked being the big man in a room full of people battling confidence issues in some manner.

So, I sat down and quickly completed the “two pages” he handed me, mostly questions I have already answered multiple times in the last six weeks as part of my filing for unemployment. I got up to hand my forms in when a gentleman directly in front of me was shouted down by our host for not filling out the back side of the second form. I wanted to correct the guy by letting him know that there are actually three pages, not two, but I didn’t want Time Out in Unemployment School before it even got started.

The general session ran about 45 minutes and included a 20 minute presentation from a gentleman handling Veterans employment assistance. We had two Vets in our group. Two out of 40. Sure glad we all got to get the rundown of benefits that only 5% of the room could qualify for. We were also told great pearls of wisdom such as “You must have a resume to find a job in today’s job market” and “You have to know how to use a computer and the internet to look for the jobs.” At this point, I was wondering aloud, “What freaking record does the Arizona DES have that would indicate this session would benefit me?!?”

We were then shuffled into a computer lab-type room where would log into our Arizona Workforce Connection profile, update our information and create a virtual resume. My profile was filled with my information from my last period of unemployment – 2001.

This lab room was cold. I mean, the state could easily being going bankrupt simply from refrigerating this space. I swear each computer terminal had its own 15 SEER, 4 ton air conditioning unit (I know these unit specs only because we were the recipients of a new unit for our home this past week). It was cold.

By groups of four or five, people were called to have their one-on-one interviews with their Reemployment Counselors. I was the second to the last called. During this time, I was encouraged to check the super-duper, double-secret, unavailable-anywhere-else job bank that does an exact match of skills to my resume. I got one match: the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Arizona Grand Resort. Keep in mind this is a job for which I have zero experience in either sales or marketing. Good match.

Once called, a kind gentleman took me back to his cubicle where he introduced me to another lady and announced, “We’re training.” I had no idea who was training whom here, but two hours of my morning were now shot, so what the heck. It quickly became apparent that the lady in the chair operating the computer was the trainee and I was picking up the process of virtually establishing my profile at a rate vastly superior to her. Perhaps she could benefit from one of the Basic Computer Classes.

She asked for my resume and the man asked what kind of work I’m looking for.

“I’m looking to continue the community-based project management type of work that I was doing while at ASU,” I said.

The lady looked blankly at her trainer and asked, “How do I enter that?”

Oh boy.

The man then asked me if I had any interest in any of the Employment Center’s classes, juggling some M&Ms as he spoke. I did my best to suppress a response of “Are you kidding???” and just smiled and said “No thanks.”

“So, should I enter ‘Not interested’ here?”

“Ummm…no,” he said to his trainee. He then looked at me and said, “You’ll be quick.”

Thirty minutes later, I was out the door, defrosting and satisfied that my benefits were intact.

And the moral of this story…I directly encountered at least seven people during this experience who all had jobs and over the course of three hours they went from telling me I was handling my unemployment improperly to there was nothing they could do for me. It was a productive morning.

The Training Log

This past week was not the most productive in terms of number of rides, but the quality was tremendous. I did spend the morning of Sept. 25 digging trenches for the kids’ school’s garden, but I have no stats for that.

• Wednesday, Sept. 22 – Hard, long ride from Cactus/92^nd St. to Bartlett Lake and back. This is a training route that Lance Armstrong and the Postal Service Pro Cycling team used to do. Good climbs out from the lake and a stiff headwind on the return trip. 76 miles, 4 hrs 39 mins, 4171 Kcalories, 149 Avg HR, Avg Speed 16.2, Avg Cadence 85.
• Sunday, Sept. 26 – A lovely ride to Le Grande Orange with my wife as Nana had the kids for a sleepover. Very low intensity for me, but hard on Vicki. 30 miles, 2 hrs 27 mins, 775 Kcalories, Avg HR 90, Avg Speed 12.1, Avg Cadence 62.

Anniversary Gift from an Unemployed Husband

I cleaned, too.

Happy anniversary Vicki.

Getting to Know Your Lawn Ornaments and Other Happenings

Do you know anything about the person whose name is on the sign in your yard?

It has now been four months since I last put in an honest day’s work and was compensated with money. While in all real terms that is a very short period, it has at times felt interminable. Quite often I just look out there and wonder what could possibly come along and how long it will be before I apply to man the French fry press at In and Out. Given the rising tension around the old homestead, this may need to happen sooner than later.

There are no two ways about it, being unemployed sucks. But not having to report in to an employer on a daily basis does have a few advantages. For instance, this week my mother treated me to a visit to the Phoenix Art Museum where we took in the Cezanne exhibit and grabbed some lunch. It also allows me some amount of freedom to get out for a ride or run with minimal residential traffic to worry about.

As with the rest of the nation, Arizona is in the throes of mid-term election season. As I ride around town, it’s impossible not to notice the street corners stacked with billboards advertising each of the candidates, getting plastic recyclers giddy for their upcoming bounty of materials to process. I’m always amused by this mountain of red, white and blue (along with the occasional orange or green) signage that I have to believe most people just ignore and pass by, paying more attention to those sign spinners trying to get you to sell your gold.

For some reason though, signs in people’s yards are a little more noticeable simply because that homeowner/renter made a conscious decision to place it there. They have elected to support this candidate so openly that they’ll interrupt their line of lantana to encourage their neighbors to vote for whomever. And I’m one of these people.

Without question, this has been a contentious political season, and anyone who has paid any amount of attention to my Facebook page knows what end of the political spectrum I fall on. But I am still amazed that people are willing to openly support certain candidates with a sign in their yard. I understand that conservatives are angry and “want their nation back,” but there is no way that they can be truly informed about some of these people they are advertising for unless the decide to endorse these candidates purely for the fact that they just aren't a damned liberal. For example:

• Tom Horne, candidate for Arizona Attorney General. A career politician, last holding the job of Superintendent of Public Instruction after his stint on the State Legislature, who proudly “banned bi-lingual education” and oversaw Arizona’s education while its ranking sank to anywhere between 45^th and last in the nation. Now he’s running to be the top lawyer in the state, never mind the fact that he has a lifetime ban from the Securities and Exchange Commission for presiding over an investment firm that went bankrupt in 1970.
• Ben Quayle, candidate for US Congress, Arizona CD 3. The conservative son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, little is known about this guy except: he’s a private practice attorney specializing in commercial litigation, real estate transactions and acquiring small businesses; he posted to a sleazy nightlife website and denied it; he and his wife own a dog they rescued from the Wickenburg Humane Society. Oh, and he hates President Obama so much he’s willing to stand up about it.
• Wendy Rogers, candidate for Arizona State Senate, District 17. Mrs. Rogers is hands down winning the Most Signs contest by a country mile. According to her site’s bio, she and her husband landed in Arizona in 1996 and own a home inspection franchise that employs 10. She is riding her bike around Tempe and Scottsdale meeting people, so I guess she can’t be that bad. But she recently did ditch a District 17 debate, which is too bad as it would have given us a chance to get to know her.
• John Huppenthal, candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. Mr. Huppenthal made news in 2008 by getting into a flap for removing opposition signs on Election Day. More remarkably, this past spring he completely disrespected a high school journalist who was interviewing him about his vote of support to cut state funding for vocational education by excusing himself mid-interview and never returning. He also had a fairly weak showing at this week’s debate, constantly wanting to fix the Arizona educational system by “using good science” to evaluate the educational rankings that place Arizona last in the nation.
• David Schweikert, candidate for US Congress, Arizona CD5. Schweikert lost to the sitting incumbent two years ago, so he’s giving it another try. It’s kind of amazing that this Republican-heavy district can’t back a stronger candidate that this guy who was cited in an internal audit of the Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office when he was County Treasurer, that stated his office improperly obtained vendor bids and improperly paid one of his campaign aides with County funds.

 

Spinning up The Program

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am worked on starting up a bike youth-based bike program here in the Valley. This past Wednesday, I coordinated a meeting with the Principal of my kids’ school, their PE teacher, and two representatives from Phoenix Children’s Hospital to launch one of these programs at their school. By all accounts it was a successful meeting and Principal McCoy assured me that she would be contacting the school district’s director of safety to see if my proposal meets all district safety standards and what would be needed to implement the program immediately. This coincides with my submitting for a $1000 grant for the program through the National PTA. Not much money, but it would get things rolling solidly. I’ve simultaneously been talking with the executive director of the Lincoln Family Downtown Phoenix YMCA about starting a similar, if not connected, program.

So now I wait to hear back from Principal McCoy and the good folks at the Downtown Y in hopes that we’ll be able to get these bike programs started up and kids terrorizing neighborhoods by mid-October.

Sowing the seeds...

I am also working on the school’s garden project. This is a really ambitious project with a cool design that will fill a nice open space next to the school library in the east end of the school yard. The project’s leader, artist Rebecca Ross, led the initial charge with the school’s PTA to gather support for the plan and spent a portion of the summer collecting a ton of donated recycled building materials to construct the garden beds. I came in mid-summer and helped bring in another parent with great contacts throughout the landscaping industry who has essentially delivered landscapers and materials to get the irrigation system in place. We’re digging dirt next Saturday, Sept. 25, to lay the PVC and sprinkler heads in place. Another small but important local project underway.

And now for something completely not important…

I know you all have been waiting anxiously for it…here it is…the training log!

• Thursday, Sept. 9 – Hard ride to Camelback Mtn to ride the South Camelback 4, four short but steep climbs on the south side of Camelback Moutnain, with grades in excess of 20%. Weather was hot. 30 miles, 1hr 44 min, 1589 Kcalories, Avg HR 151, Avg Speed 17, Avg Cadence 84.
  
• Saturday, Sept. 11 – Long ride to Riata Pass in North Scottsdale. Steady incline with final altitude gain of 1800 feet. Quick climb on Mummy Mtn on return trip. 80 miles, 4 hrs 26 mins, 4127 Kcalories, Avg HR 152, Avg Speed 17.5, Avg Cadence 89.
  
• Tuesday, Sept. 14 – Ahwatukee foothills ride. 36 miles, 2 hrs, 1878 Kcalories, Avg HR 153, Avg Speed 17.9, Avg Cadence 89.
  
• Thursday, Sept. 16 – 30 minute yoga and light free weights followed by a 2.75 mile run. First run since the spring. Had to walk for a minute after 2 miles. Legs felt tight for four days after.
  
• Friday, Sept. 17 – Slow, hard ride up 2 climbs of S. Camelback 4 + the PV Classics loop, an undulating route through Paradise Valley around the north side of Mummy Mtn. It resembles a European Classics route with the short, sharp hills. 43 miles, 2 hrs 51 mins, 2209 Kcalories, Avg HR 137, Avg Speed 14.8, Avg. Cadence 74.
  
• Sunday, Sept. 19 – Long ride to South Mtn with climb up to TV towers and along San Juan Rd. with Chris Bockey and Wyatt Franz. Rode with Wyatt to his house and then home with headwind. 71 Miles, 4 hrs 15 mins, 3669 Kcalories, Avg HR 146, Avg Speed 16.6, Avg Cadence 84. Time from old gatehouse to TV towers and back was 48 mins 56 secs with avg HR of 162.
  
  

Getting to Know Your Lawn Ornaments and Other Happenings