What a day...

Dropping off the "Papers"...
I wanted to do the face to face thing after having talked on the phone.
As I rolled into the yard for my Four O'clock "Meet-n-Greet" I see Rick with a fist full of Paperwork so I BS for a few and he does the whole "Walk me in so I don't look like the Freak That is Lost" thing.
Now to be honest... I thought that I was just stopping in to meet with Jim and Give him my Resume...

However...
Turns out... I got my interview... pretty much... right then! I was in there for an Hour and fifteen Minutes.
I swear I think I met and interviewed with Damn near half the Company... Just shy of the President himself. ;0)
But the funny thing is... it didn't really feel like an interview while STILL feeling like an interview... if that makes any sense.
All of the people that I talked with seemed like really great people.
Down to earth, no BS kinda people.
I felt comfortable in answering the questions and those that I didn't have the skills for I told them up front but let them know where I had similar experience and that if I got the job I would be attached to the manuals and training material until I was the resident expert at it. Most of the stuff that I didn't have experience with Was software specific to the Trucking industry so I just haven't had the experience with it. I understand the basic principles and can easily see where I can get a handle on it once I get a chance to get under the hood.

A nice change...
I haven't been this Happy in a very long while.
I Can't wait to hear one way or the other.
I really have to say it seems like a great place... and I really can see me working there and getting into a groove there.

I'll Leave you with This...
I will say this... No matter the way this turns out... I have to say a tremendous Thank you to Rick.
During the interview I think I got it across that the one thing that really got me interested was how Highly Rick spoke of the company. I wanna work at a place that has that family feel to it... and not to sound hokey or anything but with a five man shop for computer support that is the kind of group it sounds like they have... and the company as a whole seems to operate around that principle as well.

I am Crossing my fingers.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Get 2 It!

Dropping off the "Papers"...
I wanted to do the face to face thing after having talked on the phone.
As I rolled into the yard for my Four O'clock "Meet-n-Greet" I see Rick with a fist full of Paperwork so I BS for a few and he does the whole "Walk me in so I don't look like the Freak That is Lost" thing.
Now to be honest... I thought that I was just stopping in to meet with Jim and Give him my Resume...

However...
Turns out... I got my interview... pretty much... right then! I was in there for an Hour and fifteen Minutes.
I swear I think I met and interviewed with Damn near half the Company... Just shy of the President himself. ;0)
But the funny thing is... it didn't really feel like an interview while STILL feeling like an interview... if that makes any sense.
All of the people that I talked with seemed like really great people.
Down to earth, no BS kinda people.
I felt comfortable in answering the questions and those that I didn't have the skills for I told them up front but let them know where I had similar experience and that if I got the job I would be attached to the manuals and training material until I was the resident expert at it. Most of the stuff that I didn't have experience with Was software specific to the Trucking industry so I just haven't had the experience with it. I understand the basic principles and can easily see where I can get a handle on it once I get a chance to get under the hood.

A nice change...
I haven't been this Happy in a very long while.
I Can't wait to hear one way or the other.
I really have to say it seems like a great place... and I really can see me working there and getting into a groove there.

I'll Leave you with This...
I will say this... No matter the way this turns out... I have to say a tremendous Thank you to Rick.
During the interview I think I got it across that the one thing that really got me interested was how Highly Rick spoke of the company. I wanna work at a place that has that family feel to it... and not to sound hokey or anything but with a five man shop for  computer support that is the kind of group it sounds like they have... and the company as a whole seems to operate around that principle as well.

I am Crossing my fingers.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

So... we shall see

Dropping off the "Papers"...
I wanted to do the face to face thing after having talked on the phone.
As I rolled into the yard for my Four O'clock "Meet-n-Greet" I see Rick with a fist full of Paperwork so I BS for a few and he does the whole "Walk me in so I don't look like the Freak That is Lost" thing.
Now to be honest... I thought that I was just stopping in to meet with Jim and Give him my Resume...

However...
Turns out... I got my interview... pretty much... right then! I was in there for an Hour and fifteen Minutes.
I swear I think I met and interviewed with Damn near half the Company... Just shy of the President himself. ;0)
But the funny thing is... it didn't really feel like an interview while STILL feeling like an interview... if that makes any sense.
All of the people that I talked with seemed like really great people.
Down to earth, no BS kinda people.
I felt comfortable in answering the questions and those that I didn't have the skills for I told them up front but let them know where I had similar experience and that if I got the job I would be attached to the manuals and training material until I was the resident expert at it. Most of the stuff that I didn't have experience with Was software specific to the Trucking industry so I just haven't had the experience with it. I understand the basic principles and can easily see where I can get a handle on it once I get a chance to get under the hood.

A nice change...
I haven't been this Happy in a very long while.
I Can't wait to hear one way or the other.
I really have to say it seems like a great place... and I really can see me working there and getting into a groove there.

I'll Leave you with This...
I will say this... No matter the way this turns out... I have to say a tremendous Thank you to Rick.
During the interview I think I got it across that the one thing that really got me interested was how Highly Rick spoke of the company. I wanna work at a place that has that family feel to it... and not to sound hokey or anything but with a five man shop for  computer support that is the kind of group it sounds like they have... and the company as a whole seems to operate around that principle as well.

I am Crossing my fingers.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Let's try this again...

First off...
Rick Fuckin' rocks!
Whether this job turn out to be a good fit or not... I will just say that the turn around time and reaction calls from Rick were incredible... and I appreciate it more than I can say!
There is some software I feel strong enough in and others I would have to hit the ground with a book planted firmly to my hip... So we will see how it goes.
If there is a DBA out there gunning for the spot... I won't Be to put out by not getting it as I don't have DB certs... But if they need some one that can learn their system inside and out and stroke that thing till she purrs. .. well then brother Some body hold the tail 'Cuz I am that fuckin' guy.

In other news...
I can't wait for the party this weekend

In Still other news...
The prospect of leaving this place had me smiling during the workday more than I have in a very long time... At work anyway... Cuz that thing the other night ;p
j/k ... ;p

I'll Leave you with This...
On a side note....
I realized why every one that was contacting me about my resume they had seen online was from Florida... It was the old one I had posted when We thought we were moving to Fla. So it said I was looking in the Ft Lauderdale area and willing to relocate. I have changed it... I just thought it was amusing.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

What a Pick me up!

The Pick-up...
I have to say I got one of the best notes form The better half this morning.

It meant alot and was quite inspiring when I was running down.

Art in the Night...
Lately I have been suffering from insomnia BAD.

It is one of the Manic side effects I live with (and she tolerates better than I can tell you... which make me love her even more... if indeed that is possible.

So while I have been sleepless I have spent time doodling and sketching. So at least Sooooomething Good has come of it.

Where does that get me?
Well... it gets me to another full notebook of stuff to work with.

I'll Leave you with This...
I am looking forward to the long weekend(I have Monday off! Woohoo!!)
That is all for now I guess.
~Later

A Valentine's day Blog

Valentine's day
So Valentine's day is here. As is a Crappy, Snowy, Cold day.
I am not letting that bother me (Except when I need to go out in it).
I would like to wish my wife, son, Rick & Colleen Jessi & Sean A happy Valentine's day.
Also anyone else who happens to put the effort into reading these pages.... Happy valentines day.

Thoughts from Last Night...
Now I was thinking... there were Magic in holiday's as a kid that begin to disappear as you get older. When Things "just happen" as a kid they seem like magic. But I think as you get older and realize all the effort that went into things to make that magic... You are both impressed with the people that did it for you and at the same time committed to making it seem like magic for your off spring... Now I know .. you are thinking... This blog would have been better suited for around the Christmas holiday... and if that were all there was to the story... you would probably be right... but that is where the twist comes in....

The twist
Well... Valentines day is one of the times where the magic of being a kid is still present.
Now of course it has some conditions... but all in all they aren't to bad.
"Conditions?" I hear ya say. Well first condition would be for you to have someone in your life that you Love... Not necessarily a spouse only... could be a parent or a child or a grandparent even. Doesn't HAVE to be the "Hot Monkey Love" kinda Love. Just someone you Love.
Then the Second condition is you have to want to inform that person How much you care.

Did ya meet the Conditions?
Well... if you did... then we can get back to the Magic part. Valentines day is one of the times where you can take the time to find inside of you the words you feel every day but forget to say.
Something as simple as "I Love you". that remembering... and the telling... see there in lies the magic. It doesn't need to be Diamonds... or Chocolates (My wife might disagree there though ;p).
But as a group... most of us get so wrapped up in the day to day bustle that we think those things but they forget to get outside of our heads where they can do the good that they were intended to do. So with Valentine's day... we are collectively reminded that we should inform those that we care for how important they are in our lives.
Sharing that kind of information is the best kinda magic you could hope for (aaaaand you might even get some booty too! ;p You didn't think that I could be all romantical this whole time with out a Booty reference did you?)

I'll Leave you with This...
I hope you all have a great day today... and that I didn't make any of you go...
"duuuuude...!?"


That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Once upon a furnace...

Once upon a time... There was a guy that was diligently working to get his furnace back in working order to provide much needed Wrath to his family. After he replaced everything that he thought necessary or wise to touch... he called his father for guidance in the ways of the inner workings of this mythical fire breathing dragon. His father being a great night, having done many battles with these fire breathing demons. After talking through every option and hearing either Already changed it... check it or cleaned it... This great night promised to ride to the aid of the Stable boy possessing only the meekest of armor and weapons... there would be a matter of time that had to elapse before the arrival of the aforementioned Knight. So all waited as there were no further inspections or repairs that could be performed until the magic hour had arrived. Alright enough with the knight analogy because to be honest I don't rightly know how to convert "Transducer" into terms of yore. ~[shrug]~ So onto it.

The Big Bang... Things were going along alright and we got the furnace to belch and fire into existence. The last bastion of the dying beast attempting to thwart further efforts on our part. So we sat there next to the open access panel watching as it fired... got to temp... burner went out... was called into service again... and while we watched... it ignited and fired again... So Dad said why don't ya closer her up and we will get the tools picked up and go have a cup of coffee and warm up. Sounded great to me. I slide the door into place... closing up the access area. we began gathering the tools... Scootched down half sitting on cement pad blocks that I had down there. I had bleed the system while changing the filter and Nozzle so I had some fuel in a capped off bottle and some in an old Oil change catch pan. I asked the old man if he wanted me to dump the stuff from the oil container into the bottle. I was holding the Bottle and one side of the drain pan, back to the furnace, Dad was holding the other side and we were slowly pouring the waste into the bottle. We were both focused on the pour. Ya ever have the feeling something is about to go terribly wrong? I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach and as I was lifting my head up... I head what Passed for a sucking sound briefly and as my eyes turned up and began to focus I Heard an explosion that I felt in the air as well and saw the big grey rectangle of the access panel making a fast approach. I swore and swung my face to the side which made Dad kinda crunch forward and press his back out to take the blow instead of his head. The panel hit him in the shoulder/ back area and me on the shoulder and arm area and came to rest leaned against us bent in a U-shape. I looked at him, and he at me. After the initial quick... "You okay?" 'Yup' 'You okay?' "Yup." The explosion had blown the plugs out of the chimney and out of the system. With them off I cleaned out the duct work... Why not I mean they were open at that point. ;p the Plugs had made it across the room QUITE a long way... so those go reattached after they were gathered up.

After the swearing... I swore again and we started laughing & joking about it. Well it turns out the Transducer was failing some of the time but not all of the time. So we had the proper rated replacement.... Much thanks to my Dad. But the size of it did not match the hinged hold down. So We ended up Creating a bracket for it and all was well. I still need to get a new transducer that bolt directly on... But changing it was no big deal... The explosion though was quite a jarring experience for both Dad and I . I'll

Leave you with This... After all was well and we had bent the access panel back into shape and affixed it we went up stair to bask in the warmth and continue to joke over coffee & hot cocoa. Mom said (to the wife) Don't be concerned if you see Little black flecks in the snow in the morning after THAT bang. I interrupted in my usual sense of humor with 'Well for a minute I thought I was gonna have Little black flecks in my drawers after THAT friggin' explosion' That is all for now I guess. ~Later

I Blame Def Leppard...

A quick word of appreciation...
For my wonderful wife.
Sorry I have been a bit of a bear lately.
You have been wonderful and I appreciate you doing so much more than just keeping me alive!
I would be a friggin' Train Wreck with out you.
For all of the many times that I should say the right thing and don't... I Love you.
I am glad to have you "keeping me between the lines"
;o)~


Why Def Leppard?
Well I was on my way into work and channel surfing the dial when I just hit a station and got tired of pushing the button.
I stopped as the end of some eighties rock was fading to an end.
After a second of dead air Def Leppard ripped through the speakers. I grinned at the song and visions of youth... conversations of the past and things that passed for conversations but were really me on a rant and no one else getting a word in edgewise


Down that road...
Well... when you start down the reminiscing road you tend to hop about.
So I bounced around from thought to thought...
and through the many varied pit stops of my mind I found one element that continued through them all... How thankful I was for my life.
Sometimes I get mired down in "This Sux, That sux... blah blah blah..."
But I really have it good.
My wife is wonderful, understanding and quite tolerant of the fact that I am a raving fucking lunatic most of the time. My son is incredible! He is everything I could ask for in a son. I have My best friend back in my life which has been a great improvement in my spirit overall.
Rick and Colleen are great additions to have back into my life in general and my schedule  as well. :D So all of these things are some of the great things in my life that I sometimes forget to focus on. The small slump sometimes clouds my vision of what is important.

I'll Leave you with This...
I will be typing up the Furnace adventure shortly... so there will be more from me.

But for now That is all I guess.
~Later

All that and a side of WHY NOT!

And from there the day went downhill...
Couldn't sleep last night.
Vicious insomnia.
I got a bit of sleep first thing this morning on the couch Thanks to the better half. ;p
Today I had some pretty simple plans....

A day for the Boy and I...
Our special day.
Play video games and just hang out.
I had promised him I would.
Aaaaand I did..... for about 15 minutes... maybe a half hour.
when......."Murphy" decided he hadn't spent enough time with us.

So Murphy moves in... Again!
Well... things had been going along Pretty well lately.... especially when you have luck like mine. ;p
but as the boy and I were cuddled under the blanket playing Video games (well at that exact moment HE was playing and I was drowsily watching but my turn was about to start) when Julie said the furnace made a funny noise and stopped.
at this point I had a couple of hours before Hampden hardware closed so i threw on my work clothes and went to take a look.
so Long story short...
Replaced the Air filter, Oil filter, Nozzle.
Still .... Nothing.
My old man was playing poker at his place so i interrupted him as my experience inside of a furnace was not that extensive... He said he would be up to look the rest over after the game (7pm) So I was smelling of  fuel, Cold and none to freakin' happy to this point.
Needless to say I didn't get to spend anymore real quality time with the boy.... but a few minutes here and there ... and  between the better half and myself we tried to explain that things like that can't be controlled or helped and you have to do those things when the happen no matter what.
Still I didn't feel to good about it.
I will have to spend extra special time with him to get caught up  ;o)
So.... with all of the jumping through hoops we (my father and I) got the  ignition transformer replaced. so we had heat again.
I will be telling the story of that in the next blog as it will take a full blog to chronicle it accurately.
So as of this moment I have heat, and I have hooked the washer and dryer back up after having torn out a wall(Saturday) , insulated (Saturday), reinstalled & Hooked them up (tonight)... running some stuff through to make sure that everything is working fine.  

I'll Leave you with This...
In general... it has been one hell of a long day and I am going to swap the blankets over into the dryer and I am going to bed.
I have work in the morning and the details of the transformer to blog my way through.
It seems a bit slow with out Rick and Colleen here to blog back and forth with. I hope they are having an awesome time at Disney!
....And most of all Big hugs and cuddles to the wife and Son  for putting up with "Papa Bear" today. I really would rather have been working my way through a video game with Zack or snuggling with my wife! and great food baby!

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Another good day!

Another Day at the hospital

I am not sitting slumped behind my desk... 

I am out working in the actual hospital.

Doing some "Real" Work.

Well it is busy work still but it is not sitting behind my desk trying not to be bored to the very core.

Not dealing with anyone in the office is great! :D 

I'll Leave you with This...
I can't wait to get home I will tell you that much!

Sleeping in my oooooown bed!

Having my family around.... That really is the way to go!

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Scribble-dee-scribble-scribble

Feeling a bit better...
I have been feeling a bit better.... I think I just need more sleep though, I am exhausted.

Fun Last Night...
Went to a "Going away" party just down the road from work last night. It was for one of the people I really like at work [ There are a couple ;0) ]

It made me feel a lil' better.

When I showed up it was like a scene from cheers.

Every body was yelling for me to come over and saying Ooooooh awesome I am glad you came! and what not. Not to mention I didn't have pay anything... everybody bought my drinks and food.

I Said I was sad to see Laurie go ... But I DEFINATELY understood. It made me feel good that so many people were Happy to see me show up. It is a small thing but it helps ya feel a little better.

On the Home front...
Well... I am thinking I will be tearing out some walls this weekend as the pipes to our washing machine have frozen three time (if I am remembering correctly) in the last week or two.

So this weekends priority will be the wall behind the washer and dryer.... after that there are two others that need attention... but I am going to try a novel new approach... I am going to start in one area and finish THAT area BEFORE moving on. ;p

So I am sure that there is enough to keep me busy this weekend PLUS we will be throwing in some family snuggle time. Should be a good weekend.

I'll Leave you with This...
In general... I am doing okay but as per usual... I will be happy to see the end of this week.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

~>Intervention<~

Where my mind will go...
All the junk that was cluttering up my mind.... I will get it sorted out.... It just feels Like a lot right now... and I didn't get a chance to Make my Phone call to help me get this straightened out... So I will be dealing with that later.

Last Night...
I couldn't Sleep.
I am exhausted from thinking of all of the "potential" fallout.

  Family...
There  is so many things that I could say here (Good things) But at the moment my mind is Not on top of it's game... I await this "Return to normalcy"... but I am pretty certain that it will get worse before it gets better.

And on that note...
I will close this blog.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

Sleepy But I am at work...

STILL A lot on my mind...
Still Dealing with all the junk that is cluttering up my mind.... I will get it sorted out.... This being human thing is hard.

Fun Last Night...
Things Probably sounded quite gloomy from the post of Last night / Early this morning.
Believe it or not I had a great day.
Spent it with my son.
I did a couple things around the house.
Got the wife's "second bar" counter top installed... well I need to modify the screws a bit. Read that as... take a handful of them to the grinder and shorten them.. they don't make the screws I need... so I will make 'em.   ;0)
But after the Man~Cub waited Very Patiently for me to finish that we played some video games together.
Mostly one player games and one of us would play while the other helped out with hints or clues.
We were going to draw together when My mother called and Said my Gram would Like to see me.
To top it all off she had just pulled a Huge batch of molasses cookies out of the stove.  ;0P
So me and Turbo jumped into the car and headed down for a visit.
We had a blast! The boy was telling just as many stories as I was... and Gram and mom were Laughing and having a great time. It was good to see Gram so Happy.

It is my "Role" in the Family
Well... Unofficially my role is somewhere between Circus Ring Leader, Clown, Diplomat, Magician And Comedian.  If you combine all of those things and you come out with something close to me.
I Try to make sure that everyone Laughs at the things that make you sad or get ya down.
If you don't have Laughter in your life... it truly isn't a full Life.
So... I sometimes get overwhelmed because when you take all of those troubles on to make them something that can be lightheartedly laughed at... it wears you down... So that explains the "Down" tone of the last blog.
But after I packed the boy back into the car got him home and teeth brushed...
Well, All except the one that went into the baggy to go under his pillow (Yup, he lost another tooth) Then I tucked him in and played a few more video games with him and talked before turning out his light, a Kiss good night... and then I went into my office to draw for a bit until Julie got back form her sisters.

I'll Leave you with This...
In general... I try to be upbeat... and this place can go from serious to wild... But, That is how I am so if you are reading this you probably are seeing a side of me you know very well or you wouldn't recognize from Adam... Any way you slice it though... it is still me.

That is all for now I guess.
~Later

I Never hated being responsible so much!

A lot on my mind...
Lately I have had a lot on my mind.
Family stuff....
Extended family mostly.
Sometimes I still wonder Hooooow I got to be the "responsible one"... ~>Has a puzzled look on his face<~
I swear it seams like only yesterday I didn't realize that the rest of my Life had so much in store for me.
~>Sigh<~

When did "This" Happen?
Did some one assign me the "Responsible chair" while I wasn't looking?
I just seem to be one of the few that steps up when it comes right down to it.
It can get rather frustrating too I might add.
But the problem is...
I can't feel okay just ignoring the situation hoping that some one will suddenly wake up and go
"....Oh.... Maaaaann... Wow, I really need to stop being irresponsible and get my shit together!" Because no matter how much I wish for it... I still find myself awake at night, talking to myself and thinking that I need figure out what to do that is best for EVERYONE involved. It shouldn't be my job or responsibility.... I have my own family and responsibilities to handle.
~>Sigh<~

So What's the "Down Side"?
Well... from what I can envision I think the down side is the very hard time I will get to go through after all of this gets brought into the light. I have spent the evening talking with Julie, and she Tried to make me feel better about it being the right thing. and that she was proud of me for knowing I had to do it... But that doesn't Lighten the load on my heart.
I know that I will be causing a strain on a relationship I would rather not.... And then of course there is the undue pressure from other family members that may not understand that I am trying to help... or may refuse to see it as Help.
I just think that Knowing in my heart that I did something Out of pure Love... Because I wanted someone to be safe... May have to be enough.
When I cash in my chips at the end of "The Big Game" I hope that Doing it for the right reason takes a bit of Weight off.

I'll Leave you with that...
Sorry to sound so whiney... I just needed to vent... Get some of this off my chest.
So... I am gonna go crawl in to bed and Try to get some sleep now.
I have some calls to make tomorrow and Lots to Figure out.
That is all for now I guess.
~Later

The end of the week... YES!

Phew...
Some weeks seem like a test.
This was one such week.

When you make it through...
I find it to be a great reward to come home and see my family, have a wonderfully home cooked meal and Mix a good stiff "I made it through the Week" drink.

GUYism du jour...
A guy, NO Matter how much he Loves his significant other... has a pattern that is embedded in his DNA.
It is something he can NOT control... it is a pattern that he follows blindly... some men are even Unaware it is happening.
The pattern I am referring to is Visual contact.
It may be so quick it is almost undetected.
But This is how it goes.
Guys will look at a woman in the following way.

• Eye contact
• Breasts
• Eyes
• Lips
• Eyes
• Breasts
• Face
  

There are modifiers to the List...

1. If Legs are exposed... They will be Looked at.
2. If the Opportunity to look at the Bum is presented... it will be taken.
3. At some portion there will be a once over

This does not make the Guy a Pig it is just a pattern that I have noticed While watching people in the Pursuit of GUYisms.
That is all for today.

This guy is awesome...
Andy Mckee... Take a Look below at the video.

Just watching him makes you know that everyone has something they are destined to do!