Job Hunting

Can we all agree that job hunting is simply the worst?!

At first I was focused on anthropological jobs, stuff in museums, careers in my field of study but I quickly realized those jobs still haven't rebounded from the economic funk of the past 5+ years. So, I focused my attention on part time, temporary, seasonal jobs. Heck, the holidays are right around the corner, a seasonal job should be a slam dunk! I got my first rejection letter today which was preceded by my first phone interview which I didn't get a call back. Needless to say I am feeling a tad down in the dumps. 

"Your qualifications don't match our needs at this time."

Humbling words coming from a company who only needs an employee for two months. I can do arithmetic, run a cash register, smile and answer questions, but somehow I am not qualified to do those things for two months?

I feel like I am floundering in this new, not-so-improved, job market. Up is down and left is right, nothing makes sense anymore. How does one stay motivated when even unskilled jobs are turning you down?

Good news: I have been saying this for years -- simple evolution!

Spruce Goose: Second Taxi Test

Today we conducted our second Spruce Goose taxi test. After removing a tremendous amount of weight from the nose, we had high hopes that she would leave the water this time. Not so much. In hindsight, we think we removed too much weight. According to the plans (and an article written by a guy who also built the same model), balance is everything! If she is even remotely nose or tail heavy she won't leave the water. A few small modifications should help so next week we can try again. Unfortunately, we are getting into the rainy season here in Oregon and we might not have many clear skies left this season.

We also took advantage of, what turned out to be, a beautiful day and flew Mitch's Senior Cadet plane for the first time. She performed well but also has a few modifications before her next flight.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Most people reserve that statement for Christmas, but whether I lived in Arizona or Oregon, fall is always my favorite time of the year. The temperatures are amazing this week, in the 60s and 70s, clear skies and a slight breeze that smells fresh with a hint of campfire. Absolutely stunning! 

Hepcat Model

Now that the cast and brace are off my broken hand I can get back to airplane modeling. The wing is complete except for embellishments (like my AZ "A") but the fuselage still has a ways to go. Since we are modifying the Hepcat as we go, many times we make alterations that we than undo and try something else later. The servo mounts are the name of our pain right now, this coming Friday we will move the servo mounts for the third time.

Bottom of the wing

Top of the wing

Bear Down Arizona!

Spruce Goose: Taxi Test

The Spruce Goose went out for her first taxi test this morning! She ran beautifully but we quickly realized that she is more nose heavy than we would like...so much so that she can't get off the water. We spent the rest of the day removing lead and clay from the nose to alleviate some of the problems. Next Friday we will try again! :-)

Sorry the video quality is crap, next one will be in HD!

My iPod is possessed

I listen to my iPod every single day. Whether its using Tunein to listen to different radio stations all over the country, downloading podcasts or jamming to some songs, I almost always have an earbud in my noggin. While I was driving home yesterday my iPod suddenly dropped the podcast I was listening to and switched over to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, specifically the song, "Yoda and the Force". Today, while listening to a different podcast it randomly switched over to Ann Miller's "Shaking the Blues Away".

Is my iPod trying to tell me something?