Update XX: A Darn Good Judge of My Financial Situation

[Joe Biden 2020]

Amazon is far too complicated for Clan Bushie.  If only they had somebody in the family with some knowledge of 'electronic commerce' to help them.

It's definitely not too complicated, but it's just that we haven't had a need to look into it, yet.

Are you telling me you have not even visited Amazon.com?! All you have to do is register! There's no other commitments to look into!!

I can't even begin to imagine living without Amazon/online shopping. That's like 95% of my non-food purchases. There's never anything you need in a retail store.

^^^^^
Amazon is truly a gift from God.

I think I have ordered one maybe two school text books from Amazon, but that was a long time ago.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I checked my weight this morning and I am sitting at 290.0.  That is without anything to eat this morning and after a dump.  I was fearing 295, but I'm still at 290 even.

[Joe Biden 2020]

What's up, guys.  I have been looking for a job all day long, but I wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree, because I haven't found any new jobs in several days.  I am using Craigslist, www.indeed.com, and www.simplyhired.com.  Should I try Monster and/or Career Builder or would they just have the same jobs that Indeed and Simply Hired have?  What sites or sources would you guys use if you were looking for a job?

[Joe Biden 2020]

Wasn't 'e-commerce' Bushie's college major once upon a time?

Yes, it was, but like King said, it was 10-14 years ago.  E-Commerce is hard to get a job in, so I haven't really kept up with it, to be honest.  This is also why I had to switch to CAD, so I can actually find places to work.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Wasn't 'e-commerce' Bushie's college major once upon a time?

Yes, it was, but like King said, it was 10-14 years ago.  E-Commerce is hard to get a job in, so I haven't really kept up with it, to be honest.  This is also why I had to switch to CAD, so I can actually find places to work.

What I'm wondering isn't why you don't have a job in it, but why you're apparently stymied by buying stuff on Amazon.

I'm not really stymied by it, I just prefer brick-and-mortar shopping.  To me, the internet cannot replace face-to-face interaction with a sales clerk or a cashier.  It may be more convenient to buy online, but I am concerned with people's jobs, so I don't want to indulge in things that replace people's jobs if I can get away with it.  This is also why I don't like to use the self-checkout at Walmart.

Plus, as everybody here already knows, I am old fashioned, I prefer face-to-face interactions.  That's the way it should be, IMO.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Memphis, the people of Oklahoma are mostly very friendly and very cordial.  It's one of the things I love about my state.  And, yes, I do care about workers who are only making minimum wage.  They have to provide for their families somehow.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'd love to know why Bushie got a degree in e-commerce in the first place if he hates it so much. My suspicion is that it was a joke department and it was super easy to pass courses. Wouldn't be surprised if he started out with something more rigorous.

To your point, it was a very new department.  When I matriculated the first time in 2001, the program was only starting its second year.  Of course, the concept of electronic commerce was brand new back then, too.  I did change to Accounting for a brief time in 2002-2003 before switching back to E-Commerce because I didn't do well in the basic Accounting classes, averaging low C's (low 70's) in the three classes I took.  I graduated in E-Commerce in 2007, but then I found out that by 2009, the E-Commerce program had been discontinued and the professors returned to the Computer Science/Business/Finance fields from whence they came.  So, basically, being young, I chose a fad of a degree.  I should have tried harder in the Accounting major, so I could have been successful in that and maybe been a CPA by now or something.  Be that as it may, I'm now doing CAD work, which I really do enjoy despite the doubters in the Update viewing audience.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Accounting is incredibly difficult. My cousins got her BS in 2005 and still hasn't passed all her CPA tests.

You could have made ecommerce work if you put effort into it. Web designer types make good money around here that I know. You just aren't a self starter.

I can't exactly deny that.  I've always lacked drive, determination, and follow through.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I've always lacked drive, determination, and follow through.

You should definitely include that statement on your resume.

Lol, I do that and I'm on the streets...  panhandling...

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jesus, Jeff ... isn't this just horribly depressing to say? Don't you want to do something about it!?

It's definitely not a pleasant thing to say.  I am trying to do something about it.  I just don't know how to gain those qualities.  You can't just go to Walmart and pick them up on sale.  They take time to acquire and develop.  What would you suggest I do to develop those qualities?

[Joe Biden 2020]

I've always lacked drive, determination, and follow through.

Jesus, Jeff ... isn't this just horribly depressing to say? Don't you want to do something about it!?

It's definitely not a pleasant thing to say.  I am trying to do something about it.  I just don't know how to gain those qualities.  You can't just go to Walmart and pick them up on sale.  They take time to acquire and develop.  What would you suggest I do to develop those qualities?

Wow, that was almost meta. "I've always lacked drive, determination and follow-through. I'd like to do something about it, but it's just, you know, so much effort and time involved. If I could just spend some money to do it, that would be more my style."

I never said I wanted it handed to me.  You made that up.  I asked how do I develop those qualities.  The keyword is "develop", which is not an instantaneous word.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jesus, Jeff ... isn't this just horribly depressing to say? Don't you want to do something about it!?

It's definitely not a pleasant thing to say.  I am trying to do something about it.  I just don't know how to gain those qualities.  You can't just go to Walmart and pick them up on sale.  They take time to acquire and develop.  What would you suggest I do to develop those qualities?

You actually can go to Wal-Mart and pick them up on sale, by starting out as an Associate and working your way up through Wal-Mart management.

You want a great job handed to you and you work that way when you have a job.

Again, I NEVER said that.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jesus, Jeff ... isn't this just horribly depressing to say? Don't you want to do something about it!?

It's definitely not a pleasant thing to say.  I am trying to do something about it.  I just don't know how to gain those qualities.  You can't just go to Walmart and pick them up on sale.  They take time to acquire and develop.  What would you suggest I do to develop those qualities?

You actually can go to Wal-Mart and pick them up on sale, by starting out as an Associate and working your way up through Wal-Mart management.

You want a great job handed to you and you work that way when you have a job.

Again, I NEVER said that.

Your actions say it. You worth yourself >$15/hr starting for no reason. You left another job in the past because you weren't getting frequent enough raises for no reason. You chased after scam jobs that promised big payouts for no reason.

You want a head start on everybody else.

I'm worth $15-$20 an hour, but I don't pursue jobs that pay that high because there are none with my qualifications.  However, in order to pay ALL the bills I need at least $12 an hour and that's not too much to ask for my experience and qualifications.  I don't need to spend time on minimum wage jobs, not because they aren't good, but because they aren't adequate for my needs.  My goal is to get completely out of Mom's checkbook and I cannot do that for less than $12 an hour unless I cancel EVERY piece of entertainment and live in the 1940's with nothing to do except sleep.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jesus, Jeff ... isn't this just horribly depressing to say? Don't you want to do something about it!?

It's definitely not a pleasant thing to say.  I am trying to do something about it.  I just don't know how to gain those qualities.  You can't just go to Walmart and pick them up on sale.  They take time to acquire and develop.  What would you suggest I do to develop those qualities?

You actually can go to Wal-Mart and pick them up on sale, by starting out as an Associate and working your way up through Wal-Mart management.

You want a great job handed to you and you work that way when you have a job.

Again, I NEVER said that.

Your actions say it. You worth yourself >$15/hr starting for no reason. You left another job in the past because you weren't getting frequent enough raises for no reason. You chased after scam jobs that promised big payouts for no reason.

You want a head start on everybody else.

I'm worth $15-$20 an hour, but I don't pursue jobs that pay that high because there are none with my qualifications.  However, in order to pay ALL the bills I need at least $12 an hour and that's not too much to ask for my experience and qualifications.  I don't need to spend time on minimum wage jobs, not because they aren't good, but because they aren't adequate for my needs.  My goal is to get completely out of Mom's checkbook and I cannot do that for less than $12 an hour unless I cancel EVERY piece of entertainment and live in the 1940's with nothing to do except sleep.

Jeff, you seem to completely miss the point that a lower-wage job at which you can excel, learn, grow and take on more over time would be BETTER for you than continually shooting for $xx-an-hour jobs that you HAVE to have because they meet your needs.

Those haven't worked out for you in ... ever.

These guys are recommending to start fresh ... lower on the totem pole with something that isn't as challenging and / or risky for you, be good at it and be consistent with it, and through that you'll learn drive, determination and follow-through. Because if you want to get more money from a lower-wage job, you have to first excel at that lower-wage job.

So, I should give up completely on CAD and go work at a grocery store?

[Joe Biden 2020]

Let's not forget that this recent lay off was not my fault.  I would happily still be there if the job had been able to continue.  I did absolutely nothing wrong at that job to cause the job to go away.  I rarely ever missed except for a couple of days.  This job is going to really boost my resume because of the name of the company.  Plus, it gave me 3 months invaluable experience.  I now have 5 months experience in CAD which is better than being fresh out-of-the-box.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jesse, I am not putting down those who work lower paying jobs.  I know and realize their value is just as much as the higher paying jobs.  If I have to, I will work them, but it is far too soon in this job search expedition to give up on my career entirely.  There is nothing wrong in looking for modestly paying jobs of $12-$15 an hour that suit my budding career.  I found a $15 an hour job in October, so what makes anyone think I can't find that again and be successful at it, this time on a permanent basis?  I am not about to let a second school adventure (and with that another student loan) go down the toilet just because some internet guys think I should be working minimum wage and should primarily look for minimum wage jobs.  If the job search goes into March and April, then I might consider lower paying jobs, but it is far too soon now.  Heck, I haven't even moved back to Tulsa, yet.  Yes, I owe it to my parents to get out from under their checkbook as soon as possible, but I believe I owe it to them and myself more to not see us throw away $7,000 on a career-changing and career-saving school adventure that I gave up on far, far too soon.  I respect my parents and myself too much to do that.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good morning, folks.  I went to bed at 0030, but I did not sleep well.  I kept thinking about Tulsa all morning long and could not shut my mind off long enough to get into a deep sleep.  I will take a nap today to counteract it.  I hate taking a nap during the week, but I have a 2 hour drive in the dark this evening between 1745/1800 and 1945/2000.  I know I'll catch some flack for this from the Update viewing audience, and perhaps some of it deserved, but I have nights/mornings like this.  What gets me, though, is this is the third night like this since Thanksgiving 2 months ago.  The only saving grace for this is I don't have to go to work today, so I can take a nap if I need to.  I may have gotten 3-4 hours of moderate sleep.  I never got into a deep sleep, but I was able to doze off and cat nap through the morning hours.

[Joe Biden 2020]

What aspect of Tulsa did you keep thinking about?  The healthy meals you'll be able to cook for yourself once you escape from the family dinners?

Unfortunately, no, but I kept thinking of what all I have to do the second half of this week in both Choctaw and Tulsa to get myself set back up.  I was mentally putting timelines to everything from this morning through church time Sunday morning.  That should only take maybe 45 minutes to do, if that.  The problem is, my mind kept going over the same stuff over and over and over again.  It felt like the CD in my brain got stuck on a scratch and kept playing the same note over and over.  It also felt like my brain got stuck on a hamster wheel and could not get off until I got out of bed at 0600.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Maybe if you had less pop at dinner, you'd sleep better?

Funny you say that, I actually had unsweet tea with my dinner.  I ate at 1630 anyway, which was 8 hours before I went to bed at 0030, a full 1/3 of a day.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Maybe if you had less pop at dinner, you'd sleep better?

Funny you say that, I actually had unsweet tea with my dinner.  I ate at 1630 anyway, which was 8 hours before I went to bed at 0030, a full 1/3 of a day.

What did you have for dinner? That could explain the issues...

Taco Salad

[Joe Biden 2020]

In case anyone's interested, for Family Dinner #2 tonight, we are having roasted chicken straight from the Sam's club or Walmart Deli!

[Joe Biden 2020]

This will sound like a broken record and probably will not be believed, which I can't blame, but I am going to try to eat better and start cooking for myself when I get up to Tulsa this weekend.  I'm going to start with the dishes I know, such as scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese (stove top kind), and spaghetti and then branch out into other dishes as time goes on.  I'm not going to set any kind of elaborate goal just yet, I want to get started first before I set my sights on loftier goals.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Bushie could do a lot worse than eating 5 eggs.

I usually have no more than 3 eggs, fwiw.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Finally found my seventh application to apply at...

[Joe Biden 2020]

It is 1745 and I'm about to start the car and head for Tulsa!!