Happy anniversary

I woke up this morning and realized it was exactly four weeks ago that I was let go by the Register Star. Honestly, it feels like it was a lot longer than that.

I haven't posted this week because things are a little slow right now. Next week, I have two second interviews and I'm optimistic about both. I have kind of decided in my head which way I want to go if different options open up -- the hard part is the waiting.

One avenue closed yesterday. I'd applied for an economic development job, knew several people on the board and finally got in touch with the board chairman on Tuesday. It was a short but good conversation. He promised to call me back and set up a meeting for next week.

Instead, I got an email saying the organization decided to go in another direction. I wasn't too upset. I'd heard there possibly was a viable candidate when I put in for the position.

Catching up on the week. On Monday, I had to send in a bunch of income verification for one of the promising leads. I also stopped in to talk some more to a representative from the company.

On Tuesday, I stopped in to see a friend at the City of Loves Park. He suggested going for an economic development job in another nearby city. I have good contacts there so I sent an email and am waiting for a response.

Wednesday, I had lunch with the director of a nonprofit in town really just to get his input on the various things I'm pursuing. It was also to get out of the house.

Today, I'm working on finishing a book project that I really need to get done because now it'll be a conflict of interest.

I'm still waiting for a determination from the unemployment office. That's agonizingly slow. I can't imagine what it was like in 2010 when no one in the world was hiring.

Otherwise, I hit the YMCA a couple of times this week and finally got clamps for my body pump bar at home. Even though I had four weeks of vacation at the Register Star I always took them with my daughters so there was rarely any just me alone time. This is probably the longest stretch of time I've had to go for walks, hit the YMCA, make phone calls, rearrange the house since ... when I first got married and I was working nights at the Register Star while my ex-wife worked days.

So I'm kind of enjoying that right now even though I'm ready for it to end as well.