Short Term Unemployment

Just 14 days post Wal-Mart, Josh has a new job. Not only does he have one but he started today. You will remember last week when I said that Josh got a call from the Kalahari for an interview. Well he got the job offer Friday and accepted it on Monday, what a whirlwind! Josh spent his last day of freedom in Danny Daycare, shooting clay pigeons and scaring the crap out of the dogs. Just the way I am sure that he wanted to go down.

I am sitting here hoping to hear something from him about how his day is going. I am not sure that I will hear from him but I hope that I do so that I don't burst before the end of the day. I am planning on surprising him with his favorite dinner of Swedish meatballs for supper. I am sure that he will appreciate that surprise.

I will let you know if I hear anything!!

Josh update

I am just dropping you a quick line to let you know that Josh's interviews with Verizon and Gander Mountain went very well. Verizon ask about calling Josh's references which according to the books means that they are considering on offering him a position. Gander Mountain went pretty much straight from his first interview into his second interview. Both companies promising to give him an answer within a week. Two other companies called him this week for interview; the Kalahari in the Dells and Jo-Ann fabrics. He interviews with them Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

I am currently in Boston for a conference. I am going sightseeing tomorrow morning. I will write all about it when I get home. I should have pictures to document it too!!!

The End

Today is Josh's last day with Wal-Mart. I am both excited and scared for him. I am happy that he had the guts to realized that he wanted to get out when he had the chance. It is a hard decision to leave a job that no longer makes you happy. I am scared because Josh still hasn't found a job. We are hopeful that the interviews that he has next week will pan out. Also, the USC interview went EXTREMELY well yesterday! The woman there said that if he didn't hear anything from the Wisconsin area recruiters within 10 days to call her back. Let's hope.

Hunt Fish Camp and Can You Hear Me Now?

Josh has two interviews next week on top of a recruiting call this week with US Cellular. On Monday afternoon Josh will be interviewing for a store manager position at Verizon Wireless. On Tuesday afternoon Josh will be interviewing for the Fishing, Camping, Apparel and Footwear Manager position with Gander Mountain. Let's hope this plethora of activity leads to something good!

Where to Now?

A dear Josh letter was received in the mail yesterday from Kohl's. He was pretty bummed about it. He told me yesterday that the woman he spoke to did not know if the positions in Madison were opening up for sure or not. We knew that the Store Manager Position might be a stretch but it you never try you can never succeed. To us just getting the interview was a big shot in the arm. We aren't concerned yet. Josh is still with Wal-Mart until August 4th. So we have another month of income plus his very nice severance package. In the famed words of Freddie Mercury, "The show must go on".

On a related note, one of the guys that we went to college with lives across the street from us. He and the rest of the guys had a falling out 3-4 years ago so he isn't included in our gatherings. When he is invited he just doesn't come. About a year ago I got an IM from him asking if we lived in Sun Prairie and deduced that we live kitty corner from each other. I invited him to come over anytime to hang out or whatever. He of course denied the invite and turns his head every time we drive by or attempt to wave at him.

So I was at Pick N Save on Tuesday and I ran into him. I walked up behind him and said "Hey Jimmy" and got ignored. So I pushed my cart up to him turned my head towards him and said "Hey Jimmy, how are you?". This was the beginning of a short uncomfortable conversation during which he didn't introduce me to his bitchy looking pregnant wife whom I have never met. She ignored me and continued shopping. I was walking away saying "well it was nice seeing you." when he asked me if Josh was still at Wal-Mart. See Jimmy started working for ShopKo right out of college and had nothing but awful things to say about the fact that Josh was working for Wal-Mart. To which I say, yes Josh had to work long hours and holidays, he was under appreciated. You know what? It paid the bills and Josh has learned a lot and he even had fun once in a while. Not everyone has their dream job and loves going to work everyday but, we muttle through like anyone would. Sorry for the tangent here, so the guy who ignores us and only talks to me when cornered wants to help Josh out. After I told him Josh's story he told me that ShopKo is looking for managers, which we knew. Josh refuses to apply because, in his words "He doesn't want to work for that asshole."

Kohls update

Josh said the interview went well. He talked to the lady for 20 minutes. She asked a lot of questions and Josh got talk a lot which is different than the first interview he had. So he felt pretty confident in his answers. She told him that it would be 2-3 weeks before she got back to him. She did say that he was in the running for assistant or a store manager position. Plus he found out the pay is a lot better than Wal-Mart's base salary.

Oh and Jackson caught another chipmunk. It was quite entertaining to see it happen as I was absent from the original catching of the chippy.

We are headed to Rhythm & Booms tomorrow and off to the Farm Sunday for the 3rd Annual Redneck Fireworks Extravaganza. I am sure I will have some interesting stories to share after this weekend.

The Search is On

Well, the job hunt has officially began. It is funny because I have some time during the day I am sending new job openings to Josh quite regularly. I know that he appreciates me spending the time. However I am not sure if he appreciates receiving several e-mails a day with new positions attached. It is quite the undertaking. I will keep you posted on the progress.

I am just blown away by the love and support we have received from our friends and family. I am not shocked because I know how great and wonderful they all are! It is just mind blowing to have that re-affirmed in a situation like this. It makes us feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful support system!

On to other things..... Hmmmm... I am gearing up to attend a conference in Boston in August! I am pretty excited about that. I have to work on my endurance because I am going with at least 2 other people and we are going to take a day off and take the Freedom Trail. So I will have to be able to walk for 2.5 miles without whining. I don't want to show that side of me in front of my co-workers. So I am pretty excited about that.

A Brighter Outlook

Josh has more answers today. He spoke to his manager today about his options and what is going to happen in the next few months. First of all Josh's position is in existence until September. I am not sure if that is the beginning or end of the month. Within the next 2 weeks Wal-Mart stores with reassess their assistant manager needs. Meaning that some new positions will be opening up within all the stores to accommodate all of the suddenly available personnel. At that point Josh can apply for any position within Wal-Mart that he qualifies for. If he isn't offered any of the positions that he applied for, he is allowed to leave Wal-Mart with a 7 week severance package. This at least makes us feel much better today than yesterday. Hopefully we will get a whole bunch of responses from the resumes we sent out last night!!

A Real Kick in the Teeth

Today I came home to a sullen husband. A husband with a beer in his hand and Tupac blaring from the stereo. Josh said something about listening to Tupac when he is depressed. I just figured that it was another bad day in retail. So I said "what happened at work today?" I quizzed about work, I asked if he got fired. To each I got a "no". I was told that he would tell me in a minute. I knew that this was bad. My husband isn't the type that has to compose himself before he speaks. Josh looked at me with eyes welled up with tears and told me that they have eliminated his position at Wal-Mart. It is not only him but all management in photo, optical and tire/lube express. This goes straight to the top. His boss loses his job and his bosses boss loses his job and on up the food chain. It doesn't matter if you have been in the position 1 or 20 years your job is GONE!!! That is 2-3,000 positions with in Wal-Mart! Each employee has one of 2 options 1) apply for a job as an assistant manager or 2) leave with severance pay.

Josh has secretly been applying for positions for a couple weeks now. Nothing too serious. Just sending random resumes out for positions that sound interesting. I don't know if this is fate's way of stepping in or what? We have no clue where and what to do next. We hope that Josh can find a job and quick. Good thing between our savings and stock plans we have our 3 months of bills saved up. I think with my income and our savings we can make it 6 months before being flat broke. After that it will be just paying the bills and that is it. No extras. No food. No Gas. Let's hope that if Josh decides to leave, his parachute is golden. PRAY for him to find a new job swiftly. I don't know what else to do. We are just numb.

A Sign of the Times

As many of you are aware my hubby works for Wal-Mart. I think that I have also made it publicly known that I am really itching to buy a house. Well a sign of hope popped up on my drive to work yesterday. There is a sign in front of the old Monona K-Mart that reads, "Future home of Wal-Mart Supercenter" with a sign next to it for the construction company. I have been waiting for some sign that yes there was going to be a Wal-Mart there. The reason? If Josh transfers to that Wal-Mart we can both live 15 minutes from work. That is a luxury neither one of us has shared, EVER! We have been living in limbo the past few years waiting for a place to settle and if Josh can get a position in any of the new Wal-Marts in the Madison area we can finally begin our lives together.

Wal-Mart Not So Evil After All

Think that it is awesome that Wal-Mart stepped up sooner than the American government!!! Way to go!!!

This was taken from Wal-MartFacts.com.

"Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the many individuals and families affected by Hurricane Katrina. I felt it important to share a few thoughts on what we can do as individuals, and as businesses, during this time.

First, in the appropriate way for you, let's make sure we offer our thoughts and prayers to the individuals and families affected by this tragedy. This is a terrible situation which has impacted the lives of many, including our own associates, customers and friends. We can only hope that the situation is resolved soon.

Support for those affected communities is so important right now. We feel a responsibility to make sure we take care of our customers and associates. One of the most important things we can do right now is support the emergency relief efforts taking place. They are in need of financial contributions. We have contributed $1 million in cash to the Salvation Army to help with activities such as providing 400,000 meals per day and portable showers, and another $1 million in cash to the American Red Cross to run their shelters and provide relief. Additionally, $15 million from Wal-Mart has been committed for other relief efforts. We are also donating truckloads of supplies such as water and ice to the emergency services in these areas.

To make it convenient for people to donate to this effort, we are accepting donations for these relief efforts at all 3,800 Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB locations. You may also go to any of our web sites, which link directly to the Salvation Army and the Red Cross for donation support.

As a company, we are also focused on making sure our associates are safe and have the necessities they need like food, shelter and clothing. We have activated our Associate Disaster Relief Fund to assist in these efforts. There is also a special hotline that we have set up so our associates can check in with us and tell us what they need. We are also making exceptions to our pay policies for this disaster that will be based on facility and impact.

This is a unique situation which calls for unique solutions. Today more than ever, let's not let our friends down. Please do what you can to help."


- Lee Scott

Wal-Mart Discount

Ahhhh I love my Wal-Mart discount. It makes me feel privileged. Low prices HA! I get them even LOWER!!! Because my husband is now a Wal-Clone who gives up his real life for Wal-Mart, I can get things cheaper!! I know it is only 10% but it is better than nothing. Last night I went to buy the Wahl Hot Air Styler Plus. It just makes my day to have the register ring up $19.77, slide my card through and have it read $17.80. That $2 adds up people. I wish that Wal-Mart owned everything in the world and we could get it cheaper......

Examples: Wal-Burger, Wal-Hair, Wal-Gas, Wal-Cars, Wal-Phone, Wal-Electric.....When does it stop? WHEN DOES IT STOP??????

It feels like Wednesday

Why oh why am I wishing my life away? The calendar says it's Tuesday but it feels like Wednesday!!!

Josh seems to having a good time on his pilgrimage. He is staying with a guy from Reno and a guy from Alabama. He toured "The Home Office" yesterday and had lunch at the cafe there. He has homework that he has to work on each night. This week he is learning about operation of a Photo/Connect Center and next week he learns technical/maintenance of the machines. Then the day before he leaves he gets his Wal-Implant (That is what my co-worker says) so that he becomes the Wal-Clone perfect employee.

I was informed that my future brother-in-law got a job in Clintonville. I am happy that he got the job, because that is what he wanted. I just don't want him taking my sister away. She will be 2-3 hours away from all of her family. I guess that I always hoped that we would all live within an hour of each other and our parents and be able to get together on the weekends. I guess that I was just fooling myself. I always wanted my children to be near their grandma and grandpa, and I wanted them to hang out with their cousins. I had my cousin Chelsea that I played with almost every weekend. I loved that!! I wanted the same for them.

I am not sure where our lives will head. Where Wal-Mart will take us next. I guess I have to get used to the idea of being away from my family........ Damn It!!!

Only The Lonely

Well, Josh has made is pilgrimage to Mecca. I only wish he wasn't going to be gone this long. When I dropped him off at the airport today I said good-bye for 12 LONG days. Aside from a summer in college I have never lived alone. Even during that time Josh and I were dating so it wasn't like I was living alone so we spent almost every night together. Since Josh and I made the commitment to our relationship about 4 years ago this will be the longest I have been without seeing him. During the time that I was between school and work I spent almost every weekend with him. Since we lived together the longest we have been apart is the week that Mom, Danny and I went to Florida.

Josh and I have gone through a rough week preparing for him to go. We have been at each other's throats all week. If it wasn't me getting mad at him for letting the laundry "die" in the dryer, he was mad at me for telling him he couldn't buy parts for his paintball gun. So maybe his trip was timed perfectly, but it is still going to be hard. I am glad that I have my little Jackson to come home to. He has been snuggling with me all day. I am sure that he wonders what is going on. I left today with Josh and came home along. He looked really confused when I returned home alone.

So, off I go to sleep in my Queen size bed all alone. I will enjoy the extra space but, I will miss the safety and comfort I feel with Josh beside me.