Monday, November 10, 2008

Fact or Fiction

I'm running out of options.

There's a logic rule about how unemployment works. It's something along the lines of "the longer you're unemployed, the harder it is to get a job." It's ironic but it is true. You lose your job, and then you send out resume after resume in the vain hopes of getting a callback. You go through unemployment and underemployment until finally you score an interview, five months after your last permanent job. You come into the office dressed in recently dry-cleaned attire and the first question to come out of your employer's mouth is "Well, why have you been out of work for so long?"

This is the most humiliating question any human being can ask another human being, especially when it comes to entry-level. What do you say? Can you respond bitterly? Can you quote statistics? Can you tell a joke, a lie, the truth? What's the point of that question? There's a bad economy, you're living off spaghetti and Ritz crackers because your college degree that was supposed to set you ahead of the pack now places you squarely in the middle. You compete with snide late 20-somethings possessing Master's degrees, trust funds, and parents with summer homes. Hell, you compete with bratty 18 year olds who have mapped out their life to the age of 57, where they'll die of a jogging-induced heart attack.

How dare they? - you think in the lack of privacy of your apartment that you share with four people, a dog and a cat. Think about that: 7 living animals and only one bathroom. You are living with seven things excreting all sorts of gases, liquids, and solids and you think "How dare these people cut ahead of me in line for this position." Who are these 20-somethings with no heart and even less mettle, who probably won't stay the year at company X? And then you flash-forward to the interview, to this employer who asks you "Why have you been out of work for so long?" You look at the floor, at your resume, at the potted plant in the corner, leaves brown at the edges. There isn't an answer. You're out of options.

2 comments:

Michael said...

Keep your chin up, and live efficiently, until you find someone who understands... or decide to strike out on your own.


Time: About 2 hours (Actual Work Time: about 15 minutes)
*****************************************************
BigatticHouse dinner rolls: (one dozen)
4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups warm water ( Water should be warm, but not boiling. )
2 tablespoons yeast (or 2 packets)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (or 1-2 Tablespoons if you want fluffier rolls)
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil/olive oil/whatever

1. dissolve yeast and sugar in water in large mixing bowl.
2. mix yeast until dissolved.
3. add 1 cup of flour and mix
4. add salt
5. continue to add flour 1/2 cup at a time mixing.
6. flour will seem *VERY* wet, keep mixing. You can use a spatula to “fold” it.
7. If you feel like a little exercise, oil your hands and knead in the bowl.
8. The bread will "come together" after a few minutes, and feel "springy". It will be smooth, If it looks like biscuit batter- keep kneading. Once it is smooth, it means the gluten has developed.
9. Go ahead and knead the dough for a little while longer, you won't hurt anything.
10. Oil a glass or metal bowl. flop your dough into the bowl and flip over - so your dough is lightly covered in oil. Let sit 1 hour in a warm place. you may want to cover with seran-wrap to keep it moist/warm.

**** After One Hour Rising ****
11. Flour a surface.
12. Punch the dough. Yes, punch it... all the air bubbles should deflate it.
13. You can knead again if you want
14. Cut the dough into four pieces
15. Cut each piece into 3 pieces. This should give you 12 small balls of dough.
16. Oil a muffin/cupcake pan, crisco works best , place one dough ball in each cup
17. Place pan in a warm, draft-free place for 30-45 minutes.

**** After 30-45 minutes rising ****
**** Preheat oven to 425 ****
18. When the oven gets to 425, Bake for 15 minutes. Rolls should swell about 3-5 times the size of the dough balls. They will start to brown after about 10 minutes, check every two minutes to make sure they don't burn.
19. Pop them out onto a wire rack to cool, or the bottoms will get slimy.
20. Serve immediately with dinner, or as a snack. Careful they're HOT!

Note: Before putting in a bag, Let them cool completely (several hours at least) "stone cold". They keep for 3 or 4 days in a plastic bag. 15-20 seconds in the microwave makes for a great snack.
source: Mike Johnson

--
Find work, or make ends meet with One Eye Open:
http://www.bigattichouse.com/oneeyeopen.html

Harris said...

hey calvin,

spaghetti and Ritz crackers?!?

When can I come over?

Rock On,

Aitch