OBX Bound

Tomorrow morning, John and I will be heading for another extended weekend at the Outer Banks. A much needed getaway, although our trip to Dallas two weekends ago was fun despite the bad news handed to me the day before the trip regarding my job. Two couples had to drop out of this beach trip -- Mark & Julie (hope Julie's dad is doing better) and Kevin & Rosa (get well soon, Rosa!). That just leaves 9 of us, possibly 10. A VERY small group compared to last Memorial Day's group of 20 or so (including kids) in a house that slept 16.

Yesterday, I found out CTM is closing its Wilmington operations soon to consolidate offices in Irving, TX. Bad news for my friends and former co-workers. At least they received notice of the upcoming closure, probably by end of summer, instead of having the bosses come in and say, "Today's your last day... guh-bye." I'm sure this will provide new adventures for some of them. I already know Norma has exciting plans to move to SC with her partner, Fran, so they can be closer to Norma's sister in Charleston and to her folks in FL.

Well, I'm off to weed through all my Dept of Labor paperwork and head to my parents' house to sit by the phone awaiting a phone interview about unemployment benefits. Good thing I opened up all 6 envelopes this morning!!! Have a fantastic weekend and pray for me either getting a permanent, full-time gig or winning the lottery soon!

Afleet Alex A-Wins

Another busy weekend... although I had fun, I'm still sick from last Sunday and my energy has been below normal levels. I hope I will be completely phlegm-free by the time the weekend rolls around. It would suck to be sick in the Outer Banks for beach week!

Saturday was Sean and Val's annual Cinco de Mayo party. Yes, they know it was the 21st... a little belated. Burritos, guacamole and margaritas galore! This is their big annual party and is always a good time. Everyone seemed really tired though. John spent the morning helping his mom prep for Sunday's open house after the memorial service for his dad, who passed away April 20th.

At the party, we all gathered in Sean's basement to cheer on the horses. Like the Derby, we had random horse picks at $5 a pop. $50 to the winner, $20 place, $5 show. Everyone was cheering for Giacomo and Scrappy T (they liked the name). Afleet Alex won after looking like he was going to buckle and hit the ground. A very exciting race. And who won the $50???? Me, of course!!! YEA! I'm 2-2 on horse race winnings. John's mom, Becky, won $20 and Nate got his $5 back. Maybe I should give up on this job hunting thing and begin a career betting on the horses. Laurel Race Track is about 5 minutes from here!

Sunday was the memorial service for John's dad (John Sr.). It was a quite a turn out. I think almost everyone at the service turned up at the house to share memories and look at the cars that were John Sr's passion. I'll have to post some pics of his collection. I know one is a 1933 (?) Dodge Brothers... there's a 40's era Ford, a Fairlane, a Cadillac, a '69 (?) Chevelle and a green something in the lower garage. John is gonna kill me when he reads this as I'm butchering his dad's car collection to pieces.

After the open house, we stopped by Nate & Linda's for a bbq to celebrate Linda's birthday, which is actually on Tuesday. Lots more yummy food. John and I hadn't really eaten any real "meals" this weekend... we mostly grazed our way through various parties and events. Maybe I'll cook him some chicken this evening.

Well, I'm off to find out what is happening to my 401(k) money from my old company and to find out when I will be paid out for my unused vacation, etc. No news from those who were interested in employing me last week... which is probably for the best since I'm still sick. Check me out later and have a Buddha Blessed Day!

Too Many Balls in the Air

First off, thanks to Booga Bill for spreading the news about my "between jobs" situation. Reference Comments and edit from last post...

I've never been presented with so many opportunities at once when it comes to employment. I worked at my last job for almost 11 years, and prior to that, at the bank for 4 years. The jobs just flowed from one to another without a lot of struggle in between. Now, I'm faced with the decision to go back to something "old", try something unfamiliar and new, or take the "in between" route. I may be taking a pay cut, but at the moment, I'm looking at the "in between" as the most viable choice -- mostly for location, but also to work with folks who already know my style. It should be fun and I'll get to know the Baltimore area more.

Very early Friday morning, while suffering a brief emotional breakdown, I wouldn't have imagined all the support I've received from family and friends. I'm lucky to have made an impression on many folks who want to create opportunities for me and my skills.

It's after noon and I'm still in my PJ's. I have some a library book to return, so maybe I'll head out and enjoy the sunshine while I can. :-)

Would you like a bon bon?

My first day of unemployment hasn't been so bad. Today was supposed to be a vacation day anyway. I already had plans to wallow in my own filth for most of the day.

Had a WONDERFUL weekend of fun and friends in Dallas for Heidi's 30th. Friday started a little rough having to get up at 5:00 AM to catch our flight. Once we landed, I had all kinds of messages on my cell. The word of my unemployment was spreading across the country. I spoke with a former co-worker and friend, Norma, and she said CTM (the software development segment of ATS that was sold off) was interested in chatting with me. Also got a call from Rob, a former boss who works for CTM too. I haven't even had a chance to settle into unemployment yet. Even if it doesn't work out, the idea of all the opportunities available really put me at ease about the future and that everything will work out.

We got to Heidi and John's before noon (I lost all concept of time when we landed in Dallas) and spent the day drinking beer, hanging out in/by the pool, eating chips and salsa verde, relaxing. Later in the afternoon, we were joined by Heidi's mom, Nancy, Heidi's brother Aaron and his wife, Katie and son, Trey (all in from Montana), Heidi's sister, Tiffany (the Human Schwiff) and her fiance, Eric. Dad, Merle, was unable to make the trip. Busy branding season on the ranch. After more lounging by the pool, we went to see the restaurant where Tiff and Eric work (Fish City Grill) and had a beer or two and some apps. Chris joined us for a beer and we all headed back to the house for a big Texas grilled steaks. YUM! So much food. I'm glad Chris was able to join us and had a chance to meet William, Freddy and John. I think he enjoyed how funny and friendly (CRAZY!) the gang is.

The evening ended with relay races in the pool. John and I turned in around 10:30, but the party went on well into the wee hours.

Saturday, the party resumed. Those Montana folks sure get up early!!! We had an awesome b-day celebratory lunch at Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth. Margaritas were flowing! Afterwards, more lounging by the pool and such. John and I napped, got up and snacked a little on some antipasto platters, watched the Wizards go down in flames against the Heat and I headed back to bed. The party was much more calm than the previous night. No dance-offs or relay races. Just a group of good friends chatting into the night to ring in Heidi's birthday (May 15th).

Sunday... of course there was more eating to be had. Breakfast burritos (mine filled with leftover steak from Friday's dinner!). Then off to this yummy fried chicken joint called "Babe's". We parted ways with Heidi, John, baby Sophie and the Montana Heitzman clan and headed to Dealey Plaza before going to the airport.
My weekend in a nutshell. Lots of food, fun, friends. The perfect pick-me-up to a "position elimination". I'm thankful to have such good friends to support me. Thanks to everyone who helped me lift me up on Friday!

Check out the pics... don't Heidi and John have a beautiful home? You should see the rest of it! Next time...

EDIT 05/16/05 9:01 PM - Sorry, Bill! I know you were the one who got the ball rolling on this whole CTM connection! Mad props to you! You know you 'da man, right?

Outside Babe's Chicken

William & Baby Sophie

Flower Mound, TX

John & Heidi Jaynes and William

Enjoying Joe T Garcia's

Nancy (Heidi's Mom) & Freddy

On Our Way to TX

Me and John

Company Changes

After almost 11 years with Brooks/ATS, the journey has finally come to an end. My "Technical Writer" position was eliminated today. I saw this coming, but even though it crossed my mind, I figured Training & Development would find a way to keep me on. I guess not.

So, a new adventure begins on Monday when I return from my long weekend trip to Dallas. An adventure at the unemployment office!

Despite this bad news, I am looking forward to my trip and will hopefully see my buddy, Chris, who moved to Dallas in November. I'm sure he'll have lots of encouraging words for me and it will be like old times at Stanley's in Wilmington.

Till next time, have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

MDS$W

I went to my first Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival yesterday in West Friendship, Maryland at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Why, you may ask, would I go to such a thing? Apparently, it is the place to be if you are into any/all fiber arts -- anything involving wool, yarn, creating your own yarn, raising animals (sheep, llamas, cute alpacas) to make your own yarns, etc... John agreed to take me there in hopes there would be more than just sheep & wool. Bad luck for him... the only non-fiber related items were soaps, silver cutlery bent into jewelery, mobiles, pottery and various artsy items.

You wouldn't think this festival was a big deal... but every Subaru Forrester driving knitter up and down the east cost was there (LOL... we saw a lot of Subarus). I have to say this festival was quite overwhelming for a first-timer and fairly new knitter. I saw all kinds of wool, mohair, and cotton fiber. There was newly shorn wool off the sheep waiting to be washed, spun and dyed into beautiful yarns and finished skeins ready to be purchased. Most of the yarns were wool, of course, which I find to be a little itchy. I prefer cotton. The stalls with soft wool blends were too expensive for my budget or were jam packed with people and I could barely get in. Gotta love online shopping! It was good to be able to see and touch the yarn and think about buying some at a later date.

I did manage to buy myself a nostepinne, which is used to wind yarn into balls. No more PVC pipe for that, although it will still serve as a rolling pin until I can dig mine out of the moving boxes. And I bought a sample bag of soap. They smell really herby. We ate Ribbon Chips (potatoes cut into spirals and fried) topped with cheese and jalepenos, and we had some lemonade. There were also lamb-related foods, but I'm not a big lamb fan. Great if you love it 'cuz there were lamb burgers, lamb kabobs and lamb sausage along with your usual festival fare (cotton candy, kettle corn, caramel apples, fries, corn dogs, etc...)

As John and I were half way through our yummy ribbon chips and making our way out of the festival, we ran into my nieces, my brother and a friend of theirs, who also knits, and her kids. Glad to know I'm not the only one in the family who was able to enjoy the Sheep & Wool Festival!

Wait, don't go yet... my exciting day isn't over! In the afternoon, John and I attended another Moreno family function at Robert & Pokey's to celebrate little Natalya's birthday. Lots of food, fun, friends and family... and a moon bounce! The BEST part was the Kentucky Derby. We put in $10 per couple or family to randomly pick a horse. John and I picked a horse whose odds were 71-1. You horse racing fans know that Giacomo, another longshot, won the derby. And who came in second??? Closing Argument!!! Our 71-1 horse! $50 to me and John! YEA!

Happy Mother's Day to those celebrating. My mom is out golfing, of course. I'm glad she's enjoying her Sunday with Dad and all their golfing buddies. Till next time, have a good one!

Click-click-click... what the... ????

My PC illiterate BF tried for an hour to post a picture in my profile. I love him dearly and he's the most intelligent person I know, but web stuff is not always his area of expertise. It took me about 2 minutes after reading the Blog HELP. How is it that the MacGyver of everything mechanical, electrical, or requiring power tools (and MENSA member, I might add!) has trouble clicking around a webpage? It is the complexity of his brain and abilities I find so awesome... if not funny.

My First BLOG!

My buddy, Bill, has had his own webpage (complete with webcam!) for several years and in reading his blog/journal, I thought it might be a good way to keep those who have moved away (or from whom I've moved away) up to date on my oh-so-charmed life. Check back often, OK?