A little bit of everything.

[Sevasan]

Thanks,  Lucky my house is spared from the rising waters.  We were stranded for 2 days because the only entrance to our street was under water. We didn't even dare to drive though any of that. We did take a walk through the water once it stopped raining hard and walked down to a pond next to another neighborhood. My wife took video of a Police airboat. They were looking for people for people who needed help. we kept hearing it in the next neighborhood and were wondering what it was. they went up and down the streets that were flooded and saw that a few people had walked to see what was going on. that checked in on us and asked if we were ok. Most of the people were fine and let them carry on helping those who were in more danger than we were. 

 

 

[Sevasan]

Got an email yesterday afternoon saying that I was not chosen as a candidate for the New Orleans job.       

 

I am very sad at this news. I knew it was a long shot but not only was this a job I really really wanted. It was also my best chance so far to stay close to home and not to mention it would have been the best paying job and a big step up in my career.  My wife and I are very sad at this because its like... Now what do we do?  I don't really have any active options at this point so I guess i will make the best of it and see the positive in things.

 

Also got another email that I was not chosen for a job in Jacksonville Florida.  (Positive thing 1) But that is ok, because one my former co-worker and friend got the position (and he was one of the first to be laid off the first go around)  So I am very happy that He got the position as he has been out of work longer than I have!  Florida is getting a good man to go work with them!

 

Other than that I am going to help another friend tear out some drywall today now that the flood waters have gone down. so.. (Positive 2) At least I still have a home that was not affected by flooding. So I will feel good being able to help out someone in need. 

 

(Positive 3)   I still have savings to live off of for a little bit and maybe something better will come along. 

 

(Positive 4) .. maybe this could be an opportunity to live somewhere else. My wife and I have talked and now we are open to relocating somewhere else for a suitable job.  I know we said that we couldn't, but it has been almost 4 months now since I have been looking and nothing local is coming up. So My lovely wife made a map of the areas she would "Like" to live, areas where it would be "ok" to live, and areas we would absolutely "NOT" want to live. So I can now expand my search and HOPE someone will take me in.  ( and Yes, Canada is an option!) 

 

... so I have not done any exercise that past few days but that will change today.  I do not know how long this will be to gut the house but i imagine it will be a few days.  Stay positive!!!!!

[Jormungand]

21 minutes ago, Sevasan said:

Stay positive!!!!!

 

Sometimes that's all we can do. Something will come up, and it looks like you all have started thinking of different ways to overcome this .

[NeuroPunkNonsense]

Woah that flooding is ridiculous! The worst I've ever experienced is the local river overflowing its banks and covering about half the road. That happens very rarely though. Maybe twice that I can remember. 

 

Here's to hoping you find a great job somewhere new that you fall in love with. Anywhere really although I am definitely biased in favor of Canada.

[Sevasan]

Found this on the web:

 

More Rain Fell Than Los Angeles Has Seen in 3+ Years

Since the start of 2012, Los Angeles has seen a total of 29.18 inches of rain. In just a few days time, Watson, Louisiana, picked up two inches more than that amount with 31.39 inches of rain during the event.

Obviously, this is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison since Los Angeles has a drier climate than the Gulf Coast states, but still impressive. Los Angeles averages nearly 15 inches of rain annually while Baton Rouge, which is located near Watson, sees about 60 inches of rain each year.

The National Weather Service in Hanford, California, says the amount of rain that fell in parts of southeast Louisiana exceeds what Bakersfield, California, has seen in 5+ years.

Watson, Louisiana, also saw more rainfall during this event than what Omaha, Nebraska (31.10 inches), and Minneapolis-St. Paul (30.57 inches) average for an entire year.

 

 

    .... so yea... a lot of rain. =(

 

I have been helping pull drywall and wet insulation from some homes the past 2 days, and going help out again today. I AM SO TIRED AND SORE!!!! but I feel good being able to help out.  It is just crazy what we are trying to do to help out these people and get homes back to livable conditions.  Obviously i have not been going to the track or anything but man.... this is the most physically demanding work I have probably ever done!  I have never had a construction type job so this is all new to me. IT is amazing how little it seems goes into building a home and such with only the kitchen and bathrooms really having anything to them.  I am learning a lot on how it is all put together... maybe if I don't get a job soon I can put these new skills to use. haha

 

Anyway, I am going to get ready for another day. 

[Jormungand]

That is insane on the rain issue. I applaud you giving back and helping those in your community. Added bonus for the physical labor since your running location is a little wet right now. 

[Sevasan]

And the Physical Labor is Physical!!!  I am a lot more sore from doing this than I ever have been at the gym! so I am still getting my exercise in.   (And learning a lot on how houses are put together!)

 

 I am very sore this saturday morning.  we finished up one house that we had to do so today we need a break.  We will possibly be helping someone tomorrow if they need it but if not we certainly have more people who we will be taking out some wet walls on monday. 

 

My job searching has not been put on hold... it just has gotten slower. I am still searching and putting my resume out there but I am only searching in the evenings now since I am out during the day. 

 

 Today is going to be a long day of searching job postings so I can kinda get caught up.    Lets see what I can find. 

[Sevasan]

Well I have been a busy beaver this week! (hence my absence from my own posts)  …Shame on me, I know.

 

 So… first off, I have been busy helping my friends tear out drywall and insulation all week. So that makes for a long day and is very tiring. But it makes me feel good that I am helping people so it more than makes up for it.  And I would make my way home, shower, eat, and immediately jump on the computer and start job searching again till about 9-10 at night.  Then get back up and start the process over again.

 

I have been eating terribly, sleeping even worse, (even though I am extremely worn out) and just trying to go day by day.  But surprisingly a very strange thing happened yesterday….

 

So yesterday we all decided to take a break from tearing out houses since we had accomplished just about all we could do anyway. So what does my happy butt decide to do…. WAKE UP EARLY AND GO RUNNING!!!!!   WTF?!?!?!  Yea…. All worn out and my butt wants to go jog the track and do pullups and junk… WHY!!!!  Why would I do this to myself… I have no idea, I guess i just missed it, or I didn’t want to take a break for fear of getting lazy? Who knows, but I did it.  And I felt good about it.  So…. After my run I get in the car and I have a missed call.

 

The travel job I have been in contact with asked if I was still interested in working with them!!!!! So of course I said “yes”, and he said that they have gotten a lot more work and are now able to hire more people.   HOORAY!!! Finally an actual job offer!!!!!   So we talk price and he said he will make an official offer letter and email it to me.

 

Now here is the strange part….. not 20 minute later, I got a call from a job I applied to in Dallas, Texas. This place is right next to a city that my wife would really want to live in and we have decided to relocate if we could. … now, they ask if I am interested in a position with them, and I said Yes to them too (seeing if I can find out more info)  and then they notice I live in Louisiana, They wanted me to drive in for an interview but since it is so far away the  lady said she would get with her boss to see if we could do a phone interview instead. (I am still waiting on a call back from them, and have not received the official offer letter as of yet)   soo……

 

Another strange part…. About 2:00 that SAME AFTERNOON.  I get a call from a local company and they want me to come in for an interview!   WTF!?!?!?     Three calls in one day!   So…. Of course I go to the interview and the guy says that I am a very strong candidate and would want someone to start on the 6^th if possible.  We negotiate pay and he says he will have to get with his boss on Monday and see if they can meet it…

 

 

WHERE were all these people 2 months ago??????   So  I would like to not have to travel, but depending on what these other companies would offer, I may stay with that one.   HAHA first I had a hard choice because of no offers, and now I have one solid, one in the works (compensation) and one that wants an interview….

 

All in one day!

 

… I Will just have to try to make the best choice for me and my family.     But at least I know I have 1 for sure!

[NeuroPunkNonsense]

It never rains but pours (as you probably well know by now what with the flooding). I'm happy to hear your job dry-spell is over! Congratulations!

[Sevasan]

You are not kidding!  After me and my wife talking, we actually would like to relocate to the Dallas / Irving area in Texas if financially possible (it is a very nice area to live in).  Or I would rather work this local job, The travel job i got an offer from, is not something I really want to do long term, but it is a job and these others may not come through. 

 

So I will wait till Monday before I make a final decision.   but yes!!!! I am very glad that the spell is over!  

[Jormungand]

That is fantastic news. I am really happy to hear that things look to be improving for you. Really great job all around with helping renovate some of the damaged homes, the early morning run, and all of the news on the job prospects. Congrats and keep us informed on how everything rolls out. 

[Sevasan]

The local job did not come through.

 

Looks like I am going to be a traveling man! (not really what I wanted but at least it is still something!)

I go to training starting on the 6^th. And then once that is over, depending on where I am needed, I will be going to a different city. Possibly Lake Charles (about an hour and 15 min away) or to some other location if they are not needing any other people yet.   But.. I HAVE A JOB!

 

I really am thankful to be given an opportunity to work again. Thanks to everyone who offered their kind words of support. It really means a lot to me.

 

Now with me traveling almost 2.5 – 3 hours a day… I don’t know how I will fit in some jogging or such to get my exercise in.  I will just have to see how it goes.

 

Strange how after all this time and all these people I talked to, I end up working with pretty much the first person I met at the job fair so many months ago.

 

Anyway, off to the track for today, and then cut the grass when I get home.

[Jormungand]

That is fantastic news. I've been there with the hour-plus commute, and it can be tough. However, I guess I'd rather have a long commute to a job than no commute to no job. I hope it goes well regardless. Congrats. 

[Sevasan]

So it has been almost a week since I have written on here.

 

I have been trying to get things settled with the new job and trying to figure out how this will work.

 

First, I have a training that will start Wednesday in Houston. So trying to get a hotel set up has been an issue. The company will pay a per diem for the training, but I wont get that till I am over there. The hotels want a week of payment in whole and I do not what to have to spend the money for that all at once.  So I have been in talks with my company to try to get them to front the money for the hotel.  It has been a learning experience for sure.

 

We celebrated two birthdays on Saturday. My wife’s brother, and one of her coworkers. We had a good time going from one party to the next! That was a fun day.

 

I have been jogging the past two days in a row. And I was able to get 8 pullups in a row my first set!  A new record I believe!

 

…. I feel so brain dead after this weekend.  It wasn’t physically demanding, but trying to get the new job set up and the travel and everything.

 

So starting Wednesday I may have more to report.

[Jormungand]

I hope it all works out with the hotel planning. That can be a pain at the best of times. It's good to hear that you're still staying fairly active physically. The birthday parties sound like a good time, too. Congrats on the pull-ups PR. 

[Sevasan]

So the good news is that I have a job!!!    

 I have been in training since Wednesday and so far, this is stuff that is fairly new to me. The class and “hands on” part is nothing that I can’t handle. I am not afraid of hard work or working long hours. SO I know this is something that I know I can do.

 

I know I will certainly make overtime with this and the pay is better than what I was expecting. SO I am very happy that I have something to make an income with. Coming from an area in the oilfield industry where hundreds of thousands have been laid off, this industry is probably one of the few that is actually a growing industry. So the prospects for the future look good. I know I will be able to advance fairly quickly and be a part of a growing company. ( I would just have to get some time under my belt first)

 

Now I am very very very grateful that I do have a job and can support my family. And I know “beggars cant be choosers” but… I can already tell that the travel will be the main thing to put stress on me and my family.  I have only been gone for 5 days for this training and already I can tell that I do not like this part. I can already feel how sad and aggravated my wife is about this situation. And honestly, I do not like this either. However, she does understand that we do need to make an income.

 

Also, on top of that, I myself know that this is NOT what I want to do for a career. Yea, I can do the job, but this is not something I would readily choose to do, if I were able to not be pressured to find employment.

 

 

I am still job hunting for something better. We are still wanting to move if needed. But now I can be a little more selective in what I am applying for and see if the job would be something I would want, and where we would want to live.

 

Training was supposed to end Saturday, but since we started late in the week, we need more time to properly complete the course. So training got pushed back and will end Monday afternoon. So I am sitting in the hotel and have a whole day of basically just waiting.    I will not be idle though, Job hunting will continue, Course material will be read, I will try to get some form of exercise done. (this hotel they placed me in does not have a gym.)  so I have not done anything really for movement since I got here. Other than the portion of the class where we go into the shop and actually perform the work for training as we would in the field.

 

 

So all in all if I can find a position where I do not have to travel, that would be the best.  But if not then I will have to continue searching for the position that I would want and be able to see my family.

[Sevasan]

Thanks!   I am sure my pull up PR will go down now for being stuck in this hotel all week.  But I can always get it back!

[Sevasan]

It is good to be back home!!!!!

 

I woke up yesterday, went for a 3 mile jog / walk and I did 3 half mile intervals!  Also did my pullups and pushups again. After about a week of not being able to go, I am very sore today! Also yesterday I got busy with some “honey do’s” around the house.   Mowed the yard, did the dishes, cleaned the showers, did all my laundry, and after all that I had to complete a 6 hour online training required for my new job.

 

So I was a busy beaver yesterday. Today, not so much….. I opted to do some planks and ab work in the house as well as some light stretching at the house.  Today I have some more online training to complete, but I don’t think they will be as long.

 

I am still not sure where they will be sending me on my first location, I hope to find out today or tomorrow if possible.

 

Time to get some more training done.  And also keep an eye out for something else to come along.

[Jormungand]

Way to stay active. Hope you get sent somewhere agreeable. 

[Sevasan]

Yesterday I woke up at 4 am so I could get ready, eat some breakfast and get on the road to travel to Baton rouge for some training that started at 7. I wanted to leave at 5 am so I could account for some traffic that may be there. Our first class was a “5 hour basic” safety course so we could enter some work areas that require that type of training.  The class ended up lasting till just about 2 pm. No break for lunch or anything. Then we ended up having to go straight into testing since the class was running a little late. I ended up not leaving until after 4pm.  

 

SO not having eaten since 4:30 that morning, I was pretty hungry. I called my wife before I left Baton rouge to see how she was doing. (she is not feeling well and had to go to the doctor) so she suggests that I pick up something for both of us to eat. (which I am very hungry by now but I want to make her feel better so I agree to pick something up when I got close to home)  since it was only another hours drive, I figured I could tough it out.

 

When I am about 30 minutes from the house she says she is feeling worse and probably couldn’t eat anything if I pick something up, so I decide to head straight home and cook something that she believes she could eat.  Now Traffic was TERRIBLE leaving Baton Rouge.  So the normal 1 hour drive is now over 2. (I did not arrive home till a little after 6 pm. )

 

THEN…..as I am cooking dinner for my wife. Plans change with work. Instead of going to another training class Friday at the same place, They are now wanting me to go BACK to Houston to finish my training and start working on Saturday.

 

I am not liking this “last minute changes” type thing.  I am unsure of how long I am going to be at this place, but at least I will be making some hours and getting paid.  I know this is part of the job but my wife was highly upset that I will not be here to help take care of her and my step son this weekend.  And I am not happy that I had to rush to get packed and get ready to leave in under 12 hours.

 

 

I know I should be glad that I am working, and I am, but knowing that this will not be a job I want to be doing very long. It is going to be hard to “tough it out” until something better comes along.

 

Matter of fact… I am typing this as I eat, and getting ready to leave in about 20 minutes. 

 

Once again…. I am happy that I do have a job since a few weeks ago, I was very worried about how I was going to make an income. But I would much prefer to be able to come home every night.  Got to get ready. About to load up and head out!

[Sevasan]

... this... job... sucks......   

 

I am glad I have it... but man..... first day on a job site, and we got rained on.... like full blown thunderstorm rained on..... I was soaked.....  

 

      .... not happy right now.    There is more to the story than that... But the rain topped it off.   

 

 

I mean.. like I said.  I am happy to have a job.. but....   ...    .. This sucks.  =(

 

 

[Jormungand]

I am sorry to hear that things are so stressful with the job scenario right now. Hopefully it will even out as you move into a routine, but I understand how it can put a strain on the family. Again, keep powering through and things may yet improve. 

[Sevasan]

I am going to frame this as a personal challenge on doing what I have to do, to provide for my family.

 

I will still be looking for something better. But until that comes along, I will have to keep doing this.

 

 

Needless to say that I will not be doing much as far as exercising, but I will be carrying heavy objects, walking up and down flights of stairs constantly, and being in the heat and sweating a lot. Haha  so basically the job will be my workouts.  I am even going to try to eat healthy with what little I can spare to make in a hotel room.

 

Today was better. (at least I didn’t get rained on)  and it was incredibly hot, but I can see hot today will basically be a typical day. It probably wont be so bad once I get used to the routine. Only time will tell!

 

I am going to stay positive and get through this other hurdle as gracefully as I can. Haha!

[Jormungand]

At least there is still the physical aspect of the job. It beats sitting all day. Stay graceful. 

[Sevasan]

haha!  Yes it does beat sitting all day. 

 

 Today was not as bad. I got to climb 50 foot ladders and snake my way through a bunch of scaffolding. so yes. it is physical. 

 

I still don't want to do this though. I am still searching for a job closer to home. I have only been gone a few days and I am unsure how long I will be here before I get transferred to the Lake Charles job.  Which it will be better because it will be closer to home.

 

I miss my family so much.     

 

But I am doing this for them. Because I have to pay the bills somehow.     Stay positive!

 

The job is not so bad itself.. it is just the being away.