slugshooter

Very cool!! I am sure you are popular with the neighbors!! Wish I could see it in person.

My step-father is in the hospital right now with something the doctors are rather stumped on. Just a little history, back in '92 he had a Quadruple Bypass, and was given 10 years to live. Back in '06 he was having some serious problems where he kept passing out. Come to find out, his pulse was next to nothing and basically his heart was stopping and restarting, which was causing the blackouts, so he had a pacemaker installed. The last few weeks he was battling what seemed like Pneumonia, but refused to go to the hospital. He has to be near death in his eyes in order to go, why, I don't know. So, now he is in there, and the Dr.s are stumped, because they keep checking his blood, and his oxygen levels keep going down. So they have him on oxygen, and giving him steroids, but instead of his levels going up, they keep going down. I haven't heard from today yet as to what they have found out, but if you could, keep him in your prayers. His name is Randy Parker. We haven't had the best relationship over the years, but I don't want anything to happen to him for my moms sake. Losing my grandmother in '06 tore her apart, so I don't know what this would do to her if she lost him. Thanks in advance.

Well, just to give a little update about the job situation, Publix didn't turn out the way I'd hoped, and I saw my hours go from 15 a week, to 5. The most hours I've had for a month was a couple weeks ago when 2 people called out during the week. The store manager told me that if I wanted more hours that I needed to be the best at my job for the 5 hours I was there so the manager wanted me around more. Whatever, it's hard to learn a job when you aren't there to learn it. Anyhoo, to supplement that a little bit, I started working nights at Wal-Mart, which is a conflict of interest, but what somebody doesn't know doesn't hurt them. Full time hours, at least for the season, since I was hired as temporary seasonal, but my past experience working for Wal-Mart Distribution helped out in getting the job. I would work distro any day over the store after doing this. It definitely is tough work, but I tell anyone there that complains about their job to be unemployed for 6 months like me and then complain about it. There is a possibility that they would keep me on after the season as a permanent employee, but dropped to part-time status, unlike now where I am getting full time hours. So, instead of assuming that I would, I continued the job hunt, which leads me into this. I go for my second interview with the FL Dept. of Juvenile Justice at the detention center here in town today. I did my first interview Monday where they conducted a tour, did a group interview, and then individual interviews. They told us that it would be Monday the 15th at the earliest before we heard anything. I found out 3 hours after the first interview that they wanted me to come back today, get fingerprinted, drug screen, and process the background screening packet; which I take as a good sign since I heard back from them so soon instead of a week. I would start in January, so hopefully I can pick up right where Wal-Mart leaves off. The pay isn't the greatest, 12.25/ hour to start, but I believe I get a raise after I get certified, which would necessitate me to go to Tallahassee for 3 weeks, probably in March. The upside is, I can put in for supervisory positions almost immediately based on my BS degree. (You need either 2 years working with them, or 2 years of college.) Hopefully, with this, things will start to turn around. I am truckless now though because I did a voluntary repo on the truck because we couldn't afford it, and I would rather voluntarily turn it in, versus getting off of work at 7am and the truck being gone from the parking lot. I definitely didn't plan on all of this when I graduated in May, but there is a reason for it I am sure. (If anyone has any insight, please tell me. ) I am still going to work towards a temporary teaching certification and try and go in that direction for the next school year, but who knows, maybe I will find a home and career in trying to set some of these kids straight instead of constantly returning to the system. I was amazed at some of the kids in there. Too young to be stuck in Juvenile Detention, but for whatever reason, they made the wrong decision. I have always been interested in this type of work, so who knows. I have to start getting ready soon because I have to be there at 1:30 to meet with the Superintendent. Wish me luck.

lmao!!!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes guys. After 30, I stopped counting, all I keep thinking is now I have 8 years until I am 40.

The sad part is, if the government did do that, the 18 year olds of America would spend the money on iPods, XBox's, and chrome spinner's for their Hyundai's.

Full time job hunter.

They are real, but the pics are of Obama when he visited Kenya, his fathers homeland, wearing traditional Kenyan clothing.

Happy BDay Girl!!!!

flyerla, I have been around these forums for 5 years now I think. And I can tell you, there are some really great people on here, and some not so great, but do not worry about responses to political beliefs in here, because it is all how you present them to the other members. I took my licks on here 4 years ago, and honestly, I think a lot of it was me being the first one to really voice an opposing opinion (that I know of) or forcefully support another candidate because I lost my taste for George W. after voting for him in 2000. Many of the things I may have said were out of line, or unsubstantiated, but I also stuck to my beliefs, which gained me respect. Jump ahead to 4 years later, and some of the beliefs I had back then have changed, and some remain the same, although I may not be so adamant about them. One thing remains the same, no one can deny Barack Obama's cross-over appeal. Whether someone is happy about the way the election turned out or not, you must recognize that this election was not only historic, but significant. I remember 4 years ago, and I probably even posted it, that I felt that one day, a black man could be president, but I did not feel that it would happen any time soon, or maybe later in my lifetime. Obviously, I was wrong. I felt that maybe there was too much racism left in this country, and while any racism is too much, it is not as rampant as one might have previously believed. As I have spent the last few days looking over election results, and looking over states and counties where each respective candidate was victorious, I noted some obvious trends. As expected, Obama, no matter in which state, won the counties that were considered urban, or had a large city center. Regardless of whether it was in California or Georgia, Obama won the counties of large cities, and McCain generally won in counties that were more rural, as is usually the case for the Republican contender. The most notable factor in Obama winning though, was in states where there is a lower than average minority population, or counties that have been Republican strongholds. It was no surprise to me that while Obama won Florida, McCain won in the county here in Florida that I live in. Drive a little further north to Alachua County were the Univ. of Florida is, and Obama wins. Mainly because of the young student population, but also because of the highly educated, advanced degree population that in academia is typically liberal, especially at a large university. If you can find it though, look at a map of election results from North Carolina that shows the counties. Now, Obama won in Cumberland County, where I lived the last 13 years, and is home to Fayetteville, and Fort Bragg. I though McCain might win there because of the large military presence, but the factors that may have prevented him from winning are this 1) Just because you are stationed in North Carolina, doesn't mean you vote there, 2) A lot of military personnel are frustrated with the war, and 3) The total minority population in Cumberland County is larger than the total white population. Elsewhere in North Carolina, I was not surprised to see that Obama won in Mecklenburg Co. (Charlotte) Wake Co. (Raleigh) and Durham Co. (Durham, with Duke University and a large minority population). What was surprising to me is where Obama also won, counties in the far western part of the state in the mountains that are typically conservative with low minorities, as well as the NW part of the state, and even the coastal regions. Which proved my point. Obama's influence reached in areas that were previously untouched by the Democratic Party. Why this is, I do not know. The only thing I can speculate, is that when people want change, they are not going to turn to the long time Washington politico, which McCain is. Which leads me into the qualifications part of this reply. In history, some of the most "qualified" persons who became president, are not rated very highly on the effectiveness scale, probably because of their long time experience in bureaucracy. To argue that Sarah Palin did not have the experience needed, one could also say that Obama does not have it either, nor did George W. Bush, or Bill Clinton. Obama went from basically college lecturer, to State Senator, US Senator, and the Presidency, in 6 years. Bush had 8 years as Gov. of Texas, Clinton in Arkansas. Based on this, Sarah Palin was just as qualified as any of them. I will even go out on a limb and say that Reagan did not have the qualifications needed either only serving as Gov. of California. Let us look at other presidents who had the "qualifications", George H. W. Bush, Congressman, CIA director, Vice-President, and he became a one-termer. Nixon, resigned in disgrace. What I am getting at, is that "qualifications", really don't mean all that much, because if you look at the last 3 presidents, the future one included, none has the "qualifications", but what they did have was that ability to motivate a large group of people to vote for them. All of the are masters at getting elected, and appealing to a wide array of people. The most articulate, and motivation person will be elected, regardless of qualifications. Bush defeated Gore and Kerry, both of whom are about as stiff as a board and have the personalities of a wet mop. Clinton defeated Bush Sr. and Dole, who are not the most exciting of politicians, and Obama defeated McCain. McCain, while I feel was the better choice, had trouble connecting with the people, and unfortunately, his war wounds prevent him from being more animated, but what he lacks in personality, he makes up for in passion, and I truly believe that McCain is passionate about serving the country that he loves and almost died for, but his personality, and the fact that the Republican Party is basically taking the blame for everything that has happened in the last few years made a run for the presidency, by any Republican, almost impossible to win. Would McCain have defeated Hillary, who knows, we'll most likely never know, but it is all in the past now. We will have a new President in January, but this is America, and while we may not agree with all of our new Presidents beliefs, we did not all agree with Bush's beliefs or policies did we? No one can please everyone, and regardless of whether the next President was McCain, Clinton, Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee, etc. we would all have some issue with some aspect with their presidency. Obama inspired millions to vote who have never voted before, and regardless of the outcome, it was a victory in democracy. Millions of people came out to vote for the first time for the simple fact that they believed that they had a reason to vote, and that they finally had a voice that would speak for them. I read an article recently about a young black man named Lamont Carolina. He was basically a drifter with no purpose or direction in life, until he happened to find himself at an Obama rally in New York City. Obama inspired him, and he became an active supporter, and began leading his own rallies. Why? Because he was inspired to get involved. What will happen to him, who knows, but maybe in hearing Obama speak, and getting involved, he will have a new direction in life, and possibly make a positive difference in someones life, instead of winding up dead in the streets.

No words.

Well, the doctors little girlfriend won and Kari was fired this afternoon. So, now what do we do????? Any wisdom from the negative one's on here who know that I am referring to them???

Good post, and it raises some serious concerns. One wonders what Cuba could have become without Castro, or at the very least, if the U.S. had offered assistance to Cuba and Castro, and in turn, Castro turned to the U.S.S.R. It is true, America would not have been well thought of if we had taken the side of someone more or less a dictator who forced himself into power. Things could have been a lot different had several things not occurred.

Well, no go on tomorrow. Have to work from 1p-7p. Then again on Sunday from 5:30-1030p. Then off the rest of the week. Not sure what I am going to do with all those hours.

I wish I was back in class...

Sounds like a hoot!! High school principals up there must make the same as down here. A HS principal down here starts at 98k I believe. The closest I have gotten to a Porsche is a Mustang GT, which is a far cry.

We already that of that, and that is why if I did go for the interview, I would be taking the car.

She would probably have an easier time in Raleigh than she did in Fayetteville. In Fayetteville, she actually had people throw her resume' away in front of her telling her that she could take their job. Nice huh?

LMAO!! I actually have thought the same thing about the guns though. Too bad I can't afford to buy any right now.

I thought the same thing when I saw that. As big on Kerry as I was 4 years ago, I never put a campaign ad picture as a signature.

If you remember, Sarah Palin was at The Villages last month, the big retirement community south of here. Well, tomorrow she is going to be back but this time here in Ocala at one of the new high schools they built west of town. Hopefully I am not working tomorrow so I can try to get to this rally. Too bad we can't get McCain in here though. If I can go, there will be pictures.

Kari regrets moving back down here, and wishes she hadn't talked me into it. She misses NC as much as I do, and she loves Raleigh. I agree that moving is expensive, but unfortunately, if I did take a job out of state like that, I would go by myself initially and move them up in the summer. Not the best option, but it gets us out of here. Actually, she is originally from Orlando, and would like to move back, the trick is getting a job there.

Somebody else who didn't understand the point of the post. I am not applying for jobs to be President of a company, but the amount of jobs I have applied for is obscene. Yes, I have been told in interviews that I am overqualified based simply on me taking the LSAT. I have also drove 45 minutes for an interview where the whole interview I sat there and listened to the guy tell me all the reasons why I wouldn't get the job. I get letter rejections and emails everyday telling me I haven't been selected for an interview. I never said I could walk on water, nor do I feel I can walk on water, but when you worry about being homeless because you're not sure if you can make rent, being forced out of a home and having to move after 45 days because the homeowner can't make a $400 house payment, wondering what your kids are gonna eat from day to day, selling off stuff in yard sales, hiding your vehicle that you use to get to your 10 hour a week job just to earn a little money. You get a little worried and aggravated. Then, to top it all off, your wife is being forced to resign from her job because she does her job better than her co-worker who is screwing one of the doctors. Then you know our dilemma. I guess I could just join the Obama side and blame Bush and jump on the bandwagon, but I'm not gonna do that, because I know what he stands for. The sad part is, we don't get any support from our "family" that we moved down here closer to be with because what they said they were gonna do, they haven't done, so I guess I come on here looking for some support from another family, but then I get responses like these. Thanks to all those that have lent me support over these last few months. To the others that don't care, I hope they don't ever have to go through what we have. There are a lot of things that I have been dealing with down here that I won't tell anyone on here, and probably never will, because it is of a personal family nature. Just know that things are not well here, and my whole family could get ripped apart in one of the worst ways imaginable.

Medical field. I am kicking myself for not majoring in Health Care Admin. when I thought about it, but I was talked out of it. It all depends on how much time you have or want to spend. You could try to get certified as a Medical Assistant, which doesn't pay much, but gets you in the door, then go on to nursing school later, or, if you want to stay more on the administrative side, major in Health Care Admin. You can't go wrong with the medical field.

Sure I read it, I typed it, so I must have read it. I guess everything is hunky dory up there in Iowa for you, so since we may all be Socialists in a few months, let's live by the Obama plan and send me a piece of the pie so I don't have to work for it. The main point of the post, and the reasoning behind applying for the job, was to throw this guy for a loop, which I am sure he has never had anyone do before in this fashion. If they want to offer me a job, I'll take it, but I'll be honest, I am not sure how well I would do as a bill collector and have to treat people like crap on the phone like they do so well. As far as the jobs and overqualification. That is what I have been told in interviews. I am overqualified to slice deli meat as I am doing now, well, by education standards, I am, even though this is the first job I have ever had doing that, but I am still doing it, to help put food on the table. What's wrong with finding something better? Nothing.