Ok, now for the explanation of the total lack of posts for several days. I hadn’t meant to be pulling another vanishing act, but this has been a very, very rough week. My duties changed at work, so that I’m now in charge when the supervisor is out. So of course, the very first time it happens is during the busiest time of the month. Add to that there’s some petty stuff going on not-very-behind-the-scenes, and that this change may be prelude to a promotion (if it’s not just the desperation of shorthandeness)…. well, let’s just say I’ve been pretty stressed and not up to researching/writing posts in the evening.

Worse, I’ve just gotten some very bad (but not entirely unexpected) news within the family. I’m not up to blogging about it yet, and I don’t want this to turn into one of those weepy, moping blogs where someone goes through their catharsis online. Doesn’t mean it won’t, though. Still, I’ll save it for later. :-/

I’m trying to keep this blog rolling, as I have felt over the last couple of weeks like I’m beginning to hit my stride and finally blog as me, not some weird mix of Steven Den Beste, the PuppyBlender, and the Emperor. They may be my three biggest influences, and among my three favorite websites overall (I’m afraid Emperor Misha had to make way for a bunch of transgendering teens for “faves”), but I gotta be Meeeeeeeee! (Dodges long hooked pole extending from the wings of the stage, and continues).

Additionally, I’m still signed up with the PJ media folks, even though I agree somewhat with Steven’s note of 10/21/05 that this smells a lot like the tech bubble of 2001: it is a concept in search of an idea. I’ve seen a lot of stuff that makes me think they still don’t know what they’re going to do, but hey! Look who’s signed up with us!

Two words: Celebrity endorsements. Tell me more about what you’re going to do for me as a reader, and as a blogger, ok?

I mean, any company that lets “nobody” blogs like mine sign up has probably got a problem with focus. 🙂 I have been looking at the profiles and going “darn it, I’m signed up with them, how come they don’t ask me to submit a profile?” Hey, I graduated middle of my class in high school, went to a college nobody ever heard of, barely managed to graduate from it, bounced from job to nowhere job during the Texas oilfield bust in the late 80’s, have spent 15 years with the City of Houston and rarely gotten promoted, make less than $35k per year….

Never mind. I think I just figured out why they’re not asking me to submit my profile….

But the bottom line is, even as skeptical as I am, I’m sticking with the group for now. Oh, I’m not going to fly to Nu Yawk and hobnob on the 16th; I haven’t the money to do such an absurd thing, would look horribly out of place, and in fact, I would BE horribly out of place. I mean, sheesh, compare the above qualifications to Meryl Yourish’s! That doesn’t mean that there is neither new traffic or money in it at all for me. And frankly, money is one of the reasons I’m working harder on this blog. I need an extra income, because the City of Houston is a shitty paymaster. Oh, you get regular raises if you’re a cop or fireman. Their importance (and their unions) see to that. But the rest of us are just screwed. What just kills me are the folks that say, “What’s wrong with you? If it’s so bad why don’t you go find a job in the private sector?” Ok, jackass (if that’s what you just thought). Let me point out that your second question was answered by your first. Your automatic assumption that there must be something wrong (Not “is?” but “what?”) is the same exact one going through every damn interviewer’s mind.

Of course, the overall rep of the City doesn’t help. Nor does the interviewer’s last bad encounter with a city employee. I interviewed once with an agency searching for someone to take a job at Compaq (pre-buyout days). It still makes me angry to recall the amiable asshat that interviewed me.

How could he trust any of my references?
How could he know the information in my resumé’ was true? Apparently resumé faking was condoned at the City; see Shirley DeLibrio (Metro chair at the time).
Was I really qualified for the job?
Did City employees really care and try, especially those in my department? His co-worker had a problem with our department and no one helped.

I didn’t even get cross with him; I stayed completely cool the whole way, thanked him for his time after we were done, and told him to give me a call if they came up with anything else. (Of course they never did). To this day I still wish I’d lost my temper and called him a fucking asshole. Even if it would have been unprofessional. Nobody should have to swallow that much crap in the interest of finding another job.

This is why I have two very strong beliefs:
1. Houston is getting the level of service it is asking and paying for.
2. Never, ever, ever work for the government, unless it’s in law enforcement. Because everyone will assume you got the job because you weren’t even competent enough to teach.

So that (money), and the fact that I’m an insufferable know-it-all who doesn’t know that much, but insists on telling it to you anway, is why I blog. Maybe the money will come along eventually. Yeah, I bet Emp. Misha makes a fortune on that site. Just raking (and rolling) in the dough.

Right.