Rugby, Joe and "Bob"

After a tough week at work - my third since rejoining the work force - Vicki and I attended two exciting functions - 1) breakfast at Bob's Taco Station, and 2) the rugby match between Texas Tech and Rice University. Both were memorable.

Let's start with our visit to Bob's Taco Station. As we do about once each month, we arose on Saturday morning and headed for Bob's. We arrived around 9:30 to find the usual crowd. Most of the tables were taken but we didn't have to wait. After being seated and ordering we were sitting there chatting. Suddenly a very large almost round man appeared at our table. He introduced himself as Joe Alaniz and then proceeded to take a seat. I recognized Joe as the owner of Bob's. You'd think the owner of Bob's would be named Bob (I'll get to that later). After seating himself, Joe waited about three seconds to launch into a summary of his life story. He told us that he and his wife had been married for 52 years, that she was as mean as a snake (we think he was joking), that they was originally from the Valley, that he had served in the U.S. Army in Germany in the late 50's, and that they had come to Rosenberg by way of San Antonio back in 1990. Joe had recently been forced to give up his job with the Texas Department of Corrections due to a disabling back injury. Faced with the prospect of not having any money, the Alaniz family decided to open up a snowball stand (now called "shaved ice") in an abandoned gas station on Highway 90 in old town Rosenberg. Their business was fairly successful during the steaming hot summer months, but as late fall approached they realized that the market for snowballs would most likely diminish significantly with the onset of cooler weather. It was at this point that Mrs. Alaniz decided that they should open up a stand to sell burgers and tacos to the local "wetbacks" (her words). The did just that, expanding into the remaining space of the old gas station. Bob's Taco Station was born. As Joe continued his story he told us that the Station was named not for him, but for his youngest son, Roberto, or as they called him, "Bob". Today, Roberto - who graduated from both Texas A&M and from culinary school - has taken over the day-to-day operation of the business. Joe, who is now 74 years old, busies himself with handling some of the more mundane administrative tasks of the business and with conducting public relations work with customers such as ourselves. He told us he has a "BS" degree.

After we left Bob's we headed down to Rice University to attend the rugby game between Texas Tech and the Rice Owls. This game was a "club team" affair, which is really a throw-back to the old days of college athletics when the participants played not to hold their scholarships and to make lots of money for the athletic department, but simply because they loved to play their game. The Tech boys made their may to Houston on their own dime and stayed not in an upscale hotel but in the homes of local families with whom they are acquainted. Vicki and I showed up at the game to watch play the semi-famous Reid Curry, the son of our good friends, Rachel and Randy.

Let me describe rugby to you, based on the understanding I gained by watching this one game. There are (I think) 15 players on a side. They are dressed in skin tight jerseys and shorts that look like the ones worn in the NBA back in 1985. The majority of the players on the Tech team, and a few more for Rice, had Mohawk haircuts. I observed that a common trait of rugby players is to have over sized thighs, which when accentuated by their little short shorts tend to make them look almost freakishly bulky. Top this off with the Mohawks and they all looked just a little bit scary. Scoring in rugby is via a "try" which is similar to a touchdown and worth five points. After scoring a try there is the attempt for what I would call the extra point, which is actually worth two points. Points can also be scored via a drop kick field goal, which is worth three points. I didn't actually catch the final score because in club games scoreboards are apparently optional (Rice's field didn't have one). However, the last score I heard was 32 - 7 in Tech's favor, and Tech scored a lot more points before it was over. Reid did not disappoint us, going about 75 yards for a try before collapsing breathless into the try zone. Go Raiders!

For those of you who have never seen a rugby ball up close, here is a rugby ball up close. If you look very closely at the words on the the line under "Gilbert" you'll note that this ball was "Pre-Kicked", whatever that means.

Here I am with Reid, the hero of the day. I was informed that wearing two different colored socks has absolutely no significant of any kind, except maybe to Reid.

Slow Death and Valentine's Day

I've been thinking about my blog and I'm starting to get concerned. After nine or so months of posting on a fairly regular basis I fear that I have run out of stimulating topics upon which to discourse. When my life was a carefree succession of endless days unencumbered by employment I had time to think of stuff and blog about it. Even if what I wrote entertained nobody but myself I still looked forward to launching my thoughts and opinions into cyberspace on a consistent basis. But what do I have to blog about now? Work? My commute? IRS regulations regarding the administration of COBRA and HIPAA? All fascinating topics to be sure, but will this be be enough? Will my blog die a slow death? Only time will tell.

With that said . . . I'm starting to get back into the swing of things as a working man. My circadian rhythms have now been synced up with my new sleep patterns and I no longer have to rely on my alarm clock to awaken me in the morning. I still set it for 5:00 am (just in case), but there is really no need, as I now wake up precisely at 4:41 every morning. I think I have just about convinced myself that an 80 minute, 75 mile commute isn't really so bad. I actually felt pretty good about it today for a couple reasons. First of all, I didn't make the trek to Wadsworth today because I had two meetings in Houston. As I was heading inbound of the Southwest Freeway in the rain I noticed something that I hadn't seen for the last two weeks - cars - lots of cars, most going only about 15 mph in the driving rain. There are no cars going 15 mph on my commute to work. Second, I ran into a friend who works downtown and he commented that it takes him about an hour and fifteen minutes to get home from work most days. And that's a grinding bumper-to-bumper, dodge-car kind of a drive. I have yet to encounter any bumper-to-bumper traffic as I travel through the downtown thoroughfares of Needville, Pleak, Boling, Magnet (yes, there's actually a crossroads called Magnet) or Wadsworth. And, I have discovered "books on tape" - which are actually, of course, books on CD. I've listened to two of them so far and they are like magic for making my drive time fly by. I found out today that it's possible to go online with the Fort Bend Public Library and reserve some pretty good titles. I predict that I will become a very well read - or should I say "well listened" - person over the next few years. Think how impressive and interesting I'll be at dinner parties!

Today was my first pay day and it turned out much better than expected. It seems that due to some type of payroll glitch I received not one but two pay checks! Vicki texted me in my meeting when she saw the direct deposits hit our checking account, but alas the error was discovered immediately, before she had time to withdraw the extra funds. Within a few minutes I had a voice mail and an email asking that I call payroll to arrange for a repayment of their mistake. I will dutifully - if regretfully - comply with their request.

Finally, I have a movie review for you. Last Friday - I'm off every Friday you know - Vicki and I saw the movie Dear John. I didn't really know either of the lead actors, but I know that the female lead was the same girl who was the daughter in Mama Mia. Yes, I'll admit I say Mama Mia, but I thought it was stupid. I won't say much other than Dear John far exceeded my expectations and for the most part wasn't bad. I wouldn't drop everything to run out and see it, but if you're having a slow day it might be something worth considering.

Tomorrow, being Friday, is my day off. I have some big plans. First, I plan to fix the leak in the kitchen sink. After that my schedule is mostly open.

For those of you (guys) who have been too busy to notice, don't forget that this Sunday is Valentine's Day. Although some cynics may try to convince you that this special day is nothing more than an overblown conspiracy by Hallmark and other retail terrorists to separate you from some of your hard-earned cash, please observe it for what it truly is - a day to show your special someone how much you care. Don't feel that you need to go overboard. Any small token of your affection will do. Really . . .

One Week Down - 311 More 'til Retirement

I know the suspense is killing you, so I thought I'd give everyone an update on my first week back at work after my nine-month hiatus. All-in-all things went pretty well. My biggest problem was feeling something akin to jet-lag for the first few days. I've never been a big fan of sleeping really late, but during my exile from the work force my average time of rising in the morning was around 7:15 AM. This wasn't exactly sleeping the day away, but it's late when compared to 5:00 AM. My commute has been about what I expected. After trying every conceivable route I've determined that the fastest and easiest way is Highway 59 to Highway 36 to FM 442 to Highway 60 to FM 521. During my scenic 75-mile drive I pass through the metropolises of Rosenberg, Needville, Pleak Village, Boling, Bay City and Wadsworth. These are just the big towns. There are also several smaller ones whose names escape me at this time.

The people at work are all pretty nice and for the most part pretty laid-back types. The differences between Transocean and the South Texas Project Nuclear Power Station - affectionately known to the locals as "STP" - are striking. Transocean had 25,000 employees located literally all over the world. STP has about 1,500. Transocean was populated by a large percentage of international employees. STP is about 95% locals who were born and raised in south Texas. Transocean had an atmosphere of tension, chaos and suspicion, born from years of continual mergers and acquisitions. STP has an atmosphere that seems closer to one big family. A large number of people who work there have been there for 20+ years. Three of the people who work in my department have known each other since they were kids, having grown up together in Bay City, gone to school together, and actually graduated together in the Class of 1976. To them, I'm practically a foreigner.

There's a company store on-site - called Nuclear Notions - that sells STP shirts, jackets, caps, key chains, and just about any other trinket upon which an STP logo can be placed. There is also a small fitness center - called Nuclear Motions (I not kidding). I found out yesterday that on Thursdays the Credit Union offers free popcorn. They have one of those big popcorn poppers that you see at the movie theater in their lobby and everyone just goes in, grabs a bag and fills it up.

One thing that STP doesn't have is covered parking. I first became aware of this when I arrived for work on Monday morning and it was raining. This realization was reinforced every day for the rest of the week. For the last 30 years I've always worked in places with parking garages. I'll need to get a decent umbrella.

In spite of the long commute, the goofy names for the company store and fitness center, and no parking garage, I'm looking forward to my new nuclear career. Please keep those jokes about glowing in the dark coming.

This is a picture of STP. The two big domes are where the nuclear reactor units are housed. The building in the foreground is where my office (see below) is located. Disclaimer: I did NOT take this picture, which if I had would have subjected me to disciplinary proceedings "up to and including termination of employment." This is a picture of a picture from a recruiting brochure. Of course, this begs the question - If it's okay to put this picture in a brochure that is distributed to the world, why is it not okay for employees to take the same picture?

This is my office. I'm still working on ideas for my decorating motif. Note that I have a great view of the dumpster.

The Breakfast Klub, The Auto Show and Rick & Kay

Yesterday was officially my final day of unemployment, so Vicki and I thought we'd do something fun to celebrate. We started off the day going to The Breakfast Klub, which is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Travis near downtown. As the name suggests, breakfast is their specialty. I've blogged about "The Klub" before (we previously visited there last summer). It's a little pricey - $9.95 for French toast, eggs and bacon - but the food is really good and the atmosphere is friendly. As I mentioned last summer, be prepared for a healthy dose of Obama worship if you go.

After breakfast we headed down to the Houston Auto Show at Reliant Arena. We'd never been to an auto show before and didn't quite know what to expect, although we assumed - correctly as it turned out - that we'd probably walk around and look at a lot of cars. That might sound a little boring to some people, but we agreed that adults looking at hundreds of shiny brand new cars is a lot like a kid going to Toys-R-Us. The new car smell was everywhere, and it was exciting to sit in them and inhale. Vicki is now very excited about the Buick Enclave, which is a "crossover" (crossovers are really big this year). I think this is what Tiger Woods was driving when his wife chased him out of the house with a two iron. One of the highlights of the show was the "Toyota Girls" singing a song - microphones and everything - about the Toyota Prius. We also saw a $180,000 Corvette, which the host - who is also a salesman at Davis Chevrolet - told me he could probably sell me for around $160,000 after discounts. He also has a new 2009 that I could have for around $89,000. I guess he heard I have a new job.

We were perplexed at first when we noted that many of the cars were missing the knobs on their radios, their cup holders, and the knobs on their gear shifts. It was a little surprising to hear that these items had been removed to prevent them from being stolen! What loser would steal the knob off a radio? We also learned that the hosts and hostesses (there were lots more hostesses that hosts) who work for each car company travel around the country with the auto show. We heard from them that Detroit and New York were the worst places to work, especially in New York during "Gang Night" which is the night of the show when all the gangs get together and show up at the same time. We heard tales of people stuffing paper into the cars' tailpipes, slashed seats, and - our favorite - hiding raw meat in various places in the cars. Raw meat?

Last night I watched the Republican candidates for Texas governor debate on Channel 11. I don't usually watch debates, but this one was actually very entertaining, and I think it provided some pretty good insight into the personalities of the candidates. It was also amusing to watch all of the candidates skillfully side step giving direct answers to very specific questions, even "yes" and "no" questions. Rick Perry was pretty good at this, but Kay Bailey Hutchinson was masterful. There were a few memorable moments, including -

1) When Rick Perry was asked whether, if re-elected, he would serve out his full term, his answer was "Lord willing". When the commentator asked him to elaborate if that meant yes or no, Perry replied "If I don't die in office, then yes."

2) Kay Bailey Hutchinson's answer to the question "Who was the first governor of Texas." After a moment of panic, Mrs. Hutchinson's stammering reply was "Burleson". The correct answer - as of course we all know - is J. Pinckney Henderson. Rufus C. Burleson was never governor of Texas. He was, however, the first president of Baylor University and a noted Baptist preacher in Houston in the mid-1800's. He is most famous for baptizing Sam Houston.

Today I plan to straighten up the garage. Not as exciting as an auto show or a Kay Baily history lesson, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

A Paycheck is Great, But . . .

NOTICE: Before you get started reading this post, if you haven't already done so you need to check out Jason and Lindsey's blog (in the list to the left) for information and pictures on the new addition to their family - Ava Reese Campbell. The new Ms. Campbell is reputed to be the fattest and cutest baby ever born.


Okay, now that you're back I'll start on my thoughts for today. I start my new job on Monday, February 1st. After being off work for over nine months I'm really ready to get back into the every day grind. But, there are definitely some things I'll miss about the freedom of not having to go to a job every day. The following is a list of some of these things -


Week Day Matinee Movies - It's great being able to watch a movie in an almost-empty theater. If you know me you know that I have pretty much sworn off going to movies on Friday or Saturday nights because of the extreme likelihood that half of the people in the theater will be either 1) carrying on conversations as if they're the only ones around, 2) making calls on their cells phones, 3) taking calls on their cells phones, or 4) just plain being annoying. When you go to a movie at 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon most of the fewer than ten people in attendance are so old they don't even know how to use a cell phone.


Watching Turner Classic Movies - Over the last nine months I have become almost addicted to watching old movies on TCM. I have developed a special fondness for movies from the 1930's and 1940's. No profanity, no sex, no nudity and no over-the-top special effects. The good guys almost always win, and there is no glorifying bad behavior. These old movies are all about the story and the characters. I'll miss staying up until 2:00 AM watching these things.


Traveling Whenever We Feel Like It - Since last April we've taken a 13-day swing through the southwestern U.S., spent a week in Colorado, been to Lubbock a couple of times, and been to Round Rock several times. Oh, and did I mention ten days in Costa Rica? I've also spent a week each at two Christian youth camps, in Abilene and Bandera (not exactly around the corner from Sugar Land).


Sleeping Late - Starting on Monday I'll be getting up at 5:00 every Monday through Thursday. This isn't really that big of a deal for me because that's been my wake-up time for most the the last 15 years (excluding of course the last nine months). But, I have gotten used to sleeping until 7:00 on most days, and later if I've been up really late taking in a TCM movie (see above). I have a feeling that I'll be taking lunch time naps for at least the first week of work.


Breakfast at Bob's Taco Station - We don't go every morning, but we do hit Bob's for breakfast on average twice a month or so. In the future Bob's will be a Friday or Saturday morning only event.


Keeping Up With Things Around the House - Since I've been off I've replaced two toilets, installed low-voltage exterior lighting, done some minor indoor electrical work, replaced 57 rotten fence pickets, reworked the stone around the flower bed in the front yard, planted some new shrubs, kept the old scrubs trimmed, taken on a few house cleaning chores, hung some curtains, and done some other stuff I can't remember. The only thing I somehow didn't manage to get to was the leaky drain in the kitchen. I'll now be getting home from work around 7:00, so it'll be back to saving chores up for the weekend.


Volunteering - The most difficult thing about volunteering is finding time to do it. When you're jobless that isn't really a big problem. I have really enjoyed working at Second Mile Mission every Thursday and seeing just how dedicated the staff there is to serving the less fortunate people of southwest Houston. I've also had time to take on several short-term projects for people in need, do some random work at FCCC, and work on the set design for the Joseph show, the FCCC Girls Conference, and Winter's Eve. I've learned some new things and made some new friends.


Blogging on a Regular Basis - Since starting our blog back on May 23, 2009 we have posted 98 blogs, which works out to a new post every three or four days. We've been able to do that for two reasons - 1) we've been able to to some relatively interesting things, and 2) I've had time to blog. Once I go back to work both 1) and 2) above will go away. I don't see me blogging about what I do at work every day. For the most part experience one of my average work days will be boring enough. Writing about it would be excruciating for all of us. That being said, I'll bet I come up with a few good stories about my new place and my new colleagues during the first few weeks. I'm sure there will be a personality or two worth writing about.

Okay, that should about do it for now. Wish me luck. I hope my alarm clock goes off at 5:00 on Monday morning. It too will need to get back into the swing of things.

After Nine Months and Four Days . . .

After being unemployed since April 17, 2009 I have today - finally - found another job! I've accepted the position of Manager of Compensation and Benefits at the South Texas Project, which is a nuclear power plant located just south of Bay City, Texas. I spent all day last Wednesday interviewing with them, meeting with the CEO, and being introduced to my potential staff. I received an offer on Monday morning and, after some negotiating over the salary, I accepted it this afternoon.

For those of you who know this part of Texas, you know that Bay City is a little more than an hour's drive from Sugar Land. I figure my commute will be about 80 minutes, but STP works a ten-hour, four day work schedule, so I'll be off every Friday. I expect to join a car pool or van pool, which means that when quittin' time rolls around it will really be quittin' time. No more staying until 8:00 or 9:00 every night like I did when I was serving my sentence with Transocean.

I really liked everyone I met during the recruiting process, and I'm excited to be moving into an new industry that will hopefully be a little more stable than the offshore drilling business. After two mergers since 2001 I'm looking forward to a more orderly, less stressful, less politically charged work environment.

Looking back on the last nine months and four days it actually went by pretty quickly. I enjoyed all the traveling that Vicki and I were able to do, and I got just about all of my household projects taken care of while I was off - with the exception of the leaky drain under the kitchen sink (I hate plumbing). I also really enjoyed the Thursdays that I spent down at Second Mile.

Speaking of Second Mile, I was there today doing my usual Thursday shift. Today my task was to repair worn out places in the carpet. The primary fix-it spot was just outside the food pantry, which is of course the most heavily travelled spot in the whole place. I got to meet a lot of clients as they wheeled their groceries around me. I gave my boss, Tom, my one week notice. Next Thursday is ceiling tile replacement day.

Why Having a Job is a Good Thing

WARNING: This post is both boring and depressing. Other than that it's fine.

Yesterday I hit my nine-month anniversary of being without a job. At first I enjoyed having all of my time to myself. For the first four or five months I actually had a great time - traveling, volunteering at youth camps, catching up on my around-the-house projects, going to movies in empty theaters, etc. However, I have now officially reached the point where I am ready to go back to work. Maybe it's the time of the year. All of the holiday festivities are now behind us and we're into the winter doldrums.

Today I spent the morning finishing off my project to replace rotted fence pickets. With that behind me I then spent a few hours going through all of the files in our computer room/office. I went through just about every file and purged them of outdated, unneeded, and otherwise useless records. The highlight was shedding the old bank and credit card statements. I filled up two large trash cans! The hum of the shredder reminded me of the good old days at work. After getting over the excitement of all this it really hit me - I am starting to get really bored! I realize that I have fallen into a routine where I start to watch television with the five o'clock news and continue until going to bed, whenever that may be. Last night I watched a 1941 movie until past midnight. So, today I came up with a list of what's good about having a job. Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Getting up every morning with a definite purpose. Not that I haven't had some decent definite purposes over the last few months, but getting excited about shredding old documents and watching TV for six hours a day . . . ugh!
2. Having to think ahead and plan in order to accomplish everything you want to accomplish. My time management skills have not exactly been tested by cramming occasional two-hour projects into my sixteen waking hours.
3. Not having time to watch so much TV. When Vicki suggested this evening that we join the Wheel-of-Fortune "Wheel Watcher's Club" I realized that I'm becoming my grandmother.
4. Looking forward to a well earned vacation. It will take me at least another five years of work before any vacation will be termed "well earned."
5. Utilizing my vast experience and wisdom to solve semi-difficult problems. My biggest challenge today was not falling asleep during CSI Miami.
6. Not spending so much time on the Internet. Today I almost checked out an article on which celebrities wore the best and worst dresses to the Golden Globes. I resisted, but just the fact that the thought crossed my mind was horrifying.
7. Getting paid. True, I'm still collecting severance, but that will end before I know it. A long-term paycheck is the only way to go.

On a slightly less serious note, Bob's Taco Station in beautiful downtown Rosenberg, Texas was on Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives tonight. It was fun seeing on television the actual tables were we sit and the actual waiters who bring us our tacos.

Tomorrow I have a telephone interview with a Houston company that does benefits administration for companies that outsource their benefit programs. This job would probably allow me to utilize my vast experience and wisdom to solve semi-difficult problems. I noticed on their website that they offer a 30-day sabbatical to their employees every five years. I think I could handle a 30-day break every five years.