Category: Diary of a Wooley kid

Check me out, all bloggin’ like I know stuff.

  • Today is a New Day

    Today is a New Day

    However you feel about the “Blue Wave” that just hit the US, you probably still woke up to an alarm this morning, got dressed, and drove to a job you hate. You still have bills to pay and mouths to feed. Whether you cheered or cried over the election results, down here in the real world, nothing has changed in your routine.

    Personally, I would love to wake up for a job I hate. My 6-month vacation has been great & all, but there are no more coins left to loot from the sofa cushions. I got my last $36 from unemployment earlier this week. Now I am officially worthless.

    I did score a freelance gig for a logo design last night. The happy response from the client was a much needed boost for my confidence. I still got it, y’all!


    Air Force Amy update

    As far as I can tell, my first time dropping and reinstalling a transmission in my old square-body pickup with a new torque converter was a success. However, she had issues starting when warmed up, so this led me to investigate. I discovered my exhaust leak did more than make noise โ€“ it melted my starter wires. Simple problems like this are made more difficult when I live miles from stores, and the only running vehicle is with my wife at work a half-hour away.

    Not knowing what I’m doing with wire splicing, I’ve added much stupid to the repair. I’ve had to start over a couple times already, and the wires I need to splice to, are getting shorter and harder to reach. After a cup of coffee and another bowl… (of corn flakes, of course), I will crawl under my truck for the umpteenth time and try to finish this. The day after tomorrow, I’m hoping Amy can haul a trailer an hour to Yerington for a Desert Pigs cleanup.


    My poor neglected Pigs!

    I have been a shitty president this month. With truck repairs, job loss, and a few personal stresses and tragedies, it’s been way too long since I had my work boots and gloves on. And I’m feeling it!

    Many of us Desert Pigs share a mental health condition called Pig Syndrome. The disorder can be seen when volunteers have experienced too many consecutive Saturdays, not picking up trash in the desert. You may think I’m kidding, but it’s real! I thought it was just me, but I’ve heard many Pigs explain how they get in a funk on weeks they don’t go out. The dopamine hit from superhero work is very addicting.

    If I can’t perform a miracle on my truck today, I will put the word out for anyone willing to drag a trailer to Yerington. Even if I have to go out in my wife’s Subaru and fill grocery bags with trash, I WILL GO OUT!


    Oh, did you notice…?

    I’ve been doing some more remodeling to the site. You may notice a couple wonky-looking pages, since I have to tweak a few hundred more to match the format. I swear, it’s not obsessive compulsive disorder driving me to keep redesigning; however ADHD certainly had a hand in it.

    In case you wondered, AI did not design anything on PhilWooley.com. While I have started using it a little for proofreading and testing for bugs, every shape, color, and line of text was banged out with my own brain cells and fingertips. There are over 600 pages total.

    As an acquaintance recently said publicly while defending his commissioner pal, “Phil, we all know you just like attention.” He’s not wrong. The whole idea of this website is to get the attention of Lyon County residents, and encourage them to come back.

    If readers buy a little figure of a skeleton in a hoodie, holding up a middle finger, I get a couple pennies from the TikTok store. Adsense was junking up my site too much to keep, and averaged about $5 per month. I have gotten a couple $10 tips, which are much appreciated. I never got any response that one time I reached out to local businesses for advertising.

    Obviously, I have no skills when it comes to sales. I grew up as a beast of burden for sales reps to make more money off my skills than I ever have. By default, I want to make people happy more than I want to sell them something.


    Chin up, Phil!

    A dark thought sometimes runs through my brain. Before the Casino gave me a good review, then kicked me to the curb anyway, I had a $150,000 life insurance policy. At one point, while still insured, I had a blood pressure spike that was at stroke level. Had I not called LaGrande to rush me to the ER that day, my family would have gotten that money. Lisa could have paid off the house. Instead, I am still here, kept alive with 20 milligrams of Lisinopril per day, as I contribute nothing but dead weight to the household finances.

    Of course, I can’t imagine my wife and babies all mourning me. Some things are worth more than financial stability. Therefore, the only option left is hope.

    Something will work out.

    Today is a new day! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Wanna buy a T-Shirt?

    I drew this a long time ago, then never did anything with it.

    …So then, here I am thinking, “I really need a job,” but I can’t seem to nail one.

    …So then I’m all like, “Dude, I got good stuff to go on T-shirts!”

    If y’all would buy some, I’ll get them made HERE LOCALLY!

    HMU:

    Who would buy one?


  • Ilegitimi Non Carborundum

    Before anyone slides that soap box into position, I know. My mouth and keyboard warrior ethos are curses more often than blessings. No doubt, I get all sorts of respect and high-fives, and I have the power to gather good people to do good things in short timespans. But the side effects include a few hundred people that hate me, occasional instances of vandalism of my property (few and far between), being denied access to political gatherings, and people who actually go out of their way to call, email and message anywhere I work or volunteer, to explain to them why I am “demonic”.

    Recently, as I was applying for a janitorial position at a local paint manufacturing plant, the management saw my name, then told Man Power Staffing that they had already interviewed me and turned me down. That’s odd, considering I’ve never spoken to anyone from that business.

    Hell, just a couple days ago, I had some old guy on NextDoor try to torpedo my chances in the Super Dad contest I’m competing in for some money for my kids! Part of our conversation, I turned into a fun TikTok. The image in the background of my video is from some fan-made AI art. I censored it a little, covering up the fecal matter they rendered coming out of my crotch. But other than that detail, I dig the image the anonymous poster is putting out there on local Facebook groups.


    I filed my final unemployment claim the other day. I have LOTS of applications and resumes rolled up in bottles, floating in the LinkedIn ocean. All of my toes and fingers remain crossed.

    I have made progress on getting mobile again. Air Force Amy, my 80’s square body Chevy is running again with a fresh torque converter. So far, the transmission hasn’t fallen off nor exploded, so I guess I mostly fixed it. I am slightly concerned about the two extra bolts left over. I swear to Dog, this happens with every repair I attempt! Oh yeah, and now the headlights don’t work, because I melted some wires on the exhaust. So today I am an electrician!


    While digging through every employment site I could, I saw one position offered here in Dayton. It looks like a perfect fit for my skillset, plus I already have the licensing to work there and I already understand their workflow.

    The only issue is, Truckee Gaming recently eliminated a ‘lesser’ marketing position, and the guy they let go had him a lil’ crash out. Since his truck was broken at the time, he had to awkwardly wait outside a locked door for an Uber, and he might have called an HR manager a bad word or two.

    Needless to say, I don’t expect a call back from the casino, but I applied anyway. I’m sure HR got a laugh when she read that.


    What’s next?

    No clue. My career has been pretty unstable ever since I donated my kidney in 2019. Being unable to return to work over some lifting restriction that wouldn’t have been an issue for clicking a mouse all day, really screwed me โ€“ and not in a good way, Madam Suzette!

    Attempting it for 2 years following my brothel exit, I [actually the guy who fired me] decided I wasn’t built to be a drafter or an engineer.

    After I made the mistake of running for office while questioning the handling of grant money by a local nonprofit, it was decided I am not a good community health worker.

    With a couple days left to vote, I’m in 5th place in the Super Dad quarter finals. So it may likely be decided I won’t be an Ace Hardware commercial star with that dude from Righteous Gemstones.

    Gosh! One step at a time, I suppose. #1 goal for today is getting the truck fully rolling. I have some control over that situation. The next paycheck, along with all the answers to the rest of my problems will come after that, for sure.

    Of course, any tips y’all could spare are always welcome! ๐Ÿ™‚