How's It Going?

Actually can't think of anything interesting to write this week, so instead I'm going to ask a rhetorical question: how's it going?

You don't actually have to tell me how it is going for you, though it may not be a bad idea for you to tell yourself. Tell yourself about that new thing you learned, the fun you had one day, and the love you felt another. Tell yourself all about it, then tell someone else near to you. Tell them all of the details you shared with yourself and then ask them how it is going for them, and listen to what they say.

Challenges

There is a decent chance that you know that Lent began last week, even if you are not Catholic or Christian. Kind of happens when so many of us are in the same culture. Anyway, Lent is meant to celebrate the triumph of Jesus over temptation after spending 40 days fasting in the desert. Those who join the celebration do so by sacrificing like He did for forty days, not counting Sundays. These sacrifices are not suppose to be something trivial but something meant to better ourselves. Of course some people do not sacrifice but find another means to better themselves.

In my case, I am attempting to do both. My hope is to spend these forty days not playing any video games (with a contextual exception) and to work on my writing every day. Currently I'm not comfortable discussing writing I am working on, just because it still needs work. The video games though is something that I simply should do. I keep losing hours to them. Of course, I have those hours to lose, being unemployed. Maybe I can change my habits and start spending hours writing instead of gaming to decompress and pass the time and such.

What is the exception to the gaming sacrifice? Reviews. If any games come up for me to review, I will play them to get the review done. However, once the review is complete, I will not play the game until Lent is over, at the earliest.

For some people, these may not seem like important commitments, but they are to me. I know that as I approach two years of unemployment that I am losing my abilities. I can only hope that if/when I find a job that my talents will resurface quickly. In the mean time though, I simply feel it would be best if I do not let my gaming talents be honed at the expense of others I could work on now, such as my writing. Of course, I don't know if that will work. I don't even know if it's worth it. Seems like every time I apply for a job, I find a new reason to believe I won't get hired.

There was the Lost Generation, the Great Generation, and now I fear we will have the Wasted Generation. If you want to do something about that, give up because you can't. Instead focus on keeping it the Waster Generation, instead of the Wasted Generations.

To All Employers…

To all the employers out there I have sent applications to, do you find this blog of mine? I'm curious because I generally keep a small Internet footprint and my name is not unique. I'm also curious because some people may read something I write here and decide they don't like me. I will admit though that I don't think that is wrong, but I don't think that just because you don't like me that you shouldn't interview me because, after all, you don't know me.

This reminds me of another question I have for employers: is it a problem when someone does not have a Facebook account? I hear stories about employers looking at potential-hires' Facebook pages as part of their investigation of the person, but what happens when there is no Facebook page? I can understand an employer seeing something on Facebook that troubles them, but does it trouble them when the person does not have a Facebook? I certainly hope not because I do not have a Facebook account and I neither want nor need one either.

Short one today. (Lucky you.)

Super Silliness

Before I get too far into this I want to admit that I am not much of a football fan. That's not to say I don't enjoy the Super Bowl, I do enjoy it, but some things are just getting stupid. I'm speaking primarily of the idea of making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, so everybody has the day off, but a case can be made that several of the ads are going to be stupid too.

That is an utterly imbecilic idea. It rewards those few who are irresponsible enough to need a day off and too selfish to just take a vacation or sick day. Instead they want everyone, including those like me who do not over-celebrate, to sacrifice a day of work, so they can sleep through a hangover. If I had a job, I'd enjoy going in to work and wouldn't want to have a day off for something as pointless to me as the Super Bowl.

Now, if a business wants to give their employees a day off, that's its business. If I were to work at such a business, I would almost certainly request that I be allowed to come in to work on that day. Of course, I would only do this if I enjoyed the work (I also wouldn't have the job if I didn't enjoy the work) so I wouldn't have a problem with counting it as a regular work day. Not everyone is like me though, and somewhere between me and those who would not come in would be those who would come in, but request overtime.

For anyone who wants the day after the Super Bowl off across the country, just think about that! While you are sleeping off the night before, some of us, possibly more of us than you, will be getting work done, and getting more for that work too. That work which would be done anyway, even if you called in sick, and for no more money than any other working day.

You know what, maybe it isn't such a bad idea. You get your day off and, if I had a job, I get the overtime for a regular day of work. It's almost like I'd be making the money you would have, if you just didn't party as hard, but not quite.

Obviously I'm being sarcastic there. One more point for why this shouldn't happen is that the Super Bowl is not deserving of that kind of honor. Maybe I should start a petition too, to enable people to vote down petitions. Doesn't have to count as a negative signature; just a voice of opposition, so we can all be included in the discussion.