Election year crap

Well it is official....I am completely burned out on politics. The really bad part about that is, and I am sure you are all aware, that it is really just beginning. The conventions haven't even been held yet! I can tell you this, the Republican convention can go one of two ways.....either the man with the most delegates gets the nod for the run, or the Republican Party will cease to exist. Like him or not, it looks as though Donald Trump will be the man with the most delegate but not the magic number needed to seal the deal. If the "establishment" robs him of the nomination, the Republican Party will cease to exist at that moment and we shall pretty much see an end to this great country. How in gods name a self avowed socialist and a straight up bald faced liar actually stand a chance to become president of this country......I am truly shocked and I am sure our founding fathers are rolling in their grave. I chalk it up to the current president and the way he has divided this country along so many seams. Color, race, income, sex, you name the way, he has ripped it apart. I really worry about this country and what we are leaving for our children to inherit. Did our parents have the same thoughts as they watched the politics of the day unfold?

Still working

Well, i survived the first round of the lay-offs. But, the big round is coming. Yhe WARN notice said 650 personnel would get the axe. So far, 185 laid off and another 50 or so through attrition. So the math states that close to 400 will get the axe on 11 Dec with the final day being 18 Dec. we shall see. For the world in general. I am so unsure of what is going on in the world today. It feels as though I am living in the world of "1984". If you haven't read the book, do and tell me I am dreaming. Particularly about who we are mad at and who we are friends with.......Seriously, I want a mountain cabin off the grid so I can clear my mind of this nonsense. One of these days, that cabin will be a reality. A two room structure, with An outhouse, water, solar panels, and a wind generator. Think that would cover it. my own place where I can be a free man. Dreams like these keep me sane most days. I have been designing this cabin in my head for years, how it will be laid out, how I will construct it, what kind of land I want. I have read that POW's that were "guests" of the North Vietnamese would do the same thing. Is that telling me something?

Well, I got a WARN notice a couple of weeks ago. Do not know what that is? Then you have never had the threat of being laid off held over your head. On Monday this week, Human Resources sent out a voluntary lay off, but this one had numbers of personnel for each management classification listed. It laid out the severance pay package. So i figured what the heck. I will submit and see if they bite. I had to have my boss sign the paper before it went to HR. I took it to her and she asked to take it to the VP and ask him what's what. I saw her later in the afternoon, she handed me back the paper and stated I was "not on the list".... Whatever that means. Guess I will continue riding the train until it continues past the crossroads or runs off the tracks! While all this is going on, the award I wrote for the Program got selected to try for a Silver award level. Huge honor to go in front of corporate staff and brief your program to them. I would really like to win this as the Gold awards are held in London!! Would love to see Trafalger Square, Lord Admiral Nelsons statue, and the HMS Victory. White cliffs of Dover would be awesome as well. but first, I must make one of the most awesome PowerPoint presentations ever to convince them we are doing Gods work here at NSR.

Another day......

Wake up, shower, dress, make coffe, toast bagel, eat, peruse Internet, pack lunch, pull on work boots, drive through traffic, go to work, supervise the sometimes glacial pace of ship repair, meetings, lunch, more meetings, drive home, eat dinner, walk dog, television, bedtime at 10:00, wake up and do it again. But wait.......it's Friday! And Labor Day weekend to boot! Three days off! Mountain biking with the kids, yard work, barbeque, cold beer. Fly the American flag proudly.

Just thinking...

I am guessing that since I have been a bit active on some of the other blogs out there that folks might actually be looking at this blog now. A little about me. I had a checkered past and my beloved Marine Corps set me on the straight and narrow. It gave me a reason to hold my head high and look people in the eye. And I appreciated the chance it took on me. I turned 27the day I jumped on the yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego. At that moment I left my past behind. I became an 0351 Dragon Gunner and tried out for Force Reconnaissance and to my amazement...I made it. My true maturity in the Corps began the day I checked in to that elite unit. I met the CO and 30 seconds after that, while still in Alphas, I was thrashed for 30 minutes by a Sergeant all us new guys affectionately nicknamed "Sgt Satan". I was tested and tested like I had never been before, being pushed to the extreme limits of what I could endure and then further than I gave myself credit for. It was the last thing in the Marine Corps I had joined for but soon became the real reason I had joined. I belonged to something greater than myself. Where only the mission mattered....everything else was secondary. And those lessons carried me throughout my career. I made a huge mistake during the RIF following the first Gulf War and got out despite knowing I was making a mistake. It took me 16 months to get myself back in.

And life rolls on.....

I know no one actually reads this blog unless they have the unfortunate occurance to stumble upon it. So I can use it to rant as I see fit about things that bother the hell out of me. But first....I must go to another meeting at this sould sucking establishment.

Sunday Morning....

I will admit it...I am the worlds worst blogger. Nobody has EVER read this blog but still, I should be a little more disiplined about the whole thing.

How about an update then? Well, My sone and I ran the Yuengling Shamrock 8K yesterday. I consider it a feat in many aspects: 1) I got my son to actually run 8K!! 2) I actually ran an 8K! My daughter ran the kids 1 mile race. I was with her at the start and, since they didn't tell me I couldn't doit, I ran it with her!! The knee felt, at times, like it was bone on bone grating but other times was great. It felt like old times. I rediscovered around the 2.5K mark that I really enjoy to run. I am going to keep this trend up.

Today we are kind of taking it easy. Started out the day with some really good coffe my wife made. I have fallen in love with the Nestle Coffee Mate Cafe Latte creamer. Of course, I got a small hazelnut coffe from Dunkin Donuts for the drive home!!