The Good Comes With the Bad

Well, today has been an interesting day of ups and downs. I suppose I will start with the good.

As far as work goes, the sky is starting to brighten. I'm getting more roller hockey work than I can even manage, and will be going to my ice seminar in a week and a half. Though there is no improvement on the graphic design front (I actually received a note of declination for a job today, which was unexpected but appreciated), Aaron Brothers is looking more and more promising.

I went in for an interview at the Irvine location today (Ant works in Irvine, which is about halfway between here and Anaheim), and I think it went really well. They had me fill out paperwork for a background check, which I see as a good sign. And the best news? They're looking to fill a full-time framing position! Full-time means about 32-40 hours a week, which is right where I was looking to be, and also comes with health benefits including dental and vision. This job looks better every time I look at it. For framing, I would be mostly (the interviewer said about 75%) responsible for constructing projects on deadlines in their workshop, and partially responsible for additional sales and customer work on the floor. There may be overnight shifts to receive shipments, but the majority of a framer's responsibilities would be daytimes during the week. Yay! They sounded like there's plenty of flexibility to work around hockey, and I would imagine I'd be able to fill in some freelance graphic design (or studio searches) around the edges.

They do have a second position available, as well, responsible for the floor and sales. While not as ideal, it's also a full-time job, and still at Aaron Brothers, so I'm optimistic and hopeful.

The bad news of the day is that of a friend's death. Josh Green, a classmate from elementary through high school, was hit with a respiratory attack while camping with another close friend of mine and their respective fiances. By the time he reached the hospital, he went into cardiac arrest. They were able to revive him, but tests show no blood flow to the brain or brain function, and he is unable to breathe on his own. They're keeping him on life support until they can find organ recipients. Since he was young and healthy, they believe he could save as many as five lives by donating.

It's hard to see the passing of another friend who has barely made it to adulthood. Most of my memories of Josh are from the playgrounds of Foothills, or working with technology and video at Air Academy. He went on to college for film studies, and I think everyone who knew him had high hopes and expectations for him. He was one of those guys... you just knew he'd succeed in whatever he wanted.

So I guess this is a hats off to one of those great guys who's made the world a better place. Even in his passing, Josh is caring for those he may never have even met by being a donor. I never would have expected anything less. My thoughts are among his friends, and especially with his family and fiance. I wish them all peace in this incredibly difficult time.