Game Plan

Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.20.90
Current Song - Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

I went out on a walk at around 12:30 this morning. The purpose was to be able to think without distraction, about stretching what finances I have.

The walk quickly turned into a strategy for job inquiring. Along the walk, which was a good two of three miles long, I came up with a game plan toward getting back in the job world.

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Objective No. 1 is to keep the dreams and goals intact. To do this, I will be focusing on two opposite ends: The here-and-now and the worst-case scenario.


Let's start with worst-case:

I cannot lose the Northern Illinois Sports Beat website, both physically and intellectually.

I am starting plans to fortify the website to prevent it from ceasing operation. At the worst-case, the website would have some changes in terms of content. Right now, I put in some money in order to keep the website as popular as it is. At the worst-case, it could be just me operating the entire website - which is nothing new, since I did it for a long time. The website would thus start fresh, and evolve into a new direction - and perhaps bring back some of the old.

Factoring in website costs, phone bills, gas money, and car insurance, if I remain unemployed I will empty the general fund no later than December, with only Christmas money keeping me from going bust after that. I'm not going to tell exactly how much money I have, but you get the picture.

I have established a couple of buoys in this downturn. One buoy will be the one that makes me go to a Temp Agency to work somewhere I really DO NOT feel like working at. The other buoy will be the time when I'll ask high school sports winter coaches if I could be of service in regards to video taping or statistics.


The here-and-now:

I am closer to getting the papers ready for inquiry into the possible newspaper void that I have discussed. The cover letter is done, the resume needs reviewed, the awards have yet to be copied, and I have one more clip to scan (the Tolstoy-ish piece that I wrote on the RF Softball team in '04). This should be finished by Tuesday night, and then I will immediately mail it.

If 10 days have passed with no response, or if there is an unfavorable response within those 10 days, I will move on toward looking elsewhere.

I noticed a favorable pinpoint on my drive from Big Bend yesterday, and that's the Casey's store in Erie looking for "positions." It seems like last time I went to Erie they were looking for people. That's a start, and I will try to see if there is anything closer before going after this.

I have been working at gas stations for five years, and that is the non-journalism position I feel most comfortable in right now. Erie is 25 miles away from home. I'll look at gas stations within a 25-mile radius (those I feel comfortable working at).

The first call will be to a gas station where a former co-worker of mine is now at. Given the circumstances of my departure from Shell, I will be attempting to see if there is a chance at even considering that particular chain. If that particular store isn't hiring, then I'll spread outward until I reach the 25-mile mark and then contact Erie.

If the gas stations have all been exhausted, then I'll look into the box stores in the Tri-city area. Then I'll start digging up the list of places that I tried applying to back in the summer of 2008 (my last stretch of unemployment).

If the box stores are exhausted, then the gas station radius will spread to 50 miles. If the 50-mile gas station radius is exhausted, then I'll extend the box-store radius to 50 miles. Cities included in this 50-mile radius include: Clinton (IA), the Quad Cities, the Rockford area, Kewanee, Princeton, LaSalle-Peru, Rochelle, DeKalb/Sycamore, Freeport, Oregon, Byron and Mendota.

By the time if any of these areas are exhausted (I would hope not), the first worst-case buoy should be reached.


If anything newspaper sports-like comes up during this time, I'll go after it and rework the game plan.

Your input is welcome.

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Let's get out there, and FIGHT!