It took nearly a full month of the proverbial running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but weeks of stress and frustration seem to finally be coming to a head. Observe today:
First, out of the freaking blue, I get an email from a guy practically offering me a job in youth fitness:
Quote:
Hey Ben, saw your name on the IYCA trainer database. I too am a YFS1 from the IYCA, and am working on getting my level 2 certification. I own a 4,200 sq.ft. facility in Matthews, NC. (east charlotte) and am looking for some trainers who have the same passion ,and understanding on how to work with our youth as I do. I have been training for over 15 years, and right now have a 50-50 split between adults and youth as my clients. I am focused more on getting out and educating Charlotte on how we need to train our youth. I am a strong supporter of what Brian an the IYCA is doing. I feel that today's youth training has gotten way out of hand. If you would be interested in meeting up and working with me and hopefully some other like minded trainers please contact me at (704) xxx-xxxx or at xxx@yyy.com Talk to you soon, GM
The irony is that it's right down the road from where I'm moving OUT OF later this week, but whatever. It looks legit, so I may run by his gym tomorrow morning since I'm supposed to hear back about the job I just interviewed for either tomorrow or Wednesday.
Second, just minutes after getting that email, I got an email saying the first-choice house was approved. It's missing a washer/dryer and a fenced yard, but holy hell, it's four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a five-minute walk from the community pool, and damned convenient to everything but Trader Joe's and most places I might work. For $100 more per month than I'm paying for the shit hole I'm in now, this place is pristine (first look happened to be when the repair crews were there, so they let me walk through and look and talk to them about it). The only thing pending is the lube-less paperwork and deposits tomorrow, then the move later this week.
Third, I got ANOTHER email, this one from my former gym saying they'd been looking through old files, had found an application I'd put in, and wondered if I'd still be interested in being a trainer for them. I kinda laughed at that one. Any work I do for them will be as a contractor, not as an employee.
Fourth, I got a call from my buddy who's keeping me up on that one job I've been holding out for (pending meeting the youth trainer guy). She saw my tweet about the house and called to congratulate but seemed a little distracted. She finally said to make sure I had an application on file with HR when--er, if I got hired. She's done that every time we've talked over the past week, which makes me think the position was mine even before everything got going. It'd almost be too bad if I have to turn them down for the youth training thing. Both are jobs I'm sure I'd love, one with a lot more inherent job satisfaction versus one with MONSTROUS benefits. Going to be a tough call.
Fifth, I FINALLY got my Google Voice invitation after all this other stuff
In summary, there's no more worry about having a roof over all our heads anymore, and while the job situation isn't solidified, it's at least become gelatin. Beer me.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
May you bask in the glory of enjoyable work pursuits and comfortable housing... even though you'll spend all day/night chasing your dogs through the yardless neighborhood.
You'll be exhausted but at least you'll be lean.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
Thanks all. Tomorrow will tell the tale of the job situation as I meet with the youth fitness guy at 10am, and I'm supposed to hear back about the A/V-plus job as well since I didn't get a call today. As for the house, deposits are paid, and utilities are scheduled to transfer. The only thing left is actually getting the keys and garage door openers and, oh yeah, packing and loading, unpacking and unloading, working the dawn shift at the station both weekend mornings, and more than likely starting back to real work on Monday. I kinda got used to this househusband thing.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
hip PNF x 5/side
ankle glide x 5/side
shoulder PNF x 5/side
circuit x 5, 0RI
--burp x 32sec
--jumping jack x 32sec
--rope skip x 32sec
--Thera Band boxing burnout x 32sec
Notes:
--I added two seconds onto each movement to allow for transition to/from the rope and Thera Band. Even so, I had a lot left in the tank at the end, but I was having to do this on concrete as a storm is rolling through, and my feet were not happy in regular sneakers (always when skipping rope) and on concrete (beat the hell out of staying inside tonight since the dogs had been ripping ass all evening). The energy boost might've been the coffee bean ice cream I had with supper: finally realized those are real beans in there... ESPRESSO beans, which explains a lot of my restless sleep of late. Must go back to vanilla for my bedtime snack. On the upside, I can now have ice cream for breakfast
--For all intents and purposes, this is the final workout at the old house. The main challenge at the new house will be the vertical pull. Granted, I do have a Door Gym, but when all my other work is going to be done out in the garage, running in and out just sucks. I'll figure something out, probably a cheapo pull-up station off Craig's List if not a full power cage (must get horse stall mats). Until then, the move will comprise my physical activity for the next few days.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
So, I just got back from the meeting. Fastest hour ever. Not really an interview as much as two guys just bantering back and forth, non-stop, on everything from the state of youth fitness to what he needs to what I can offer to this that and the other. Honestly, this guy is where I saw myself five years after officially getting started, yet here it is in real life, in place, in use, and he has so much business that he needs employees, specifically those with the same mindset toward youth athletics. In other words, he needs another him, just better at computers (he barely has one) and with some connections (I have a few). The only thing we didn't talk about was the exact relationship (sounds like direct employment rather than contract work) and compensation (no clue).
We're supposed to meet again next week, but while I was talking with him, the other job called, presumably to offer me the position since it was my friend saying she needed more information from me. She even used the full, formal title of the job, and she sounded happier than in the past few phone calls.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
I've had some frenzied emergency discussions with a few people, and after working through everything somewhat hurriedly, here's what I've decided:
I'm going to accept the interim A/V position based on short-term guarantees and long-term implications. By taking this job, I immediately have an advantage over anyone else applying when it comes time to hire the permanent position if I decide to pursue it. I also have guaranteed full-time hours at a pay rate comparable to what I was making before (a little more, actually), so even without benefits, it washes with my previous income level. I'm only obligated to the job for a couple months--when the permanent-hire search happens, I have the option to bow out. In the meantime, I'll continue to talk with the trainer guy, pick up some part-time hours as I can (a lot of which will be business-related stuff I can do from work or home) and run some training sessions on evenings and weekends. This will also give me a chance to learn more about this guy and what exactly he wants and just ease into anything that comes along. If it looks like the training gig can take off by the time the interim period is over, I go that way in a couple months.
If I were to hold out for the training job, I immediately lose any guaranteed income of any kind since we didn't discuss compensation, plus I lose any hiring advantage for the permanent A/V position if I decide that I don't like the training situation. If training were to tank AND if I didn't get the permanent hire (made more difficult by not taking the interim job), then I'd be back to square one. I know the guy seems really cool now, but I made that mistake with my last contract gig, so I want to see what he's really made of.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Wow. Took me all day to catch up in here (in bits and pieces here and there). I have lots of thoughts but not time to post them. So lots of good news, plans, and houses. But sorry for the *sniff* climbing rope coming down.
Twelve-plus hours of two people packing and loading a moving truck undone in just over two hours (well, the unloading part; unpacking will take weeks since I go back to work on Monday--I had a month off from work and had to spend it looking for more work and another house, plus CleanOut 2009 and packing... not much of a vacation "on the beach" ).
House is still a wreck but getting better. The kitchen is in order, meaning the coffee pot is in place and further meaning the house is officially home. The garage is immaculate and will remain so as the requisite "man cave" (with half-bathroom access immediately inside--too bad I can't just cut through the garage wall to the toilet so I'd never have to go inside ). I do need to get some storage cabinets since it's just finished walls in there.
Dogs are calming down but will still take a couple weeks to get fully comfortable with their new boundaries, both inside and outside. The pool beckons with the keys and passes hanging on the kitchen wall, but that'll be several days in coming (for me, at least). Everything hurts as I knew it would, and I'm starting to tighten up in the usual spots (TFL/ITB, hips, low back, shoulders), but I'll fix it all as things start winding down. At least I'm in condition to do all this work--I can't imagine being totally sedentary and trying to do this stuff.
I'm not sure when formal training will resume, possibly as late as next week since I'll still be hauling stuff to and fro at least for that long. Plus, I need to figure out just exactly how my work schedule will affect my programming. Good times, good times.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
After looking ahead to this week, I'm not going to resume normal training until next week since my body and routine have both been thrown way off schedule. I finally got back to sleeping on the floor last night, and I'm getting water and supplements in me more regularly now. My shoes are supposed to arrive today, which isn't soon enough as only a day and a couple hours have both my Achilles screaming, and I could tell last night walking around the house that my stride is horribly compromised already, so that'll work itself out with the new shoes. Of course, I'm still moving boxes (mostly books) on a daily basis, so it's not like I'm vegging on the couch, though that day can't come soon enough.
This also gives me a chance to see when I'll be doing my training, either early morning (up at Mahler-thirty) or after work. I like early, but as long as I get SOMEthing in each day, who cares?
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
hip PNF x 10/side
ankle glide x 10/side
shoulder PNF x 10/side
circuit x 5, 0RI
--1-arm KB swing @ 24kg x 5/side
--medicine ball slam @ 6lb x 10
--burp x 15
--jumping jack x 20
Notes:
--As the intro to "On a Boat" says, AAAWWWWWWWWWWWW SHIT!!!!!!! Or something. Hey, it's a workout.
--What a day to return--even in the shade, it was a dead-calm 95F or so when I was outside. My burps were a little ragged, but I got through them much better than I thought I would, thanks in large part to the NEAT I've been getting from finishing up moving heavy boxes, swimming at the pool (a two-minute walk away), and the Spaceball One-like building I know all but manage, not to mention the spread of the house I'm now in. Seriously, I spend more time walking to/from stuff than actually doing stuff, not because the building at work is that big; it's just laid out oddly (think two separate buildings connected only on the third floor--lots of up, over, and down). Two weeks until the fresh meat--er, students return
--In other news, my last paycheck is a few weeks past due, so I'm looking into a small claims suit. Unlike the termination--er, non-renewal issue and the quasi-eviction issue, this case is a slam-dunk with three years of invoices showing exactly how I got to the final amount. If nothing else is on paper, my invoices and tax returns are. It's just a matter of fronting the court costs, which I may have to wait until my first paycheck from the current job to do (next month). I'm pretty sure I'll still be within the statute of limitations It's just a PITA that this is the LAST thing I have to deal with from that job, so just pay me and move on. If I were him, I'd want rid of me at this point, too, what with terse (yet unreturned) emails and now a lawsuit threat. Is it really worth all this? I don't think so, but then, as some have said, it takes a special amount of "special" to be such a spiteful ass. True.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
The only "damages" I can prove is the last paycheck plus court expenses. I'm back and forth with a lawyer friend about the small claims stuff, and if anyone could figure something more out, she could. As it is, though, nothing doing. Maybe I'll call up one of the many lawyers on the back of Creative Loafing
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Can't your lawyer friend call the guy and leave a message. or send an email with official lawerly signature, address, etc. Or a physical letter on his/her letterhead? Maybe that's enough.
Well the lawyer's fee would be considered "court expenses" right?
I'd think you'd be allowed to be a bit punitive since he's not obeying a contract and not paying you for work long after the legal timeframe. *shrug* what do I know?
I sent the guy an email over the weekend giving him a deadline (which he didn't meet) before I would start the process, so yes, my next step is to see if I can get a (free) letter written on "lawyerly" letterhead. Pending that, since she's pretty flaky in her responsiveness, I'll just have to go the small claims route.
I don't really know how punitive damages would work here. I haven't missed any bill payments (and won't), and I don't know of anything else work-related that can be claimed, just the amount of the invoice and court costs (and lawyer fees if I do that). Of course, what'll happen is that I'll go through the motions, pay the fees, and he'll turn around and just mail me the check, meaning I'm out the legal money. Betcha dimes to dollars.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
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