Chuckles on the Eve of a Harvest Feast

Well, I thought I would jot a few words down while I am waiting for a computer to do all of its updates. This software has more patches than a rusted out car.

We are still busy as we start to head into the holiday season. The cruise is now less than 2 months away. I have been off this week as I transition to a new job that starts on Monday. I have gotten a few things done in between phone calls from both the old workplace and the new one. I won’t say much about the old place because it gets my blood boiling and life isn’t worth all that crap.

On the sports scene: Congrats to the Chicago White Sox – the best team won. I can’t believe the Braves let their pitching coach go. I just hope they have another one of them miracle workers standing in the shadows to fill those shoes. I chuckle at the Redskins with their talk of Super Bowl. They beat up the losing teams and lose to the winning teams. Someone needs to explain to them that in the playoffs there is only winning teams. Oh, by the way, on December 24, I have tickets to watch the NY Giants beat up on the Redskins. What a Christmas present!

Roleplay: It is just not the same right now. The writing to support it isn’t there. When in the channel, the people to bring it alive aren’t there. Where it leads, who knows. I wish I knew the magical word to regenerate it but sadly I don’t. I have my memories and dreams of times past but sooner or later even those grow dim. What is next? That is what is grinding up a few brain cells. Without my RP partner I couldn’t imagine where I would be. I always believed given the right 4 people and it would go on forever but given the events of the recent past I would have serious doubts about that statement. But hope is always there and someday the sun will rise.

***** *****

Something I do miss is the seventh inning stretch during a ball game where they sing “Take me out to the Ballgame.” Yes, being patriotic is a good thing but it has been 4 years and it is about time to return to the classic song and baseball history.

We need to do something about these disasters and how people approach them. I was amazed how many people did not prepare for this last storm in South Florida. It is like they expect the Government to care for them even when they are so near-sighted as to not prepare at all. If they had followed the basic guidelines for disaster preparedness they would have had food and water for three days. Wanting ice for the beer cooler and blaming the government for not supplying it is a bit ridiculous. If they had evacuated even a few hundred miles, they would be living the lifestyle they are accustomed to. Smacks a lot like a bunch of spoiled kids wanting everything but not willing to do anything themselves.

Gee, what has happened to the gas prices? For me they have gone from $3.05 to $2.29 lately. The only thing I saw that would have affected them would be the Congressional Investigation. Surely, with supply and demand the same and given the Gas companies were honest in their dealings with the average American and an investigation would fine nothing untoward! So I would what really sparked this sudden and dramatic downturn? Compassion?

Life's Update

Hopefully I can get my friends caught up with what is going on in my life and maybe give some perspective to my notable abscence on-line.

Well, today is the first day of my next adventure. No more 15 hour days or dealing with people that would rather stab you in the back than tell you something doesn't work and let me fix it. As I reflect over the last 6 years, I wonder where everything got side tracked. Am I completely innocent? Most likely not. But I am least up front and will get into your face and not your back. It will be a most interesting period of time watching how they handle things over there. The lead engineer doesn't have a clue, either in life or at work. A newsroom full of linux servers and he is so smart he doesn't know the password, or where each one is, or any idea what to do if he does find them. The other person is new and still learning computers. Ready to fly solo yet? No, a lot of over the shoulder is needed and sadly Salem is horrible at that. They like to throw people into the mix and then when they make a major mistake, fire them. I guess one thing that irks me is that my boss or the VP for the division never called to talk and try and figure out what has happened. I guess when you are a remote micro manager who cares. But I really think it was an opportunity to dump my salary and try to get a entry level person in there or better yet, a better reason to eliminate my spot and have a reason to consolidate the operations back in Dallas. To my friends in the newsroom, I hope and wish for the best and that your time there will be better. To the others, well, play your games, sleep, back stab and generally go to hell.

#1 has no change. Though the young lion felt his oats last night at the bowling alley and challenged the old lion. Happily, the old lion won 217-212, but the lioness was only at 190 and with her hadicap she put us both back into place. As a team we gave a lesson to the other team with a 175+ pin win.

#2 is cold. Being on a mountaintop in the fall gets cold and will get colder as the snow comes. Well, we will go and buy him a new coat rather than tracking down the old one he left here, where only God knows. He took his GED and now we await the results. Drivers school is next on the horizon and his trade schooling is moving along. Except for the occaision bouts of homesickness, he is doing ok. We are both proud of him for getting this far but anxiously await him to get all the way through.

Saturday was spent riding along the Virginia / North Carolina border looking at properties and houses that were for sale. We saw some beautiful ones that we are checking further into, especially on piece of land on US Highway 158 south on Lake Gaston North Carolina. Old southern farm house with columns, a tack house with a mother-in-law apartment, stables, a large pond with running stream right through the whole farm, the prettiest deep green grass with with white fences all over. The driveway was down a road flanked on both sides by a white fence and pastures. There is about 40 acres there with some of the back section still heavily wooded. Oh well, time will tell as we investigate further.

The our schedule gets fuller by the day. Oct 29-30, we are home but at the church alot with trunk-or-treat and our annual charge conference. Nov 5-6 is my nephews wedding which means a whirlwind trip to Florida. Nov 12-13 is a quiet weekend at a cabin located in Berkley Springs WV. and Nov 19-20 the #2 son comes home for the Holidays. At that point we are only 5 weks away from the cruise with Thanksgiving and Christmas in between. Some one say, "you can do what when?"

A Little Update - 2

Just a quickie update with more to come later.

A Job change is in the air as 10/21/05 is my last day here. As I inferred in an earlier post, I have had enough. I would love to have said it was a great ending to a great job but I would be lying. What is next? Who knows.

#1 is just as obstinate as ever. It would be great if he grew up and figured out what life is all about.

#2 is doing great except for occaisional doses of homesickness. He will be home for Thanksgiving holidays.

Here comes Wilma. I wonder how FEMA will react.

***** *****

My faith is restored a little bit. The Chief Judge said that the Judge that lifted the restraining order that allowed the ex to set his wife on fire did not make a clerical error but made a judgment error and there will be an investigation. Thanks Chief Judge.

Quick Thought

Well, another weekend passes and as the ones before it, it went too fast. Our weekly visit to El Agave was great and we have found a new chinese resturant that has very good food. Bowling as usual was fun but exasperating in many ways.

Roleplay has been almost non-existant for many reasons. As for the writings, well, the pen has no ink is the easiest way to say it. I find that I need inspiration or some stimulus to write and for whatever reasons it has been absent. There are times I wish the clock could be spun backward and then find another path for us to follow. But I also know many bridges have been burned and sadly a course set that perhaps lacks the same bonds.

The work scene continues to become a place that is less and less enjoyable to work in. Where it goes from here I don't know but when there is no desire there is no will to continue. I hope we are able to come to some agreement with the new job so I can make the change and start in a place where I feel good about.

***** *****

This last week I have laughed at the comments and thoughts of the Nation of Islam leader, Farrakhan. How can he believe that the Governement had placed explosives in the World Trade Center to be detonated when the planes flew into them. And then he popped off about the way the Governement planted explosives under the levees in New Orleans. It is some of that misguided nonsense that will continually fuel the flames of segregation. Perhaps if he read his good book more such an attempt to divide would turn to efforts to rebuild and heal the wounds. But that also requires that his good book is truly the words of peace he so laboriously expounds.

I am a bit confused with a local story that concerns the death of a lady following the Judge's refusal to extend her protection order against her husband. The day after the Judge cancelled the order she was set on fire by her husband. What confuses me is the video of the court proceedings shows the judge chastising her and saying the order was unneccesary and if she felt so inclined to file for divorce but he wasn't going to help her any more. Today, the court system said "the judge made a clerical error and checked the wrong box that lifted the protection order." What is going on? The judge verbally said what he was going to do and then did it. He didn't make an error -- the Court has in covering up his ill advised decision that cost a lady her life. Also in the video I was amazed how he tried to sound like some TV Judge and lecture her. The TV judges are paid to act out and the clients have agreed to accept what they get. But the District judge had no business acting up for the camera. Listen to the facts, decide the apprpriate action based on those facts and apply the law accordingly and keep your opinions to yourself. Because of his showboating an innocent lady is dead.

What happened in Toledo? A Neo-Nazi protest turned into a wild attack on the Police. I am amazed that even after Neo-Nazi's left out of concern for their safety, the so called citizens of Toledo trashed their homes and attacked the Police. So who was the real villian. Shame on you citizens of Toledo. I like how you protected your rights and homes by destroying them. A real bright move on par with a bunch of idiots.

Thoughts in a Fog

#2 son will be testing for his GED next week. That is a major accomplishment for a high school dropout. Needless to say, his parents are proud of him.

Our cruise in December is now all paid for. Sure can't wait for the last few weeks to pass.

Roleplay is quiet while my partner is off learning to cook. Gee, I wonder where hubby is then? Massage Parlor? Hot Tub with the Dance Company troop?

Sometimes you really wonder why you spend time to help someone or do that little bit extra for the Company. You sink so much time into the job to make it self sustaining and reliable only to be told that the boss said "go ahead take him, just let me know when" when he was queried about a potential opening elsewhere in the Company. Its times like that that put a hole into the self esteem and feeling that "you are worth it." It does make the transition easier knowing they feel I am expendable. It won't take long for things to unravel with almost thirty networked workstations and servers in a linux and windows environment. I look at the two who will take over and shake my head. One person has no IT experience and the other can't even install Windows on a computer and on a linux box, well, I will let your imagination roam. Why, you ask? Well, it seems the micro-manager wants to dissolve this operation back into his operation at a different location. With us falling to 4 people short including the manager it becomes clearer now. Why they couldn't be forthright and say at a certian point in time we want to move the operation instead of letting it spin out of control as people leave or jockey to save their position. Is it the plan to run everyone off except those who are selected to hang on in the other location? Could be.

Has it became the rage to expect the Government to fix or replace everything when something catastrophic happens to you? I keep hearing people being interviewed that expect the Government to replace thier homes or provide them with a certain standard of living. FEMA should take care of the immediate emergency issues and then the Insurance and the individual should take over. It comes across to me that many people are sitting back and waiting on the Government to wait on them and provide everything.

I was confused some last night as I watched the replay of the New Orleans Police incident as the Police Officers lawyer stated that the Police did not hit the man in the face. Now what confuses me is the video that is playing with the horse in the foreground. Yes, they didn't hit him in the face, but from what I could see, they had their hand on the back of his head/neck and was banging it against the wall. Seems like the same effect -- to damage the man's face. Oh, they the police are exhausted, homeless, overstressed and overworked so that explains why they flew off the handle like that. Well, if things are that bad, then the State or Federal Government should deputize enough officers to relieve every one of the New Orleans Police Officers. The replacement police should remain on the job until the regular officers have control of their personal lives and until the Legal system has cleaned out the Officers that are less than reputable. Then there will be no excuses for that kind of behavior.

Quick Note

Well, the Ren Faire was great as usual. It is becoming a regular event in our lives. Our friends that went with us really enjoyed the festivities and already have planned to attend with us next year. The only downer was the rain but luckily it subsided for most of Saturday and only started back up about 5:30 pm. The roasted turkey leg and mugs of beer made the dampness melt away. The Battle shield looked just as good this year but the $850 just wasn't there. I did miss my O'Danny girls show but the "Men in Tights" comedy was hilarious. Our friends got selected to participate in the presentation of the "Menace of Venice". That was wild and the pictures make us laugh just as much as when they did it live. Of course the sites were great and I managed to keep my eyeballs out of the mud. Oh, I picked the right knight this time and he won the joust. Almost reminds me of the arena on line where the results are just about as unpredictable.

Kids! You love them but sometimes you just want to wring their necks. Specifically #1's. We haven't heard anything from #2 son so we can assume he is doing well. If he was struggling I know the phone would be ringing off the hook. It is about a month till we will have to run over and bring him home for Thanksgiving.

Bowling was ok this weekend. The best part was my star student has returned while her parents wait for their house to sell. So now we can fine tune the team and make a run for first place. It should be an interesting time as besides the sport I must learn to deal with their emotions. Believe me, three young ladies who are 7, 11, 16 years old swing emotionally all over the spectrum.

***** *****

What is with the New Orleans Police Department? I am confused as to why someone in Authority hasn't stepped in and fixed this emabarrassment to all Police Officers. Atlanta's Chief Pennington has said that the New orleans Police Department is fundamentally corrupt .. so someone please step in and fix it.

Well, Atlanta let another one slip away. The Yankees hung on while the Redskins embarrassed themselves again. The Redskins are the weakest looking 3-1 team around.

Catching Up 2

Well, the excursion to West Virginia was a success. #2 is doing well. I can tell he is in a school run by the government. His vocabulary is filled with acronyms. I guess that is better than 4 letters words. He would chatter away then stop and ask, “Do you know what tva (or some other acronym) means? Mom would respond, “No, but I guess you will tell us!” Of course he did using another 15 acronyms. All in all, it was fun but by 7:30 pm Saturday night he was ready to go back to the campus. Us old folks can only keep him occupied only so long. Oh, now he has his driver’s license and quickly learned the phrase, “Can I drive?” I also can report that Charleston on a Saturday is a sleepy quiet town. I was amazed that everything downtown but the mall was closed and there were hardly any cars. A big change from Northern Virginia.

This weekend is the Ren Faire over by Annapolis. I have been waiting a year to go back and it is finally here. Our friends are going and they too are excited.

#1 is now unemployed. It is foreign to me why a person would quit with no job prospects and no money to pay the car payments. Well, this time, he will lose the car because I refuse to pay anything to bail him out. Time to learn a hard lesson.

A job change is in the air for me. Not a big one but just changing the division I work in within the same company. I will be going to the Radio Operations side instead of the Network Operations side. If one of my friends who had a solid IT background and lived nearby wanted I could get them a decent job.

Less than 3 months till our next cruise to the sunny southern Caribbean in December. 80 degrees while those back home freeze. I love that thought. Snorkeling should be the activity of the day and entertainment for the night.

On the bright side – a Dutch witch won the right to deduct her brooms and paraphernalia from her taxes. Could a hooker deduct the cost of condoms as a business write-off? How about gay men deducting the KY jelly as office supplies?

***** *****

I was thinking about what to say on several subjects but there is too much to even get started. It seems the same old crap goes on and on. It is just regurgitated and reused. I am waiting to see how the Tom De Lay stuff pans out. Either he messed up bad or the Democrats have. I guess that the Democrats can’t win an election cleanly so they will try and dispose of the opponents with the judicial system.

My opinion for what it is worth, Bill Bennett’s comments last Wednesday were uncalled for and out of place on the air. Pondering racially sensitive comments will lead to misquotes and taking it out of context. “I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, … “ How do you know what you said is true? I am disappointed in what you said.

***** *****

Go Braves and Yankees.