Day 1 of job hunting...and an update on the Gulf...

The oil this time...it is affecting us here already. Destin is about an hour east of Pensacola...I went out job searching today and was pretty disappointed. Everyone is being hit hard by this oil spill. The first place I hit was actually a restaurant that was in the process of opening up. So they are looking at hiring a complete staff and having the restaurant open for business by June 14 (Happy Birthday, Eric!!). That guy was pretty optimistic and upbeat about everything. The second place I hit was a mexican restaurant that, judging by the empty tables as I walked in at noon, heavily depends on tourist business. I asked the manager if he was hiring, and he was fairly frank with me. "If this oil doesn't come this weekend, yes. But I am sorry to say that it is probably going to come and I am probably not going to hire you" You could just tell by the look on his face that he cared about more than just his business. He cared about the town. Not only is Destin, Florida a tourist attraction; it is a fishing town. Has been forever. And it's obviously not just Destin that is being affected. Things that you wouldn't think of, like my grandfather's property that he has been trying to sell for years. It is located right outside of Pensacola in a quaint little town by the name of Gulf Breeze. You may have heard of it; it has been on TV in the past because of its "extraterrestrial activity". Anyway, my grandfather owns a lot (on which his house used to sit. There is a post for another day) This lot, without any property on it, is well worth a million dollars. I am not exaggerating. Before the hurricane that took my grandfather's house, the lot alone was appraised at just under a million dollars. Yeah, the real estate market in general has pretty much gone to hell in a hand basket with the economy, I know. But this lot is going to be worth even less now. Who in their right mind is going to purchase a water front lot with an oil spill and hurricane season approaching? I have seriously advised him to go and speak to a BP representative (which, recently, have came to Destin to hear the claims of the fishermen and businessmen and landowners.) Since the oil is a reason he might not be able to sell his lot, then he might be entitled to make a claim. The only thing wasted by him trying would be time. And if he were able to make a claim, then it would be well worth it. Anyway.

I also put in an application at a small mom-and-pop place that serves food and has a bar. And Longhorn Steakhouse (they offer paid vacation to servers!). I have also decided to keep my Shrimp Shack job. I want to work there like 3 days a week and work as a for real server the rest of the week. So, instead of having a second job, I would have a complimentary job. But it all depends on the oil...

Until next time,