Hello There

Well, as this is just my first post, I'll say hello. I'm back in Susanville a little over a decade after leaving and though some things have changed, not much really has. What has seemed to change though is me. I, as most people I would assume, grew up after high school. I had experiences, formed opinions, held jobs, went to college and had a son. Though not everyone goes to college, everyone has learning experiences either through work, self-teaching, reading, watching the news, or just plain interactions with other people.

These experiences for me occurred in the Bay Area of California, mainly in the Tri-Valley (Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin) and the Silicon Valley (greater San Jose area) with some straying into Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, etc. The Bay Area has a diverse population, with every person having a story, an experience depending not only on which city they grew up in, but also their ethnicity, education, socio-economic background and sexuality. Overall, yes the Bay Area is liberal, but withing this spectrum are also a wide spectrum of conservatives. It is here that I became an adult, meeting those with varying experiences and embracing the Bay Area with open eyes, mind and I loved it.

So why move back to Susanville? I always thought of this as my home. Thanksgiving would roll around and I would tell people I was going home for the holiday. That never crossed my mind as being an incorrect label. The main reasons though, are intertwined with finances and my son. The Bay Area, overall is very expensive. By the time my son turned 2 years old, I was living in a one bedroom apartment in a 4plex that was 600 square feet and paying $900 a month. It sucked. period. It was also time for me to move on from the job I was holding. I had graduated with my Master's 2 years prior (the same night I had my son, I would have walked for the degree ceremony) and wanted to either pursue a career in which I could use my degree or find another career, hopefully one that could last me for a few decades until I can retire. The job I had was great, I had co-workers that I will remember forever and hopefully will keep in touch with for as long and the job helped put me through school. And as I would find out, by staying long enough to become vested, the retirement came very handy.

So I moved back and six months later I finally have two part time jobs. Well, one really. The other I won't start for another 1-2 weeks. But, yes, it took six months. I have learned many lessons in six months. One, public assistance venues need to update their qualifications to fit modern financial situations. This is where thankfully I had money from an IRA so I could live, but another month and I would be living off tax payer dollars. While I am one of the lucky ones, the qualifications for these programs is grossly undervalued so that only those under the poverty line qualify leaving a great deal of people out in the cold.

I have also learned that while I didn't care what job I would get, I think my Master's threw out a lot of jobs for me. I could be wrong here, but my last job qualified me for the majority of positions I applied for and I didn't get them. Maybe my interviewing skills sucked, or there were better candidates, but either way I've been on more interviews in the last six months than in the last 13 years. So now that a great organization has offered me a part time job doing some grunt work, guess what I'm staying until I have to go. Also a tip for employers or hirer's out there, please don't forget to contact all interviewees if they didn't get a position. About half of the jobs I interviewed for did not contact me, whether it be a phone call or a letter. Truly it's not hard to do and it's respectful to the interviewee so they can keep looking and better yet they can ask for tips for the next interview.

One of the hardest thing to get used to here, mindful that I haven't gotten out to socialize in the last six months, so I'm going off of those I have met, the local newspaper (which will probably be the subject of many future posts), people I've observed and heard, and the election fever which results are still subject to conversations. Overall, the area is full of hardworking, honest, kind and respectful people. Doors are held open for you, a hello and acknowledgment given. Yet, going from a mainly liberal area back to a mainly conservative area has been hard. Going from an area where religion is more open-minded overall to an area where the Bible is used for justifying everything overall is hard. To clarify, yes I believe in God, but I also respect that the Bible is to be used as book to guide, not to justify agendas as needed.

So how to balance all of this? Well, that is to be seen. I do know this. Things are looking up so far in 2009 after a very long and hard 2008... well, really a hard last couple of years. My son is happy and I get to see family members regularly that I haven't seen much in the last decade, which of course excites my son more than me. Also I got to see and visit my Grandpa before he passed. Honestly he wasn't really in the condition or personality I wish to remember him, but I'm glad he is in a better place now and I have almost 30 years of memories of him.

This has been a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I'm signing off for now. Til next time folks.