Down On Ferry Farm

I went to see Adam Sandler's latest offering this evening. A large part of me wants to tell you the secret to the movie -- a larger part of me wants you to experience this movie for yourself. I will tell you this: there was such a dichotomy in the audience I don't really know what to say. On one hand you had the people who left about halfway through the picture. I counted about 10 -- that's a large number of people to leave the theater and not come back. It's the first time in a very long time I've seen that. I mean, I've seen people NOT show up for a movie but rarely do you see people walk out. On the other hand, it is the first movie I've seen in years where the audience applauded at the end of the film. Not the embarrassed clapping people do when someone starts and they feel compelled to follow. No, this was the "this picture deserves applause" clamoring that I don't recall being a part of in a decade. It used to be that when the film was ov...

Well, once again technology has kicked me in the shins. I did this nice long post about my vacation and the new job and -- poof -- it disappeared like a fart in the wind. Let me try and recap the action: Vacation : as you recall, I was going to a family reunion. One of my mother's sisters drove down, picked us up, and drove the entire way. It was about 1000 miles each way. Let's just say we won't be driving THAT trip again. We blew into town on Friday and didn't do much but acclimate ourselves. My mom and her sister did a little growing up in this small town so we did some site-seeing of their old stomping grounds. Saturday we ended up at one of the cousin's houses for a pool party. We ended up not getting in the pool because it was raining with lightning in the air. The house we were at was beautiful so we just sat around swapping stories about relatives (I didn't have any to share so I just listened to the tales of people I barely know -- it was okay). We were...

I can honestly say that I am now "between jobs". Today was my last day at the current job. I'm going to a family reunion for a week and then starting the new job when I return. There is a huge weight off my shoulders. The lack of tension in my life is palpable (you could cut it with a butter knife). I like this feeling but it's a little scary looking ahead at the unknown. You're talking about someone who is not big in the "confidence" department. I'd like to think that I was pretty confident in my interviews but I suppose I'll never know. I keep thinking that the new company is going to call and say that something is out of whack and the job offer is rescinded. That would suck. That would suck a lot! In other news, I'm addicted to the Falling Sand game. They call it a 'game' but I see it as more of an activity. You be the judge. You'll hear from me in a week -- no sooner.

I went to a local festival today. They've had the party for 30 years now. I say "you've seen one -- you've seen them all". Nothing seemed to have changed since I was there last. There are a bunch of vendors trying to sell their wares and a lot of food places selling food for too much money. You can also see a lot of scantily clad high-school girls, boats in water, cover bands, and strollers (!). There were people drinking beer and every other kind of humanity. There was nothing spectacular or hilarious that happened -- unfortunately. So why did I go? Earlier in the week I got a call from a woman that used to work for the same company I do (don't worry, she's married -- it's not that kind of a story). She was shocked that I was leaving my position for another one. Anyhow, she told me that she and her husband were heading to this HarborFest. One thing you have to understand: she and her husband have a boat. I was thinking we were going to sit on their bo...

I finally finished reading this book Superman gave to me. It’s called “The Know-It-All – One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World”. The author, A.J. Jacobs, spends a year reading all volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica so each chapter is a different letter of the alphabet. He then weaves his own life and sensibilities into the words he’s learning all about. I like the way each word was a short read. Sometimes they’d be a few short words and some of them were a few pages long, but each was filled with his wry sense of humor. Part of the book dealt with he and his wife trying to get pregnant. Another part dealt with religious exploration and yet another was all about his quest to get on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (hint: he makes it on to the show). I don’t know what it is about reading and me – we just don’t get along. It seems that every time I read something that’s longer than a paragraph my mind starts to wander. I start thinking about something else I c...

That's what it's all about for people like me: stability. I could never be one of those people that swing from job-to-job or live in their cars because they're confident of their abilities to pull off their lives. Why? Because I'm not confident about my abilities. I'm working on it and I'm better than I was a few years ago. I think that looking for and getting a new job is proof of that. A few years ago I would have folded like a cheap suit. In fact, I did that very thing. I had interviewed for a job, gotten the job and then passed on it. I'm glad I did because I heard that the division of the company let most of the new hires go and is in serious disarray. I tried to do everything in my power to make sure this new company was stable. I also like the fact that they seem to think about things the way that I do. Sometimes you may ask something like "why don't you just ---?" and their answer was always "we did". I hope that continues but...

Well, my boss finally came through and let everyone know I was leaving. There was shock. There were tears. I had a lot of people saying that the company would basically fall apart without me. I highly doubt that. The company I'm going to work for is 'drug free' -- which means I had to go take a urine test. I'm not very good at tests and I didn't have a chance to study. I still think I aced it. I was a little nervous that I couldn't, uh... 'perform' when my name was called but I did okay. Okay, so the company got their e-mail that I was leaving so I went ahead and let my family know what was going on. Got an 'attaboy' note from my sister. My parents were pleasantly surprised and asked me 'what took so long?' I have to tell you, for some reason when I was driving back from the clinic I felt like a million bucks. I felt bullet-proof. The funny thing is: I don't know why. Want to hear the most encouraging words? L-girl says the only good ...

Several years ago I was given a key fob with the company name on it. It's about the size of a 50-cent piece and twice as thick. I added it to my keyring and really hadn't thought about it much since then. It was just there. Today I went to the office to put in the backup tapes. I pulled the keys out of my pocket to unlock the front door. When I did, I dropped the keys on the ground and this key fob broke away from the keyring. I looked at it to see if I could put it back together but it was put together with a small screw that got pulled apart. There was no putting it back together. "Prophetic", I said quietly as I dropped the token in my pocket. Just thought I'd share that.

I remember years ago I was tasked with going to visit our 'sister' company up in New Jersey. It was the first time I would ride in a taxi by myself. Anyhow, I try to get a taxi driver to take me where I'm going and he says I need to see the 'captain'. Basically what happens is that the captain assigns a cab to each passenger. So I check in and he writes something down on a slip of paper and hands it to me. He shouts out something to the first driver in line and the driver walks over. He takes my luggage (one piece) and puts it in the trunk of his cab. I hop in and we take off from the airport. I haven't uttered a word to this man. As he turns the engine over his radio comes on. It is playing the vocal restrains of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Now, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me, but I'm a big LBM fan. I learned about them during the making of Paul Simon's "Graceland". It was Mr Simon's thumbing-his-nose-at-the-government reco...

I went for a 2nd interview with this 'new' company today. I was offered the job. I told him I'd have to think about it. You know, there's something to be said for the safety and security of a job. When you walk in the door and everyone knows you -- and you know everyone. When someone explains their problems and you know the answer. There's comfort in that. I probably screwed myself the most by talking to my boss about it. She didn't really put up much of a fight, I must say. She left it up to me to decide. I told her that I was talking to her about it as a courtesy... I could have just handed in my resignation and said 'buh-bye'. But I didn't. "Where's your head at?", she asked me. I told her I didn't know -- which was the truth. I wane back and forth. The biggest problem with my current job is that I've been there so long I've seen the same problems come and go -- along with some really good people. I'm tired of solving...

Dear Water, It was not too long ago that I was singing your praises. Why would you leave me? Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find there was no water pumping to my house. I called the city's emergency contact number to be almost disrespected by the gentleman on the other end. He almost accused me of not paying my bill! It gets better: I had to drive to the courthouse area to get the issue resolved. When the lady confirmed my address, I told her the address she just read out was one street over -- with the same house number. Oh, water... you know I'd never do anything to make you leave me again. I realize it took them several hours to get back out to my house and join us up again but I never want you to leave me again. Okay?

I recently got back from a trip to one of our other remote offices. And when I say 'remote' I mean 'remote'. It's way up in the hills -- away from everything. There is no cell phone reception to be had (even by the locals). Anyhow, the trip out there requires not one, but two flights. The first flight from home went pretty well... nice big place and very little turbulence. It's that OTHER flight that's a killer. I used to like to fly. I couldn't wait to get on a plane. But now, it's all I can do to hang on. That second flight is a much smaller plane and you can feel every cloud that wafts by. DubDub has been very attentive recently. I'm not sure why. We went out to lunch yesterday and we ended up at my house for a little, uh... 'dessert'? Again, shocked the hell out of me. Work, in general, continues to be busy and a struggle. We have one particular client that is getting on everyone's nerves. He tries to call up and pull people out o...

Well, it’s been a few months since I announced my “take 7 risks” campaign. It’s now May and I’ve just taken my first one. I did something today that I haven’t done in almost 17 years – I went on a job interview. I told the folks at work I had an appointment and that I’d be back sometime after lunch. Easy squeezy. The guy who would be my boss, if hired, gave me the interview. He seemed nice enough even though it would appear he’s under a lot of stress. He talked for a while about the company, its subsidaries and how everything all fits together. He had me fill out an application (my hands were still shaking from the nervousness I could barely write). He left me alone to fill out the paperwork and then came back when I was about halfway done. We started talking some more and then I finished the paperwork. He then took me on a tour of the facilities that were in the same complex. We toured the first building and then walked across the parking lot to the second. It was good – I don’t recal...

Hour 1: You've been awake for an hour now and you're feeling okay. There is still sleep in your eyes but you know it will wear off soon. Energy = 2. Hour 2: After a nice hot shower, you're feeling pretty good. Eat some breakfast and you're feeling even better. You almost feel like you're gonna make it. Energy = 4. Hour 3: Adrenaline is now starting to kick in. When it subsides, you refresh it with some caffeine. You're really cooking now. Energy = 6. Hour 4: You've now begun whatever it is you've set out to do. You're in the throes of action and your body is humming right along. Whatever it is, you can handle it. Energy = 8. Hour 5: Hour 4 is now a distant memory and you wish you had that energy back. Your psyche is beating you like a rented mule and you wish people would stop bothering you. Why is that freakin' phone ringing again? Energy = 7. Hour 6: Where the hell is my secretary? Oh, I don't have a secretary. You're in big trouble now...

I watched the following video with amusement and amazement. I don't know if it's true -- I don't really care. It's probably the coolest 8 minutes you can spend staring at your computer screen. Items to note: - Count the number of red lights (HA!) - Count the number of people who are almost hit - Watch as the driver rolls down one way streets -- the wrong way - Is that the Arch De Triumph? Where's the Eiffel Tower? - Freakin' birds -- get out of the way!!!!! Well, anyhow... I think it's cool. You may or may not agree. Is it art? You may or may not agree. Without further ado, I give you: "Rendezvous" Rendezvous

The other night I had a very strange dream. Don't worry, this dream is fun for the whole family -- no nudity or adult situations. One warning, though: you have to have been watching Grey's Anatomy for this dream to make any sense. I will refer to the character's name, not the actor. Off we go... So it starts out in a small room in a hospital. I can tell this because of the stainless steel cabinets and the tiles on the wall. I'm there with Izzie Stevens -- very cute blonde doctor. Quite frankly, she's blathering on about her personal life and I can't really make out what she's saying. I look down and I'm wearing scrubs. We leave the room we're in and run into Alex Karev. He's talking to me as we walk down the hallway. Basically, all I get from him is that there's a woman in labor and I'll be in on the birthing process as the 'proxy father' since the real father is not here yet. I seem somehow okay with this. Next, we run into Chris...

So, I'm sitting there in my office today and I hear something outside. It sounds like a bird squawking. I don't pay it any mind. But it continues. I try to ignore it, but it keeps coming back. I look outside my window to see if I can see a bird. Something is not right. I stand up and look out the window again and I see a wheel-barrow with a woman kneeling behind it. At first I don't think anything of it because I saw the landscaping crew working earlier. But then she starts to scream: it's the noise I've been hearing. I run from my desk, out the back door, to where she is. "Don't touch me!" she says to me immediately. She is leaned over her wheel-barrow which is half off the curb she was trying to get up at the time she pulled her back. "Are you okay?", I ask. "No," she says "I've pulled my back. Can you get my supervisor, John?" She points in the direction where she thinks he is and I take off running. You must unders...

I'm not a happy camper. Know why? I had to mow my lawn today for the first time this season. It was getting pretty thick and everyone around me had already taken care of theirs... so I was the lone hold-out. When I went out to the shed, I found that my string trimmer had broken. The little cup that actually holds the string had fallen apart. Time for a new one, I guess. As I'm cutting my back yard, I can see my neighbors setting up for the big Easter holiday party. They've got a car port on the side of their yard that faces my back yard. It almost looks like they're saying "I wish this guy would hurry up and finish so we can get our party started". They'd bring something out to the table... look over at me as I'm cutting the yard... then go back in for something else. I don't know that it was intentional, but that's how it seemed to me. No sooner had I finished then the rest of the family showed up. I swear, if I had a camera, I'd be shooti...

I like water. I live in an area surrounded by water. I take a shower in water almost every day. I like to drink water. I like the way it tastes and feels in my mouth as I consume it. They tell me it has no calories. 1 part hydrogen, 2 parts oxygen -- H20. Water. Three distinct chemical make-ups... water, steam and ice. It also has it's bad sides. I don't like slick floors. Tsunami's, hurricanes and floods are no fun. When it rains and you don't want it to. Hot showers are nice. Slick skin is much better. Water pours down upon you and drains away. It's almost like a cleansing -- it IS a cleansing. Crying is not good -- sometimes. That's water, isn't it? A type of water. I pass a lake on my way to work, I may have mentioned it here before. I like this lake. I wonder how it has a different texture every day. I wouldn't mind living by a lake, seeing that light fog waft above the surface. Somedays the lake looks just like a mirror, only broken by a duck swimm...

It is the end of a very grueling work week. I'm currently listening to some light-and-breezy Dave Brubeck. I'm just going to pour out my thoughts as they come to me. I apologize in advance if any of this is about you or offends you. I can't remember the last time I was this tired of work. I have been so frustrated by my job lately and my cries of help go unanswered. I'm not like this... I don't usually yell at people when I'm at the office. I don't usually make stupid mistakes. But when the pressure is on and they keep piling then it's very hard to control. We have made a running joke out of the fact that we suck at communication. It's true. It doesn't matter what tools we get to help in this process we just don't communicate, as a company. Here are some helpful hints: 1. When I'm done with your project and I hand you back the paperwork, don't tell me "Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you..." 2. Tell me as much as ...