Hi Readers - I am sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been involved in a long-term project at work, which zapped all of my writing creativity.
Yesterday, my company laid off at least 20 people. I, luckily, was not one of them, and have accepted a new job (finally!) with a small company that enjoys teaching and providing services involving technical writing. Yea! It's been a long two years since I home-schooled myself in technical writing through the local community college.
Seeing your co-workers laid off is sad. It's something that I've witnessed several times over the years. Some people are happy and joyful to leave, some are crying in the hallways, and the few men I've seen laid off appear almost suicidal. I suppose men focus so much of themselves into work that they never think of other aspects of their lives providing happiness, such as family or hobbies.
As for myself, I am never bored...I juggle being a single mom, dealing with my mother diagnosed with Alzheimers, keeping my house in semi-order, cooking meals for the growing teenager, providing taxi service to all of the teen's friends, and THEN...I work 40+ hours a week. Sometimes the job seems like a respite from the rest of my life.
For those of you looking for jobs, take the time to post a resume on monster.com. Also follow-up on every lead, recruiter, newspaper ad, and finally (or maybe more importantly, make this STEP 2 after posting on monster)...CALL everyone you know, especially professionally, and let them know you are looking for a job. Telling colleagues and friends you've been laid off is your choice.
Good luck in your job search, and if you need advice about living in Houston, please e-mail me. It may look inviting to live here, yet commuting alone and the electricity bill can eat up at least 50% of your paycheck.
Take care,
Terre
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
New Park in Downtown Houston
http://www.discoverygreen.com/
It's not Central Park in New York, only a mere 13 acres, yet I wanted to share with you one of Houston's newest parks in Downtown Houston, Discovery Green Park. The park is located in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, and I'm definitely looking for an opportunity to drive downtown and take a look.
The Houston Proud committee has been very proactive during the last 10 years, and has rapidly updated the downtown area including the addition of Minute Maid Park (first known as Enron Field and the new home of the Astros) and Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Other developments include the Main Street electric train which runs all the way from the University of Houston Downtown down through the Texas Medical Center and the Reliant Center, home of the Houston Texans.
Now if we could re-focus some of this Houston Proud money on developing a reliable mass-transit system. If we could have rapid transit trains down each major freeway corridor, I think we'd be ready to bring this city into the current century. First vote - the I-10 West Corridor - hint, hint - someone listen up!
It's not Central Park in New York, only a mere 13 acres, yet I wanted to share with you one of Houston's newest parks in Downtown Houston, Discovery Green Park. The park is located in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, and I'm definitely looking for an opportunity to drive downtown and take a look.
The Houston Proud committee has been very proactive during the last 10 years, and has rapidly updated the downtown area including the addition of Minute Maid Park (first known as Enron Field and the new home of the Astros) and Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Other developments include the Main Street electric train which runs all the way from the University of Houston Downtown down through the Texas Medical Center and the Reliant Center, home of the Houston Texans.
Now if we could re-focus some of this Houston Proud money on developing a reliable mass-transit system. If we could have rapid transit trains down each major freeway corridor, I think we'd be ready to bring this city into the current century. First vote - the I-10 West Corridor - hint, hint - someone listen up!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Beautiful dusk at Terry Hershey Park
Attention exercise enthusiasts - Terry Hershey Park continues to be a great place to go relax !
In my last post, I mentioned how my mother had just finished two months of illness. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack over the weekend and has landed back in the hospital again.
Of course, getting that phone call puts a shock in one's system. Last night, I decided to go enjoy walking through Terry Hershey Park and get some of that stress out of my system. I walked along the trails from about 7:55 - 8:30 p.m. At 8:10 on the dot, all of the trail lights came on.
The park maintains wildflowers along the banks of the bayou and among some of the berms or hills along the trails. Black-Eyed Susans, dandelions, natural grasses, and cat tails were abundant everywhere.
Enjoyable sites inlcuded people playing with their dogs, a man and his son throwing a baseball back and forth, and a family of 6 making a full team. Yet another family of 4 biked upwards from the bayou level to the upper level with the oldest child outpacing mom and dad, and the youngest riding in a toddler seat just in front of mom, who definitely got the raw end of the deal.
As I left the park at 8:30, the bugs and mosquitoes started buzzing. Reminder to self - take bug spray next time!
Get out and enjoy this local treasure of a park...Cheers, Terre
In my last post, I mentioned how my mother had just finished two months of illness. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack over the weekend and has landed back in the hospital again.
Of course, getting that phone call puts a shock in one's system. Last night, I decided to go enjoy walking through Terry Hershey Park and get some of that stress out of my system. I walked along the trails from about 7:55 - 8:30 p.m. At 8:10 on the dot, all of the trail lights came on.
The park maintains wildflowers along the banks of the bayou and among some of the berms or hills along the trails. Black-Eyed Susans, dandelions, natural grasses, and cat tails were abundant everywhere.
Enjoyable sites inlcuded people playing with their dogs, a man and his son throwing a baseball back and forth, and a family of 6 making a full team. Yet another family of 4 biked upwards from the bayou level to the upper level with the oldest child outpacing mom and dad, and the youngest riding in a toddler seat just in front of mom, who definitely got the raw end of the deal.
As I left the park at 8:30, the bugs and mosquitoes started buzzing. Reminder to self - take bug spray next time!
Get out and enjoy this local treasure of a park...Cheers, Terre
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Economy in Houston
Hello everyone! I'm back after almost two months of caring for a sick loved one. See my other blog, "Frugal, Single Mom" for details.
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
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