Took Joe out for youth deer season this morning. Saw 2 does in our back field, he took a shot and missed.  We didn't sight in his gun last weekend like we should have. So later when we shot at a target, we found that it was shooting low and to the right.  We took a break and went back to the house. He called up work and asked about his schedule.  Come to find out that he has to work today!  So he is off to McDonalds.  Should be back in time to go out at dusk. 

I am still getting used to having two homes. The apartment in Columbus on the weekdays. Here on the farm during weekends.  I joke to the guys at work that I go back to Dayton to my other life.  Slow learning curve at work.  It is like driving a 4 wheel drive up a muddy hill. You spin wheels, get traction, lurch forward, spin again, and slowly work your way up.  The other three guys say it is the same for them - lots to learn in a complicated system.  I did get some problem tickets resolved and completed a small project.  This next project is a little bigger, so it will take more effort.

Glad to be working though.  Still keep in touch with my former co-workers and about half of them are still unemployed.  Those that did get work, mostly got jobs outside of Dayton like me. Unemployment in Ohio is over 7% and I am sure that it is higher than that in the Dayton area. With the stock market in free fall, very few firms are hiring.  Even though we are in the health care field, we worry that because we are contractors that we would be the first to go if Medco would decide to cut expenses. Talk about having the sword of Diamocles(sp) over your head...

Chelsea is doing OK at school.  She is a part time cashier at Walmart. She says that it really isn't too bad. The managers keep the work environment friendly.  She did say that the volume is starting to pick up.

Eric got laid off from Home City Ice. So he is going thru the same thing that I did in August.  Business was really slow, so he wasn't making much anyway.  He thinks that he wants to move on and find something new - just not sure what that something might be. It will help to have him home for now.  Vanessa is taking some technical courses to help in her career as a medical equipment technician.  So he can help at home while she focuses on work and studies.

Chad and Co. are doing OK. He is ready for OT this winter driving the snow plow. He said that there is a salt shortage. Riverside bought most of their salt this summer. But if they run low, prices have more than doubled.  So if it is a hard winter, then a lot of communities could be hurting if they didn't stock up. 

Posted by christ77 at 10:08 AM EST

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Mood:  sad

This was certainly a somber sunday. First we went to visit Becky's brother in Indianapolis at Methodist Hospital. He had an abscess in his brain and had to have an operation.  It was the size of a golfball.  He is medicated, but was able recognize Becky.  He has difficulty speaking. Some phrases he says OK, but most times it is disjointed or garbled.  You can see that it is very frustrating for him.  Still has problems with his right side.  It is too soon to make a long term prognosis.  The nurse said that she has seem some patients that are back close to 100% in 6 months.  Other times they recover to a certain point and no more.  So we will have to wait and see.

 Got some bad news at the hospital.  Called home and spoke to Joe.  Turns out that his friend, Joe Kasserman was killed in a car accident.  A kid by the name Brubaker was driving and was going too fast.  He lost control and went of the road.  All three teenagers were thrown from the camaro.  Joe died, his older brother was kept for a day and released. The driver was named Brubaker and I guess that he is in bad shape.  Severe head injuries and a broken neck.  If he survives he may be paralyzed and impaired.

So Joe is very upset.  Kasserman and he were friends.  They stayed overnight and played computers.  Since our Joe has gone to CTC, they haven't seen each other as much since school started - but they still kept in touch.  I will remember him as a big friendly kid.  Gentle and caring, a big heart.  When Joe played football last season, the two mothers would sit together in the stands.  Such a tragedy for this to happen to a promising young man.

Posted by christ77 at 5:29 PM EDT

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Mood:  down

Just when things seems to be peachy, a curve ball gets thrown at you. About a week and a half ago, Becky's brother Tom threw a wedding for his daughter Jennifer.  A good time, things went well.  But on Monday he an episode  of some sort.  At first they thought it was a stroke.  But now they are not so sure. Could possibly be a tumor.  He was able to dial 911.  When he first got there he could not use his right arm at all.

He is able to stand so that is a positive. He is going to Indianapolis for some more extensive tests.  As one can imagine, we are all concerned for him and hope for the best. Just goes to show how life can change in an instant.

Posted by christ77 at 8:30 PM EDT

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Mood:  crushed out

Does anyone else feel as used and abused as I do?  We kept on hearing on how the bailout plan had to be passed to save the economy.  The demopubs pass this over the protests of myself and others.  Then what happens???   The Dow has the largest loss ever.  My 401k becomes a 201k.  This is saving the economy?  

The plan is such a sham.  It started as three pages and grew to over 400 pages once every one finished eating at the trough.  

So not only do we have an economy going down the toilet we have saddled the country with over 10 trillion dollars of debt. I guess to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same economy as we now have...lets pass the misery on to our descendants!

The new job is OK over the first week or so. Some similiarities, some differences from my ex employer, lots to learn.  To quote a former secratary of war "We don't know what we don't know." The application we support is complicated. But feel confident that I will do well over time.

One odd thing with the facilities.  No one I had asked had an answer. But there is a chair in each mens room.  Rather curious I thought.  Plenty of stalls, never more than one or two people in them when I visited.  Maybe if a bunch of elderly gentlmen with bad prostrates used the facilities at once, then one could use the chair to wait I suppose. 

The apartment has been transformed. On Monday I had a HDTV on a cardboard box, a lawn chair, and inflatable mattress.  Perfect bachelor accomodations.  By Friday we had two nice chairs, a new mattress, entertainment center and it now looks civilized.  We bought most all the furniture used from a local thrift store.  

It is an odd feeling having two homes.  I guess that over time I will get used to this.  

Posted by christ77 at 10:51 AM EDT

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Mood:  celebratory

 Joe landed his first job at McDonalds.  He has completed the training and starts on Monday. Chelsea is currently being trained at Walmart.  She is not enthused about the position, but it's money.  I have a job - it is contract to hire.  The hiring company is Galaxy Systems.  I will actually be working for Medco - working with their web applications.  

It will require a move.  Initially I may have found an apartment that I can sublease.  The renter is moving to Northern Ohio.  So I may be able to take over their lease which runs out in February.  Hopefully by then I am working fulltime. Then I may see about getting a small home.  

One interesting development.  After I accepted the job, I did get an email from a former coworker who was still at LexisNexis.  Inquiring if I would have an interest in taking a contract position with them to help with some of the legal programs. Seems that infosys was having problems keeping up. Have to admit that I had a smile on my face when I replied back that I already had a job and would not be able to help.  I wonder if they regret getting rid of all the legal engineers...

Plan to hang onto the farm.  In the short run we are doing musical houses. Chad's mother in law will stay in his home; he is staying in our home and will watch over Joe.  If all goes as planned, then I will retire from Medco at some point and sell either the property in Columbus or the farm and sit back in a rocking chair.  With the housing market soft, I should be able to get a good deal on a home like Eric and Vanessa did.  We are selling off the cattle herd.

We survived the big wind storm caused by the remnants of Hurrican Ike.  Ran off of the generator for a few days, then loaned it to Eric and Vanessa - they were out for over a week. Oh, we did have one casualty indirectly caused by the storm. When we switched over to the generator smoke began to roll out of the entertainment center. The carberator was stuck full on. So the generator was putting out way too much voltage. It smoked the Dish network reciever.  I freed the stuck linkage and it ran well after that.  Saw some corn knocked down, could be a difficult harvest this fall - particularly if the already weak stalks get wet. 

 When I took my drug test for work, I did stop by Jungle Jim's Grocery Store on the way home.  I had heard so much about it that I wanted to check it out. To give an idea about the size - picture this: Most stores have an oriental food section in one of their aisles. In this store this an entire aisle devoted to Japanese, an aisle to Korean, an aisle to... well you get the picture.  Their oriental food alone section was the size of some stores. Their lobster tank had a lobster in it that was just about as long as my arm with pincers the size of my hands - it was immense.

 Their wine selection had to be the best in the area. From the $4.99 stuff to the $349 per bottle.  They had a cooking school inside the store. To ad to the ambience they had full size displays. Where the hot sauce was, they had a full size real fire truck.  Seafood - a real 30 foot wooden boat.  A full size plastic elephant.  Penguins in frozen food.  Outside there is a real working monorail.  It's worth the trip just to check it out.  

Posted by christ77 at 9:32 PM EDT

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Mood:  chillin'

Well fall has arrived and the youngsters are going back to school.  Joe seems to like his teachers this year.  He feels like he is going to do well. He capped off the summer with a friend of his - Zack King.  He was back from bootcamp in the Marines.  Zack is like a major ADD kid.  I guess the marines are going to make him a bomb dispoal specialist.  Scares me, seems like you would want someone calm and cool.  Not a guy with a mind that races 5 different directions at once. Also Joe has been seeing a girl from Edgewood, Megan. She likes to hunt, so that is something that they both have in common. 

 Chelsea just started back up at Sinclair.  First week seems to have gone fine.  Vanessa is thinking about attending a technical school to become more proficient at repairing electronic medical equipment.

 Went on the Poker Run sponsored by the historical society. Chad drove the Star Chief and I drove my motorcycle.  Saw all the covered bridges in Preble County.  Nice day for ride so it was a good time.  Finalist for another position, there are three of us that they interviewed.  

Posted by christ77 at 8:54 PM EDT

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Mood:  irritated

Well three members of the family are job hunting.  Incredulously it may be Joe that lands a job first.  McDonalds in New Lebanon has an interest in him.  He has a work permit and physical and will go back in and talk the manager a second time.  Not bad for a rookie.  But then Joe has always been a smooth talker.

 Chelsea may have a cherry job as a librarian lined up.  Part time, second shift, almost like they designed it for a college student.  Pays OK too.  She has experience from working the library at Sinclair College, when she spoke with them they were definitely interested and she is the only experienced person that applied so far. 

 With my job search I have to sit back and think to an episode of the Simpson's.  There is a scene is which Homer says, 'I know that there is god because he is mocking me.'  And boy, that is the way I feel right now.  Have had two seemingly home runs that curved foul at the last instant. One was for a developer/application administrator position in a small 9 person IT department.  But the guys calls back after the interview with good news/bad news.  I was the leading candidate, but the managment changed in the last 30 days since the positon posted. With the economy, they aren't doing anything until maybe this winter. I told the guy thanks, but I hoped to have another job by then.  So that was a whiff. 

 The second position was as a software engineer with a subsidiary of LexisNexis in Boca Raton. With the hurricane zigzagging across the state, it was difficult to get back with the manager. They closed early one day, opened 2 hours late another. We finally got in contact.  No hiring now because of the recent merger with the other risk company - choicepoint I think is the name.  They have to wait and evaluate what positions are still needed, etc.  Again I was the leading candidate, so another long ball curves foul.  

Have had some other interviews.  By now I should feel like an expert.  But I am getting weary of the process.  I identify with the olympic athletes.  Their careers are a life's work and in a few seconds or a few minutes - a life's work is decided in an instant.  Gold, Silver, or someone left lying in the dust.  All the work leading up to that moment is not accountable, it is how you perform at that instant.  Mess up an interview, stumble over a few words, give a wrong answer and 18 years of experience amounts to nothing.  

Posted by christ77 at 9:29 PM EDT

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Joe starts school today. Yesterday he was moaning was a lousy summer he had. We were scratching our heads - he spent 90% of his time playing World of Warcraft online, only baled hay like 4 times, and when he wasn't on the computer he was sleeping.  If only we all could be so lucky.

 He is getting serious about getting a job. He is putting in applications left and right. 

 Becky entered Elaina in a baby contest at Derby Days in Lewisburg.  First and second place went to babies that were around 3-4 months of age - hard to compete with that.  Still I think that grandma had fun getting her all dressed up so it was worth the effort. 

Things are starting to percolate on the job front.  I got a feeling that I should have something by the end of the month.  Was contacted by a large company in Redmond, Washington.  Plus some firms that do contracting have been in contact.  Two sound very interested.  Nothing in Dayton though - one is in Columbus, one in Cincinnati.  So whatever I get, it probably won't be local. 

Posted by christ77 at 7:50 AM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 7:53 AM EDT

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Mood:  celebratory

Young Cash celebrated his first birthday at our farm this past weekend. Had a nice turnout on a pleasant Sunday. It was actually just a bit cool for August.

Really got a kick out of his cake. A John Deere tractor design on the top along with a chocolate hammer and screwdriver. He was a meticulous cake eater. Most times a one year old is grabbing globs of cake and just making a mess. He grabbed bite sized pieces and slowly ate his fill.

He got a lot of presents - and the older kids gave him a hand opening them!

Posted by christ77 at 8:44 AM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 8:48 AM EDT

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