Over the last month I've been getting the spring feeling more and more. It seems too long since I last went for a round of golf, chucked a ball or was able o go for a walk in the woods without snowshoes. Now that it's almost the end of February I am starting to get the itch again.
My vacation is planned out and I just want the next couple of months to pass by so I can get going. That's the thing about vacations, it seems to take forever to get to them and once you are on vacatiion the time seems to go so fast. I'm really looking forward to this one though. I'm making a trip down to Tennessee with my girlfriend where we are planning on spending a week holed up in a cabin near Gatlinburg. It should be nice and relaxing compared to the chaos that is my normal life.
The older I get the more relaxed and accepting of life I have become. Things that don't bother me now would have driven me nuts at a younger age. I'm not sure if it's because I've been thru those things and know what to expect or because I really don't care any more. I do know that I am at the point in my life where I really don't care what people think about me and the way I live. It's nice because I don't have anyone's expectations to live up to except my own. Mind you I can't really say that I ever tried to live up to anyone's expectations. Probably why I am where I am today. Honestly right now I am looking forward to my retirement in another decade or so. All I need is place of my own where I can spend my days fishing, golfing, camping and otherwise relaxing with a bit of travel tossed in for a change.
It's always good to dream. Right now I'm at work and dreaming of 7am when I get off shift. Since a bunch of our guys are getting training this week I have been left all alone this shift. It's great to be able to actually concentrate on my work instead of having to shepherd the young guys around and keep tabs on them. Sometimes I would prefer being a peon instead of a supervisor. Oh well, such is life.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Another day, another dollar
As the title says I'm back at work here. Another night shift about half over now. Sometimes I wonder if it would be more worth it to find a job where I didn't have to work night shifts but every time I do I get to thinking about the time off and vacation I get for doing it. I guess it's a balance that I have to put up with until I can retire one day. I just keep praying that the day comes sooner than later. Until then I'll just keep trying to stay awake and forget about the fact that I have another 5 hours to go.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Weekend
Well the new year is upon us and a couple of days into already. I went to the bank yesterday and one of the first things I did was screw up the date on a check. Go figure, it's not even a week old. I'm going to have to work on my memory a bit more I guess.
New Years eve came of just about as I had figured. Got home from work and Mike and I spent the evening playing games on the Wii and sucking back pop and chips. Another of the things in life that I never seem to have quite established in my mind as something to avoid, never have a bowl of ice cream then down a couple of glasses of coke later on. Not sure about anyone else but having an ice cream float fizzing away in my stomach makes me look about 6 months pregnant.
The time off has been nice and it's back to work on monday. Fortunately I only work 3 days this week. It will give me an even longer weekend next one. I also have my annual review on monday. It will be interesting to see what the boss thinks. It should be pretty good. Of course along with the review comes the annual raise. I'm almost betting that next paycheck I'll be bringing home less than I did last year. For some reason the amount of tax taken off always seems to increase disproportionately to the raise given. I've had times when I was bringing home less after a raise than I was before, mainly due to being elevated to the next tax bracket. Oh well, guess I'll find out next pay check.
New Years eve came of just about as I had figured. Got home from work and Mike and I spent the evening playing games on the Wii and sucking back pop and chips. Another of the things in life that I never seem to have quite established in my mind as something to avoid, never have a bowl of ice cream then down a couple of glasses of coke later on. Not sure about anyone else but having an ice cream float fizzing away in my stomach makes me look about 6 months pregnant.
The time off has been nice and it's back to work on monday. Fortunately I only work 3 days this week. It will give me an even longer weekend next one. I also have my annual review on monday. It will be interesting to see what the boss thinks. It should be pretty good. Of course along with the review comes the annual raise. I'm almost betting that next paycheck I'll be bringing home less than I did last year. For some reason the amount of tax taken off always seems to increase disproportionately to the raise given. I've had times when I was bringing home less after a raise than I was before, mainly due to being elevated to the next tax bracket. Oh well, guess I'll find out next pay check.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
I remember......
As I sit here at work on New years Eve I got to thinking about how much I used to look forward to this day and the party that was occurring that night. In my younger days the beginning of a new year meant a party of historical proportions spent with friends, lots of booze, a large number of calorie laden snacks and many traditions like watching the ball drop in Times Square at midnight (even though midnight where I lived was still 2 hours away).
As I got older and quit drinking the partying meant less and less to me. I think in some respects it was just that I never was a serious partier although I tried to keep up with everyone. The turning of a new year seemed to lose it's mystique and meaning. I can remember once when I was in the army and had done something that the Capt thought warranted pulling duty New Years day. While I'm sure he considered it a punishment I don't think he realized that it didn't bother me at all.
Now that I'm a couple of years over 50 it is just another day for me. Yes, it is the beginning of a new year and all that it brings but in reality it's just an arbitrary date that someone decided on way back when. The only real difference is that I will have to start writing 2009 on my checks now. I tend to mark the passage of years more in events that mean something to me. The beginning of fastball each year is kind of like the new year for me. That is something I really look forward to as it comes around each May. Because my birthday coincides with the start of the ball season I tend to view that as the start of my year.
Yes, New Years is a cause for celebration in some respects because that is when I get my annual raise at work. But in most ways it is just another day. I'm here working until 730 this evening. When I get off I'll likely head home and catch up with my brothers who I suspect will be sitting back with a beer or two and watching the hockey game. Whether or not we will actually make it to the new year awake is always a point for debate. However in our own way we will celebrate the passing of 2008.
I guess I can be thankful that I am still alive to see tomorrow. I often think of my friends and others who may have worries about the future and look on the new year with trepidation. I also think about friends that I have lost over the last 12 months and how they affected my life while they were alive. I guess in that respect I do find significance in New Years Eve. A time for thought and rememberance to ponder over the past and dream of the future.
So I'll put in my 11.5 hours today and go home to spend a quiet (relatively, it's never totally quiet with my brothers around) evening watching tv, playing games and snacking on Ruffles.
For those of you who are out having fun tonight, take care and make it home safely. I wish everyone a Happy New Years and may the next one see your hopes and wishes come to pass. :)
As I got older and quit drinking the partying meant less and less to me. I think in some respects it was just that I never was a serious partier although I tried to keep up with everyone. The turning of a new year seemed to lose it's mystique and meaning. I can remember once when I was in the army and had done something that the Capt thought warranted pulling duty New Years day. While I'm sure he considered it a punishment I don't think he realized that it didn't bother me at all.
Now that I'm a couple of years over 50 it is just another day for me. Yes, it is the beginning of a new year and all that it brings but in reality it's just an arbitrary date that someone decided on way back when. The only real difference is that I will have to start writing 2009 on my checks now. I tend to mark the passage of years more in events that mean something to me. The beginning of fastball each year is kind of like the new year for me. That is something I really look forward to as it comes around each May. Because my birthday coincides with the start of the ball season I tend to view that as the start of my year.
Yes, New Years is a cause for celebration in some respects because that is when I get my annual raise at work. But in most ways it is just another day. I'm here working until 730 this evening. When I get off I'll likely head home and catch up with my brothers who I suspect will be sitting back with a beer or two and watching the hockey game. Whether or not we will actually make it to the new year awake is always a point for debate. However in our own way we will celebrate the passing of 2008.
I guess I can be thankful that I am still alive to see tomorrow. I often think of my friends and others who may have worries about the future and look on the new year with trepidation. I also think about friends that I have lost over the last 12 months and how they affected my life while they were alive. I guess in that respect I do find significance in New Years Eve. A time for thought and rememberance to ponder over the past and dream of the future.
So I'll put in my 11.5 hours today and go home to spend a quiet (relatively, it's never totally quiet with my brothers around) evening watching tv, playing games and snacking on Ruffles.
For those of you who are out having fun tonight, take care and make it home safely. I wish everyone a Happy New Years and may the next one see your hopes and wishes come to pass. :)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
almost dinner
Well another day at work and it's getting close to suppertime. I can certainly tell each day when it's that time. There are two times of day that I really look forward to. Meals and bed time. Unfortunately sometimes I look forward to meals a bit too much and hence weigh a bit more than I should. It's a good thing I can head to the gym regularly and burn off some of the calories that I put on at this time of year.
I actually look forward to the new year at the end of each previous one. One of the main reasons is that I always get a raise at the beginning of the year. Anytime they are willing to give me more money I am not going to argue. The other thing is that I can start planning and looking forward to my holidays. One of my little pleasures each year is looking at my work schedule and figuring out when it is best to take time off. This involves a little guesswork though and I usually tend to try and predict the weather 5 months ahead of time and generally fail at that.
I work for an airline, which in todays world is probably not something most people would consider as secure employment. The company itself is great and I really can't find anything wrong with it. I mean how can you beat a job where you are only at work about 160 days out of 365, get a long weekend every weekend and can fly across the country at seriously discounted rates? With the economy the way it is though I never know what it going to happen. It could all change tomorrow. Until they say something I'll just have to keep working. Of course retirement would probably be better but I suspect I would get pretty bored with sitting on the porch shooing the kids off my lawn.
I actually look forward to the new year at the end of each previous one. One of the main reasons is that I always get a raise at the beginning of the year. Anytime they are willing to give me more money I am not going to argue. The other thing is that I can start planning and looking forward to my holidays. One of my little pleasures each year is looking at my work schedule and figuring out when it is best to take time off. This involves a little guesswork though and I usually tend to try and predict the weather 5 months ahead of time and generally fail at that.
I work for an airline, which in todays world is probably not something most people would consider as secure employment. The company itself is great and I really can't find anything wrong with it. I mean how can you beat a job where you are only at work about 160 days out of 365, get a long weekend every weekend and can fly across the country at seriously discounted rates? With the economy the way it is though I never know what it going to happen. It could all change tomorrow. Until they say something I'll just have to keep working. Of course retirement would probably be better but I suspect I would get pretty bored with sitting on the porch shooing the kids off my lawn.
Monday, December 29, 2008
First post
Now that I've created this thing I guess I have to put something in here to fill it up. With my limited creativity that could be a bit of a chore but I'll try.
So I'm sitting here at work now that Christmas has come and gone for another year. Not quite New Years yet so it's that inbetween time when you want to be off work because you are recovering from one holiday and not quite ready for the next one. Since I am working on the 31st I'm not sure I'm going to want to be doing much partying that evening, actually I'm not even sure I'll make it until midnight. The last couple of years have been a bit of a chore trying to stay awake that long. I'm sure I'll feel better after a couple of drinks and a few snacks.
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