My feeble attempt every year is to do a better job at writing frequently. I almost always end up failing miserably when I look back at my post history and can usually count them all on my two hands. Hopefully 2009 will be better. (In case you haven't noticed, I've also change the layout in an attempts to inspire myself!)
I've decided to apply my writing skills (if you can even call them that) and follow The One Minute Writer. I can't promise that there will be a post every day, but my intentions are to at least post weekly with each topic and/or question and my response below. I also can't promise that it will only be a minute, give me a little credit for trying something new!
Hope everyone has a Safe and Happy New Year!
Please check back on January 1st for my new series of posts.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Welcome To The Party, Pal!
It's been quite a long, involved and rather tumultuous year for me. Things were anything but "by the book" in 2008. Where should I start and attempt not to rehash what I've already said from posts in the past?
LIFE CHANGING EVENTS
Reality Check Slap In The Face:
Getting "Fired" For The First Time
If there's one lesson I've learned at the beginning of the year, it's to never take anything for granted. After having a long successful streak of employment, I lost my job due to a clerical error causing accounting books not to balance. There were additional circumstances that surrounded my termination, but I'm not going to get into them; it's been a long and hard ten months.
I've had a very difficult time letting go of my anger over the entire situation, but I have finally started to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't where God wanted me to be, or I would still be there. With that being said, I wash my hands clean of this unfortunate sore personal subject.
But The Sign Says She's A Lab Retriever Mix:
Not Getting The Dog You Originally Wanted
After serveral months of subtly (and not so subtly) hinting that I wanted to get a dog, Lisa finally gave into my request on Memorial Day Weekend. I should make a note that Lisa had wanted to get a dog as well, but I was the ever-persistent one who kept asking the question, "How 'bout now?"
I had worked a very long day performing my first physical inventory in over two years in a retail store that I had only been employed with for two weeks. Needless to say, it was just a tad chaotic. When I finally arrived home, Lisa asked me a variety of questions at an attempt to cheer up my not-so-sunny disposition. The mere mention of going down to PAWS (our local animal shelter) and just looking at what they may have to offer transformed me mentally into a child in a toy store: "I want this one, and this one, and ooooh... this one too!"
However, like the title of this segment, the sign stated that the dog we (and when I say we, I really mean me) picked out was a lab retriever mix. That was all fine and dandy until two months into puppy parenthood when our dog started to become much more aggressive than I ever remember having experienced in the past. The answer quickly came to surface once we started researching her changing physical features and discovered that the dominate part of her mix was more than likely from a bully breed (Pit Bull, Boxer, etc). Can you all say "uh-oh" boys and girls?
If ever there was a dog that we were both trying to avoid, it was a dog whose breed caused fear in the general public. However, I'm glad to report that Amity's goal in life is not to devour little children nor is it to continually find new ways to puncture, bruise or bite my wife's hands, arms or any other body part that happens to get in the way (most of the time). Almost everyday Amity does something that makes us both laugh and smile including drinking from the faucet in the bathroom, chasing one of her whiffle balls throughout the house, or watching her eviscerating the quickly depleting supply of stuffed toys.
Her current and most consistant general disposition is mostly sunny with only a 20% chance of retarded. She's now nine months old, weighing in at around 55 pounds and has finally been welcomed in our home as one of the family.
YEAR END HIGHLIGHTS
So This Is What It Was Like To Earn A Paycheck:
Finding Employment Again
I was finally able to gain full-time employment after three months. Unfortunately, it was in retail. Not my first choice, but as you'll read a little later, I discovered that the whole "finding a new job is your job" really didn't work for me.
The downside to this entire situation is that I'm currently working for a company that decided to announce that it was closing 155 stores, as well as filing for Chapter 11 under the federal bankruptcy court, all within a week of each other. So, even though I have been able to establish steady employment, who knows how long that will last.
I Think We Better Stick To The Slower Rides:
Our First Anniversary
Lisa and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 13th. We had made plans to take a few days off and head up to Cedar Point (considered by many as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World) in Sandusky, Ohio. Our plans also included a day trip to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame (maybe even a shopping spree at Winfred-Lauder). Unfortunately, we had to seriously curtail our plans as our current funds could not support this lavish and extravagant affair. We settled on Six Flags Over Georgia instead.
This provided several benefits which included a maximum travel time of only four hours compared to the nine plus needed to reach the south side of Lake Eerie. We had a wonderful time, until we got off the second mega coaster. Lisa discovered that her childhood motion sickness had reared its ugly head, so we stayed away from those rides and stuck with the more traditional wooden style coasters instead. Once she regained her composure, we had a blast! I discovered that people must have been much smaller back when they first constructed some the older rides, or that I'm so big that the seat just couldn't contain me. (Maybe a little of both!)
20/20 HINDSIGHT OBSERVATIONS
Video Games & Puppies:
How To Strengthen Your Spousal Communication Skills
I always felt our marriage had a strong grounding in our communication; and I still firmly believe that. However, it was quite an eye-opening experience to realize sometimes how much we didn't do it when it came to some of the more basic things.
My first clue was my well-seasoned talent of "hearing without listening," most evident when playing co-operative video games over the past year. Lisa would tell me a couple of times to do something, and after a fair amount of time, I would then end up suggesting the exact same thing. This moment was usually followed by a blank stare, the rolling of her eyes and then followed by a comment like, "I just said that two minutes ago." Little did I know that this would be a commonly repeated phrase in our household.
Puppy parenthood opened up a whole new can of worms in learning how to sharpen our dulled skills on saying exactly what we mean. This issue reared its ugly head with Amity's major bout with subborness and aggression. Lisa would repeatedly make a small comment such as, "it makes me nervous when..." or "it bothers me when..." I took these in context of each individual incident rather than collectively. She tiptoed around the subject instead of saying, "this issue is a serious concern of mine and we need to get this resolved if we're planning on keeping Amity." Thankfully, a majority of these issues have been addressed, as well as those issues with the dog, and we're very proud to say that we've grown even closer because of it.
Unemployment, Cabin Fever & You:
Uncovering Old Bad Habits And Discovering New Ones
Being unemployed sucks. It sucks not bringing in money. It sucks receiving goverment assistance for three months (but ever-so-thankful for it). But worst of all was that being unemployed seemed to suck my will to be productive.
My last stint at being jobless was back in 1998 and it lasted for a whole six weeks, but this time it wasn't that easy. I quickly discovered that I was my own worst boss, or I was my own worst employee; both descriptions fit depending on the situation. Without any structure, I failed in my job searching. I was treading in foreign territory, not at all familiar with the philosophy of "your job is looking for a new job."
I blame a very small part of that on living in an age where the internet super highway is right at your finger tips, with a virtual cornicopea of wonderful (as well as not so wonderful) distractions. However, I take the blame for my lack of focus, inner drive, self-pity, and procrastination. I'm learning how to manage my time better when looking for a new job. I now set small goals to complete everyday. It's amazing how much more productive you'll be and how much more you can accomplish.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Where Is This Water Coming From:
How To Spend Your Day Off Installing A New Toilet
Installing a toilet was something I never truly saw myself actually doing. Be that as it may, we had discovered a leak somewhere around the toilet, which inspired the need for some home repair. So, one Saturday morning not too long ago, I found myself rocking a toilet free from the bathroom floor. The discovery of sewage, however, seeping underneath the linoleum, was something we weren't expecting. Thankfully, there wasn't much damage to the hardwood floor.
By the time the sun had set, the wife and I had laid down new linoleum and installed our brand new Jacuzzi Perfecta commode. Aside from the weird concave seat, which makes it feel like your posterior is firmly planted inside the bowl, the new chair-high toilet is a welcomed addition to our bathroom.
Crock Pot Turkey v2.0:
Surviving The In-Laws During Thanksgiving
Knowing that North Carolina wasn't on our destination map this Thanksgiving, Lisa and I invited her mother and grandmother to our home. We had sucessfully cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot last year, when we invited my cousin and his wife to dinner. So I thought, why not try it again, but this time let's make sure we have a large enough breast so we can have a decent amount of leftovers. What is Thanksgiving, if you can't have leftovers to munch on for the remainder of the four-day holiday weekend?
We purchased a seven and a half pound turkey breast from the local grocery store and tucked it away for a few weeks. When Thursday morning came, I dragged myself out of bed, took the dog out, and proceded to prep the turkey. I rinsed off the bird, dislodged the gravy packet, and patted the bird dry. I then placed it in the crock pot and attempted to put the lid on top. I was amazed to discover the top lacked a good half inch in closing, as the bird was too tall and too long to fit when it's frozen solid.
Not knowing what to do next, I rubbed a thin coat of butter on the bird, generously sprinkled soup mix atop the bird, and shrugged my shoulders as I placed the lid back on top. After I washed my hands and hopped back into bed, I hoped that once the bird began to cook, it would shrink and the lid would close. Thankfully it did, and it was absolutely delicious; perfectly moist, tender and pleasantly seasoned.
If you haven't crock-potted a turkey before, I highly recommend it. The instructions are just about as simple as I described them, but you can click here if you're interested in preparing this extremely easy dinner.
I've really started to enjoy cooking and Lisa couldn't be happier. Getting home early from work four out of five days a week allows me to have supper ready by the time she's arrived home and had time to relax.
As this year slowly winds down and as Christmas and New Year's quickly approaches, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of what Corporate America and Consumerism has turned this holiday season into, please don't forget the real Reason for the Season.
"We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Savior was born, it is the 25th of December....Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give thanks to God for the gift of His dear Son."
- Charles Spurgeon
Until Next Time, Dear Readers.
LIFE CHANGING EVENTS
Reality Check Slap In The Face:
Getting "Fired" For The First Time
If there's one lesson I've learned at the beginning of the year, it's to never take anything for granted. After having a long successful streak of employment, I lost my job due to a clerical error causing accounting books not to balance. There were additional circumstances that surrounded my termination, but I'm not going to get into them; it's been a long and hard ten months.
I've had a very difficult time letting go of my anger over the entire situation, but I have finally started to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't where God wanted me to be, or I would still be there. With that being said, I wash my hands clean of this unfortunate sore personal subject.
But The Sign Says She's A Lab Retriever Mix:
Not Getting The Dog You Originally Wanted
After serveral months of subtly (and not so subtly) hinting that I wanted to get a dog, Lisa finally gave into my request on Memorial Day Weekend. I should make a note that Lisa had wanted to get a dog as well, but I was the ever-persistent one who kept asking the question, "How 'bout now?"
I had worked a very long day performing my first physical inventory in over two years in a retail store that I had only been employed with for two weeks. Needless to say, it was just a tad chaotic. When I finally arrived home, Lisa asked me a variety of questions at an attempt to cheer up my not-so-sunny disposition. The mere mention of going down to PAWS (our local animal shelter) and just looking at what they may have to offer transformed me mentally into a child in a toy store: "I want this one, and this one, and ooooh... this one too!"
However, like the title of this segment, the sign stated that the dog we (and when I say we, I really mean me) picked out was a lab retriever mix. That was all fine and dandy until two months into puppy parenthood when our dog started to become much more aggressive than I ever remember having experienced in the past. The answer quickly came to surface once we started researching her changing physical features and discovered that the dominate part of her mix was more than likely from a bully breed (Pit Bull, Boxer, etc). Can you all say "uh-oh" boys and girls?
If ever there was a dog that we were both trying to avoid, it was a dog whose breed caused fear in the general public. However, I'm glad to report that Amity's goal in life is not to devour little children nor is it to continually find new ways to puncture, bruise or bite my wife's hands, arms or any other body part that happens to get in the way (most of the time). Almost everyday Amity does something that makes us both laugh and smile including drinking from the faucet in the bathroom, chasing one of her whiffle balls throughout the house, or watching her eviscerating the quickly depleting supply of stuffed toys.
Her current and most consistant general disposition is mostly sunny with only a 20% chance of retarded. She's now nine months old, weighing in at around 55 pounds and has finally been welcomed in our home as one of the family.
YEAR END HIGHLIGHTS
So This Is What It Was Like To Earn A Paycheck:
Finding Employment Again
I was finally able to gain full-time employment after three months. Unfortunately, it was in retail. Not my first choice, but as you'll read a little later, I discovered that the whole "finding a new job is your job" really didn't work for me.
The downside to this entire situation is that I'm currently working for a company that decided to announce that it was closing 155 stores, as well as filing for Chapter 11 under the federal bankruptcy court, all within a week of each other. So, even though I have been able to establish steady employment, who knows how long that will last.
I Think We Better Stick To The Slower Rides:
Our First Anniversary
Lisa and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 13th. We had made plans to take a few days off and head up to Cedar Point (considered by many as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World) in Sandusky, Ohio. Our plans also included a day trip to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame (maybe even a shopping spree at Winfred-Lauder). Unfortunately, we had to seriously curtail our plans as our current funds could not support this lavish and extravagant affair. We settled on Six Flags Over Georgia instead.
This provided several benefits which included a maximum travel time of only four hours compared to the nine plus needed to reach the south side of Lake Eerie. We had a wonderful time, until we got off the second mega coaster. Lisa discovered that her childhood motion sickness had reared its ugly head, so we stayed away from those rides and stuck with the more traditional wooden style coasters instead. Once she regained her composure, we had a blast! I discovered that people must have been much smaller back when they first constructed some the older rides, or that I'm so big that the seat just couldn't contain me. (Maybe a little of both!)
20/20 HINDSIGHT OBSERVATIONS
Video Games & Puppies:
How To Strengthen Your Spousal Communication Skills
I always felt our marriage had a strong grounding in our communication; and I still firmly believe that. However, it was quite an eye-opening experience to realize sometimes how much we didn't do it when it came to some of the more basic things.
My first clue was my well-seasoned talent of "hearing without listening," most evident when playing co-operative video games over the past year. Lisa would tell me a couple of times to do something, and after a fair amount of time, I would then end up suggesting the exact same thing. This moment was usually followed by a blank stare, the rolling of her eyes and then followed by a comment like, "I just said that two minutes ago." Little did I know that this would be a commonly repeated phrase in our household.
Puppy parenthood opened up a whole new can of worms in learning how to sharpen our dulled skills on saying exactly what we mean. This issue reared its ugly head with Amity's major bout with subborness and aggression. Lisa would repeatedly make a small comment such as, "it makes me nervous when..." or "it bothers me when..." I took these in context of each individual incident rather than collectively. She tiptoed around the subject instead of saying, "this issue is a serious concern of mine and we need to get this resolved if we're planning on keeping Amity." Thankfully, a majority of these issues have been addressed, as well as those issues with the dog, and we're very proud to say that we've grown even closer because of it.
Unemployment, Cabin Fever & You:
Uncovering Old Bad Habits And Discovering New Ones
Being unemployed sucks. It sucks not bringing in money. It sucks receiving goverment assistance for three months (but ever-so-thankful for it). But worst of all was that being unemployed seemed to suck my will to be productive.
My last stint at being jobless was back in 1998 and it lasted for a whole six weeks, but this time it wasn't that easy. I quickly discovered that I was my own worst boss, or I was my own worst employee; both descriptions fit depending on the situation. Without any structure, I failed in my job searching. I was treading in foreign territory, not at all familiar with the philosophy of "your job is looking for a new job."
I blame a very small part of that on living in an age where the internet super highway is right at your finger tips, with a virtual cornicopea of wonderful (as well as not so wonderful) distractions. However, I take the blame for my lack of focus, inner drive, self-pity, and procrastination. I'm learning how to manage my time better when looking for a new job. I now set small goals to complete everyday. It's amazing how much more productive you'll be and how much more you can accomplish.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Where Is This Water Coming From:
How To Spend Your Day Off Installing A New Toilet
Installing a toilet was something I never truly saw myself actually doing. Be that as it may, we had discovered a leak somewhere around the toilet, which inspired the need for some home repair. So, one Saturday morning not too long ago, I found myself rocking a toilet free from the bathroom floor. The discovery of sewage, however, seeping underneath the linoleum, was something we weren't expecting. Thankfully, there wasn't much damage to the hardwood floor.
By the time the sun had set, the wife and I had laid down new linoleum and installed our brand new Jacuzzi Perfecta commode. Aside from the weird concave seat, which makes it feel like your posterior is firmly planted inside the bowl, the new chair-high toilet is a welcomed addition to our bathroom.
Crock Pot Turkey v2.0:
Surviving The In-Laws During Thanksgiving
Knowing that North Carolina wasn't on our destination map this Thanksgiving, Lisa and I invited her mother and grandmother to our home. We had sucessfully cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot last year, when we invited my cousin and his wife to dinner. So I thought, why not try it again, but this time let's make sure we have a large enough breast so we can have a decent amount of leftovers. What is Thanksgiving, if you can't have leftovers to munch on for the remainder of the four-day holiday weekend?
We purchased a seven and a half pound turkey breast from the local grocery store and tucked it away for a few weeks. When Thursday morning came, I dragged myself out of bed, took the dog out, and proceded to prep the turkey. I rinsed off the bird, dislodged the gravy packet, and patted the bird dry. I then placed it in the crock pot and attempted to put the lid on top. I was amazed to discover the top lacked a good half inch in closing, as the bird was too tall and too long to fit when it's frozen solid.
Not knowing what to do next, I rubbed a thin coat of butter on the bird, generously sprinkled soup mix atop the bird, and shrugged my shoulders as I placed the lid back on top. After I washed my hands and hopped back into bed, I hoped that once the bird began to cook, it would shrink and the lid would close. Thankfully it did, and it was absolutely delicious; perfectly moist, tender and pleasantly seasoned.
If you haven't crock-potted a turkey before, I highly recommend it. The instructions are just about as simple as I described them, but you can click here if you're interested in preparing this extremely easy dinner.
I've really started to enjoy cooking and Lisa couldn't be happier. Getting home early from work four out of five days a week allows me to have supper ready by the time she's arrived home and had time to relax.
As this year slowly winds down and as Christmas and New Year's quickly approaches, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of what Corporate America and Consumerism has turned this holiday season into, please don't forget the real Reason for the Season.
"We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Savior was born, it is the 25th of December....Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give thanks to God for the gift of His dear Son."
- Charles Spurgeon
Until Next Time, Dear Readers.
Monday, May 5, 2008
My wife, the blogger...
Lisa has decided to take up a small extra-curricular activity as of late. She first stated that she would never figure out how to ever post, if she felt led... Now she's out-smarted her own husband by changing the layout as well as adding a poll. She actually wants some interaction.
She's so demanding!
You can witness her first post here.
She's so demanding!
You can witness her first post here.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Too Much Time On My Hands
I've spent the last three months cooped up in our small house with only limited travel to the outside world. Now I'm not saying this because I feel like I'm a prisoner in my own house, or that my wife keeps me locked up in shackles while she's at work during the day, but I've kept my roaming to a minimum.
I've done this for two reasons. The first is that unless I have a specific destination in mind, there really is no need to just go out, especially if I'm driving. The second is in relation to the current fuel prices. I never thought that the day would come where the possibility of $4 per gallon for regular unleaded wasn't a possibility anymore, but more like an eventuality. I don't struggle with that anymore. I struggle with "will it be here by the end of summer or the end of the year"?
Anyway, I digress...
The title of this post is quite an understatement, in my most humbling and honest opinion. When I was first released from my last employer (a really nice way of saying that I was fired), I thought that the emotional scarring of being stabbed in the back wouldn't take very long to heal. Boy was I wrong!
I filed for unemployment back in February. I felt that my termination wasn't handled in a fair manner. Do I admit to making a mistake? Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that I screwed up by making an adjustment and not contacting the proper personnel afterwards. I sat at my desk for a good four hours a day, if not longer (depending on the workload from the warehouse) keying adjustments, making new item numbers, running reports and altering item descriptions codes along with all of my other job responsibilities on any given day.
Trying to pinpoint an exact adjustment made can sometimes be difficult, especially if it was over a week ago. As detail oriented as I am, a lot of it can become a blur when you're constantly entering and adjusting data for over half of your work day. According to my “release” I was asked if I had made a specific adjustment, to which I replied, “I don't remember.” It was later brought to my attention that I had made the adjustment. I never argued that fact. Computer programs these days can pull some of the most minute details that I never doubted if they wanted to find out who created the adjustment, that they would. Twenty-four hours later, I was without a job driving home in complete silence.
By the grace of God, my unemployment insurance was approved. Even though I obviously wasn't happy with the recent turn of events, at least I felt that I had scored one run before I was ejected from the game. Unfortunately, two weeks later, I come to find out that my unemployment was being contested. I felt bad enough as it was, but this was like being kicked while I was down. When my scheduled telephone hearing finally arrived on the first week of March, I could hardly keep the butterflies in my stomach from wanting to regurgitate my breakfast.
The biggest surprise, after everything was said and done, was that my former employers claimed I lied about making the adjustment. That seemed rather odd, considering that my separation notice never stated that. The impression I was given when they handed me my “pink slip” was that my adjustment made the accounting books for January unbalanced and that they were going to lose a significant amount of money. I was willing to accept that answer.
Thankfully, three days later, the state of Tennessee ruled in my favor, stating that my employer did not provide sufficient evidence that I had maliciously performed any kind of misconduct. There's nothing quite like the sweet satisfying taste of vindication. The hardest part, and to some degree still is, was the surprising act of betrayal by my former boss.
I remember a conversation I had with him almost three years ago. He had taken the time to call me and tell me that he was leaving the company and that he didn't want to me to hear it through the rumor mill that was very predominate in our store. I was somewhat shocked, because as close as I thought we were, he never expressed that he was unhappy with where he was in his career. However, I completely understood.
Less than two weeks later he was saying his goodbyes to everyone and he finally came around to me. We walked outside and I asked if I could give him a genuine critique, a piece of advice coming from someone who he worked closely with for the last couple of years. He agreed and I told him if he only takes away one thing, that he needed to learn to be more forgiving. That people make mistakes sometimes and that he needed to be able to give people a second chance. We then said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I find it rather ironic now, that less than three years later, I have now fallen under his strict and stubborn “sword of judgment.” Maybe throughout his career he had been screwed over just one too many times by giving people a second chance. Taking the time to speak with his former colleagues that I had also worked under, I began to realize that some of his biggest weaknesses that he had possessed back then, like his stubbornness, wasn't anything new to them. Perhaps one day he might change and be able to grow into a more forgiving person.
It has taken me quite some time over the course of the past three months to finally be the bigger person and forgive him. We're all human beings and we all make mistakes. Some are unfortunately bigger than others and some can't reward the opportunity of second chances. I know the kind of integrity I possess. I'm not the kind of person who could lie to a direct superior, especially about something as minimal as what I had done. But what is done, is done. Maybe one day he'll stumble across my site again and read this.
Writing this post has been rather therapeutic. I know I haven't been on topic for the past several months, but I hope to change things around very soon. Thank you for lending me your ears and/or eyes (and since I don't personally read my posts to you, I guess you only lend your eyes to me and your ability to be literate). So, I guess I thank you for being blessed with the faculty of sight, the wonderful gift of literacy and ability to tolerate my writing.
I promise bigger and better things in the next few days to come.
Until next time, dear readers.
I've done this for two reasons. The first is that unless I have a specific destination in mind, there really is no need to just go out, especially if I'm driving. The second is in relation to the current fuel prices. I never thought that the day would come where the possibility of $4 per gallon for regular unleaded wasn't a possibility anymore, but more like an eventuality. I don't struggle with that anymore. I struggle with "will it be here by the end of summer or the end of the year"?
Anyway, I digress...
The title of this post is quite an understatement, in my most humbling and honest opinion. When I was first released from my last employer (a really nice way of saying that I was fired), I thought that the emotional scarring of being stabbed in the back wouldn't take very long to heal. Boy was I wrong!
I filed for unemployment back in February. I felt that my termination wasn't handled in a fair manner. Do I admit to making a mistake? Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that I screwed up by making an adjustment and not contacting the proper personnel afterwards. I sat at my desk for a good four hours a day, if not longer (depending on the workload from the warehouse) keying adjustments, making new item numbers, running reports and altering item descriptions codes along with all of my other job responsibilities on any given day.
Trying to pinpoint an exact adjustment made can sometimes be difficult, especially if it was over a week ago. As detail oriented as I am, a lot of it can become a blur when you're constantly entering and adjusting data for over half of your work day. According to my “release” I was asked if I had made a specific adjustment, to which I replied, “I don't remember.” It was later brought to my attention that I had made the adjustment. I never argued that fact. Computer programs these days can pull some of the most minute details that I never doubted if they wanted to find out who created the adjustment, that they would. Twenty-four hours later, I was without a job driving home in complete silence.
By the grace of God, my unemployment insurance was approved. Even though I obviously wasn't happy with the recent turn of events, at least I felt that I had scored one run before I was ejected from the game. Unfortunately, two weeks later, I come to find out that my unemployment was being contested. I felt bad enough as it was, but this was like being kicked while I was down. When my scheduled telephone hearing finally arrived on the first week of March, I could hardly keep the butterflies in my stomach from wanting to regurgitate my breakfast.
The biggest surprise, after everything was said and done, was that my former employers claimed I lied about making the adjustment. That seemed rather odd, considering that my separation notice never stated that. The impression I was given when they handed me my “pink slip” was that my adjustment made the accounting books for January unbalanced and that they were going to lose a significant amount of money. I was willing to accept that answer.
Thankfully, three days later, the state of Tennessee ruled in my favor, stating that my employer did not provide sufficient evidence that I had maliciously performed any kind of misconduct. There's nothing quite like the sweet satisfying taste of vindication. The hardest part, and to some degree still is, was the surprising act of betrayal by my former boss.
I remember a conversation I had with him almost three years ago. He had taken the time to call me and tell me that he was leaving the company and that he didn't want to me to hear it through the rumor mill that was very predominate in our store. I was somewhat shocked, because as close as I thought we were, he never expressed that he was unhappy with where he was in his career. However, I completely understood.
Less than two weeks later he was saying his goodbyes to everyone and he finally came around to me. We walked outside and I asked if I could give him a genuine critique, a piece of advice coming from someone who he worked closely with for the last couple of years. He agreed and I told him if he only takes away one thing, that he needed to learn to be more forgiving. That people make mistakes sometimes and that he needed to be able to give people a second chance. We then said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I find it rather ironic now, that less than three years later, I have now fallen under his strict and stubborn “sword of judgment.” Maybe throughout his career he had been screwed over just one too many times by giving people a second chance. Taking the time to speak with his former colleagues that I had also worked under, I began to realize that some of his biggest weaknesses that he had possessed back then, like his stubbornness, wasn't anything new to them. Perhaps one day he might change and be able to grow into a more forgiving person.
It has taken me quite some time over the course of the past three months to finally be the bigger person and forgive him. We're all human beings and we all make mistakes. Some are unfortunately bigger than others and some can't reward the opportunity of second chances. I know the kind of integrity I possess. I'm not the kind of person who could lie to a direct superior, especially about something as minimal as what I had done. But what is done, is done. Maybe one day he'll stumble across my site again and read this.
Writing this post has been rather therapeutic. I know I haven't been on topic for the past several months, but I hope to change things around very soon. Thank you for lending me your ears and/or eyes (and since I don't personally read my posts to you, I guess you only lend your eyes to me and your ability to be literate). So, I guess I thank you for being blessed with the faculty of sight, the wonderful gift of literacy and ability to tolerate my writing.
I promise bigger and better things in the next few days to come.
Until next time, dear readers.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Closing Chapters
I am finding it very difficult to summarize a couple of significant milestones that have occurred in my life. Especially when they bookended February 2008 and neither one of them are what you would deem "great." Two chapters have come to a close in my life here, zipping me around on one hell of an emotional roller coaster.
The last week of January started off with quite a bang. I had been sick three days straight, leading right into February 1st, with an upper respiratory infection. By the time my prescribed antibiotics started working, I was out of a job. I will spare you the unfortunate details to why I am no longer currently employed, but let's just say that I did nothing malicious or insubordinate in nature. It was just an honest mistake that had enough zeros attached at the end to not permit just a slap on the wrist.
Losing your job after being gainfully employed for over ten years straight can be quite the sucker punch to the ol' ego. Especially when it comes from a former boss who you had a very good three year history with from a previous employer.
Being a man of integrity first and foremost, I felt horrible for letting something like this happen. He put his neck out on the line for me and I ended up letting him down. On the other hand, I was completely furious. Well, I wasn't exactly furious when it first happened. I was in a state of shock. I couldn't believe the words that had exited his mouth.
After cleaning out my office, while the human resources manager stood there looking over my shoulder, I proceeded to drive home in complete silence. It was probably a smart move, allowing my brain to process what had just happened.
I wasn't used to having an office. It was rather alarming how much stuff had accumulated over the course of just eight months. What was worse was trying to fit it all into one box and hoping that enough people had already left for the day before you were escorted out of the building. The last thing I wanted was to run into someone else in the parking lot, fumbling for my keys, all while trying not to drop the three picture frames that were straddled under my arm.
Fortunately, my loving wife arrived home shortly after I had. She comforted me and fed me exactly what I needed: words of encouragement and the ability to sit there in silent support as I vegged in front of the television for the rest of the night.
By week's end I had recited countless renditions of the events that had taken place to friends and family, but more importantly, I finally started to heal. Having all of this extra free time had also allowed me to spend more time with my cousin before departing to Texas.
With Will and Melody moving on to the possible prospect of bigger and better things, the end of an era has finally come to pass. All of the drama, trials and tribulations that we shared throughout the past eight years, along with all of the good stuff, strengthened our bond as brothers (even if we're only cousins by blood). Those two became my home away from home and I will miss them dearly.
Be that as it may, I won't let these events overshadow all of the positive things that also took place in the month of February: spending all of Valentine's Day with Lisa and her family, volunteering with disaster relief in Macon County and celebrating Lisa's birthday. Witnessing the horror and heartbreak of a community torn apart by tornadoes shoved "being fired" much farther down on the list of how things could be so much worse. It really put things into perspective.
I hope that wherever this post finds you, that you are doing well.
Until next time, dear readers.
The last week of January started off with quite a bang. I had been sick three days straight, leading right into February 1st, with an upper respiratory infection. By the time my prescribed antibiotics started working, I was out of a job. I will spare you the unfortunate details to why I am no longer currently employed, but let's just say that I did nothing malicious or insubordinate in nature. It was just an honest mistake that had enough zeros attached at the end to not permit just a slap on the wrist.
Losing your job after being gainfully employed for over ten years straight can be quite the sucker punch to the ol' ego. Especially when it comes from a former boss who you had a very good three year history with from a previous employer.
Being a man of integrity first and foremost, I felt horrible for letting something like this happen. He put his neck out on the line for me and I ended up letting him down. On the other hand, I was completely furious. Well, I wasn't exactly furious when it first happened. I was in a state of shock. I couldn't believe the words that had exited his mouth.
After cleaning out my office, while the human resources manager stood there looking over my shoulder, I proceeded to drive home in complete silence. It was probably a smart move, allowing my brain to process what had just happened.
I wasn't used to having an office. It was rather alarming how much stuff had accumulated over the course of just eight months. What was worse was trying to fit it all into one box and hoping that enough people had already left for the day before you were escorted out of the building. The last thing I wanted was to run into someone else in the parking lot, fumbling for my keys, all while trying not to drop the three picture frames that were straddled under my arm.
Fortunately, my loving wife arrived home shortly after I had. She comforted me and fed me exactly what I needed: words of encouragement and the ability to sit there in silent support as I vegged in front of the television for the rest of the night.
By week's end I had recited countless renditions of the events that had taken place to friends and family, but more importantly, I finally started to heal. Having all of this extra free time had also allowed me to spend more time with my cousin before departing to Texas.
With Will and Melody moving on to the possible prospect of bigger and better things, the end of an era has finally come to pass. All of the drama, trials and tribulations that we shared throughout the past eight years, along with all of the good stuff, strengthened our bond as brothers (even if we're only cousins by blood). Those two became my home away from home and I will miss them dearly.
Be that as it may, I won't let these events overshadow all of the positive things that also took place in the month of February: spending all of Valentine's Day with Lisa and her family, volunteering with disaster relief in Macon County and celebrating Lisa's birthday. Witnessing the horror and heartbreak of a community torn apart by tornadoes shoved "being fired" much farther down on the list of how things could be so much worse. It really put things into perspective.
I hope that wherever this post finds you, that you are doing well.
Until next time, dear readers.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday
Boy how time flies! Before I know it, I'll be shopping for the least cheesy Valentine's Day card along with the search for a birthday present for my lovely bride. Until then, I present to you my first post of 2008:
It's amazing how the human mind loves to play tricks on my own existance in this vast universe.
For example: Have you ever woken up from a deep sleep, glanced at your alarm clock, and thought, "Holy crap! I'm late for work!"? By the time you realize that it's your day off, and your racing pulse has dropped back down to a much slower "lub dub" in your chest, you've already slapped your psyche square on the face. Good luck trying to be able to go back to sleep now.
This morning I looked down at the date on my calendar and then proceded to rubbed my eyes. I blinked a few more times and waited for my vision to return to normal. The page still reads January 19th. Apparently this was not a trick. It really is January 19, 2008. I'm just a little disappointed that we still don't have flying cars. Haven't they been promising this to us since the 1950's?
Anyways...
New Year's Day 2008 presented a rather interesting journey in my relationship with my wife. An idea popped into my head a few weeks before January 1st that we should partake in a movie marathon. Neither of us are big enough college football fans, and there was no way in the world that I was going to spend half the day watching "The 119th Tournament of Roses Parade." Why you might ask? Well, I'll tell you.
Living in southern California for the better part of my existance here on earth, I had spent enough sleepless nights and even more sleepless mornings watching the parade, "admiring" the construction of the floats as well as the seemingly endless walk back to my Aunt and Uncle's apartment where our vehicle was parked.
Enduring the three-hour-plus event in person is torture enough. Watching it on television was an even less likely possibility. I've never truly understood the general public's facination with the "All-American Main Street Parade." I don't think I ever will.
Instead, we decided to do an all-day movie marathon. I suggested we both pick two films that the other hasn't not seen (or at least in it's entirety from beginning to end). Lisa was able to read my mind so well that she already knew at least what one of my two choices was going to be. The only stipulation that I tried to set forth in our selection, was that it had to be a movie that we either held in high regard or felt it was something that everyone should see at least once in their life.
My first choice was The Godfather. It's world renowned as one of the greatest films ever made and she had never seen it before. However, I do sadly have to admit, that as much of a movie buff that my wife is, there are dozens upon dozens of films that reflect the same stature, which she has yet to see. My intentions are to correct this over time (and I'm more than willing to admit that I haven't seem them all myself).
I was, on the other hand, having quite the dilema for my second choice. I racked my brain for over a week and didn't decide until the morning of January 1st. After a quick browse through the DVDs that were actually visible (I'm currently struggling with a large volume library and a limited amount of room to display them all), I finally came to the conclusion that this wasn't going to be last movie she was ever going to see, so I grabbed Orson Welle's masterpiece Citizen Kane. (Although I can't imagine a better one-two punch combination of films to "go out on.")
On Christmas day, Lisa opened one of her presents and immediately decided that her first selection for the movie marathon would be The Wizard of Oz.
[insert dramatic pause here]
Yes, I know, I can't even believe that I had never seen The Wizard of Oz myself. But to be completely honest with you, the film never posed much (if any) interest to me. I've seen several clips from the film hundreds of times, but I had never (at least not according to any childhood recollection) sat through the film from beginning to end.
I've expressed my opinion here before about my distaste for musicals. There are very few that reside in my massive library, and even those I really have to be in the mood in order to watch them. Now, all that Lisa had to do was pick her second movie and our line-up would be complete.
This decision, apparently, was much more difficult for her than it was for me. There are many more films out there that she had not seen that I had. So she struggle for several days trying to find a film that she had enjoyed that I had not seen. She pondered the possibility of introducing me to Victor Victoria but decided against it (at least for the time being).
After days of serious contemplation as well as desperation, she settled on King Arthur. I didn't want to pass judgement on her decision, but for some reason, this film just didn't seem to fit the criteria of the other three. The other three were classics in their own right and her second choice was going to be this?
I swallowed my comments, not only because I was the one who came up with the idea of the movie marathon in the first place, but I also didn't want to discourage her by being a prick. After all, knowing how much of a "snob" I can be in this area (beer being another one), I had little room for arguing, considering the large assortment of "guilty pleasure crap-filled" movies that also took up residence in my library.
The beginning of a new year also presented us with a few other resolutions we decided to put into play for 2008. We were going to start cooking and eating healthier as well as start working out at least three times a week. The movie marathon presented us with the opportunity to go out with a bang!
January 1st was to be our last day of mind-numbing junk food indulgence. On December 31st, I cracked open our "Fry Daddy" that had been given to us as a wedding gift. If we were going out with a bang, we were going out with style. Everything was set in place for an "all-day fat and calorie filled tasty feast."
Unbeknownst to me, there lied a serious road block that kept us for completely giving in and unabashedly consuming our tasty morsels. Lisa had spent the better part of the day during the previous week, watching a marathon of "The Biggest Loser" on Bravo. This road block posed two issues that affected the final outcome of our movie day marathon.
First, it affected the overal time schedule of watching our movies. Before we began as well between each movie, we ended up watching at least one episode of another "The Biggest Loser" marathon. This happened after each film, including the two-hour season finale. So by the time we reached The Godfather (with Citizen Kane and The Wizard of Oz behind us), it was already after 7:00 PM.
Secondly, it seemed to subconsciencely affect what I was eating and how much. That didn't mean that I didn't continue to dip my buffalo chicken fingers in the ranch in front of me, all the while watching these over weight people work their keisters off. It just made me feel quite guilty.
By the end of the day, we had watched at least five hours of "The Biggest Loser" along with two and a half movies. We finally finished the other two films over the course of the rest of the week. Needless to say, the marathon was a bit of a letdown (at least for me), but it also produced some very good side effects.
Since the marathon, we've become much more aware of our daily caloric intake and we've been able to provide each other with continuous positive encouragement and reinforcement. I've discovered that I have a decent amount of self control, much more than I thought I would have, starting down this new road in our lives.
Also, starting next week, we'll be working out at the Recreation Center where Lisa is currently employed at MTSU. We're going to attempt to start with the "early morning" workout and see how that progresses. Right now, it's been a bit of a struggle to get out of bed on time, so were not sure on the outcome. The current weather conditions don't permit us the enjoyment of evening walks right now. Once it starts to warm up, we might just start doing that instead. Heaven only knows that we both love our sleep and we don't like things that come between it and us.
Lisa enjoyed both of my movie selections. Neither one was what she was initially expecting. She can even see herself watching them again at some point in time in the future. If you want to hear more about her first impressions of the two films, you're gonna have to ask her, since I can't exactly write her thoughts down for her.
I found The Wizard of Oz rather enjoyable, most parts at least. What really ended up peaking my interest was discovering all of the political symbolism throughout the film. Before the end of picture, I had popped open the laptop and started searching Google for these things. What I'm really looking forward to now, is watching the film again, but this time while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at the same time. Who knows how well it will go without the consumption any mind altering drugs beforehand.
King Arthur was better than I was expecting. But to be completely honest, I wasn't setting the bar that high in the first place. It had some pacing problems as well as some serious believability issues. It was, however, probably a more accurate account of the "larger than life" legend that was King Arthur.
I can't really recall now, much detail of my high school term paper that presented the question: was King Arthur fact or fiction? The legend everyone knows is really just fiction, with obvious examples like the film Excalibur among many others. At the present time, my brain just doesn't have the strengh, nor desire, to analyze this subject any further.
Well, on that note, I bid you all a fond farewell. It's rather cold in the spare bedroom right now, with my bare feet and toes quickly turning into popscicles, so I feel the strong desire for a long hot shower and large lunch.
For those of you who are interested in what else is going on around the house, click here.
Until next time, dear readers.
It's amazing how the human mind loves to play tricks on my own existance in this vast universe.
For example: Have you ever woken up from a deep sleep, glanced at your alarm clock, and thought, "Holy crap! I'm late for work!"? By the time you realize that it's your day off, and your racing pulse has dropped back down to a much slower "lub dub" in your chest, you've already slapped your psyche square on the face. Good luck trying to be able to go back to sleep now.
This morning I looked down at the date on my calendar and then proceded to rubbed my eyes. I blinked a few more times and waited for my vision to return to normal. The page still reads January 19th. Apparently this was not a trick. It really is January 19, 2008. I'm just a little disappointed that we still don't have flying cars. Haven't they been promising this to us since the 1950's?
Anyways...
New Year's Day 2008 presented a rather interesting journey in my relationship with my wife. An idea popped into my head a few weeks before January 1st that we should partake in a movie marathon. Neither of us are big enough college football fans, and there was no way in the world that I was going to spend half the day watching "The 119th Tournament of Roses Parade." Why you might ask? Well, I'll tell you.
Living in southern California for the better part of my existance here on earth, I had spent enough sleepless nights and even more sleepless mornings watching the parade, "admiring" the construction of the floats as well as the seemingly endless walk back to my Aunt and Uncle's apartment where our vehicle was parked.
Enduring the three-hour-plus event in person is torture enough. Watching it on television was an even less likely possibility. I've never truly understood the general public's facination with the "All-American Main Street Parade." I don't think I ever will.
Instead, we decided to do an all-day movie marathon. I suggested we both pick two films that the other hasn't not seen (or at least in it's entirety from beginning to end). Lisa was able to read my mind so well that she already knew at least what one of my two choices was going to be. The only stipulation that I tried to set forth in our selection, was that it had to be a movie that we either held in high regard or felt it was something that everyone should see at least once in their life.
My first choice was The Godfather. It's world renowned as one of the greatest films ever made and she had never seen it before. However, I do sadly have to admit, that as much of a movie buff that my wife is, there are dozens upon dozens of films that reflect the same stature, which she has yet to see. My intentions are to correct this over time (and I'm more than willing to admit that I haven't seem them all myself).
I was, on the other hand, having quite the dilema for my second choice. I racked my brain for over a week and didn't decide until the morning of January 1st. After a quick browse through the DVDs that were actually visible (I'm currently struggling with a large volume library and a limited amount of room to display them all), I finally came to the conclusion that this wasn't going to be last movie she was ever going to see, so I grabbed Orson Welle's masterpiece Citizen Kane. (Although I can't imagine a better one-two punch combination of films to "go out on.")
On Christmas day, Lisa opened one of her presents and immediately decided that her first selection for the movie marathon would be The Wizard of Oz.
[insert dramatic pause here]
Yes, I know, I can't even believe that I had never seen The Wizard of Oz myself. But to be completely honest with you, the film never posed much (if any) interest to me. I've seen several clips from the film hundreds of times, but I had never (at least not according to any childhood recollection) sat through the film from beginning to end.
I've expressed my opinion here before about my distaste for musicals. There are very few that reside in my massive library, and even those I really have to be in the mood in order to watch them. Now, all that Lisa had to do was pick her second movie and our line-up would be complete.
This decision, apparently, was much more difficult for her than it was for me. There are many more films out there that she had not seen that I had. So she struggle for several days trying to find a film that she had enjoyed that I had not seen. She pondered the possibility of introducing me to Victor Victoria but decided against it (at least for the time being).
After days of serious contemplation as well as desperation, she settled on King Arthur. I didn't want to pass judgement on her decision, but for some reason, this film just didn't seem to fit the criteria of the other three. The other three were classics in their own right and her second choice was going to be this?
I swallowed my comments, not only because I was the one who came up with the idea of the movie marathon in the first place, but I also didn't want to discourage her by being a prick. After all, knowing how much of a "snob" I can be in this area (beer being another one), I had little room for arguing, considering the large assortment of "guilty pleasure crap-filled" movies that also took up residence in my library.
The beginning of a new year also presented us with a few other resolutions we decided to put into play for 2008. We were going to start cooking and eating healthier as well as start working out at least three times a week. The movie marathon presented us with the opportunity to go out with a bang!
January 1st was to be our last day of mind-numbing junk food indulgence. On December 31st, I cracked open our "Fry Daddy" that had been given to us as a wedding gift. If we were going out with a bang, we were going out with style. Everything was set in place for an "all-day fat and calorie filled tasty feast."
Unbeknownst to me, there lied a serious road block that kept us for completely giving in and unabashedly consuming our tasty morsels. Lisa had spent the better part of the day during the previous week, watching a marathon of "The Biggest Loser" on Bravo. This road block posed two issues that affected the final outcome of our movie day marathon.
First, it affected the overal time schedule of watching our movies. Before we began as well between each movie, we ended up watching at least one episode of another "The Biggest Loser" marathon. This happened after each film, including the two-hour season finale. So by the time we reached The Godfather (with Citizen Kane and The Wizard of Oz behind us), it was already after 7:00 PM.
Secondly, it seemed to subconsciencely affect what I was eating and how much. That didn't mean that I didn't continue to dip my buffalo chicken fingers in the ranch in front of me, all the while watching these over weight people work their keisters off. It just made me feel quite guilty.
By the end of the day, we had watched at least five hours of "The Biggest Loser" along with two and a half movies. We finally finished the other two films over the course of the rest of the week. Needless to say, the marathon was a bit of a letdown (at least for me), but it also produced some very good side effects.
Since the marathon, we've become much more aware of our daily caloric intake and we've been able to provide each other with continuous positive encouragement and reinforcement. I've discovered that I have a decent amount of self control, much more than I thought I would have, starting down this new road in our lives.
Also, starting next week, we'll be working out at the Recreation Center where Lisa is currently employed at MTSU. We're going to attempt to start with the "early morning" workout and see how that progresses. Right now, it's been a bit of a struggle to get out of bed on time, so were not sure on the outcome. The current weather conditions don't permit us the enjoyment of evening walks right now. Once it starts to warm up, we might just start doing that instead. Heaven only knows that we both love our sleep and we don't like things that come between it and us.
Lisa enjoyed both of my movie selections. Neither one was what she was initially expecting. She can even see herself watching them again at some point in time in the future. If you want to hear more about her first impressions of the two films, you're gonna have to ask her, since I can't exactly write her thoughts down for her.
I found The Wizard of Oz rather enjoyable, most parts at least. What really ended up peaking my interest was discovering all of the political symbolism throughout the film. Before the end of picture, I had popped open the laptop and started searching Google for these things. What I'm really looking forward to now, is watching the film again, but this time while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at the same time. Who knows how well it will go without the consumption any mind altering drugs beforehand.
King Arthur was better than I was expecting. But to be completely honest, I wasn't setting the bar that high in the first place. It had some pacing problems as well as some serious believability issues. It was, however, probably a more accurate account of the "larger than life" legend that was King Arthur.
I can't really recall now, much detail of my high school term paper that presented the question: was King Arthur fact or fiction? The legend everyone knows is really just fiction, with obvious examples like the film Excalibur among many others. At the present time, my brain just doesn't have the strengh, nor desire, to analyze this subject any further.
Well, on that note, I bid you all a fond farewell. It's rather cold in the spare bedroom right now, with my bare feet and toes quickly turning into popscicles, so I feel the strong desire for a long hot shower and large lunch.
For those of you who are interested in what else is going on around the house, click here.
Until next time, dear readers.
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