Killing Time With Books!!

While on the job I was extremely busy. Saturdays were filled with errands and I collapsed on Sundays watching DVD's with Regina to get ready for the grind ahead for the next five days, translation, there was little time to read. While exploring rooms and bookcases crammed with books, I came across a bunch I had purchased but never had the time to read. Also I've run through a stack of books that my old boss Faye gave me to read.

I finished all the fiction  books I owned and was not in the mood for nonfiction so Regina and I started swapping books. She's reading a lot of my Robert Parker novels now; however, she's not into Jack Reacher and his adventures. For the life of me I can't figure it out. I know tons of people, male and female who can't get enough of the Jack Reacher character.  I asked her if she had anything other than romance stuff. It turns out that an author named Nora Roberts who writes romance novels also writes mystery novels involving the FBI, etc. So I took a chance and read a couple. 

Ms. Roberts can turn a phrase to be sure. The books were entertaining. However, I could do without some of the steamy scenes. They didn't add much to the book. Roberts could take a hint from another of my favorite authors, Louis Lamour when it came to romance. In his books, it was always implied, never raw. I'm old, I don't need raw,

Last night I read the last one and went into the front room where we store a lot of books, I picked up a couple and brought them into the room to read, only to discover that it was the romance version of Ms. Robert's books, Yuch! So I asked Regina to find me a couple more mystery books. She did and I'll plow through those next.

I have a whole bunch of political type conservative books which I was reading a little at a time, but to be honest, since the election, I lost interest in what's going on out there. Of course being laid off due to a reduction in force didn't help,  I don't need to be depressed anymore than I am.

I guess some of my history nonfiction books will be next. I have plenty of them around the house that I haven't read yet. Many years ago, when we were first married, I joined the History Book Club. I was always forgetting to stop the monthly selection so I wound up with them anyway. Eventually I gave up and just accepted whatever came.

 Finally, about 20 years later, the house was overflowing with hardcover Historical books and I had no choice but to surrender. I sent a letter to the History Book Club and resigned my membership. I actually received a letter from them asking me not to quit. They said they would just suspend my membership for a little while. Supposedly, they didn't want my streak to end. I knew better though. I'd be a sucker and get right back in it so I said thanks but no thanks.

Consequently, we have quite a diverse library in the house. Everything from William Rufus to Marriage in the Middle Ages, the Plague that swept across Europe, Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada, the European Discovery of America, the American Civil War, the Korean War, you name it, we got it! The other day we were talking about holding a yard sale in the spring to see if we could sell any of them along with other detritus we've accumulated over the years. Something tells me that if any of my books go, older folks will buy them. I don't think the younger generation gives a hoot about history. It's their loss for sure.

Second Amendment Opinion

Due to the recent Newtown, Ct. killings, the nation is once again up in arms over the lack of gun control. This is a subject that for the most part, I have avoided over the years especially in the work place, because it usually creates angst and arguments amongst normally friendly folk due to such diverse opinions. This time I am compelled to yield to the Newtown tragedy and say something. On the one hand, I firmly believe that the second amendment was authored by our founding fathers as a method of self-defense. The militia issue being the central point to me. That is what the commons was for in most frontier and country towns. The militia would gather for drills and inspections on a periodic basis. 

However, in my opinion, the need for a militia of that type is no longer relevant. except for a few archaic statutes in some states, it no longer exists, we now have the National Guard, Air Guard and other reserve components to be called up in the event of emergencies providing they pass the muster of the posse comitatus act. Opinions vary, but some of the Founding Fathers believe that everyone is still militia based on the fact that we civilians would need to overthrow an oppressive Federal government if it did not operate in the best interest of the people. We have evolved beyond the same kind of thinking that wanted to insure an ability to through off the tyranny of a Kinge George III.I think that is never likely to happen, however many kinks in the armor we have, our form of a constitutional government is still the best on earth. I just wish the  present politicians realized that; but they're too busy raking in the dough to pay attention to the people that elected them..

Being a military history buff and a veteran, most people assume I am an ardent supporter of the Second Amendment. That assumption would be incorrect (as the amendment stands). While, I believe in the ability to defend one's home against invaders, I also believe in other things that would make a gun lover cringe. 

Below please find a link from the Athens Banner-Herald to a recent article about the 2008 Supreme Court Decision which clarified/certified the intent of the 2nd amendment as it now stands.

http://onlineathens.com/opinion/2012-12-29/galis-second-amendment-now-defined-heller-case

Moreover, I believe that gun control should be modified, not by congressional law because that can usually be overturned at the drop of a hat. It would constantly change along party lines depending on who is in power. I sincerely believe that the Second Amendment should be modified and re-ratified if that is possible, since an amendment is a much harder obstacle to overcome than a law driven by lobbyists and congress people interested only in advancing their own careers.

A rewritten second amendment should:

• delete a reference to a militia.
• provide lengthy jail sentences to those who possess automatic weapons (no parole).
• require a 3 month waiting period upon application for a license to allow for adequate background checking.
• require training in the type of firearm purchased to be signed off by the local police department
• Limit the size of clips,magazines, etc
• Gun smugglers or sellers of illegal fire arms, life imprisonment with no parole.
• Do not allow sales at Gun shows where  background checks are not implemented,

These are a few suggestions that may lessen or prevent a Columbine or Newtown or Virginia Tech shooting. There are probably other things that can be done as well. Bottom line is that the politicians need to do something right for the people for a change and not for the lobbyists. How many young people were prevented from developing their potential by the above mentioned incidents, how many parents, siblings, spouses or grandparents have to suffer such horrible losses before those knuckleheads in congress do what is right instead of what is convenient for them?

Fingers crossed!!

I received an email from Career Builders.com yesterday about a Procurement job for Daiichi Sankyo in Parsipanny, NJ. I checked the job description and it appears to be right up my alley. Moons ago, I worked on an account that was owned by Daiichi Semi America. Maybe if they see their old name they might give me a shot. It would be a 80 mile round trip commute but it would be on the same side of the river. As much as I like the idea of retirement, I would like to work for a couple more years to assure a better retirement down the road.

Well back to watching season 9 of Stargate SG1 with the wife, you can see we're real hell raisers getting ready for New Years Eve.

Go Washington Redskins!!

I woke up this morning to news that the Redskins had beaten their arch rival Dallas Cowboys 28-18. Music to my ears since I have been a Redskins fan since 1966, my first year at Roanoke College in Salem,Virginia. We have had some glory years in the 80's and early 90's; but, have had a dry spell for a long time. Well this time two rookies dragged the Redskins over the finish line to the conference championship for the first time since 1999. RGIII and Alfred Morris did it and there are a lot of happy Redskins fans out there now.

A lot of guys at my former job were rabid Giant's fans, they're disappointed I'm sure, but I hope they're happy for me :-)

Hopefully, they will beat the Seattle Sea Hawks next week and move on to the next round. The 'Skins record 10-6 is a lot better than I personally expected. At the start of the season, I was hoping for at least 8-8. Barring injuries we may make a good showing in the playoffs. It makes me wish I had our TV hooked up again. But we have gone for so many years without it that I'm not going to start now.

You know aside from the close knit crew, we had, one other thing I miss is the company issued Blackberry. It was a lot easier to keep track of Redskin scores when I had that. I now have a plain Jane phone that aside from making calls, takes photos and that is about it. I go nuts on Sundays trying to keep track of the scores.

Post Script:

Well we lost to the Seahawks 24-14, third time in the playoffs. Started off promising scored two touchdowns, but RGIII did not look sharp. Kind of reminded me of a hobbled Sonny Jurgenson, Injured again in the 4th quarter and Cousins took over. I am disappointed on the one hand, but we did a lot better for the season than I expected. Division chanps at least. I just hope that the off season will allow RGIII's knee to heal. Otherwise he will have a short career.

Congratulations to the Redskins on a great turnaround season, now we need to just get better, need an improved secondary and definitely smarter use of a rookie quarterback. At this rate the franchise player will break down quickly. 

Snow is Coming???

Today it is in the forecast for 4 inches of snow. Regina will be making my favorite meat sauce, so soon the smell will permeate the house. Whiling away the time, I've created an Excel spread sheet to chronicle our house hold expenses, food, prescriptions, car payment, mortgage, etc. to track them better given our  limited income since the layoff.

The snow is supposed to start around 9:30am and go through midnight. We have salt for the driveway and money to pay the enterprising young adults that roam the neighborhood in search of their future college fund (or so I would like to think)! One of the best things now is that I don't have to worry about weather conditions affecting work or freeze ups or anything like that for the building, just as it relates to the home!

Just came back from running errands. Its 12:15 and just a few flurries so far. Hope this is another case of the weather forecaster getting it wrong again. End result, about 3 inches, nothing to worry about.

WINTER BLAH'S

Haven't quite figured out what to do with myself yet. I was laid off in mid November (reduction in force, it was called) and thought I would have a lot of things to do. First couple of weeks was really hectic arranging for new medical coverage and going through the typical bureaucratic BS to get myself put on unemployment.

I've been scanning the help wanted ads daily and  put in several applications a week for jobs that I would fit into quickly. Right now I'm still looking for a 9 to 5 job related to purchasing since that was a big part of my previous life as a building manager. No more property management for me. Those long commutes and 24 by 7 on duty standbys are a bit too much at my age. If I get a job, I want to leave it behind me on the desk each night.

I just finished another burst of activity talking to my accountant and financial advisors. It gave me more angst than anything else. Everyone has a different opinion on what I should do with my IRA's, CD's, Annuities, etc.

Initially, I thought I'd spend a lot of time on the internet. But that hasn't been the case. I check the weather, news and email now. I might do a quick lurk on a couple of old message boards I used to frequent but don't have the urge to be as verbose as I once was. I guess, by the same token, if I keep up this blog and people want to see what's going on, they can always tune in here.

Today, I'm going to the butcher and pick up a meat order and we are finishing up season 3 of NCIS. I like that show. I think Mark Harmon is a much better actor now that he's a bit older. I'm still trying to think of something creative to keep my mind working. One idea is to write down my experiences as an Operating Engineer in a Manhattan high rise. 

I kept logs for that time in my life and some of the things that happened were funny, scary and interesting at least to me. I will put a manuscript together to see if it develops into anything worth while. I know other Operating Engineers at least will get a kick out of it. The idea all started when as a Chief Engineer, my daughter came to work on the first "Take your Daughter to Work Day" and witnessed what I did for the day. The next day, she told her class that her daddy did nothing but push red and black buttons all day. Nothing like a kid to sumarize a hard day at work!! :-)

I still miss the action to a certain degree, every once in a while, my cell rings and I start to answer "Corporate Real Estate, may I help you" then come to senses before a syllable or two escape my mouth. I hope everything is running smooth at the old job, they are good folks that are in the trenches.

One thing I have decided to definitely start on is to clear out the accumulation of debris in the two  front upstairs rooms. I will keep the shredder busy as hell. I need a project to keep me occupied, that's for sure.

The one major thing that I thought would keep me occupied has fallen through. The restoration project for the Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa is no more. We simply could not raise the funds to restore her and provide the public with the education we were hoping to. As of this moment, the "Damn Tam" as we fondly called her is probably going to be scrapped, though her present owner has it in mind to sink her as an artificial reef off New Jersey. The Coast Guard has to approve that. I hope the latter is her fate. At least she would be in one piece and available for divers to explore.

Finally , a post and unemployment!!!!

It's been a long time since I posted anything. Since the summer things have gotten a little out of control. I wound up in the hospital after vacation to have my gall bladder removed then was readmitted due to complications.

After that things got very busy at work due to a couple of reorgs. Little did I know that the reorg would include  me. I was laid off on November 15th after almost 31 years on the job. Initially, I was stunned and somewhat depressed. Then after a few days realized that 35 years of 4:30AM wake ups and 4 hour round trip commutes had taken its toll.

I'm looking for another job, but it won't be in the City.I'm sending out resumes weekly. So far no bites. At least for the moment, I'm getting unemployment checks. It almost hurt to write that sentence. In my entire life of 40 years in the work force I had never been unemployed. 30 years with one company alone. Last February they gave me a 30 year watch, a Tag Heuer. Nine months later, plans changed and I'm out the door. I'm disappointed, certainly, but hold no ill will against the company. We parted on good terms as they were very good to me over the years.

I do miss the staff, though, we had a real good crew in the building, it ran like a well oiled machine. I'm trying to get into some kind of routine to make myself useful. Right now, I'm pretty much vegging out and watching videos along with a few errands now and then. It feels odd to be able to get stuff done during the weekday. I'm going to try to get into a much better defined routine by new years. I think the biggest challenge is going to be living on a much reduced budget. I think I'm going to get a hair cut today :-) .....and will probably post on this blog more frequently, if I have anything interesting to say.