Update XVI: Sidejackin' it in the Train Room.

[Indy Texas]

Oh, and I guess I should provide the first weight check of Season XVI.  I have now lost 6 pounds since July 13.  I have dropped from 292 to 286.  I continue to watch my calories and try to stay within 2,300 calories each day.

There is no reason you should be eating any more than 2,000 a day.

[Indy Texas]

Oh, and I guess I should provide the first weight check of Season XVI.  I have now lost 6 pounds since July 13.  I have dropped from 292 to 286.  I continue to watch my calories and try to stay within 2,300 calories each day.

There is no reason you should be eating any more than 2,000 a day.

I use the myfitnesspal app on my iPhone to track my weight and food intake and it says to lose a pound a week, I need to stay under 2,300.  There are days I do stay under 2,000, maybe 2,100.  Today, I had just under 2,500 just because I had a big breakfast.  I had a light dinner tonight, so I tried to salvage what I could in my diet.

So instead of discussing this with your doctor or a nutritionist, you're using an iPhone app. And when the iPhone app told you to stay under 2,300 calories a day, you went ahead and had 2,500. This is really going well. You had a big breakfast because you chose to have a big breakfast. If you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have gone over your limit and had to "salvage" at the end of the day.

[Indy Texas]

Oh, and I guess I should provide the first weight check of Season XVI.  I have now lost 6 pounds since July 13.  I have dropped from 292 to 286.  I continue to watch my calories and try to stay within 2,300 calories each day.

There is no reason you should be eating any more than 2,000 a day.

I use the myfitnesspal app on my iPhone to track my weight and food intake and it says to lose a pound a week, I need to stay under 2,300.  There are days I do stay under 2,000, maybe 2,100.  Today, I had just under 2,500 just because I had a big breakfast.  I had a light dinner tonight, so I tried to salvage what I could in my diet.

So instead of discussing this with your doctor or a nutritionist, you're using an iPhone app. And when the iPhone app told you to stay under 2,300 calories a day, you went ahead and had 2,500. This is really going well. You had a big breakfast because you chose to have a big breakfast. If you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have gone over your limit and had to "salvage" at the end of the day.

Did you not read anything else I said?  It was just one day.  Most days I'm well under 2,300.  You have no right to attack me over one day that wasn't that far over.

Excuses, excuses. Same reason your weight loss that has been going on for like seven years has only netted you six pounds lost. If I had the health problems you do, I wouldn't be anywhere near as sanguine about it as you seem to be. You're an obese man who sits in a chair all day at work and drives 1/4 a mile because he doesn't want to walk the laundry over. I don't even think your body needs to be getting 2,000 a day, quite frankly.

[Indy Texas]

RIP Call Center.

But seriously, Bushie, if this job is really as leisurely as you say it is, at least until you get your logins or whatever the hell they're waiting on, you have no excuse for not looking for a job while you're still working there. It's not like you're working 12 hour days at some mentally draining task like investment banking or doctoral research. You're currently being paid to listen to people talk on the phone. Hell, keep your cell phone with you and look for jobs on it while you're "sidejacking" or whatever it is.

Also, you should be looking up when every job fair in Tulsa and OKC is and penciling those in on your calendar. You should sign up for Meetup and look for networking events on there. If you're not on LinkedIn, create a profile on there too.

Stop dicking around. You've been going on about how you want to prove that you can keep a job and be successful at it; well this is not the way to go about it. You either need to go all in on this and be serious or you need to do what several people here have been telling you and just get on disability and live the corn syrup-filled life of a fat, lower-middle class Red State schmuck for another 20 or 30 years.

[Indy Texas]

The honest truth:  I have not been fired.  However, I will go into work in the morning and turn in my 3-days notice, under the full readiness that they may walk me out.  The thing with giving my notice is to be courteous.  I will go in and be prepared to stay all day, if that's what they want.  I am prepared for whatever happens.

The fact is I can't look for a job effectively when I'm working 8-5 with a 30-minute lunch, have no access to my cell phone while I'm on the floor itself.  Yes, I can call them back during lunch, but it's likely their lunch hour, as well.  The policies for phone use is different on the floor side-jacking or taking calls than it is in the classroom.  I look for most jobs online, but the employers generally call me to set up an interview.  I also go out and look for jobs, which is not obsolete.  Ever heard of temp agencies?   I basically don't want my hands tied while trying to play ball, if you will.

Yes, Inks, I know exactly what I'm doing.  You are free to question that, but you will not change my mind.

If you want employers to contact you via email, there's usually an option on applications indicating that. Most employers are well aware that a prospective employee probably cannot immediately take their phone call while they're at work.

If you call them on your lunch hour, any HR person worth their salt will pick up the phone, even if they are at lunch. And when they do, you schedule your interview and then very courteously request that in the future (s)he contact you via email.

Hell, if you get a call, just pretend you're going to the bathroom or something. That's allowed isn't it? You're seriously telling me that this makes it impossible for you to look for a job?

[Indy Texas]

Jesus. H. F#$%ing. Christ.

[Indy Texas]

Basically, folks, I am listening to all of your concerns and I am mulling over all of my options right now.  You guys are bringing up valid arguments and I've spent the past little while trying to talk myself into hanging onto the job and at least trying to look in the evenings and do what has been discussed here.  I'm also mulling over my options if I take my parents' advice to quit, figuring out what my first moves would be.  I have already found one job fair I can go to anytime this week Tuesday-Friday.  Then again, if I held onto this job, at least I would have a paycheck coming in.  It is money in the bank for now and I can get on the phones and do the best I can.  There are pros and cons to both decisions.  The cons of hanging onto this job is I might potentially miss out on some opportunities just by not being available to interview at a moment's notice.  The cons of quitting is that I run the risk of being out of a job for quite some time.  The pros of hanging onto this job is the aforementioned paycheck, but also that some employers prefer someone who already is working as opposed to someone who is sitting at home during the day looking.  The pros of quitting now is I can go all-in on the job search immediately once I get home.  I have a big decision to make.

No one interviews on "a moment's notice" for jobs. You could "go all-in on the job search" already if you didn't spend all your evenings and weekends watching baseball and visiting your parents all the time.

[Indy Texas]

Just like that, I've scored my first interview tomorrow at 13:30.

Where?

Temp agency that does placement for call centers, of course.

Either that or a pyramid-scheme sales job that they give interviews to everyone for.

Bushie can be one of those people with a giant "HERBALIFE" decal on the back window of his car. The train room will be filled with boxes of supplements that sit unsold for years.

[Indy Texas]

I think I'm going to hold off on the call center I am thinking about.  I just found an article on our CBS affiliate's website for all sorts of roles with the Tulsa Public Schools.  Not just teaching.  Naturally, I'm not licensed to teach, but I could probably be a custodian or something.  What do you all think? The job fair is next Monday, August 4 at 13:00.

Look at www.newson6.com for the article.

I'm sorry but what?! Do you have a giant job wheel in your house somewhere that you spin multiple times a day to decide what kind of job to pursue?

First you quit your crappy call center job because you wanted to spend all your waking hours (all 12 of them at best) looking for better jobs and the paycheck doesn't matter because your parents are cool with this and going to help you out. You say you can't look for jobs while working full time.

Then you say you're going to get another similar crappy job because all you really care about for now is a paycheck. So are you going to look for a better job or not? And if you are, then what was the point in quitting a job where, from what you said, you were literally getting paid to do nothing?

It's like you have amnesia and have forgotten that you actually did get a 4 year college degree at some point in your life. In spite of your other failings, you have outperformed the vast majority of adults in your state in that department. Why do you insist on applying for jobs that you could have gotten straight out of high school?

I think you need to go directly to the websites of a few major, reputable companies and look in their careers sections. Don't go to simplyhired.com or one of those sites; half that stuff is filler nonsense that most people self-filter out but that you have a tendency to be misled by. No direct referral selling. No call centers. Nothing that is offering to interview you that very day or the next day because those are precisely the kind of disposable joke jobs that are doing absolutely nothing for you.

You could start by researching some of these...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_based_in_Tulsa,_Oklahoma

[Indy Texas]

A thought that occurred to me is that a pizza or Jimmy John's delivery job might be decent for Bushie. You can work part time with very flexible hours so he can't use the excuse of having to look for other jobs, it's mostly driving, and even he can walk up carrying that to someone's doorstep. And while the pay isn't great they can make good money with tips, my brother working at Jimmy John's delivery is probably making more than Bushie did at his last call center job with his tips included. And I don't know if Tulsa is the same but in Minneapolis many have the only qualification that you have a car and a driver's license.

As long as there's never an inch of snow, he'd be OK.

He'd just go to the customer's house the day beforehand to be on the safe side.

Utah Airport Sleepover Fun Time...oh the memories...

[Indy Texas]

Bushie, I am not trying to "be negative" as you so often accuse people ITT of being, but why do you consistently and repeatedly seek out customer service jobs?

[Indy Texas]

Bushie, I am not trying to "be negative" as you so often accuse people ITT of being, but why do you consistently and repeatedly seek out customer service jobs?

Realistically, they are the only types of employers that would hire someone with Bushie's work record.

Which is another reason I tend to gravitate toward those jobs.  I know my job record sucks and while I still try for the really good jobs, I know call centers will mostly be there.

Heck, I know that if push come to shove and I'm out for too long without a job, I could go running back into the arms of the call center I just left and I'd be hired on the spot.  Naturally, I don't want to do that and I don't expect to have to do that, but it is the safety net of all safety nets.  It will make staying in Tulsa much easier if things go horribly wrong.  Like I said, I don't want to do that, and I left there for a reason, but it will be there for me if I need it.

What was the last straw for you with that place? Something must happened because you seemed committed to sticking with it for a while.

Thursday and Friday last week really changed my mind.  It's hard to say what the last straw was as it was all a cumulative effect.  I guess if I were forced to name a last straw, it was that the managers knew absolutely nothing and came to work actually high on weed and were not stopped as they walked in.  Mind you, weed is still illegal in Oklahoma and it should not be consumed before work.  I wasn't really surprised that they were high on weed as the place had absolutely no drug testing policy.  It accepted not only drug addicts, but it also accepted convicted felons.  Many of the managers and even my classmates have been incarcerated before.  I'm all for reintegration, but it still made me feel uncomfortable.

Could you please just get a job at Barnes & Noble or something? Retail pays about the same as what you're doing and it's not sales. You don't have to sell anything. You just have to keep the product shelved and displayed and let the customer pay for what they want.

[Indy Texas]

Challenge for math nerds. Presume Bushie had been hired for a retail job at $7.25/hr on the date that he began CADD school and continues to work at 40 hours/week going forward. As a seperate scenario, presume Bushie, begins CADD tomorrow, also at 40 hours/week, but at $11/hr, and with a starting cumulative earnings of -$3000 to account for student loans. At what future date does the cumulative CADD earnings, including the negative $3000 for the loan, overtake his cumulative earnings at the retail job? For the sake of simplicity, disregard all taxes and student loan interest, both of which, in the real world, would push the date  even further back.

Do you want to bring discounted cash flow into the situation so that present value is taken into account?

[Indy Texas]

Bushie, what is your current health insurance situation? Do you still get it through your Tribe?

Your income would make you eligible for a heavily subsidized Exchange product that includes subsidized copays and deductibles. You ought to look into that for next year, just to see what your options are.

I still get it through my Tribe where I pay nothing but the gas to get to and from.

What is your tribe?

[Indy Texas]

Bushie, what is your current health insurance situation? Do you still get it through your Tribe?

Your income would make you eligible for a heavily subsidized Exchange product that includes subsidized copays and deductibles. You ought to look into that for next year, just to see what your options are.

I still get it through my Tribe where I pay nothing but the gas to get to and from.

You don't pay premiums or copays/deductibles? That's awesome.

Postcolonial Interpretation: Years ago, a white colonist raped a Native woman and forced her to bear a child. And in reward for his actions to spread Anglo-Saxon genetics across the North American continent, his Americanized descendants, woefully ignorant of their Mother language and culture, get free healthcare.

[Indy Texas]

Good Wednesday Evening!  I am home from an awesome day!  This was by far the best day, yet.  I took a break from the drawing I was working on the first two days and did something different as per the current needs of the company.  I have to finish the group I was working on late this afternoon tomorrow when I first get there, and then will be able to move onto other tasks as directed by my supervisor.  I thought the first two days were good, but today was miles ahead of even the first two days, and that is saying something.  I am still building that foundation, but that foundation is looking pretty good.  The thing that made today better is I think I have shaken 95% of the rust off and I didn't have to have help as much today.  I'm not rushing through my work like I did in school, but I'm double, triple, and quadruple checking my work for accuracy.  I have developed my first routine when I work on a drawing.  That routine will likely be modified, but for now I've got an early routine established.  The only bad thing about today is I had a painful twinge or knot in my upper back all day.  I don't have the most ergonomic office chair, and that didn't help.  My back still hurts this evening, but I will go to church this evening and then watch Big Brother when I get home.  15 hours until Day 4!!

Please tell me these tasks don't involve cold-calling their clients and trying to sell them additional CADD services.

[Indy Texas]

I would think that when you're 5'7"/300 lbs. serious back pain is a part of everyday life.

I do have a bad back, but it's usually my lower back.  This is about a quarter of the way down my spine from the neck.  It feels like right at the bottom of the shoulder blade.  It didn't hinder me at all today, I just took one aspirin about 10:45 and a second one about 14:00 and it helped me get through the day.  Never once did I think about going home.  This is a job I actually legitimately like.  It's not one of those jobs I have to talk myself into liking it.  As J-Mann pointed out the other night, this is a job I can actually do and am better suited for.  I'm not going to throw this job away like I have in the past.  As I said before, I am 8 1/2 months shy of my 33rd birthday, I need to settle into a career and I am going to try to make this my career.  I am going to try to stay here as long as I can and hold onto it for dear life.

Hate to break it to you Bushie, but you're not going to work there the rest of your working life. None of us will still be working wherever we are currently when we're 65. If you "hold onto a job for dear life" you're asking to be used, taken advantage of and spit out.

[Indy Texas]

My supervisor today came to me and asked me to make my work shift in half hour increments.  What that means is instead of going in at 7:40, taking a 20-25 minute lunch and getting off at 4:05 or 4:10, he wants me to start at either 7:30 or 8:00 (my choice) and take either a half hour or hour lunch, thus getting off at 16:00, 16:30, or 17:00 depending on what time I go in.  I don't have to do the same shift everyday.  So, what I'm going to do is aim for the 7:30 start time with the half hour lunch and if I'm running late for whatever reason like this morning, I can start at 8:00.  Worst case scenario I can work an 8:30-17:00 shift if I'm running really late.  When I get more comfortable with what I'm doing, I could add in a 7:00-15:30 shift option.  Right now, though, my supervisor doesn't want me to come in too much before he does.  He normally gets in between 8:00 and 8:30.  The owner opens up the office at either 6:45 or 7:00 and there are a few employees who work 7:00-16:00.  This wasn't meant to get onto me, but just to make his records easier to keep track.

Do they not automatically round up/down for purposes of doing payroll?

If I were to work, say, 44 hours and 25 minutes in a given week, I'd get paid for 44.5 hours. If I worked 44 hours and 5 minutes, I'd get paid for 44 hours. Does he seriously expect you to be exactly on the half hour mark when you're clocking in and out?

[Indy Texas]

I had lunch at a Cracker Barrel today. Bushie would likely have been one of the healthier patrons in the establishment, were he there. It's not every day you get to see ball-shaped, red-faced people drive their motorized scooters up to the table and proceed to load up on buttered biscuits, fried chicken, gravy, fried okra and sugar-coated carrots. There are at least two evangelical megachurches in the vicinity, so the after-church crowd was out in full force.

[Indy Texas]

I may have missed the boat on this, but now I'm curious - Jeff, what were you doing at Northrop Grummann?

[Indy Texas]

I'll get back on the challenge tomorrow.  I did nothing wrong at dinner.  I don't feel bad at all.  Plus, King, it's Friday.  It's no fun to eat healthy on weekends.  I wanted to enjoy my Friday supper with what I wanted to eat and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  If you don't like it, then shut up and let me live my life.  I am still following the challenges you set forth.  Yes, I had a slip up tonight, but I have not completely blown it.  Just do not mock me.  I have done NOTHING worthy of mocking.  If you mock me, you're the idiot, not me.

You abdicated any right to tell anyone on this forum to "shut up and let you live your life" several "seasons" ago. If you don't want to be judged, don't post judgeworthy actions on here.

If you think a lifestyle change that is necessary for your health is something you get weekends off for, you're going to keep pushing 300 pounds with one foot in the grave.

[Indy Texas]

I will be having a Mexican pot-luck at my pastor's house tomorrow evening so there will be no burger or fries and no ice cream.

The Oklahoma white person interpretation of Mexican food is far unhealthier than a mere burger, fries or ice cream. Lots of processed American cheese, salt, fatty ground beef, sour cream, and not a vegetable to be seen except for some shredded iceberg lettuce.

You have no self-control. Unless you want to gorge on faux-enchiladas or seven-layer-dip, why don't you just say you're busy and do something else that evening?

[Indy Texas]

I will be having a Mexican pot-luck at my pastor's house tomorrow evening so there will be no burger or fries and no ice cream.

The Oklahoma white person interpretation of Mexican food is far unhealthier than a mere burger, fries or ice cream. Lots of processed American cheese, salt, fatty ground beef, sour cream, and not a vegetable to be seen except for some shredded iceberg lettuce.

You have no self-control. Unless you want to gorge on faux-enchiladas or seven-layer-dip, why don't you just say you're busy and do something else that evening?

Because I did that last month and I want to meet the group.  This is a new congregation for me, and I want to build relationships with the group.  I'll probably eat light tonight as I do at most pot-lucks due to not finding much that looks appealing, so I'm not worried about that too much.  I am more interested in the fellowship and the fun more than the food.  I've been looking forward to this for five weeks since I canceled out on the August meeting.  Plus, it will start preparing my heart for worship tomorrow morning.

The burning in your heart may be the Holy Spirit or it could just be myocardial infarction.

[Indy Texas]

Inks, I have already said that while the clock watching is hereditary (according to my mother), I can't blame anything on that.

Also, about the leaving early on Friday's, that is HIS idea, not mine.  He doesn't want to pay overtime, so I work extra during the week and take off early on Fridays.  He mentioned that initially, not me.  So, do not attack me for something that was his idea.

Is your mother in any position to determine what is and isn't hereditary? I haven't heard you mention Momma Bushie being a prolific publisher in genetic research.

I get that he doesn't want to pay overtime, but what difference does it make if you work 8 hours for 5 days or 9 hours for 4 days and 4 hours for one day? They both add up to 40 hours.

If your issue is, as you say, lack of focus, and you are looking at your watch every 2 to 3 minutes, I'm going to ask if this is what you really want to do. I wouldn't say my job is my "dream job" but I'm focused and don't look at my watch incessantly.

I recall you saying you wanted to get your CADD certification because you believed you could somehow use that skill when you moved to Kenya. I've never understood why you never considered pursuing a position with some kind of non-profit, whether religious or non-religious. Or why you never considered pursuing religious studies to become a pastor.