Riding the Struggle Bus

I don't usually scam graphics from other people's blogs but this one just fits the mood d'jour and so I did it.  I stole it.  And I'm not sorry ... well, OK, that's a lie.  I do feel bad but I'm too tired to Google something better. 

Struggle #1:  I have been actively looking for a job for several months now and have sent out about a zillion resumes.  Responses?  Zero.  So I widened my search to include jobs that I am marginally qualified for and/or grossly over qualified.  Nada.  My Mom, bless her heart, has sent numerous leads my way.  All dead ends.  Its weird but there's just nothing around here!

So I cast a wider geographical net and included Calgary in my search.  I wasn't thrilled about relocating but it seemed necessary.  Finally, surprisingly, I got a call-back from a resume I had sent out over a month earlier and had written off as a dud.  It was a job that I was qualified for, the pay was very good and the type of work it involved was very appealing.  I had a promising interview and I was just waiting for the offer to come through.  And waiting.  Waiting.

Meanwhile back in Riyadh, the King of Saudi Arabia decided to tank the price of oil and in the wake of a panicky oil-based Alberta economy, my potential job fell through.  I was disappointed for sure but not totally surprised.  I've been in this industry long enough to know that that's the way it goes and to be fair, I have had a charmed career, I've come through every boom-bust cycle smelling like a rose.  So I guess its just my turn.  But it still sucks.

All's not lost though, I had another job interview for a Medicine Hat based government job that would at least pay 'some' of the bills (but not all) for the time being.  I jumped through all the hoops -- the "do you have a brain?" test, the interview, the physical fitness assessment -- and I was lead to believe I would be starting ASAP ... but still no offer?  I don't get it.  I really don't.

Struggle #2: When the job in Calgary fell through I came to the conclusion that no one, anywhere, will be hiring until this oil price thing sorts itself out ... which won't be anytime soon.  Years I'm sure.  I crunched some numbers and decided that without a 'real' job I can't afford the house I'm in and as per Struggle #1, there doesn't seem to be a 'real' job on the horizon for this little worker bee.  Switch to Plan 'B' ... or 'F' or 'M' or wherever I am at now.

As luck would have it, I found a double-wide mobile home on Kijiji that is reasonably priced, local and actually looked nice in the photos.  I went to see it and it is nice, its perfect for my acreage and its affordable!  I was ready to put down the money, move it to my place, move in and live happily ever after on my little piece of acreage heaven!  But hold the phone, nothing comes that easily in my world these days!

There was a mobile home on the acreage for a number of years until last spring when it was sold and moved off (in hind-sight that was a mistake.  My mistake.)  Back in the day, my Mom successfully got the Development Permit approved by the County even though the trailer was located within the coulee setback.  My intent was to place this 'new' mobile home on the exact same spot as the old one but seems the County is now enforcing their by-laws more stringently and my chances of getting a DP approved in that same spot is, well, slim at best.  With some Engineering magic, I may be able to challenge that but Engineering magic doesn't come cheap.  I can find a different location for the 'new' house which means a new septic system.  New septic systems don't come cheap.  And it seems house movers REALLY don't come cheap ... like, quadruple what I had budgeted.  Ouch!  Suddenly its not so affordable anymore.

 

Struggle #3: One morning in January I happened to notice that I have a rather large lump in my neck.  I feel OK but went to see my Doctor anyway.  He felt around, ordered some blood work, ordered an ultrasound for late-April, told me to stop taking thyroid supplements and said there is a very very very small chance it could be cancer but most likely is something quite innocuous.  I did the blood tests and went back two weeks later to review the results.  Nothing to see here folks, everything is 'normal' ... until he felt the lump again.  The tone of the appointment changed.  He will expedite my ultrasound if I want and if I feel any change in my health I am to immediately go back to see him.  Disconcerting to say the least.

So that's where I'm at these days.  Riding the Struggle Bus.  Front seat.  I don't know what life lessons I'm supposed to be learning in all this or where this bus is going ... but I'd like to get off now and get on a different one, preferably headed in the other direction!