Wow, I haven't posted anything on my blog since October 18th - a record for being absent from blogger land. I hate myself for saying this, but the reason for my extended absence has been that I have been really, well . . . busy. Stop laughing . . . I'm serious. I really have been busy with several projects. The problem from a blogging standpoint is that none of these projects are blog-worthy from a writing perspective because they're all kind of boring. But I'll tell you all about them anyway:
Second Mile Mission Center - I continue to volunteer at Second Mile every Thursday. Lately I've been spending more time working in the food pantry of the mission, which is usually one busy place! Last Thursday I was there from 9:00 until 3:00 and we served 72 clients. If you do the math that's one every five minutes, which wouldn't be too bad if they actually came every five minutes. It was more like nobody for twenty minutes and then ten people at once. A lot of groceries go through Second Mile on an average day.
Speaking of Second Mile, Vicki and I were there today to help out with their annual "come to Second Mile for a free lunch and a short program and then we'll ask you for money." That may not be the official name for this event, but you get the picture. Vicki recruited several ladies from our First Family group, so I was just one of the girls serving lunch to our visitors. I handled the extremely technical job of handing out canned drinks. After about ten people I got the hang of it and did pretty well. My favorite part of the day was the lady who said "This is typical mid-western food - all meat and starch." This triggered two thoughts. Thought number one - it's free. If you don't want to eat it, don't eat it! Thought number two - when did Houston become part of the mid-west? I think I also heard her say she had just moved here from Connecticut, which she probably thinks is part of Canada.
Girls Reflecting Glory Conference - This is an annual conference put on by the First Colony Church of Christ for - as the name would imply - girls. I'm not sure what this year's theme is - something about girls I'm betting - but that isn't stopping me from working on the stage set. This project is becoming eerily similar to any my home improvement projects in that my original estimate of how long it will take to complete will need to be multiplied by at least ten. If you're not doing anything during the day next Monday and Tuesday please give me a call.
FCCC Winter's Eve - This is the annual church Christmas program. As a result of my triumphant stage success in Joseph (and the fact that I'm unemployed with lots of time on my hands) I was asked to participate on the committee that is writing the script for the show. We're trying to change things up a little this year and get away from ten people singing a song followed by the big chorus performing for forty-five minutes. This year's show will actually have a theme - sorry, it's a big secret - and is supposed to be funny. We'll see. I have a speaking part.
FCCC Fall Festival - This is the annual Halloween carnival, with the name "Halloween" strategically removed so that people won't confuse us with worshipers of the occult, witchcraft, or the ultimate sign of satan - the jack-o-lantern. The way this works is different groups get together and sponsor booths. This year our theme - designed and largely constructed by yours truly - is "Clown Town", which will be a madcap celebration of clowns and balloons (Note: there will be no orange or black balloons, which if you squint real hard could possibly be mistaken for a jack-o-lantern). If your kids don't get enough candy during their trick or treat outing on Halloween night - or if you eat all the good stuff after they go to bed and want more - bring them over to the Fall Festival this Sunday. It runs from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. No scary costumes, hockey masks, or any pumpkin-related items will be admitted.
Other items of interest, or not.
This week a new family moved in across the street from us. We haven't met them yet, but they moved themselves in two gigantic U-Haul trucks so they must be some down to earth people. I waved to the dad this morning when we were both taking our trash cans out. Maybe I'll get a chance to go over and introduce myself sometime this weekend. I'll take some cookies.
Bethany and Cody are coming to town for a short visit this weekend. Cody bought a truck somewhere in the area and is coming to pick it up. I'm excited to have a pick-up in the family.
I noticed on the weather news yesterday that Houston is now only 2.09 inches behind on rainfall for 2009, which goes to show just how much rain we've had over the last six weeks. We're supposed to get another 1-3 inches today and tomorrow, so we should be just about caught up by the end of the month. Because November and December are usually pretty wet months we'll probably exceed the average rainfall by year end. Only in Houston could you not have any rain for over three months and still get more rain than average for the year.
Saturday night is our big First Family Halloween party! Vicki and I are going as dominoes (the rectangular tiles with dots on them, not pizza). I'll take pictures. I promise.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Big Weekend
This was a busy weekend of special events.
Fun & Games at the Driving Range - On Friday morning I went to the driving range with my good friend Greg. Greg actually has a job, but he spends lots of time on the road and occasionally takes some time off between his out-of-town assignments. We are both excellent golfers, except for me. I usually play golf about twice a year, almost exclusively at work-related functions, which have become somewhat rare given that the term "work-related" no longer applies to me. Greg gave me a few pointers at the range and I actually hit a few balls in a respectable manner. The only problem we had was that the women's gold team from Houston Baptist University was also using the driving range, which was quite humbling. Greg and I agreed that we will actually try to play golf at some point in the semi-near future.
Parker's Machine Pitch Game - As if the driving range wasn't enough excitement for one day, on Friday evening Vicki and I went to our good friend Parker's machine pitch game. Parker is in kindergarten, so I think he's five years old. This game was a hoot. Watching the Pirates (Parker's team) "battle" the Astros reminded me of the good old days about twenty years ago when our girls played dad's pitch softball. The highlights included the Astros' shortstop and third basemen having a wrestling match in the infield, and the Pirates' center fielder laying down in the outfield. Parker got a couple of hits and everyone went home happy.
Josiah's 1st Birthday Party - On Saturday afternoon we drove out to The Woodlands to attend the first birthday party of Josiah, Vicki's great-nephew. Usually I think that these parties are quite lame, given that the one-year-old has no clue what's going on. However, this party was different. Josiah was his usual smiley self, and although he certainly didn't really know it was his birthday, he was the star of his own show. The other nieces and nephews were a lot of fun, and the M&M's (my favorite) were in good supply and flowing abundantly. There was a "chug the diet Coke" contest and lots of fun presents. I made myself useful by installing batteries in the new toys, so I felt good about myself. I'm already looking forward to next year's bash.
Benjamin Baptism - This morning we went to church and bible class at FCCC and then headed out to River Point Church to witness the baptism of Vicki's other great-nephew, Benjamin. There were about twenty members of the family present for the event. If you've never seen a River Point baptism you're missing out on quite an experience. As best as I can tell, they only baptize people once each month, so there were at least fifteen people waiting to be baptized. They baptize in a small pool/fountain behind their church building. After the big event we went over to Benjamin's house for lunch. There were no M&M's but it was still good.
I forgot to mention that Bethany came home for a short visit on Friday night (she went back to Round Rock this afternoon), so this was a really fine weekend.
Fun & Games at the Driving Range - On Friday morning I went to the driving range with my good friend Greg. Greg actually has a job, but he spends lots of time on the road and occasionally takes some time off between his out-of-town assignments. We are both excellent golfers, except for me. I usually play golf about twice a year, almost exclusively at work-related functions, which have become somewhat rare given that the term "work-related" no longer applies to me. Greg gave me a few pointers at the range and I actually hit a few balls in a respectable manner. The only problem we had was that the women's gold team from Houston Baptist University was also using the driving range, which was quite humbling. Greg and I agreed that we will actually try to play golf at some point in the semi-near future.
Parker's Machine Pitch Game - As if the driving range wasn't enough excitement for one day, on Friday evening Vicki and I went to our good friend Parker's machine pitch game. Parker is in kindergarten, so I think he's five years old. This game was a hoot. Watching the Pirates (Parker's team) "battle" the Astros reminded me of the good old days about twenty years ago when our girls played dad's pitch softball. The highlights included the Astros' shortstop and third basemen having a wrestling match in the infield, and the Pirates' center fielder laying down in the outfield. Parker got a couple of hits and everyone went home happy.
Josiah's 1st Birthday Party - On Saturday afternoon we drove out to The Woodlands to attend the first birthday party of Josiah, Vicki's great-nephew. Usually I think that these parties are quite lame, given that the one-year-old has no clue what's going on. However, this party was different. Josiah was his usual smiley self, and although he certainly didn't really know it was his birthday, he was the star of his own show. The other nieces and nephews were a lot of fun, and the M&M's (my favorite) were in good supply and flowing abundantly. There was a "chug the diet Coke" contest and lots of fun presents. I made myself useful by installing batteries in the new toys, so I felt good about myself. I'm already looking forward to next year's bash.
Benjamin Baptism - This morning we went to church and bible class at FCCC and then headed out to River Point Church to witness the baptism of Vicki's other great-nephew, Benjamin. There were about twenty members of the family present for the event. If you've never seen a River Point baptism you're missing out on quite an experience. As best as I can tell, they only baptize people once each month, so there were at least fifteen people waiting to be baptized. They baptize in a small pool/fountain behind their church building. After the big event we went over to Benjamin's house for lunch. There were no M&M's but it was still good.
I forgot to mention that Bethany came home for a short visit on Friday night (she went back to Round Rock this afternoon), so this was a really fine weekend.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Joys of Rampant Humidity and the Texas Workforce Commission
I mentioned the other day that I was finally going to actually apply for unemployment benefits. I registered with the Texas Workforce Commission back in May, but I've never applied for benefits ($369/week) because until recently I was not actively seeking employment. I anticipated that navigating the TWC wouldn't be a picnic, and unfortunately my assumption has now proven correct.
The last time I was unemployed - for nine months back in 1995 - the TWC (then called the Texas Employment Commission) was a fully non-automated process. In order to do anything - and I mean anything - you had to go to one of their offices. Upon arrival you would find a line to stand in and then stand in it, often for hours. On occasion this experience - although excruciating - could be interesting, because you were surrounded by people from all walks of life who were out of work. One day you might be standing between a CEO and an IRS agent, the next day maybe a short-order cook and a phone solicitor. Upon reaching the front of any line there was a 97% likelihood that you would be told to go stand in another line. If you managed to stave off starvation and collapse after standing in multiple lines for several hours you would finally reach the desk of a TEC employee, who was most likely competing in a contest with his fellow employees for the coveted title of "Most Apathetic and Unhelpful Employee of the Century." A visit to the TEC was almost always an all-day affair.
But the new and improved TWC is nothing like the old TEC. Everything is now done online. As far as I can see, the human element - and I use that term loosely in this case - has been all but eliminated, which based on my experience is a good thing. Unfortunately, while the automated process has eliminated the need to stand in endless lines for endless hours, it has not improved the efficiency of the overall experience.
Here's my story (so far). On Monday afternoon I pulled out my TWC file, located my login, my password and my security question. I then logged on to the TWC site, foolishly anticipating that something good was about to happen. After logging in and navigating to the appropriate page I saw a message that said: "It has been three or more weeks since you last requested benefit payments. In order to request benefits please call either of the telephone numbers listed below." I called the local number first and listened to the following recorded message: "We are unable to serve you at this number, please log on to www.twc.goodluckchump/lol for assistance. CLICK." I then tried the toll-free number (silly me) and listened to exactly the same message, followed by exactly the same CLICK. So the TWC has come up with an ingenious way to continue to waste your time and frustrate you to death, but without the convenience of having to stand in long lines. I'm continuing to look, but as of now I can find no way to even contact the TWC. I'll keep looking. Maybe I'll even go down to their office and get into one of those wonderful old lines.
On a more exciting note, I learned this week that banks (at least Bank of America) don't want you to roll your coins before you take them in and exchange them for real money. Vicki has a large Tupperware container into which we have been tossing our spare change for a couple of years. We're planning to use the money to visit someplace, someday. Being that the container was almost full we decided it was time to cash in our coin collection. Assuming that I'd need a bunch of those paper coin sleeve thingees, I asked for a supply when I went to the bank last week. However, instead of the coin thingees I was given a large, heavy-gauge plastic bag that looks like something they give the bank robbers to haul out the money they steal. The new process is to put your coins in the bag and return it to the bank with your account information. The bank then "sends it downtown" where it is counted and credited to your account. Yeah for automation. Are you listening TWC?
Vicki and I came to a very important understanding earlier this week. It's something we've had several earnest discussions about recently and I'm glad we finally both got our feelings out in the open and came to a decision. After much soul-searching we've decided to dress as dominoes for our first family Halloween party. Vicki wants to be the double six. I'm partial to a non-double, maybe the five and the three. I'm looking forward to starting this tomorrow.
For those of you who are not Houston area residents, I'll bring you up to speed on our recent whether. Without much effort you'll recall that we had a fairly serious drought and heat wave here this past summer. It honestly didn't rain at our house for over three months and the temperatures were over 100 degrees on more days than we could stand. Well, things have changed - sort of. With the advent of fall it has rained almost every day for the last three weeks, which is good. However, with the exception of a few cool days that were obviously sent by the devil to get our hopes up, it has remained hot. The high yesterday was 93 and the high today is supposed to hit at least that. It has also been off-the-charts humid, and to top that off the night time lows have been in the low 80's. We're looking forward to those brisk winter days when the temperature dips into the 60's.
The last time I was unemployed - for nine months back in 1995 - the TWC (then called the Texas Employment Commission) was a fully non-automated process. In order to do anything - and I mean anything - you had to go to one of their offices. Upon arrival you would find a line to stand in and then stand in it, often for hours. On occasion this experience - although excruciating - could be interesting, because you were surrounded by people from all walks of life who were out of work. One day you might be standing between a CEO and an IRS agent, the next day maybe a short-order cook and a phone solicitor. Upon reaching the front of any line there was a 97% likelihood that you would be told to go stand in another line. If you managed to stave off starvation and collapse after standing in multiple lines for several hours you would finally reach the desk of a TEC employee, who was most likely competing in a contest with his fellow employees for the coveted title of "Most Apathetic and Unhelpful Employee of the Century." A visit to the TEC was almost always an all-day affair.
But the new and improved TWC is nothing like the old TEC. Everything is now done online. As far as I can see, the human element - and I use that term loosely in this case - has been all but eliminated, which based on my experience is a good thing. Unfortunately, while the automated process has eliminated the need to stand in endless lines for endless hours, it has not improved the efficiency of the overall experience.
Here's my story (so far). On Monday afternoon I pulled out my TWC file, located my login, my password and my security question. I then logged on to the TWC site, foolishly anticipating that something good was about to happen. After logging in and navigating to the appropriate page I saw a message that said: "It has been three or more weeks since you last requested benefit payments. In order to request benefits please call either of the telephone numbers listed below." I called the local number first and listened to the following recorded message: "We are unable to serve you at this number, please log on to www.twc.goodluckchump/lol for assistance. CLICK." I then tried the toll-free number (silly me) and listened to exactly the same message, followed by exactly the same CLICK. So the TWC has come up with an ingenious way to continue to waste your time and frustrate you to death, but without the convenience of having to stand in long lines. I'm continuing to look, but as of now I can find no way to even contact the TWC. I'll keep looking. Maybe I'll even go down to their office and get into one of those wonderful old lines.
On a more exciting note, I learned this week that banks (at least Bank of America) don't want you to roll your coins before you take them in and exchange them for real money. Vicki has a large Tupperware container into which we have been tossing our spare change for a couple of years. We're planning to use the money to visit someplace, someday. Being that the container was almost full we decided it was time to cash in our coin collection. Assuming that I'd need a bunch of those paper coin sleeve thingees, I asked for a supply when I went to the bank last week. However, instead of the coin thingees I was given a large, heavy-gauge plastic bag that looks like something they give the bank robbers to haul out the money they steal. The new process is to put your coins in the bag and return it to the bank with your account information. The bank then "sends it downtown" where it is counted and credited to your account. Yeah for automation. Are you listening TWC?
Vicki and I came to a very important understanding earlier this week. It's something we've had several earnest discussions about recently and I'm glad we finally both got our feelings out in the open and came to a decision. After much soul-searching we've decided to dress as dominoes for our first family Halloween party. Vicki wants to be the double six. I'm partial to a non-double, maybe the five and the three. I'm looking forward to starting this tomorrow.
For those of you who are not Houston area residents, I'll bring you up to speed on our recent whether. Without much effort you'll recall that we had a fairly serious drought and heat wave here this past summer. It honestly didn't rain at our house for over three months and the temperatures were over 100 degrees on more days than we could stand. Well, things have changed - sort of. With the advent of fall it has rained almost every day for the last three weeks, which is good. However, with the exception of a few cool days that were obviously sent by the devil to get our hopes up, it has remained hot. The high yesterday was 93 and the high today is supposed to hit at least that. It has also been off-the-charts humid, and to top that off the night time lows have been in the low 80's. We're looking forward to those brisk winter days when the temperature dips into the 60's.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I'm Addicted to Facebook (NOT!)
As do many of you, I have an account on Facebook. Bethany decided during one of her visits home a few months ago that I needed to be a Facebook person, so she set up an account for me. I don't look at Facebook much - usually only when someone wants to be my "friend". It's nice to have friends, even if a lot of them are the adolescent children of people who are my age. Anyway, this morning I was accepting my most recent friend and I actually took some time to read some of the posts other people had made. Now, I don't want this to sound mean-spirited or anything, but . . . get real! I thought that I had a boring, mundane life, but compared to some of the drivel I read on Facebook I'm a rock star. Here's a sample of a few of the most fascinating posts and my theoretical responses:
. . . sitting on my back porch drinking coffee. [Please provide more details regarding your porch.]
. . . my plane is fifteen minutes late. [Is that good or bad?]
. . . I'm about to have lunch. [Please let me know as soon as possible what you ordered.]
. . . I just scored 85,000 points on All That Glitters is Gold. [I just bowled a 237 on my Wii game so now I get a glittery bowling ball, which means that we are both into glitter!]
. . . I'm going to bed now. [I hope you wake up. If not, let me know.]
After reading these interesting posts I realize that I am waaay behind on keeping everyone updated on the minutia of my life. So, in a effort to catch up, here are some posts that will bring everyone up to speed:
. . . I'm heading to the kitchen for my first bowl of Cheerios. Actually they are Honey Nut Cheerios, but in the end a Cheerio is a Cheerio. FYI, I also like the newest addition to the Chreerios family, which is Banana Nut Cheerios. It's made with real banana flavoring and other artificial ingredients (including BHT to preserve freshness). Cereal is a great way to start your day, don't you think?
. . . just bought some stuff to kill the brown patch in my yard. Death to brown patch and all other lawn diseases! Don't you just hate lawn diseases?
. . . just dozed off watching The Doctors. I just hate that I missed it. It was about insomnia.
. . . just cut the toe nails on my right foot.
. . . just cut the toe nails on my left foot.
. . . just burped (must have been the Cheerios).
. . . just contemplated the meaning of life.
. . . just ate some ice cream when Vicki wasn't looking.
. . . just realized I forgot my Dad's birthday again for the 27th straight year. It's Vicki's fault for not reminding me.
. . . can you tell it's still raining, that I have nothing productive to do indoors, and that I'm really bored?
. . . just realized that I've been shirking my responsibilities to Facebook. I'll try to do better.
. . . sitting on my back porch drinking coffee. [Please provide more details regarding your porch.]
. . . my plane is fifteen minutes late. [Is that good or bad?]
. . . I'm about to have lunch. [Please let me know as soon as possible what you ordered.]
. . . I just scored 85,000 points on All That Glitters is Gold. [I just bowled a 237 on my Wii game so now I get a glittery bowling ball, which means that we are both into glitter!]
. . . I'm going to bed now. [I hope you wake up. If not, let me know.]
After reading these interesting posts I realize that I am waaay behind on keeping everyone updated on the minutia of my life. So, in a effort to catch up, here are some posts that will bring everyone up to speed:
. . . I'm heading to the kitchen for my first bowl of Cheerios. Actually they are Honey Nut Cheerios, but in the end a Cheerio is a Cheerio. FYI, I also like the newest addition to the Chreerios family, which is Banana Nut Cheerios. It's made with real banana flavoring and other artificial ingredients (including BHT to preserve freshness). Cereal is a great way to start your day, don't you think?
. . . just bought some stuff to kill the brown patch in my yard. Death to brown patch and all other lawn diseases! Don't you just hate lawn diseases?
. . . just dozed off watching The Doctors. I just hate that I missed it. It was about insomnia.
. . . just cut the toe nails on my right foot.
. . . just cut the toe nails on my left foot.
. . . just burped (must have been the Cheerios).
. . . just contemplated the meaning of life.
. . . just ate some ice cream when Vicki wasn't looking.
. . . just realized I forgot my Dad's birthday again for the 27th straight year. It's Vicki's fault for not reminding me.
. . . can you tell it's still raining, that I have nothing productive to do indoors, and that I'm really bored?
. . . just realized that I've been shirking my responsibilities to Facebook. I'll try to do better.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
It's Time to Take Down the Christmas Lights
We got back this afternoon from a fun trip up to Marble Falls/Austin/Round Rock. We were there to attend the wedding of a college friend of Kayla and Bethany. It was an outdoor wedding, and the weather was a little iffy for awhile, but aside from it being a little on the cool side, everything went well and we all had a good time. For a change Kayla and Bethany weren't bridesmaids. This time around they were members of the "house party" which is really a pretty good gig. Unlike bridesmaids - who have to cough up some cash for a dress - the house party girls operate as more or less honored guests. They're not quite in the starting line up, but they are still members of the team. No dresses to buy, but they still get to attend all of the wedding festivities - bridesmaids luncheon, rehearsal dinner, good seats up-front at the wedding, and they get in the official group wedding pictures. Like I said - a pretty good gig. And, oh yeah, Cody did make the starting line up on the groom's side. He was an official tux-renting groomsman.
While in Marble Falls we were guests of the Simmons's at their recently acquired/renovated house on Lake Buchanan, which was also the site of the bridesmaid luncheon on Friday (which was hosted by Vicki and Diane Simmons). I hear it was a great event for all who participated. This morning we had fun sitting around with our girls and with several of their ACU friends who had come to town for the wedding and then crashed at the Simmons' place last night. On our way back to Sugar Land we made a quick stop in Round Rock to drop off Bethany and Cody.
When we got back home I dropped Vicki off and drove over to the church building to attend a screening of the video of the Joseph show. As I was driving into the parking lot I was thinking that we're a little like those people who leave their Christmas lights on until the middle of January because they don't want the fun to end. The video was entertaining to those of us who had never really seen the whole show from start to finish. We laughed and applauded and teased each other. But, enough is enough. Tonight was it. The show is now officially over. Turn out the lights, take down the tree - it's time to move on.
Speaking of moving on, I found out this past Friday that I'm on the committee that will plan the entertainment for this year's FCCC Winter's Eve program, which is our annual Christmas extravaganza. Our initial plan is to make this year's show a little more of a variety show instead of just a series of singing presentations. We plan to introduce a little more humor than is customary.
This past Thursday was my Second Mile day and I spent my time building a table. A table, you ask? Why a table? Well, it seems that a local company donated a very functioning copier to Second Mile that is far superior to the one they are current using. However, they neglected to donate the stand that the copier formerly sat on, which is necessary so that the sorter, stapler, collator attachment can be used. So, in order to make everything work together it was necessary to find a table that was 15 1/4" high. After unsuccessfully scouring the warehouse for such a table I decided that the best thing to do was to build one, which I did using scrap lumber that I found laying around. As you can see from the picture below, it won't be mistaken for an Ethan Allen original, but it will hopefully serve the purpose.
My job search is going nowhere and I am starting to get really disgusted with the whole thing. When I think about what's transpired to put me into my current situation I get more than a little irritated. Until November 2007 I was working for a perfectly good company. It was profitable, well-managed, highly respected within the industry, and generally a very enjoyable place to work. Then along came Transocean - the antithesis for GlobalSantaFe. As a company Transocean was years behind GSF in its use of technology, it relied on systems that were inferior to those of GSF on all fronts, its policies, procedures and documentation were out-of-date and generally not effective, and it was a sweat shop with a rampant employee turnover problem. Since the takeover, the CEO's of both companies - the two guys most responsible for this disaster - have extracted their financial windfall and bailed, as have almost all of the members of the senior executive teams of both companies (the SVP of HR of GlobalSantaFe being the most notable exception). I'm not sorry that I have had the opportunity to escape from Transocean - to the contrary, I'm thrilled to be gone - but I'm starting to get just a little bit bitter that this whole unfortunate turn of events ever happened in the first place. If there's any silver lining in this whole situation it's that it has allowed me to refocus on what is really important in my life, which is my faith and my family. Whatever happens over the coming months (years?) I'll rely on God to point me in the direction He would have me go. Sorry for the rant. It won't happen again (at least not again soon)!
This coming week has several notable and exciting events on tap. I have an appointment on Tuesday regarding my upcoming colonoscopy. I promise that there will be no further details on this event. I'm also going to borrow my neighbor's pick-up truck and get a load of top-soil for my drought-ravaged front yard. Keeping with the yard/lawn theme, I'll also be spraying my back yard with whatever chemical I determined is required to kill brown patch, which with the advent of slightly cooler weather has invaded and is beginning to wreak havoc with the green grass that survived the summer. I also plan to file my first claim for unemployment benefits this week. I'm guessing that that will be both fun and exciting.
While in Marble Falls we were guests of the Simmons's at their recently acquired/renovated house on Lake Buchanan, which was also the site of the bridesmaid luncheon on Friday (which was hosted by Vicki and Diane Simmons). I hear it was a great event for all who participated. This morning we had fun sitting around with our girls and with several of their ACU friends who had come to town for the wedding and then crashed at the Simmons' place last night. On our way back to Sugar Land we made a quick stop in Round Rock to drop off Bethany and Cody.
When we got back home I dropped Vicki off and drove over to the church building to attend a screening of the video of the Joseph show. As I was driving into the parking lot I was thinking that we're a little like those people who leave their Christmas lights on until the middle of January because they don't want the fun to end. The video was entertaining to those of us who had never really seen the whole show from start to finish. We laughed and applauded and teased each other. But, enough is enough. Tonight was it. The show is now officially over. Turn out the lights, take down the tree - it's time to move on.
Speaking of moving on, I found out this past Friday that I'm on the committee that will plan the entertainment for this year's FCCC Winter's Eve program, which is our annual Christmas extravaganza. Our initial plan is to make this year's show a little more of a variety show instead of just a series of singing presentations. We plan to introduce a little more humor than is customary.
This past Thursday was my Second Mile day and I spent my time building a table. A table, you ask? Why a table? Well, it seems that a local company donated a very functioning copier to Second Mile that is far superior to the one they are current using. However, they neglected to donate the stand that the copier formerly sat on, which is necessary so that the sorter, stapler, collator attachment can be used. So, in order to make everything work together it was necessary to find a table that was 15 1/4" high. After unsuccessfully scouring the warehouse for such a table I decided that the best thing to do was to build one, which I did using scrap lumber that I found laying around. As you can see from the picture below, it won't be mistaken for an Ethan Allen original, but it will hopefully serve the purpose.
My job search is going nowhere and I am starting to get really disgusted with the whole thing. When I think about what's transpired to put me into my current situation I get more than a little irritated. Until November 2007 I was working for a perfectly good company. It was profitable, well-managed, highly respected within the industry, and generally a very enjoyable place to work. Then along came Transocean - the antithesis for GlobalSantaFe. As a company Transocean was years behind GSF in its use of technology, it relied on systems that were inferior to those of GSF on all fronts, its policies, procedures and documentation were out-of-date and generally not effective, and it was a sweat shop with a rampant employee turnover problem. Since the takeover, the CEO's of both companies - the two guys most responsible for this disaster - have extracted their financial windfall and bailed, as have almost all of the members of the senior executive teams of both companies (the SVP of HR of GlobalSantaFe being the most notable exception). I'm not sorry that I have had the opportunity to escape from Transocean - to the contrary, I'm thrilled to be gone - but I'm starting to get just a little bit bitter that this whole unfortunate turn of events ever happened in the first place. If there's any silver lining in this whole situation it's that it has allowed me to refocus on what is really important in my life, which is my faith and my family. Whatever happens over the coming months (years?) I'll rely on God to point me in the direction He would have me go. Sorry for the rant. It won't happen again (at least not again soon)!
This coming week has several notable and exciting events on tap. I have an appointment on Tuesday regarding my upcoming colonoscopy. I promise that there will be no further details on this event. I'm also going to borrow my neighbor's pick-up truck and get a load of top-soil for my drought-ravaged front yard. Keeping with the yard/lawn theme, I'll also be spraying my back yard with whatever chemical I determined is required to kill brown patch, which with the advent of slightly cooler weather has invaded and is beginning to wreak havoc with the green grass that survived the summer. I also plan to file my first claim for unemployment benefits this week. I'm guessing that that will be both fun and exciting.
Monday, October 5, 2009
It's All Over - I'm Normal Again
After thirty-one rehearsals and five performances it's all over. My life as a theater person has come to an end, with little chance that it will be resurrected at any time in the future. But, it sure was fun while it lasted. I had my fifteen minutes of fame. Actually, my solo only lasted four minutes and seventeen seconds, but who was counting? I'd like to take this time to thank my family, friends and neighbors who encouraged me during this entire project and who had such positive things to say about the show. A special thanks goes out to Vicki for enduring listening to me sing Joseph songs over and over again for the better part of three months, and then actually showing up to watch the show not once, but three times! The following are some pictures from the show. You'll notice that are mostly of me, which makes perfect sense given that this is my blog (and Vicki's too, but she has yet to make any posts and she wasn't in the show).
This is the world famous photo of the brothers when they
Asher (a.k.a. me) as he sings about the
This is the world famous photo of the brothers when they visited the Sphinx on their way to see Joseph for the first time -
"They've got corn, they've got meat, they've got fruit and drinks,
and if we have the time we could see the . . ."
Asher (a.k.a. me) as he sings about the good old days in Canaan with Jacob and his brothers.
"Do you remember those good years in Canaan . . . "
"It's funny, but since we lost Joseph . . .
"Do you remember those good years in Canaan . . . "
"It's funny, but since we lost Joseph . . . we've gone to the other extreme . . ."
Calypso Asher (check out the awesome hat).
My ten seconds of dramatic interpretation -
vest and holding a cowboy hat)
Calypso Asher (check out the awesome hat).
My ten seconds of dramatic interpretation - "When I think of his last great battle, a lump comes to my throat!"
(Being dramatic is difficult when you're wearing a red sequined vest and holding a cowboy hat)
I actually have a CD with over 300 pictures of the show (relax, I'm not in all of them). If you're ever in the greater Sugar Land area and you have lots of time to kill feel free to drop by and we can run through all of the show pictures.
Now that the show is over it's back to being just another unemployed guy with a run of the mill life. I'm hoping that some type of job lead surfaces soon. Which reminds me of a comment from one of my "friends" after the show, which was "After watching you sing and dance I think you should keep your day job. Oops, I forgot - you don't have a day job!"
It's nice to have friends.
Friday, October 2, 2009
My Stage Career is Now 60% Over
This morning we performed the Joseph show for some area school children, about 700 of them. About half of them came from Velsaquez Elementary School, which is a Lamar Consolidated school in the back of Greatwood. Of our three shows, this was by far the most enthusiastic crowd. I guess if I was ten years old again that I'd be pretty enthused about anything that got me out of school for half a day. Regardless of the motive for their motivation, the kids were really into the show and we all had a really great time.
Speaking of the show, this was our third of five performances, which means that we are now 60% of the way through. This has been the perfect show for someone with my underwhelming talents - singing and dancing as part of a group of guys whose primary function in the story line is to provide comic relief. In spite of the fairly grueling rehearsal schedule and all of the time I spent working on the stage and set, I have had a ton of fun participating in this project. It has been so gratifying to hear all of the positive comments we've had from everyone who has attended and to realize that we have truly entertained people. That is a great feeling! We have also been amazed by the number of people who have shown up to watch the show. We heard this morning that when all is said and done our total attendance will probably top 2,400 people. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs. We are all pumped for the last two shows tomorrow and Sunday. My brother, Greg, and his wife Linda (of the vacation home in Colorado fame) are coming to the Saturday show, and our across-the-street neighbors are coming on Sunday. I can't wait to show off my mad singing and dancing skills.
I spent some time at Second Mile yesterday interviewing one of the directors regarding the project I have taken on to write a personnel policies and procedures manual for them. This should be an interesting little project and I'm looking forward to putting together something that will help Second Mile operate more efficiently.
After my Second Mile gig I had a networking lunch with one of the attorneys who works for the downtown law firm that we used for HR-related issues while I was at GlobalSantaFe. She has some great contacts and I know she'll try to help me in any way she can to run down another job. When I arrived at Guadalajara's I was surprised to run into a table full of my old friends from Transocean. I say Transocean, but most of them were actually GlobalSantaFe people who have continued to survive. I hadn't seen any of them since my demise as a Transocean employee and it was nice to say hello and see that they all seem to be getting along just fine without me. One of those present was the lady who used to be my administrative assistant. It was her birthday and she got to wear the community sombrero and everything. Quite festive.
Every time I go to Second Mile I see something that either amuses me or amazes me. Last week I saw something that both amused and amazed me. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed a guy getting out of a new Jaguar. We exchanged pleasantries as we walked into the reception area. As I was signing in and putting on my "Volunteer" badge I heard him say to the receptionist "I'm here to do my community service." Usually the community service people are kids who stabbed a classmate with a pencil or skipped school fifty times. This was a grown man in a new Jag. I wasn't working with him so I never got the chance to ask what he was in for. If he's back next week I'll make sure to find out.
There's not much else happening. I really need to find a job before I completely run out of things to write about.
BONUS!!!!! MOVIE REVIEW
This afternoon Vicki and I went to see the movie The Secret Life of Jonathan Sperry. If you want to see a movie with big-name stars that's packed with action and special effects then definitely skip this one. However, if you want to see a movie that's packed with solid Christian values, some geeky characters, and an uplifting true story of what a man with an unyielding faith in Jesus Christ can do for those around him, then check this movie out. I'd advise seeing it sooner than later because I doubt if it will be in theaters for very long.
Speaking of the show, this was our third of five performances, which means that we are now 60% of the way through. This has been the perfect show for someone with my underwhelming talents - singing and dancing as part of a group of guys whose primary function in the story line is to provide comic relief. In spite of the fairly grueling rehearsal schedule and all of the time I spent working on the stage and set, I have had a ton of fun participating in this project. It has been so gratifying to hear all of the positive comments we've had from everyone who has attended and to realize that we have truly entertained people. That is a great feeling! We have also been amazed by the number of people who have shown up to watch the show. We heard this morning that when all is said and done our total attendance will probably top 2,400 people. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs. We are all pumped for the last two shows tomorrow and Sunday. My brother, Greg, and his wife Linda (of the vacation home in Colorado fame) are coming to the Saturday show, and our across-the-street neighbors are coming on Sunday. I can't wait to show off my mad singing and dancing skills.
I spent some time at Second Mile yesterday interviewing one of the directors regarding the project I have taken on to write a personnel policies and procedures manual for them. This should be an interesting little project and I'm looking forward to putting together something that will help Second Mile operate more efficiently.
After my Second Mile gig I had a networking lunch with one of the attorneys who works for the downtown law firm that we used for HR-related issues while I was at GlobalSantaFe. She has some great contacts and I know she'll try to help me in any way she can to run down another job. When I arrived at Guadalajara's I was surprised to run into a table full of my old friends from Transocean. I say Transocean, but most of them were actually GlobalSantaFe people who have continued to survive. I hadn't seen any of them since my demise as a Transocean employee and it was nice to say hello and see that they all seem to be getting along just fine without me. One of those present was the lady who used to be my administrative assistant. It was her birthday and she got to wear the community sombrero and everything. Quite festive.
Every time I go to Second Mile I see something that either amuses me or amazes me. Last week I saw something that both amused and amazed me. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed a guy getting out of a new Jaguar. We exchanged pleasantries as we walked into the reception area. As I was signing in and putting on my "Volunteer" badge I heard him say to the receptionist "I'm here to do my community service." Usually the community service people are kids who stabbed a classmate with a pencil or skipped school fifty times. This was a grown man in a new Jag. I wasn't working with him so I never got the chance to ask what he was in for. If he's back next week I'll make sure to find out.
There's not much else happening. I really need to find a job before I completely run out of things to write about.
BONUS!!!!! MOVIE REVIEW
This afternoon Vicki and I went to see the movie The Secret Life of Jonathan Sperry. If you want to see a movie with big-name stars that's packed with action and special effects then definitely skip this one. However, if you want to see a movie that's packed with solid Christian values, some geeky characters, and an uplifting true story of what a man with an unyielding faith in Jesus Christ can do for those around him, then check this movie out. I'd advise seeing it sooner than later because I doubt if it will be in theaters for very long.
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