No rationality left, anywhere

As I said in facebook,

Applied for a job with a local employer. Went through the laborious application process and the 100 profiling questions (some of which have NO good answer). Got the response back -- "this is an internal posting" So WHY, then, employer, did you post it on the INTERNET JOB BOARDS? grr.

To elaborate on the unanswerable psychological profile question: It was question 99.

99) You witnessed a fellow employee breaking the rules. Your response is:

1) Get upset and say something to the employee.

2) Get upset, but don't say anything.

3) It doesn't bother me, as long as it doesn't affect me

4) I have never had a job before.

Hookay, what do we do with this? Probably they want (1), but all my career I have been dinged for being "too passionate." Last thing I want to do is cop to getting upset. (2) and (4) are obviously wrong answers. (3) does show emotional restraint, but perhaps the employer is trying to weed out people who are cheerfully amoral?

How about "Remain calm and say something to the employee." And, what kind of rule was it? Don't tip the vending machine? Don't pull the plug on random coma patients? What? It would certainly have an effect on my reaction.

My opinion on job loss articles

Lately there has been an annoying spate of articles like "10 Ways to Avoid a Layoff" . . . "5 Ways to Keep Your Job" . . . "The 17 Things You Can Do To Make Yourself Indispensable At Work."

The one in Sunday's paper says things like "Thrive in the workplace by branding yourself." "Leave a personal mark behind."

"If you're just another face at the water cooler, you run a far greater risk of ending up in the unemployment line. Branding yourself is one of the best preventive strategies . . . "

This is such garbage. Let's see. The world economy is still in meltdown phase with banks failing and companies going bankrupt and/or hacking at their workforces in a desperate attempt to cut costs in order to survive.

And somebody gets laid off, it's their fault because they didn't follow some self-improvement checklist they read in a newspaper or magazine or online financial page.

Especially with large corporations, the selection of who's going to be laid off is more like a dart game than a carefully thought-out retention of the most productive employees. It's based on things like head count in somebody's organizational turf, and making the demographics even so there's no justification for a discrimination lawsuit.

Preaching that any particular individual can buck the economic winds by shaping up their act is pathetic, if not cruel.

Required Reading

Matt Taibbi has written another article about Wall Street specifically Goldman Sachs. He wrote another article April in Rolling Stone which is also worth going back and reading if you haven't already.

Scary. I fear he is right on.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/28816321/the_great_american_bubble_machine

Salem Oregon unbuilt development

We were out driving around looking for our small farm to buy, and came into Salem from the Eola Hills to the West. We found this housing development which did not seem to have slammed to quite as abrupt a halt as the one in Merced, but there is a lot of infrastructure that was put in and not much being built right now.

We check the sales data regularly in Linn and Benton counties, and the residential real estate market above $300,000 seems to be getting worse not better -- in terms of what sells (not much this year). In terms of how much people still think their property is worth, it's rather discouraging. But we are being patient.

Merced Foreclosures

My sister lives in Merced and we went to visit her last week. Greg and I were sightseeing a little, and we came across the "skeleton houses" in the Bellevue area. My brother-in-law explained that Merced was booming even more than the rest of the country because of the new California University campus. So it got hit harder when the bubble popped.

Here's a closeup of a boarded up house:

There was a lot of work done on the infrastructure: roads, sidewalks, street signs, streetlamps, stubbed out utilities but houses were never even started:

More infrastructure:

There were a lot of coiled wires for utilities for future houses -- but who knows when they will ever be built?

Yachats Valentine's getaway

We had really good luck this weekend. We liked all the restaurants we ate at, particularly the "Drift Inn" and the "Luna Sea." Saturday we drove south and looked around and went to the Heceta Head lighthouse. Sunday I was feeling kind of punky and it was foggy and gloomy. G said: "Come on, we said we were going to walk on the beach today." So we went to the trail 804 at the Smelt Sands park. You walk 3/4 of a mile on this path and end up on a beach that is 8 miles long and goes all the way to Waldport.

We got started and miraculously, the sun came out and the wind went away and for our whole walk it was warm and sunny at the beach. In February. In Yachats. Didn't get too many tidepool photos after an unfortunate fall on slippery rocks. Luckily the camera & phone survived. We had a really nice couple-hour walk along the beach (not the whole way to Waldport & back.)

The little house is not the place we stayed -- it is a little old 2-bedroom place that you can see from the place we stayed. It is for sale for $999,000. There is a cave in the cliff where, when a wave hits it just right, it makes a huge plume of mist. The one on the photo is just a small plume of mist, but by the time I ran back to the house for the camera and got back, the tide conditions had changed and we didn't see the huge plumes any more that evening.

A picture of me & the Heceta Head lighthouse. The old keeper's house is a bed & breakfast and you can stay there.


The sand patterns.


The little old million-dollar house and the mist plume

Yachats

Going to Yachats this weekend. We are staying in a house right on the cliffs. The weather should be typical Oregon weather but the sun might come out for a little while on Saturday, according to the forecasts.

Should post SOMETHING . . .

Got back home Monday night after uneventful 13-hour drive, estate sale was a success but WAY too much work, didn't get to spend enough time with youngest daughter & grandkids, got sick again, worked this week anyway, recovering, haven't heard from anyone in the last couple days, hope everyone's OK.

Almost as much trouble as a horse

This is what my Dad used to say whenever I would complain about car repairs. This weekend's activity was centered around the failure of the battery on my Passat. The car was getting more difficult to start and finally G decided to look at it. Turns out not to be easy -- the battery is under this big piece of plastic that has to be taken out in order to get to it.

G opened it up on Saturday and found that the battery was bone-dry. The electrolyte level was -- GONE. Because of the undisturbed dust and the fact that the screw that undid the port to check the fluid level was pristine (had never been turned), it was obvious that the fluid level in the battery had never been checked in the nearly 8 years since I bought the car new.

He filled it up with water and we drove the car out into the country looking at some 5 acres to charge it up, hoping to resurrect it -- but it was not to be. Yesterday it didn't get driven because we were out in His car looking at farms. This morning it started but took a while -- wheeawheeawheeawheeastart -- so we took it to the mechanic that we trust here in Corvallis, who put in a new battery this morning. Lucky they were open today.

This vehicle has been completely maintained by the VW dealer here in town, even at a little extra expense, and I relied on them to perform the routine services they were supposed to. VW does say that the battery shouldn't need maintenance under normal circumstances, but the service manual states that at the 20K and 40K mile services, the electrolyte fluid levels should be checked. THAT never happened.

This opened up a whole other line of inquiry and it looks like the brake fluid has NEVER been changed even though it is supposed to be changed every 2 years. So next week the car is going back in to our new mechanic to have a few things checked over . . .

Prisonesque view of personal finance

This was on the blog of "Money-Grubbing Lawyer." I thought it was fascinating.

Prison Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Personal Finance
January 8, 2009

This is a guest post by Roger, a former client of mine and self-described “jailbird”. Roger is an inspiration to all who know him- he’s cleaned himself up and now spends his time helping others do the same. I am delighted that Roger has agreed to make a contribution to this site, and I encourage all my readers to leave comments letting him know what you think.

Let’s get the nastiness out of the way- I’m an ex-con. I’m 34 years old and have spent 10 of the last 16 years behind bars for crimes ranging from drug possession and common theft to things much more serious. I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, but I am proud that I’ve put these things behind me.

I’m not a financial expert and I’m far from wealthy but money and business has always been something that I’ve been interested in- unfortunately, instead of investing in widgets and stocks I chose to invest in less acceptable industries. Trying to get on my feet after my last release has been tough, but the lessons I learned in prison are helping me recover and start a new life. I hope you never find yourself having to learn these lessons first hand, but feel free to learn from what I’ve got to share.

1. The only person looking out for you is you - Correctional officers, cellmates, friends, financial planners- they all pretend to want to help you, and many will try, but when push comes to shove everyone looks out for themselves first. Take control of your life and your finances, and don’t trust others to take care of things for you. It’s your money, and it’s your life.

2. Debt costs you more than money - Debt is bad. Simple, eh? But it’s not just bad because it costs you money, it also costs you opportunity and can weigh heavily on your soul. Walking around the compound knowing that you owe somebody something is draining, frustrating, and leads to stress you just don’t need, wondering if your debt is going to be called in or your creditor will settle things with a shiv. Get out of debt and set your mind at ease.

3. You’re not smarter than the system - Prison is full of guys who thought they were smart enough to not get caught, but weren’t. Everybody thinks they’re special, or that they’ve got an edge. They don’t. You can’t reliably beat the market, and you can’t get something for nothing. Stick to index funds; if you want to gamble, go see Slick in East Block for a game of craps.

4. Your assets are only worth what someone is willing to pay - The trade in goods and services is as vibrant inside the prison as it is outside, and just like on the outside, what you’ve got to offer is only worth what someone is willing to pay. A carton of Marlboros is worthless is everybody wants du Mauriers. Too many people get caught up on artificial values on their house, their car, and even their investments. Just because you think your house is worth $300,000 doesn’t mean it is- it’s worth what a willing buyer is going to pay.

5. Don’t punch above your weight - The best way to get yourself in serious trouble is to take on things you can’t handle. Know your limits and accept what you can and can’t do. If you can’t handle credit cards, cut them up. If you need an all cash budget, make it happen. If you need help, ask for it.

6. Bid’ness is Bid’ness - It’s easy to get emotionally involved in things, even when logic would tell you to cut your losses. If your goal is to make money, make money. Drop the losers, sell when your target is hit, and be strategic in your moves. Don’t wait for the next bounce or just a little more increase- make a plan, and stick to it. Be as cold as ice when it comes to your investments.

7. Your greatest asset is your future potential - The most valuable thing you’ve got is not your house or your trading account or your savings. It’s your ability to work, to earn, and to advance. The reason so many people (including me) keep ending up back in prison is because we don’t have the skills to do anything other than the life that got us there in the first place. Work hard at your job, show your worth, and keep improving yourself. Your ability to earn a living is the best thing you’ve got- don’t squander it, and never stop trying to improve yourself.

8. There’s beauty in simplicity - My time locked up has taught me lots, but the greatest lesson is that simple is beautiful. Happiness isn’t about material possessions, or drugs, or money, or even love. It’s about self acceptance and inner peace. Free yourself from materialism and learn to accept who and what you are, because the happiness you’re pursuing can only come from inside.

9. The only person who can help you change is you - I’ve seen all kinds of rehab and social adjustment programs, and they’re all useless. If you want to change your bad habits, whether its overspending or oxycontin, you’ve got to want to change more than anything else. All the self help books, counseling, prayer, and training don’t mean anything if you’re not willing to change deep down.

I thank Money Grubbing Lawyer for letting me share my experiences with you. I wish you all peace, happiness, and every success.

White Elephant gift

Because the "Arctic Blast" storms made the roads so dangerous in December, our Corvallis holiday party at work was postponed until today. Things are pretty somber at my worksite because of the looming choice people have to make between being laid off or moving to Texas. In fact, a lot of people have already left for jobs elsewhere. Our senior leadership (in Texas), however, reassures us that everything is fine and our organization is "world class."

I ended up with this, whereby someone used their gift selection as an opportunity to make a subtle editorial comment:

Nothing like going back to work . . .

. . . to take your mind off of your troubles and broaden your perspective. There are two main themes to my work experience today. One social and one technical.

People like to talk, so when I mentioned that my Mom died over the holiday break they would launch into stories about the deaths of their own family members. "How old was she?" they would ask. This helps people to gauge how shocked and horrified to be. "She was 86" I would say. This seemed to be considered an acceptable age to meet one's destiny. Somehow I found it so comforting to hear people describe the details of what was notable about their own experiences, realizing that it's all a part of life.

Then the technical issues. My PC was having trouble connecting to the network in the office and it took until 11:00 to run through the script with the support tech and finally convince someone to fix the problem with the dns server. 3 hours to prove it wasn't my machine. It was nice though; it gave me an excuse to go and shoot the breeze with people because there was no hope of working.

Finally the best error message of my entire career. This afternoon Outlook was still having some issues. I had a meeting at 2:30. It had a meeting reminder that popped up at 2:15. Outlook lets you set a "snooze" delay until it reminds you again -- the default is 5 minutes before the meeting starts. So I clicked on the "snooze" button and Outlook could not do it. I have never seen this error message before but here is what Outlook said:




Snooze Operation Terminated

It perfectly expresses what working does to your afternoon siestas. I am so bummed that I didn't think to get a screen capture of it.

Gampa spotted in natural habitat

Tomorrow it's back to work. So this weekend contained a lot of 'housekeeping' type activities in the house and yard and concerning our cars. Both of them got washed and spiffed up, and Greg's Mitsu had a tire fixed last week. (It had a screw embedded in it. He drove it that way to California and back last month.) In the morning it is going in to have a checkup including brakes.

Last week also had a lot of car-related tasks-- Mom's Camry went into the shop on Wednesday morning and didn't get finished until Friday afternoon, after a complete suspension rebuild including shocks, struts, boots, and control arms. I didn't even know cars HAD control arms. On Friday afternoon I drove it up to Clackamas where it passed its DEQ test, then Sarah met me at the Powell Street DMV (a full-service DMV station) where we got the title transferred to her. Now she is working on selling her Chevy Cavalier, which Greg found for her and which she has had for at least 5-6 years and which has been a great car but is getting WAAAY up there in terms of the miles. Here is a link to her cute ad: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/987856203.html

Speaking of Greg, aka Gampa, here is a picture of him in his natural habitat aka Home Depot, where he is looking for some fertilizer / moss killer for our neighbor's lawn and some regular fertilizer for ours. We appreciate Mom's neighbors taking care of her and we try to do the same for our neighbors.

Birthday

Yesterday I had the best birthday -- gorgeous miniature roses from my dear Sister -- phone calls from my precious daughters -- and even my own birthday blog post by Mary. Plus I got a Greg's Famous Tacos dinner completely prepared, served, and cleaned up after by -- NOT ME! Thanks everyone.

Tree Trimming in progress

Today the tree trimmers decided to come out and they are working hard. Here is a puzzle: find the tree guy in this picture:

Everything changes

There has been a break in my posting because my Mother had a sudden stroke on December 18. Although there was a brief period of hope where we thought she might recover, she declined rapidly and died on December 26.

Her family and friends rallied around and Hospice was there to bring comfort. Since I don't know what else to say, here are some pictures of my Mother, Mary Scrivner, who I miss very much.