A Bitter Harvest

I find myself in a reflective mood as I write this post. Thanksgiving is over and Christmas & New Year’s are just ahead… Both holidays are supposed to be harbingers of joy and good will and hope for a “New Start,” a chance to work towards a better & improved existence…

Sadly, it’s been a good double decade or so since I’ve honestly enjoyed Christmas or New Year’s. This year, for a change, I can actually point to the reasons I’m depressed as the holidays approach.

First and foremost, above all other reasons, I remain unemployed. Despite being put on The Office Team roles in October, I’m still waiting for my first assignment. One of my benefactors from last month provided me a “can’t fail, sure thing” job lead with a janitorial service in Wooddale – no soap, they have no openings but will keep my application on file. And most of all, despite all the on-line applications I submit each & every day on Career Builder, Hot Jobs, Monster, and other similar job boards.

There is no employment to be had – at least not for the likes of myself. I’m not giving up entirely, mind you – I am still looking for and applying for all manner of jobs – but if 9 months’ experience is any indication, there’s little hope on my horizon…

This morning I visited the Center of Concern in Park Ridge. They were recommended to me as a resource for rent assistance. Unfortunately, while they do have a program to assist people in paying their rent, I do not qualify because I have no job… Of course, if I had a job I wouldn’t need help paying the rent. Those fun loving rule makers at the DHS are the ones to thank – they’re the folks funding the program & since it’s their money, they get to set up the requirements for its dispersal…

I’m writing this on December 1st – Rent Day – in the hopes that putting my thoughts in some semblance of order may (just may) allow me to see some possibility of supporting myself that I have overlooked… So far, it’s not working, but one never knows… In the meantime, I have until the 5th to come up with $525 for rent. After the 5th a $20 late fee gets tacked on and the landlord starts thinking about eviction proceedings again…

Other reasons for depression include being ostracized. Over the past nine months my friends & family have been amazing in providing me moral & financial assistance. In the past several weeks though, they’ve begun distancing themselves from me. Can’t blame them really; I’m far from the happy & cheerful rogue everybody knows & loves these days. And then too, my inability to find any kind of meaningful employment in nine full months has got to be weighing on their minds…

One friend has decided I’ve become bitter, argumentative & stubborn of late. Another seems to think that my casually acknowledging the possibility I may not survive till spring is in poor taste. Others won’t accept or return my phone calls. There are very few things quite as disheartening as exile…

It’s a lonely, cold & bitter time here at The Aluminum Harvest…

All Good or All Bad

A little more than two weeks have passed since I last posted to The Aluminum Harvest. I wish I could say the past couple weeks has been spent profitably at my new employment. I cannot – that would be a blatant lie.

I’m still waiting for my first assignment from Office Team – my so-called employers, the Temp Agency that recruited & hired me last month. So far I’ve used more than 60 minutes in cell phone time checking in with the various OT offices in the hopes that somebody had work for me. They don’t.

Now that I have less than 60 minutes left on my pre-paid cell phone, and under $15 in my pocket, it’s time to try a new approach. It occurs to me that bank robbery is something of a win-win possibility. If I get away clean I’m golden. And if I’m caught, well at least I don’t have to worry about room & board anymore..

I do have a bit of bright new to share with everyone. A very good friend of mine, Milt, has sponsored me to his Church’s Brotherhood Program for assistance, and the Church has accepted me. So what does that mean exactly?

A kind and good hearted friend* had loaned me $500 after hearing that I was being taken to Court for non-payment of my back rent. I was absolutely stunned at her offer, coming out of the clear blue sky as it did. In fact, I was reduced to tears and I’m not in the least ashamed to admit it. Still, that $500 loan was far short of the two month’s back rent I owed, not to mention that November’s rent was already past due…

Enter my friend Milt and the South Park Church of Park Ridge. Through their Brotherhood Program, the Church funded me with monies enough to not only pay my back rent, but enough to pay my current rent as well, with a bit left over for food.

I didn’t learn of this until the night before Court, however. When I appeared in Court I was able to tell the Judge I would have the funds to cover my indebtedness within the week. She granted me a week’s continuance which gave me time enough to cash the Church's check, purchase the necessary Money Orders & bring my account with the landlord current. Once I was current, the landlord agreed to have the case against me dismissed from the docket. Good news - I still have a home!

Milt tells me that the Church is not through with me, though. He’s making inquiries this week to get all the details, but as I understand it, the Church is also part of a network that offers job retraining and job placement. Assistance in obtaining food is possible, as well as some assistance in getting my utilities back on. That last will be especially welcome, you’ll recall I’ve been living without electric since June…

As of this writing, I do not know what my next step is in the program, but it is somewhat reassuring to know that there IS a next step, with hope on the horizon. And even more reassuring to know that there are groups and individuals willing to step up and offer a helping hand to those in dire need. I've had my doubts of late...

On a somewhat sadder note, and completely unrelated to my own situation, I’ve received two very frightening pieces of news this week that I wish to address.

The first is actually good news, but completely unexpected. My good friend Ashley, who I met through Model Mayhem, was released from the hospital following a week’s treatment for blood clots in both lungs and one leg. She is recovering at home with family around her to assist (and I’m sure driver he completely nuts) in her recuperation and her prognosis is excellent!

The frightening part is that I had no idea she’d been hospitalized to begin with. Let alone, that at 23 years of age, she was fighting for her life this past week. Blood clots are serious business, and her case could so easily have gone the other way... That realization would have added several more gray hairs to my beard, if I still had my beard, that is.

I've no idea whether Ashley is a reader of my blog or not, but I want to wish her well in her recovery, and to let her know how much her friendship has meant to me.

The second frightening piece of news I received just this afternoon involves another young lady I met through Model Mayhem. Jenny has only recently learned that she may have breast cancer. I say “may” because her initial screenings have proven inconclusive. Further testing by a specialist is now necessary to complete her diagnosis.

I do not know Jenny well. She and I are casual acquaintances with a “nodding hello" type friendship. I believe Jenny to be a strong and capable individual, well able to face whatever adversity may come along. The uncertainty of not knowing, however, is a trial all it's own, complete with it's own tortures.

As with Ashley, I have no idea whether Jenny is a reader of this blog or not. If so, Jenny, all my hopes & prayers are with you during this uncertain time. Be strong and be well...

So, I bring this post to a close, my friends. There is some small hope on the horizon for myself, but that hope has been – tainted, if you will – by recent events surrounding my friends’ health issues.

I guess that just goes to show that nothing in this life is ever all good or all bad. The Harvest continues...

Be well, my friends.


* I do not know whether my friend wishes her largess to be known, so for the moment I will keep her identity private.

Congratulations President Elect Obama - Please Hurry!

The election is over and America’s newest President elect is Chicago’s own hometown boy, Barak Obama. Our first ever President of color and the second youngest man to ever be elected to the highest office in the land. Change is definitely in the air, and it is high time…

I have no idea what form the changes President Elect Obama will take. I do know that whatever he plans & puts in effect will not materially effect my life in a timely enough fashion to be of any practical use to me.

I do have a few hopes, however. For example:

I hope that our President will strive to make some changes in the tax code that will encourage America’s business community to keep jobs here at home, where we need them so badly;

I would like to see some changes in how the various Assistance programs are operated. Yes, I know, they are administered at the State and not Federal level, but a surprising amount of the State run Assistance programs are funded with Federal funds having mandated usage guidelines attached to them;

There are other issues I’d like to see addressed/rectified, but the above are the two biggies that materially affect me the most.

In seven full months, I’ve managed to land 2-1/2 days’ work stuffing envelopes for a Northbrook based Temp Agency who never had any more assignments for me; I landed a very short-lived P/T position in Dominick’s Deli Department that I lost for reasons that still haven’t been explained to me; and I’ve landed on the rolls of a second temp agency two weeks ago, but have still not been given an assignment.

Come Monday I will be appearing in Court, where my landlord’s attorney will press his case for two months back rent. Try as I might, I was unable to raise the monies owed, so I have no defense. The Court will find for the Plaintiffs and an Eviction Notice will be issued. The only variable in question is how soon that Notice will be served…

Once the Sheriff’s Department officially serves that Notice, my hopes for recovery will be virtually shattered. I will no longer have access to bathing facilities, so will be unable to present a professional appearance to prospective employers. I will have a vastly limited wardrobe available that I will be unable to launder frequently enough. Food will become my number one priority followed swiftly by some kind of temporary shelter from Winter’s chilling elements…

I’m happy we have a new President Elect that is so universally popular across the land. I wish him nothing but good fortune in his efforts to cure the ills of our great nation. I hope he succeeds in his efforts, and in record time.

Unfortunately, change cannot begin until January when President Elect Obama is officially installed as the leader of our country. I wonder if I’ll still be breathing then…

PLEASE HAVE THIS FORM TRANSLATED IMMEDIATELY

So it says across the front of the trial summons delivered to me yesterday evening. I, and any “other unknown residents” have been named as Defendants in an action brought forward by my landlord who is seeking payment for the past two months’ rent.

I’ve not before seen a trial summons with my name attached as Defendant. It is a rather formidable looking document written, I am sure, with an eye to instilling a touch of awe and perhaps a bit of fear in those named as Defendants. While the document does not inspire any awe, fear is another matter…

Mother’s Day of 1984 it was when I moved into my home. That was 24-1/2 years ago. In that time I’ve been late with my rent a few times, have had to pay late fees on perhaps 12 occasions, but I’ve never ever NOT paid my rent. Until now…

While I am tempted to unleash a diatribe towards my landlord & their unthinking, uncaring actions in bringing forth this legal actions, I cannot find it in my heart to do so. Mostly because if I were in their place, I’d be doing the same thing. My rent IS past due and I have no means of raising the necessary monies to rectify the situation. The cause is just, if harsh, and not at all unexpected.

My situation is dire, but not completely hopeless. I’m almost certain that if I can raise the past due amount prior to the scheduled trial date, I may be able to negotiate and extension for November’s rent. I just don’t quite know how to manage that feat…

When Dominick’s let me go for reasons that remain unknown to myself, my sole source of “significant” income dried up. On the other hand, just this past Friday I landed a position with Office Team, a local temp agency. Six days later I am still awaiting my first assignment...

By my calculations I have 8 days remaining in which to raise my past due rent, negotiate an extension for November and basically put my life back together. If I fail, then in 11 days from now the Court will enter judgment against me, and sometime thereafter the Sheriff’s department will be along to put me out on the street…

So as not to end this missive on a completely sad & discouraging note, may I direct your attention to my title? That is a direct quote from the Trial Summons served on me yesterday evening. Ironically, that directive, like the remainder of the Summons, is written entirely in English…

Though it has turned bitter, the Harvest continues, my friends…

The Slide Continues

This has been something of a mystifying morning to me. Those of you who have followed my posts sinced I began this blog are aware I recently managed to land a part-time postion with Dominick's Deli department. Well, as recently as a month ago, anyway...

Things were going about as well as one could expect, from my point of view. The work was tiring, but not overly difficult. Most of my evening shifts were evenly split between servicing customers and cleaning. Occasionally, when things got exceptionally busy, my cleaning duties were left to last, but the customers always got my full & prompt attention.

Then, when I turned on my cell phone this morning I found a voice mail waiting for me from my Manager at Dominick's. I returned her call immediately and learned that "...it's just not working out..." and I shouldn't bother coming in for my Thursday evening shift.

In short, I was fired. A new experience for me - I'd never been fired from a position in my life before. I was somewhat taken aback, not having been given any indication my work efforts to date were less than expected. In fact, I had been under the impression I was doing very well.

Understandably confused, I asked her to clarify "Do you mean I no longer have a job?"

To which she replied "Exactly. Thanks for calling back and sorry it didn't work out." I then asked, still politely mind you, "Would you mind telling me why I'm fired?"

There was an awkward pause before she replied "...all I can say is it isn't working out..." Then she hung up.

Just that quickly my hopes that I might finally be on the right track to stopping the downward spiral my life's been taking were put to an end. For no better reason than "...it's not working out..."

I don't for one minute delude myself that I'm without fault here or that I didn't do something, if not wrong, at least not as right as I should have. Obviously something's wrong here, but I haven't a clue what.

I've made it a point to be on time, well groomed, and industrious in my duties. Customers always received my full & prompt, friendly attention. When I was unable to assist them, I asked for assistance - either from my co-workers or management.

"...it's just not working out..."

Now that's one hell of an epitaph, huh?

Little Ironies

It's long been an axiom that supply & demand are the two major factors in the pricing of a commodity.

Aluminum, say...

The price of aluminum is dropping, and dropping rather steadily I'm sorry to say. When I made my trip to turn in last week's harvest the price per pound had dropped by 5 cents to $0.55/pound. I turned in 24 pounds of aluminum cans last week and was compensated with a whopping $13.55 for my efforts.

This morning I took in another 24 pounds of aluminum cans and received $10.80 for my efforts. That's right, boys & girls, the price per pound for aluminum cans has dropped to $0.45 per pound since last week. That's a 25% drop from two weeks ago when the price was still $0.60/pound.

This recent drop in the price of aluminum at the scrap dealer frankly puzzles me. When dealing in most commodities, when an item becomes scarce, the price goes up. With autumn's arrival the number of picnics & other group events in the area parks & forest preserves has dropped rather substantially. Considering the cooling temperatures at this time of year, this is certainly no surprise.

It does however mean that there is far less aluminum available for harvesting, hence a smaller supply to be turned into the area recyclers & scrap dealers. I might also note that the number of harvesters has fallen off as well... (A small bright spot.)

So now we have a reduced supply of a commodity, being gathered by a smaller number of harvesters like myself, for which the price is less. According to my understanding of supply & demand in the marketplace that seems just plain backwards. The price per pound should be going up as the supply drops, not down...

Methinks it's going to be a long, hard winter...

Gob Smacked Saturday Night

It’s late Monday morning as I write this. I’ve still several hours before my first scheduled shift at Dominick’s begins, and though I’ve spent the morning looking for additional employment online, I need a break. This seems like a good time to share some few odd musings from this past Saturday.

Following my early morning harvesting in the Forest Preserves, I spent the rest of the day in the Elk Grove Village library. Working the job boards, peeking in on Model Mayhem, processing a couple TGO shots – my usual “library time” routine.

The library closes at 5:00 on Saturdays, so I got home around 5:30 that evening. I discovered a birthday party in progress next door. Very festive! Helium filled balloons were tied to the fence with crepe paper streamers strung between. Brightly colored posters & a Pin The Tail on The Donkey game were affixed to the shed in the rear. And a very bright red and yellow, star-shaped piñata was suspended from a rope strung between the shed and their tree in the front of the lot.

About a dozen or so kids from 4 to 14 years old were busy playing in the yard, while parents looked on and chatted quietly. Amongst other things, I could smell ribs cooking over charcoal, and the entire neighborhood could hear the salsa playing on the radio. A very happy scene…

The couch in my living room is situated next to the window overlooking their yard. This is where I sit when the light’s good enough to read by. The sill is wide enough to hold a coffee mug or can of soda and more days than not there’s a lovely breeze making for a very comfortable little reading “nook.”

Saturday evening I settled in with one of my favorite authors (Anne McCaffrey if it matters) and opened one of her many Pern novels. I didn’t get very far, though – the party next door was a happy & noisy one and I just couldn’t concentrate for more than a sentence or two.

After a while I gave it up and watched the kids playing in the yard, smiling at times – laughing at others. At one point one of the kids tripped while running & fell onto their sidewalk, and like the parents, I sat up a little straighter and was relieved to see him get up, only his pride injured – and that not badly.

My neighbors are from Mexico, and do not speak English – or at least not very much. It’s been way too many years since my last high school Spanish class, so we don’t speak often, or at all if I want to be completely honest here. Oh, we’re friendly enough – we nod hello in the mornings or evenings getting in or out of our cars, but language is definitely a barrier to any meaningful conversation.

But I digress…

I got to see the kids race around, playing Pin The Tail On The Donkey, Musical Chairs with hot, hot, hot salsa and even have sack races using tall kitchen can bags. Smiles & laughter were very definitely the order of the day.

All the while, the birthday boy’s father was manning the grill. Every few minutes or so he’d pull another short slab of ribs off the grill, cut them up into individual ribs and call out to the kids to come fix their plates…

When the sun started going down, it was time to start on the piñata. The kids all lined up to take turns, with the birthday boy’s mother at the front of the line with blindfold & stick ready. Dad got the ladder from the shed and started working the rope, raising & lowering the piñata at odd intervals, and the kids got started.

Each kid got to take 5 or 6 swings at the piñata, surrendering stick & blindfold to the next in line when it didn’t break & then going back to the end of the line to await their next turn. I lost count how many times the line changed over, but I’d say each of the kids got at least 4 maybe 5 turns at busting the piñata…

I was particularly impressed with how cheerful the kids were – especially when they failed to bust open the piñata. My cousins and I were never so cheerful when we failed so publicly at any task…

It took a good hour or so, but eventually the piñata was broken open and the candy came pouring out to the ground. All the kids mobbed the area, laughter and shrieks of joy drowned the radio’s salsa as the candy scramble began…

By this time it was well and truly dark & definitely time for me to fire up my Coleman Lantern and see about heating up a couple hot dogs for my own dinner. I was still chuckling at the kids antics as I sat down at the kitchen table to fire up my lantern.

My lantern’s got a few miles on it, so it can be a little tricky to get going. Once it’s fired up everything it works just fine, but getting it properly lit takes a bit of patience. The mantles were just beginning to glow when somebody knocked on my front door.

I cussed under my breath as I shut down the lantern’s fuel supply. Opening my door I found the birthday boy’s mother on my porch with two cans of pop & a plate of BBQ ribs. She’d brought along one of the other mothers along to translate who told me Jesus (the birthday boy) had seen me laughing & smiling at all the kids and thought it was only right that I get to share in his “Special Dinner” too…

I don’t think I’ve ever been so surprised or dumbfounded in my life. Nor so touched. I thanked both young ladies for the thoughtfulness, and tried to refuse the offering, but they weren’t having any of that. They simply smiled at me, set the plate & soda on my porch and walked away, waving & smiling all the while…

I brought the food & drinks in, set them on my table and sat there in the dark while tears rolled down my cheeks. I don’t believe I’ve ever been on the receiving end of such an act of kindness from what amounts to complete strangers before.

It was a good 20 minutes or longer before I noticed I was still sitting in the dark, and when I did, wonder of wonders, the lantern fired right up, just as if it were new out of the box. The ribs, by the way, were excellent, as was the ear of corn, the tamales & the two cans of pop they brought me…

I was even more bemused when my cell phone rang and I saw it was my friend Rachel calling. When I answered she told me I needed to email her my resume – she knew of a position opening up and thought perhaps I might be an ideal candidate for the job… We spent the next 45 minutes chatting, mostly about the job she knew of but also about Model Mayhem & her most recent shoot, but mostly about the job.

For the second time in less than an hour, I was well & truly gob smacked. So, no great moral lesson or point to be made here. No weighty issues to discuss or consider. Just my own reaction to being on the receiving end of two very thoughtful and considerate actions within an hour. A very great rarity in my life…

Oh, yes. I emailed my resume off just as soon as I could get this laptop in range of a WIFI signal Sunday morning… I am SO crossing my fingers!

Until next time, friends.

Perversity

In yesterday’s post I mentioned amongst other things that I’d finally landed a part time job working for Dominick’s. A bright spot… sort of. The down side is that it only pays $8.20/hour and at that pay rate – even with full time hours – I will need a second job just to pay current living expenses, let alone play catch up on overdue bills.

Still, it was the first positive I’ve had since beginning my unemployment odyssey in April. It was a start & I was prepared to make the most of it. Between that income, the ongoing proceeds from my Aluminum Harvesting & my Food Stamp allotment, I felt there was at least a light at the end of the tunnel…

Today it was driven home to me that that light was mounted to a train engine.

The State of Illinois, through the offices of the Department of Human Services – those fun loving folks who administer the Food Stamp program - struck a telling blow.

My Food Stamp allotment has been discontinued. When my LINK card was issued to me & was told I needed to mail my caseworker copies of my electric bill and my bank statement. She supplied me with a SASE to with which to mail those documents to her. I put that envelope to use on the Thursday before Labor Day.

The USPS never delivered them to DHS. Lacking those documents she put the kibosh on my Food Stamps. I’m now a non-entity as far as DHS is concerned. My account has been closed for non-compliance on my part.

I understand the State has a set of Rules & Regulations the State Workers have to comply with lest they find their asses in line alongside of my own. Fine – I knew that when I applied for assistance, knew it when I went through the approval dance and I know that now. So be it.

What I don’t understand is why The State has to go out of their way to make dealing with them so damned difficult, not to mention expensive. Now keep in mind, if you will, I haven’t had a paycheck since the first week in April, as I run this down for you:

There is only one DHS office from whom I may request assistance. It is located on the far east end of Skokie, a full 18 miles from my home. For those of you not up on the new math, that’s a 36 miles round trip I had to make. In a vehicle that gets an average of 15/mpg in City traffic.

To qualify for assistance I had to make 3 separate trips to the DHS office. That’s 108 miles or just over 7 gallons of fuel. At an average cost of $4/gallon, I invested $28 just in fuel to apply for the privilege of eating courtesy of the Food Stamp program.

I was told my LINK card would be recharged on the 11th of each month. I called the Toll Free number three times on the 11th and two more times on the 12th to check my balance, as I didn’t know what time of day my LINK card would be “recharged.” After the 5th call telling me my balance remained under $4, I selected the option to learn when my account was SCHEDULED for refilling. The computer told me I had to contact my local DHS office to obtain that information…

Are you beginning to see a pattern here?

I don’t know how it is in other States, but if you call an Illinois State Agency, the phone rings off the wall. Sometimes somebody will answer it, more times not. I called the Skokie DHS office three times today. I let the phone ring 15 times, 30 times, 45 times – no answer. After the 3rd attempt I bit the bullet & drove the 18 miles into Skokie.

I stood in line 30 minutes to tell the front desk clerk why I was there. I had to tell him 3 times – English is obviously not his primary language. He then had me take a seat and wait (since I didn’t have an appointment) for my case worker to “fit me in” to speak with.

Forty minutes later she escorted me to her cubicle. Once there she asked if I knew why my account had not been refilled. I said no. She then asked if I sent the documents she’d requested. I confirmed that I did so on either Wednesday or Thursday, the 27th or 28th of August.

She never received them. She asked if I had brought the originals with me today. Well, since I had no indication that was the problem, no I hadn’t. The original documents are at home. Since she didn’t have the documents she had closed my account. I could FAX her the originals, reapply for Food Stamps and go through the approval dance a second time if I wanted to.

Amongst other things, I included my cell phone number, email & snail mail addresses on my original application. My case worker did not call my cell phone, send me an email nor a snail mail to advise there was a problem with my account. In order to learn this I had to run up an additional 36 mile round trip to Skokie, lose two hours time waiting to hear the word and then be told that because the USPS cannot deliver the mail I get to go hungry…

Does this seem as ludicrously perverse to you as it does to me?

Welcome to life amongst the aluminum, folks. It just doesn't seem to get any more real than this...

More soon, friends & neighbors.

Seven years...

September 11, 2001.
September 11, 2008.

Seven years after the attacks, and in a lot of ways, we're still reeling in this country. The pain is still fresh, the wounds continue to fester, and the butcher's bill continues to rise.

The economy, despite what certain politicians will tell you, remains at an all time low down here on the ground - away from those ivory towers in Washington. Fuel in Chicago is still over $4/gallon. Even though unemployment is rising, Corporate America continues to export jobs to 3rd world countries.

There are those who say life is improving seven years later. Can someone please explain to me how? And where?

Down here on the ground, I've been looking for work since April of this year. After more than five solid months, I finally managed to land a part-time job that pays $8.20/hour. I am hoping to find a second job to dovetail into the first so that I can manage to pay at least some bills - like my rent, for instance - on a timelier basis than I have of late.

As of this writing, I have managed to raise $120 to apply to my $545 monthly rent bill. I am hoping I'll be able to "cop a little understanding" from my landlord since I will be starting my part-time job next week, but I can't count on it.

Tomorrow I return to the harvest. I still need little things like D batteries for my flashlight, toilet paper, fuel - all those things Food Stamps won't buy. Hopefully, tomorrow's harvest will be a large & successful one, though with the recent downturn in temps, I tend to doubt it will be...

With the new job I have hope...

...just not very much. The return trip is such a long & weary uphill climb.

Back to the Harvest...

A Harvester's Wish List

That time of the month has rolled around again. It’s the first. Rent’s due, and surprise, surprise – I haven’t got it. Again. I’m taking steps to raise it, but at best it’s going to be another week or two…

Which, oddly enough, reminds me of being a kid a couple weeks in front of Christmas, when my entire material soul was wrapped up with just one project. My letter to Santa with “this year’s” most heart-felt wishes…

So, it’s not December, but in memory of that younger me, here’s my most current list of heart-felt wishes. If you’re able & willing, please…

* Work: A job. I’m not picky. Just about any job (or jobs) full or part time will do. Office, clerical, administrative, photographic, transportation, general labor, cleaning kennels – with only one or two exceptions (telemarketing/sales & working McDonald’s fryer) it doesn’t matter what type of work it is. I just want to get back to feeling like a productive member of society again. You know, somebody who can actually pay his own rent, utilities, buy food & gas – a real person worthy of respect & courtesy;

* Rent: I am once again very much in danger of losing my home of 24+ years. My rent is $525/month, and I just don’t have it. I’m hoping I can raise at least part by selling of certain items, but if you have it in your heart & your checkbook to help me raise it, then please… It may take me a while, but I will pay you back;

* Tender: I mentioned in an earlier post that I am now a Food Stamp recipient. Hunger isn’t the issue it was two short weeks ago, but Food Stamps won’t pay for any non-food items I routinely pick up at the grocery. Things like Toilet Paper, Soap, Antacids, etc. For these and other like items I need to pay cash. My Aluminum Harvest helps, but not enough. So this ‘Wish’ is for Legal Tender in the form of gift cards that may be redeemed for those little necessities Food Stamps won’t buy;

* Time: A commodity many of us find in short supply. In my case I need time in the form of minutes on my cell phone. I have a T-Mobile Pre-Paid phone which needs refilling as minutes are used. T-Mobile sells minutes for their phones in $10, $25, & $50 blocks of 30 minutes, 130 minutes & 500 minutes respectively. Phone cards are available nearly anywhere, or you can buy minutes on-line directly from T-Mobile that will be immediately downloaded to my phone. Here's the link: https://tmobile.ecustomersupport.com/tMobile/gifting.aspx
** 9/5/08 A Great Big Sloppy Aluminum Harvest Thank You to my buddy Cory for gifting me with some minutes on my cell phone a couple days back. While I got the minutes on the 2nd, I just learned who my benefactor was...

* Miscellaneous Items: Eight “D” cell batteries; Mini-Mag Lite that uses AA batteries; Supply of Bic lighters/box of matches;

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at hal.eskew@gmail.com if you can fulfill any of these wishes…

$5.73...

...that's how much cash I have in my pocket as of this writing. Sadly, that sum represents my total net worth.

As of today I have submitted over 400 separate applications on-line. I have received perhaps 12 replies in response to those 400+ applications. None of the interviews from those 12 responses resulted in a job - in fact, 9 of those 12 positions were filled between the call scheduling my interview and the interview itself.

The remaining 3 positions may or may not still be available - though I've called back at the appointed time after our interviews. I've left voicemails that so far go unanswered...

I have a brand spanking new LINK card, courtesy of the State of Illinois' DHS office in Skokie. For those of you unfamiliar with the LINK card, it's essentially a debit card issued by the State for the purchase of food products only. Being a single male under the age of 65 with no dependents I qualify for $162 in food stamps. Not a huge amount, but a figure I can live with.

The problem here is that I cannot activate my LINK card. Springfield is having computer problems. I've called three times (for a total of 18 cell phone minutes) to activate my card, answered all the computer prompted questions thru the phone and actually manage to both enter & confirm my preferred PIN only to be told by the computer that they are unable to complete my request at this time, please call back later...

Once I do manage to get my LINK card activated, it will be an additional two business days before it will be funded. At the moment I have, count 'em, four hot dogs in my cooler, 5 pounds of Bisquick & a 20 year old can of Salmon in my cabinet. A veritable feast for the Gods...

My rent is due in five days. I've already sold my mother's silver to raise August's rent. I'm at a loss as to what I can sell now in the time left that will raise the necessary cash...

The last time he took me to lunch, a good friend told me that if I "keep doing the same thing I shouldn't be surprised at getting the same results." A mantra I took to heart a number of years ago and would desperately love to put into effect today. I'm just damned if I can figure out a way to apply it to my current situation...

It seems the majority of today's employers will only accept job applications via the inter-web... There is no personal contact anymore;

It seems the majority of today's employers think nothing of having applicants come in to interview for positions that are no longer available;

It seems my lot is hopeless. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can turn things around? Please share them with me. I don't bite. I haven't quite yet reverted to being feral...

Despair seems to be the order of the day...

Pride - and the swallowing thereof

Like just about anybody I know, I don't fit in a single pigeon hole. There are too many disparate traits/qualities about me to make that even feasible.

A few of my better traits/qualities are that I'm loyal, dependable, reliable, reasonably intelligent & fairly quick on the uptake, friendly, hard working, have a sense of humor, honest - the list goes on.

Some of my lesser qualities include stubbornness, gluttony, impatience with stupidity in general, a disinclination to shave regularly, being a micro manager, a tongue that could cut glass, and I'll never be a diplomat - and again, the list goes on.

I make no bones about my current situation. I've not had a steady paycheck in very nearly five full months. My savings are gone and I've had to resort to pawning my mother's silver and other things to come up with the necessary cash to pay bills & buy food. And that's over & above the $0.60/pound I get for freshly harvested aluminum...

Last week I put in my application for Food Stamps at DHS. An interesting experience and one I was not in a hurry to enjoy. Unfortunately, when the cupboard gets close to bare wood, with no hope of replenishment, one does what one must to get by. Requesting assistance from DHS was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Pride, is why...

I've held a job of one kind or another for more than 30 years. They weren't all great jobs, but I managed to pay the bills & keep myself fed. Sadly, after almost five months of being unemployed, the "keeping myself fed" part became a bit too much for me to manage on the proceeds of my harvesting alone.

So I made the trip to DHS last Wednesday. I didn't know what time they opened in the morning, so I left the house at 7:00 am for the 18 mile drive into the Skokie branch office. I got there 30 minutes early, but already there was a line at the front door. I joined it.

Almost three hours later I'd worked my way to the counter, obtained an application, filled it in, turned it in and learned I'd have to come back a week later for an interview that would determine my eligibility for Food Stamps. Had I not requested emergency assistance, my interview would have been set for sometime in September...

Today I went back in for my interview. It was set for 9:15 this morning, so true to form, I arrived at DHS shortly after 8:00 AM, just as they were opening the doors. I gathered my documents & scurried inside and joined the queue at the counter.

By 9:00 I was told to have a seat, my case worker would call me when she was ready. Miss Mond called me into her office at 9:40. We spent 30 minutes or so going over my documents & application before she had me sign some additional paperwork. Then she escorted me to the area where the LINK cards are prepared for issuance to the recipients.

She told me that when my name was called I should bring my ID in and be prepared to enter a four digit pin into their machine. My LINK card would then be handed to me and in two days, loaded up with my Food Stamp allotment - pro rated for the shortened month, of course.

Unfortunately, the State's computer system went down and I wound up sitting there waiting an additional 90 minutes, hoping they'd get it back on line soon. I was rewarded in that they were able to issue me a LINK card at the end of that 90 minutes, but I'd have to acivate it with a pin number over the phone with the Springfield office. The full system was not yet operable...

As many of you know, my land line has been shut off for non-payment. (There's a surprise, huh?) That being the case, I made a beeline for the nearest payphone I could find to register/activate my LINK card. I dialed in the toll-free number they gave me at DHS only to hear a computerized recording tell me: We're sorry, the toll-free number you have dialed is inaccessible to all pay telephones. Please try again from a non-pay telephone. I hung up, chanting odd fricatives under my voice as the recording began to repeat.

Now I have to find a non-pay telephone so I can get this LINK card activated. I'd use my cell phone, but I'm almost positive that toll-free number will connect me to a computerized phone answering system that's just dying to eat up the few minutes I have left on my cell phone....

Welcome to The Aluminum Harvest, where nothing is ever quite as simple as it should be...

The Hiring Process

Yep, that’s me in the picture at left. For the first time since 1973, I’m allowing my naked face to shamelessly hang out where anybody can see it. I shaved my beard off on the advice of several friends, as well as some Job Hunting Tips I found online.

I didn’t want to do it. I’m not at all comfortable being clean shaven, but apparently in this country having a full beard, no matter how neatly groomed, means you don’t get hired. Apparently job skills and experience are as nothing compared to your ability in applying a shaver to your face each morning...

Now, to get onto the meat of this post. First, let me say I’m old fashioned. I believe in work and in working. I actually enjoy having somewhere to be and something to do on a regular basis that actually, in some small way, matters. If it also pays the bills, so much the better.

I do not believe in freeloading or getting a “free ride.” At least not once you past your majority or have attained your educational goals, whatever they may be. Once you're an adult, have acquired whatever training you felt necessary, it's time you start taking charge and meet life's little challenges head on. That's what grown ups do.

I can’t remember a time, from 16 years of age on that I did not have job of some kind. Until I hit 19 they were all part time jobs because of school, but I was working. Once I hit 19 and had to leave University, I’ve consistently held a full-time job in one field or another.

Stockboy, cashier, retail salesman, night watchman, mover, bartender, laborer, clerk, typist, shipping & receiving, management, Office Manager, courier, photographer. I’ve filled store’s shelves, dug ditches, loaded trucks, supervised a busy Loop office, driven professionally, poured booze into drunks, painted fences, walked dogs and photographed the occasional wedding.

I am computer literate, proficient in the use of Word, Excel, Works, & Outlook. I’m a quick learner when it comes to almost any software package, and as a special bonus, I type at a very respectable 75 wpm.

I have had managerial experience which included scheduling personnel, apportioning assignments, maintaining office supply inventories and Customer Service. I have billed customers & logged in those customers’ payments, as well as prepared their monthly statements.

On the other end of the spectrum, my health is excellent. I don’t consider myself “too good” for blue collar work. Indeed, manual labor has made up a great deal of my working experience. I would welcome some today, as a matter of fact.

I’m a good photographer & competent Photoshop mechanic. With one notable exception, every image in this blog was taken by myself. I may not be the world’s best photographer, but I do have a good eye and a passion for the craft.

You may garner from the above that I’ve led a somewhat varied & interesting professional life. You’re right, I have. Primarily because I’ve never worried overmuch about what work I did, as long as it allowed me to pay my bills and live in dignity. I’ve never been overly concerned about status or appearances. All I’ve ever wanted or demanded was a fair & honest wage in return for a fair and honest day’s work.

That seems to be the impossible dream, however.

I have been searching for employment since April to no avail. I’ve been online with CareerBuilder, Monster, Yahoo’s HotJobs and a dozen other work sites. I’ve answered the classified ads in the newspaper by emailing my resume or applying in person, depending on the ad’s instruction.

Since April, I’ve scheduled more than 4 dozen interviews. All but five were pointless efforts, however. The positions had been filled before I arrived – on time – for my scheduled appointment. Of the five that actually did come to pass, I was told to call back within a set period of time at each to inquire as to their decision. Nobody ever bothered to accept or return my calls, which I suppose is a fair indication of their decision.

I’d like to additionally note that not one of the employers who filled the advertised position prior to my interview had the courtesy to call & cancel our appointment. Instead they informed myself & every other applicant on our arrival, thus allowing each of us to waste time & other resources we can ill afford. The price of gas today ain’t cheap folks, and this practice of allowing applicants to waste what precious resources they have left is nothing less than an exercise in applied arrogance.

One of the most infuriating aspects of this job hunt is Corporate America’s insistence that applications be made on-line only. Fine and dandy practice for them, but it amounts to little more than a shot in the dark for applicants. We have no way to confirm the application arrived, whether it was reviewed by a live person or if it got dumped into a “holding tank” for ‘x’ many days before being flushed to make room for the next batch.

Employers do not let the applicants know the application has been received. Nor do they post a contact name on the job advertisements to follow up with after a period of time. The applicant is literally left in limbo not knowing whether he’s making progress towards employment or simply spinning his digital wheels to no good purpose.

In the meantime, expenses continue. Rent, food, fuel, laundry… Savings run out, friends and family start to shun you, refusing to take or return your calls. Food becomes scarce, your home is in jeopardy, utilities are cut off. And still no hope on the horizon, no matter what you do or where you turn.

Welcome to The Aluminum Harvest, my friends…

Quarters Only?

So has anyone else run into this?

It's the middle of the night, you've got a tire with a slow leak and you don't have time to stop & put the spare on. So you pull into a filling station, spot the coin operated air hose, pull up nearby and reach into your pocket for 75 cents. Then, as you start sorting through the change in your pocket you notice the "Out of Order" sign.

On to the next filling station where you repeat the procedure. And the next. And the next after that. Finally you locate a filling station with a working air hose. Once again you start sorting through the change in your pocket. You find 75 cents, but it includes two dimes & a nickel. The machine only takes quarters.

Stepping inside to ask the cashier to swap you a quarter for your dimes & nickel sometimes works, but most times not. He's only allowed to open his cash drawer when ringing up a sale. So, you either purchase something or you wait for another customer to come along and purchase something. Or you go out & change the damn tire you didn't have time to change to begin with.

I was speaking with a filling station attendant about the frequency of the air hose being down at her place of business. You know what she told me? She told me that 9 out of 10 times the air hose is down because somebody tried feeding dimes & nickels to it. The "odd" sizes jam up the works, and requires a service tech to come out, open up the machine, pry the nickels & dimes loose, close it up and put it back into service. Then it works just like a champion until the next time somebody tries to feed it something other than quarters.

So the question before the board is, what possessed the vending world to start discriminating against the lesser valued coins? Once upon a time you could feed a coin operated anything any denomination coin you had handy - well not pennies - and as soon as you'd deposited the proper dollar amount for the item/service you wanted, the machine would spit it out. No longer...

Am I the only one who thinks the current preference for quarters only is both elitist & short sighted? I've got a pocket full of coins right now, but without looking I know the majority of the coins in my pocket are dimes & nickels. If I don't have the proper number of quarters, that vending machine just lost a sale. And if some stubborn sould decides to feed it dimes & nickels instead, then it loses a lot of sales until it's put back to rights.

Perhaps going back to the old-style coin mechanisms might not be a bad idea. More sales from folks who don't carry quarters only. Fewer jams from odd sized coins, so less down time which also translates to more sales. Am I wrong?

Oh, and I'm not just picking on the coin operated air hose at your corner filliing station. No, no. I'd like to see this change instituted across the entire plenum of coin operated machines. Parking meters, gumball machines, washers, dryers, pay phones (if you can find one, that is) cold drink machines, vibrating motel beds, food machines, etc.

Any coin operated machine that only accepts a single denomination coin just cannot be a good idea any way you look at it. I'm old enough to remember when you could get a shot of air for free from the local filling station, and while I don't like paying for air, I've grown accustomed to the demand.

So I guess my question is, what genius decided that only quarters were usable coins when it comes to vending machine purchases? Can someone answer me that?

Okay, rant's over now...

Bright Spots

First, let me say I am not living on the streets today as I had feared I would be. My landlord's Five Day Notice expired yesterday, but thanks to some unexpected assistance from friends old and new, I managed to come up with my rent before close of business. So, a quick note of thanks is in order.

First, I want to thank an old buddy from High School that came up with a sizable donation Sunday afternoon that put me within "spittin' distance" of making August's rent. Thank you, Rein - you've no idea how much I appreciate your timely assistance.

Second, to my very good friend, Carole in Washington state, who quite unexpectedly gifted my cell phone with additional minutes via the internet. I wasn’t even aware that was possible, let alone that she planned to do so. Carole’s gift will be invaluable in contacting potential employers, and as such, very much appreciated. Thank you, Carole.

Third to my good friend Jim, who bought me lunch yesterday and provided me the final bit of “necessary” to make the rent. Jim also took the opportunity to give me some "straight from the hip" advice, that while not pleasant, was still appreciated. Believe it or not, Jim, I did listen to everything you said yesterday and am as gratified for your candor as I am for the lunch and the cash. From the heart, I thank you.

And finally, a note of thanks to another good friend who contacted me with a “freshly picked” contribution to include in my ongoing harvest, and the promise of additional donations each week. Rachel, I thank you as well - you're still my hero!

Ladies and gentlemen, while my current existence is not necessarily a pleasant one, it does have it’s moments. Moments such as those described above. The realization that while life may majorly suck, as long as you have friends who care, it's still worth living.

The collage attached to this post is another moment, albeit in another entire category. What you’re seeing is (I think - I'm no ornithologist) a Heron. I spotted it perched on a stump in a small cove in Busse Woods Forest Preserve. It was just after 6:00 AM, and there was still plenty of fog rising from the water. In another few minutes the sun would rise over the tree line and begin burning the fog away. I put my harvesting aside for a few moments, grabbed my camera and did my level best to capture the moment.

If not for my current situation, I'd have not been in Busse Woods at that hour of the morning and certainly would not have witnessed this Heron taking flight, let alone capture the moment. Given my druther's, I'd have preferred being home getting ready for work, but that's not currently an option. Getting a "private showing" of Nature's Glory ain't necessarily a bad thing. It certainly made my grim existence a bit more palatable for a short time...

More soon, friends...

Help With The Harvest?

Today's post is a quiet request for assistance from some of my readers, specifically those who work or live near the O'Hare area.

I'm not asking for a cash donation - unless you just happen to have a shitpot of money you've absolutely no other use for, that is. ::chuckle::

No, what I'd like to request is that instead of throwing away any aluminum cans you may have or come across in your daily travels, that you think of me instead. Put them aside for me to include in my own harvest.

Ideally, they should be crushed flat and stored in a garbage bag, but I'll take them in any way shape or form I can get 'em.

If you're both able & willing to assist me in this fashion, please email me at hal.eskew@gmail.com and let me know when & where I can meet you to take them off your hands.

I thank you for your support...

Welcome to The Aluminum Harvest

My name is Hal. Until the first week of April, 2008 I was gainfully employed. I worked as a self-employed Independent Contractor within the Courier Industry serving the six county Chicago metropolitan area. I have been so employed since April of 1994.

Once upon a time it was a fabulous job. It allowed me to care for my ailing mother, pay my bills, and generally live a fairly comfortable lifestyle on my own terms. It wasn't a great job, but given the other issues in my life when I began, it was about as good an arrangement as i was going to find. And strangely enough, as time went on, I came to enjoy the work, and was quite good at it, if I do say so myself.

Oh, there were ups and downs over the years, good times and bad, as with any other endeavor, but overall I had no major complaints. Until the price of gas started rising, that is. As it began it's long climb to today's record levels, my profit margin slowly began to shrink. And then not so slowly shrink. Until finally, in April of 2008, fully 3/4 of each week's earnings were being funneled directly into my gas tank so that I could continue working the following week. Needless to say, this didn't leave a lot left over for the "little" things in life like food, rent, electric...

It didn't help that the amount of available work had been declining the past several years as well, falling at approximately the same rate that fuel costs were rising. An untenable situation that I attempted to meet by economizing, hoping against hope that gas prices would eventually level off & that the available work volume would increase. Neither eventuality came to pass...

I economized by cutting back on "luxuries." Cable TV was the first to go. I started buying more chicken instead of beef at the grocery and then when the price of chicken went up I bought more beans (protein) than meat. I began purchasing "house brands" instead of name brands when grocery shopping. I pretty much gave up buying beer for home all together.

That wasn't enough. I had to start wearing my work clothes longer, patching rather than replacing when they got torn or worn. Work boots? Not time yet, there's another 2000 miles in those heels, yet...

Finally, though I had to put a cap on how much fuel I could purchase per workday: $30/day was about right, given the number of deliveries I was running on average. Unfortunately, the deliveries never seemed to line up properly. I'd pick up an envelope in Elk Grove Village going to the Loop and be sent on my way. Half way to the Loop I'd be notified of a package in Skokie also going to the Loop, could I turn around? Once empty in the Loop, I'd sit - or actually, I'd slowly cruise the streets looking for a place I could sit, all the while burning fuel to no purpose...

Eventually the day came when I'd made that trip to the Loop with a single envelope and got assigned several Loop pickups over the next several hours. Each of those pickups cancelled as I approached the pickup location. But there was always another pickup for me - usually called in at roughly the same time & that I had to pass on my way to the cancellation - that in turn cancelled as I pulled near. I was constantly criss-crossing the Loop for several hours, never once able to get a single pickup on board before the order cancelled. A most excellent method of draining a gas tank...

When my tank hit the 1/4 full mark I called in to let dispatch know it was time to send me home. Dispatch's response was to read me the riot act. If I was planning to call it a day at 2:30 in the afternoon I should have told him that morning in the office. I don't suffer fools gladly, and I answered each of his accusations fully & in great detail over the radio. Then I went home & thought about it long and hard.

At this point, I was effectively spending $3 in fuel for every $4 I earned making deliveries. To be accused of malfeasance, incompetence and a general all around bad attitude when I'd burned up that day's fuel allotment chasing that constant string of cancellations dispatch assigned me was just too much. I turned in my equipment the next morning & never looked back.

Today, 4-1/2 months later I remain unemployed. Despite constantly submitting applications via the web, scheduling & attending interviews, answering ads in the paper and virtually begging for work - I remain unemployed. Even a minimum wage job stocking shelves at the local five & dime or grocery is inexplicably unobtainable...

I managed to stretch my meager savings into May. Since then, I've largely been dependent on the generousity of friends and family. As of today, my rent is 15 days late and I have three days left on the Landlord's Five Day Notice. August's rent is due Monday morning or I face eviction from my home of 24 years...

My savings are gone. Friends and family have assisted me financially to the point of pain, but none of them are wealthy individuals. They can offer no more, and I, in all honesty to myself, can no longer ask and have no right to expect further assistance. When the well dries up, you have to face facts: There Ain't No More Water! Deal with it.

Barring a miracle this weekend, I expect to join the ever growing number of homeless in Illinois. For the past few weeks, I've left my home between 4:30 & 5:00 AM so I can get to the parks, the Forest Preserves, assorted parking lots early & beat the other Harvesters to the day's bounty.

Aluminum Cans are currently being bought by the scrap metal dealers for $0.60/pound.

Welcome to the Aluminum Harvest....