the helicopter aviation industry is...interesting. here's the short version:
Mexico fell through because of an international smuggling incident. I'm not kidding.
the Friday night before we are scheduled to leave, Lithus gets a call from a company in New Orleans, offering him a job. they have called his references, checked on how to get him an expedited US citizenship is needbe, and have suggestions of areas of town we could rent if we're interested. they want him there ASAP, so it's a good thing we were already planning on being on the road the next day. he accepts and it is decided that we will be there by Tuesday in order to talk money, timing, etc. we arrive in New Orleans and Lithus has lunch with them. things haven't worked out the way the company had expected and the first gig isn't coming together as quickly. they offer him a training captain job but that doesn't start for 4-8 weeks and they can't bring him on yet. I'm not kidding. they don't talk about money. Lithus tells them he hopes to still be available in 4-8 weeks, meanwhile, if the contract that was supposed to start that week comes through, they are to call him.
we make our way through the Gulf Coast states, knocking on doors and dropping of resumes. it's very Grapes of Wrath only with hotels. he makes several good contacts and gets his face put with his resume. many people say he will be their first choice once they have work. they still don't hire him.
Tuesday, he calls the original, NO company and they say that, while it's 60% that the contract will go through but they still can't bring him on now. we hit the road for Crow Mother's in NV. we arrived Friday evening, 14 days after originally leaving CT for a job in NO, where we will stay until someone, somewhere, actually offers him a job with a salary and start date. and even then, as we learned from Malaysia, there's no guarantee.
and this is the short version. :) roflmao
and how are you?
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
...we're still heading west. Because it's about the journey.
...I'm back on the road again which means, even when it's tough, even when it's hard, even when I really feel like I'm done, thankyouverymuch, my life is back to not sucking. I love road life as much as I always knew I would. Things can only be so bad with your suitcase packed and a stretch of road ahead of you.
...karma is a lovely, lovely thing. When you kill people for your own bottom line; when you are indifferent to the possibility of killing people for your own bottom line; when you put profit ahead of lives and livelihoods, karma will find you. Karma will take what's owed her. And karma is a harsh bitch of a mistress. Which makes her a lovely, lovely thing.
...Bourbon Street itself is a tourist trap.
...the French Quarter is fucking amazing.
...it's about the journey.
Those are (quick) Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
You know the phrase, it's the journey, not the destination? To be honest, I've always thought that was a bunch of rot. Personally, I think it's the journey and the destination. I mean, if the destination isn't worth getting there, why go there? Go somewhere else. And yes, I know. The phrase is supposed to mean don't spend so much time focusing on the future that you don't notice what's right in front of you and blah, blah, blah. I still say it's both. But I'm a both kinda gal.
Until this week. This week, I'm pretending it's about the journey, all about the journey and nothing but the journey. We're back on the road tomorrow morning. Heading ... west.
The more Pobble Thoughts aware you are, the more likely it is that you noticed a post go missing earlier this week (and if you didn't, it's so not a big deal). That's because within an hour of my posting the latest plan, it changed. Over the next two days, it changed three more times. No exaggeration, no lie, no shit.
So, this week, we're heading...west. And that's all I need to worry about right now because it's about the journey, not the destination.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and buck fifty will get you coffee.
Once again, I have a deadline. As many of you learned, right along with me last year, I am very deadline oriented. Knowing that something has to be done...eventually...doesn't do me much good. Knowing that something has to be done by a specific date is exactly what I need. I'm not a big procrastinator ~ not for any real length of time, anyway. It's not that I work better under pressure. I tend to work streadily and consistently between the time I get the deadline and the deadline itself. The end game is simply important to me in my professional world. And to a certain extent, I've always been this way. Back when I did theatre, I would bust my ass (and often did literally, not just figuratively) for a show but classes? Meh. I would (partly because I could) phone them in.
This bit me in the ass last year with the second book (available for pre-order wherever books are sold, just in case you've forgotten *wink*) when I went from having no deadline to having one six weeks out. This year, it's a little better. The first third of the book, preferably by Feb. 15, with an extension to March 1 if I need it. Considering I got about 12,000 words in before my life crashed around my ears, this is infinitely do-able.
Plus, and let's be really honest here, it's nice to have something to do again. 2010 is already looking better.
As for Lithus, I'm not going to jinx anything. I've learned this industry; even "done deals" aren't necessarily Done Deals the way you and I think about Done Deals. All that being said, it's looking better on that front, as well. Please, this is almost done.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
2009. I won't be sorry to see it go, honestly. It started badly and it's ending worse. I lost my Lionel baby, too. And yet...
February 2 my first novel came out February 18 my third nonfiction came out February 22 I married the love of my life April 13 Lithus got a kick-ass job in Mexico June 1 I made my deadline for my second novel June 3 I joined him in Mexico July we became carnies through September, I lived the life I have always dreamed of October 3 I had the single best night of my life
The beginning was bad. The ending is worse. But the middle, friends...oh, the middle. And that's what will define 2009 for me.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Posted by BostonPobble ::
1:34 PM ::
7 Comments:
I am a New Englander, a Southerner, my own woman, Rex's daughter, a quivering mass of contradictions. Nothing here means any more or less than you want it to mean. This and a buck fifty will get you coffee. But it's me. And I really like that.
You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.
Propensity for Monogamy:
Your propensity for monogamy is low.
You see love as a gift that you should give to many.
It's hard for you to imagine being with one person at at time...
Let alone one person for the rest of your life!
Experience Level:
Your experience level is high.
You've loved, lost, and loved again.
You have had a wide range of love experiences.
And when the real thing comes along, you know it!
Dominance:
Your dominance is low.
This doesn't mean you're a doormat, just balanced.
You know a relationship is not about getting your way.
Cynicism:
Your cynicism is medium.
You're still an optimist, but you also are a realist.
Independence:
Your independence is high.
You don't need to be in love, and sometimes you don't even want love.
Having your own life is very important for you...
Even more important than having a relationship.