So this month has been particularly interesting. Interviewed with a company in Pennsylvania that I and my partner both probably won’t be working at. Just because it’s sort of out in the middle of nowhere and some of the neighborhoods there are very poverty-stricken. Also my experience of people in Philadelphia is not particularly positive. Maybe it’s just a bad batch, but they have mostly been impatient, impulsive and almost never accept the answer given to them.

Went on some other interviews with a local company. I applied under different leadership and went through so much disorganized chaos with two now-terminated members of their HR team. At the time I was bitter about it, but a good chunk of time has passed. Basically in wait and see mode. I’m not driven by the money, I want to build up my career and ultimately become more of an expert in my field. I believe this opportunity will be a successful one, but the cards are ultimately out of my hands right now.

My current company is tolerable, though it’s been so repetitive. My manager is around I’d say 25% of the time. He has been receptive to answering questions when I have them and handling issue that require management intervention. One of the guys who started close to 6 months after me and is six years younger than me took a job that pays a good 10-15k more that I earn. I don’t want his job though (direct sales over a telephone primarily aren’t my thing) and think my days there are numbered honestly.

I’m seeing more and more salespeople leave the company. Getting calls from advertisers asking for people who have been gone for weeks. Along with that, talking to salespeople who say I’m the 3rd or 4th person in my position to be handling the account. Maybe I should take it as a sign? Most of the people I work with have little passion for what they do and are looking elsewhere. The floor is run similar to a call center where we work out of a ticketing system and answer a support line so I can’t really blame them.

If I do get this job, the insurance isn’t the best. So am trying to get a Dermatologist appointment lined up beforehand.

On the low end, looking around 50k with bonus potential. A 40% increase not including the overtime I do on occasion. Basically a big part of my job will be turning business around for the company since it is a huge source of revenue for them. If I get the job, it will be putting more of my MBA Managerial Abilities. Particularly my communication skills and ability to manage technology reports.

One of my friends was recently let go from his job. The boss said he didn’t look happy and it was beginning to affect his work. He has been dealing with some vision issues so luckily his insurance kicked in and he got those addressed before getting canned. Without it, he might be blind in one eye or have to undergo some hefty medical bills to preserve his vision. The moral of the story is to not take good health and a minimal debt type of situation for granted.

James Gandolfini passed away recently from a heart attack. I watched The Sopranos, a tv series he made famous almost religiously every week during the early 2000s. He was worth an estimated $70 mil and was arguably one of the top actors of our generation. However it’s likely he neglected his health to a point where it got the better of him at 51. At the end of the day, the money isn’t everything.

On a health front, I’ve been in maintenance mode with my weight. Watching calories along with weights / cardio. Did 10 miles on my bike today. I have some obese friends and I’ve observed that a lot of what they consume is not conducive to weight loss at all. Massive amounts of alcohol, high carbohydrate items such as pasta and desserts loaded with sugar and calories. I’m really putting on my moderation is key hat. Let them do what they want, but my body is my temple. I want to stay on the path  of losing 2 pounds per week and their actions are completely out of sync with that mission.

My next student loan payment is coming out in 3 days. I estimate my balance will be dropped down to 39825. This is monumental progress to me, since I graduated in 2008 my loan balance has been above the 40k marker.

Starting Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Body program. I’ve let myself go the past couple weeks, topping a whopping 222lb on the scales, at 5’9″ height. Frequent visits to McDonalds, Jimmy John’s deliveries to my desk and eating out. During the month of May I spent about $400 on food, most of it for me.

I’m getting impatient with some of of the progress I’ve been making. On both a professional level and a personal one. My company hired 7 recent college grads and I’m pretty sure they aren’t making much less than I am 8 years older, more work experience and the letters MBA. I need to accelerate the process of boosting earnings for my sanity’s sake. Have a preliminary interview with a company in 10 days. I really don’t want to move to Pennsylvania. If the offer is compelling enough though, we’ll see if my opinion is swayed  at all. Meanwhile the job market in Dallas is better than most. Florida could be another destination location. Lots of speculation right now though.

Still keeping credit card balances under control, got it up to $252, but all that will be paid off Monday.