A Harrowing Day

Well, it is now nearly 10 PM on a day that started somewhere before 5 AM and I am beat. The day started with Ben heading off to work very early and me sneaking in a load of wash (and they talk about the gay agenda=HAH). I headed to work, and the fun began. There was NO work coming in and we soon found out that the much awaited and dreaded outsourcing had occurred over the weekend -- good bye American jobs. The temp agency agent was onsite and we knew something was up. Row by row in our section they gathered up five or six folks and took them to the conference room where they got the bad news that they were no longer needed. One of my new friends was among the victims and she was quite shaken by it. The rest of us sat with concern as we waited. What was next? They came and got about six more of us and took us in the conference room. As irony would have it, just as we were settling in for whatever lay ahead, I got a call from the car dealer with the news that my loan was approved at a better rate than I had negotiated elsewhere (Still not a great rate in today's market, but do-able -- more on the car in a moment). I asked if we could chat in a little bit, and hung up. The next thing I heard was, "This announcement should be more pleasant than the last one." That meant we weren't getting the axe - yet. Then one of the bosses asked, "Who is willing to take on a new assignment?" The obvious effect of a negative response would have been to join those who had just left. So tomorrow I start training for some new and exciting task in the organization that continues to shaft people and outsource US jobs. How exciting. After the hub bub of the announcements died down (a little) I contacted my salesman and arranged to be at the dealership at 5 PM. I called Ben and he met me at work and off we went to pick up "Little Red." We arrived at 5 and FINALLY left with the car at 8:30. It seems that lots of people bought cars on the holiday and all the sales people arranged for delivery this afternoon and evening. AND they had ONE finance and insurance manager on duty for these multiple deliveries. Finally about 7, we asked for keys (they had taken the keys for my "trade" along with my driver's license) so that we might get some food. We headed to McDonalds where 00 wouldn't you know it -- they screwed up an order. Not our day. We headed back to the dealer and proceeded to wait another half hour for the F&I guy to finish up with another customer (who happened to be a former co-worker of Ben's who managed to keep her temp job when he lost his-- seeing her buying a NEW car really made him bristle, but my ever diplomatic sweetie went up and chatted with her for a few minutes as she was finishing her deal and getting the hell out of the way so we could finish up and go home. (See -- Im not nearly as nice as he is LOL). We sat down and finally I got to see and hear some actual numbers -- I HATE CAR DEALERS. The number I heard made me nearly get up and walk out -- that is NOT the price that the salesman had quoted us yesterday. Well, my beginning to balk at the deal -- even after three hours of sitting around waiting for them -- got some attention. They refigured things and took out the check they were "giving" me to add cruise control. What they did was add the amount of this check to the price -- duh! I told them that I could pay for the cruise without their check and they revised the paperwork accordingly. Then I got to turn down credit life, extended warranty, GAP coverage, roadside assistance, and some other fancy add ons. Finally we were done and leaving with the new car. It's great. I still need to go back to the dealer tomorrow and pick up additional keys (they are part of the security system, computer coded, expensive, and controlled). I still cant figure why they couldn't get them made today, but that's car biz. We headed home and Ben medicated the cat and headed to bed in anticipation of a 4:30 AM alarm clock. So that was Tuesday. Wednesday will hold BS of its own, so I think I will close and get myself snuggled in next to my sleeping man. Have a good one and say a prayer for us to enjoy the new car.

Tuesday Morning

We've reached the end of a wonderful three day holiday weekend and now it's back to the grind. I hope you all had a great time celebrating the "start of summer fun." Around here, Saturday was kind of business as usual as Ben was working on his sermon for a Sunday morning preaching engagement. Sunday, obviously, started with church --Ben was brilliant of course. The rest of the day was just kind of a lazy time. The weekend did include some car shopping -- a difficult task since most dealers here are closed on Sunday and holidays. That did not deter us. On Sunday we looked on the Chevy lot (they were open). Not much there of interest, though they had the most pre-owned (they used to call those "used cars") of anywhere we looked. On Monday we headed to the east and south ends of town and hit several dealers -- mostly closed and without much exciting inventory. Then we hit the Honda dealer. They had the prettiest little 2004 Civic in RED (Ben called it "arrest me red.") and the salesman stated that it gets about 40 mpg. BUT it didn't have some of the bells and whistles I was looking for -- power everything and cruise control. So off we went to the Toyota dealer (Boy, they were proud of their stock!). They were open and had free food, so we gobbled down pulled turkey sandwiches and baked beans. While we were en route and looking at the over priced Toyotas, my mind and hear kept going back to the Honda. I decided that rolling down windows by hand was not beneath me. The car looked great and only has 25000 miles on it and the gas mileage sounds great (especially at 3.50 + per gallon). So we headed back to talk to the salesman. "What about adding cruise?", I asked. We decided to test drive it while he got the answer to that question. When we started it and drove off the lot, the low fuel light was on so we didn't go far -- who wants to run out of gas? It handled and rode really nice and I was falling in love. We got back and found out that cruise could be added (for a price of course). Then there was the dreaded "Credit app" process. I had already prearranged financing, but it never hurts to compare possibilities. He came back saying that they were quite sure that they could beat my other quoted rate, but they couldn't finalize that offer until the banks were open on Tuesday morning --DUH--I rather expected that answer. So they put a hold on the car and will be calling me today. Before we left, we got them to put a little gas in the car -- actually they gave us five bucks and we put gas in it. That experience was another whole story, but then we headed out onto the interstate to see what kind of zip or lack of zip we were buying into. Let me tell you this little baby car has PEP! SO -- the upshot is that I sit and wait for a phone call from them about financing today. If their offer is better than what I have as a backup, I will come home tonight with a "new" car. If not, I will wait a day or two for the paperwork on the other loan and complete the deal. Am I excited? YES! Is my entire future happiness dependent on this deal? NO! Am I counting chickens before they hatch? NO. I have cleaned out the old Chrysler for its final ride in anticipation of the new Honda, but I can always drive it home again if need be and keep looking. Updates later. Here's hoping!

A Fashion Alert

There's something that bugs the stuffing out of me and I just need to sound off. That is the way in which so many of young folks today don't seem to know either how or where and when to wear their "baseball caps." It may be a generational thing but I believe that the caps are made with a brim that is supposed to face forward, offering the face some protection from the sun. Yet these days it is rare to see a hat worn correctly. They are off center, backwards or even sideways. It looks STUPID to me. And then there's the where and when -- my goodness, if I'd worn a hat in the house as a kid it would have been flipped off my head before I could say hello. And what's more -- at the dinner table: YIKES. I have nothing against wearing caps - I own a few and wear them now and then, but I wear them brim forward and when I get inside they come off. What is the big deal? Is the penchant for wearing the hats wrong a fashion statement? a statment of independent nonconformity or what? Whatever it is, please take a good long look in mirror. Wearing the latest "fashion" isn't always the most beneficial or becoming. If you're gonna wear a cap, do me a favor and put it on right! And do my mom a favor and take it off at the dinner table. And THAT'S the way I see it on this Sunday afternoon. Any comments?

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Happen

Just when you thought it couldn't possibly happen, gas prices took another big jump around here today -- it's now 3.63 a gallon. It jumped a few days ago to 3.48, but had begun to back off a bit -- it went down to 3.38 (Can you believe that is DOWN?), and I thought I'd get some this evening. But at lunch time one of my co-workers came back with news of the price jump. Where will it end? The price of gas is driving up the price of food and other items. People will soon have to decide between gas and food, between spending the money for vacations or staying close to home. I think it makes a lot more sense if "supply" is the problem, to lower the price and impose rationing or to find some combination of price breaks and rationing. It's also important for people to think before they just jump in the car and head out. And these big SUVs have got to go -- There must be other ways to compensate for under endowment. I sure don't have all the answers, but we all need to brainstorm to find a way out of this dilemma. Otherwise prices will continue to rise to the point of causing revolution. Share your thoughts and ideas. Maybe someone out there has the answer. Is is you?

Tuesday Morning

Well, it's very early -- not yet six am and not yet daylight. I am up and at it already. Ben left the house a while ago to head out for his latest temp job some forty five minutes away. I shudder to think about Michigan's future -- the economy and job market are going down the drain and the state has a budget deficit of more than three quarters of a billion dollars. The auto industry that used to drive the entire state economy is in a mess and the ripple effect is devastating. Add to that the record high gas prices and it's no wonder that people are scared! I am in the beginning stages of searching for another vehicle. My 1994 Chrysler is running alright, but it is on borrowed time -- the electrical system is either dying or it's possessed. If that goes, that will be the end. And of course car shopping is one of my "favorite" things. I prefer root canal surgery! Why can't automobile dealers clearly mark the prices and let me wander among the choices? Why is there this game of dicker and barter reminicent of a garage sale? And then there's the "pig in a poke" problem -- where has this car been? Did it get imported from New Orleans after Katrina? Was it a star in the demo derby? Did it belong to someone who never heard of maintenance? And on top of that -- I don't know for sure exactly what I am looking for -- good solid transportation, fairly low miles, good gas mileage (no SUVs please), etc. I have some ideas as to size and all, but the money, mileage, and economy factors will ultimately drive the decision. SO -- where do I go look? I was at one lot last night and you'd have thought the salesman was my new best friend. All the chatter and patter and charm of a snake oil salesman. Are there any ethical customer oriented auto salespeople out there? If so, let me know where -- I will go give them my business. The whole car shopping thing makes me sick to my stomach and leaves me with a splitting headache. I did see a couple of nice cars, but I guess I'm not quite ready to take the plunge.

On top of all the usual rigors of the car shopping torture is the financial concern. How long will this temp job last? Will Ben find the right call soon? Will I? Will we have to spend the money for rentals, moving expenses, and other living expenses? Do I dare take on another obligation? Stay tuned -- I'm sure there will many car salesman stories ahead. I wonder how many of them end up in politics? Hmmmmm.

Back by Popular Demand

Hi all; it's been more than three weeks since I have posted anything here, and today I received a comment from a reader asking me to come back. I have tried a couple of times over these past weeks, but there was either no energy or no inspiration. However, it is my intent to be back, to post an occassional thought, and to be a part of the blogging world once again. This weekend Ben and I went the big art festival at East Lansing. We went Saturday and I found a Christmas print that I liked but decided to "sleep on it". Today after church we decided to go back and get it, so now there's more Christmas stuff in the house -- YAY. And for those who count, it's just over seven months til the big day. My job continues to leave me drained at the end of the day so doing much on the computer in the evening is kind of anti-climax. We both continue to seek direction (and jobs). It's kind of interesting being in "free fall" but it's been going on for too long. I believe that something is going to break soon. So stay tuned for updates and pray that I will find the where with all to hang in there and post more often. It is good to be back and thanks for letting me know I was missed.

There IS Hope for Us Yet

I was excited to see the news from New Hampshire today telling of that state's new Civil Union legislation. While it doesn't provide for same sex marriage, it is one more positive step toward full inclusion of same gender couples. On the total other end of the spectrum, the mayor and city council in Chisinau in the Eastern European country of Moldava have denied a permit for this Sunday's Pride march -- this in spite of the court decision allowing GLBT people the right of assembly. There have been threats of arrest, and even some death threats, but the march is scheduled to go on as planned. Keep the marchers in your thoughts and prayers that all will be well. Click here to find out how you can speak up and help make a difference. And remember that when we think we have it bad here, it's a whole lot worse in other places.

I'm Back

Can you believe it's been two weeks since I posted anything to this blog? I guess I was in a writer's wilderness or something or been busy or who knows what. There hasn't been a lot of interest to share. Life goes on. I got to thinking about the media feeding frenzy over the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech. Yes, I am sorry that it happened; yes, I wonder with the rest of the world - Why?; yes, I feel sorry for the families of the victims (including the family of the shooter). However, I don't need to hear things like, "Your sister was one of the victims. How does that make you feel?" How is one supposed to answer that? "No big deal, I didn't like her"? or "Now Mom will pay attention to me"? NO-one can only express the obvious -- grief, sorrow, anger, and the like. For me, I'd rather close ranks around family and grieve privately. We don't know WHY the tragedy happened, but five days of the Today Show from the VT campus isn't going to do much to change that. I turned it off at least two days during the week because I was sick of it. But not to worry, it's taking a back seat to the new news flash -- the Alec Baldwin affair. It was wrong of him to lambast his preteen daughter on voicemail that way, but it's not the business of every thinking person in this country. Aren't there more important things to talk about? Things like, "When are we getting the troops out of Iraq." or "How much longer do we have to put up with GW?" or "How serious is global warming??. Enough of the carnage at VT, enough of raking Alec over the coals. Let's find some positive news to dwell on for a change, we all can find enough negative shit -- let's look for and focus on the positive. Aren't you all glad I am back on my soapbox? LOL. More later. Give someone a hug>

He is Risen -- In the Snow

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen! And as he came forth from the tomb he beheld the fresh fallen snow.... Well, if I were preaching around here this morning, that is how I might imagine the sermon starting. I think that I might have to force myself to focus on the fact that Easter is about Resurrection, not about Spring! It's about new life, not about flowers, eggs, rabbits or candy. It is a day in which we who are Christians should rejoice yet somehow this year I just don't feel that sense of Easter joy. I am a man without a church and a preacher without a pulpit. That feels weird and leaves me feeling somehow disconnected from the body. At the same time the snow and cold does little to speak to me of life and new starts and all those Easter themes. Perhaps for me this Easter needs to be about faith that there is a future and a hope. Now in that I can rejoice -- I hope it comes to pass in the near future. The uncertainty of our current situation is stressful -- Ben has days where he is a basket case; I have days where I wonder why we should go on. These are the days I struggle through, relying on that faith that has My Easter prayer for you is that you might know the joy and celebration that the Resurrection holds. May God touch your heart with the disovery of new life today.

Saugatuck in the Snow

Well, what supposed to be a wonderful long weekend for the start of Spring turned into a wonderful weekend for the return of winter. Our quick overnight getaway to Saugatuck came on the same weekend that much of this section of the country experienced a rebirth of winter conditions with more than a cople inches of snow falling in the area overnight. The greatest part of the trip was being with Ben and away from the stresses and strains of the everyday. We shopped and ate and hit the local gay bar -- Ben's second foray into such settings. Now I was sorely disappointed with the Dunes. Of their five bars on property only one was open. Between being pre-season, Easter weekend, and snowing like the Arctic, there wasn't much activity. Again, the best part was being with Ben. We spent our first motel together and had a great time. The biggest problem with the motel was the dozen or so pre-teen girls who invaded the pool and hot tub as we tried to relax in it. What should have been a time of relaxing was interrupted and wrecked. So we went back to our room and watched a movie then headed to the bar. This morning we headed downstairs for the continental breakfast, and you guesed it -- here came the same pack of kids, still in robes and jammies, but every bit awake. Ah well, we finished up quick and left. Then we headed home and have been kicking back and relaxing. Being away was wonderful, and coming home was a delight. The next time I think about a romantic weekend getaway, I'm gonna check the weather report -- it was COLD COLD COLD. We went over to Lake Michigan and the wind was so strong that it was blowing whole chunks of snow off the truck. Brr. Glad I had Ben there to warm me up. I guess my point is that it doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing -- I enjoy just being with Ben and sharing in his life.

Sunday Morning

Happy Palm Sunday! Happy April Fools Day! Happy April! Welcome to the second quarter of 2007. Well, folks, it's really weird -- it's Sunday and Palm Sunday at that and I am sitting here in my robe, drinking coffee, watching TV, and blogging instead of being in church. Today is my official last day at the church though last Sunday was really my good bye day. The past few days have been "vacation." It's a weird feeling -- bittersweet --relief misxed with a touch of sorrow, and also wondering what is next for me. Only time will tell.

I found out Friday that I will be working 10 hour days this week -- Monday through Thursday, and then off on Friday. It sounds like a fair trade off. Those ten hour days means that there won't be many posts here this week. After 10 hours on the computer, who wants to do more when they get home? So my wish for you, my friends, is a joyous and insightful Holy Week. May all the answers you seek become crystal clear in this time of deep personal reflection and growth. Hug someone you love.

No Wonder the Indian Cried

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day with sunshine and temps above 70. Spring was surely in the air, so after work Ben and I headed to a nearby park along the Grand River for a walk. As we rounded a bend in the path, the accompanying picture was the view that greeted us. How sad that people have to be such slobs -- haven't they heard of trash cans? I was reminded of the anti-littering commercial in which the Native American shed a tear at the sight of a littered landscape. Folks, if you have trash to throw, find a trash can -- your neighbors will thank you as will those who come along after you.

Corporate America Heading East

Below is an edited for content, company name and extraneous information copy of an email I received at work regarding an upcoming netconference with our support team in Malaysia. Take note of the line about our jobs disappearing. Even though I am there through a temp agency and know that my job time is limited, there is just something wrong about helping to train the people who are going to take not only my job and those of my co-workers, but who also will be taking yet these more jobs from the US and particularly Michigan economic base. This meeting and this email are wrong and offensive on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin. So, dear friends, you can read this for yourself and draw your own comments and conclusions. The email content follows in italics:


"You have been selected to "Job Shadow" with the Malaysia team. You may be wondering what this means…well, the work we currently do today will eventually be handled by Malaysia, no official date has been set. At this point we're at the "Job Shadowing" phase, so Malaysia can get a feel for how we process our work. We need to provide them the "day to day" with processing the work. Specifically, Malaysia has asked for review of the following:......."

I guess I won't be getting quite so comfy with this job. I sure hope that a church call comes through for Ben or for me. Looks like a rocky road may be on the horizon! OUCH.

Monday Monday

Well, the new and improved (their words) software package rolled out at work today -- and what mayhem resulted. It's slower and less user friendly than before. And there's so many bugs in it that they ought to call Orkin! Produtivity was off by at least half. Tomorrow may be better, but later in the week the new phones go online -- that ought to be a blast. I remained remarkably calm today and seemed to do better than some of the others around me. It's not a good program and it's surely not a step forward. It has prettier colors and a little more modern look, but as to functionality -- they've taken the fun out of function. Ah well, that's progress -- and that's why there's so many terminations and so few raises. Corporate America -- yuck!

Sunday

This morning the phone rang before 8Am and the realtor left a message telling he had scheduled an open house for this afternoon. We scurried about shifting stuff to boxes, basement, closets, and garage. I headed out for church; Ben worked until it was time for his to go to church. He came home and did LOTS of work -- the house looks pretty decent (of course it's dangerous to open closets LOL). I came home in time for us to vacate for the open house. We hit the home show which was awesome. It's amazing how they do those HUGE displays and then tear them down in three or four days -- what a waste. We came home and shared dinner and now it's TV time. My morning at church was taxing. It was my farewell sermon and I was pretty direct, challenging and encouraging the congregation to re-group and recommit and to move forward. It was surprisingly well received. I just hope that it sank in and ultimately makes a diffence. Next Sunday is my last service there and they are planning a going away celebration. It will be just about as taxing as this morning, but it is time and we will muddle through. Now the question comes -- WHAT NEXT? I think I am just gonna take some down time and carefully consider the future. Will I be called somewhere, will Ben, will neither of us? Who knows? Surely not us. But the future will happen. Stay tuned. Tomorrow is the roll out of the newly updated software system at work -- and I thought today was taxing. I will no doubt be a basket case by 5PM.

A Little "Self Tooting"

Monday and Tuesday we had a corporate level trainer onsite (see yesterday's post for how that made me feel). Today I sent her an email with some information on a task I had completed. I sought her input to make sure I was on track. I got back an email saying, "We need to talk." We arranged a NetMetting and conference call for this afternoon (that meant taking over my boss's office for a while. I stewed all morning and into the afternoon wondering how I had screwed up. We were online and on the phone for over an hour doing and re-doing the work that I had "done wrong." The upshot at the end of an hour was that I had indeed done the task correctly. There was no apology and I didn't really expect or need one. There was a concession that there might be more than one way of doing things and also some discussion that our clients need to learn how to submit their information in a format that allows us to do our jobs in a timely manner. So, following the meeting, I came back out and announced to my co-workers that I (with their input) had done the work correctly and that some positive changes may be in the works. That's all great, but I kind of dread next week when the new version of our primary software tool rolls out -- that and our new phone system in the same week -- a scary thought. More as details unfold.

So Far a Week from Hell

Hi all, it's Tuesday night and only three days of work to go before the weekend. The past two days at the office have felt like a week and not a good one at that. Between bizarre data requests, extra (and inept) training, visiting "higher ups" and the like have made the past two days HELL. However, I think that the next couple of days will be better. The higher ups have gone on their merry way, the training sessions are over for now, and tomorrow should - I hope - be business as usual. On the home front all is well except that we are both dealing with back discomfort -- Ben even more than I. It was really tough being at work today as the temperature here hit 73 degrees. It felt almost summery. Almost all the snow is gone (though there may well be more on the way), Anyhow, it's nearly bedtime, so I will sign off and wish you all well -- hug someone special.

Ben is HOME

He's now home safe and sound and getting himself cleaned up and unwound. Needless to say, I won't be making this a long involved post -- I have to catch up on my "Ben Time" this afternoon. Suffice it to say that I am one happy camper about now. Talk to you all some time later on.

Call Someone Today

IT was on this day in 1876 that AG Bell made that fateful first phone call. He needed Mr. Watson, so he called him. People have been calling each other ever since, often at dinner time, bath time, or other interruptive moments. I wonder if Mr Bell had any idea what kind of monster he was unleashing on the world. Today we find it incredible that people could do without phones, but before 1876, they did it all the time. Take time today to call someone -- preferably not during dinner or sleep. Thank God for the wonders of modern technology -- like voice mail LOL.

Whoopie! The Weekend is HERE

The wonderful thing about it being Friday night is that I don't have to jump out of bed first thing in the morning. Sunday morning church comes early and Monday through Friday mean up in time for work, so Saturday is a treat. The joy of this particular coming Saturday is that Ben will be back by early afternoon. He will probably be exhausted, so he will want to nap - and I will let him -- after a while LOL!!. The weather is starting to show signs of Spring -- the temp was in th e40s today and that trend is supposed to continue. Maybe winter is past (but I wouldn't put the snow shovel away quite yet. Anyway, it's just about bed time. I gotta get some sleep so that I can be chipper and ready to welcome my man home. By the way, if you were going to call us tomorrow afternoon or evening -- don't! We will be busy re-connecting and catching up on each other. Have a great weekend -- we will.