[re-posted from advrider.com. Call me lazy]
After several years n Santa Fe, I had a horrible divorce and went back East. But I didn't land the job I hoped for, I miss my daughters, and my ex is dating. Fathers don't like other men in the house where their little daughters are, I guess. So I just arrived in Albuquerque today. Close enough; I can't stand Santa Fe anyway. The plan:
1. Get temporary lodging (done)
2. Get temporary job
3. Search for permanent job
4. Search for permanent housing
...I think that covers it. My assets include:
1 wireless laptop
1 cell phone, NM number
1 small hatchback car (yellow, ADV sticker on back)
About $300
Extensive set of riding gear
1 educated, analytical and creative mind
1 physically fit body
The Tiger...? My good friend is actually still in Connecticut! I left it there in care of Branchville Motors, whose RAT pack I briefly headed. My car is too small to have towed it. When I have the cash to either ship it, or go out and ride it back here (preferred, obviously...), we'll be reunited.
So the Temporary Job part. My thinking there is, I'm working with a recruiter and applying for 'high-speed' jobs, the kind that one day will help pay a mortgage again. (That's the Permanent Job part.) In the meantime I need to survive here. If I can get work at $12 or $15 per hour or thereabouts I'll be good for now. Warehouse, driving, customer service, whatever. Anyone know someone who's paying that for an honest guy who can pass a drug test...?
I'm staying at the Downtown Inn. Have you been here? I recommend it! Everything a rider needs. My room is $35/night and I'll switch to weekly @ $200. The room is clean and spacious and has a fridge and it's within range of someone's hi-speed wireless connection. The hotel is within walking distance of a laundromat, several convenience stores, downtown (Central), and even a grocery store. I bought some Clementines, apples, bananas, a quart of fat-free organic yogurt and some wheat bread for $14.11. This'll hold me for 2-3 days. No nightlife for me until I get some kind of job though. And no gym time either: without the funds for a) a membership someplace basic and b) all the food needed to resume fueling muscle gain, I'm on a diet for the time being.
I really like where I am right now. Physically this place is at the border of old and new Albuquerque, an interesting junction with interesting signs and buildings. I got drenched walking home from the grocery store. But the rain tasted sweet and the cold shower didn't break my mood. I'm feeling happy, optimistic...and ready.
O.K. I'll call you Lazy but smart too. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can get your bike back soon. Nothing takes the stress of life away better than a motorcycle.
Go get a job at PJs, and maybe I'll buy my next bike from you.
Seriously, what line of work are you normally in?
Geof
Heh, I was one of PJ's earliest customers. He did offer me a sales job a few years back. Right now that's not a good choice for me--I sold Harleys up in Santa Fe two summers ago, and that was great, but steady income's on the menu right now.
My last job, I ran the marketing department of a big manufacturer of healthful cereals and teas. Managed all people and projects. Before that (and the divorce...) I ran a large-ish graphic design and print company, 20 blue and white-collar employees. And before that I was a management consultant (Cornell MBA). In my spare time (sparse, lately) I'm admin for a 9,000 member gaming site for geeks.
I'm best at managing projects and people, getting to the root of problems and designing solutions. Quantifying financial challenges and defining organizational ones. I work well with all kinds of people--easygoing, would rather you had a good day than a bad one.
...You? Are you really as dark and scary as you look...? :P
Sounds like you're just the guy to set up a "consultancy".
Good luck. I hope it all works out for you.
Quote from: "ridin gaijin"...You? Are you really as dark and scary as you look...? :P
Nah. The lights were off, that's all. Down here I work for the guvmint (Dona Ana County) managing the web and programming staff. (and doing a lot of web and programming myself.) If I knew anyone in ABQ, I'd put in a good word for you, but not really. The father of an ex-girlfriend lives up there and is in with a big construction firm. That's about it for my connections.
Geof
Hey Abruzzi...
I admire your move... risky business.
I don't have any contacts that I know of in NM... but am scratching my brain.
I just checked Monster.com They show 298 jobs.
Good Luck...
TigerTrax
i wish you all the best in your quest!
before you land a REAL job, perhaps you could get a management spot at a coffee shop or a retail place? an added benefit is that you would get benefits!
starbucks and trader joe's are two places i know for sure that treat employees quite well, and could serve as a temporary paycheck.
PS, which gaming site for geeks? inquiring geeks that play games want to know! :o
Thanks for the kind words blacktiger, means a lot right now. :-)
Abruzzi, thanks for the info! When I get my 1st paycheck, you'll have a new Site Supporter.
TigerTrax, yeah, there's a lot there. I apply for stuff there and on careerbuilder when I see it...but in the meantime I always, always have found better luck thru talking to actual people. And I'm STILL hoping to make one of those damn ride-ins...!
Paulie, thanks for the good wishes. At risk of humiliating myself...I'm Admin ridin on DnDOnlineGames.com. I'm the guy what supervises the moderating team and the other admins. The site owner and I work together on promoting the site, financial stuffs, what and when to upgrade, etc....There! I came clean!
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/peepwall.gif)
Maybe we need a New Mexico Ride-In ???????????????????????
Trax
PS: Be sure to scream LOUD if you need website monies.....
hey now gaijin, no humiliation! i dont think you have to worry at all... we're all here because we love our tiggers, so i dont think we need to start knocking people for what other stuff they do! to each his own!
:D
i still have friends to are into D&D(i'm in my late 20s), but i just never got into it. i did play the collectible card games (magic, star wars, and other wizards of the coast games) when i was younger though! still have them around, in fact.
Sorry for the mix up gaijin...
Fingers faster than brains!!
Maybe you can get a job in Los Alamos...
I hear there are a few openings!!!
Hey Gaijin,
Check out Eclipse Aviation. They are on the cutting edge of VLJ (Very Light Jet) design. Sounds like you have the management skills.
Eclipse Aviation, got it, will do. Maybe they need marketing help!
Also, everyone in the area, please let me recommend the Greenside Cafe. Owned and run by a fellow rider up in Cedar Crest, it's really good food. I ate there last night (review here (http://outward.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/happy/)).
Trax, I honestly wouldn't presume to suggest any changes to the way you run those things. Though I've never been, I'm familiar with the locations you choose, and I also know what it takes to volunteer to put something together and run it. From what I can see, you do an awesome job of picking terrific locations suitable for a wide range of price ranges and riding tastes. Don't change a thing...and I STILL hope to make one!
Hi ridin gaigin.
I have just read your posts, I don't know you from Adam so I have no prejudice or interest other than just being nosey.
In your posts I spotted a paradox.
Read no further if you are in a delicate state of mind, this is just my interpretation of what you wrote
You claim you have excellent credentials in people management, fair enough if you have the documentation and history to back it up!
Your situation however demonstrates the complete opposite because you are only where you are due to a complete breakdown in your own personal relationship!
This does not demonstrate to me that you are skilled in human and personal relationships such as those required to manage "people"!
When it comes right down to the nitty gritty, where it must have been extremely important to you, it appears, you dropped the ball.
Why should any employer want to employ you to manage their people?
I am not trying to be an arsehole here, I don't know you, I just read what you wrote about your situation and that is the impression I got from it.
Whatever happens in your life, I wish you the best of luck and happy riding on your Tiger.
Would that God, the gift to give us,
to see our selves, as others see us! (Robbie Burns)
Cheers John.
Blimey John, nothing like kicking a bloke when he's down. Eh?
Oh, I don't mind, oldtiger. I managed to stay married for 17 years without straying once; and am raising (when I get the chance now) two smart, polite, kind, thoughtful little girls. The ex- decided I wasn't meeting financial expectations while I was being a stay-at-home dad a few years back.
17 years makes me better than 58.3% (http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/Articles/marriage-divorce-99.htm) of your countrymen...and that's just on marriage duration, never mind looks or intelligence--! :D :D
OK, ok, just kidding. Thank you for the nice things you said--and I can only hope to be so lucky as to make it to NZ sometime to buy you a beer!
...Cheers blacktiger! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/wave.gif)
Quote from: "ridin gaijin"Oh, I don't mind, oldtiger. I managed to stay married for 17 years without straying once; and am raising (when I get the chance now) two smart, polite, kind, thoughtful little girls. The ex- decided I wasn't meeting financial expectations while I was being a stay-at-home dad a few years back.
17 years makes me better than 58.3% (http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/Articles/marriage-divorce-99.htm) of your countrymen...and that's just on marriage duration, never mind looks or intelligence--! :D :D
OK, ok, just kidding. Thank you for the nice things you said--and I can only hope to be so lucky as to make it to NZ sometime to buy you a beer!
...Cheers blacktiger! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/wave.gif)
Well taken Gajin. I often record my meetings with clients so that I can go back and rip myself a new one. Not because I am a poor presenter but because I continually want to improve. I'm actually quite good but it's through criticism that I learn. Whether my own or others. Good luck in your search and if you are ever in my neck of the woods I'll take a beer. :D
Quote from: "ridin gaijin"Oh, I don't mind, oldtiger. I managed to stay married for 17 years without straying once; and am raising (when I get the chance now) two smart, polite, kind, thoughtful little girls. The ex- decided I wasn't meeting financial expectations while I was being a stay-at-home dad a few years back.
17 years makes me better than 58.3% (http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/Articles/marriage-divorce-99.htm) of your countrymen...and that's just on marriage duration, never mind looks or intelligence--! :D :D
OK, ok, just kidding. Thank you for the nice things you said--and I can only hope to be so lucky as to make it to NZ sometime to buy you a beer!
...Cheers blacktiger! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/wave.gif)
Hi again ridin gaigin,
Your response contains the elements that were suggested but not obvious in your earlier post.
I do not feel that I have kicked you while you are down, I was just giving you feedback how your writing appeared to a complete stranger.
Seventeen years married in my country would probably be one of the longer ones these days, I thought that was a good response. (lol)
You would be more than welcome to visit and ride our country as I know we would be to yours.
There is a beer and a bed waiting if you ever decide to actually make the move to doing it.
Good luck with your job hunting and with your family situation and riding your Tiger. Cheers John.
Hi Gaijin,
I've watched this thread evolve but haven't commented as I didn't think I knew you well enough. I still don't
Too many people tip toe around the important stuff these days and consequently don't get the best out of life. Old rider posed some hard honest questions, which probably means he'd be a good mate.
The way you've handled this bloody hard part of your life and responded to suggests you have everything you need for a great future.
All the best, Russell
Quote from: "Advwannabe"Hi Gaijin,
I've watched this thread evolve...
Cheers Russell! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/beer.gif) Thanks for the kind words.--Mike
I moved into a cheap (
very cheap) apartment yesterday, and tomorrow I start a temporary job helping one of the nearby Native American nations sort out their payroll problems. So temp housing and job are both a Go. Still working on the permanent job...that'll take a while.
Will there be further progress reports on how all this is going for you or does it all just stop here? Cheers John.
Progress!
My apartment in the university area hasn't even been broken into yet! It's just me and the roaches. And the temping is going well, they want me back next week. So this is progress on both fronts! The permanent job search is ongoing. Last week a friend from advrider got me into his firm's HR department's system for a consultant position--could be a god fit, it combines management consulting and IT work, both of which I'm good at. So things are happening on that front too.
And this morning an old friend from Santa Fe treated me to a great big brunch! I've not needed to eat for the rest of the day. He also showed me his pics of riding from New Mexico to the Pacific on dirt only. Mmmm...nice....
So, in conclusion, another good week! Progress being made on all fronts. Since I got here I've ended each week better than when I started it...and it's literally been a couple of years since I could say that.
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/thumb.gif)
Hi Russell, (hope you don't mind me calling you by your Christian name)
Thanks for continuing your story, it sounds like you are on track to getting your life back together in fine style.
Maybe you should change your on line name to Tiger Phoenix, the cat that came back from the ashes!
I hope I got that right, the phoenix was the bird that rose out of the ashes wasn't it? (ignorant Kiwi bird, can't even fly!)
Hey, it's interesting hearing (reading) how you are getting along, I look forward to your next post. :D Cheers John.
Acoma is going to offer me a permanent job. I just got their year-end processing on track and boy are they happy.
I'm not going to take it, though.
The compensation would be good, but at this stage in my life I'm feeling very social. Driving an hour each way to the middle of nowhere to work all day just doesn't fit my plans for ramping up my social life right now. My apartment may be a noisy roach motel (saw another last night, hardy little bastards), but it's walking distance from groceries, internet coffee, laundry, etc. I talk to people all the time. No internet in the apartment means less time online, but more social time. And my friends in ABQ are inviting me to stuff I can't do because of being so far away. Example: I got invited to a food wholesaler show by a restauranteur friend. He promised me I'd be stuffed afterwards! But, couldn't go, too far away.
The recruiter continues to look at other opportunities, and in the meantime I've hooked up with a couple carpools to ease the cash cost of commuting 120 miles every day. So it's all still good, once again this week will end better than the last.
So, yay!
~~ridin (Mike)
Mike, I'm glad to hear you keeping us up to date. Sounds good and positive and I wish you the best. Keep up posted!
Hmmm so I call you Russell when your name is Mike, sheesh and I don't even drink, sorry about that!
As if you need any more problems!
It is interesting reading about your life on the mend, maybe one day you will be able to come out here, shout me a beer and ride around our countryside.
We are blessed with perfect roads for Tigers to stretch out on. Cheers John.
Hmmnn. It looks like my tax refunds will enable me to take advantage of the free Southwest ticket a friend has offered me, fly back to Connecticut, and then ride the Tiger back here to NM.* Since I'm just a temp, I don't see a problem in taking a week or so off work.
In my reduced circumstances, there is in fact a certain freedom!
If taken, such a trip would be through the southern states, rather than the midwest--it's just not that time of year. I'm thinking MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA, southern TX, then NM. But I might detour through FL, since I've not ridden in that state yet. I don't know.
Have to see. First step: wait for the supposed refunds to land in my too-lean bank account!**
Meanwhile, the gradual upswing continues with another good week drawing to a close! Check it out: my folks gave me $500 for Christmas. I put it in my Triumph folder along with my extra stickers, maintenance records, etc...and then forgot about it. In subsequent weeks, after the road trip out here with my daughters, I just ruefully assumed I'd spent it on us.
But! Yesterday I was rooting around in there for something and found it! Now I can get the crash bars, and the other crap on my list! (List to follow) A wonderful surprise...brought on by a wise action on my part. Sometimes the best thing you can do with money is stash it and forget about it for a while...
* This would be a far more responsible course of action than saving it to help offset a dreaded Virginia demand for the $4k in 2003 taxes they say they've uncovered.
** Abruzzi--PMing you some site support goodness. ;-)
(1) Ma's Engine guards - $240 + shipping.
(2) Kisan Turn Signal Minder - for Tiger - $100
http://www.british-customs.com/product. ... t=7&page=1 (http://www.british-customs.com/product.php?productid=1415&cat=7&page=1)
(3) Beaded seat cover for Tiger - $35
http://www.beadrider.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=2 (http://www.beadrider.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=2)
(4) Acerbis Rally Pro Handguards for Tiger (black) - $75
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... uards.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/192/7234/ITEM/Acerbis-Rally-Pro-Handguards.aspx)
(5) Acerbis add-on spoilers for Rally Pro Handguards (black) - $21
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... oiler.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/192/7235/ITEM/Acerbis-Rally-Pro-Handguard-Spoiler.aspx)
Later: SW Motech handlebar risers; LEDs for turn signals & brake lights.
Quote from: "ridin gaijin"(1) Ma's Engine guards - $240 + shipping.
(2) Kisan Turn Signal Minder - for Tiger - $100
http://www.british-customs.com/product. ... t=7&page=1 (http://www.british-customs.com/product.php?productid=1415&cat=7&page=1)
(3) Beaded seat cover for Tiger - $35
http://www.beadrider.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=2 (http://www.beadrider.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=2)
(4) Acerbis Rally Pro Handguards for Tiger (black) - $75
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... uards.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/192/7234/ITEM/Acerbis-Rally-Pro-Handguards.aspx)
(5) Acerbis add-on spoilers for Rally Pro Handguards (black) - $21
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... oiler.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/192/7235/ITEM/Acerbis-Rally-Pro-Handguard-Spoiler.aspx)
Later: SW Motech handlebar risers; LEDs for turn signals & brake lights.
Do the Acerbis hand guards mount right up or do they take some minor adjustments to make them fit the Tiger? I've been planning on getting some 1150GS hand guards but this would be a nice looking option.
I work for the Acoma Tribe they have been very good to me.
Quote from: "HappyMan"Do the Acerbis hand guards mount right up or do they take some minor adjustments to make them fit the Tiger? I've been planning on getting some 1150GS hand guards but this would be a nice looking option.
Allegedly they fit easily and well. Lots of people go the 1150 route too, though...might be cheaper that way, I dunno?
Quote from: "Attack Pug"I work for the Acoma Tribe they have been very good to me.
PMing you. I'd love to meet you--a fellow Tigerist. And, welcome to the board!
Hey gaijin I was sick all last week with the crud going around & still not 100% but I will swing by when I don't think I will pass it on .
Well, this week's not winding up quite so well as previous ones have. My temp job out at the casino is over, but the planned replacement job (more money, in ABQ) won't happen. Hmm. That's a little tense-ifying...what to do?
- 1. Pay next month's rent now, while there's money in the account.
- 2. Buy tickets for the kids and myself to ALT's production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) now.
- 3. Worry about future...and join a gym.
But which gym? There are plenty of attractively priced choices, but I don't want to drive to a gym to work out. Yet Albuquerque is so sprawled that there are only two choices within reasonable jogging distance. I can't fix the city's sprawl–not without a large and enthusiastic demolitions crew and access to a merrily obscene quantity of explosives–so I'll have to use my feet. New Mexico Sport and Fitness (or something like that) has a downtown location geared towards corporate accounts and rich people. $229 to join monthly and then $78 per month. Otherwise $78 per month with a 12 month contract. Ugh.
So it's off to UNM, where a friendly Anonymous person from Duke City Fix suggested I look into registering for a weightlifting class. Apparently the deed can be done for $10 admissions + $190 for an eight week weightlifting course. OR $190 for a 16-week course in something else; but I need to look into whether that something else has to be one of those awful things where you have to show up on time at a prearranged time. {shiver}
Anyway. Pay now, while there's cash, and work out the stress. Something better will come.
It's March 2 now ridin gaijin, hows it going? John.
Right, OK, sorry I missed this. There is progress! The good kind of progress!
So this week and last has been a series of interviews with the local offices of a very big company, Thomson (they're buying Reuters). There are two positions I'm suited for, one in project management and one in business consulting, though the latter involves a lot of travel. I'm not working at the moment but am OK for cash...and more importantly, have saved enough to make my cross-country Tiger Reclamation Ride comfortable.
I'm flying back to CT on Thursday 3/20. Affixing Ma's engine guards & some handlebar risers with a friend there, spending time with family, and departing for NM the following Monday. Route will be down the Carolina coast, thru Florida, and across the Gulf coast, always staying away from Interstates and tending on to scenic routes. I think the trip'll take about 10 days, maybe less.
With some luck I'll have a job, a permanent, good job, waiting in April. Thomson is a good company to work for, I have a friend there and he's told me a lot about it. 3 weeks paid vacation 1st year, every day casual dress, and lots of mobility within the company and all its worldwide locations. It looks professionally challenging, personally fun, and financially a good fit. So fingers are crossed, I'm still in the throes of multiple interviews. We'll see!
Meanwhile, my apartment has still not been robbed, my car hasn't been broken into yet, and I did (finally) get sick. I'm playing Doctor with a 28 year old med student and my daughters think I'm wonderful. So...all in all, things are good. Very good, and getting better!
All that excitement in your world sounds great.
Meanwhile, I seem to be attending endless funerals and catching up with lots of old friends and relatives etc.
What that actually means is, I am constantly being reminded of just how old I am really getting and if I look like they do, then the end is closer than I thought!!!!
I have been toying with the notion of what sort of bike my next one might be but it is now becoming obvious that my Tiger will be thinking about it's next owner when this one has gone! (lol)
I enjoy reading that your life is on a positive track, keep it up. Cheers John.
OldRider, I am constantly reminded that there are more bikes I want to ride than I have time left on this earth....kind of depressing but it gives me a goal.
Got the bike!!!!!
Sorry for cross-posting, but the report was a long one to write up, with almost 90 pics. See it at advrider, here (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6697117#post6697117).
Glad to hear you're reunited with your bike! And what a great trip you got to enjoy too! :D
Have been watching this story for some time. Things are looking brighter now. Luckily, Gaijin, you seem to be in good health. It strikes me that even though life can be a bitch, some of you roll up their sleeves and start climbing up from the ditch. Gaijin, you have what the Finns call "Sisu" (look it up in wikipedia). Thanks for sharing your Journey, both in life and on your bike. I'm a little concerned about your kids. I hope you get to see a lot of them. They need you.
That looked like a great trip , if I only had the time
That looked like a great trip , if I only had the time
Ride down to T or C next week and have some fun with the f650 folks!
Wed I need to be at work phone-wise, so come on down and hang with me! :lol:
Quote from: "JetdocX"Ride down to T or C next week and have some fun with the f650 folks!
Wed I need to be at work phone-wise, so come on down and hang with me! :lol:
...Details plse...?
Well, today my apartment got broken into. They took my laptop, my cell phone and a really good watch my dad gave me 20 yrs ago. All was insured...but still. Jeez.
So I'm going to move, obviously. Right now I'm at the Apple store in ABQ...going through my bookmarked Yahoo pages and changing ALL my passwords.
Had hoped for a better way to spend Friday night, but there you go. {sigh}
However, on the 15th I start a contract project management gig for the local utility company. The money's decent and the position should last at least a couple of months. So, that's good. Right? Right!
That sucks, dude. :evil:
That really is the pits, sorry to hear that.
Lucky that I live in a little village where we STILL leave the keys in the car and so far(he says touching wood) nothing happens
Thanks Jetdoc. It is only stuff, but still. Not having the computer is the toughest part...it was my radio, my movie player, my game machine, my internet tool. Eh. It could've been worse.
John S.--yeah, sometimes 'nothing' is the best thing that can happen on a Friday night, huh...?
Just got back into my computer, wondered how things were going here!
Well, ridin gaijin, you may have a troubled life currently but life is far from boring for you!
Just over a month since your last post, I guess that is because you don't have a computer at the moment.
I'm looking forward to hearing how things have been going for you.
I hope all is well with your kids. Cheers John.
Eh, John, thanks for the kind words. These days the only thing that's improving for me is my physical fitness, and that's just because I take out my frustrations at the gym...the project mgr position I was promised at the utility co. didn't come through when the hiring manager took a powder. I'm interviewing a lot--three callbacks in the past week--but nothing's coming through yet. Money's very tight now and I need to get something part-time and close to home...meanwhile, worst of all, the ex-wife's business has failed and she's said that unless she can find a job in the next 3 weeks, she's going back to her folks in Virginia...and taking the kids. {sheeesh} Of course I'd go too...even though it means starting the job mess all over again, and worse still, the loss of all my friends here in Albuquerque. {sigh} With me, generally, no news is bad news--! Sorry.
Sisu...sisu...sisu...