Laid Off

[HPF Bob]

Yesterday I was laid off from Time Warner Cable after 19-1/2 years of employment. I was offered a severance package which I will take (but not too quickly, so it will be part of next year's taxes, not this year's).

There's others worse off than I so I'm not after pity. I just want to mention that if you know a company that's looking for someone who has computer (as400/database) and communications skills, I am available and willing to relocate if needed. Just tell me who to contact. Thanks.

[Warren]

Sorry to hear that, Bob. Best of luck in finding something else quickly.

[Keith]

Man, that blows. Sorry to hear. Best of luck in the job hunt.

[nunusguy]

I've been there, and more than just once I guarantee you, so you have my sympathy.
But for employment opportunities you're in a good area geographically speaking, though I know little about your field.
My wife's daughter, who works in the environmental field here in Houston in the private sector, just made a job change "voluntarily" so maybe that's some anecdotal evidence that the economy is improving ?
Good luck Bob.

[HPF Bob]

Today's news is that Texas' unemployment rate is steady at 8.1% but the Austin metro area is at 6.8%. That's not much higher than a normal economy. I see "Help Wanted" signs but a closer look shows many are part time with no benefits. Since much of my expertise is computer and tech-related, Austin is as decent a market as I can probably find. But I'm rechecking some recent contacts and tossing some hail mary passes just to see if I can transition to something I'd truly love to do, so I'm not part of the statistics yet. It won't be until I file for unemployment benefits and I don't expect to do that for awhile.

[popanot]

Good luck, Bob. If I hear of anything I'll be certain to let you know.

[Arky]

Bob, I always had good luck with the temp agencies. Don't know if there are any for your skills but I'd think that there are. Wouldn't hurt to shoot off a resume to some of them cause they are a great way to "get your foot in the door" and lead to a permanent position....

[Foo'ball Fool]

Bob, Academy is often looking for IT types. Their corporate HQ is in Katy. Just a thought. Good luck.

[HPF Bob]

Just a quick note to say I've accepted a position in Houston and I'll be starting on April 11th. I'm now working on the logistics of moving from Austin and trying to get most things done on both ends before I start work.

Thanks again for all the support and well-wishes. I know I won't be able to attend a draft party now that the NFL schmucks have moved it to weeknights :( but I ought to be around in the fall for some weekend game viewing. :D

[chuck]

Just a quick note to say I've accepted a position in Houston and I'll be starting on April 11th. I'm now working on the logistics of moving from Austin and trying to get most things done on both ends before I start work.

Thanks again for all the support and well-wishes. I know I won't be able to attend a draft party now that the NFL schmucks have moved it to weeknights :( but I ought to be around in the fall for some weekend game viewing. :D

Awesome, nice going. I've been wondering about your job search but thought it might be a bit indelicate to reach out to you and ask, Yo, Bob, your shiftless ass find a job yet? You know? So I thought I'd sit tight. Anyway, congratulations.

And congratulations on getting the hell out of that liberal hippie nudist colony and moving to Houston where the real US Americans live. Just think, you'll have a Republican congressman for the first time in your life.

[Keith]

Nice. Really not too long of a layoff either it appears, especially in this market.

[HPF Bob]

I sent an e-mail to the recruiter for this position in Houston and I jumped through all their hoops, passed the tests, interviewed with the boss, interviewed with the boss's boss, etc. Went back to Austin and was told the decision would come in a few days.

The recruiter sent me an e-mail the middle of next week with comments from the boss saying "Bob was our top choice but we've since been informed that we're under a hiring freeze".

It was like "You WOULD have had the job, but you don't have the job." So, three weeks later, the recruiter calls me and says the hiring free has been lifted and am I still interested. I told her yes, and got the confirmation yesterday.

The job is around Greenway but I decided to rent an apartment in Sugar Land. Lots left to do.

[chuck]

The job is around Greenway but I decided to rent an apartment in Sugar Land. Lots left to do.

You would have had a Republican congressman either way and I personally would have opted for a shorter commute. But you'll certainly be closer to minor league baseball once they get the Exterminators' stadium built.

[Keith]

Seems to me there is some minor league baseball being played downtown too, at least on the home side of the field.

[nunusguy]

Congrats on your new job Bob, that's great !

[edo783]

Congrats Bob! I'm glad for you.

[chuck]

Seems to me there is some minor league baseball being played downtown too, at least on the home side of the field.

You got that right, but with major league prices.

[HPF Bob]

Chuck, I would have liked to live closer but the options just weren't appealing or there was nothing that fit my timeline. Working a 2p-11p shift, the commute won't be so bad as it will be a straight shot up 59 when it's not rush hour.

There was one complex where I could have walked to work and saved on the gas money but I looked it up and they've had a history of break-ins. In fact, break-ins and roaches were a common complaint all around that vicinity. The roaches I can mildly tolerate but the break-ins, no can do.

And I looked it up. Al Green (D) would have been my U.S. rep had I lived around Chimney Rock and Westpark (great singer, lousy rep). Not that that matters that much. I was in Lloyd Dogshit's district for many years up here. I don't even know who reps Sugar Land. It's all going to get redistricted soon anyway.

I just discovered Hwy 99 that also gives me a straight shot from Sugar Land to I-10 in Katy so I won't have to take the crowded Hwy 6 anytime I'm headed back to Austin.

It will be a big transition, no doubt, but once I'm settled, I'll adapt okay. I knew there'd be sacrifices when I got laid off. From the looks of things, I'm getting off much easier than a lot of other folks so I feel truly grateful and blessed. I can't tell you how much I hated being without a job. It wasn't the money (I'm better in that regard than ever), it was all the stress and hassle of finding work. I hope I never go through that again.

[chuck]

All in all you'll probably be happier in a place like Sugarland but I'm surprised that you couldn't find an acceptable place somewhere near enough to Greenway Plaza. But you're right, driving in for a 2 pm start will be no problem.

And if I were you I might very well take 59 (or 90, depending on where you are) to 36 and get I-10 at Sealy. Once you get through Rosenberg you'll be alone on the highway.

I'd forgotten that good reverend Green's district extends into Sharpstown and over into Mission Bend. What a piece of gerrymandering that was by the felonious roach-boy. I knew he had Sunnyside and Missouri City but I didn't realize it went that far west. Why you might want to live on Westpark and Chimney Rock I have no idea unless you're considering joining a Salvadorean gang.

[HPF Bob]

Why you might want to live on Westpark and Chimney Rock I have no idea unless you're considering joining a Salvadorean gang.

But that's kinda my point. And I'll say right up front that I was doing internet searches from distant lands and then checking www,apartmentratings.com to find out what the complaints were. But the new office is right off of Westpark just inside the loop so I checked many places. Besides crime and roaches, I also had to find a place that would keep my parrot quiet (she wants to see me throughout the apartment and gets upset now if I spend too long in the bathroom or the kitchen where I'm not in her view).

So, in some cases it was the floorplan. In some, it was fear of crime, In some, it was a lack of parking (and knowing I'd be coming home very late). In some, honestly, the rent was too LOW - and I know from experience that cheap rents attract bad tenants. And it would have been nice not to live blocks away from Stripperville (Richmond Ave) or somewhere in which half the business signs were in Spanish (Is there a law where you must have a "tacqueria" on every block?).

So, call me a racist if you want to. I'm just trying to keep me and my vehicle safe and not spend over $900/mo for a 1BR apartment while not turning my bird into a screaming maniac that might get me evicted if the walls are really thin.

Amazingly, I had two people offer unsolicited advice that Sugar Land was my best choice - and one of them is married to a Stafford cop,

BTW, I used to live in Wallis which is between Rosenberg and Sealy on Hwy 36. The road wasn't great but they've had over 30 years to upgrade it since 1979 when I lived there. It was my first post-college employment.

[chuck]

You lived in Wallis? That is amazing. My grandparents had a place in Valley Lodge and I spent an awful lot of time out there when I was a kid. What in the hell were you doing there? The only thing I remember was a feed store there on the main road.

Did you look at the complex on Newcastle and Pin Oak? I don't know anything about it but it looks pretty nice just driving by. A number of years ago a cousin of mine lived in the complex on the other side of Westpark along Wild Indigo. And you know what, it was OK. It may look a little down at the heels and maybe it is but I don't remember any problems and the apartments themselves were pretty roomy as I recall. And an uncle lived in a perfectly nice complex on Wesleyan just south of Westpark. I don't know why the hell I'm telling you this since you found a place in Sugarland. What does your parrot do when you go to work? Does she know that you've left and just chill out or does she fret until you get home? Or do you know?

I don't think there's anything racist about wanting to live in a safe, nice place. You don't see me living on Chimney Rock and Westpark, do you? But since we're talking about it and since you brought up taquerias I will give all of you a free dining tip from good old chuck. The supermarket just south of the corner in question, Teloloapan - while worth going to simply as a supermarket/source of general weirdness - has a BAD ASS taco counter. If your idea of Mexican food does not encompass Escalante's or Pappasito's (or even if it does) (especially if it does) do yourself a favor and stop by this place and get yourself a plate of tacos. These people do not joke around, no sir. When you're in the area, after, say, a gang initiation ritual or a trip to Sam's Club over on Rice Ave (I think a trip to Sam's Club would be more terrifying than a gang initiation) make a point of visiting and let me know what you think.

[popanot]

You want to stay as far away from the Hilcroft/Westpark/Chimney Rock area as you can these days. That is, unless you're looking for a hooker, crack cocaine, beaten for all your money, or a slug of lead in your head (or maybe all of the above). Our office is in that area and I feel like I need to pack a pistol just to safely walk from our parking garage to the office building.

[HPF Bob]

I lived in Wallis because my first job was in Bellville and there were no apartments available in Sealy or Bellville when I graduated. I ate a lot of Wolf's chili and Dinty Moore stew out of the can back then because it was all I could afford.

Turning back to the present, I seriously considered the Marquis at Pin Oak in Houston because I could then walk to work which would negate some of the rental cost ($900+) but what ultimately stopped me were the all-wood floors and the knowledge there was nothing open except on the top floor. The floor plan would have worked for Angel but I don't know if uncarpeted apartments would lead to too much foot noise.

Angel has abandonment anxiety, just like a lot of pets and small children. After a few minutes of knowing her protests won't work, she pipes down and generally waits for me to come home. My niece left one of her one-year-old twins with me for about 20 minutes today while she went to the store and the kid was crying and carrying on for about two minutes until he realized Mommy was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. Then he decided that Angel, along with Sesame Street in Yiddish, were interesting enough that he didn't miss Mommy much.

Pop, thanks for the vote of confidence. I don't know if I worry too much about crime or if I'm showing common sense. Since I'm a single guy with one vehicle, I just really hate the thought of coming back to my vehicle and seeing it stripped or missing.

And the tolerance for property crime continues to escalate. In Britain, homeowners are now told to take down chicken wire around their windows because the thieves were getting injured trying to break in. That's their government telling them this. I think a society has successfully deteriorated beyond saving when government cares more about the welfare of the crooks than they do the honest citizens.

[chuck]

Sesame Street in Yiddish? That's a curveball I never saw coming.

[nunusguy]

My wife and I lived off West Belford just inside the Loop in a sub-division named Glenshire in the Late 80s before moving to Clear Lake. It was starting to get a little marginal way back then, but these days wow ! I saw on last nights news some guy got beat to death with a baseball bat in the parking lot of a bar @ Belford & the 610 Loop. I haven't touched a gun since being in the service (long time ago), but I'd have one in the house if I was still in that neighborhood. Keep your head on a swivel over there Bob.

[chuck]

My wife and I lived off West Belford just inside the Loop in a sub-division named Glenshire in the Late 80s before moving to Clear Lake. It was starting to get a little marginal way back then, but these days wow ! I saw on last nights news some guy got beat to death with a baseball bat in the parking lot of a bar @ Belford & the 610 Loop. I haven't touched a gun since being in the service (long time ago), but I'd have one in the house if I was still in that neighborhood. Keep your head on a swivel over there Bob.

It's Bellfort, and West Bellfort does not intersect the loop. The crime you mention happened at West Bellfort and 59 which is quite different from, say, Stella Link and 610.

[nunusguy]

It's Bellfort, and West Bellfort does not intersect the loop. The crime you mention happened at West Bellfort and 59 which is quite different from, say, Stella Link and 610.
Thanks Chuck, I definitely got the Loop & 59 confused, but meant 59 as we did live on West Bellfort just inside 59 back in the day.

[HPF Bob]

Sad that this is the only active thread while we're this close to the draft.

Lockout blues or just tired of seeing the Texans whiff on their opportunities?

[chuck]

Sad that this is the only active thread while we're this close to the draft.

Lockout blues or just tired of seeing the Texans whiff on their opportunities?

For me, both. I'm pissed about the lockout and ambivalent about the team and the team hasn't had a decent draft in the Rick Smith era. Turns out Sly was right about that all along I guess.

[painekiller]

Sad that this is the only active thread while we're this close to the draft.

Lockout blues or just tired of seeing the Texans whiff on their opportunities?

Both for me, plus no one is responding to the any post in the draft area.

[HPF Bob]

I forgot about Sly. What a breath of fresh air he was. :rolleyes:

[HPF Bob]

I lived in Wallis because my first job was in Bellville and there were no apartments available in Sealy or Bellville when I graduated. I ate a lot of Wolf's chili and Dinty Moore stew out of the can back then because it was all I could afford.



Made my final trip to Austin to close out the apartment and, for old times sake, drove 36 from Brenham to Wallis. The drive from Brenham to Bellville is still very nice and I did not see any sign of the old radio station where I worked in 1979.

Between Bellville and Sealy was all road construction and from Sealy to Wallis appeared almost unchanged since then.

I used to take FM 1093 into Houston and it was a nice quiet drive until you got to Hwy 6 and it became Westheimer but now that is all houses all the way out to Fulshear. Not surprising since 99 didn't exist back then nor did the Westpark Tollway which starts way out there to service folks south of Katy.