Check Your Facts..

New authors are always being told to do the research and to check /double check their facts.  Last week I came to realize that this is as important for readers as it is for writers.

I have to admit that one of my pet peeves is finding mistakes due to poor research by an author. It really ruins the story for me.

I was reading a new book, first in a new mystery series, by an author I had not heard of before.  The book started alright, the main character was quirky and interesting.  The setting was new to me, so intriguing.  Then the author mention that the main character’s late relative had joined the US Army Air Corps in the late 1930s  before the draft started in 1940, I stopped and thought that’s weird, the US didn’t enter WWII until after Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.  Okay, I’ll ask my Dad about that since he joined the US Army Air Corp right after Pearl Harbor.

A page or two later, the author stated that the man has been discharged from the Air Corps in 1945.  Right I thought my Dad entered the Air Corps but was discharged in December of 1945 from the US Air Force since the Army Air Corp became the US Air Force DURING WWII.  I almost stopped reading the book.  But I decided to give the book another chance and I am glad I did.  It was a good story with great, eclectic characters.

So I asked my Dad about the draft, he said that he thought that it had started in the late 1930s, but since he was under 21 when he joined he didn’t get a draft until after the war.  I asked why did we had a draft before we went to war.  And he said that the government was worried about Germany coming across the Atlantic and that there were strong hints that Japan was getting ready to start trouble.  So I looked it up on line and found this web page united-states-imposes-the-draft .  September 16, 1940 was when congress and President Roosevelt signed the Burke-Wadsworth Act for Selective Training and Service.

I also asked about someone being discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1945 and he said that it was possible.  A small branch of the Air Corps remained with the Army after the rest became the US Air Force.  I looked that up too, it was a bit harder to find but finally I found this short web page air corps which states that the Army Air Corps existed until 1947.

The author was correct and I learned something very valuable.  Check MY research as a reader as well as a writer.

Coincidences?

What do you believe?

A few days before I was laid-off I found a business card on my truck window for NeedEncourage.com.  For some reason I put it in my wallet.  I found it the other day I went to the website.  There’s a page on the site with links to job search sites and career development, etc.

I’ve been wanting to take an online class for writing but couldn’t afford the money or time.  Last week I received an email for such a class at a price I can afford. I’m learning  a lot from this class.

Last night I just mentioned that I need to find a fax machine, he told me he used to go to Fedex/Kinkos. I found one near the Barnes & Noble I hang out at and their price is good.

Tonight, my Dad hands me a flyer he found on he’s vehicle, it’s for JobCenterOfWisconsin.com

Coincidence or answers to prayers? I prefer to believe the latter.

Then yesterday, I read an email about a phone scam, two hours later someone called, it’s the same scam. I told him that I knew all about the scam and hung up. The idiot called back today, same voice and background noise but different scam. I told him off again and hung up. He actually called back! Said that I was too fast for him.

How I Feel Now That I’ve Been Laid Off – Part2

                                        

Slept until 8:00am.  I’ve been trying to think positively.  Before I got the call informing about the lay-off I had been thinking about extending my vacation.  So I’m treating June as a long vacation.

I now have to write a resume, learn to type, work on my writing, and really clean house.  Maybe see the sites around Milwaukee, it’s been a long time since I’ve done that.  That will give me something else to write about.  I just learned this weekend that there is a ghost walk downtown.

I’ve been relearning my electronics, that should help with getting a new job.  I also found information on how to make my LinkedIn site more attractive.

I also got some story ideas from talking to my Aunt (Dad’s sister).  She is an alumni of Marquettte University Business School back in the 40s and worked for the government during WWII.  M y mom also went to MU and was one of the first 2 women to finally be accepted in their  Pre-Med program.  She also worked for the government during WWII.

Plus, now I have time for the gym, really need to lose 20-30 pounds.

Thoughts about being unemployed

7 June 2012  4:15am

                                        

It’s all very surreal, here I am, 53 years old and laid off for the first time in my life.  I had been briefly unemployed a couple of times when I was young, but I had left those jobs, they didn’t leave me.

I’d been working at the same place for almost 33 years, filling various job descriptions, over all those years.  You need to be flexible to stay employed these days.  I thought that I had made myself into a valuable employee, but I guess not.  Now I feel so unwanted and afraid.

It’s not a good idea to complain about the company you work for, or have worked for, especially online where anyone can read it.  Luckily, for me, I really don’t have anything truly bad to say about this last place I worked for.  Oh sure, I didn't agree with some policies and decisions over the years, but that’s normal for everyone I think.  There were some changes put in place that were, obvious to me, that were doomed from the start, but some things that I thought would be mistakes turned out alright.  Overall, it’s been a nice place to work.

Most of my former co-workers are/were good people, not perfect, but that’s makes them interesting.  Many of them have touched my heart and soul.  I will truly miss them, just as I miss the former ones.

Do I get a few part-time jobs, or hold out for full-time?  What about contract work?  And most importantly, how do I pay for my medicine and doctor bills