Just a quick update on things. Late last week I applied, got tested ("inspected, detected, neglected...") and consequently interviewed at T-Mobile. I expect to be offered a job this week. The pay's not great, but enough on the short term to consider taking it as I fully expect I'd be promoted rather quickly. I have a 2nd interview with Wal-Mart to work at the distribution center tomorrow. The pay's better than T-Mobile but not sure the job would be as much in the right direction as T-Mobile would be. Both jobs I'd start out working night shifts and parts of weekends. Put in a resume to a company a mile from my house for a marketing assistant position. Now that job I'd take almost no matter the pay because it would definitely be in the right direction. Spent a few hours this morning at a job fair that was reasonably fruitfull. I'll need to hear from some of them real soon because I won't be able to make these other companies wait too long.
On the personal side I help my son-law-law work on his house Friday, tearing off old siding as well as taking down a small entry-way. It's nice to have the time to help out. Then Saturday I cut up a bunch of wood at Mom's. Need to get up there again soon to finish the cutting and then rent a splitter.
Boy, did the Patriots look overmatched Sunday night. Think they could use a wide receiver that would cause the other team's defense to play honest? (duh, that was rhetorical)
Hope to have a new post on Inside Zebster in the next day or 2. I've had time to write and some time to catch up on news but don't yet have the beginnings of one in my head.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Free Agency
Yours truly is a free agent once again. By Friday of last week I was on pace for a 90 hour week in a very physical job with no relief in the near future. Couple that with my disappointment that nothing had changed within the company as far as the support system for the salesman who are the key to the company's success, I quit...first time I've quit really anything in my life. I have more time to blog but won't be doing much until things are settled. I have to find a good job real quick or two mediocre ones almost as fast. Wish me luck.
At least I have the flexibility for a while to do some things that are important to me. I'll be helping my son-in-law work on his house later this week, and I'll be at my mother's Saturday cutting and splitting firewood for the winter. And even though it's 2 weeks into the season, I'll be able to bowl as well. I hope to put up weekly updates about how I'm faring in that regard, as well as maybe an explanation for those of you who are not familiar or maybe haven't even heard of candlepin bowling.
At least I have the flexibility for a while to do some things that are important to me. I'll be helping my son-in-law work on his house later this week, and I'll be at my mother's Saturday cutting and splitting firewood for the winter. And even though it's 2 weeks into the season, I'll be able to bowl as well. I hope to put up weekly updates about how I'm faring in that regard, as well as maybe an explanation for those of you who are not familiar or maybe haven't even heard of candlepin bowling.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Bar Harbor route
I rode the route with its previous salesman Tuesday and Wednesday morning. This route has "two parts," a group of stops on one day and different stops the other with 2 stops done every day. Wednesday afternoon I did the route by myself for the first time, most of the stops I'd never been to before, and got home around 9pm...thankfully Thurs was a day off. Friday I went in earlier, 3:30, but everything that could go wrong did for most of the day, most significantly the mess left behind by my predecessor and a lack of information and confusing information he left behind, which caused me to need to spend 3 hours at the "barn" at the end of the day trying to start to straighten things out for next week. Anyway, I got home around 10:15 and to bed about quarter of 11pm. Three hours of sleep and back at it again yesterday.
Things started out quite badly when I immediately realized that the product he'd ordered and that had come was for the stops I had just done the day before, not the stops I was going to do yesterday; and having only seen those places once, it was difficult for me to remember what products I'd need that I didn't have. So after some pondering, I said screw it and loaded the truck and decided to just go and wing it. To make a long story short, it went quite well and only one customer was really left without what they need. I had an extra stop that cost me a half hour but in the end I got back to the barn at 6 (with no power due to the storm) and got home at 7:30. So essentially I was as fast by myself as Wednesday when I had help half the day. So while "proud" and less pessimistic, this route has 6 to 7 hours of driving time in it, so long days are guaranteed, probably 14 hour days will be good.
So I got home in time to catch the Nascar race from Richmond, though I probably should've gone straight to bed. The Mrs. made all the fixings for awesome nachos. So I grabbed a Dundee Amber Lager, made a huge plate of nachos and settled in to see if Kasey could gain the 30 points or more he needed to make the Chase. About halfway, just when he had driven to the front, I decided to go downstairs and watch it on the couch in the den. Well, I ended up in bed to listen instead, where I immediately fell asleep around 10. So I missed the second half, but awoke to find he had finished third and made the Chase for the championship, leaving Tony Stewart, last year's champion, out in the cold. Go get 'em Kasey.
Things started out quite badly when I immediately realized that the product he'd ordered and that had come was for the stops I had just done the day before, not the stops I was going to do yesterday; and having only seen those places once, it was difficult for me to remember what products I'd need that I didn't have. So after some pondering, I said screw it and loaded the truck and decided to just go and wing it. To make a long story short, it went quite well and only one customer was really left without what they need. I had an extra stop that cost me a half hour but in the end I got back to the barn at 6 (with no power due to the storm) and got home at 7:30. So essentially I was as fast by myself as Wednesday when I had help half the day. So while "proud" and less pessimistic, this route has 6 to 7 hours of driving time in it, so long days are guaranteed, probably 14 hour days will be good.
So I got home in time to catch the Nascar race from Richmond, though I probably should've gone straight to bed. The Mrs. made all the fixings for awesome nachos. So I grabbed a Dundee Amber Lager, made a huge plate of nachos and settled in to see if Kasey could gain the 30 points or more he needed to make the Chase. About halfway, just when he had driven to the front, I decided to go downstairs and watch it on the couch in the den. Well, I ended up in bed to listen instead, where I immediately fell asleep around 10. So I missed the second half, but awoke to find he had finished third and made the Chase for the championship, leaving Tony Stewart, last year's champion, out in the cold. Go get 'em Kasey.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Weekend with friends
First I need to post a work blurb because it's long overdue; and once you see the blurb, you'll know why I say this may be the last in a while. My worst fears came true as I have been unofficially assigned the route I most feared I'd end up with and least wanted. I start on that route tomorrow, at least one day with its former salesman, maybe 2. But I believe I'm safe in saying that at least early on 16 hour days will be the norm.
Thanks to the Monday holiday, poetically for me Labor Day, I have the rare 2 days off in a row; and thus the chance to get away and do something. AA and I have talked about me getting down there to visit for music, "fine" food and beverage, as well as getting to a minor league baseball game together. Well, 3 1/2 out of 4 ain't bad. I'll get to the missing half shortly. I want to make sure I again gratefully thank my gracious hosts, AA and Mrs. AA, for a very comfortable, entertaining and relaxing weekend. Hopefully the offer and opportunity to do it again exists, and feel free to take us up on a reciprocal offer...we have the room.(Yes Bro, it was good to see you and "the Mrs" too...and Larry)
I made it down to the South Shore in a tad under 3 hours in my rented PT Cruiser Touring. I liked it very much, though not the Caliber (no pun intended) I was hoping to rent, except it was the mandatory rental automatic. I arrived to find Bro and Mandy and Larry already there, and AA's famous cheese dip bubbling and a cold Sammie immediately placed in my hand. We soon had other excellent fair to eat, spicy ribs and pepperoni sticks, and then a trip to a huge liquor store to pick up some special brews.
AA and I then spent several hours in the "panic room," his excellent (though hot), perfectly small and acoustic music room, where we spent much time showing each other some of our favorite stuff, mostly played on his impressive turntable...ahhhh, hours spent listening to vinyl heard better than ever while imbiding some excellent adult refreshment. Thanks for the introduction to Smithwicks by the way. Too bad I'd had too little sleep as usual and by 3 a.m. had hit my 24 hour mark. That was time thoroughly enjoyed and needs to be revisited soon. It was a lot of fun hearing some of my old vinyl sound like new and also to be introduced to excellent "new" material.
Now on to Sunday and the game that wasn't. We'd been keeping an eye on the weather to see whether venturing to Norwich, CT for a minor league game was going to be possible. The weather maps and radar showed the rain by 11 a.m. passed that area, even though there was still a very heavy mist in the South Shore. So AA and I headed out, tanked up at Taco Bell and head to Norwich, about an hour and a half west. It continued to mist all the way to the MA/CT border, in fact rained heavy at times with nothing but clouds ahead in the direction of Norwich; but lo and behold within about 15 miles of the ballpark you could see the highway was dry from tire tracks, which gave us much optimism this wouldn't be a wasted trip. We arrived at a nice new ballpark, though strangely in a rural industrial park, with no rain and the clouds lifting.
For 10 bucks each we got seats in the second row behind the 3rd base dugout, grabbed a couple of frothy Sammies and settled in for the ballgame. It was supposed to start at 2:05 but not much was happening or said until at 2:15 or so the PA announcer advised us that the game was postponed due to field conditions, right when the clouds had completely lifted and the sun was shining bright. There were large puddles in the dirt areas around the backstop, and it was obviously too wet to play...something they should've known before selling us tickets at 10 minutes before game time. Oh well. We grabbed a couple of Nathan's dogs and took a $10 tour of the ballpark.
We drove back and spent the rest of the afternoon watching and napping through another disappointing Red Sox game and then managed to keep AA entertained enough with Nascar to see a solid half of the race from Cali or more, which I thoroughly enjoyed on his Hi Def TV, the first time I've been able to experience what a wonderful difference there is. Woooo hoooo, Kasey won!
Again Aaron and Meg, thanks for a great weekend. I was quite comfortable (too much so at times, LOL) and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And folks, there is life after AA's cheese dip...it just takes a while to pass.
Thanks to the Monday holiday, poetically for me Labor Day, I have the rare 2 days off in a row; and thus the chance to get away and do something. AA and I have talked about me getting down there to visit for music, "fine" food and beverage, as well as getting to a minor league baseball game together. Well, 3 1/2 out of 4 ain't bad. I'll get to the missing half shortly. I want to make sure I again gratefully thank my gracious hosts, AA and Mrs. AA, for a very comfortable, entertaining and relaxing weekend. Hopefully the offer and opportunity to do it again exists, and feel free to take us up on a reciprocal offer...we have the room.(Yes Bro, it was good to see you and "the Mrs" too...and Larry)
I made it down to the South Shore in a tad under 3 hours in my rented PT Cruiser Touring. I liked it very much, though not the Caliber (no pun intended) I was hoping to rent, except it was the mandatory rental automatic. I arrived to find Bro and Mandy and Larry already there, and AA's famous cheese dip bubbling and a cold Sammie immediately placed in my hand. We soon had other excellent fair to eat, spicy ribs and pepperoni sticks, and then a trip to a huge liquor store to pick up some special brews.
AA and I then spent several hours in the "panic room," his excellent (though hot), perfectly small and acoustic music room, where we spent much time showing each other some of our favorite stuff, mostly played on his impressive turntable...ahhhh, hours spent listening to vinyl heard better than ever while imbiding some excellent adult refreshment. Thanks for the introduction to Smithwicks by the way. Too bad I'd had too little sleep as usual and by 3 a.m. had hit my 24 hour mark. That was time thoroughly enjoyed and needs to be revisited soon. It was a lot of fun hearing some of my old vinyl sound like new and also to be introduced to excellent "new" material.
Now on to Sunday and the game that wasn't. We'd been keeping an eye on the weather to see whether venturing to Norwich, CT for a minor league game was going to be possible. The weather maps and radar showed the rain by 11 a.m. passed that area, even though there was still a very heavy mist in the South Shore. So AA and I headed out, tanked up at Taco Bell and head to Norwich, about an hour and a half west. It continued to mist all the way to the MA/CT border, in fact rained heavy at times with nothing but clouds ahead in the direction of Norwich; but lo and behold within about 15 miles of the ballpark you could see the highway was dry from tire tracks, which gave us much optimism this wouldn't be a wasted trip. We arrived at a nice new ballpark, though strangely in a rural industrial park, with no rain and the clouds lifting.
For 10 bucks each we got seats in the second row behind the 3rd base dugout, grabbed a couple of frothy Sammies and settled in for the ballgame. It was supposed to start at 2:05 but not much was happening or said until at 2:15 or so the PA announcer advised us that the game was postponed due to field conditions, right when the clouds had completely lifted and the sun was shining bright. There were large puddles in the dirt areas around the backstop, and it was obviously too wet to play...something they should've known before selling us tickets at 10 minutes before game time. Oh well. We grabbed a couple of Nathan's dogs and took a $10 tour of the ballpark.
We drove back and spent the rest of the afternoon watching and napping through another disappointing Red Sox game and then managed to keep AA entertained enough with Nascar to see a solid half of the race from Cali or more, which I thoroughly enjoyed on his Hi Def TV, the first time I've been able to experience what a wonderful difference there is. Woooo hoooo, Kasey won!
Again Aaron and Meg, thanks for a great weekend. I was quite comfortable (too much so at times, LOL) and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And folks, there is life after AA's cheese dip...it just takes a while to pass.
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