An Up Coming Visitor.

Hey, someone is about to be my 10,000 visitor.

That seems significant to me. If you happen to be that person or close to them, please let me know.

Otherwise, please don’t think that I don’t care or miss reading ou all, I just have been busy.

Jeff.

My First Week

Oki Dokey. It was an easy but rather difficult and trying week. Yet I survived and made it to work on time 0 of 4 days for the week.

I was sucked into an engineering meeting for 2 hours of my first day but for much of the rest of the week I haven’t done a whole lot. I’ve read everything I could about the company, their product, the technology, the competitors and various potential vendors that I’ll be bugging soon. I only surfed minimally for non-business purposes. If you were a fly on my office wall you would have fallen to the floor many a time in total shock at how I used my time and resources at work for only work related purposes.

About the late part. Um, well, if you really knew me and my history and my tendency to attract negative or more specifically "non-punctual events” to prevent me from being on-time to work… well you’d be quite impressed!

I was about three minutes late my first day, maybe four-five the second day, close to 14 the third day, and well back to three or so today. And let’s just point out that today I was well on my way to being early had it not been for that slow moving and rather long train this morning. Seriously, there is me and the whole not wanting to get up and all and then there is the entire universe being aligned against me and my attempts to be punctual.

So now that I’ve been there four days and have shown up well before 90% of the people who work there, I think it’s about time that they see my true colors. After all, I have sacrificed soooo much already…


Jeff

My Last Day

By the time it finally came around it was almost a blur. I really would have preferred to savor it a little more, talk to a few more people I won’t likely see often or even at all again and to just enjoy this day.

But no, in typical Fej style:

At approximately dead of night AM my silly dog was trying to crawl under, inside, on top of me, somewhere to hide from the horrible noise. The dreadful noise of a dying smoke detector back-up battery. Yes, they are especially horrible at this time of night. He just wouldn’t let up, I had to replace the battery or harm my dog. Luckily it was in a low hallway and while I nearly had to rip it from the ceiling I was able to replace the battery and go back to bed. Then, at just a little before 6:00 AM, my dog is once again trying to crawl into my skin. Did I put in a bad battery? Could it be possible that after years without replacing a single one, another battery went dead that same night? Yes, my friends. This is my life we are talking about so it is definitely possible. I waited until the last possible moment and of course it was in my oldest daughter’s room at a height requiring a ladder.

I retrieved the ladder, replace the battery and scared the crap out of my oldest child seeing a dark specter atop a ladder in her back lit doorway. After I had put the ladder away I went back to turn on her light and ask what she wanted for breakfast and the light bulb in her room burnt out.

$*%#!

I then had to rush out of the house to squeeze in two parent teacher conferences and somehow drop off another kid at school at the exact same time. Since that couldn’t happen, one particular male child of mine went without socks today and (in a rare moment of luck) it turned out that the conference was 15 minutes later than I thought so I was… on time.

Cool. So as I sat down in my office and started to peruse the usual round of internet news sites for my morning fix and I realized that I should really get things finished up at work. The news could wait. I transferred some files, sent some email, started some parts, gave away some stuff, and then made my rounds to say good bye. The latter part took me until mid afternoon, forced me to write a rather short “good bye” email, and even made me late to pick up my oldest from school.

There were several people though that surprised me, people I had talked to only a number of times over the last decade. They bent my ear and asked all about my new job, the industry, exclaimed how lucky I was and how they wished me the best. And it sure seemed genuine.

It was a good last day.


Jeff

Short Timer

I could just about use a set of 3 x 5 index cards at this point. I’ve had to retell where, why, what I’ll be doing, etc. so many times that I’m starting to mess it up. Don’t get me wrong, the last two weeks have been two of the best I’ve ever had while working.

No pressure, no stress, very little to worry about at all. This is not to say that things have gone all that smoothly either. Parts I need to make a last shipment have been really slow coming through the line, there have been problems overseas, and I keep remembering all these other things I need to do before I leave.

It’s sad that our atmosphere has reached this low point but I’m practically getting “high fived” walking down the hall by people who are just happy to see someone leave voluntarily.

While one the one hand it’s a little repetitive giving the same story over and over again, I don’t necessarily get tired of it. I need cards just because I have to change the story up a little bit depending on who I’m talking too.

Former/current boss: “I’m not all that excited about leaving it’s just that this was such a great opportunity for me.”

Peer: “Well, I hope you get out of here soon too. I’ll pass your resume around once I’m a little more established. Good luck, I hope they start taking better care of you guys.”

Operator on the line: “Screw this place, they’ve been screwing us for years, I’m out of here!”

Tomorrow, I get to have my going away luncheon and I don’t have a speech prepared. Maybe I’ll save that for happy hour after work. I’m sure I’ll have something much more interesting to say after a few drinks in me and my audience.


Jeff

The Next Stage

Things here haven’t been dull. Isn’t that what I was asking for? Dull?

Nope. And it has been not dull to the extreme. And then some. I really don’t want to disturb any of you good people than might be reading this with too many details. Let’s just say that things are going to be a lot different around here.

Starting with my new job of course. Things are sort of starting to wind up to a close at my current employer but I still have a lot to finish off. And that doesn’t include cleaning up my office, which will require close to a day itself.

I may have a roommate for the next couple months. Not in my room, but in my house. This person has lived here before. More specifically she has lived her for a long time up until the last few years. Be careful of what sort of charitable offers you make, people might just take you up on them some day. There are some extenuating circumstances going on right now, but this is sooo not what I wanted.

However, there could be a couple of benefits:

For one, I need to be at work on time everyday without exception for the next few months. If you knew me and my current schedule, you would be afraid for me.

Two, this will save a bunch of money over the next couple of months.

Three, that’s about it. Everything else will be crazy and chaotic and what little time I get “to myself” will pretty much disappear for a while.

Oh, and did I forget to mention there is a kitten involved? I would ask, “What next?” but I know better then that.


Jeff

What Was I Thinking?

Okay, but where do I sit? Whose idea was this? Would I really allow 6 kids to spend the night?

Anyone else need a place for their kids this evening? Bring 'em on over.

Jeff

Drive By

“Hey kids, want to drive by my new job?” I said this evening since we were in the area.

“Yeah!” They replied excitedly. It wasn't far and we were soon there. I wanted to drive by the front entrance since the back area isn’t very exciting but I wasn’t quite sure how to get there. It was 10 minutes until 7:00 PM on Friday night, there were only a couple cars around (which made me feel better) and a security guard in a golf cart.

I found the way to drive up to the entrance but there was no outlet. So I turned around slowly as the kids looked on and asked various questions. A single individual walks out of the building glances over at us but then quickly looks away walking towards the parking structure.

Who was it? My future boss of course, working late on a Friday night. Do I dare drive by tomorrow or Sunday too? What have I got myself into now…

Jeff

Moving On

While waiting in the car the other morning, my little ones were wondering why I wanted to change jobs. They think my company is the greatest place on earth. For one I’ve worked there for their entire lives. Two, on “Bring Your Kids to Work Day” the place is full of games, donuts, candy, and we get play with microscopes and lasers and such. Three, that’s the only time they go inside. The new place just doesn’t sound as fun to them and I neglected to ask if they let us bring our kids on that day each year.

They could not fathom why I didn’t want to be a manager at McDonalds instead. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just not for me.

So, I put in my resignation yesterday after 12 years of employment (more than 1/3 of my life) at this place. That was not an easy thing to do. Even though the offer from my new employer was plenty generous and I’ve been wanting to leave for years now, actually making that walk down the hall was rather nerve racking.

While they were certainly surprised it was more because it was really happening, not that they had not considered the possibility. I somehow kept it quiet for the rest of the day and I was warned to expect a strong counter offer.

Crap.

Did I want them to stroke my ego, make me feel like all these years hadn’t gone unnoticed, miss me? Yes.

Did I want them to make a serious offer and genuinely make this life changing decision more difficult than it already has been? No.

Most of my morning was spent talking with varying levels of management. Saying "yes" would have been so much easier. I didn’t spill on the details of my offer and held firm that I wouldn’t have resigned if I hadn’t already made up my mind.

And I feel so much better now.


Jeff

The Things Between

I don’t like it when I do this, but I’m just filling in the days right now. The days in between. In between now and some future date that I seem to think my whole life depends on.

It’s a rather ignorant and petty way to think when all that really matters in life is so much more simple, but not always so obvious. Even though it’s right there, right in front of you.

It’s not always about money, or a job, or whatever may be dominating your life at the moment. Usually, what you spend the most time on is not necessarily what you would really care the most about, given the chance to reflect a little. In fact, it’s all too often what you aren’t worried about, what you expect to always be there that is most important.

I have to remind myself of this all the time. I hope that counts a little bit.

Jeff

Hello Out There

I really appreciate all of you who still check in on my rarely updated blog. I thought I’d sit down for a few minutes and try to write something new. It’s been a busy week or so.

Last week my 92 year old grandfather passed away. He had lived a full life though and we’ve all been very lucky to have him as long as we did. The service wasn’t terribly sad since this wasn’t exactly unexpected however it was touching and brought together a very diverse group of people. He had been in an assisted living home for the last 10 years or so. They worked it out so that the night shift came in early and the entire staff from the day shift attended the service. He is one of those people who actually thrived and enjoyed his time there. And they enjoyed him as well.

To make a long story short, my GAP insurance covered the difference between what my insurance paid and what I owed on my ex’s car that she lent to a friend (who didn’t have a drivers license) and was then totaled in an accident. I’m so going to get dropped by my insurance company though, I just know it.

I have a more thorough understanding of the bail bonding process. No, it wasn’t me, I bailed someone else out.

I got a call on Monday from a recruiter to say that a local company wanted to interview me for a position. I interviewed yesterday and the recruiter said they really liked me and I should expect and offer by early next week. This is good, actually great news but things are just never dull around here.

I could really use just a few minutes of dull.

Jeff

It Can't Really Be Monday Tomorrow?

There. Just. Aren’t. Any free moments around here.

We blasted back off to Colorado for a whirlwind cabin closing for the winter. It was a quick trip. Nice but much cooler. I thought the sheep herding picture below was cool, there must have been 400-500 sheep on the highway.

There is more. So much more but I really need to unpack, and clean, and study, and make those dang lunches, and get the kids out of the shower, and laundry, and I’m too tired for all that right about now…


I hope you all had a good weekend,

Jeff

Driving With Sheep

Kokanee Salmon

I had to Google what 'spawning' was.

Jeff