Yesterday's post...

Was deleted. But for those of you that read my blog, please remember the personal content. As I stated, this blog is for ME now, not for you. It's a place for me to vent my frustrations, brag on accomplishments, and basically a way to remember shit I can no longer remember because I believe I am ill. It is not a place for anyone to say "wow, I feel bad for him" or "hey, that's great for him" because I am at a point in my life that I don't care what you think!

Sunday evening...

Had a good day today. Was great, downgraded to good. I'll explain...

Went out this morning with the wife, bought a new washer/dryer. That was great. We really need new ones. They will be delivered in 9 days. WHY 9 days you ask? The dryer is out of stock, will not be in for 7 days. That's cool. Gives me a chance to work it out at my job to work from home that day. Trying to do that without a plan in place always seems to fail for me. Also went to Wal-Mart (where else, I am in Arkansas you know), bought 2 new dress shirts and 2 new suit pants. Forgot the shoe polish though. Rats! That's OK. STILL a great day.

Came home, watched some of the NY Islanders game, they are winning. WOOHOO! Consecutive games at home, won them both! Where was this all season? STILL a great day! Decided to go outside and play with my new chainsaw. Bought it yesterday. Need it to clean up all of the down tree limbs in my yard from last month's ice storm. Tried it with a manual saw, lucky to still have my thumb. Got about 1/2 of them cut up to a decent point, STILL a great day!

Came in the house, got on Facebook, and started reading posts from a couple of friends. One of them started this morning with "Who wants to walk on the beach?" I would LOVE that! But, again, I am in Arkansas. We have lakes. I have yet to find the damned thing, and I've been here 5 1/2 years! There is a small lake, and I can honestly say unless it rains tomorrow that's where I will be for 60 minutes while I am at lunch. Then, another friend posted something, and there were 2 of us that made comments to it, all very fun. This person, who I've seen comment with me on others before, sent a friend request. It's a person I have not spoken to in about 20 years. Went through her photos (it's what I do, that's why they are there), and she looks amazing. She's got multiple pictures of herself at the beach. See a pattern here??

I lived on Long Island from 1972 until 2003 (31 years), and went to the beach CONSTANTLY when I was there. I would go for sunrises, sunsets, middle of the day, even at night when the place was "closed". You were not keeping me away from the water. Now I have been away from it for 5 1/2 years, and I found it's killing me!

Because of this, my day was downgraded from GREAT to GOOD. Don't tell my boss. The motto at work is "Good to Great!" He won't like this. I don't like it either. I feel a road trip coming real soon. Anyone got a corner I can sleep in?

Well...

It's Saturday evening, and here I am blogging. Let's face it, I'm boring. My son is in his room watching something on television, and I am in the living room, watching something on television and blogging. Ann is at work for about another hour, then she'll come home, we'll eat dinner, and sit here watching something on television. See a trend here??

Today I did the usual..went to pay my car loan and did the grocery shopping. The list was the smallest I think it's ever been, but I spent more than usual LOL! I actually bought 2 of many things (you would have thought I was buying for Noah's Ark the way it looked). Later on, Anthony went to his friend's house for awhile. While he was out, I went to the line to buy some wine, then went to Home Depot to buy a chain saw. What a combination huh? The wine is for Ann (I don't drink anymore, I am "on the wagon"), the chain saw, however, is for me! I have many tree limbs in the yard that came down with last month's ice storm and I must get rid of them.

Tomorrow looks to be a good day. I have some shopping to do. Need to get a couple of new dress shirts, and hopefully I can find a pair of pants that actually fit. These are for work, which is still nuts, but I am busy happy.

Like I said above, I'm boring!

Job update...

Good evening! Wanted to give you an update on past blogs about me applying for another position within my company. Today it is official. I have decided not to apply. I talked it over in depth with my wife, struggled with the decision for quite a few days, and in the end decided that the salary increase did not outweigh happiness and future growth within the company. Please allow me to clarify...

The role I am in is a basic role, but it is a role that allows you to grow and to learn. As a matter of fact, there is a position that will be opening in the very near future, and it is a position that I am striving to fill with my own little body. By accepting the first position, I basically take a path away from the one that I am on. I do not wish to do that. It would be fine now, but it would hurt me later on. I have spoken with a woman I work with, who I also consider a very dear friend, and she is also in the position I would have been applying for. While she is disappointed that I will not be working with her, she is glad for me because she sees what I can become, and by taking the role available to me will take me away from that. So, I'm still a CSA, still working with chilled, frozen and ice cream products, and tonight I am relaxed and happy =)

Another day...

We have reached the end of the weekend. Hard to believe it's March 1st already. I still (kinda) remember New Year's 2009. Well, I have pictures anyway. It turned out to be a fairly quiet weekend. Anthony was supposed to go to a friend's house but those plans fell through. Just as well, it was lousy weather yesterday (it "flurried") and today we just enjoyed a very lazy day. I got to watch a movie that I DVR'd, then took a nap. Tonight, however, there's not much on TV, so Ann and I are watching The Golden Girls on one of the cable channels. That show is STILL funny even after all these years.

Friends on the eastern side of the U.S. are getting hit with MAJOR snow tonight and tomorrow morning. In the lower section, I'm not sure how much they are getting/got, but in the northeast, they are calling for anywhere from 8 to 14 inches of snow. Now THOSE are the snowstorms I miss. What we get here isn't a "storm", it's a tease! The funny part is, it snowed yesterday, and tomorrow it will be around 60 degrees. Today I don't know what it was, I never went out.

Work is going fairly well. I made it through and got all of my promo orders written. One of them shipped this weekend, one will ship next week, the other not for another 3 weeks, so I have time with those. Tuesday we have a huge meeting that I have to be in the office at 7am for. Yay! Not too big a deal for me. I usually get into the office by 7:15 anyway, and we will be in a different office that is closer to home, so it will not be so bad.

Hoping someone in the Northeast takes some good snow photos by the water, although that will make me homesick.

What a week...

Hello my friends (OK, the ones that read this!). I am finally able to relax and not have work on my mind when I get home at night. OK, so I'm not thinking of work I should have done or what is going to have to be done tomorrow. I, however, AM thinking of work because I am going to apply for a different position within the company. It has it's good and bad points. Good being it's a new level, bad because I will be disconnected from the customer service end, which seems to be my biggest strength. It's funny. I tossed the decision around for awhile in my mind, first I was, then I wasn't, etc etc. The thing that helped me make up my mind? Well, it goes like this...

The company I work for has been around for MANY years. No, I don't know how many, I was never very good with history. Anyhoo... for years the company has survived, thrived, and succeeded. This was LONG before I was brought in as an employee. And you know what else? If I left tomorrow, the business would STILL survive, thrive and succeed. So, for me to be selfish and say I'M the one that has to do my job? Nah. But that's not the reason I decided to try...

I have a saying in my mind, and I share this with co-workers, friends, and basically anyone that will listen. "Family first!" What does this mean? In a nutshell, if you have a choice of working on something that can wait or be covered by someone else or doing something with your family that will make them happy, you choose family. As I said before, this job is a new level. This means an increase in base salary. This will help my family a great deal. But that's not the reason I decided to try...

(Crazed yet? LOL!)

Talking with my supervisor this morning, he said to me that if I applied, and if I got the job, I would not be jumping ship the next day. They have to get someone trained to do my job, and I (of course) would be the one to train this person. I would also be able to do "double duty" which means do my current job as well as start my new job, as I have to train for parts of that as well. I know I can do both. There are times at work where I have "gaps of time" between duties. I was able to put it all together. I can still be a part of my current job, leaving it (eventually) to someone that will do as well as I do right now, AND I am taking care of my family by being able to provide more income to my family so we are not worried so much about going out for dinner or a movie once in awhile. THAT'S why I'm applying. No guarantee I'll even get the job, but I am fortunate enough to have the support of some co-workers and my supervisor and manager. Here goes nothin'...

Hooked, filleted and fried...

For the first time in a LONG time, I got to play poker and actually enjoy myself. We had so many laughs. I played with a great bunch of guys, some I knew, some I didn't. Unfortunately, as good of a time as I had at the game, I didn't do so well PLAYING the game. Most of the night I was "card dead" meaning I wasn't getting many good hands worth playing, and when I DID get a hand, all but one was beat either pre-flop or on the flop. While I love playing, it's going to be a long time before I play again. Can't afford many nights like these.

Ann is still working at the local grocery store. She is really hoping to get the job at a daycare she interviewed at over a week ago, but has not heard anything and basically given up hope that she is getting one of the two jobs they had open. One of the positions was part-time, but she would have enjoyed doing that even part-time rather than what she is doing now. I try to look at the positive side and remind her in this current economy she should be glad to have a job. She does look at it that way, but sometimes it's hard to think that way AND be happy, you know?

Someone at my company is leaving next week, and his position will be opening for interviews in the near future. At least, that's the rumor. It's possible the job will be filled from another location, which means I won't have a chance to apply. I am not really sure I want to apply though. I am fine where I am, we have much new business in one of the divisions I work for, and I am enjoying learning the business. But the other position would mean more money. That would be great for my family. I guess I am at a crossroads in my mind. I will discuss it with my boss, he will probably tell me what is already in my mind .. to look at both sides, weigh all of the options, and decide what would be best for me. This position has been open once before, and a few people in the company really wanted me to apply, but I knew that I wasn't ready. Now I am just not sure if I'd be happy doing it rather than what I'm doing. I come up with excuses like "nobody in the office would be able to catch on that quick to what I do now, and the business could falter" which I know is BS. The company had been doing quite well before I was hired, and they will continue to thrive even after I'm gone. I guess I'm just looking for reasons to say no. Could this mean I shouldn't apply? Or does it mean I'm just afraid of change? Eventually, the answers will come.

I just realized it's 1am, and I am watching ESPN. The NY Islanders traded 2 players to Ottawa for 1 + a draft pick. Will read up on it tomorrow and decide then how much I don't like the move they made. In the meantime, I'm going to get some sleep.