Change: The Only Constant

By: Steve Biddle

So after living out of a suitcase for all of August (which, I have to admit, is better than living in a suitcase), I arrived in Orlando to begin my new life last Wednesday, August 26. It was two days after my 55th birthday.

I couldn’t move into my apartment until Saturday, and, with the help of Priceline’s “Name Your Own Price” feature, found a great deal on a hotel room for three nights. Naturally, the first thing I did, right after I checked in, was to flip open the laptop and check my email. And right there on top of the stack was the email I’d been dreading: the one telling me that I didn’t get the job I was so hoping to get. The position of Morning Edition host had been open for several months at Orlando’s NPR station, and since that was exactly what I’d been doing before departing WPSU, I thought I stood a pretty good chance. But I didn’t even get an interview.

On Tuesday of last week, I had emailed the news director here and offered to host Morning Edition as a volunteer until they found the person they wanted to hire. (I told her if it wasn’t me they finally hired, I’d go away graciously and find something else.) I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with that idea.  

Then, today, I received a very nice note from her saying that she’d keep me posted on possible future openings, which, she hinted, seem likely. (I’d keep my fingers crossed but that makes it hard to type.)

A few times a day, I’m struck by the thought, “What just happened here?” This is definitely not how I expected the summer of ’09 to turn out: essentially unemployed (except for freelance work) in Orlando. It seems like just a few short weeks ago, pretty much everything in my life was humming along smoothly, and, it also seemed, was likely to get better by the day. Then, BAM! Everything sort of exploded.

Now, here’s the predicament: in these economic times, commercial radio is not hiring many people. And, frankly, I’d just as soon not go back into commercial radio anyway, except as a news reporter and/or anchor. Radio is pretty much all I’ve been doing for virtually all my career. Okay, I’ve worked in an ad agency, done a little TV, and veered off the tracks by becoming a hypnotherapist for a couple of years.

So I’m forced to consider other options. Like, just about anything. Today I applied at Publix, the huge, Florida-based supermarket chain. They had a little electronic kiosk where you could fill out all the necessary information online, right there in the store. Under job interests, I included deli, produce, cooking demonstrator, and bakery trainee. Bakery trainee? Again, just a few short weeks ago, I could not have imagined that I would be standing in a supermarket in Central Florida, telling an electronic kiosk that I’d be interested in being trained to be a commercial baker.

What just happened here?   

There’s an event coming up called The Governor’s Job Fair. Last time they had one, there were something like 66 employers represented, and more than 5,000 job seekers. Should be interesting. The Web site suggests professional interview attire (of course) and a whole folder full of resumes to hand out. I can’t wait to see how impressed the representative from Orkin Pest Control will be by a resume that’s pretty heavy in broadcast history.

I’m finding that I have to keep busy. For one thing there’s a huge amount I have to do: get unpacked and find a place for everything, and look for a job. And for another thing, I’ll get tremendously homesick for Happy Valley if I don’t.

I’ve decided that this is a one-year commitment. If I can’t make it here, or if I really don’t like living here (Orlando sure has changed since I left), I’ll be back in Happy Valley next September. But as much as possible, I keep a positive attitude, and have hope for my future here. And I’m so very grateful to have friends here—they’ve been a huge help to me. Still, I have to admit that I’m feeling pretty lonely at the moment.  • SCM

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