SLO Going.

In my life the question, "How's the job search going?" has become so commonplace that it's replaced, "How's the weather out there?" I anticipate hearing it from everyone I talk to, including complete strangers. In case you were wondering, the job search is going just fine, thanks for asking. It's the finding of the right job that's a bit more problematic.

Yesterday I read that one in ten Californians are now out of work. Good to know I'm in such plentiful company.

Nearly every night Amie and I review prospects, and make determinations on (and changes to) our gameplan. One startlingly obvious thing we recognize - besides the fact that the entire global economy sucks right now - is that we may be victims of geographical undesirability. San Luis Obispo, known its friends and admirers as "SLO", is in all other ways a seemingly desirable place to live...unless you're an executive looking for gainful employment.

It's odd. A national organization of realtors recently ranked SLO as the #2 most expensive place to own a house. New York City took the #1 spot. I blame this bit of dubious distinction on author Garrison Keillor. In one of his books Keillor proclaimed San Luis Obispo as his absolute, most-favorite city to perform in. And, as we all know, residents of Minnesota are looking for any excuse to move...just point them in the right direction. The bastard.

The naked truth is this: you need to have made your millions outside of SLO to live in SLO. Residents (myself included) relish the fact that it's far away from the maddening crowds of LA and San Francisco; in fact, we're nearly smack dab between the two. No traffic, no crowds, no noise. And, as I'm finding out, no jobs. At least no jobs that don't require my mastering the phrase, "Do you want fries with that?"

Being so far removed from a major hub of industry, has me wondering: do we need to move to a big city to even be considered for a job? Given the fact that an ever-increasing number of the nation's working class is no longer working, there are plenty of qualified execs closer to major markets than I am. This fact does give one pause.

When I contemplate such a possible necessity, I can't help but be reminded of the lyrics to one of my favorite Style Council songs, Homebreakers:

"Move around...if you can't find work in your hometown."

That, and one of my favorite works of literature:

Call me Joad.