As My World Turns
The past few weeks have really been tough. It seems that with every opportunity I dig up, it ends up being a dead-end. It's as if there is a strong, organized effort by some unseen force to make me move from Amarillo back to DFW. Even as late as yesterday, there were some opportunities that appeared to have come through for me. Today, even those are now heading down the same path as the other failed ones. Fate, destiny, or God's will, I'm finally getting the message loud and clear that I will not be able to stay here despite my most passionate desire to do so.
The latest in the long series of misfortune came last night. I had enrolled for my first class here about 90 minutes prior to the class starting. Along with 6 other students, we waited as the instructor never showed. As feared, the class had been cancelled unbeknownst to the admissions department. That for me was the triple exclamation point in the "Steve, you will not be allowed to stay in Amarillo!!!" message now tatooed across my forehead.
With that in mind, I have at least one, possibly two interviews in DFW next week. That's more than I can say for my efforts here since October. I have several other pending opportunities in the works down there as well. With the current state of the economic catastrophe ongoing with no end in sight (latest economic data today is dismal), I keep trying to convince myself that I should be grateful and overjoyed to at least have job opportunities still coming my way. However, the prospect of moving away from a place where, down to the deepest regions of my soul, is more home to me than any place on earth...such efforts ring hollow and much more bitter than sweet.
So, I'm back to getting rid of crap in my apartment and renew my packing efforts. Barring any sort of miracle as in getting hired (no more "maybes" or "perhaps" or "possible" crap) for something substantially more than minimum wage, I fully expect to be relocating back to the DFW withn the next few weeks...definitely by the end of February.
Not all is lost however. At least I'll be going back to doing what I'm best trained and qualified for. I'll work to refocus my energies into being an IT professional for the rest of my life. The pay and benefits are great along with ample demand for my skills in the foreseeable future. The biggest struggle will be having to put stormchasing well back on the back burner relegated to weekend excursions and something close to home and perhaps a 1-2 week annual expedition into the plains. Those who know me well truly realize how much of a struggle this will be. :-)
I suppose now that I will have to focus on retirement funds with the hopes of reaching that golden age down the road and moving back home to the land of pump jacks, tumbleweeds, and raging tornadic supercells.
This will most likely be the last blog update from me for awhile until something finally settles in my turbulent career world. With any new job I take, it is highly likely that weather and stormchasing will take a back seat for this season. So, it is entirely possible this blog may be dormant for 2009.
Talk to ya'll down the road sometime.
The latest in the long series of misfortune came last night. I had enrolled for my first class here about 90 minutes prior to the class starting. Along with 6 other students, we waited as the instructor never showed. As feared, the class had been cancelled unbeknownst to the admissions department. That for me was the triple exclamation point in the "Steve, you will not be allowed to stay in Amarillo!!!" message now tatooed across my forehead.
With that in mind, I have at least one, possibly two interviews in DFW next week. That's more than I can say for my efforts here since October. I have several other pending opportunities in the works down there as well. With the current state of the economic catastrophe ongoing with no end in sight (latest economic data today is dismal), I keep trying to convince myself that I should be grateful and overjoyed to at least have job opportunities still coming my way. However, the prospect of moving away from a place where, down to the deepest regions of my soul, is more home to me than any place on earth...such efforts ring hollow and much more bitter than sweet.
So, I'm back to getting rid of crap in my apartment and renew my packing efforts. Barring any sort of miracle as in getting hired (no more "maybes" or "perhaps" or "possible" crap) for something substantially more than minimum wage, I fully expect to be relocating back to the DFW withn the next few weeks...definitely by the end of February.
Not all is lost however. At least I'll be going back to doing what I'm best trained and qualified for. I'll work to refocus my energies into being an IT professional for the rest of my life. The pay and benefits are great along with ample demand for my skills in the foreseeable future. The biggest struggle will be having to put stormchasing well back on the back burner relegated to weekend excursions and something close to home and perhaps a 1-2 week annual expedition into the plains. Those who know me well truly realize how much of a struggle this will be. :-)
I suppose now that I will have to focus on retirement funds with the hopes of reaching that golden age down the road and moving back home to the land of pump jacks, tumbleweeds, and raging tornadic supercells.
This will most likely be the last blog update from me for awhile until something finally settles in my turbulent career world. With any new job I take, it is highly likely that weather and stormchasing will take a back seat for this season. So, it is entirely possible this blog may be dormant for 2009.
Talk to ya'll down the road sometime.
posted by Steve Miller TX at 1/22/2009 03:06:00 PM
10 Comments:
Good luck, mate!
Steve, where ever life takes you, I wish you the best of luck. Remember that even if there are no opportunities now in Amarillo, it does not mean that there will never be any in the future. Someday you might just come back :-) Go get em buddy!
Sorry to see you head back to the hellhole man. I know how much you hated it there.
On the plus side, it's starting to look like you picked a good year to take time off from chasing. Without a bunch of moisture in the southern plains soon we will be chasing drylines east of I35. Nothing but fires may be in storm for the Panhandle this year. I of course hope for my sake I am wrong, but I fear the worst.
Best of luck on your move! Glad to see an update from you at least and hope things go well.
That is going to be really hard. Having to give up the ability to chase whenever and where ever I want is the one of the few "what if's" I think about. That really sucks. The good news the stable future your choice is going to provide. Best of luck Steve.
Sorry to hear you are having to move back here to the DFW "Metro-hell". I can sympathize greatly, as I just lost my job this week. Fortunately, school is keeping me going. Ya never know, man, opportunities seem to drop out of nowhere when we least expect them. Hang in there, and maybe I'll see you at the TESSA conference in March.
I appreciate everybody's encouragement and support. :-) I hate to come across as feeling sorry for myself. It's just a tremendous let down and immense disappointment in having to move away from here. It's alot more than just the meteorological aspect of some of the craziest and more interesting weather. It's the people, the land, the skies, the history, and the culture out here.
On a positive note, and an example of the sharp swings of up's and down's the past few months, a particular outstanding career opportunity I've been pursuing is back on track again and has now progressed further than it ever has. It wasn't but a couple of weeks ago that it died with no hope of resurrecting. Amazingly, I got word today that my application is being presented to the client. However, recent expereince certainly dictates that I treat it with very reserved and cautious optimism. ;-) I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I just wish I could get part of the economic bailout package from Congress. LOL!
I wish you luck in these hard times. I hate that you're having to give up right now on this dream. Hopefully you'll be able to come back some day. Maybe this re-newed opportunity will come through for you. Best of luck!
Steve,
if you have a few minutes I would like to speak to you, could you call me and what are your feelings about possibly living in OK?
417-294-4593
I will try to shoot you an e-mail with further info if I can find your address!
I hate to see you leave good ol'West Texas......with the strong winds, the sandstorms, the tornadoes, the dry weather. Have you tried at the hospitals in your area. Hospitals always need a good IT person. Give it a try.
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