The Unemployment Chronicles: Week 7

This was a life changing week. Pay attention.

In the job hunting world: the interview I had went well. Of course one of the lines I was fed was "Well, the job market isn't great for people like you with very little experience. It's also not good for old people with big salaries. It is good for people with 5-10 years of experience that are willing to work for moderate salaries."

I applied for maybe another five jobs online. I was forwarded an opportunity that begins in March in Missouri. Based on the person that I got it from this is the kind of opportunity that I might be able to turn into a job. However, it is in Missouri. Secondly, I said this was a life changing week and that directly relates to the standard 9-5 work week. More on that later.

I was provisionally conditionally offered a temporary job at the high school I have been volunteering at to do some contract work for 1-2 weeks in March. This is so new that it might not happen. However, I have a strange feeling like it will work out and I'll get some money out of it.

I had a phone call that changed my life. The one runner I am coaching now I let choose how much he wanted to pay me. Well, that number is higher than I expected. Like more than four times as much as I originally thought he would pay me. So I called him and we talked for awhile. The results of that phone call: we are going to write a book, he is going to vacation out here at some point, and I am going to start coaching online. This is very significant. Do you know that with five athletes I will have enough money to pay my basic expenses? With 30 athletes I can make more money than some of my friends. Also, not only can I coach runners I am uniquely qualified to coach another market segment. It will be announced later this week.

The advantage of online coaching is that I set my hourly schedule. In other words I can continue my near perfect time of day running schedule, spend time with my friends, and get all the work done I need to pay the bills.

I started reading a book my friend bicycling through South America recommended. I'm not even 100 pages in and it has changed my life. More on that in future weeks when I figure out things more.

Finally, I'm redesigning this website. Sorry if you liked the old layout but I want something a little more professional.

In the leisure time of my life: I had a great week! I saw a friend that I had not seen in years. I won't get into details but in short: AMAZING!! I had a new friend confess that she had been in rehab 11 times and spent 45 days in prison. Heavy stuff. I would have never guessed because I don't look at her and see any issues. But to me, it is reaffirming that I'm supposed to be out here in Colorado with these phenomenal people. In unrelated news, I had a local engineer at an aerospace company tell me in relation to a design issue, "I like the way you think." Yeah, I do like the way I think.

I ran 92 miles. 100% of that above 7000 feet. I had two workouts, one short and easy and the other was so hard hard (no it's not a typo) that I didn't finish it. Then Friday afternoon and Saturday and I had two fantastic runs. Decent paces, I felt strong, etc. In fact, after my run Saturday I was overflowing with optimism that I could not sit down.

Saturday I went to the REI garage sale at the flagship store in Denver. I wanted to buy a MSR Reactor stove. They didn't have one so I dropped $200 that I don't really have on a new pair of mountaineering boots, a backpack, headlamp, and women's gloves. I wanted another pair of gloves and as I was fishing around the bins I tried these nice insulated leather palm gloves on and they fit so well. Then I noticed the floral design on the back of the hand. Yep, women's gloves.

After the garage sale we went to the Denver Art Museum because it's free on Saturday. I finally got to see a Piet Mondrian. I think he is/was such a cool artist. I know it's just squares and lines to most but have you ever tried to paint lines and squares? It was in pretty terrible condition, which was nice because you could see the brush strokes. He must have had one of the steadiest hands ever.

Last thought of the post: I'm considering moving to Argentina for a few months.