One Surprise After Another

I thought that 2015 was the craziest year of my life, but 2016 is already proving me wrong. There are things that I cannot write down yet, but I can easily say that I can't predict a week into the future right now. I seriously could be jobless or in my dream job of all time very soon. And...either outcome seems quite possible. Normal sleep is a thing of the past.
This is an example: Yesterday I was asked to present at a small meeting for someone I hadn't met before. I'm starting to get used to this. I go in and like some kind of cross between a salesman and a computer wizard, show them what I can do, and how quickly I can do it with live data right in front of them. Most people in my field are more interested in how they can stretch things out, make a career out of a project. Me? I want to make some money and then go surfing.
So, I'm doing the presentation and the guy seems halfway interested, and my champion in the room tells him I'm the best and can do anything. The stranger seems skeptical, but in the end asks the question, "How much is this gonna cost me?" I tell him, it's a couple of thousand bucks, but we can try cheaper things first to show you what it can do...he goes, "No, I need 100 licenses..."
That probably doesn't sound like anything, but I was hoping to get him to spring for "3".....
If he approves 100 licenses, my world is upside for as long as I can imagine..

January 2016 and There's Another Crossroads

Here it is again, that unforeseeable future looming. There is no way in the world that I can predict what I will be doing a few months from now, but it will not be the same old thing for sure. Work is exciting, music is on the back burner again, and the weather is up and down enough to not make big plans for the weekends. I recently had one of the best surfing days, and it was totally unexpected. A dark gloomy day with wind...who could imagine that I would have a good surf session on a day like that?
Work is shorts bursts of excitement, followed by long periods of boredom. The job market seems to be heating up and my skills are now in demand.
There is this image in my mind of me floating on my back down a river. Do I thank the water for carrying me so soothingly through time, or do I thank the boulders that bruise my head and body? The boulders are the bad bosses I've had through the years, and the naysayers that kept reminding me that I wasn't as sharp as I thought I was. Sure, the boulders didn't have my best interests at heart, but that is what I needed to wake up and see where I was going in life.
Thank you guys, wherever you are now, for getting me to this place..

Maybe It's Because I'm Not Fat?

Many things that I have seen in this life seem like a mirror. I'm seeing somebody else do something that I worry I do just like them.
When the young woman expressed concern that a co-worker didn't like her, she expressed the thought that perhaps it was because the co-worker was obese and she was relatively thin. She went on to explain that most of the person's friends at work were fat, so possibly that could explain it.
It didn't sound impossible, except for one thing: The person explaining this to me is one of the more annoying people I have met. At first, she comes across as friendly, but then you realize that almost all conversations come off as some kind of passive-aggressive attack. Just about everybody that deals with her on a day to day basis, sooner or later explodes to her to just leave them alone. I swear she has the hide of an elephant, because none of that seems to dissuade her from doing these things.
The smart thing to do would be to tell her to stop these behaviors and she could start making friends instead of enemies, but as another co-worked announced, she is doing this wantonly and not by accident.
There are just some things you don't want to hear and others you just don't hear. I'm working harder to remember that.

The Roller Coaster Year Of This Life

It is the middle of December 2015, and this has definitely been the craziest year of my life. I went from layoff to retirement...to the biggest job of my life. In some truly strange twist, this job is not as difficult as my first job working at a car wash when I was 13 years old.
Many times, I wish I was home, taking care of the yard, and then think of how much they are paying me to be at work instead. So, I have money, and not enough time, and I seem to remember having that complaint before.
The Rock City band retired, due to health issues of the leader, and the new band I'm working with Peter Love, seems plagued with health issues as well. All of this stuff has made me realize just how fortunate I am to be healthy right now. Many people my age are not in the greatest shape, and I will not take it for granted. I'm out running every day, but I'm not as fast or strong as I was a few years ago. I think I will just accept that I'm happy that I can still run 5 miles, no matter how long it takes.
The last month has had some strange weather and surfing has been on the back burner. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks. Oddly, in order to make less money this year, I'm taking a couple of weeks off. I would never have imagined that kind of problem before now.
The future is uncertain, and I would not even venture a guess about six months from now, but I am pretty sure it will not be the same as today. About that, I am excited....

A Turning Point

Today is an important day....the kind of day that keeps you awake at night. I've only had to make a few big moves in life and this will be another one. I can truthfully say that I have no idea where this will go...I should have a big smile on my face when it is over, but there are at least three possible outcomes and I have no idea which one will prevail.
I will say that work was boring and cold for the first month, and then got exciting last week. It really looks like I am the expert they needed for this project and that is a good feeling after my last boss. The rule in life should be: never stick around for a bad boss, hoping that you outlast them...that trick doesn't work...

61 Years On The Planet!

Here it is! It is the time of life I was waiting for. I worked and saved, got hit by the layoff and then: 6 months of the best times ever. And now...I go to work Tuesday. It's not a job by my definition, it is a "Project". In my mind, contract work is a project. I think that there are recruiting folks that would say working without benefits is the new career, but I think it is just a reflection of the bad times.
My new rule? Do not become dependent upon an employer. I actually knew this a while back, but now I'm living my rule. Money that I make will be socked away for the next rainy day that is sure to come.
On the positive side, the Project sounds exciting and I'd like to put my skills to the test. The people are great and I have the Prius for the long commute. The only true unknown is what the I-4 construction will be like. The newspaper is describing the near future as hell-on-wheels, and I will be driving right through the mess...and that's why I call it a 'Project'.
Music seems to be in a holding pattern, while I am surfing, fishing, and being outdoors all that I possibly can. This morning, I am so sore from two weeks at the beach, that I am almost ready for a rainy day to recover. My surfing is reaching a level that I thought once would never happen. I just needed the right equipment and enough days of surfing in a row to hone my skills.
Crazy thing....I still cannot see 6 months into the future...and I am used to it now. I'm working at being right in the moment and just enjoying the now...pretty easy to do when your life is at the beach!

6 Months In

April and plenty of April showers. This morning was to be a surfing trip, but the sky is full of moisture and it's already raining over at the beach. And the waves? They disappeared last night...but there will be many more opportunities.
The job market seems really lukewarm. If the job market is like Craiglist, then what we have right now are guys saying "I'll give you half of what you are asking for it"...without really being sure what it is that they are buying. In other words...pawnshops trying to scarf up things of possible value for resale. What I want is the market where somebody truly wants what you are selling and you come together on a price that makes you both feel satisfied. That has happened recently for me on Craigslist, I just need to see that in the job market as well. I have a funny feeling that what is being said aloud and in print differs from what is really going on. For example, I went on the 'reemployment job site' where they brag that our governor has reduced the unemployed from 551,000 to 81,000...sounds good to me! Then I call the help desk for a problem with the site and get...sorry for the 10+ minute wait time, we are very busy...and then I finally get a rude person that treats me like dirt. I know, I know, what did I really expect? I just kinda thought that with the huge dropoff in business there, I might get, I don't know, a little bit better help?