He's Upgraded to a 2x6 Now

Well, if I thought God was using a 2x4 on me in an earlier post, I think he has upgraded it. Let's look at the day in chronological order.

I went to Chandler Hill at 10am to prepare for my 11am appt. I got all my documents and scripts in order and was ready. Well, it turns out that 11 was last Monday's time. Today, it was 2pm. OK, so I went back at 3 and made my first 3 calls, only to find that the person I was seeking no longer worked there. "Did you not verify the contact, as you were instructed in a prior assignment?" The next 2 worked OK, and I have a new name to follow up on Friday. No meetings scheduled yet.

Tonight, I had church choir. We practiced a couple of songs for Oct 3 and Oct 10. Then, the director had the gaul to have us meditate on the words of the last song. Let me share them.

"Blessed be Your Name in the land that is plentiful; Where Your streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your Name. Blessed be Your Name when I'm found in the desert place, though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your Name. Blessed be Your Name when the sun's shining down on me; When the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your Blessed be Your Name Name. on the road marked with suffering; Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name."

"Every blessing You pour out, I'll turn back to praise; When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say. Blessed be the Name of the Lord."

Bryan, the director, asked, how many of us get caught in the first part of each phrase and never choose to seek Him in the second part? D'oh. Don't you hate when they do that? Yeah, me too. Lord, I want to know You and Your will. Only then can I be happy in whatever circumstance I find myself.

Boo, Hiss!

The folks and Keith's family have gone to Ouray for a week. That doesn't seem fair. It's one thing when I am included, but when I am not, it is not nice. After all, that's Carey's job.

Speaking of job, my meeting tomorrow at 11am may include calling companies to see if they received my letter and if I can set up a meeting with the decision maker. That makes me a little nervous. Not nervous enough to overlook their Ouray trip, but enough that I hope I can sleep OK.

Wow! The East Valley Chorale has a lot of concerts coming up in the next few months. Even a practice on Saturday morning. What's up with that?

What's with all the family blogs? I think even third cousins twice removed are blogging. And I don't even know who removed them.

Well, Z, it's very late, so I'd better get to bed. Next thing you know, I'll be staying up until 9pm.

I'd Bet My Picture Is Older Than You

That's right, folks. That picture is from 1978. Isn't it weird that I have not changed *at all*? Luckily, I had scanned it in when I loaded our wedding photos, so I have it captured forever. It's not as nice as some people who have their picture in a wedding dress, but it'll do.

BeatleMania Live! (www.wolfmanjack.com/beatle.htm) is coming back to the Valley in mid-November. All right!!! If y'all have never been to a Beatle tribute group concert, you don't know what you are missing. It is so fun. Of course, the majority of the audience is probably closer to my age than yours, but if you like their songs, it is a blast. Everyone singing along, dancing in the aisles, gawking at how close they sound to the Beatles. I think this will be #5(?) for us. Last time, it was Kathie and I, Kyle and Lyndsay, Courtney, her mom, and Nathan. This time, my folks will join us. Yes, we are a little nervous about the volume level for them, so we suggested they bring ear plugs. We sit close enough to the stage that smoke has never bothered us. 90% of the songs are always the same, since this is adapted from a Broadway version. Enough evangelizing.

I must work on my job search. Today, I need to finish my phone scripts. And I am documenting some possible answers to interview questions. I want to sound professional, and if you know me, you know how tough that is.

Can't Get There From Here

Well, it was a day for being humbled. This morning, at Chandler Hill, my Campaign Manager asked me where my various phone scripts were. I need to be able to handle admins, voice mail, immediate link to the company contact I am wanting to meet, people who want to know why I am calling, etc. So, he took me through a mock phone call and stymied me pretty quickly. I worked some on scripts today, and will have first drafts for tomorrow. He hopes for us to begin calls Monday.

Then, tonight at choir, we prayed for the family that just lost that little girl to cancer, for those who lost family members and homes in Katrina, for those who have lost family members in Iraq and Afghanistan, for choir members who have unsaved family, for a choir member who is undergoing chemo. Yes, Lord, I need to keep my minor setbacks in perspective. As we sang tonight, "You're all I want. You're all I've ever needed." Make that so in my life.

Birthdays and Ignorocity

Happy b-day, Ali. I hope you had a good day. James, did you get her something?

Listen to this. I would have guessed that I was smarter than I apparently am. I went in to the job search office today and finalized my initial introduction letters to some companies. My Campaign Manager approved them and I printed them out on their nice printers and heavy bond paper. Another office staff helped me get the envelopes printed. Now, it's time to go home, sign them, stamp them, and mail them. No wait, you don't know where I am going yet.

This office does not validate parking. So, today was $6.00. Oops. I forgot my wallet. No money. No cards. No license. Luckily, they decided I could pay in the morning when I go back. Well, I made it home with no traffic stop. Kyle came by and I decided he could drop them at the post office on his way home. I sealed them and he took them for me. Did you see the step I missed? That's right. I forgot to sign them. D'oh!

At least I can go lose myself in singing at Chorale practice tonight. Even without a job, I can look forward to Tuesday night each week. Y'all keep praying, y'hear?

Helping Katrina Evacuees

Whew! Kathie has been really wanting to do something to help Katrina victims. She'd really like to donate to the ASPCA of La, but I'm pushing back on that until I have a job. Tonight, she surfed a little looking at a posting board for people searching for their pets. That's a sad situation. Lauri, just think if you had to leave Daisy behind. Some of them are looking for trained helper dogs that they had to abandon becuase rescue workers wouldn't let them come.

Anyway, on the news last night, they said they really need gently used furniture for those that have decided to move to AZ and settle. Yee Haw. We've got 3 couches, a kitchen table, and a microwave that were available to our kids. They didn't want them, and I wasn't sure how to find a charity which would accept them. So, Dad and I took the stuff to St. Vincent de Paul today.

That's the good deed for today. I even gave up The Price Is Right for it. Then, I came home and got a little depressed looking through the online job sites. I didn't find anything to apply for today. That's OK. There's always tomorrow.

Upside the Head with a 2x4

Have you ever had one of those where someone hits you upside the head with a 2x4 (which actually only measures 1-3/4 by 3-3/4...what's up with that)? Anyway, today was one of those days. You probably guessed I would say that, or else the whole intro paragraph would have been nonsensical.

OK, so before one of our songs today, a trio did a brief skit. The man in the group talked about having lost his job last week, with a wife and kids and mortgage and bills to manage. OK, I am listening. This led into the Phillips, Craig and Dean song "It's Amazing," which says:
"Who am I that You are mindful of me? That You hear me when I call. Is it true that You are thinking of me? How you Love me. It's Amazing. I am a friend of God. I am a friend of God. I am a friend of God. He calls me friend."

It's true for me. Who am I that he would think of me? OK, the sermon was pulled from John 15:4-9. We started rating ourselves on the fruit of the spirit. Superior, Pretty Good, or Need Improvement. Of course, I need improvement in all of them.

Finally, we reached the verses saying "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now abide in my love." The speaker noted that the painting Creation of Adam is really about God wanting to touch and love His creation. Amen.

I know that doesn't mean he will give me a job because I say I want one. What it says...to me... is if I seek Him, I will know how to pray for my future. My purpose is to do what a branch is supposed to do: Abide.

The Reality of Reality

Ooo-wee. Isn't Big Brother 6 interesting? Almost over, though. Survivor is starting again. Amazing Race is coming back. Apprentice returns. Apprentice:Martha shows up. So, is it coincidence that Bob Denver (Gilligan) passed away just before all these are on for this TV season? I'll leave that to you to decide. If I could choose, I'd take new stuff like Gilligan's Island over all almost anything on TV nowadays.

Mr. Politico Kyle raises the blog stakes with an entry on the Pledge of Allegiance. Suddenly, I have to read something that makes me think? The only reason I could finish it was because he included a picture. If you look, I think you can see G-Mom and G-Dad in it, and G-Dad is holding the flag.

I sent ZKW most of a 1972 Kenny Rogers and the First Edition album. Yeah, baby. Next, maybe I can get KDW to listen to The Carpenters. Or convert Keith over to Black Sabbath (well, it does have the word Sabbath in the name)?

I got inspired today to try and make one of my photos look like something from Ansel Adams. What do you think?

Blog goings-on

Well, if we keep adding family members to blogging, so that everyone is posting, and commenting, and tweaking HTML, I won't have TIME to find a job.

Lindsay, don't come crying to me on Monday when you are sunburned. Kara, we are praying for y'all. Katie, don't EVEN try to make me feel sorry for you having to live in London. Zachary, don't go bragging about Tiger. Brenda, we will pray that you get into your house quickly. There is nothing like the first one. Caleb, nothing new today. No weird names or condiment creator trivia? Lauri, good luck with your doggie. Jay, we used to come to TX for Thanksgiving. Maybe we'll be able to meet somewhere then.

Today, I got all but one of my business introduction letters ready to mail. Once Mr. Campaign Manager approves them, I'll get them in the mail. He thinks we might start meeting with companies by the end of next week. Woo Hoo (yelled in a professional way, of course).

Lessons from Choir

So, why is choir spelled that way, but you pronounce it kwy-er?

Anyway, prayer requests last night remind me that God has worked and continues to work in my life and my family's life. Why can't I trust Him to know our financial needs and take care of them? "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"

Some of the choir members have kids that know the little girl dying of cancer who also needs a liver transplant. And we did not lose everything in a hurricane. And all my family are saved. Thank you, Lord, what You have given me and help me seek those lessons You are teaching me now. Amen.

Leave Phoenix??

What happened to the 'o' in Phoenix? Why don't we pronounce it? Weird. And why is weird spelled so weird?

Well, Pat approved my cover letters and I applied for jobs at Harvard, ASU, Kforce in Portland, and the Mayo Clinic.

Why do my cover letter need to be approved? Well, I am writing them using a T-format. So, on the left, I list the top expectations as stated in the ad. On the right, I address each expectation and how my experience matches it. Chandler Hill's experience shows that, by helping them with the initial screening, we get past the first resume screening.

Now, I will work on some letters to companies that I choose that are not advertising. I ask for 15 minutes to understand the market they are in and how can I tailor my search or reinforce my skills to work in that industry.

Who's Thick Headed?

Finally, today, I got the point of many of the homework assignments from Chandler Hill. Today was a lot of "Randy, I've already told you that...." "Don't you remember me saying...." But now, I was able to put 2 and 2 together to get 4, not just think that I don't need to add them because I've done that in the past.

All right. Let's get after it.

Take 1

Why are fiming or taping episodes called 'takes'? Cause someone is taking your picture? OK, why is that taking? Ah, the English language.

That's right. I filmed my commercial on the first take. We did one dry run to get timing and set the camera angle. And then, Action!

In a combined training session with 2 other job seekers, Pat asked my about my most significant achievement. Well, I did not use my written words, so got too wordy. And I did not include the key element, THE RESULTS. One of us did. Showoff.

Still Watching Bob Barker

No jobs yet. No interest yet. And...no one won a car today on TPIR (The Price Is Right..at least for those in the know.).

Still working on homework about 4-5 hours a day.

Plus I check the want ads in the paper.

Plus monster.com and careerbuilder.com.

Commercial to be filmed next week. I'd better get my suit cleaned. And pick a nice, sensible business tie.