Hello, everyone. It's your long, lost blogger friend coming at you live from a remote beach on an even more tropical island paradise. I'm not going to say which one, though. It could be Hawaii. It could be the Virgin Islands. It might even be on the island of Wyomingda. My wife and I are enjoying the warm sun, sandy beaches and the fact that we left the kids hundreds of miles away. The 12YO can take care of the two little ones. She's very mature for her age. Plus we are already here. What do you want me to do about that now?!? Excuse me while I order another drink.
(What you have just witnessed was NOT real. It was just a test of the One Day I Will Do This Emergency Blog Intro. In the event of an actual tropical visit, you can almost 100% guarantee that you would not see anything from me during the trip except some random Tweets or Facebook Status Updates like: "Hey, this island has BIG coconuts!" or "I promise those last 3 pics were NOT inspired by Margaritaville. OK... they really were. Make that the last 37 pics." or even "Note to self: Make sure to sit out of arms reach or better yet throwing distance when going to a tropical island with your wife. I love you, honey! You're the best wife in the world! :-)" )
The reality of all of this is that there hasn't been ANY time for writing. Over the last month or so the Que family was hit with some very serious medical news. I probably won't get into it much in my blog but you never, EVER expect to hear that kind of news. But we are pushing forward. More recent news has been much better than the previous 3 - 4 weeks. So we are a lot more optimistic and positive. Plus, I have a wonderful wife and 3 lovely children. It's hard to stay negative long with they are around. But when people are hit with really powerful news they handle it differently. I would imagine that a REAL writer would want to write about it. It helps the mind when the pen in moving. (I would have said when the keys are clicking but it doesn't sound as poetic.) But I'm not a REAL writer. So, I didn't want any pens to move (or keys clicking). But that definitely contributed to a little bit of blogging silence.
Another reason for silence is that I'm working about 87+ hours a week (when you add commute time). I work 2 full-time jobs. I also work 7 days a week. There is even a 60hr stretch in there where I only get 8hrs of sleep... total. I don't tell that for any awards or medals. (Banana pudding would be nice though!) I do what any husband/father (any not EVERY, mind you) would do in my situation. I just told that to let you know that I'm working with a few minor time constraints right now. Because when I do have some free time my wife and kids want some attention. (The nerve!)
It's not all as bad as it sounds, though. The bills are getting paid. We are finally moving forward financially. Not a lot of families can say that in the economy right now. Another thing a lot of people can't say is that I like BOTH of my jobs. Actually, I LOVE one of them and I REALLY like the other. But I'm not going to post which is which. I will let each job feel like I love them the most. :) It's kinda like how I am with my kids! (My wife is not going to like THAT joke.)
But I did find out some great news at one of my jobs, though. I found out that if I ever needed a bladder transplant (if they even do that) there is a donor right there!!! I didn't do a complete scientific, medical analysis or anything. But I would beg to say that our bladders have exactly the same size, shape and spongitude (absorbency) because we met each other in the bathroom at least 5 times in one day. And I know most of you are thinking "5 times???" Why in the bathroom so much? But I have been drinking a lot of water lately. I'm back on my getting to my target weight thing again. (Watching The Biggest Loser does that to me.) The good news is that I'm finally (due to an ill-conceived stomach virus (get it??? ILL-conceived... stomach virus... whatever)) down to my last 10lbs. So the weight loss thing is back in order. Now I just need to find an easy way to get my co-worker's driver's license to see if he's an organ donor. I would ask him but that would be an odd, out-of-the-blue question to ask someone you have only seen but have never talked to. I'm sure he would find that a little suspicious.
Well, I have to go now. I hope that when this is all over, I will still have my 3 readers. And maybe I will find a time in the near future to catch up on reading some of writings of my favorite bloggers. You all know who you are and you know I haven't commented in a while. Sorry. Just remember YOU are my favorite blogger. And I'm not just saying you're my favorite. It's not like you are my jobs or my kids. (Best Wife EVER!) :-)
2G8J95KV6ZQF
Showing posts with label 2nd job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2nd job. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Reeducation of America... and me
I was asked (in a non-nosy manner) why I took on a 2nd Full-Time job. So I figure if THAT person was wondering the same thing, then someone else probably is too. I have decided appease the masses and give a little insight into the World of Que. Unfortunately, this section will be classified as the non-funny portion of Que World. It's a pretty small section but has a HUGE impact.
Where to start... Well, we have debt. That's the simple truth. We, like most American households, have enough debt that it makes us uncomfortable. We have tried a lot of avenues to rid ourselves of the evilness of debt. Some worked but none worked well. So we decided to try OUR last resort. And that was to increase our income by finding another job.
It's the dietary equivalent of trying to lose weight but not knowing the right way. Then trying every diet plan under the sun. THEN after having marginal success with some plans and complete failure with others, deciding to go to the last resort... a lot of exercise! This is us putting aside a lot of other "luxuries" in life and getting on the dreaded financial treadmill and just running until we pass out... literally.
I personally think the debt mentality starts a lot earlier than we care to accept. I started teaching our oldest daughter about debt and finances at the age of 7. Some may feel that is early. But I don't think it's early enough. It wasn't like I was having her file my taxes. I was just teaching her basic principles of money. But not just that. I was teaching her some of the basic principles of finance. I think this is where the disconnect in my life started.
My parents didn't teach me those lessons. I don't BLAME them one single bit, though. They grew up poor. Their parents grew up poor. And their parents before them grew up poor. (You get the picture.) So how do you teach your child about how to bake a chocolate cake if no one ever taught you how an over works? Eventually, if you are to break the cycle, someone has to teach someone how to bake a cake!
Another place that I think fails is school. And I'm not talking about all schools. As a matter of fact, I think teachers should be one of the highest paid professions in the world. But here is what I'm talking about with school. School is supposed to help prepare us for life AFTER school. One of the biggest (if not THE biggest) dilemmas we face after school is how to handle money. So why isn't there a LOT more emphasis on that? Yeah, we learn what money is and how to use (spend) it. But most of us never truly learn how it works. And that is the HUGE fail in my book.
If we really think schools are supposed to help prepare us for life, then this is something that should be taught almost every day and at almost every grade level. Finances should be a reflex by the time you graduate. We are a capitalistic society. And that is true whether you agree with it's principles are not. I just think that economics classes in school should have more "real world" value and not just a class that people glide through. As important as money is (again whether you like it or not) economics should be ranked up there with reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. I think we as a society should be given better tools to deal with such a huge problem that affects everyone.
I know some of that sounded like a rant but it really wasn't meant to be that way. I honestly believe that ultimately, we are responsible for WHO we are as well as WHERE we are in life. So this is not a pity party "blame the system" post. This is more of a "yes, most of us were failed but here's what WE plan to do about it going forward" post. I do believe that it's sad when you live in a time when you feel having 2 full-time jobs a blessing. But that's what it is and where we are at this point.
For those of you who would think that I'm not doing this to have some of the the finer things in life... You would be WILDLY mistaken. I would much rather get some sleep than to work extra hours to get the first flat-panel HDTV for the home. We are really doing this so our family doesn't have to sacrifice one kids dreams for another. We are doing this so that we don't ever have to rely on anyone (friends, family, govt) from now to well past old age (retirement and such). We are doing this so that 5 years from now we aren't STILL telling our kids they can't go to the movies, to the store or even to a friends house because we can't afford it. We are doing this so that emergencies don't cause us to have to decide whether to keep the house or the car. We are doing this so that when my 3 girls get married off (in their 40s because they can't date until then) they will start life knowing how money works and knowing the best way to keep from having to work 2 jobs is to make sure you stay out of debt to begin with. We are doing this to help break the "poor" cycle. And, truly, we are doing this so that our finances start to have some resemblance of our character. For me they haven't matched since college. And it's LONG overdue.
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| Money, Money, Money |
It's the dietary equivalent of trying to lose weight but not knowing the right way. Then trying every diet plan under the sun. THEN after having marginal success with some plans and complete failure with others, deciding to go to the last resort... a lot of exercise! This is us putting aside a lot of other "luxuries" in life and getting on the dreaded financial treadmill and just running until we pass out... literally.
I personally think the debt mentality starts a lot earlier than we care to accept. I started teaching our oldest daughter about debt and finances at the age of 7. Some may feel that is early. But I don't think it's early enough. It wasn't like I was having her file my taxes. I was just teaching her basic principles of money. But not just that. I was teaching her some of the basic principles of finance. I think this is where the disconnect in my life started.
My parents didn't teach me those lessons. I don't BLAME them one single bit, though. They grew up poor. Their parents grew up poor. And their parents before them grew up poor. (You get the picture.) So how do you teach your child about how to bake a chocolate cake if no one ever taught you how an over works? Eventually, if you are to break the cycle, someone has to teach someone how to bake a cake!
Another place that I think fails is school. And I'm not talking about all schools. As a matter of fact, I think teachers should be one of the highest paid professions in the world. But here is what I'm talking about with school. School is supposed to help prepare us for life AFTER school. One of the biggest (if not THE biggest) dilemmas we face after school is how to handle money. So why isn't there a LOT more emphasis on that? Yeah, we learn what money is and how to use (spend) it. But most of us never truly learn how it works. And that is the HUGE fail in my book.
If we really think schools are supposed to help prepare us for life, then this is something that should be taught almost every day and at almost every grade level. Finances should be a reflex by the time you graduate. We are a capitalistic society. And that is true whether you agree with it's principles are not. I just think that economics classes in school should have more "real world" value and not just a class that people glide through. As important as money is (again whether you like it or not) economics should be ranked up there with reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. I think we as a society should be given better tools to deal with such a huge problem that affects everyone.
I know some of that sounded like a rant but it really wasn't meant to be that way. I honestly believe that ultimately, we are responsible for WHO we are as well as WHERE we are in life. So this is not a pity party "blame the system" post. This is more of a "yes, most of us were failed but here's what WE plan to do about it going forward" post. I do believe that it's sad when you live in a time when you feel having 2 full-time jobs a blessing. But that's what it is and where we are at this point.
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| In case you are looking to buy me something but didn't quite know what to get. |
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Week Two Down... 50 more to go!
Man, you miss writing in your blog for one week and the world gets angry. I have received death threats. (No I haven't.) People have threatened to hold my dogs hostage until I make another post. (I completely made that one up, too.) My family and friends don't want to talk to me anymore. (Ok, that part may be true. But it has nothing to do with my blog. It has something to do with shaming my friends and the family name at a past New Year's Eve Party. (Who knew polka music was out of style and the accordion never was in? I most certainly didn't!)) With all of that in mind, I decided it was time to come out of hiding and write a small something for you guys out there who are reading this... my true fan. (This is a shout out to all ONE of you.)
I wish I had something good to write. It has been a long week. It's the 1st week in which I have worked both of my full-time jobs. Again, in one of my previous blogs, I said I was not going to complain. (I lied. I probably will. Just not right now.) I am a little tired, though, but that's to be expected. I get to bed close to Midnight (after Midnight when training is over) and I get up at 5:00 AM. It's a vicious cycle, but necessary. I should be tireder that I am. I'm sure that will catch up with me. I don't require much sleep so I'm fine at the moment. Besides, I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep on the way in to my first job every morning. (I can't confirm that I sleep on the way in. I can just say I don't EVER remember the drive.)
I will take a moment to say one thing that I thought I was going to miss out on but it turns out I was wrong. I thought I was going to miss out on all of the happiness I used to get when I got home from work. That turns out to not be the case. Every time I walk into the room (from upstairs working), my two youngest girls yell out "DADDY!!!" The baby one even stops what she is doing and comes running to give me hug to go with the wonderful screaming. That's something money can't buy and something that can't be explained to someone who has never experienced it. It gives me the strength to go back upstairs and continue working. I'm doing it for all four of the wonderful girls in my life. (On the other note to this... When I get back upstairs and I hear all of the OTHER screaming and yelling going on downstairs a whole different emotion goes over me. It ALSO gives me the strength to stay upstairs and keep working.)
I HAVE noticed, too, that I don't notice as much. I'm sure that will change as I get into a groove. But I don't see the funny in ordinary stuff as much. Not that I'm sad, by any means. But I'm thinking about work a lot (both jobs) right now. So, my mind is more occupied with work stuff than play stuff. And that's not normally me. I have ALWAYS been good at separating work and home. But now I'm in this weird middle ground between the two. I'm not sure what I want to call this 2-ingredient jambalaya of metaphysical existences that mixes all of the joys and pains of home with the all of the joys and pains of work. Using a little creative liberty, I think I will call it a state of "homework". (I might have to Trademark or patent that name or something. Now that I'm using it, it will spread like wildfire. (Oooo... I like that phrase too!)) But in any event, this "homework" thing is going to take some time to sort out and become second nature. And when it does, I can go back to writing once or twice a week instead of once or twice a month.
So if you see me walking around in a daze I assure you I'm not thinking about parties of New Year's Eve past. (I'm over that! And you should be too. Everyone knows Polka is King!) I'm just in the middle of thinking over my homework and how to get an A+ in both.
While I'm studying, I will leave you with this.
I wish I had something good to write. It has been a long week. It's the 1st week in which I have worked both of my full-time jobs. Again, in one of my previous blogs, I said I was not going to complain. (I lied. I probably will. Just not right now.) I am a little tired, though, but that's to be expected. I get to bed close to Midnight (after Midnight when training is over) and I get up at 5:00 AM. It's a vicious cycle, but necessary. I should be tireder that I am. I'm sure that will catch up with me. I don't require much sleep so I'm fine at the moment. Besides, I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep on the way in to my first job every morning. (I can't confirm that I sleep on the way in. I can just say I don't EVER remember the drive.)
I will take a moment to say one thing that I thought I was going to miss out on but it turns out I was wrong. I thought I was going to miss out on all of the happiness I used to get when I got home from work. That turns out to not be the case. Every time I walk into the room (from upstairs working), my two youngest girls yell out "DADDY!!!" The baby one even stops what she is doing and comes running to give me hug to go with the wonderful screaming. That's something money can't buy and something that can't be explained to someone who has never experienced it. It gives me the strength to go back upstairs and continue working. I'm doing it for all four of the wonderful girls in my life. (On the other note to this... When I get back upstairs and I hear all of the OTHER screaming and yelling going on downstairs a whole different emotion goes over me. It ALSO gives me the strength to stay upstairs and keep working.)
I HAVE noticed, too, that I don't notice as much. I'm sure that will change as I get into a groove. But I don't see the funny in ordinary stuff as much. Not that I'm sad, by any means. But I'm thinking about work a lot (both jobs) right now. So, my mind is more occupied with work stuff than play stuff. And that's not normally me. I have ALWAYS been good at separating work and home. But now I'm in this weird middle ground between the two. I'm not sure what I want to call this 2-ingredient jambalaya of metaphysical existences that mixes all of the joys and pains of home with the all of the joys and pains of work. Using a little creative liberty, I think I will call it a state of "homework". (I might have to Trademark or patent that name or something. Now that I'm using it, it will spread like wildfire. (Oooo... I like that phrase too!)) But in any event, this "homework" thing is going to take some time to sort out and become second nature. And when it does, I can go back to writing once or twice a week instead of once or twice a month.
So if you see me walking around in a daze I assure you I'm not thinking about parties of New Year's Eve past. (I'm over that! And you should be too. Everyone knows Polka is King!) I'm just in the middle of thinking over my homework and how to get an A+ in both.
While I'm studying, I will leave you with this.
And if you STILL don't like polka after listening to this whole song
then something is wrong with YOU!
For the life of me I can't figure out why my wife can't appreciate this guy.
then something is wrong with YOU!
For the life of me I can't figure out why my wife can't appreciate this guy.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
W.W.D.D.
SERIOUS SUNDAY
It has been quiet on the Que Family front. We have been staying out of trouble. And it's not that we necessarily WANT to stay out of trouble. We just don't have the financial backing to get INTO said trouble. With the current state of the economy, a lot of us find ourselves standing on the dock and the ship has long since set sail. Some have been able to move on. Some are still waiting for the ship to come back. Unfortunately, that ship will not be returning for most of us.
With everything going on, I had to ask myself.... W.W.D.D. (What Would Daddy Do?) I know that's a take on What Would Jesus Do? I didn't meant to steal it. (I promise!) But I had to take a new approach to the current set of circumstances. To be honest, I'm sure I could use Jesus' principles and words to help in these times since the words are timeless. But sometimes it's a little hard to relate to someone who wasn't married, didn't have kids (especially little ones), didn't have a mortgage, never made a car payment, didn't have student loans, still lived with his mother even in his 30s, and whose father COULD have bailed him out of any financial difficulty if it had ever become necessary.
Sure, he had his own share of problems. And none of them would make me want to change positions with him. But this isn't a life comparison. It's just a statement to show that, at this moment, I'm looking for someone to get an idea from who has been "there" and done "that". I love you, Jesus. You are the savior for my soul. But right now I'm going to look up to someone else for my particular set of problems... my father.
When I was younger, my family was very poor. So my father had a lot of the been "theres" and done "thats". But there is one thing that really stands out to me. When we were going through a particularly difficult time I didn't see my father that much for a few years. It wasn't because he was a deadbeat dad. It wasn't because he left all of his responsibilities. It wasn't because he didn't want to be there for his family during the tough time. It was exactly the opposite. My father took a second job to help pull us out of the trouble we found ourselves in. He bit the bullet for a couple of years and did what he thought was best for the family. That's where I am right now.
Living in a sea of debt and not being able to swim has created more than its share of issues. So I decided to tackle this issue as my father would. Starting this week I will have two employers. Honestly, it's going to suck pretty bad! But you won't hear me complain much about it here. As bad as it is, I will still feel blessed to have two jobs when a lot of Americans don't even have one.
But even with that understanding there is a fair amount of sucky things I will have to accept for a while. This decision will mean that I will be spending less time with my wife and kids. So, I will miss all of the gymnastics meets. I will miss all of the school meetings. I will miss all of the family dinners at the table. I will miss out on seeing my kids (especially the little ones) learn new things (my wife MUST record some of those). I will miss the putting the kids to bed at night. I will miss sleep. (That one won't be too bad though. The kids don't let us sleep as it is.) And I will miss taking the kids to see the grandparents.
There are a lot of other things I will miss but I don't have the time to list them all. This sacrifice now is to help insure a better future for my family. When you are in debt you don't get to enjoy all of those things I mentioned as much anyway. It's something you are always thinking about. Money (or lack there of) always makes its way into every aspect of your life.
So, this is how I plan to take control of the situation. This is where our family starts to get some of its freedom back. With every debt gone comes another opportunity to enjoy all of the other things that make life worth living.
I would tell everyone to pray for me because this will be a tough journey. But honestly, I would much rather you pray for my wife. I may be taking another job but she is the one who is making the real sacrifice. She has spend more time with our 3 crazy kids without me as a buffer. (I really didn't do much anyway so nothing will change.)
It has been quiet on the Que Family front. We have been staying out of trouble. And it's not that we necessarily WANT to stay out of trouble. We just don't have the financial backing to get INTO said trouble. With the current state of the economy, a lot of us find ourselves standing on the dock and the ship has long since set sail. Some have been able to move on. Some are still waiting for the ship to come back. Unfortunately, that ship will not be returning for most of us.
With everything going on, I had to ask myself.... W.W.D.D. (What Would Daddy Do?) I know that's a take on What Would Jesus Do? I didn't meant to steal it. (I promise!) But I had to take a new approach to the current set of circumstances. To be honest, I'm sure I could use Jesus' principles and words to help in these times since the words are timeless. But sometimes it's a little hard to relate to someone who wasn't married, didn't have kids (especially little ones), didn't have a mortgage, never made a car payment, didn't have student loans, still lived with his mother even in his 30s, and whose father COULD have bailed him out of any financial difficulty if it had ever become necessary.
Sure, he had his own share of problems. And none of them would make me want to change positions with him. But this isn't a life comparison. It's just a statement to show that, at this moment, I'm looking for someone to get an idea from who has been "there" and done "that". I love you, Jesus. You are the savior for my soul. But right now I'm going to look up to someone else for my particular set of problems... my father.
When I was younger, my family was very poor. So my father had a lot of the been "theres" and done "thats". But there is one thing that really stands out to me. When we were going through a particularly difficult time I didn't see my father that much for a few years. It wasn't because he was a deadbeat dad. It wasn't because he left all of his responsibilities. It wasn't because he didn't want to be there for his family during the tough time. It was exactly the opposite. My father took a second job to help pull us out of the trouble we found ourselves in. He bit the bullet for a couple of years and did what he thought was best for the family. That's where I am right now.
Living in a sea of debt and not being able to swim has created more than its share of issues. So I decided to tackle this issue as my father would. Starting this week I will have two employers. Honestly, it's going to suck pretty bad! But you won't hear me complain much about it here. As bad as it is, I will still feel blessed to have two jobs when a lot of Americans don't even have one.
But even with that understanding there is a fair amount of sucky things I will have to accept for a while. This decision will mean that I will be spending less time with my wife and kids. So, I will miss all of the gymnastics meets. I will miss all of the school meetings. I will miss all of the family dinners at the table. I will miss out on seeing my kids (especially the little ones) learn new things (my wife MUST record some of those). I will miss the putting the kids to bed at night. I will miss sleep. (That one won't be too bad though. The kids don't let us sleep as it is.) And I will miss taking the kids to see the grandparents.
There are a lot of other things I will miss but I don't have the time to list them all. This sacrifice now is to help insure a better future for my family. When you are in debt you don't get to enjoy all of those things I mentioned as much anyway. It's something you are always thinking about. Money (or lack there of) always makes its way into every aspect of your life.
So, this is how I plan to take control of the situation. This is where our family starts to get some of its freedom back. With every debt gone comes another opportunity to enjoy all of the other things that make life worth living.
I would tell everyone to pray for me because this will be a tough journey. But honestly, I would much rather you pray for my wife. I may be taking another job but she is the one who is making the real sacrifice. She has spend more time with our 3 crazy kids without me as a buffer. (I really didn't do much anyway so nothing will change.)
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