Update from the road....

What a dreary day in Ringold, Georgia. It has been getting cooler as the day wears on, but tomorrow is supposed to be much nicer. Since they've got me checked into a cheapo Super-8, I don't have wireless lan unless I basically sit IN the windowsill and steal bandwidth from some nearby business that isn't smart enough to secure their network. The signal is on the low side, but pretty fast.

I think I'll go check out the local gun shop, and maybe run out to the Cattoosa training area where I used to train National Guard troops 10 years ago. Surely there has got to be something to get into around here! Motel life is boring.

Fertilized....LET IT RAIN!

Man, another winner of a day here. 84 degrees and sunny. I went this morning to pre-wire a house for a local country DJ. I usually jump when he calls because he pays well, talks good about me on the radio, and is genuinely a nice guy. I finished with him early enough to get back and spread some fertilizer on my garden plot and all of the front yard...and just in time for some rain. My timing is hardly ever that good, but so far things are looking good. Because I'll be in Chattanooga all week I'm going to be a week behind in planting, but this will still be the earliest I've ever had the garden planted. I just hope the tomatoes grow this year.

Oh, and Best Buy has been leaving me a lot of messages. Those guys must really want me over there. I guess an application and interview can't hurt anything.

 

Busy, busy, busy.

I wish AOL had a "tired" listing for the mood setting. What the hell is "Loopy" anyway?

I swear someone at work must be reading this and decided to keep me to busy to worry about another job. I've been in Montgomery every day this week training a Lead Technician...which is great, because now I won't be going to Montgomery all the time. I found out today (via AIM!) that I'm heading to Albany, GA in the morning for a day of train-the-trainer...cool beans, because I don't live that far from there and it is something new. Then he says, once your certified from that, I'm sending you to Chattanooga to train all next week. Ah well, I like Chattanooga fine and have even lived there for a while back in the Army days. So far though, their plan is working....I haven't had even a chance to go to Best Buy and talk to the general manager.

On a plus note, I finally sealed the deal on a Colt Delta Gold Cup and have it secured in the Southern Command Headquarters. I'll get some pics posted....when I get some time!

 

OK, I couldn't stand it...here she is, in all her 10mm glory...

By the way, the watch is part of my poor attempt at still-life composition.

Job change in my future???

So I'm at Best Buy today, talking with one of the managers about taking care of a commercial job that I'm doing on the side for them. Basically, they sold $10k in televisions to a local furniture store, then couldn't find anyone to do the install. So I'm just there getting all the details straight when the general manager of the store walks up, introduces himself, and then begins a pretty good sales pitch to get me to come to work for them.

The details are far from set, but here is what he's promised so far....More money than I make now, 401k with a better match than I have now, stock options which I don't have now, and a new van. I've already got a new van with my current company, but everything else sounds pretty good. I've been with this outfit every since I got out of the Army, and have made good money with them. I've got one of the better supervisors in the company. They have always taken pretty good care of me, though recently I've seen a couple people I cared about get cut loose for various B.S. reasons. If anyone has any good reasons why I should/shouldn't take this job, let me know.

Quote for the day.

"Most people in this world will never need a gun, however the ones
that do will need it in the worst way possible, and usually never live
to tell about it"
                    Jeff Cooper

Nasty outside, but still a good day

Man, what a yucky weather day here. Rainy and cold, but winter's time is running short. Sure wish I would have gotten the fertilizer out on the garden dirt and yard before the rain

I just finished the last of my tests for SCT100 (intro to MS Office) so that one is done! Ended up with an 88%, so not to bad. I've got finals in English Monday, and then a couple of weeks off until spring quarter starts.

Me and Dad were talking about impact tools last weekend, specifically air ratchets....how that was the next thing on my list. I told my friend Greg, who works at a driveline shop, to check the "repo" stuff on the tool trucks (Snap On, Matco, etc.) hoping to find a deal on a good used one. Well, when it is nasty outside, I tend to hang out at the shop and talk racing with the guys, and basically get paid to B.S. When I drove up the Matco truck was there and Greg says, "Let’s go check it out." He never even asked about repo stuff...went straight back to the new stuff, asked the price of a new 3/8 air ratchet, say's "Put it on my account Lee", and puts the damn thing in my hand! Damned if I know what I've done for him lately or if there is something coming up that'll require my expertise, but I'm definitely in the hole to him at the moment. Here is a picture of it....

That dude never fails to surprise me like that. I also got a few parts for my 10/22 rifle project, but it isn't done so no pictures of it yet.

Debbie is back home!

Well, after being gone for two days, living it up at a training seminar in Norcross, my dear wife finally made it home this evening...so I had her make me a sandwich, just to make sure she didn't find her another man up there...just kidding, but she did make me a sandwich within 10 minutes of walking in the door. Ya gotta love that.

It's kind of weird for her to be the one gone. I'm usually the one heading off to teach at a training center or help another office. Hell, I don't know how to act without someone sitting at the computer behind me. Poor thing just sat there, without anyone playing yahoo canasta on it. The cats just walked around looking for her, and bothering the hell out of me. Lany had to cook my dinner (and a fine job she did by the way), because Lord knows I'd starve to death otherwise. It is probably a good thing to have a wake up call every once in a while to show me how much I take her for granted.

 

About XM radio

I guess I should have said exactly what XM is. It is radio, without commercials, that is broadcast via satellite. There is a monthly fee, $9 per month, but I can already tell it is worth that. Over 100 channels, every genre you can think of. All of my installers have it because our area is big enough your always loosing the channel your listening to...that and Columbus radio stations are terrible. With this, you could listen to the same channel all the way across the country. The antenna is tiny, and it works pretty good on the dash. I ran out to the driver side roof though. Magnet mounted. It only took about 10 minutes to install, and I activated it on the internet.

A pretty good Monday

Alrighty...I was up 'til 2am last night doing homework, but it paid off tonight. I nailed the persuasive speach in English class...even had a couple folks yell "encore" when I was done. Easy day at work, and bought myself a new toy....

XM radio for the work van.

I already like it alot. I thought I'd be listening to talk radio all day, but got hooked on the comedy channels instead. I've only got to use it for a few hours, but I recommend it already. Very cool.

Here is another pic, but don't give me grief over the junk in the van...all the stuff you see is needed...no, really, I mean it.

You can see the BC powder, one of the Nextel's, the van gas card, a trash bag...all important stuff. The little bag has o-rings for the turbo in my pickup. They've been there two months, but one of these days I'm gonna upgrade that turbo, and I'll know right where the o-rings are!

Man, What a day!

Wow, it is perfect outside! And, to top it off, moisture was just right to do a little tilling.....so, that's what I did. Oh, and check out those front hubcaps...Stylin' baby!

And here is the final product...just need to pick up some lime and maybe a bit of fertilizer, and I can get some plants in the ground.

Here it is...My historic first post.

Well, I've gotten a crash course on posting to the journals this morning. Somehow I lost everything I'd written while trying to save the entry.

Happy Birthday to my sister, Rachel.

I just got off the phone with my buddy Greg. He was calling to see if I'd even started the research assignment for English 101 that is due tomorrow night. Of course, neither of us has started yet. It is funny how I've got time to make this journal, talk on the phone, and watch Fox News, but I've not got the time for homework.

It is quite beautiful in Georgia today. I should be outside doing anything rather than sitting in front of this computer. The tractors are ready to work, and it is probably good timing because the grass is already growing here. I've already mowed once with my latest garden tractor aquisition, a '76 Wheel Horse that I bought from Greg. It is in great shape, and actually did a pretty good job, although not quite as nice as the big tractor.