Speaking to the Ether. . . .

My lack of posting seems to have shut down this blog. My life has recently been a whirlwind. Those who mock the Government worker officially has a pox cast upon them. I am the busiest, most overworked person that I know.

If anyone is still put there, I have officially accepted my new post working for Transportation Security (a subdivision of Homeland). What this means is that I can make a phone call and have you cavity searched at the airport. I'm mad with the power.

My philosophy on accepting the job is this: I have busted my ass, scraped, crawled, demeaned and ranted to get a promotion that I deserved. I finally got it, but not before I applied elsewhere. Now, for once in my life, I am in demand. So, the safety of aviation now has to pony up. They need to offer something to keep me. . . and I can be bought cheap. If they offer nothing, I'm gone. The new place is weird in the fact that they are falling all over me and can't wait for me to start. I'm almost inclined to turn it down because I can't live up to the hype.

Bottom line, the intense security clearance (like I'm working at Area 51) will take months and then, I'll be shuffling off.

More inportantly, tomorrow starts Man's Weekend. I will arrive first at approx. 1:00 PM and be drinking by 2:00. As people, including Wyatt show up the drinks will pour. To get a jump on the weekend, I plan on stopping at the bar that we will be at on Thursday night and convince them to stock Guinness for the upcoming onslaught.

Next year, MWE - - - -VEGAS!

Who needs directions????

Half A Minute

Sure, I'm still stressing out about whether to take to new job when it gets officially offered. Sure, I had to go on travel to Aberdeen and watch an airplane get blown up (awesome). Sure, my son went from being sick to go to the hospital and getting diagnosed with Bacterial Pneumonia. Sure, my workload at the office is akin to a guy in a Medieval Pressing Torture (another weight please). The question is why haven't you been blogging.

Despite the above. . . and prior to the knowledge of my son Reilly being diagnosed, last weekend we went to the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. We haven't been on a vacation in forever, so we paid my niece to come and stay with the dog and we went. Despite Reilly not feeling well, we all had a great time. We all shared a room with my friend Lori and here son.

Great Wolf is an indoor water park. It had all sort of water rides for kids of all ages. A stand that sold very nice margaritas, and various other activities for the family. It had a wave pool for the kids and enough chlorine to kill off anything you might be afraid of.



The adult highlights, besides the bar, were a triple set of slides the actually left the building and deposited you back in the building (see above). Great for racing. My daughter and her best friend and I did that most of the day while the Mom's and the boys did various stuff around the hotel.



Although a close race for what was better, my choice for second coolest thing was the slide/rollercoaster. If you click on the picture above, you can get a better view. It's the blue tubes. If you look toward the back on the left you can see where it begins. It was a real raft similar to this:

It is on a series of moving belts and water slide tubes and it flew. It was a blast.

Again, close, but my favorite slide was what we called the Toilet.

This dropped you very quickly into the big round green and yellow bowl you see in the picture. You swirled around a couple of times and then you gou flushed down another chute. I was never so happy to feel like crap.

If you are looking for something different to do with kids, I recommend this.

Inner Peace

My sister sent me this email. I thought that I would pass it on. enjoy!

Try, this it really works!

I am passing this on to you because it definitely works. We could all
use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice
heard on the Dr. Phil Show, you too, can find inner peace. Dr Phil
proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things
you've started and never finished." So, I looked around my house to see
all the things I'd started and hadn't finished. And before leaving the
house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of
Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a bottle of Kahlua, a
package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest
of the cheesecake, some Doritos and a box of chocolates. You hav e no
idea how freaking good I feel.

Please pass this on to those you feel might be in need of inner peace.

I'm Feelin' Mighty Old

I was checking out IMDB today and guess who's birthday it is? Amy Jo Johnson.

But why do I care, since she doesn't have red hair?? Because she is 37 today. She was the Pink Power Ranger!!

This is almost as bad as the whole Euro Trip shock when I noticed that the hot chick in the movie was Harriet the Spy. I can't stand it.

I'm starting to feel like Arty Johnson on the park bench in Laugh-In. . . . .and if you got that reference, you're with me in the geriatric department.

Dilemma . . . .An Update!

Work continues to be busy. Now I have a dilemma.

A few weeks ago, I was told that I was promoted. This way the organization can HIRE someone for the vacancy that I applied for. This was because I was ranked first and if they gave me THAT position, they would lose the billet. . . .. and we need people.
So, I am thrilled that the promotion went through.

However. . . . . .

I also applied for a position with a different organization. I received word yesterday that the organization had some logistic issues and had to revamp their announcement. They wanted to make sure that I was still interested. I heard through the grapevine that I ranked top of pile from a pretty big list. (The hiring pool must REALLY suck). Anyway, I am in a quandary as to what to do. There are pros and cons to this and I don't know what to do, should the OFFICIAL offer come across the street.

REASONS TO STAY
1. Now that I am promoted, I am happy here. The work is a pain in the ass. I have the nightmare of all nightmare contracts, but I handle it well enough that I got an "attaguy" a little while ago.
2. I comfortable here. My desk is set up better than most. I know the ins and outs of the organization, etc.
3. I know the people here and like several of them.
4. I get to work a 4 day, 10 hour schedule. Going requires that I work 9 hours days with on 8 hour Fri and 1 Friday off.
5. If I stay, I get to go to Alaska again in June.
6. I currently follow a different set of Goevrnment rules of Contracting and would have to learn the other.
7. Although they say no, my new boss would be in Washington and thus the fear of having the position move to DC looms.

REASONS TO GO
1. There is a promotion potential for the next level of pay within a year.
2. I don't know for sure, but the amount of work appears to be significantly lower.
3. I would be one of two Contracts people. Higher visibility.

What to do. . . What to do. . . . .
4. A change of scenery.

Caption Contest - Subway! Eat Fresh!

Since I came in first place in both and RT's Contests this week, I guess it's only fair to post a rare Deathlok Caption Contest.

This picture was received, courtesy of 80s Girl. Thanks 80s.

I'll post the winner on Monday.

Other Caption contests:
RT's Place(I took 1st here last week)
Cowboy Blob
Bullwinkle(I took 1st here last week)
Gone Rick Motel
Right Pundits
Rodney Dill
Wizbang
and of course
Wyatt(I took 1st here last week)

WINNERS!!
3rd Place - "Do you realize you are sitting on a naked mans fingers? You don't know where those fingers have been!" - JT

2nd Place - Rover realized that his dream of parrot parmigiana was about to come true. - RT

1st Place - "Parrots is practically chicken" - Rodney Dill

Click It & Flick It!

Okay . . . . How can this movie possibly be bad. It’s a plane for of people and they are attacked by zombies. . . . .and they’re in airplane. . . . . Zombies . . . . . in an Airplane. That almost doesn’t need a good nude scene to make it a four star movie. Dawn of the Dead was great and the name Snakes on a Plane was good (movie. . . .not so much). Now, there are zombies on a plane. I would watch zombies in an elevator. . . .Zombies – Going Down.

Netflix has just informed me that they have put that in the mail and I will have it tomorrow. Thankfully, the Flyers do not start until Thursday Night. A little non-Flyers NHL action and then Flight of the Living Dead takes off.

Sadly, I was exited to see Knocked Up and it was not very good. Probably because there were no zombies in it.