Mortgage Monday: HVAC Overhaul

Well, we are halfway there. While the work weeks were once filled with ongoing renovations, now the weekends are taking the brunt of the workload. Thankfully, as of this past weekend, half of the HVAC overhaul has been completed with the first floor now able to better maintain the temperature that we set on the thermostat. The old unit is still running (surprisingly) but is now only trying to cool the second floor. Now we only have to hope that it lasts until the rest of the work is done.

In total, the boiler and oil tank have been removed, half of the baseboard units have been pulled out, and the propane tank, hot water heater, and complete AC system on the first floor have been installed. It is already a lot of work and we are only at the midpoint of this renovation phase. While it is difficult to go from the work week to the house work on the weekends, we are already enjoying the benefits of what has been completed.

It really is surprising how much of a different some of these things can make regarding the simple enjoyment of our home. And, lately, with how up and down the weather has been it is nice to have some regularity regarding the internal temperature of the house. We knew that the old system was undersized and ineffective but we didn’t really full grasp how bad it was until we got the new system up and running.

The next steps will involve attacking the second floor and completely taking the old unit offline. The weather actually looks like it is going to cooperate this coming weekend but, of course, our schedule is not so forgiving and we will be out of town for much of the long weekend. Thankfully, we have someone whom we can trust doing this work and we also know the quality of work that is being done which will allow us to not have to think about the house while we are away… more on the trip over the weekend.

For now, we are going to enjoy all the upgrades and improvements that we have decided to have done to the house and we are going to brace for the next part of the process which will descend upon us next month. While there should be little overlap between this current project and the next, there is likely to be a short period of time when there will be work going on seven days a week. Thankfully, it two completely different parts of the house. Should be fun!

RNC Recap

Well, it certainly was an interesting week in Cleveland as the Republican National Convention officially make Donald Trump the party candidate for President. It was also a week that introduced many voters to the other half of the ticket as Governor Mike Pence took the stage for his first significant speech since being named as a Vice Presidential candidate on July 15^th. And, of course, there was the speech given by Senator Ted Cruz who spoke for many of us when we said to “vote your conscious” in November. Simply put, Trump was never my first, second, or third choice (which I have made clear over the past year on this blog) but he is the party nominee and I will be voting for him. After all, for all of his flaws, he is the best option on the table.

What was rather surprising was the lack of protesting surrounding the event and the whispers that Bernie Sanders supporters were saving their energy for next week in Philadelphia. Not surprisingly is the fact that Trump received a rather significant bump following the pomp and circumstance from the previous week. It will be interesting to see if the Democratic inmates in the Philadelphia asylum will have the same impact on the polls. However, given the WikiLeaks announcement yesterday, that is becoming less likely and will probably result in some significant changes in the race bating party.

One moment that stood out for me was the emotional speech given by Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, one of the four Americans killed in the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya, who stated “I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son — personally." Some have criticized the organizers for allowing such an “emotional attack not rooted in fact” but, honestly, what do you think the Democrats have been doing every time there has been a shooting in this country? The other “controversial” speech was that of Melania Trump plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech from the DNC in 2008. The amount of media coverage on this was astounding especially when you consider the fact that the questionable section is generic political filler for any candidate and by no means a verbatim copy. If that is what you are looking for you must turn to the President himself during his 2007-08 campaign.

For all the ups and downs that are usually associated with political events of this sort, it was interesting overall to see the mix this time around of ardent supporters, those who are just going along for the ride, and others whom you could tell were really hoping to see someone else on stage accepting the nomination. Honestly, it didn’t seem like the rallying moment happened until late on Friday evening when the WikiLeaks announcement was made regarding DNC emails. Could have been better, could have been worse, but, in the end, I’ll take it. Now all we have to do is wait, vote, and hope that some common sense is realized in this country come November.

TMI Tuesday: Bracing For My Annual Departure

Every year I go on an annual business trip which was never a real issue in the past. Last year it took some more coordinating as my son was just over a month old when he helped to drop me off at the airport. It was also helpful at the time to still have the doula helping us out until I returned. Now things are completely different as daddy’s little boy doesn’t want daddy to leave this weekend.

This time around my wife and I have decided to not tell out son about my quickly approaching trip. We learned our lesson from my unusual travel last month that it probably isn’t the best thing to ‘prepare’ him throughout the week prior. However, he still seems to know that something is going on and has wanted to be with daddy a little more than usual. Of course, for me that isn’t a completely bad thing.

And this is just the stuff that we have to keep to ourselves before I leave. Now that our son is a little older I have to schedule a few other stops during each of my trips since I want him to have a little something from each of the places that daddy goes for work. Part of what I try to pick up is a magnet for his growing collection which we started last year when we went to Hershey and continued during our jaunt through Virginia.

The second item that I try to find for him (and I went out of the way by finding the time last trip) is a small stuffed animal that he can snuggle when I am either away on a trip or simply out late that night. The third and final item that I am now on the lookout for, since it was so successful last trip, is some kind of inexpensive hat and shirt combination. It is also nice to remember those travels (and at the same time not pleasant) when he wears them to school or around the house.

However, what might be the most important part of this whole operation is whether Bear-Frog is ready for duty. So far he has done the trick at night in our son’s crib and he better pull through for us on this one as well because, in the end, we want this to go by as quickly as possible for all of us. I just hope that the flight sniffles that have been coming and going over the last few months are nowhere to be found next week… that would make for a long trip.

TMI Tuesday: What Rhymes With Poop?

Well, the poop hit the fan last weekend! As last week came to an end, we were all tired. It was a long week at the office for me, my wife returned to work after doggedly pursuing the last document she needed from a former employer, and our son had his first experience at daycare (he spent three days there). We were all ready for a quiet weekend spent at home taking a break from the chaotic days that seem to have dominated these days off during the summer. Well, that was the plan…

We had noticed that our son wasn’t feeling well later in the week and my wife had taken him to the pediatrician on Friday to get checked out. We followed the directions they gave us and we put him to bed with a little Tylenol (per the instructions we were given), a cold air humidifier in the corner, and the head of his bed slightly elevated. A few hours later, with my wife and son now both asleep, I was at my computer sorting through my neglected emails when I could hear what sounded like a wounded cow near the top of the stairs. When I turned the corner to walk toward the bedroom there was my wife holding our moaning child. Something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t long before we were all in the car on our way to the emergency room. Thankfully, it was a slow night and I was able to hold my son in the hospital bed shortly after our arrival. In the end it wasn’t just a cold as the pediatrician told us earlier, he had Croup. Almost immediately after he was given the right medicine the groans stopped and we could both tell that he was beginning to feel better. An hour after we arrived we were back in the car and on our way home. We were all exhausted and soon after our return assumed our positions from before this whole ordeal began.

Obviously we all slept in on Saturday as we resumed our plans and took it easy allowing our son sleep as much as he needed and my wife and I trying to relax, order dinner, and spend some time together. Well, dinner was a mistake. By Sunday morning our son was returning to his normal happy self while my wife and I were struggling to do just about anything. After my wife reluctantly cancelled her plans for the day, we knew that this wasn’t going to get better without some help so we both headed over to the local Urgent Care once my mom arrived to watch our recuperating baby.

Fortunately, the doctors knew exactly how to treat food poisoning and so after some medicine and two IV bags, we returned to the house feeling a lot better than when we left. While we were both nowhere near ‘better’ we both felt good enough to return to work the following morning and our son, no longer contagious, returned to daycare. It was a long weekend after a long week and I hope we never have to go through that again!

Monday Morning Puking and Crying

It was an interesting way to start the week as I was fortunate to join my wife for our son’s six month at the pediatrician’s office down the street. We did our best to schedule the appointment early enough so that this would be a possibility and, up until Friday afternoon last week, this was seeming more like an impossibility… thankfully an important meeting got moved without me having to say anything. So, with everything working out logistically, instead of arriving at the office around ten until nine, we were walking into the waiting room watching our son turning his head back and forth trying to take everything in.

Now, I have to be honest about what I feel as we walk into these appointments (beyond the feelings of frustration when they take way too long). I have mixed emotions about going to these appointments. On the one hand I want to support my wife and be there for my son while on the other, selfish hand, I can’t stand seeing my baby boy crying in pain.

While I wouldn’t say that he is happy to be there, he has at least gotten to the point where he tolerates going to see the doctor and he is actually pretty happy and smiling at everyone until one of two things happens... being naked or getting shots. He wasn’t even phased when he threw up on me taking him to the scale or throwing up on my wife as she was bringing him back to the examination room. He is an equal opportunity chucker.

Even with the spewing, it was fun watching my wife’s when the doctor confirmed that he was only half a pound away from 20 and well on his way to being taller than mommy. He is a big boy but, more importantly, he is a healthy baby and one that surprised the doctor by what he is already able to do. While there are a few areas where he is not really excelling in (not really behind either), the doctor was surprised at how advanced his hand eye coordination had become as well as his ability to self sooth.

All of that pretty much went to pot once the vaccine and needles came out. In addition to the nasty taste in him mouth he also left the appointment with two sore legs. But now he is all ready for day care although I don’t think that my wife and I are fully ready for that change as of yet. However, I will say that this time around he calmed down much faster and the tears stopped by the time we walked back around to the front desk. Needless to say, it was a tiring morning for all of us and afterward my wife and son went back home while I made some phone calls on my way to the office.

Shifting And Adjusting

The past week has been rather interesting regarding the phone calls that I have received. It began last week with a call from a trustee regarding one of the utility bills that we recently paid. It was just a matter of double checking that everything was taken care of and, honestly, I appreciate the personal interest that this brother, and many others like him, take in the lodge. They just want to see the lodge continue to grow and return to prominence… they have been and continue to be the gate keepers.

After a brief conversation I told him that I would double check and give the service provider a call just to make sure that everything was good to go. As soon as I hung up I immediately scrolled through my email, found the representative’s number, and gave her a call. As expected, everything was good so I thanked her for her time and got back to my usual work.

About 20 or 30 minutes later I got a call from an unfamiliar yet familiar number. I answered in my usual way and was surprised to hear the same voice on the other end of the line that I had just heard a half hour ago. I guess she really appreciated the call as it turns out that she did a little crunching of the numbers and was calling me back to offer a 40% reduction in our rate. Same exact service from the same company for 40% less… that was a no brainer. I like these kinds of calls.

The other phone call I received was on Monday morning as I was on my way to work (a little later than usual). With our Red Cross blood drive scheduled for October I was wondering when I would be receiving the materials. This call put a little kink in that planning as they are currently experiencing a ‘good problem’ in that there are more people wanting drives that weekend then they have staff. The call was simply to ask us if we could move our drive. I can’t answer that one on the spot so I had to agree to call her back… in the end, the drive is moving from October to December.

Not ideal but sometimes doing the right thing isn’t the most convenient. Actually, for me it works out well in that I will be able to support one of my fellow brothers on the day that the drive was originally scheduled… I was wondering how I could accomplish both that day. So, sometimes things work out for the best even if they aren’t exactly what you were planning to happen. Hopefully, this is the end of the interesting phone calls for a while… actually, never mind, I hope I get more calls about reducing rates. Those are easy calls.

Wet And Stinky

It is safe to say that we did not have a relaxing start to the week. When my wife and I finally finished sorting and packing all the things that we wanted to store on Sunday night I made a big pile in front of the basement door. I was hoping that I could simply make a few trips up and down the stairs while sliding the boxes onto the shelves. There isn’t much room left but there was enough to accommodate our recent cleaning. This was the quick and easy plan when I first balanced those boxes and bins atop the stairs… sometimes plans just don’t work out.

It all got derailed during my first trip to the unfinished storage room. I opened the door, turned on the light, and squinted a bit as the glint reflected off the wet floor. Something was obviously wrong and I soon found the culprit in a leaking pipe coming out of the HVAC unit. After taking a quick picture and sending it to the maintenance guy for our house, I quickly stacked the shelves before calling to report what I had found. Thankfully, he was up at midnight and quickly got a plan together which had everything taken care of in a couple of days.

Stuff happens and things were taken care of quickly so no complaining on this one (unlike in the past). However, our fun didn’t stop there as when I got home from work on Monday I was welcomed with fumes filling the house and my wife, with a rather pissed look on her face, greeting me at the front door. As it turns out, our neighbor decided to refinish all of his hardwood floors next door and didn’t even think to let us know. By the time I got home they had just finished stripping the floors and the stink was permeating the walls.

While we can’t stop him from improving his property, it would have been nice to have had a heads up. After all, we spend a couple of hours going back and forth and double checking that our son would be okay sleeping in his own bed. This frustration could have easily been avoided.

The following days was met with more stink as the finish was applied. It wasn’t until I left for work this morning when the smell finally somewhat dissipated and the noxious wall finally fell (it still stinks but it isn't as bad as when it started). So hopefully this is the last of the leaks and soon to be the last of the smells for a while but one thing that this reinforced for us is the fact that we are definitely going to look for our own free standing home with a little bit of a buffer of land around us. Thankfully, that was already part of our list.

Don’t Mind The Cannon Fire

I can’t recall the last time that I took an entire week off from work like I did last week. While I did work from home and been out of the office for an extended period of time I was nevertheless still working. It was quite the shock to the system getting up this morning and having to drive to the office rather than the next place to visit. It was equally a drastic change to leave my son for the day after being able to spend a week and a half together.

However, I can’t say that I complete cut out work for the week. While I didn’t receive the deluge of emails that I usually sift through each day, I still had to reply to a number of requests as well as keep current on the plethora of projects always in the rotation in one form or another. And, of course, there were the calls that I had to either listen in on or provide direction on certain weekly campaigns. Thankfully no one seemed to mind the cannon fire in the background. I may have been on vacation but, as it turns out, I was still able to put in a fair amount of hours into each of the accounts.

Thankfully, I was able to schedule much of the needed work activity into small breaks throughout the week or while walking from one place to another. That is really the only way to do it as this was first and foremost, family time and I wasn’t going to ruin it for everyone else because of my corporate addiction. What really struck me about this was a conversation I had with my dad toward the end of last week when I had to stop and answer a few emails before dialing into a weekly call. In response to apologizing for the distraction his said “been there”. As if I needed the proof… I have finally turned into my father.

While it was a bit of a pain jumping back and forth at times, it paid off today as I was up to speed in about an hour rather than falling a week behind. The other benefit is that I am reaping the rewards of taking those calls and reading those emails because I am able to resume keeping work at the office and focus all of my attention when I get home on my wife and son. It may still be far from ideal and the whole thing may not seem like its balanced but it actually is working out well. 

Changing Things Around

I had both been looking forward to and dreading this past week for months because of the many long nights that were on my schedule. I knew that things would be different by this time of year with our son having arrived and while I wanted to get out and get back to my previous routine I was also dreading being away from our baby for so many nights in a row. This week was originally planned so that I would be at the lodge on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. At best I was expecting that I could miss Tuesday but that didn’t change the fact that I would be out late the other two nights.

This week just goes to show that sometimes you just have to trust the plan that has been laid out before us. With the first front moving in on Tuesday the first night of my week was quickly taken off the table. This was a change that I had contemplated previously so there wasn’t much of a difference on my end. On Wednesday night the schedule remained the same and I was at the lodge catching up with my brothers but, at this point, Thursday night, our state meeting night, was questionable at best. By the time I left for the lodge after work on Wednesday, the stated meeting had been postponed and my week opened up.

It was still hard to be away from my wife and son during the night but at least I was able to slowly get back into things rather than having multiple obligations taking me away from family throughout the week. However, knowing how much I missed them for those few extra hours out of the office makes me wonder how I am going to handle my annual business trip at the end of the month. I guess it is going to take some to get used to the idea and this new reality.

For now, I was only out late once this week and I will be out late once next week as well. Hopefully things will move as quickly as they are currently planned and that my son doesn’t wait up for me like he did on Wednesday. While I hate being away, even for a few extra hours at the end of the day, it is at least occasional and brings be back to a modified routine. It may not be perfectly measured at this point but I will continue measuring the different proportions and gauging where and when I need to remove some things from my schedule.

Valentine’s Day Flu

After a long week for both me and my wife when sleep seemed more like an option rather than a requirement, we headed out to dinner at the local Cheesecake Factory on Friday night. Seemed appropriate since we were coming from her mom’s house and this was the place where the three of us would commonly meet. After the experience we had (it takes talent to mess up a plain well done cheeseburger three times in a single night) it is safe to say that we will not be returning.

The rest of the night was about as uneventful as we could expect. Not easy as we are heading into the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy which has a certain effect on her demeanor which is compounded by the other emotional events that are swirling around our daily life. But it was the weekend and while we didn’t have any particular plans, trips, or even gifts, we were till going to do our best to enjoy a final Valentine’s Day before the baby arrives.

We had our weekend planned out to both take a few moments for ourselves but also to spend some much needed time with family. When we got up on Saturday morning those plans quickly changed as my wife could feel the very beginnings of a fever beginning to surface. All the plans that we had were immediately thrown away and we focused on doing our best to relax and spending a day at home.

By the early afternoon my wife wasn’t feeling any better so we gave the doctor a call to determine what our next course of action should be. Given the fact that she is 38 weeks pregnant it really wasn’t a surprise when they told us to head to the emergency room and get checked out. Hours, numerous tests, and a few naps later and we were finally told that the flu shot that sent her to the same emergency room in October didn’t work.

Once we were able to jump through all the hoops we were finally able to head out the door just as the snow was beginning to pick up. Of course, since it was now nearly eight at night there was only one pharmacy near our house which was open and able to fill the scripts. Four pharmacies and a quick Chinese food take out later and we finally made it home around nine. Everything seemed to settle down and we were both looking forward to sleeping in. That was the thought until my wife began waking me up in the middle of the night saying that her temperature wasn’t going down. It was going to be a long night but at least I didn't get stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for eight hours like I did last year. 

Transformation

We have now been living in our townhouse for over a week and things are starting to come together. The move was smooth, the boxes are slowly disappearing, and new furniture (mostly for the baby at this point) is showing up at our door every other day. I am pretty sure that FedEx is hating us right about now. It is all coming together piece by piece and starting to feel more like a home with every day that passes.

While we haven’t had much time to talk with our neighbors, we have met most of them and their friendliness is something that we have been seeking for some time. More importantly, the people that we have met enjoy where they are and have no plans on moving anytime soon. While there were a few like that in our previous place, the door kept swinging around with people moving in and out on a regular basis.

Of course, compared to our apartment, it is nice to have some breathing room. We have more than doubled our living space with the move and it has been nice to be able to have a little separation at times when we need to get work done, talk on the phone, or simply sleep. Even with our son on the way and the mountains of stuff that will come with him, we are still looking at a much more comfortable living situation.

Even the commute has been better for both of us with my wife only about 10 minutes from work and mine consisting of a few quick turns and letting cruise control take over for about 30 a half hour. I don’t mind the time in the car but at least now it is much less aggravating (I don’t have to take the perpetually congested roads) and much more consistent. Heck, even my gas mileage is enjoying the change.

It finally feels like we are going to be able to turn this place into a home. It has been a long search and a number of years, but we are finally making some progress in this area. It is a transformation that we have yet to accomplish and we were beginning to see the process as some kind of alchemy. Sure there have been places that have served us well on the surface but once you peeled away the plating, the lead core was clear. While I don’t expect everything to be golden, it would be nice to at least have something consisting of silver or bronze.

December Extra Meeting: Take Two

I’m not usually at the lodge on the weekend but there have been a few changes in the schedule this month which had me walking through those doors yesterday for the second Saturday in a row. After a successful, albeit small, blood drive, many of us returned to confer a couple of degrees. That’s right, the second extra meeting of the week… it has been that kind of year and while I am not a morning person I am definitely not complaining about being so busy.

There is usually a pretty light turnout for extra meetings and having one on a Saturday was definitely no exception. While we didn’t start the meeting until mid-morning, we all had the look as though we had just completely a rather long week. Thankfully there was plenty of coffee ready for consumption prior to walking up the stairs to the lodge room.

The degrees conferred demonstrated a beginning and an end to this stage of the masonic journey as we started the morning with a third degree and ended with welcoming a new brother who had just received his first. The third degree is always an interesting thing to watch as it is something that the new mason has never experienced before and watching that person go through it does say a lot about what they are feeling at the moment. Some are visibly uncomfortable while others go along with what is happening trusting the brethren around them. Our newly raised brother was one of the latter.

The first degree which immediately followed is also interesting to witness as a man is guided into the room completely blind of what is about to happen. He must trust those in the room and be confident in his decision if he is going to move forward. Those that choose to proceed are soon welcomed as brothers and the smiles that I have seen when they are given that appellation are something I will always remember (and I remember what I was thinking when I was first called brother).

It just goes to show that these degrees are not just moments to be remembered by those going through the process but also by those who take the time and look forward to seeing our brothers advance in knowledge. It really is a feeling of pride in seeing a brother succeed… it is as close as one can get to familial bond without actually being family. While some may prefer to do nothing during a weekend (I know that is my preference now and again), putting in the work to welcome and advance new brothers adds more value to those days off than almost anything else they we could do as men and masons.

Black Friday Turning Grey

Every year the same pattern persists as Thanksgiving all too quickly gives way to the consumer holiday shopping spree also known as Black Friday. More so than any other year, the emails came heavy and soon filled my inbox with deals. Actually, the digital deluge began on Monday as pre-sales and teasers streamed across the screen. However, the fact of the matter is that the deals are not nearly as good this year as they have been in the past.

A few years ago I was one of those people who, eager to fill a few holes in what we needed for our new apartment, ventured out on Thanksgiving night to try and stretch our money as far as I could go. That trip was a success as lower prices combined with a few coupons I had on hand allowed us to completely furnish our place as well as check off most of the people on our gift list for the season. With the economy still recovering the discounts were deep especially for those of us who took the time to put a game plan together and leverage every discount available to us. This allowed me to get everything done all while not waiting in a single line.

This year was almost the exact opposite as there was nothing being sold that offered the same kind of bargain. Don’t get me wrong, we still spent a few dollars but not like the flurry of activity from just a few years ago. Everything has pointed to a resurgence in the retail environment and the lack of discounts reflects that change… although that fact didn’t seem to stop people from filling the stores and clogging the roads.

So this year my wife and I did exactly what the stores didn’t want us to do… we stayed home and kept our money in our pockets. The few things that we were keeping an eye on just in case didn’t seem to change much in price so why would we buy now? There is plenty of time for us to look for those things at a later date and there are definitely other things on which we can focus our attention. Maybe part of the equation is that we have changed and our priorities have shifted but at the same time if the deals aren’t there it is not worth the time or the money.

And The List Gets Longer…

With a variety of projects and tasks that are currently being worked on, I did my best to get to the lodge a little earlier than usual last night. Not an easy task with so much going on at the office at the same time. After cursing at a few “drivers” on my way to Ardmore and making a couple of calls along the way, I was finally able to make my way to the old building only a little bit later than expected and I wasn’t surprised to find that I was the third one there.

The leak in my basement office seems to have been fixed but the lovely aroma leaves a lot to be desired and the subsequent shifting of items around has set the organization thereof back at least a few weeks. I guess now is as good a time as any to sift through a few items before simply putting them back. But that is another project for another day.

I met with a couple of brothers to see about finding space for a new business venture. This is one that I am especially interested in making happen as it wouldn’t just bring new people into the lodge but there are a number of brothers (including myself) that would welcome the opportunity to participate. Other conversations later in the evening also revolved around the simple (not really) questions of what it is that we really do for a living. It’s funny, but if you take the time to ask the question, you might be surprised by how much your occupations overlap.

Those were just the ancillary items that we had to take care of. With a stated meeting only a couple days away and just over a month until our Red Cross Blood Drive (Saturday, December 6th for those in the area that are interested), there are still a lot of things that we need to prepare. It seems that most weeks, especially lately, I need at least an extra day or two just to keep things current. Thankfully, there are a lot of items ready to go and things should continue running smoothly through this week and the end of the year.

After our general meetings, unfortunately bills did not make up one of them, we all came together from the various corners of the lodge to both review what had been discussed and congratulate one of our brothers on his exemplification (that was happening concurrently with all the other tasks). Assignments were handed out and we all went our separate ways to reconvene tomorrow night when I hope to see both my brothers and a crowd of veterans honoring us with their presence. All in all, I guess you could say that it was just another Tuesday night at the lodge.

Sifting Through The Piles

Just as I thought, we're dealing with a huge pile of crap!

Last week, the weekend, and now this week have been full of various piles that have had to be shoveled. Sometimes it was a matter of picking up and moving a pile from one place to another while other times it was in a failed effort to take care of a stinky situation. As was mentioned before, it is common to move projects and tasks at the office from one day or week to the next. It is not something that I like to do but it happens, it is sometimes part of the job when you are juggling so many things at once.

There are things that I do my best to avoid pushing back but there are also other items that I don’t have control over. It actually reminds me of the scene in the movie “The Last Castle” when the punishment handed down to Robert Redford’s character was to move a pile of rocks with no real constructive purpose for the project. It would have been fine keeping it where is was but, due to some external influence, it had to be shifted to another day (and sometimes moved again).

And then there are the other piles that seem to be popping up all over the place as of late. It has gotten so bad that at times I feel as though I am trying to make my way across the 38^th parallel… one wrong step and you’re dealing with a whole new pile of BS for the week. Needless to say, these kinds of piles are sticky and stubborn to the point that it is sometimes best to just throw away your shoes and move on.

I guess both of these kinds of piles come down to the lack of control I have over what is going on around me. I can control much of what is happening at the office but I can’t control things on the other side of the phone. No matter how much we try or how meticulous the plan, it is never a guarantee that things will go smoothly.

On the personal side of things and all other situations where predominant component of the piles is in the form of BS, I really don’t have any control. I have tried to voice concerns, present some sort of reasonable action plan, and even attempted to simply ‘play nice’ but all of that has been pushed to the side so that stubbornness, anger, and stupidity could run rampant. Now additional opinions, no matter how good the intentions, are welcomed and I have no control over this situation. However, I can control the fact that my voice is heard and my concerns are aired but, in the end, everything remains steaming in a growing pile primarily occupying my weekends.

Party Fallout And Leftovers

Friday morning we all got to the office a little later than usual. At least most of us as there were a couple that never made it in the door. It was a great party the night before but we were all a little tired (to say the least) from the long day out. It seemed to be a day when tasks took a little longer to complete and time just seemed to move a little slower than the previous day.

It didn’t take long before we all started looking at the clock trying to figure out when we would be able to pack up our things and head out the door for the much needed weekend. At the same time, many of us didn’t want to begin the trek home too soon as the rush hour traffic was a little off due to the deluge of children itching to take to the neighborhoods. Needless to say, I decided to stay a little longer than usual to make sure that I would be able to relax over the weekend without a mountain of projects hanging over me.

While the mountain still had a fairly substantial summit by the time I left, I was able to take care of all the things that were pushed back from the previous day due to the party prep and commute. With all the extra things swirling around us on Thursday, we all stumbled into the office in the morning with a growing list of things that we needed to accomplish right away or else our entire week would have been derailed. We all put our heads down and took care of what needed to be done but the list inevitably flowed right past the end of the day and into the weekend.

Knowing the day and the week that had just come to a prolonged end, it was not a surprise that I was the last one to get up from my desk, start the dishwasher, and make my way out to the barren parking lot. Now, with the weekend concluding, I am nearly up to date with everything that has to be done. I will still have to put things in overdrive in the morning to get caught up but I should be able to get back to even by the middle of the week… well, I hope that is the case. I guess we will have to wait and see and hope that all the other events this coming week done impede me as much as last week did. Anyway, back to the beginning of the week and another growing mount of projects.

However, there was leftover jars of cake which made my wife happy (at least for a minute or two)!

WTF Of The Week: Exposing Their Giblets

Throughout this week I have been noticing the countless stories about the cloud hack that resulted in the mass dissemination of naked celebrity photos. Yes, famous people had their giblets exposed to the world and without missing a beat the ‘victims’ and the mass media jumped on the bandwagon commenting on this ‘heinous’ crime. Basically, it was a huge pity party for all those with their naughty bits scattered across the web.

While it is a shame that this happened to these people in the end who cares? Frankly, no one should be surprised that celebrity winkies, tatas, and vajayjays are blowing in the virtual breeze. After all, this is not something new. The only things that was different in this situation is that they were pulled from the cloud (some having thought that the photos had been deleted). Although, even that situation is nothing that hasn’t been done before. I guess the truly unique nature of the offense was the fact that the hackers went after data kept by the significant others… even though it is incredibly shady you have to give them credit for thinking things through.

However, the act itself, while an invasion of privacy (the same privacy that most of these celebrities campaign against though other political means and endorsements) it is something that happens and quite regularly. And it is only getting worse. My question is… why the heck are you allowing your giblets to be digitized?

The best way to stop this from happening again is to keep your goodies off the computer, away from the cloud, and far from the internet. While ‘creepy’, you should know that as long as you are ‘famous’ and there are people in this world that want to see if the carpet matches the drapes, there are going to be constant attempt to get snap shots of your hoohoo and gazungas or twig and berries. Why in the world would you provide them with greater opportunities to have access to your naughty bits?

So, I guess the lesson to be learned in this media circus is rather simple… keep it in your pants. The only time that giblets should be exposed are during Thanksgiving. By putting such information in so many different places, especially in the cloud, you are exposing yourself in more ways than one. While we are not talking about drugs I think it is time to resurrect one of the more prominent slogans… when someone has a camera, just say no to showing your crack.

Ever Lose Track Of Your Vacation Days?

That is exactly what happened to me this year. It has been tough to take time off this past year as business has been constantly busy and I really haven’t had a good reason to stay ways from the office. With that said, I find myself with a couple months to go before I get a new crop of vacation days. Well crap, I guess I am going to have to take some time off since they will not carry over. So, this past week I finally sat down and took a look at my calendar.

It is difficult for me to take the time for myself as, and I have been very clear about this in previous posts, I enjoy working. I like going to the office every day and making things happen. To do anything else would make the week feel a little incomplete. But I guess that is something that I have to get over especially now with how tired I have been lately and the massive changes that are on the horizon. Something has to give and if taking time off with help that situation then I am happy to oblige.

However, I know that the next couple of months are going to be critical to ramping programs back up for the busier time of year so my decisions on what days to take are influenced by that factor… no long blocks. Additionally, all of us that started around the same time are in the same position and we are making sure that our days don’t overlap… a few less options but nothing I was looking at anyway. What was left were a few long weekends that will do wonders for the rest of the year and while I don’t plan on using every one of my days (I might use about half of my work from home days as well), there are a few breaks that have been worked into the schedule.

There are a few days that I am taking off for the simple convenience of it (i.e. late night at the lodge the night before) but, for the most part it is going to be a few weeks of long weekends and doing my best to finally get caught up on everything else especially in the home office. Working in my favor I the fact that my wife just got a regular position in a local school district leaving me along for the day to buckle down and get things done. Maybe, just maybe, all of those projects that have been pushed back since I started working regularly will get done and we can go into the end of the year with a clean slate.

So, expect a few different posts in the coming months as I will have more time to enjoy and focus on other things. It will be an odd feeling not going to the office ‘just because’ but it give me an opportunity to relax, enjoy something else for a change, and record it all right here. Who knows, maybe there will be something that you aren’t expecting and if you want to get together during those days send me an email and maybe we can coordinate something a little different.

Measured Communication

Most work days I am on the phone, writing emails, and scanning the recent trade and general news sources constantly from the time I arrive to the time I depart the office. Occasionally, I will switch things up and work on something different but that seems to be a rare occurrence recently. However, there are moments when I am able to take a break, relax, and just have a casual moment.

In fact, those times just before a phone interview or when I am reaching out to a reporter/editor that I know particularly well are some of the best times of the day for me because we are able to talk, see how things are going, and today talk about any plans that they might have for the weekend. It is a glimpse into life rather than a constant focus on work. Heck, I am downright pleasant during those brief interludes.

Of course, there are certain days, like earlier this week, when I have to just keep to the business at hand. Not because of the long list of things to do that is hanging over my head, although that does have an impact, it is simply because there are certain days when I am not in a good mood. I might even be downright pissed on some days. Those days, while sometimes difficult, I have to work to remain positive. Obviously something had previously gone awry but I can’t let that come across to those with which I am corresponding.

The other part of those task oriented days and communications is the fact that I takes a considerable amount of effort to remain even keeled. Those are the days when I find myself exhausted when I shut down the computer and struggling to get just about anything done at night when I get home. It’s a simply fact that being negative and/or angry just takes too much effort. I know some people that are always negative regardless of the situation and I honestly don't know how they get out of bed every day.

While I am certain that weeks like this one will come and go and there will be times when my stress levels will gain force me to that angry and loud place, they are just moments in life and none of those inconveniences will last forever. After all, things could always be worse (the leak could have been above or bed) and there are much better things to focus our energy on and be positive about (our little, probably will become a big and hairy, baby). So I may have a few bad days here and there and different stresses may pop up now and again, I really can’t complain about much (but you have to give me some leeway on that).

Counting Down After The Alarm

Groggy doesn’t even come close to the way I felt this morning when I collapsed out of bed and staggered to the bathroom for some much needed water. Essentially, within minutes of leaving the warmth of bed I began counting down to the weekend. It is not because of anything had gone wrong during this past week but because there was just a lot happening, a lot to try and get caught up on, and too little sleep.

By the time I got to work this morning I had the opportunity to wake up a bit but not enough. Being tired seems to be the greatest hindrance to productivity. Well, at least for me. The strange part of it is that I am getting, on average, more sleep than I was this time last year but with all the activities and various projects I am drained quite a bit more.

The odd thing now is that it seems as though everyone in the office is on the same page. We all happened to have a bit of a tiring week and a few nights when we all came in with a little less sleep than usual. We recognize this in one another and while there are times when we all just collectively rest and chat for a minute, most of the time we push through it and push one another to get more and more things checked off the list.

By the time we reached the midafternoon I was in auto pilot both in what I was getting done on the computer and in my round trips to the kitchen and my usual coffee routine. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many cups of coffee I went through today but I know it was a lot more than usual. Not a record but above normal.

Even though at any given moment I would have said that the day was dragging, it was surprising how quickly the end of the day came and how unprepared I was for its arrival. With heavy feet and still stiff fingers I did my best to not hold everyone up from getting out of the office but we were all pretty much on the same pace and my labored routine fell right in the middle. We all made it to the end of the day, and the conclusion of the week, a little more tired than usual but with plenty of things accomplished and a weekend to look forward to, a weekend when we need to rest as next week if going to be hectic.