Moving On

I know it's been awhile, I have been really quite busy lately. I guess i should write down a few things that have happened since I last wrote.

1) My oldest turned fourteen......I'm officially old now.

2) I have been taking courses online, through Axia College (University of Phoenix)

2) Christmas came and went......as it did for all of you.

3) My place of employment has merged with another large Aerospace Company.

4) I just turned in my two-weeks notice, and shall be moving to New Hampshire.


That's right, I'm outta here, I was given a wonderful opportunity to own a very large house, for a very nice price. So, I'm grabbing it.

My kids will be in a safer area in which to live, they will enjoy four seasons, and I will have the home I've always wanted. I could not be happier.

I'm a little nervous as I have not found a job yet, but that isn't going to stop the move from happening. I have great confidence that I'll find something. The first job might not be the best, but I'll find a good one eventually.

We've already had the garage sale, so we're roughing it in the house, looks like a traditional Japanese home, with beds on the floor.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!

Moldy Van

Our old green van has a problem with the evaporator in the A/C system. I think the drain for the pan is clogged. Everytime you turn a left corner water spills, no make that pours, out of the foot vent above the gas pedal. It's really bad if you are on a straightaway for awhile and then turn. Quite a bit of condensate builds up and whoosh! You have a mini waterfall in the car.

While the family was away, I left the van in the DARK caverns of our garage. Guess what happened in the three weeks they were gone?

I opened the door and spores galore, baby!

FUCK! (For those new to me, that is my favorite word.)

Now, I have to clean the mold out as best I can. I get some of that bleach spray we use to clean the kitchen and bathrooms with, and start cleaning the best I can. Next I bring in the Lysol spray, and to top it off....Fabreeze.


I take it to the airport, leave a few windows cracked, and catch a flight to New England, come back four days later, and have a whole new crop of fungus growing.

Mama and kids are NOT happy about hopping into the moldy van, neither am I for that matter.

So, needless to say in the past few days we have been buying a new van for them to ride the town in.

Moldy van is going to my Sister-In-Law.

JACK

One of my favorite radio stations changed their format recently. It used to be mostly 80's music, I'll be real honest though, whomever the program director was, kind of missed the boat. Instead of playing the good music, he'd schedule Billy Joel, Mike and the Mechanics, Fleetwood Mac, and Huey Lewis and the News. Not that these aren't good artists, it's just those are bands that need airplay on the soft rock station.

I'm probably not explaining it very well, but believe me it was definately marketed wrong. If you are going to call something 'Gen-X' radio, at least have something a Gen-Xer would like. The same songs over and over again suck. I mean I can only listen to 'New Year's Day' byU2, and 'People are People' by Depeche Mode so many times.

Now come the change, Jack it's called. You may have heard of this format. No DJ, all computer selected music. They throw in a mixture of just about everything, and it seems like a good format. I like it, and I imagine that's the reason 'Jack' has been getting spread around the country like wildfire. It's cheaper, because of the lack of air talent, and it's good music.

My ramble is done, you may go on with your life now.

Death

This past week would have been perfect, I went up to New England to get my family, fell in love with the area, saw some leaves turn, and came home, and received a compliment from Mrs. Molly on how clean I kept the house. Even the baby did great on the plane, she and the other kids were very well behaved, and the three hour flight was actually pleasant.

Getting through the TSA checkpoint at Manchester, NH was quite an ordeal, but we made it through with minutes to spare to catch our flight back to dear ol' muggy Florida.

The kicker came Monday morning when I checked my e-mail at work. Two more friends died over last weekend. One of which was a very good friend of mine, the other was a super nice guy too, but I was never that close to. One died of a massive heart attack, the other may have died of some complications from his medications. (that makes five this year.)

Yesterday they buried my friend, it was requested that we show up in shorts and Hawaiian shirts. You see, even though my friend was in his mid-to-late 50's, he still surfed. He was a great man, who could crush your hand in a handshake and envelope you in a hug. He was a good man and I will miss him.

What troubles me, and makes me feel guilty is that I could not bring myself to see him layed out in a box. That's right I did not attend my friend's funeral. I just could not go. I struggled with the decision for days. I don't mean disrespect to him, or his family. But, he knows I miss him, I don't need to see him laying there, right?

He's gone, his shell is all that remains.

His shell is pretty empty too, considering what a Medical Examiner has to do to figure out cause of Death.

Sorry, for getting morbid, but that is what I'm feeling right now..........................

As for my friend, he had a saying that he used to say about work.

'One Dead Monkey Don't Stop The Circus'

How truer can that statement be? It was business as usual around here during his funeral, about 50% of the workforce went, but we still had people here working away. The job never stops, think about the next time you spend more time at work than at home. Do you really think you are that important at work? All of us can be replaced...so enjoy your life. Work to Live, don't live to work.


I love you Mike, I'll see you later Brother......................

TSA

This might be old news in Blogland, but did you know that the TSA actually E-bays confiscated items?

I flew two days after the new rules came out about no liquids on the aircraft. I saw perfume, lip gloss, all kinds of things thrown in the can. When I looked over at the TSA 'officer' I swear I saw a smile and $$$ in his eyes.

I wonder if the individual TSA 'officer' gets the money, or if it goes back to the Treasury?

By the look in Dude's eyes, I'd say it went into his wallet.