Oh The Burbs

I'm in a war, again. No, not the job hunt, the "hither hence friends, to the 'burbs" war. It is brutal. There are many factions in this conflict, all of whom have staked their territory and are fiercely recruiting to their areas.

For instance, a certain couple, who shall remain nameless, is actively recruiting all you recently married and soon-to-be-married couples to, well, I won't mention the area but let's just say it sounds like "Schmeyerland". Don't go. Six-Ten traffic, and your kids will have to compete with all those national merit scholars from Bellaire. Don't do that to your hypothetical children.

There are others, many others, all over town. Some in Katy, some in the Woodlands. You will have to make a choice, but know this: if you move to Cypress I will help paint your house as well. And we'll hang out, bar-b-que, maybe we'll go work out at Lifetime Fitness. What are you going to do in Bellaire, play chess?

So listen friends, when it comes time to make that decision of where you and your significant other are going to live, remember me, your old buddy Josh, who loves kids and puppies, is handy around the house and has plenty of yard knowledge. Hither hence to Cypress.

He's Back!

Hello Reader. I know I was gone longer than you expected. I know I went out for a pack of cigarettes and left you holding the baby, and I'm sorry. But I'm back, and I thank you for reading again. I hope you've been well.

I don't want to bore you with where I've been, or what I've been up to. Just know that I missed you. Ok, if we're going to reconnect, here's the run down: I went to UH for the summer and did well, we have another dog, Sadie, I'm working for my parents while I job hunt.

Extrapolate at your own will.

Of course, more happened. No, that wasn't ALL I was up to, but those are some of the relevant parts. The rest I prefer not to add to the eternal cyber-record.

For those of you that feel that you are withering away at your jobs, I offer this- take a vacation, a day off, find a hobby to relieve stress, do what you have to do to not make any overly-romantic impulsive decisions. The market is brutal right now. Forget about retail jobs. Between cutbacks and hiring freezes, some major retailers like Gap are reporting and increase of 33% in job applications.

And the folks applying to the old "college stand-by" jobs are not your fresh faced post adolescents looking to break through. These applicants are well educated and significantly over-qualified.

There was a time when being a Marine veteran, bilingual, and having work experience was enough to help my resume float to the top, but not these days. I think things are getting better, slowly. For instance I noticed that last year, and well into this one, that the average age of the check out people had risen. I wasn't used to so many forty and fifty somethings (if not older) bagging groceries. I couldn't let these good people bag my Blue Bell and whole wheat. on more than one occasion I rushed to bag with them.

But now that I'm out of the cocoon of school and banging in the job market, I feel like I'm in for a fight!

How dare I re-open the blog with a stream-of-consciousness! But, I gotta tell you. This is the way I'm stepping out there. Reaching down and grabbing a hand full of boot-strap.

I hope you're well Reader, it's good to be back. Wherever this is.