| |
|
February 9, 2010 09:17:11
Posted By Paul F. Mills
|
I recently completed a new novel by Kevin C. Mills, and yes, he is a relative. Now let’s be clear, I didn’t just read the book because Kevin wrote it, although that would be reason enough. I read the book because I already knew that it chronicled the lives of our ancestors in the late 1800’s. In the words of the author, Sons and Daughters of the Ocean. “ is a historical look back at a small coastal village – Brooks Harbor, Maine.
A close proximity to the ocean creates an environment in which the shipping industry is the lifeblood of the town. The community is filled with merchant mariners, shipbuilders and crew. Those that don't earn their keep directly from the sea-faring life either profit or benefit from the shipping industry.
Sammy Jones, Albert Miller and Sarah Dyer are products of that environment. Their families have rich maritime histories and all three characters are about to embark on a distinctive course in their lives that will change them forever. They are not only products of their environment but also have their fortunes shaped by the ocean's impact.”
The story would have been interesting enough, and certainly stands on it’s own with out the rudiments of family history wound all through it, but the added excitement of tracing family history and heritage through the lives of Albert Miller (my great grand father Albert R. Mills) and Sara Dyer (my great grandmother, Sarah Douglass Mills) made it a book hard to put down. The story is set in Brooks, Harbor, Maine, which is actually Brooksville, Maine roots are wound around most everything. You can pick up the history on the book itself from the author at www.kevincmills.com.
If you love history, especially of life along the coast of Maine, this is a must read. Amazon has it, but Kev makes more money if you order it from his web site.
|
|
January 30, 2010 10:44:18
Posted By Paul F. Mills
|
Job searching certainly has highs and lows. This week was a moderately up week. What makes an up week? Well, at this stage of the game it’s anything that is positive. I picked up several very good prospects at a job fair. You already know that I’m not a job fair fan, but Epiphany Catholic Church here in Katy really puts on a GREAT one twice a year. This one actually has major companies in the area with actual open positions. The follow up so far has been positive, which means I haven’t been dropped from consideration yet. More follow up next week on a couple other positions that really interest me.
I did come across a very interesting job description during this week. The printed words covered about ¾ of a page, and believe it or not, it was all one sentence. This, of course, included several colons, and various other forms of punctuation. I read through the description and had absolutely no clue what the job was about, other than it was big on making sure EVERYONE agreed with the decision making process involved with the position. I ran it by a couple of other people with the same results. I decided not to apply for the position, and low and behold, at the job fair one of the recruiters actually asked me if I would be interested in applying for that position! Think fast Paul, don’t sound stupid and say you didn’t understand the job description. I worked my way around that issue and after further explanation I realized that this was something that I would find very interesting, and had a considerable amount of experience in the field. Here’s hoping that others didn’t understand the job description and decided not to apply.
|
|
January 6, 2010 01:32:42
Posted By Paul F. Mills
|
I attended a "Hiring Event" today, hosted by the Texas Workforce Commission for a local hotel. I thought this might be a good opportunity to work my way back into the hotel business since I've been out of it for over 20 years. I thought wrong. Oh, it wasn't because I wasn't qualified for the position I was applying for, or because there were 30 other people there applying for the same job. No, it was a much simpler problem. The job had already been filled prior to the start of the "hiring event". Of course, no one bothered to announce that fact until 2 1/2 hours into the three hour event. By the way, this was advertised as an all day, two day event
What really baffles me about all of this is all the inaccuracies in the job postings themselves and in the actual announcements for the "event". We are reminded over and over again to be sure there are “no mistakes in your cover letter or resume”, and “you must put forth a professional image.” No doubt this is true, but apparently only on the “candidate side”. The fist thought that came to mind as I left the event was the old saying we here time and again. “Would you really like to work for a company like that?” I think the answer in these tough times is “do we have any choice?”
Ah, let out the foxes. The hunt is still on.
|
|
December 30, 2009 07:21:45
Posted By Paul F. Mills
|
I'm wondering if audio books count as actually reading a book. Perhaps a separate category for "books I've listened to" would be a better idea. With all the road trips we've had this past year we have managed to listen to quite a few. Actually, I think I get more out of an audio book than the more common version that requires eye to mind coordination. I find I drift off less with the audio book, missing a chunk here and there for my 30 minute snooze. Best of all, since the sub conscious mind stays engaged while sleeping, rudiments of the story get lodged deep in the brain and surface at the strangest times.
Audio books also fill up the time on those long 12 hour days in the truck, especially when you have two people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum on how much time should be spent talking while driving. Then again, they do provide some topics of conversation such as "what did I miss?" or "who do you think did it?" That alone provides at least 90 seconds of conversation. Oh and don't forget to bring along a portable CD player so you can continue reading before falling asleep at the motel.
|
|
June 10, 2009 12:50:52
Posted By Paul F. Mills
|
Networking isn't one of my favorite things to do. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy meeting people, I just don't like the cold call idea. However, after a couple of networking events the past couple of weeks, I've started to get the feel for it.
I've met a lot of interesting people during this process, although I doubt they will turn out to be people I would hang out with on a regular basis, primarily because I'm not the "hanging out" type. But that's not really the reason for "networking", especially for someone "in transition". It's to find someone, who knows someone, who knows someone who just might be looking for someone who does what I do.
Does it work? Of course it works. It's just easier for some people than others. It's all part of growing and developing. This will be an interesting journey.
Paul
|
|
|
