Pilot's Log

Earlier tonight/Tuesday I decided my morale was too low and the odds were too long for me to bother with going into Knoxville to the Job Fair today/Wednesday. After last Fall's misadventure with Tech School and retraining, I wonder if I'm qualified to do ANYTHING that is marketable. With fewer than forty companies promised at this fair, and probably thousands of other applicants coming, I doubt it's worth my time and effort.

No need to respond to this, I'm just venting because I'm tired and frustrated and sick of living in this fashion.

The company that I left my resume with at the job fair overday is Mahle. Chances are you've never heard of them. Chances are just as likely that some of the parts they make are in the engine of the car you drive now. They're headquartered in Germany but they have plants and facilities scattered all over the world. They have a plant in Morristown, which I intend to look up in the coming days.

The fellow at the job fair booth gave me a poster they have that charts all the engines currently in production for passenger cars and light trucks for the sixteen major manufacturers.

The List, for Posterity:
* GM * Ford * Chrysler * BMW * Daimler * Fuji * Honda * Hyundai * Kia * Mazda * Mitsubishi * Nissan * Porsche * Suzuki * Toyota * Volkswagen

The chart details the size and general specifics of each engine, where they're made, and in what vehicles they would be available. I can geek out on this thing for weeks!

Meanwhile, a motorsports factory in Georgia is having a "clearance sale" that I would participate in if I won the lottery tomorrow. You see, they build race cars, and every so often components become obsolete for competition. In this case, we're talking very specific models of Ford V-8 engines! Useless for on the track, but perfect for hot rodding! One of those, a nice Mustang or T-Bird, some very good mechanics, and a dream machine is possible.

But faithful Moonshine is going to keep her job for a good long time if I can help it. Got no beef with her.

FP

* Bro visited early and we all had breakfast together. He's working three jobs, two with the Asheville city parks service (maintenance of the sports facilities and umping/reffing sporting events) and selling phones at a U.S.Cellular branch. His finances are still very dicey and I don't know what we can do for him if I don't get the job he arranged for me.

* Went to the Job Fair in Knoxville and only left my resume with the News Sentinel paper. There were about 50 participating companies, but 10 were schools and a good number of the rest were things I can't do. Supermarkets. Fast food. Factory work. Telemarketing. Medicine.

* Sent a little gift to Ted Nomura (manga artist, creator of the Families of Altered Wars series). More about it once he receives it.

FP

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of May 15, 2008

In his folk song "Farewell to the Gold," Nic Jones tells the story of a failed gold prospector. After two years of finding no more than a few flecks of the precious metal, the unlucky man is giving up his search. "Farewell to the gold / that never I found," he sings. "Goodbye to the nuggets / that somewhere abound. / For it's only when dreaming / that I see them gleaming / down in the dark deep underground." If I'm reading the omens correctly, Sagittarius, it's time for you, too, to say goodbye to a quest that hasn't panned out. Yes, it'll be sad. But here's the happy ending: Within a month of the time you surrender, you'll be led to a better quest with more chance of success.

It's been six weeks since I went to Asheville for that interview Bro arranged for me. There's another job fair in Knoxville on Tuesday, so I guess I'll go to it.

FP

Went to that career fair for which I had my beloved hair deforested. Only thirteen companies to choose from, and none of them star candidates. Left my resume with a temp agency which doesn't even open in Knox till July.

If I had known things would be this bleak, I would have kept my hair and the $10 I spent to have it cut.

As consolation, I went to Tuesday Morning and bought three music CDs--all stuff from the 1980s. So I can bob my head to Adam Ant and Loverboy and Rick James...you just won't see me throw my hair around. *shrug*

FP

There's supposed to be a Job Fair happening today in Knoxville, and I'm probably going. I have low hopes...I'm not happy about being out of work and in debt, but I also don't care for the prospect of a job with a commute I can't support. Commuting killed at least three of my past jobs.

You can wish me luck if you want but I won't hold you to it.

FP