Note 8/24/2010: This blog post has been marked as private for a while. I did that because I was intimidated by the person I wrote about. That is no longer the case. This blog post will now be made public.

It’s been a while since I have posted a blog. It’s been over a month, actually. It’s not because I haven’t wanted to. Goodness no, it isn’t that. Okay, maybe a little. Just a little. And here’s why:

I am no longer working at Scholastic ETV Consortium. I haven’t for two weeks, either. I have mixed feelings talking about it. Partially, I feel shame that I lost the job (even though it isn’t my fault, but we’ll get to that in a moment), but I also want to spread the word about what happened to me.

I would like to take this moment to officially announce that Teacher’s Choice (DBA: Scholastic ETV Consortium) is a dishonest company and is run by a dishonest CEO, Mykalai Kontilai. On my trip to Illinois, Mykalai joined me on a conference call with our client, WSEC. During the call, he was not Mykalai. He was the company’s president, Robert Hoffman. Supposedly, Mr. Hoffman gave Mykalai permission to speak on his behalf in cases such as this, but I felt that this is a definite stretch that amounts to lying to the client.

Next, the company uses pirated software. Microsoft… Adobe… Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Now, this company makes hundreds of thousands of dollars off of contracts that rely heavily on the use of an $800 program. Even if it cost twice that, they can afford it. Hell, they’re going to wish that they had because I reported them the day after I was terminated.

That’s not all, either. I reported them for being a Nevada Corporation operating within California. While that is the “cool” thing for businesses to do these days, it is also illegal. It is tantamount to tax evasion and the California Franchise Tax Board is actively pursuing violators. When the smoke settles, Scholastic ETV will be massively fined and it will be their own fault. If only they weren’t so dishonest. I wouldn’t have lasted there anyway. (Note: I do not officially know if the company was paying CA taxes, but I reported them at the time based on suspicion in correlation to their modus operandi.)

So, this leads me to my termination. This really pissed me off. There was a misunderstanding with our client, WSEC (them again? Sheesh!). The way it’s supposed to work is that they plan the sales presentation (where, when, food, etc.) and we get all of the school districts in their region there. I got an e-mail from my contact with a list of “possible” locations just a week before it was supposed to take place. I think this was off the misunderstanding that they had where we were to plan it. Anyway, I respond by asking if they have contacted any of them (meaning the hotels) and apparently they thought I was asking if they contacted the school districts.

Everything just culminated and culminated and I was fired before I even had a chance to defend myself or set the situation straight. I said I wanted to call my direct supervisor, Sam, before I left and I was denied. I said I wanted to speak with Mykalai before I left and I was denied. Later, my e-mail was used against me to describe me as deceiving WSEC for weeks, which was 120% false!

So, that brings me to now.

It’s been two weeks since I worked. I dealt with Office Team being ready to place me, but being unable to because they had to verify that I actually did freelance work for myself over the last few years. Finally, I was given a temp assignment for today and tomorrow. It was a measly data entry position for $11/hour, but at least it’s a fun atmosphere in a place where I understand what was going on. They sell cables for computers, audio, etc. They like me so much that they are tapping me for a job behind the counter helping customers and helping sell equipment.

But here is my real BIG news.

Yesterday, I interviewed for a job with a company that sells industrial video equipment. What is it with me finding all of these sales positions? Geez!

Anyway, I interviewed and I thought that I was bombing the interview (especially because I wasn’t overly excited about it), but the guy liked me. He was the VP of the company, too. He liked my appearance and personality. He specifically commented on my eye contact and how articulate I am. He thinks that I’m a little “green around the gills” (not his words, though) and that I could be molded into a great salesman.

I told him that I had to think about it. This was more than just another job. This was more of a career move and I needed to talk to Nikki and some friends. I mean, this would pay a lot more than I expected. This was $45K worth of thinking it over. Yeah, nice pay, huh? I think my biggest fear was that this would be another bad fit. I mean, come on… I don’t have the best track record when it comes to jobs that aren’t “in the industry.” I was afraid of taking the job and it not working out and that I would be fired again. In the end, everyone encouraged me to go for it.

So, I called him back and said that I was interested. I wasn’t guaranteed the position as he had other people interested, but apparently he liked me enough that he told me before I left the other day that I would be on the top of the consideration pile.

And that brings me to tonight.

I received an e-mail from this guy. He tells me that he’d like to try me on a 5-day trial period. If I work out, then I get the job offer. If I don’t work out, then we can part ways amicably. I start Monday and I’m actually excited about it. I can afford to live on my own, without rooming with my brother or anyone else. I can replace my car, which is literally about to fall apart (3 of my 4 motor mounts are broken). I can save money in a savings account and Nikki and I can really enjoy our relationship and start planning on getting married.

Perhaps this is a turning point in my life. I’m still going to be meeting with Mike and Trisha to plan and prepare for our new company, Atypical LLC. Maybe we can plan to make some movies on the weekends or something.

Like I said, I start on Monday. At the very least, I am going to make over $800 for next week. Anyway, I doubt that I’m making sense any more and if you are still reading this, then congratulations: you win! I just hope that this is what God wants.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is my life. This is what has been going on. These are my highs and lows as of late, my triumphs and failures, my hopes and fears. This is what I’ve been up to and why I’ve been silent. Some day, I’ll not only have a good story to tell, but I’ll be able to say what God is teaching me through all of this. I just can’t see what it is right now, but some day I will.

Like I said, this is my life.