Update XV: Stuck Inside of Tulsa with the Oklahoma City Blues Again

[Indy Texas]

What does Mr. Brown do for a living? And how old is he?

[Indy Texas]

I don't understand why Bushie can't at least do some volunteer work or something to help ameliorate all these unacceptable resume gaps.

Also, Bushie, since we know how much you love going back to school, find a class that interests you on one of these websites, sign up for it and complete it successfully. They're free and don't require you to leave your house, so no more loans getting heaped on your parents and no excuses for not showing up to class.

https://www.coursera.org/
https://www.edx.org/

[Indy Texas]

Brother!? Is this game over for Our Dear Friend?

Don't knock Bushie's brother.  The man served 20+ years in the Navy and seems as normal as can be.

I honor his service, but you know what, I'm just as successful as he is and am no less of a man that you seem to have implied.

No you're not. I'm not saying that to be mean. I'm just stating a fact that is abundantly clear to anyone who has read more than a page or two of any Update thread.

[Indy Texas]

I will admit that was a very prideful statement that I made.  I will say, though, success is not only determined by what job you have or what you do on earth.  True success is determined by your love for the LORD and the people He created.  Things accumulated or done in this life will ultimately turn to dust.  That said,  I honor my brothers service and thank him when I get the chance.   That doesn't mean I'm not successful.

You don't think success might involve...finishing what you start or taking responsibility for your actions?

You think it's out of "love" for God's children that you dump all your debt and problems on the mother and father who brought you into this world?

[Indy Texas]

Fine. Hide behind your religion like the rest of your Bible Belt brethren in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and elsewhere.

It goes miles in explaining why you're all overweight, underemployed and more prone to everything from diabetes to divorce.

[Indy Texas]

Who said that Bushie was a fan of country? The only music he has expressed an interest in is Christmas music. On that point, it is almost time to switch over to those beloved carols and to put up his seasonal tree. Joy to the World!

...it's June.

[Indy Texas]

I'm ordinarily a critic of the CrossFit cult community, but in Bushie's case it might be preferable for him to be surrounded by people who are pathologically obsessed with fitness and will constantly call and text and Facebook and harass him if he tries to skip workout sessions. There's no minimal fitness requirement to start training and I've heard of 300+ lb people doing the whole "total body transformation thing" there.

I've even done the first step for him.

[Indy Texas]

I can't find too many retail jobs.  I keep looking for them, just as I am for other jobs, just can't find too many.  If someone wants to do a quick check for themselves, be my guest.

Ugh, you're unbelievable.

http://m.simon.com/directory.aspx

Take a bunch of résumés with you, and a pen so you can fill out the applications they'll hand you, and a notebook to write down the web addresses for stores that only do online applications.  Don't you dare call each store from home; that impresses nobody.

I've heard that it's better to apply on line first, then go to the store, tell them you applied online and ask how far along they are in filling the position. Best case scenario, he gets an interview on the spot and they appreciate the initiative.

But Bushie seems bizarrely uncomfortable with technology in general for someone with computer-related college degrees and certificates; the reliance on doing everything via the phone and First Class Mail rather than online, the inability to fathom that he might be able to just take 2 minutes to email MetroTech about his graduation status while doing something else (multitasking!)...

[Indy Texas]

For the third straight day, I have scored an interview in the closing moments of the business day! I just got back from dinner with my parents at El Chico, but when I walked in the door of my apartment, it was 16:55, and I got a call from a recruiter in midtown Tulsa who had not one, but two positions open that she wanted to talk to me about. So, I have an interview with her Monday at 14:30 to discuss both of these positions. One position is customer support with State Farm and the other is an administrative assistant. That means I have an interview at 13:00 Monday, this two-for interview at 14:30 Monday, and one more Tuesday at 15:00.

The customer support at State Farm is positively dreadful. You may have a shot with them.

She said it would pay $10-$12, which is not great, but it's something.  The Admin Assistant would pay $12 an hour.  Oddly enough, the drafting job I will interview for on Tuesday would pay $12, as well.

Is there some sort of Iron Law of Wages in effect in Oklahoma that prevents you all from making more than $12 an hour?

I know people who didn't go to college and work in kiosks at the mall who make more per hour than that.

[Indy Texas]

I was wondering that too. What does Allison do?

[Indy Texas]

I was wondering that too. What does Allison do?

She works at a college.

That's very broad. What does she do there?

[Indy Texas]

Will Update continue after Bushie is married?

Of course. Allison will start guest posting as well.

Spinoff!

[Indy Texas]

Where is the email?

I won't accept BS about someone's hard drive getting destroyed, either.

I will Darrell Issa the hell out of whoever contacted Russ Powers.

[Indy Texas]

I've seen obese people work at Wal-Mart. Part of equal opportunity employment is to make jobs accessible to a handicap.

While I don't condone your sloth, I'm sure you could have a stool to sit on as a cashier.

There's one Walmart in my area where there's this one severely obese woman working there who basically rides around the store in one of their mobility scooters and only briefly stands up when she needs to arrange stuff on shelves. Surely Jeff could handle that.

[Indy Texas]

Bushie,

(1) We are all aware that no one loses 100 pounds over night. However, YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING YOU'LL LOSE WEIGHT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND IN THAT TIME PERIOD, YOU HAVE ACTUALLY GAINED WEIGHT RATHER THAN LOST IT. Don't criticize people for telling you to get your act together ASAP when you're the one who has spent years wasting time and making zero progress towards being in better health.

(2) You are in your 30s. The amount of learned helplessness you exhibit regarding food preparation is disturbing. People have been cooking and baking for thousands of years. People who are illiterate can do it. The mentally handicapped people at the adult activities center I used to volunteer at can do it. There is no reason you can't.

(3) Having a glass of water "now and then" is going to send you to an early grave. You need to stop drinking "pop" as you call it (I know for a fact that no one else in Oklahoma uses that horrid word) altogether because you've shown yourself to be incapable of drinking it in moderation. If you need caffeine, drink coffee. But really, other than that, you should be drinking water.

(4) Get off your fat @$$ and go for a walk. I mean right f***ing now.

(5) If you do not listen to the ugly truths I am telling you, you have maybe thirty years left to live. And the last few of those years will probably be spent bedridden and disabled by diabetes and however many heart attacks and strokes you've had by then. Isn't that sad, Jeff? Absent any tough choices, you are already more than halfway through with your life. There are people in sub-Saharan Africa who will outlive you in spite of facing far more obstacles than you ever have.

[Indy Texas]

bushie, have you heard back from metrotech about your certificate?

and that pay policy of your current employer is horrible.  that should be a warning sign right there.

Walter, would you drop the certificate, please?  Why can't you just accept the fact that I finished school and got a 78% on my classes.  It's not a hard concept to grasp except for those who WANT to constantly badger me about it and who refuse to believe.

Avoid the question and answer a question that wasn't asked.

Bushie, you really should just become a politician. I mean, between your ability to spin half-truths and your overt displays of religiosity, you could easily make it in the Oklahoma state legislature.

[Indy Texas]

We've covered Bushie's religious beliefs before. Yes, they are much different than any other form of Christianity, but he's never going to change his mind there, and none of us know who is right and won't until we die.

I find it bizarre that he believes you can do whatever you want in life and still get into heaven because you claim to believe, but more power to him.

Do NOT mock his faith!

[Indy Texas]

Maybe bushie is just a really crappy interviewer? Or he's just being lazy trying to find places. I don't know why everyone else would be getting CADD jobs except him, especially since he claims everywhere he looks wants experienced drafters.

Very few 300 pound men make good interviewees. People that size simply "look lazy" to HR departments.

This is a very ugly truth. And unlike other things that sometimes trigger hiring discrimination - like race or gender - Bushie's weight is something that he can do something about.

[Indy Texas]

I get that you get discouraged, but think about the money you spent on the course! If I make an investment of money or time, I damn well better get a return on it or I won't be happy.

That's the problem--he never spent any money on the course.  His parents did.  So if he doesn't get a job, all he really wasted was his time, which is something he's never really cared about.  He was never that invested in CAD because he never had to put anything valuable into it.

I can legitimately say I paid for the school.  Ever heard of student loans?  I didn't pay anything up front, but the payments will start in September and will come out of my pocket for the next 10 years.

When YOU (and only you) have actually paid off those student loans, let me know and I'll retract my statement.  Are you paying off all of your debt now, or are your parents still paying off your card?  If it's not all you, then you're not really the one paying off the student loans, since that'll only be possible because others are paying off all your other debt.

Fair enough.  If we're still here in 2024 then you got it, friend.

More like if you haven't keeled over from congestive heart failure by 2024.

[Indy Texas]

bushie, does your new job require you to clock out to go to the bathroom?

I have to go in a different code on the phones, but I still get paid for it.

[Indy Texas]

We did a few things and I was able to listen to a gal already taking outbound calls exactly like what I'll be doing and was immediately put at ease.

I really hope you don't refer to your female co-workers as "gals" when you're there.

Anybody can do just about anything if they put their mind to it.

Tell us more about your weight loss progress, please.

[Indy Texas]

I have lost 5 pounds in the past 11 days.

Good! But what have you been eating?

[Indy Texas]

bushie do you have to clock out to go to the bathroom at this job?

He answered this already.

bushie, does your new job require you to clock out to go to the bathroom?

I have to go in a different code on the phones, but I still get paid for it.

his company used to have a policy that stated you had to clock out before going to the bathroom.

Did Bushie have a stint at Foxconn that we never heard about?

[Indy Texas]

I wish. A sweatshop might help him lose weight.

I actually knew a woman who worked at a Foxconn facility in the Houston area. She did some sort of quality control - I think she was supposed to inspect whatever they were making and send the defective ones somewhere to be fixed. But she was paid minimum wage ($7.25/hr) and was never given more than 25 hours a week. And they always changed her shifts around and called her at the last minute which meant she basically couldn't have a second job even if she wanted to. She quit because she was pregnant and it was obvious to her that when she had her baby, it would make more sense for her to just stay home since she'd be paying more for childcare than she was making at her job.

As I have said before, if we want people like her to be able to have gainful employment and economic mobility, they need better access to childcare.

[Indy Texas]

My employer earned big points with me today by paying me exactly what they promised me.  That's not a light thing in my book.  It should be a no-brainer,  but with my job history is actually a remarkable feat.  I'm still going to look for another job, but this makes me want to work as hard as I can for the time I'm there.

They earned big points for not violating labor laws?