My Hierarchy of Work

1. family
Does this occupation allow me to spend a reasonable amount of time away from work with my family?

2. philosophy/environment
What is this company's philosophy and does it fit with mine? Do I believe in it? Is the work environment engaging and supportive? Are there like-minded individuals working there to support the common cause?

3. pay/benefits
Not rocket science here. I just want to make enough to live in a decent neighborhood with decent schools, and a chance to put my children through school, as well as retire with some sort of grace. Nothing more than middle-class, which is disappearing.

4. learning/discovery
Does this position posses the opportunity to learn and discover new things from time to time?

5. position/duties/opportunity
If I do great work, will I be rewarded with career advancement opportunities and increasing responsibilities? Will I at some point have a greater role in the larger undertaking? Is this a collaborative venture?

6. location
Similar concerns to question #1. Will I have to travel far? Will I have to spend a lot of time away from family?

7. human experience
At some point, you have to show me how your organization is committed to benefiting the human experience. This usually means that places like Wal-Mart, Target, Coca-Cola, and other retail-centered businesses are off-limits for me. I don't care how much they contribute to charity, their bottom line is the bottom line, and nothing more. I have to feel like I am in some way directly or indirectly benefiting the people of the world with my work. It's just a larger-picture mentality I have. That's why working for ClimateCrisis, Plug-In America, Bruce Mau Design, the Walker Art Center, or my local Co-Op is far more desirable to me than Target.


*image courtesy of shifting creations.

Quotes

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less
than you settled for.
-Maureen Dowd

The possible ranks higher than the actual.
-Martin Heidegger

We Sold Our House On Craig's List

It happened.

It actually happened.

We sold out house with nothing more than a sign and a craig's list posting. The closing happened today, the proceeds wired into our bank account. It was easy. So easy. I actually had a harder time canceling my Earthlink account.

It seems so final now, and I already miss our old place. My new job isn't a good fit for me, so I am going to put in my two-weeks notice and take a month off to spend with Isaac. We have the cash to pay for a few months of rent (not including the money from the house sale), and Isaac is at the perfect age. He's 3, and I feel like he's so awesome to be with, I can't pass up this opportunity. Sorry folks, you just don't get this time back. Ever.

A big shout-out goes to

the good people of Homeplans, who hooked me up tall with a $50 gift card to Target and a FAT cake on Friday as a parting gift. A big thanks goes out to the publishing crew, especially Megan K, Brian, and Jen, who gave me a lot of support and kind words. I hope they all have major success this year and beyond. Keep in touch, everyone. Oh yeah, and "never change, friends forever, may all your dreams come true" to coin a few high-school yearbook phrases.

Seriously, good success to all of you.

I'm just lazy

With all of the stuff happening to us, I should be writing more than ever. It's just not high on my priority list. I kicked apart our old black toilet, loaded it in the car, loaded an old microwave, caught a bat in my basement and loaded it into a box, and watched my methed-out neighbors take turns swinging a pick-axe into an old tree trunk. All by 9:30 a.m.

I'm just wondering where they are gonna swing that thing when there's no stump left? Their dog? An annoying addict? I'm not too worried, I'm loading my truck up on Wednesday and leaving them to their wacko existence. I also have St. Paul's finest staking out their house, so hopefully something comes of it.

I will miss my other friends and neighbors dearly (the Jamisons, Augustino and Tony Torres, and the d-trains). I just hope I have some good peeps on my new block. It will be hard to beat my Earl street crew. I'll have to drown out my sorrows with a handcrafted beer and a Brewers game. A pale and thin substitute.

hey

sorry about the cussing in the previous post. I was unwinding that afternoon with a big beer. I am now civilized, and therefore apologize.

Milwaukee Ho!!!

Hey fuckers, it's been a long time since I posted, but this is why: We sold our house, canceled the utilities, found a new place to stay in Milwaukee, interviewed for a job, got an offer, negotiated, accepted the offer, bought a new car, had the old one repaired, rented a moving truck, rented movers, scheduled inspections on the house, scheduled appraisers on the house, had a plumber fix a busted pipe that sprayed water all over the basement & directly in my face three-stooges style, got a loan at the bank for the new car, got a new address, told my freelance clients that I was moving away & finished up my accounts with them, re-negotiated the sale price of the home because of some "defects", scheduled a boiler certification and had the water heater repaired, and my G3 blew a head gasket so all of my files are on a hard drive that I can't access. Also during this time I was working 40 a week and moving all our stuff into the garage. The move is a week away and I feel like I'm gonna punch the next motherfucker that asks me for money. We are Hemorrhaging money right now. We're throwing it to every inspector, mechanic, contractor, and realtor that approaches us.
Selling a place is expensive. But we really are on an awesome lucky streak. In one day I received a job offer and 7 minutes later an offer on the house. We found a car at the price we wanted. We found a place to stay within 2 days of driving around Milwaukee and literally stumbled upon the most awesome neighborhood by accident. I have to give Veleta big props, because I think her money cat she brought us from Chinatown did the trick. More on the details later, but I have to go, the phone is ringing.