I woke up this morning to the high pitched sound of a leaf blower from a landscaper across the street from our house.  It brought a shudder to my body.

Not so much for the sound even as annoying as it is but for what it represents to me.  Summer is over, or at least all most and to be followed by fall.  And fall is going to be followed by winter and with that the bitter cold, the chill that fills the body, wetness, heavy coats and gloves, high heating costs and they will be high this year and of course the dreaded curse of snow and ice.


And tomorrow is the first day of fall. The starting signal for what lies ahead.

Manhasset Bay in the winter

As those who have read this blog know, I hate snow in the worst way.  I hope never to see it again except in a photo or a drawing.  One of the reasons as to why I want to move to the Keys.  There is no snow.

I would rather deal with the threat of hurricanes than the bitter winds that blow through the walls of this old building in the winter.  This building is so old, it is not cost effective to insulate it.  For when you take down the plaster lath walls, you will need to replace the old rubber and fabric covered wires as well.  Just by nudging the wires the rubber cracks exposing the copper underneath.  And like a sleeping bear, it is best to leave well enough alone.

At the end of the day if we do insulate and re-wire it would be cheaper just to keep dumping oil into the tank.  Which I hope will end if my prayers are answered.

Over the weekend I was looking at the webcams on Duval Street.  And I saw nothing but hog heaven!  Motorcycles everywhere.

 

From the webcam outside of Sloppy Joe's

From the roof on top of Sloppy Joe's.  Someone should clean the lens.

Nice handle bar grip he is grabbing

One thing is for sure, it must have been loud there.  The Sturgis of the eastern seaboard.

Looking at the webpage Mile Zero, it turns out that this was a poker run. A bunch of bikers ride into town, play a few hands of poker and then leave. In many areas it is illegal to play poker for money. But in something like this everyone turns a blind eye to it. No one is getting hurt, except the person who loses and that depends on how much. Plus it does bring money into the businesses from sales.

There was one here a few years back. But they were just passing through. They stopped, set up a few tables, played a hand or two and were on their way. No problems like the TV wants you to believe. Just a few people touring the area and stopping here and there for a freindly hand of cards.

I don't know if I mentioned it or not but 20 more people from my former company were terminated.  Not a good sign.  I heard that everyone there that is left is worried who will be next.  One of them asked me to re-do his resume just in case.

Anyway, the weekend approaches and so does fall.  Back to sending our more resumes.

'till next time.

This is my last week of unemployment. The state has been very tight lipped about extended benefits so I don't know if I will get it or not. It sucks being on unemployment.

I've been paying close attention to the job ads, a lot of them are repeats. I've applied to many several times and not one call back. Very frustrating.

Even the head hunters and recruiting agencies like TekSystems have been a total waste o my time. So why bother sending an of them my resume? I am not even going to connect to anymore recruiters on LinkedIn either. Going back to the ads, I would say that 95% of them have been placed by recruiters.

A freind of mine who was fired from the same company that I was in for being over 45 as well is taking up marketing at night. She is going to a local university here for it. Maybe have her market me?

She is a great person. We hit it off the first few days when she started with the firm. We have been good freinds since. Nothing romantic, just good friends. My wife even knows about her and he knows about my wife.

We used to go to lunch a lot when we worked together. I always bought. I was raised to be a gentlmen. A bit old fashioned.

I learned that the company terminated 20 people on Thursday.  With the first seven that make close to 25% of the workforce gone.  I think they are going to be gone in about a year from now.  One of the people that wrote to me that was in that group even admitted that the firm is playing age discrimination games.  They want only the 20 year old set to run the business.

Speaking of layoffs.  I also learned that one of the people at the Hicksville DoL that ran a focus group was let go.  These groups did nothing but to try and build your confidence and try and make things look rosy.  They never helped.  I am sorry to here that he was let go, but now he knows first hand what it is like.  Then again I am sure with his connections through the state he will be working again in no time.  They take care of their own.

Finally we have a break from the oppressive humidty that Long Island is famous for. It was actually cold at night. A relief from the humidity but a sign that snow is on it's way. I hate snow.

I am still hoping for a job in the Keys before the snow falls. I keeping my fingers and toes crossed that someone will pick up my resume, give me a call, make me an offer. I would be out of New York so fast. By pushing it, I should be able to drive to the Keys in 24 hours non-stop. But that is pushing the limits.

'till next time

It has been six months since I was terminated from my position as CTO and replaced by a much younger person. Six months of being stripped of my dignity, six months of feeling useless, six months of sending out resumes with no interviews.

My unemployment is about to run out. I have no idea if I can get extended benefits or not. I inquired the state about it but all I get is silence. So I really have no idea what is going to happen. I guess I will be dropped from the unemployment roles thereby making the stats for the state clook better. The more people they can drop the lower the reported unemployment rate is.

I have applied to numerous positions in Florida with no response. A lot of times I see the same ad repeated for weeks on end. Makes me wonder if it is a legit job or not. I have no idea.

I get lip service from recruiters. At least those few that responded back. Not one of them has lifted a finger to place me as far as I can tell. I don't think I will answer ads from them orcreach ou to anymore of them. So far in my lifetime of business they have been a total waste of my time and energy.

So far the only tech job that I found n the Keys was at the Dolphin Research Center. It was right up my alley. A perfect fit. I sent them my resume and I got back a rejection form letter. They never spoke to me.

I have to wonder if it is because I am currently in New York is the reason I am not getting hits in Florida? But before I relocate I want to secure a position. Why jump from the frying pan into the fire?


I am slowly but surely gathering information to answer my questions from a few posts ago. Most of it is coming from government websites. I have to remain skeptical of the data from them. Partly it could have been adujusted and not give the full and complete picture but mostly because government sites are often way out dated with the data they display. At least it is a start.

I still wish that a few people from FB would respond to my survey. But for now, data mining.

'till next time

The schools start around here this week.  The mad rush is on for school supplies and places like Staples are crowded beyond belief.

The usual items are to be had like pens, pencils, note pads, composition books, binders, loose leaf paper, book bags.  And in many cases calculators and laptops are on the list.  For those going away to college will also require bedding, lockers, microwaves, coffee pots, TV's, mini-fridges and what have you.

I learned from my nieces that this year for the public schools here there are some new items that are required.  Toilet paper and baby wipes are now mandated to be brought in.  Toilet paper?????  Really give me a break.  We pay some of the highest school and property taxes in the entire country and they want the parents to supply toilet paper!  Is the school budget here so screwed up that they can't afford the necessities of life? 

Now what happens if they don't bring in the toilet paper?  Will they have to tear pages out of a book (watch the staples)?  Loose leaf paper?  Leave skid marks on the hall floor?  Or finger paint?  Our schools here are out of control.

Maybe if they didn't pay these part time teachers (they work only 9 months out of the year, 6 hours a day and even then they do not work) over $100,000 each and a lot of then get a new Mercedes every year the schools could afford toilet paper. That's right a lot of teachers here drive Mercedes. You should see them rushing out of the parking lots at 3.

And I will guarantee you that the next budget will be even higher.

And you wonder why I want to get out of New York.

Oh how I wish someone from the Keys would make me an offer so I can relocate there.

'till next time.