Another day, another thought.

"This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." -C. Montgomery Burns

Hmmm...seems to be a theme starting here. Not intentional. I just find Burns hilarious. Actually, as one of my former co-workers pointed out, the funniest Simpsons characters are the elderly ones: Burns, Abe, Jasper, etc. I especially love Abe's rants or rambling stories. Maybe I'll post one later.

Thought of the day.

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter" -- Winston Churchill"

Stolen from the Witty Quotes Haven.

http://www.witty-quotes.com/index.html

Testing

Well, this morning I took a series of tests as part of an evaluation for a job. There were 5 timed tests and 2 untimed questionaires. The timed ones were on stuff relating to comprehension of instructions, basic math, visualization and mechanical aptitude. I didn't find the questions hard, but the time factor was a problem. I missed a couple of questions on one test and rushed a couple of guesses on another one. On the rest I had barely enough time. Usually I'm fairly quick with that kind of stuff, so I can only guess that the other candidates had similar problems.
Of course I'll only hear back from them if I've done well enough to go to the interview stage. And I'm sure things won't move too quickly even then.
I would love to get this job. It's very different from what I've been doing the last 10 years, which I am now sick of. Getting fired from the last one didn't exactly leave the best aftertaste, either. It would mean a drastic pay cut and relocation, but at least I could enjoy the work. The job is located in a wonderful area, and eventually the pay would catch up.
I feel like it's time for a new start.

In the meantime, the search goes on. Which mostly means checking various web sites and waiting.

Crapulent Part 2.

So here I am unemployed and feeling useless. The day after I was canned, I started searching for something else. The thing is, with my sort of job, you can't just go door-to-door passing out resumes. Most companies don't accept those anymore. Most use agencies or "headhunters" to find people for them. They let someone else take care of the flood of applications and initial screening. So I've bombarded about 2 dozen headhunters, by registering or just e-mailing a resume, whatever their setup is. A few have called me, and I've met personally with some of them, but I have yet to have an actual interview with an employer this way.
I have had one interview, but it was with a company I had met with before. But they havn't called me back, and they won't return my calls or e-mails, so I guess they're not interested. I'm guessing they want somebody with less experience and presumably cheaper.
Next week I have a meeting/testing session with a large non-automotive employer. I won't say more than that at this time. The job is nothing like what I've been doing, pays significantly less, and would require relocating. Why would I want something like that? Well, I think I just might be happy doing it. And eventually the pay would catch up. And there is potential for advancement. I think it might be time to get out of the automotive industry anyway: I'm sick of the stress and bullshit.
But overall, pickins have been mighty slim. I know that financially I'm ok for a while, but the big problem is fighting off depression.
All for now.

Crapulent.

Yeah, I know, as usual I haven't done anything in a very long time. Just apathy I guess. But now I have plenty of time. See, about a month ago I was fired from my job of 7.5 years. Total shock. Didn't see it coming. They wouldn't even tell me why. I have a suspicicion, but even if I'm right it was for something I didn't actually do, and I don't think it justified firing even if I did. For the past 4 weeks I've had almost nothing else running through my head, often to the point of insomnia. I feel betrayed.
Now, it's not all bad. The fact is, I wasn't totally happy working there it I suppose it showed. I have nothing but contempt for my former manager. How someone like that could rise to the level of manager or director amazes me. I can only assume much oral contact with butt cheeks was involved. The blunt fact is that the man does not understand what he is managing. How can you be a quality manager without at least minor knowledge of metrology, statistics, or basic manufacturing processes. He is an arrogant little toad of a man. Hell, I could go on for hours.
The problem was, I resented reporting to this ignorant twit. I'm reminded of the line in the Police tune Synchonicity 2, "...every single meeting with his so-called superior is a humiliating kick in the crotch."
Now I won't claim I was the perfect employee either, but looking back I can see that my attitude was more effect than cause. My error was in letting it get to me, and letting my frustration build up. Another hard life-lesson learned I suppose. At least the buy-out package (i.e. don't-sue-us package) was good. I still get paid for several more months.
My ex co-workers have been good about it. I've met with them a couple of times over lunch, and they've been supportive, sorry about what happened sort of thing. And they are the ones I'll miss most. I didn't care for the job, or most managers (some were good, even great), but many of the people I worked with made things tolerable or even fun. They know who they are.
Still, I feel like shit much of the time.
More to come in episode 2.