But it must have been the wrong time.
I'd have said the right thing,
But I must have give the wrong line.
My heads is a bad place,
And I wonder what it's good for.
I've been runnin' tryin'
To get hung up in my mind.
Just gotta give myself,
A good talking to this time.
Just need a little 'Brain salad surgery',
I got the cure for insecurity!"
Thank you BB,
And give my regards to Lucille
When Julie and I decided to come west, she felt that Saskatchewan was the place to go because of the lower cost of living; I said that I would first look at Calgary, though I don't much care for cities as I'm not used to them, because it had a generous population and supported so many TM clubs, that it lies as it does, snuggled up against the Canadian Rockies, was a bonus. The cost of living is problematic, though not insurmountable; I came here preapproved to buy one of theseexpensive pieces of real estate, and looked forward to doing so, but, for that preapproval to work, I need to generate the sort of salary that I was accustomed to in Ontario. That again could be difficult right off the bat, but would come eventually. What has really slowed the process down, and given cause for reconsideration, is the fact that I seem unable to get any sort of job interview.
A week or so ago they had that kerfuffle in the local papers concerning people from out of province arriving here with neither jobs, accommodation, or means of self support, and causing a drain on Calgary's social services; one writer went so far as to suggest that Ontarians, and Quebecois should arrive here with a thick skin. I happen to possess a thick skin, and the back of a duck; however, my poor wallet is growing somewhat gaunt. Many years ago I read a little book called, "Lies, Damn'd Lies, and Statistics," and, in spite of that, for the life of me I can't make heads nor tails of the statistics I've compiled here. In my two enjoyable months here I have submitted, by hand, fax and 'e' mail well over 200 resumes, many to head offices representing a wide variety of potential jobs. To be sure, some I was only vaguely qualified for, and I hadn't really any expectation of landing them; the majority were for positions for which I am qualified, and then there were even several for which I'm over qualified. This was not a 'blanket' application process, but each resume was aimed at an advertised position, many of which are still being advertised for. Not one call did I receive for an interview! I began to feel like the young fellow with a pocket full of cash who couldn't get lucky in a bordello!
I had really wanted a job in the newspaper world and applied for several; I have written for papers before, and have produced several of my own modest publications. I used a program called 'Aldus Pagemaker', since bought out by Adobe, and the program that everyone seems to favour now is called Quark, but the programs all do the same thing, and if you can attain the desired results with one, it doesn't take long to do the same with a new program. I was given the name of an editor of a rather prestigious local production, and a name to use in contacting him. I was very impressed and flattered when I sent him an 'e' mail, and had received a very gracious and obliging answer in less than two hours. When I wrote I explained that I wasn't asking for a job, what I really wanted was a mentor. In my message I'd given a broad overview of my background, and this gentleman asked for greater detail, and enquired as to whether I had a current resume on hand? I sent him the resume, and answered his questions. The only thing the resume listed that he had not known before, was my Ontario address, and the Ontario address of my previous employer. It's sort of odd ....I never heard from him again.
I have, up till just recently, never applied for a job in my life; I've just fallen into them. I had never drafted a resume, but I've got that down pat now. After about 6 weeks of ominous silence my self esteem had regressed to the point that it was fit only to be drug out and shot! Last week Julie and I discussed it, and I told her I couldn't really see the prospects here improving in any real hurry, so I'd start looking at possibilities in Saskatoon. Last Thursday I began researching Saskatoon, finally arriving at the provincial job site where I went through all the job listings. There was on that really caught my fancy; two actually, but one was a real job, and the other just a nice fantasy that I can't really look into until I have my life sort of structured. I decided that, as it was late in the day, I would apply for the real job immediately, and return to the site on Friday to apply for anything I might, in all modesty, aspire to. Friday I returned to the site and began drafting a more generic resume for general purposes. The phone rang, and I wondered, "What does Julie want at this time of day?" and answered it without looking at the call display. I almost fell off my Captain's chair! It was a request for an interview, less than 17 hours after I had submitted my resume! They'd even called long distance! I had my interview on Monday and it went well. The day before yesterday I received confirmation of my new position. 230 to 1 I'd call the odds on that, so I know where I must place my money; I'm not one to deprive an eager employer of an eager employee!
I really wasn't too dismayed by the lack of interest displayed here in Calgary; after 25 years of being a wage slave it was nice to have an extended vacation, even if most of it was spent grinding out resumes instead of exploring Calgary and it's surrounds. I like this city so much better than Toronto; it has a vibrancy to it that's hard to ignore. People are friendly and open here, and in spite of it's cosmopolitan nature, there is still a laid back rural feel to this place that is pleasingly reminiscent of the area where I grew up. There has been a reference I've picked up in the papers here, and on the radio, "The Centre of the Universe," and it strikes me as slightly derogatory, for which I can hardly blame the users. It refers, I believe, to Ontario in general, and Toronto in particular. I don't consider myself an Ontarian, and certainly not Torontonian; I am Canadian! Even so, I some how get the impression that this Creemore farm boy may just have meandered a little too far west of the "Centre of the Universe." Because of that I'll be, to quote a western band, "running back to Saskatoon!"
I did get one job while spending time here, and it was working in the newspaper industry; I've been up at 3:00 am every morning delivering the Herald, Globe, Post, and Sun to deserving Calgarians! It was the only job response I ever did receive, and it required neither resume nor application. I even responded to an ad for the "Psychic Hotline" which I thought would be fun, relatively harmless, and great training for impromptu speaking ....no response, but .....somehow I knew that was going to be the way it turned out! Some friends chided me on taking the paper route but it was fun and, more important, it gave me something challenging to do! Challenging!? you ask, well ....yes, trying to match up 200 assorted papers, with 200 assorted addresses, in an unfamiliar city, in neighbourhoods where shrubbery obscures all the street numbers, and that doesn't matter much because there's no light to read them by any how, is something of a challenge. Scrambling through the dark streets in the rain, your address list disintegrating before your very eyes, then the rain turning to snow, and your fingers turning blue/black with that rare combination of ink and cold, is a modest challenge, but a challenge none the less. Besides, I enjoy being up early, watching the city come to life; the first to chide the birds on the tardiness of their rising! The start time of the route made TM meetings way past my proper bedtime, but TM meetings were perhaps even more important to my self esteem than my paper route. The great self-destroyer of unemployment is the threat of allowing yourself fall prey to the twin dangers of apathy and lethargy; it feels good to cast both aside.
The other job prospect I spied in Saskatoon is that of DJ/MC; actually, since my first spotting I've seen a couple other ads for the same. I'm not really enthused about DJing, but, it is another opportunity to stand before an audience. The MC position I'm very interested in; I've MC'd weddings and other functons and enjoy it, besides, it's another opportunity to stand before an audience, and travel a bit besides; any job that will provide you two exercises that you enjoy, and, at the same time pay you for doing them, is a good job. My goal is to become an Entertaining Speaker, and I'm giving myself 5 years to make the necessary inroads in that direction; after all, I've heard that "DTM" stands for, 'Damn'd Talking Machine' and, given opportunity, I fit the bill!
I've been living in what I refer to as a 'Hooverville' on the outskirts of Calgary's NE and, though it is interesting enough in it's own right, it does get a little dreary sometimes; it makes me a 'Trailer Park Boy'. The girls at home, Julie & Allison even sent me a care package in a nod to Father's day and my approaching Birthday, and, in accordance with my new social standing, included a cute package of "White Trash Lip Balm!" Now, I don't know whether the two of them are suggesting that I'm 'White Trash', or they are just afraid that I'll be kissing a lot of it, but, never look a gift balm in the mouth; besides, if I'm to be an Entertaining Speaker, I must keep those lips supple! I've already found new digs in Saskatoon; it's a really pretty RV Park located just three miles from my new job, so I can leave my RoadTrek parked and either bike or walk to work ....possibly even delivering a few papers along the way!
"The thrill is gone!
The thrill has gone away,
The thrill is gone Baby,
The thrill is gone away.
You know you done me wrong Baby,
And you'll be sorry some day!
Thanks again BB
So, I'll head for Saskatoon this next Wednesday, and, in a way, it's a good thing; ....it gets mighty frosty way out here in the dark!
James (I'll B. running back to Saskatoon!) Mackay
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