The Logic Of @CastroLuisE

About two weeks ago makes the one year anniversary of me being unemployed. If anyone would have asked me back then if I was concerned about losing my job. I would have said “no.” For it was a new job that I have just started just a few months back. And after spending the last couple of years doing temporary work at various locations throughout New York City, I had finally found a new full-time job.

The timing I thought could not have been better, for I got the offer to start just after the Thanksgiving holiday two-thousand eight. And I had thought at that time this was the first major step in getting things back in order with my life.

After being at this new company for three months, I had to take a leave of absence for personal reasons. Much to my managers dismay, for she had claimed that people at this company are not allowed to take time off for any reason at all. If you had to take a day off from work for being sick, or for a death in the family, it was frowned upon and it was put as a “disciplinary action” in your personnel file for taking the time off. Even if you had brought a note or a record of what had happen.

This ideology I knew was wrong and unprofessional to come from a manager I thought, and considering that I was a manager as well. One of the things I have learned in the past as being a manager is that if you support your staff, they will support you.

I still went and took the short time off from work, and shortly after doing so I had received a letter of termination from my company, which to be honest did not surprise me at all. If I had known about this company’s position about leave time, to be honest I would not have agreed to work with them. On a side note… I have found out that they had a massive lay off a few months later shortly after that, and if I had stayed I would have been let go only after a few months of service with them. I guess you can say that things happen for a reason. Someone above had me leave sooner than later.

With that said and moving forward I have learned to adapt to being unemployed. There are things that you do to adjust to your current state in life when one is not working. We all have been known to say “I can’t live without this or that.” And then you discover in time that you can live without a few “creature comforts.”

And in some cases, you don’t have to cut out the “creature comforts” completely for you can very simply just do them less. Such as going out with friends for food and drinks, you can change that to having your friends come by and visit. Instead of going to the movies, rent a DVD, and so on. I have discovered not right away, but in good time. That I was making such adjustments to my life style.

Now of course we all adjust if a person becomes unemployed or have fallen on hard times. But there are moments I feel that I make these adjustments subconsciously. Granted there is nothing wrong with that at all I feel. For to an extent you can say I am more aware of myself, the things I do and my situation.

And it’s within this period of adjustment one realizes that one can make changes in their life, changes that they originally thought they could not do, are suddenly being done. It’s as if you have discovered something new about yourself that you have never known. And to a point it’s actually refreshing to realize that you can change and make adjustments. It feels hard to do in the beginning but one does learn. And at one moment in your life you realize that you have not only adapted, but have grown in wisdom.

This particular week has been interesting I thought. Historic health care being passed, millions of people are glad that the law has passed, and millions more not happy that it has passed as well. To the point that there has been protest and some damage to property.

Violence I feel is not the best way to protest such dislike to the passing of health care, and one should rise above that, for harm to others leads to frustration and pain to people just trying to do the right thing. Granted emotions do run high, but one has to remember that the actions one take do affect others.

Maybe now that this issue of health care reform has now passed, other things can now be addressed. Granted… I have said before that this reform may not be the best. But at least it’s a possible step in the right direction.

Of course there are other issues to deal with as well, people losing their homes and looking for work. And it seems that during this week with all the hype of health care reform has pushed all this aside for now. But it’s still an issue that needs to be addressed. Maybe now these issues will be back in the forefront and approached with care and thought.

Myself… I am still looking for work and trying to plan the days and weeks ahead since my unemployment will soon run out within a few weeks and at the moment there has been no major news on passing an extension. I still send out my resume with the hopes that someone will give me the opportunity of an interview along with millions of other people.

It’s a search that still needs to be done and planned well. With all the activity in the world and on the news it feels at times that one can get lost in the shuffle. But if one stays focused then they should be able to adapt and advance from there.

Of course this is not easy to do, but with time and extensive planning it can be done I think. Adjustments do have to be made in one’s life style; we may not want to do them, but in order to survive in hard times it has to be done.

This week may have been intense for everyone, including for myself and in some cases some may have given up. But as long as one tries anything is possible. Personally I refuse to give up. The days that have just passed may and will reflect what one needs to do next to get by, but only time will tell what one needs to do to advance and get things done in life.

The next few days and weeks with be days of exploring and discovery, with the hopes that what is discovered with help us all down the line.

So it seems that President Obama says that the House’s vote on health care “wasn’t an easy vote but it was the right vote.” Obama said the reform plan won’t fix everything wrong with the nation’s health care system, “but it moves us decisively in the right direction.”  The House passes the Senate health care bill, 219-212.

After so many years of trying to get health care reform passed, it seems to have finally happen. From many years past, to the Clinton years when he was president, and after more than a year of bitter partisan debate, it finally came to be. Of course not all the new changes will happen right away, but if all goes well we all could be seeing changes in our health care system within the next four years.

At one point the debate on the floor did get very intense, with rants and screams from republicans that were not happy with the bill. And of course one particular comment that I will not repeat on my blog, will forever stand out. And I am sure that historians and scholars will reflect back on this day in history. As a process and event that reached out to every single American, for it seems that everyone wanted to have a say in it. The biggest (and maybe the greatest…) expansion of the federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more than four decades ago has finally happened.

Change can be a good thing to happen when all is planned accordingly. And I do hope that this change will help all Americans and future Americans as well. Only time will tell how all this change will affect us, but at lease the very first step was taken to do so. It’s a change in the way that America runs its health care that was long overdue, but most importantly it was needed.

There are those as we know that will not agree with what has just happened, but only time will tell if they will be wrong or right about the reform. And of course the same goes for those that agreed with it too. The overall outcome will take time to see. It will be interesting to see the results of this reform, results that can or maybe be beneficial.

At this point in time, the debate for change is over, for it has now become a reality. Today we all move forward into new and unexplored territory. We will now see what happens in the days and years to come with this new era of change. Change and what some may call progress is now only starting after many years of false starts and attempts to do so.

All we can do at this point is hope and pray that this will work and help us all, and with a little faith and adjustment it just may do so.

With all the buzz on the news about the intense lobbying by President Obama and Rep. Dennis Kucinich who now says that he will, in fact, support the health care bill coming up for a vote in the House the intense rush to get health care reform done in Washington seems to be one step closer. The president along with the democrats seems to be going full throttle with getting this reform passed.

What’s interesting about Rep. Dennis Kucinich change of mind is the fact that he stated in a news conference “I have doubts about the bill … but I’ve decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation.”

As I mentioned in a past blog posting entitled “Flatline… Is your health (care) D.O.A.?” “do we want change that will feel “half-baked,” or “half-planned?” Granted Rep. Dennis Kucinich has in the past mentioned his concerns about the bill and was a strong opponent of not allowing it to pass. But within a blink of an eye or in his case… A few days of arm twisting to the point of breaking the arm and a flight on air force one with the president to a rally in the representatives home state, he has seemed to change his mind.

It makes you wonder what they talked about on the flight from Washington to Ohio and back. As well what about the people in Ohio that gave contributions to the representative’s campaign? The people who gave money based on the thought that they did not like this bill? And that there was someone in government that felt the same and supported them?  Are they getting their money back?  Probably not… I am sure that they are feeling a little ripped off and scammed right about now.

I just feel that the whole process is being rushed way to fast. Of course I am for the health care reform. But let’s get it right the first or even second time around. The discrepancies that people in government are having about this bill should be worked out. It’s just too bad than those in government some not all feel that their jobs is on the line come November because of this reform bill.

If they concentrated on what the people wanted, then they would not have to worry about reelection. For they can let the people know that an attempt was made. But of course there will be a large amount of people who will be disgusted with the outcome and will just take out their frustrations when it comes time to vote.

Then there are the “backroom” deals the ones that we don’t hear about in the news. What did those contain? We will never know but I do think that the health care insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industries as well may have some sort of deal.

The question is of course what kind of deal was made with these organizations? In all the speed and rush to get this all over and done with, it just seems that something will be lost in the process. And if that is the case then what happens? This health care bill could be a great law or at least try to be a good law for all. Of course if it fails to pass it could be the end once again for the hopes and dreams of millions of uninsured Americans. A law that if it can’t pass will sink into the maelstrom of bureaucracy and crash and burn as former attempts have.

In a past blog posting called “Things happen for a reason.” The following was mentioned.

“Or my personal favorite… Hofstadter’s Law: “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.” A comment from Douglas R. Hofstadter, basically meaning if you plan something and you take into account the time frame of you’re planning and add more time just to make sure it goes well. It will still take longer than what you originally planned.”

As well within the blog post “The countdown of time.” The following was stated.

“If you take a moment to plan, research and most importantly explore all your options then you have a chance of making time the best friend that you have and enjoy a rich and full lifetime.”

Well… Let’s just say that my favorite law (Hofstadter’s Law) has showed itself to be true once again. Granted when I am confronted or am involved in a situation that requires planning I take and use any and all information that is given to me and from there make what I feel are the best decisions for that situation. We all try to take in account every possible moment that could happen and even plan a worse-case scenario, if one is needed to be planned.

Such a worse-case scenario did happen to me yesterday as a matter of fact. To be honest… It really was not much of a “worse-case” scenario, but none the less did happen. I did take into account that this might have happened, the worse-case that is. But thought that it was one variable that was to low to happen at all. As a friend told me when I told him the news and knew about the situation from the start of it, he mentioned. “It’s his lost, not yours.”

Upon hearing his comment I realized that my friend was totally correct in his statement. Granted if the party involved had at lease told me what they originally thought, then there would have not been a misunderstanding at all. But they have thought to with hold information and not be direct with what they had in mind it seems.

And I have to admit that I am totally fine with this, for it will be taken as a “life lesson.” And I will go on and advance. For tomorrow is always a new day and a new start. As once told to me “One should say to themselves when they wake up that. Today is the day of the beginning of your life. Just remember the errors of the past, and go forward into the new day and the future.”

I have also mentioned in my post called “Things happen for a reason.” The following

“I of course could spend the time and energy complaining how things did not go the way I wanted them to. But over the years I have learned not to reject a situation when it does not go the way that I wanted it to take. I have learned to embrace them.”

This is one situation that I am not complaining about, it’s a situation that I have embraced and learned from and will not ponder on thoughts of “what could be.” For part of embracing a situation is remembering that there is always tomorrow and tomorrow is a new day. If one can remember such ideology it makes things in life go a little better.

After the events of yesterday had passed, it brought up thoughts of my two past blog postings and made me think that my reasoning was proven true and in a small way a point was proven. In a world of “I need to get it done today.” There are times when getting it done tomorrow or all in good time, can be just as equally acceptable and rewarding.

I live in a section of Brooklyn known as Fort Greene. And during my most recent travels through the neighborhood I have noticed that certain parts of it have changed. New apartment buildings are going up faster than how a tree grows in the borough of Brooklyn. Businesses that use to be around for years have disappeared, or have moved to a different location. And in some cases the business would just shut down and disappear without any warning.

There use to be Duane Reade drug store a few years back on the Flatbush Avenue Extension. But after being there for about a year or so the store closed down and a new apartment building went up in its place, the location I thought was great for there are a few New York City housing projects there that could have used it. As well a little further down the block there use to be a supermarket, but like the Duane Reade that is gone too.

People now have to travel further towards downtown Brooklyn to where the closest Duane Reade store is now. As for shopping for food at the local supermarket that is now gone. People have to travel a longer distance to get to one. The other major supermarket is within the Atlantic Avenue mall.

It makes me wonder, with the evolution of progress what would happen to the elderly that live in the area? People that can only travel short distances to get basic needs, only now have to find a way to travel further distances. We call it progress when underdeveloped areas are rebuilt, but I find that with the evolution of change and growth that some items that were there before become extinct.

It drives people away to locations that they may not want to go to, but they have no choice to do so. For if they stay, rents go up at an extreme rate and then they are forced to leave there homes of many years, it’s as if the problem becomes a part of “out of sight and out of mind.” It’s like when a developer looks at an open land of property and all they think about is how fast it can be built and how much we can charge for it. And then the people who are there are the developers lease of his concerns. It’s as if they think “they will leave once their rents go up and once they leave we will get better people in the neighborhood. “

Who are the better people? People that can pay rents of close and upwards to two thousand dollars a month? Or people that can pay their rents of eight hundred and fifty dollars a month?  It makes one wonder if the agenda that they have is of any good to the people in the neighborhood that are already there.

Some time back I had met a person, an African-American male height six feet three inches tall with striking facial features and definitely not the “hood, thug type” for he worked as a graphic designer that lives in the downtown, Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. His apartment was fantastic I thought top floor, two, bed rooms, washer and dryer, and two bath rooms, one of the bathrooms had a hot tub, and the other bathroom had a walk in glass shower room.  A living room that was wide and long as a tennis court. And a modern kitchen to boot that had all the latest things a person could ever want, in a kitchen. All aluminum refrigerator, stove and oven, trash disposal, and lots of cabinets were included as well

He claims that he used to live in the east side of Manhattan in the East Village but wanted to move into this location which he did. I asked him what was his reason for leaving his last place he lived in? His reply was … “Over the years that I have lived there the area had changed, it was a better mix of people when I was there, but once they started changing the area I have noticed that professional people of color where slowly leaving. And I wanted to be near people of color. And not have to watch my back when someone passes by me in the street and think I do not belong in this area. As I am going home”

He then told me to look out the window and see below. I did and noticed that there was a small section of buildings across the street that underprivileged minorities lived in. It was a place that had people who were living there and getting back on their feet and in some cases had a very low-income and or was a single young parent trying to raise their child.

That he claimed that was the selling point for him. The fact that they were people of color living there in the area. The broker he claims was hesitant and originally showing him the place for they felt that it was not of high quality since that small row of buildings where there with such tenants.

But it was shown to him and after the above mentioned and looking out the window when he saw the place below, he thought it was a fair mix of people in the area. They did not all have to be professional… But people that he can relate to and understand their plight and what they are going through as a minority. For himself his childhood was not the greatest, but he learned to adapt and grown into the current person that he has become. One should never walk away from their past I think, they should learn from it and try to advance.

Then we looks past the Brooklyn roof tops to see two new tall building that were there. These two new building have just gone up within the last two years. We both thought that change was once again happening. The interesting thing about the two buildings is the fact that there use to be minority own business there. Small mom and pop stores that you use to go into and get quite a few things, whether it was something for your apartment or a random nick knack that you would get someone for a house-warming party.

I once went to a freelance designer fashion show with in the same area some years back to see a line of clothes that this particular person made. They did this all working at home and also did shows at their place as well. It had a sense of community. Where everyone knew the designer and would take their time to custom fit all the clothes you needed. And would even at times make custom-made clothing’s that you wanted to be made based on your idea, materials and recommendations.

Neighborhoods such as that had their own personalities and you always felt welcome to be there. And if you lived there it was a place where your friends and neighbor treated you as family. But as places evolved… some parts of them become extinct. It like losing a close family member when they die… You enjoy and recall the good times, and you miss them when they are gone and no longer in your life.

I like to think that change, growth and evolution can be for the best. But in the process we lose sight of the past and what potential was lost when people are forced to move away. For when they move away, the personality of the neighborhood is forever gone. And it becomes just another old regular block on the street that people pass by and not even notice.

There are times when things happen in a person’s life, and when they do we all have somewhat of an idea of how we would like things to go in that particular situation. And sometimes it does go the way we would like them to turn out. And then there are times that they might not go in the way we expect them to. This had happened to me in more than one occasion within my life time.

I of course could spend the time and energy complaining how things did not go the way I wanted them to. But over the years I have learned not to reject a situation when it does not go the way that I wanted it to take. I have learned to embrace them.

For sometimes the way things turn out just might be better than what we have expected. Granted when things do not go our way as planned, it can take us down a path that we are all not familiar with. And if that is the case, then one should at least explore the new path taken. Then again within the same situation if it does not go the way we want we may just try to avoid it at all cost and run for the hills.

I have been one of those people who have done so. Run for the hills and never looking back. But nowadays I see where this unexpected path will take me, for like I said before. It might be better that what we have originally expected. And in some cases just might be better than what we have planned for.

Now all or most of us have said when something does not go our way. “Oh Lord why me? Why did it have to happen this way?” If you ask me… God’s plan is never complete. If you are one that does not believe in a religion or a God, then you would chalk it up to Murphy’s Law of “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.”

Or my personal favorite… Hofstadter’s Law: “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.” A comment from Douglas R. Hofstadter, basically meaning if you plan something and you take into account the time frame of you’re planning and add more time just to make sure it goes well. It will still take longer than what you originally planned.

I have recently have gotten into a situation that I thought would have been exciting, new, and beneficial to me. But after a very short period of exploring the possibilities of what I thought might have been. Reality had set in and I have discovered that it would not go as planned for me and the other party involved. After taking the time to thoroughly review the options of what this new unexpected course would take, I have discovered that this still will be something to explore.

Mind you the fact that it did not go the way I originally planned does not mean it’s over. Or not worth any type of pursuit, however… it showed me the new potential of what it can develop into now and in the future. And this new unforeseen development just maybe one of the most interesting things that I have come across in recent times. For it seems to have so much potential to me that it would be totally wrong not to explore it.

I have always told one of my closest friends who lives in North Carolina. “Always explore your options.” I guess you can say that I am following my own advice. Then again I have always been willing to explore what could be endless possibilities. After all why should we spend time regretting what we could have done. When we can focus that same energy into what we can do. We often dream or day-dream about what it could have been like. With exploring the options given to us it can turn into “what it could be down the road.”  Of course depending on the situation if it turns out that it will just not work for us. Then we have the power to make it to our advantage, or just let it go. Personally I find letting something go to be the very last option that I would take.

Only if the situation at hand leaves me no other option, or path to take, but if there are other avenues to explore, then why not explore them? Why not discover them? For following the path of the unknown just might allow you to discover new ideas that you may not have thought of before. Ideas that just might be good for even better than what you originally thought.

For myself personally… That is worth the pursuit, the pursuit of what this may turn into in the long run if all goes well. We all try to have good things in our life. When things come up that might not be what we hoped for, then it’s up to us to make the best of it. What’s worse to me than regretting what could have been, is not trying at all.

Normally I could not give a dedication to a blog post, but I thought that it was worth mentioning.

I dedicate this post to N.J. for they have shown me that with effort, time, support, and friendship. That possibilities can be endless and whatever we decide to make of them.

The search of work I will have to start once again. Granted when I first started to receive unemployment I had started the search for a new job with no time wasted at all. Even though the local and national news networks broadcasted that the unemployment rate was high and that no companies were hiring, I still made an attempt to look and search of a new job.

In a way it was like a quest to find Noah’s Ark. Where as we have all heard about it, (the Ark…) but never actually found or seen it. A new job was the starting to feel the same way as well. We all heard about them, but never found or seen them. It was as if they had become extinct like the dinosaurs.  But I had faith (and still do…) and started to search for new employment. Even though my chances were slim at the time, I thought that with a little time and luck I would find something and be back working within a few weeks or a month or two.

My search was broad and vast; I looked into not only full-time work, but part-time as well. I went through periods of sending out my resume and getting no responses. To the occasional response that came in the form of an e-mail or a phone call, and nothing past that. Then at one point it evolved to where I was starting to go on interviews, but was never given a job offer. And this went on for some time. Periods of no replies back for days and weeks to moments of going on interviews and no job offer given.

And then…without warning. It all just stopped. Not my search of work, but the replies via e-mails and the phone call inquiries by personnel recruiters, as well the interviews. It was as if it all vanished. After about another few weeks of not getting any replies. I had focused my energy on my finances, making sure my bills were paid and that they were paid on time so that I would not be hit with any late fees. And that worked out well. It did take some time to get into the routine of paying them on time. Mind you we all try to pay our bills on time, and in some cases we do or might pay a bill late by a day or two. But I had made a major effort not to be late. And actually I had become quite successful at it.

And this went on for some time and during this period I would as well put out my resume to places just to see if I would get lucky and get an interview. The search was not as intense as when I first started, it was more exploratory. But now I will have to refocus and once again pick up my search to look for work. I will have to balance my time between living my life with limited funding, paying the bills that I have and continuing an employment search.

Now mind you there is nothing special or extraordinary about what I just said, for there are millions of people within the United States that are currently in the same situation. As well there are millions more just trying to make ends meet. And to a certain extent the search for work has become a part or full-time job. And for me when I started searching in the past it just felt so. Bu t as I soon will be picking up the pace once again to start searching, I just feel that “the job” of searching for employment. Will be one that I feel will be putting in long hours to do once again.

This particular job (if you want to call it that…) will be one that you just can’t quit and walk away from. Many of us when we are working sometimes feel that if the job gets to frustrating or stressful we just want to go to our manager and tell them “I quit!”And I have done so twice in my past. To be totally honest with you it was the best move I ever made. Unemployment was not as high back then as it was now. And I was able to find a job within thirty days of leaving my last places of work on both occasions. For me it was the peace of mind that mattered to me the most and was and still is one of the reasons that I left my former jobs.

But now the job of “job hunting” will be one job that I just can’t walk away from. I can’t just say “I quit.” I can’t complain, or have a gripe about having a bad day at work. I can’t complain about the long hours that I will put into this. I plan however to focus on the task at hand and not get frustrated. If all goes well the benefits and prospects of this job will be rewarding and beneficial.

For it can lead to employment, medical benefits (if provided…) and some form of pay. In lots of ways the search for employment and actually working can feel similar. And the final outcome of finishing job hunting and leaving that job to go into your new line of work can be equality enjoyable and awarding. As much as we complain about how we hate our jobs sometimes, there are parts of our jobs that we actually enjoy.

I will enjoy the time I spend researching and going on interviews with potential employers. I will enjoy the first meeting of the personnel recruiter. And I will enjoy the chance of a second interview, and maybe even that final call of “you’re hired, when you can start?” The job of searching for work might be one that I am not willing to venture into for reasons of not getting replies to submitted job applications and endless meetings with temporary or full time employment recruiters.

But the final outcome and reward of finding work and starting my working life all over again totally out weights the frustration, and is one pursuit that I am more than willing to take on.