Just got laid off...

[catesta]

Good luck Chris. I know you recently moved, and I hope your area will experience a quick and full recovery. People in the Industrial Midwest likely won't ever fully recover from the loss of industry. I'm starting to think about possibly moving out of the area permanently. It is so blighted over here. I've got one more semester of school, and my son has to finish out his senior year in high school. After that, we're open to moving anywhere.

Arizona has actually taken the hardest hits in the business. That's where all these guys are going to have to be let go.

NY is maintaining and we've seen a lot of contract activity in Nevada and the pacific northwest, mostly federal money.

In the past Arizona was always the anchor and never had a year showing zero growth. 2009 will be the first year to not only show no growth, but will go backwards for us. This is why I've had to spend so much time in Phoenix when I'd rather be playing bocce in Queens. I'm on a plane out of here on Friday back to NY for a quick check on things, then back west in time to submit the four bids that hit the desk this afternoon and due in a couple of weeks. I like to see that and am optimistic but

some people are being stupid with the numbers. They panic or are inexperienced and bid shit way too low.

Good luck to you, Paul, choose wisely.

[Aggie87]

Way to go, Shawn. Glad to here your perseverance has paid off.

And good luck to everyone still looking.

[alocispepraluger102]

Yes, at the very least it's a year long contract, with the possibility of getting hired on full-time. I'm just incredibly grateful to have a steady 40 hour per week gig, it's been WAY too long.

Here's hoping others get good news soon. It took over a year to find a full-time gig, so incredible patience was required, along with the willingness to not let myself get buried in despair. I don't regret anything in life, so I'm taking it as a "character test" and moving forward, looking back does nothing.

awsome. absolutely awesome!!!!!!!!

[PHILLYQ]

Yes, at the very least it's a year long contract, with the possibility of getting hired on full-time. I'm just incredibly grateful to have a steady 40 hour per week gig, it's been WAY too long.

Here's hoping others get good news soon. It took over a year to find a full-time gig, so incredible patience was required, along with the willingness to not let myself get buried in despair. I don't regret anything in life, so I'm taking it as a "character test" and moving forward, looking back does nothing.

Great news, Shawn! Sometimes when you get a contract situation like that if you distinguish yourself you wind up getting a permanent position. GOOD LUCK!!!

[Free For All]

Yes, at the very least it's a year long contract, with the possibility of getting hired on full-time. I'm just incredibly grateful to have a steady 40 hour per week gig, it's been WAY too long.

Here's hoping others get good news soon. It took over a year to find a full-time gig, so incredible patience was required, along with the willingness to not let myself get buried in despair. I don't regret anything in life, so I'm taking it as a "character test" and moving forward, looking back does nothing.

Great news, Shawn! Sometimes when you get a contract situation like that if you distinguish yourself you wind up getting a permanent position. GOOD LUCK!!!

Yeah Shawn, CONGRATS! I hope this works out for you, I know you've been down a rough road lately. Good luck.

[Soulstation1]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

[Chuck Nessa]

[Dave James]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

I wonder if it's the name or the scent that's making this one popular. If you think it could be the former, you might consider renaming some of your other candles as a marketing strategy. Either way, good luck to you. I've been following this thread for so long, I almost feel like I've purchased a couple of your candles.

Up over and out.

[catesta]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

Dude, how much are the monkey farts?

[BERIGAN]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

I wonder if it's the name or the scent that's making this one popular. If you think it could be the former, you might consider renaming some of your other candles as a marketing strategy. Either way, good luck to you. I've been following this thread for so long, I almost feel like I've purchased a couple of your candles.

Up over and out.

He's right about that! And what about ebay, have you tried putting up any???

[PHILLYQ]

Well add me to the list of the laid off-I got whacked yesterday. The company(a large bank) had been moving jobs to Mumbai, Jacksonville, & Manila, but I thought that I would be safe for awhile because what I did was risky and could involve some losses if not done right. WRONG!!! When it happened it really caught me by surprise. Something happened Wednesday at work and it was a sensitive issue, so on Thursday when my boss(wonderful woman and friend for 20+ years) told me the the big boss wanted to see me I thought I was in trouble for the incident on Wednesday. Then the big boss tells me that we're going to see an HR person and I was sure I was getting fired, but it was just a layoff. I actually feel relieved and I'm at peace with it, because for the last year since we got new big bosses the work situation has been steadily going downhill and was reaching the intolerable stage. I got a nice severance package- I'm technically on the payroll until the end of this month and then the package kicks in and I get full salary until December. I can also collect unemployment and I still have severance $$ money from my last job, so I could actually go about a year without working. I'm looking at it as a great opportunity to possibly change what I do for a living and I may even go to school to learn something new.

Well, I'm back in action! I got a consultant job with a company in the building next door to where I was working and I'll start on Monday or Tuesday. From what I gathered in the interview I stand a good chance of becoming permanent after awhile. So I've had almost two months off at full pay with $$ left from my severance and I'm back to work(for a higher rate of pay, too). I felt so lucky I bought a ticket for Megamillions(325 mil for tonight).

[jazzbo]

:tup :tup

[catesta]

Congrats!

Treat yourself to a $5 slice at Di Fara.

[PHILLYQ]

Congrats!

Treat yourself to a $5 slice at Di Fara.

I might even go whole hog and have two slices!! It's raining like hell so it might be a good day to go there.

[papsrus]

Good news!

[Soulstation1]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

Dude, how much are the monkey farts?

8 oz candles are $8 or 2 for $15

[Soulstation1]

sold $38 worth of candles last week

including 1 monkey farts

people like the monkey farts

I wonder if it's the name or the scent that's making this one popular. If you think it could be the former, you might consider renaming some of your other candles as a marketing strategy. Either way, good luck to you. I've been following this thread for so long, I almost feel like I've purchased a couple of your candles.

Up over and out.

He's right about that! And what about ebay, have you tried putting up any???

might try craigslist

the problem is I live in arizona and if candles sit in the mail box all day at 100 degrees they will melt

also the wick will move and they aren't any good

might do something when it cools down

someone was selling them on craigslist but not at this time

[Soulstation1]

Might be able to sell candles to a local pet shop

They need something to help with the smells

The manager wants to buy one and see what happens

I will make him a black cherry in the next couple days

That would be cool if they needed a couple

candles every few weeks

[papsrus]

Seems tailor made for the monkey farts.

[jeffcrom]

I've been teaching band in the same metro Atlanta school system for 28 years; I started out as a high school band director, but have been teaching fourth and fifth graders for many years now. Yesterday our superintendent announced that, as a budget-cutting measure, band and orchestra would no longer be offered in elementary school. I know that in many places band and orchestra doesn't start until middle school anyway, but I always prided myself on working for a school system that was more enlightened.

For me this probably means early retirement, with some work to build up a clientele of private students to make up some income. I should be fine financially. What I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is seeing a program I've devoted so many years to just disappear.

And what's more distressing is the direction the school system is headed. Programs and personnel are being slashed right and left. Next year class sizes will start at what has been the maximum class size in the past. That's where they'll start - most will go up from there. This is happening all over the state - property taxes partially fund the schools, and property values are way down. And the state's contribution to each system has been drastically cut - although the state is still planning to build the College Football Hall of Fame. I guess being ranked 47th in education (according to one ranking) isn't good enough for Georgia - we're shooting for #50! Watch out, Mississippi!

I'd better go ahead and get that Hank Mobley Mosaic set before May 31; it'll be my last one for awhile. Thanks for letting me vent.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh shit, double bad news - for you and the kids.

Really sorry to hear this.

MG

[neveronfriday]

[...] Yesterday our superintendent announced that, as a budget-cutting measure, band and orchestra would no longer be offered in elementary school. I know that in many places band and orchestra doesn't start until middle school anyway, but I always prided myself on working for a school system that was more enlightened.

[...]

And what's more distressing is the direction the school system is headed. Programs and personnel are being slashed right and left. Next year class sizes will start at what has been the maximum class size in the past. T

Very sorry to hear this (although early retirement - if you can handle the financial aspects, which you said you can - ain't as bad as it might look right now).

Being a teacher myself, I'm seeing an increasing tendency here (= Germany) to go "the American way" ... the lowering of standards (which is actually just a lowering of investment = money), etc., bla, bla, bla. All of this is done from a "leftist" perspective that screams about benefits and equality while completely ignoring achievement and other related issues. It's sickening to see a bunch of frustrated politicians (once you Google their high school scores, many were dismal) making decisions in the educational field that won't bite them in the ass ... they'll bite future generations in the ass ... and various other parts.

Anecdote: About a year ago, the secretary of education asked for about one billion of extra investment into education. Our chancellor said that there was no money at all left to finance that kind of demand. Two months later, when the auto industry was about to go belly-up (plus the financial crisis spreading throughout the economy), she suddenly had 43 billion (!) she could pull from her stash (and that was just for starters!!) within 24 hours.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I'm the eternal cynic, but you don't have to be one to know that things will hit the fan by about 2020.

By that time, accountability will have disappeared into the mists of history (once again).

Frustrating.

Jeff: Good luck and all the best to you!

Volkher

Edited March 4, 2010 by neveronfriday

[Brad]

Sorry to hear that Jeff. I guess my son's school system is lucky (at least so far). In sixth grade he was part of the school band (clarinet). However, people are making noise about cutting costs here and there. I guess people don't understand how important music is.

[paul secor]

Sorry to read the bad news, Jeff. Hope you can turn it into something good for yourself - you seem to have a positive attitude and that's important. My wife retired last June after 36 years of teaching first or second grade. I can see that budget cuts, along with layoffs, larger class sizes, etc. are coming to New York too. However, as you mentioned with the Football Hall of Fame in Georgia, the pork barrel spending will go untouched. Our country just gets sicker and sicker.

[Dave James]

For me this probably means early retirement, with some work to build up a clientele of private students to make up some income. I should be fine financially. What I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is seeing a program I've devoted so many years to just disappear.

The first thing you have to acknowledge is that what's happening is beyond your immediate control. Then, instead of focusing on what will be lost, focus on what you were able to accomplish in the 28 years you devoted to music instruction. I'm sure you had quite an effect on a lot of kid's lives and on their appreciation of music. You should feel good about that.