I've been in Roosevelt a year. A year as of last Thursday. I know the exact date, not just because it was the beginning of the new chapter of my life, but because it was the day before Pioneer day, and when I went down to Job Services the day after I arrived, they were closed. Pioneer day.
Strangely enough I've had two jobs since I've moved back here. When I arrived, jobs were still in abundance, and I had a pick. I took the first one that offered me work, at a gas station ordering and stocking their cooler (and doing other odd jobs).
I worked there nearly six weeks.
After a month of working there, (all the while still checking the job boards electronically) I found the job I currently have: a grocery store. I bag. I stock. I fetch carts. I deal with weird shit that doesn't always make sense. Mostly I don't mind it. As jobs go it's not the greatest, but it's tolerable. You get to know the regulars and interact with them. That can be fun. And for the most part I like everybody I work with. Fun group of folks really.
The job market here is down. (Big surprise.) The oil industry has slowed, partially due to the lower gas prices (artificially inflated) and partly due to the revoking of the oil leases shortly after Obama took office. Now, let's get something straight; I like Obama over all. I don't think he's doing a terrible job, or even a bad job. Revoking the oil leases however was something I didn't agree with. I know we need a different source of energy for our infrastructure to run on. However I also know that until a viable option is found (a realistic option that is sustainable) oil is going to continue to be it. The oil industry is the life blood of this region (as is natural gas and gilsonite) and shutting down further exploration that was already granted seems, to most folk out here, nearly spiteful.
Obama isn't popular here for that reason and for the inherit racism that most folks here have in gereral. They didn't like the stimulus package (I haven't liked everything that has been done with the stimulus, though I think that it still has potential (only 10% of it has actually been used.)) They really don't like the idea of a healthcare package that is being debated, despite the fact that most people out here would benefit from it. I'm one of the few people that I personally know.
So what is next for me?
Well, more of the same honestly. I'm going to continue working at the grocery store for a while.
For a long while honestly. I can't afford to move while the economy is so down, and taking a realistic perspective, I don't think true will recovery will happen for a few years. Roosevelt is as good a place as any to work through the rough patch.
I've got some scripts I'm working on. I'll continue to work on those. I'll continue to venture to Logan and to Salt Lake to see folks that I make me happy.
Till next time.
posted by F.G. Shaw @ 11:25 PM
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