Billy Ocean And Time Served

So, here we go, my first "blog". Welcome to it. I guess I should start off by explaining why and how this came to be.

I have been through one hell of a bad stretch in the past 7 months. My mom had major brain surgery. She had complications during the surgery, but made it through. However, she is not quite the same as she was before and is not quite as well as we would have hoped she would be at this point.

Following that, I had my marriage fall apart. It, in and of itself, was probably on a shorter time-line than I would have cared to admit, but it still sucks. What sucks more is that its one of those "bad" divorces. Our 2 year-old son is involved so there are custody issues. Plus, there is another baby on the way in April that was not planned and is going to enter into a world where mom and dad will never be together.

Things with the divorce were/are bad. I was thrown out of the house. I was homeless for a while, living out of my car and on an inflatable mattress at my job (which I'll get to later), with no money and just a few pair of pants and shirts at my disposal. I hired what turned out to be a shitty lawyer who defended me so poorly that I had to fire him, only to have his last act be to take money from me. So basically, I paid him to put me at a LESS advantageous position than when I started the proceedings. Great.

At this time, I was also forced to be away from my son which was hell for me. I've always been a hands-on father. My son is my life. I can't get into how much he means without getting either totally cliche or sappy, so just fill in the blanks for yourself.

As if that was not a hard enough bit to deal with, I was then fired from my job. I worked in radio. I was a Program Director and DJ for an "Alternative" station in Savannah, GA. In my year + on the job we were #1 in the ratings, and won national awards as the Best Alternative Station in the Country for small markets. Not bad. Yet still, I was fired-simply because management did not like me personally or my style of doing business. Which, I can understand if the station is failing. If the station is unsuccessful and you have a problem with the way the PD is doing business, then by all means he should go! But, if that station is the most successful station in your 'cluster' of stations, the "bell cow" so to speak, then to fire the PD is simply a petty move by a small, small person. And, to be fired with all that is going on with my personal life was just an extra kick in the teeth.

So, I've decided to start this blog. To document what it's like to look for a job at a time that is historically bad to be looking for a job. Also, I'll inject notes on my personal life. The divorce, my son, the "to be" baby, and any observations that I may find interesting or topical. It's a blog after all, it SHOULD be semi-random, right??

And there you have it. My first entry. Please feel free to read, share with many many people, check back as much as you want or can, as I will try to update as much as I can. I hope to update again tomorrow.


Coming up: Applying for jobs online, a new apartment, and "The Clooney Theory".