Finally

Yes, finally I got an e-mail from the institution I applied to. They invited me to an interview in the next week. I cross my fingers for myself. :))

I just talked to our vet about the pup we returned to the shelter. The news is not good. She is still having seizures and is deaf. Actually, this shows clearly what happens when you pick a pup like a tomato. Next time we should be more careful. We will visit the shelter this Sunday and have a talk on how we can pick a healthier pup.

Today the weather is pretty gloomy and rainy. Although I like weathers like this, I feel depressed a bit. I guess it is because of the scheduled interview I have for next week. I gotta calm down otherwise I am gonna hamper myself and lose the opportunity.

That's all about it so far.

The diner

I don't know whether you know this or not but the diner where one scenes of The Big Lebowski and American History X was filmed is the same diner. I know this info is not going to change the course of your life but there is no harm in sharing it with you, is there?

I watched American History X again last weekend and recognized the diner immediately since I am kinda a big fan of The Dude lately. To recap the importance of the diner in The Big Lebowski, it was the place where Walter, John Goodman, uttered the line " I can get you a toe by three o'clock this afternoon". I loved that movie. I wish the diner had not gone out of business so that I could have been "enjoying my coffee" there too.

I subscribed to The New Yorker magazine, finally. The first issue arrived last week. There is a fabulous article by George Packer titled Betrayed, The Iraqis who trusted America the most. it is available online as well. You should most definitely read it. Along with that, I am also reading Newsweek's Int. issue's letters from the battlefield. That one though is not a easy read. I cannot go more than only one e-mail sent by a now deceased army member to his/her family.

This American Life, TAL, did a great job again with their The Golden Apple podcast. This one is like a dream came true kinda podcast. What a terrific collection of interesting stories from the regular Joes of that diner. It is also available on TAL's web, free of charge. I wish I could go in there and had a cup of coffee. Damn !!!

This week, I have two strong leads for my prospective employment. The only problem is that none of them replied me so far. I followed up once but nothing happened. Maybe it is true that no news is good news, but I am stressed out. Lately, searching a job became a joke. For the positions I applied for, I have the education and the experience they ask but I am still not able to land one. They usually get someone they know, regardless of education or experience. Then, they train that person to fit for that given position. Usually, the newly hired one has some sort of political connections or family ties with that company's key figures. Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming anyone for my frustration. However, this is how it works here, sad but true.

This weekend we are going to the dog shelter once more, hoping to get a healthy puppy this time. My wife is crazy about dogs who was so afraid of them few years ago. Now, she plays with them, hugs them. She is totally crazy for them. On top of that, she does not want a pure breed, contrary to most. She wants to adopt one from shelters. Well, it shows that people can change over the years. :)

Whaz up !

I have not posted anything on my blog for several weeks in a row. It is not because I got a job meanwhile, I wish I had, but our pup got sick quite severely. She developed this epileptic seizures all of a sudden and got worse with other health problems. We tried to take care of her more than a month but of no avail. Long story short, we handed her to the shelter where vets are taking care of her. I know it sounds brutal but we did everything we could for her and leaving her there was not an easy thing to do, especially for my wife who had a very difficult time readjusting our puppyless house for weeks.

Having a very sick dog and leaving that dog for good at the shelter is quite a traumatic experience indeed. One of our family friends insisted on finding a pup for us but we declined. We decided to get rest for a while and make a move later.

Now, I guess we are making plans to look for a new pup. This time we are equipping ourselves as much information on picking a pup as possible. The vets we met along the way during our pup's illness are offering help to pick a healthier pup this time. Last time when we went to the shelter they literally handed this dog in such a hurry that we did not even enough time to consider whether we should have that one or the other. This time we are taking our time to make a little bit educated move.

Jobwise there is nothing happening. I made another application for a position for which I am very positive that I am gonna get. However, so far nobody called me. I am afraid that the position might already be taken.

The puppy days

Last night I finally lost my cool and hit my puppy.

She has this nipping habit developed lately driving us crazy. We have been constantly reading articles on the net but surely everything we read so far do nothing but confused us more. It looks like there are lots of contradictory information flying up in the air.

Finally, the puppy hit our nerves last night. I felt terrible after hitting her. I thought that her time is coming to go back to where we picked up her, the pound. During that madness, I seriously thought of taking her back. This morning, however, I read more articles on the net and found a consensus on how to train your dog; do not punish her. Well, it is really hard not to when you live in an apartment flat and are concerned about your neighbors need of a quiet night.

Right after I hit her, I found myself thinking how my being a short-tempered person resembles my father's attitude. That thinking made me feel even worse.

I better shape up and calm down. She is just a puppy exploring her world. I really don't want to be one of her plenty of problems, adjusting to a new home, new things, new people around her.

I am gonna try to behave much more kindly toward her. I am gonna be more patient and understanding. That's gonna be easier and painless.

I am glad that we had not made a baby. I have too many things to learn from having a puppy first. I truly don't want to end up like my father; unnecessarily rough on people consequently left alone in his own shitty life.

No news is good news

Well, I have been sending out my resume to several companies that announce vacancies fitting my background. However, none of them are returning back to me. My friends says that I gotta know key people at key positions. I don't know such people unfortunately.

The good news is we got a puppy from a pound. She was sick for a week or so but now she is back again. She is busy with chewing, peeing, pooping and of course crying out lout. Now, she is sitting next to me playing with her toys. She just woke up. That means she has tons of energy. She is a natural anti-depressan. Since her arrival, I sleep better and feel more positive.

Hope things turn around soon. I really need a job, a decent one.