mr. brightside...

i am reporting back as promised with more of a glass-is-half-full perspective. yes, there is little doubt that my future with my current company is uncertain, and the general state of it's relationship with the company for whom we work as contractors is unstable at best, i believe that things will work out in the long run. there are several scenarios in which i could actually end up in a better position when things finally shake out. it's the uncertainty of it all which causes stress, but much of it is beyond my control. in the meantime, i will continue to try to remain optimistic, focus on the positives, and open to whatever opportunities arise.
that said, there's alot of other stuff non-work related going on as well. wrapped up my fall softball league last night, went 8-3-1, which is not bad, but not as good as we've done in other years. no championship t-shirts this fall however.
also, it the final week of mlb and several last minute playoff spots have yet to be decided. as it stands right now, my twins are in and the cardinals are struggling to hang on to first in the nl central.
friday is my annual golf outing with jeff & al. it's a little later in the season than we normally play but it's hard to align everyone's schedules.
saturday allie has an overnighter planned with a few of her girlfriends from college so i will be in full-time dad mode.
i'll report back in a day or two or whenever the next blogworthy event occurs.

road to nowhere?...

i don't often discuss my professional career here, however, i feel like i'm stuck in a bit of a rut these days and that there's no place to go in my current situation.
on the one hand, i have a pretty good job, that isn't awlays very rewarding, but it is a gig that a lot of people probably wish they had. there are not really a lot of surprises anymore, not that i never learn anything new, but the challenges appear to be fewer and further between. it's sort of like a comfortable relationship that you may take for granted. it's there and you play your part and perform your duties and responsibilities but you have to wonder where it's going (note: i am NOT referring to an actual relationship here!) also, there's the bit about instability. things have changed a lot in the last couple of years and there appear to be major changes to come. what happens when the dust all settles remains to be seen, but i am not ashamed to admit that i an keeping my eyes open for opportunities on the outside.
it's also possible that when the changes do occur that they could be positive. there's awlays the chance that my situation here will improve and that i'll still be here in five years, but i am keeping all options open at this point. it's important to me to feel that i am at least active in controlling my own career and destiny. what will actually end up happening is anybody's guess. can you tell it's a gloomy, rainy day? it's probably not as bad as i made it sound. more upbeat next time...

stepping up...

i made the leap from casual home gym equipment to the "most motivating and versatile crosstrainers in it's class". as explained earlier, i was in need of a home-workout solution after my previous crosstrainer bit the dust so i opted to pony up for a good quality tunturi c35. i plan on getting back on my "3 x's per week for 30 minutes" workout schedule this week and i feel pretty good about this machine lasting a lot longer than my previous one. you can tell by looking and feeling that the quality is far superior to my old pro form. i guess it's not as exciting as a new hi-def tv, or a brand new computer, but i believe that regular exercise is important and i needed something reliable.

why blog?

We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to.
W. Somerset Maugham
English dramatist & novelist (1874 - 1965)

see? i have to do this...

elliptical illusion...

recently my crosstrainer which i have used religiously 3 times a week for the past 2 and a half years, began making a clunking noise. i did some research and was able to see where the crank was dipping further than it should and rubbing against the frame. i decided to continue using it until i could determine if i could get replacement parts and if so, if i could get it repaired. the other night i was using it and the crank completely severed rendering it completely useless. i contacted a local guy in the yellow pages who alledgedly repairs home excercise equipment and he said he wanted $92.50 to come out, troubleshoot and diagnose the problem. at this point we both agreed that after the bloated cost of replacement parts and shipping cost, it may not be worth trying to repair the crosstrainer. it may make more sense to just replace it with a better model. being the shrewd business mind that i am, i asked him if he would either a. - quote the repair costs for gas & time (this doesn't need to cost $100), or b. - offer a diagnoses (if possible) from digital pictures to save him time & money. here is how the exchange went:

him:
Hello Skip: I would suggest that I trouble shoot and dismantle prior to you ordering parts. Be aware that Proform has a stiff fee for S&H. Email me back. With name address city and Zip code and phone numbers. Thanks *** P.S. I am about a week out.

me:
***,

Proform told me to expect to pay $12-14 for shipping. I agree that the best approach would be for you to troubleshoot and diagnose the exact parts needed for repair, however, I have some reservations about paying nearly $100 to learn that. Once I've invested that much money into it I'm almost committed to repairing it rather than scrapping it and getting a new one, and like you said, we are not sure which option makes the most sense yet. I do not know how much disassembling you would have to do as the pedal disk is off and exposing the inside where the broken crank is. Would you be willing to make a diagnosis at a reduced rate? I understand that you must be reimbursed for gas & time. Or, would you be interested in seeing some digital pictures to see if you can determine anything from those? You might be able to guage from those if you think it is worth trying to fix or not.
Let me know your thoughts,
Thank you,

Skip

him:
Hi again Skip: My answer is no!!! I am too busy and to experienced to agree to your proposal. Thanks, *** P. S. My rate is not a 100. But rather 92.50 Good Bye, and luck! ***


okay, some may call me cheap for trying to talk him down from his $92.50 and that's fair, but apparently i struck some sort of nerve by rounding the $92.50 up to "nearly $100". what was i thinking?? another thing, i am no english major but one thing i AWLAYS notice is when people use "to" instead of "too". as in he got "too busy" correct but missed "to experienced". 50%...not bad. or should i round that down to 0%?

life is random...

here are the four songs that my ipod graciously produced during my short ride to work this morning. as far as i know this is the first time these particular tracks have ever been played consecutively at any time in the known world.

dead can dance - ullyses (a passage in time)

bob dylan - just like tom thumb's blues (highway 61 revisited)

lali puna - everywhere and all over (tridecoder)

beck - ghost range, e-pro (guerolito)