WANTED: ONE GOOD JOB. 
That title should be self-explanatory but it also sounds like the title of a song or a poem. It could also be the title of a book or an autobiography. In fact, I think it should be the title of my autobiography. All my life, I’ve been looking for one good job but then again I’ve had quite a few good jobs.
I’ll tell you what sparked this current blahg. I’m unemployed and unrecognized. It’s as simple as that. Recently I went to the 25 anniversary celebration of the Community Development Council of Quinte (CDCQ) . I have quite a history with this particular agency. I once served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the CDCQ for four years and then was employed there for three years as Social Planner. It was a great time and my friend Roni Summers-Wickens, who passed away last year and was part subject of the blahg “I Am Still Here”, was the Executive Director. My other friend Ann Balding, who now lives and works in British Columbia, was also head of the Food Security department. The agency flourished and we started many great programs that still continue at the CDCQ.
During my time with the CDCQ, we created and ran the Good Food Box, Good Lunch Box, the Good Baby Box, and the Good Backpack programs. I personally came up with the Good Backpack program and was instrumental in the release of Quality of Life reports and the extensive Community Well Being Project. 
I also authored or co-authored with Roni, several white papers on issues of poverty, housing, homelessness, and social growth. I am not trying to brag here but I just wanted to highlight some of the things I am proud of from my time with the CDCQ. Unfortunately, as is the case with good things, money for Social Planning and Research began to dry up and I left the CDCQ on good terms. I briefly kept up my association with the CDCQ and even was able to later work with Ann Balding on the report, “Boxed In. The Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County.”
When I attended the 25th anniversary of the CDCQ, I found that the current employees who ran the programs had no knowledge of Roni, Ann, or myself. It seemed like the history of the CDCQ only started about six years ago with the new Executive Director. There was also no mention of Roni’s passing. I felt lost in a room full of people who had no history with the CDCQ or had no knowledge of the history of the CDCQ. I wasn’t even a relic. I was one of the forgotten.
My resume highlights that during the past twenty years, most of the jobs I have had were contract positions that were time limited and tied to funding that ended when the contracted ended. I am proud of the research I did for these positions or for the reports that I completed. In fact, in the past eighteen months I have completed two extensive reports on affordable housing issues in Hastings County: “HOUSING In Hastings County. A Report on the Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County” and “HOUSING NEED AND DEMAND. A Report on the Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County, 2nd Phase Study”.
The other thing the my resume will highlight is that there have been gaps between contracts. During these years I was unemployed. Sometimes by choice when I needed to take care of my children or, during the past couple of years, I’ve had to take care of my parents. These were tough choices but I think I should be given some credit for making those choices. Some years contracts were scarce and there was no work. My resume doesn’t detail those things. It also doesn’t detail the times I did work and had to learn skills for a job because no one else had those skills and they were essential to the position and to the agency. 
Doing research or troubleshooting a customer’s issues with Internet or Printers, I was like a dog on a bone. I was going to go at that issue until it was done. I’d often go home from work and research the issue so I could resolve it the next time it came up. That’s part of my dedication and work ethic.
So, I need a job. I need a good job. I need a job that fits my experience and my ethics. It needs to be a good fit. The problem is that these don’t exist in my area. I’ve lately found myself going after jobs that are above or below me. I either don’t have the experience the position requires and have to convince an employer than I can learn those skills (and I can…I really can) or I have to convince an employer than I am ready to take a minimum wage job. Recently, I was told by an employer that he wouldn’t hire me for a minimum wage job because he thought with my skills and experiences, I’d probably leave that employer if something better came along. Talk about feeling unwanted again. What’s a guy like me to do? I need a job. I’m not picky and I think I’ve got a great package to offer. Hey, I can even write a blog…even if I choose to call it a blahg.
This blahg is getting a little depressing. I don’t want to dwell on the fact that I’m unemployed and feel under-appreciated or forgotten. I’d rather think of all my great accomplishments but lately it sure does make me feel like singing the blues. 
Maybe that’s what “Wanted: One Good Job” is, the title of a good blues song. I’m not really a blues fan but, to me, one name comes to mind from my record collection when I think about the blues: Jack Teagarden. In the 1960s Teagarden released two great blues/jazz records with his great trumpet sound and distinct singing voice. The first was “Mis’ry And The Blues” from 1961 and if you want to hear some blues, then listen to the title track:
The second great album by Teagarden, this time in 1962 was
“Think Well of Me.” It’s a little more upbeat but has some great chestnuts on it like “Cottage For Sale”, “Tain’t So Honey, Tain’t So”, “Where Are You” and “Don’t Smoke In Bed”. I like all of the tracks but I guess my message for this blahg is the title track to this record:
WANTED: ONE GOOD JOB. If you have one, think of me…think well of me.
