Job Hunting...

We have been running a budget deficit of about $200-300 dollars a month, and things were starting to get to the point that bills were going to be late or not paid. While the rental house has given us some positive income, it's just a matter of time before a repair is going to need to be done, and with very little saving, that puts us in an uncomfortable position.  I digress, I went to a nearby restaurant, with resume in hand, and applied as a waiter. Phyllis, the general manager, checks my references, and came back that the owner of my current job really raved about me. Phyllis and I sat down and talked about what was needed for her schedule, and what I was needing for my schedule. Well, the two didn't exactly look the same, and she offered me a set schedule of Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning. Those shifts were her greatest needs, and with someone of my experience, she knew that I could help the evening General Manager. I told her that I would talk with my wife over the weekend, and discuss it. I wasn't too hip on working while everyone was off work, and it would eat into our family time, but the money had to be made. I told Phyllis that I'd swing by Monday with my answer.


During the past weekend, my friend from school called and wanted to know if I was interested in his job at a nearby city doing diagnostic x-rays. He was scheduled for overnights and weekends, but since they are short-handed, he was getting plenty of hours. Long story short...he has a sizable scholarship to use this year, and he is working too much to be able to go to school full time, and make full use of the scholarship. To boot, the hospital has a short little anorexic female troll that makes everyone's life miserable. I declined the kind offer.

The same day, my boss pulls me aside and asks why I hadn't approached him about waiting tables there. I told him that the waiter schedule was already heavy, and didn't think he could add another waiter. He told me that he would do "whatever I need to do for you."  So, he made sure that I was scheduled to start training this past Monday.

Monday rolls around, and I head to the other restaurant, and tell Phyllis what was going on, and that I appreciated her offer, and I would keep them in mind if something changed. I really think that she was genuinely impressed that I came by and kept my word. About this time my lil' sister gives me a call, and tells me that her friend's mom is the director at an MRI clinic, and she needs someone, and that I should give her a call.

I call Linda, the director, and set up an interview for Tuesday morning. Unbeknownst to me, the other MRI clinic , that is owned by the same company, had already faxed over my resume from when I had applied with them. I then headed to work for my training shift as a waiter. Of course, that night I can't sleep because I'm excited and nervous about the interview the next morning.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I head into the interview with my resume binders, and sat down with the director and their senior MRI tech for the interview. My sister had given me a little background about how she knew the director, so that helped. We talk about my education plans for my Bachelor of Science in MRI, and time frame for taking my MRI registry, when school was, and whether it would interfere with my schedule at their clinic.

K: "Would I be able to come in and work off the clock to get up to speed quicker?"
Senior Tech:"You aren't allowed to work off the clock."
K: "Hummm...Well, am I allowed to come in an hang out in the lab?"

At this point both of them start laughing, and the director says that is a very good question.

Linda tells me that my sister had approached her about two weeks ago on Facebook, and asked her if she knew of any openings for MRI techs. Between that time, and yesterday, her evening MRI tech gave her two weeks notice. The other MRI clinic told Linda that they really need to hire this guy named J that had applied a few weeks earlier, and Lauren, the other Senior MRI tech, was really impressed with me. Lauren  mentioned that J had worked at this restaurant for 23 years. Linda asks Lauren, "What's his last name?" Lauren kinda laughs and says, "I don't know how to pronounce it!" Well, it turns out that these two people were me.

Linda and Scott, their senior tech, and myself swap information, talk about the hours, and then Linda asks if I have any more questions.

K: "How many other people are you interviewing for this position?"
Linda: "Zero."
K:" I like those odds." (big grin)
Scott: "We wanted to make sure that you were wanting to learn, and that your time at work could be counted towards your MRI practicum for school." 
Linda: "You can expect a call this afternoon, once I run it by the home office, and I'll probably be offering you a job."
K: "I'm sure that I'll say yes."

Wait, we're not done yet. I heading home from the deli with lunch for myself and Sweetheart, and I get a call from Mrs. R, one of my teachers at school. She tells me that I have a "pretty much guaranteed job" at another hospital, without the female troll, a few miles away, if I'm interested. I fill her in on the details of the last few hours, and ask her if Lauren had asked her about me. You see, they had graduated together from the same university. I thanked Mrs. R for the kind words that had she said about me, and she told me that she "wouldn't have said them if they weren't true."

BTW, I'm not him. I just like the picture

So, after stepping out on faith, through many different people through many different circumstances, I now have the job I went to school for.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Have I mentioned how great my Lil' Sis is?

UPDATE: I got a call today asking if I could start work this Monday. I said yes.

My Week In Review

I can't believe that it's been over a week since my last post. You'd think I had a full time job and school going on at the same time in my life. Sadly, it's not that way. I've been applying for radiography jobs at a lot of places, and I'm gonna have to change my tactics. Basically, I'm gonna have to go full Spongebob on my applications. Being called in on my day off? I LOVE it!!! Going into an isolation ward with an antibiotic-resistant flesh eating bacteria? Nothing better than that!!! Seriously, I've found that yet again being honest on job applications is a disadvantage. I'm not an idiot, but seriously...everyone talks about ethics and morality in the workplace, yet the human resource people automatically penalize you for it.

Now that I have that off my chest, I've cleared out some more of the English ivy around the house. I swear between that and bamboo, it is the bane of my yard work. I also fixed the Jacuzzi tub, and no leaks or broken seals now. I figure that alone saved us about $300.  The baby crib has been put together, and the sheets and baby clothes will be rewashed tomorrow morning. A few of the pictures have been hung around the house, and I thought i had a place to hang my music collection, but the wall space didn't work out.

Oh yeah, I now have two shifts per week washing dishes at the restaurant. I'm most likely the only dishwasher in the state that can explain in detail how to make x-rays. I did make a great contact this week, the only Electrophysiologist for pediatrics in the state will keep me in mind for the EP lab at her hospital. She also has given me the go ahead as a reference for my resume. It'll be nice to have a doctor as a reference.

As a friend of mine always says, "keep it classy."

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Another Project Finished: Home Speaker Installation & Finishing

This project has been an on and off project since we bought the house. The big rush was to get the room painted and the speakers placed out of the way.

The blank slate of our new house.

The plan was to have the flat panel TV mounted on the wall, and putting all of the stereo components under the TV in its own cabinet. However, the projection TV wouldn't fit through the doorway of the playroom, and it made it's home in the living room.

We'd really like a TV that we can hang on the wall, but we can't justify spending the money while the other TV is still working like a champ.

Our 65" Mitsubishi TV that I bought in 2001, and still rockin' a great picture.

The Klipsch KLF-C7 center channel for the surround sound on the ground that's waiting to be wired into the system. I've been gradually working on my home theater for over 20 years, and still have a few more things I'd like to add.

The Cornwallis speakers will just barely fit into the space, with a few modifications. The top trim will have to be trimmed down, and the center shelf inside the cabinet will have to go. The space will also have to be widened a few inches on the top and sides for a good fit.

 

The speaker is finally installed, and the wiring done. I took a rather long break to finish school, and other pressing projects.

The living room got new colors, and the built-ins got all new paint, plus new hardware. The front trim has also been reinstalled.

Another close-up.

These are the frames that cover the speakers. All I needed was a fabric that matches the cream finish on the built-ins. I took paint samples from all three colors in the living room, and made my own paint wheel. Sweetheart picked the cloth fabric.

The fabric was pulled tight over the frame and trimmed.

Of course, no project of mine would be complete without a run to the hardware store. Where did those staples go? Anyways, I had to pick up the Velcro strips to hold the frames onto the built-in.

The almost finished project, before a minor reworking of the loose fabric on the frame.

Measure twice, pencil mark where the frames should be, and apply Velcro.

I'm happy with the final result. A hidden speaker area for our home entertainment system. Now, how long will it take the boys to notice?

Keep Right On Prepping - K

4th of July

Enjoy your day and thank a vet. I'd like to thank my Grandfather, brother, uncle, and three cousins. My wife's Grandfather made the ultimate sacrifice in France about a month after D-day. The events, date, and nearest town are still unknown.

Enjoy your freedom and take a few minutes to understand why you have it. - K

SHTF and Coffee

We forgot to run the dishwasher last night, and it had all of our coffee stuff in it. It was either wash the coffee pot, or conduct an experiment. I chose the experiment without my wife's knowledge. I've always suspected that my wife is a supertaster, because she can detect tastes that mere mortal humans shouldn't be able to detect.

I followed the directions as indicated on the package of Folgers coffee singles. I bought these about 5 years ago for a backpacking trip, and I periodically have a cup to see how long it remains "good".

 

I haven't taken any special precautions for the storage, and they have been in the pantry for the entire time.

Sweetheart didn't notice any difference in the taste. My only complaint is that I probably should have let it steep for a little longer for a stronger cup of coffee. This might be the only noticeable difference between new and my old coffee singles.

So, there you have it. Folgers coffee singles can provide a person with their morning cup(s) of coffee four years and 4 months past the best if used by date without any special storage techniques.

Keep Right On Prepping - K