Skip to main content

Reality Sinking In

If you know me, then you know I lost my job January 1 due to county-wide funding cuts.  I had a choice to either transfer to a different site in November or stick it out until the end with my clients, many of whom needed assistance in securing alternate housing.

Well, I chose to stick it out with my clients. It seemed like the right thing to do. I figured a position within the agency would open up sooner or later or I'd just find another job.  This turned out to not be the case.

I had some money stashed away, so I figured I'd be set for a while. I also was expecting a decent tax return, so I figured it would all work out.

Well, the car needed a lot of work, so that got put on the back burner until the income tax return came in. Then the IRS decided to take my tax return and give it to my student loans. Then I got hit with a couple of surprise bills. We all know the story. Life is good at throwing curve balls.

Every day, I looked for jobs. I sent resumes, filled out applications, set up a profile on Monster.com, all the usual stuff. Alas, the county-wide funding cuts hit everyone in my field. I tried for an old job of mine (my personal fave job of all time!) but when I sent my resume through their website, it never got to my former plant manager, so she had to give the job to someone else. Just my luck.

The days to turned to weeks and months...and still nothing. Without a car, it limited what I could/couldn't do for freelance gigs. It also limited my ability to go out and book music gigs (which in the past was always my fall back income). 

Here it is July...and I'm still out of work. Boo hoo, I know. Reality has finally kicked in. Money, which was already tight, is about to get even tighter. I've exhausted my UC and the state is screwing around with my EUC paperwork. I'm still job hunting. I've had a few good interviews...but still nothing.

So, I need money...and I have to do the one thing I've always dreaded. I have to sell off some of my guitars. Just reading what I typed fills me with dread. The economy is bad, so I know I probably won't get what they're worth...but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? A man's gotta eat! I got bills to pay, like it or not.

OK, I'm not looking for sympathy here. That and $1.50 might get me a cup of coffee. If you're reading this, maybe you know someone doing some hiring...or on the look out for a nice guitar at a reasonable price. Either way, it'd be a help.

These are the 1st ones going up for sale:

 
 1959 Harmony H1214


 
 Washburn 12 string

 1961 Hilo Soprano Uke

 
and most regrettably, my Republic WB Triolian resophonic


This is a sad time for me. I'm not a materialistic person...but my guitars are such a big part of my life...always have been. I know I'll get over it...these are just objects...and they can (and will) be replaced. It just sucks having to do this.

I never thought that at my age, I'd have to resort to this. Sheesh........

OK, enough of my whining.  It's time for me to look on the bright side. I feel good. My health seems pretty good. A lot of people love and care about me. AND I have these to sell...which is more than many in my situation. So no sniveling here. I gotta do this.

Fingers crossed that I'll have a new job SOON!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clearing up the Great Gretsch/Rockabilly Sham!

I've had a long-standing friendly argument with a couple of friends about guitars. This has gone on for 20+ years. We're all pickers, and we're all usually lumped under the rockabilly category too. They both love Gretsch guitars. I can take them or leave them. Rockabilly fans have asked me many times why I don't play a Gretsch, which is often associated with rockabilly music.   First, I point out that what I play ain't exactly rockabilly. Sure, there's a definite rockabilly influence...but there's also blues, jazz, surf, garage, punk, country, Tex-Mex, and even some Gypsy & African influences in my music. A Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it. Don't get me wrong, Gretsches have their place and their own, unique sound. But...for a picker who is coming from the afore-mentioned influences, a Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it.   The new Gretsches, mostly reissues, are well-made guitars. MUCH better made than the original ones, which tended to ...

Since they changed YOUR life, how about YOU changing someone else's?

The recent deaths of Lemmy and David Bowie have caused a mighty ripple through humankind. People that I never would've guessed to be "fans" have shown their true colors. An old lady I know, it turns out, is a huge Motorhead fan. Folks I work with, who seem much more at home listening to bland modern country, have vocalized their lifelong love of Bowie's music and movies. These two musicians changed a lot of lives for the better. Both died of cancer. As a two-time cancer survivor, as well as being a musician, their death hit home with me...and hit hard. I was lucky enough, both times, to not only survive but to also have decent health insurance at the time. My out of pocket costs were minimal. Many aren't so lucky. With Obamacare we're all forced to pony up for affordable health insurance...or be fined. For many, it's just not feasible. One of the groups hardest hit by the US health care nightmare is musicians. Professional musicians make their liv...

Colin Hardy: We'll Meet Again

 2026 has been off to a rough start. Not even a month in, and I’ve already lost a few friends. Now, before anyone reaches for the tiny violins and assumes I’m whinging - relax. I’m not. Yes, it always hurts to lose someone, but I’ve learned to use moments like these to lean into the good memories: the reasons we got along in the first place. This morning, I found out my old buddy Colin Hardy passed away over the weekend. Col hailed from Stoke-On-Trent (which I always jokingly called Stoke-On-Rye ). He was a working-class bloke through and through, but we shared a deep love of music — especially the old-school rockin’ variety. We first crossed paths on a music-sharing site and immediately began raiding each other’s collections. This was back in the dial-up days, when downloading a single MP3 could take half an hour if the phone didn’t ring. Eventually, we started emailing instead. Col sent me tracks by the likes of Crazy Cavan, Freddie Fingers Lee, and others. He was always hungry f...