Back in Bridgeport

This is it. Goodbye 20′s. To celebrate this event, I’m doing absolutely nothing.

Nothing is better than spending my day staring at the walls of my bedroom, which is how I imagined this day would be. So I guess that’s a plus.

Along with the nothing, I’m also in search of help from people who are much smarter than me for some insight on surviving my 30th birthday. I’ll have some of that for you in the coming days.

Stay tuned.

While there’s a shortage of jobs in today’s economy, there’s absolutely no shortage of advice. People like to be helpful, especially when a friend or loved one is in need.

Since losing my job in December 2008, I’ve heard more advice then I can remember. Some of it was helpful. Some of it wasn’t.

Over time, you just sort of get numb to it all. After exchanging emails with experts, meeting in person with people who get paid to find people jobs and speaking on the phone with anyone who willing to pick up, I started to think I’ve heard absolutely everything there is to know about finding a job. I was wrong.

On Wednesday night, I attended a program called “What Makes a Successful Candidate?” at the Fairfield Public Library. The program was part of the library’s “Jobs 2010: Back to Work” series. Melissa Morris Petrafasa, Staffing Manager-Creative Division at McIntyre Group, was brilliant and refreshing as the presenter. Her brutal honesty about the job search combined with a genuine passion for helping those of us in attendance was unlike anything I’ve ever heard. I walked out of the library that evening feeling rejuvenated about the hunt.

I cannot do Ms. Morris’ presentation justice here, and fortunately for you, I don’t have to because the good people at the Fairfield library will be posting it online as a podcast. I’m not sure when it will be posted, but be sure to check their list of podcasts from the job series. While you’re there, check out some of the other podcasts.

The “Jobs 2010: Back to Work” series continues tomorrow at 7 p.m. with “Turn NetWorking into NetPlaying.”

Update: Judy Sparzo, Reference Librarian at the Fairfield Public Library and coordinator of the Jobs 2010 series, has informed me that she hopes to have the podcast available for download at the end of the week.

I’m entering the last weekend of my 20s and I’ve got nothing planned. Nothing. It’s tough to celebrate when you’re not really sure exactly what you’re celebrating.

Last month when I realized I was a month away from turning 30, I actually had myself convinced that I wasn’t scared to turn 30. The reason: The 29th year of my life was so awful that I thought there was no way 30 could be worse.

Now within a week of turning 30, I’m once again horrified.

Photo by iamNigelMorris via flickr

The much younger Tim Hammill dreamed of playing baseball for the New York Mets. Becoming a professional baseball player and playing for the team you grew up rooting for happens all the time, right? Around the age of 16, when I was batting ninth on a Kolbe Cathedral baseball team that racked up seven wins (more than we won in the two previous seasons combined) reality began to sink in. Playing for the Mets (or any Major League Baseball team for that matter), marrying a Victoria Secret model and driving a flying car were no longer in my future.

While the dream of playing professional baseball might vanish, the dream of working in professional baseball doesn’t go away as easily. As a kid, I grew up putting together lineups and making imaginary trades one a notebook. The notebook turned into video games like R.B.I. Baseball on Nintendo, and eventually whatever Electronic Arts was calling their baseball game on Sega Genesis. I could turn the Mets into a dynasty with just a few roster moves and the addition of a created player named “Tim Hammill” whose fastball clocked in at 105 m.p.h.

In college, I’d discover just how much fun you could have on the internet … playing fantasy baseball, of course. Along with my best friends from freshman dorm Stetson West at Northeastern University and one kid from the honors dorm, we signed up for a league on Yahoo! More than a decade later, the league is still in tact with many of the same people from that inaugural season.

The league has grown more complex and requires doing a lot of homework to succeed. We have roster slots for minor leaguers, a salary cap based on years of service and trades often include future draft picks.

I’m like the Pittsburgh Pirates of our league. A perennial basement dweller who ends up trading his young talent for proven players past their prime. It’s not from a lack of effort or a lack of research. I put a lot of time in to losing.

Which brings me to the reason why I’m writing this post. There’s a job open in Flushing and I’m available. I’m looking for work and the Mets are looking for a new general manager. C’mon Wilpons. Sure, my fantasy team has struggled over the last decade, but so have the Mets. Besides, that’s just a fantasy. Do you know how hard it is to make a trade when one of the other guys in your league won’t email you back? That doesn’t happen in real baseball, I hope.

Give me all the tools a real general manager gets and I promise you, I’ll put a product on the field that is at the very least, interesting. Citi Field will be jam packed with fans excited to see what sort of trainwreck the fan who couldn’t win a fantasy baseball league had put together. On top of all that, you’d be putting someone back into the workforce.

The soon-to-be opened Pinkberry located in Fairfield. Photo by Tim Hammill

Borders in Fairfield has become my home away from home office. With the free wi-fi, numerous tables and plenty of outlets to plug my laptop in, it’s an ideal spot to get some work done. Also, unlike the actual home office it lacks a bed and TV, making it impossible for me to lie around and waste time.

Across the street from my home away from home office is a soon to be opened Pinkberry. While I wouldn’t call myself a groupie, though thousands of people do, it was really nice to see that the frozen dessert shop that exploded on to the scene in Los Angeles in 2005 had made its way to this area.

I like to think it followed me here, but we all know that’s not true. Regardless it’s a delicious reminder of my time in LA. I’ll see you guys in line, trust me, there will be lines.

Photo by Lincolnian (Brian) via Flickr

October 20th, 2010. That day, which is now just one month away, was one of my greatest fears. That’s the day I turn 30.

For the last year, all I thought about was that date and how little I’ve accomplished in my 29 years of life. 30! I’m going to be 30 and look at who I am. It’s horrifying!

At least it was horrifying. I’m not as scared as I once was about my birthday because I’m thrilled to have the 29th year of my life come to a close. Being 29 has been the most difficult year of my life, by far. No need to get into all that, if you read this blog you might have an idea why I said that.

I may not be satisfied with where I am entering my 30th year, but I am looking forward to what the year ahead has in store. It can’t get any worse than 29. Right? I hope.

My mother's Memorial Day decorations

Way back on May I informed you of my mother’s Memorial Day/4th of July/Summer decorations. These decorations included an Uncle Sam nutcracker, American flag place mats and stars and striped dish towels.

When I woke up that May morning and found that we were up to our ears in red, white and blue, I asked my mother how long the house would look this way. Her answer, without the slightest pause was “I leave these up until 9/11.”

On Sunday, September 12th when we sat down to eat at the dinner table I noticed that the place mats were no longer American flags. We were now eating on what looks to be my mother’s fall collection.

As scheduled, the house has become less patriotic. It’s not unpatriotic, we still have Ol’ Glory waving proudly out in the front yard, it’s just less patriotic. Uncle Sam won’t be cracking any nuts, although I’m not sure he gets much use, until next Memorial Day.

I cannot confirm or deny this but I’m guessing that come October 1st, the fall themed place mats will be replaced by skulls and ghosts or something like that and the rest of the house will most likely look like the Halloween aisle in your local grocery store or greeting card shop.

My mother couldn’t be reached for comment but a voicemail was left. I’ll be sure to update you as soon as I hear anything regarding the date that the Halloween decorations will be busted out. I know you’re looking forward to it.

The P.T. Barnum statue, found in Seaside Park, says goodbye to another summer. | Photo by Tim Hammill

I’m now prepared to say that summer is coming to a close. The unofficial end of summer, Labor Day came and went and I was not ready to call it fall. Football season began last night and that wasn’t enough for me to declare autumn’s arrival. This morning, as I stood on my porch, I finally gave in. It was definitely no longer shorts weather. That was enough for me to sadly say, summer is over.

I wasn’t trying to keep summer around because I’m going to miss it; this was definitely not a summer worthy of being missed. It was absolutely a memorable and eventful summer, but not one I’ll miss at all. The reason I’m have trouble saying goodbye to the summer is that I know that we’re now one step closer to winter and I’m terrified by what the winter, something I haven’t experienced in six years, has in store for me.

Go ahead, call me a wimp. I am.

While I’m not at all looking forward to the mornings spent shoveling my car out of snow, I am very much looking forward to putting the events of this summer in my rear view mirror.

The list below illustrates just how eventful the summer of 2010 was:

• I felt the impact of the economy and decided to leave Los Angeles for Bridgeport, CT.
• A tornado, yes a tornado, ripped through Bridgeport.
• My father’s heart gave us a bit of a scare.
• Bridgeport lost two of its bravest.
• I said goodbye to grandmother.