An American in Nigeria

*I'm going to start writing a series of blogs relating to my trip to Nigeria in August. My hope is to have it all published into a book someday so please read and enjoy!*

Intro - Me in Nigeria? Yeah, right!!!

A year ago, I had never been anywhere except the U.S. Well, scratch that, I did once drive through Canada on the way back from Vermont for a Fraternity convention, but I don’t think that counts… except for stopping for gas all we saw was the highway. But a little over a year ago, I met a beautiful Nigerian girl, and pretty much my whole life is different now… for the better!

As it turns out, my Nigerian girl absolutely loves to travel and within a year of meeting we had a trip to her family’s home in Lagos on the schedule. Yikes!

I had never set foot in Africa, but unlike the media portrayal of many Americans, I could definitely find it on a map. Most importantly, I don’t listen to the talking heads on television (and one seriously mis-guided friend) who say travelling to Nigeria is dangerous; or that I “won’t last 10 minutes in Nigeria”; or I’ll “get kidnapped”… honestly people, get a grip. I could get killed walking down the street, for crying out loud.

Where does all this fear of travelling to Nigeria come from? A quick search of the Internet comes back with a whole slew of unsavory terms ranging from “crooks” to “scumbags” to “kidnapping”. Hmmmm… Sounds like panic mongers to me. Let’s try another source… Well, how about that, Nigerians seem to be fantastic athletes, doctors, actors, and singers. Sade and Seal are both Nigerian, as are such athletic greats as Hakeem Olajuwon, Christian Okoye, and Osi Umenyiora. As I came to learn, Nigeria is also known for some spicy food (Suya, anyone???), fantastic Beer (I’ll have a ‘Star’, please!), and wonderful, beautiful, and warm-hearted people.

Unfortunately, Nigeria seems to be most well known for a couple things. The so called “419 Scams” and oil. “419 Scams” are named for the Nigerian criminal code that addresses criminal behavior involving conning people out of their money, property, etc… Now, these types of scams are much older than most people realize, it just so happens that a handful of nasty Nigerians are behind some of the more recent and prolific “419 Scams”.

Nigeria also seems to be well known for corrupt government. Of course, any country which is a leading producer of oil has deep pockets, and unfortunately Nigeria is known for that money not really making it into the country’s coffers, but instead filling private Swiss bank accounts. Rumors of corrupt Nigerian politicians stashing away billions of dollars may or may not be true, but many times perception is reality. After decades of military rule, the recent “free” elections have been widely criticized by global organizations.

Of course, the American people see what Fox News or CNN want them to so it will all be as sensationalized as possible. “Don’t go to Nigeria or you will end up like this unfortunate person who lost $50,000!” or “MORE VIOLENCE IN THE NIGER DELTA!!!”

I grew up on the South Side of Chicago so I have seen my share of scam artists (“Hey buddy, my cab is right down this dark alley…”) and violence. Of course, I am not saying that growing up there made me some ruthless thug, but I believe I may be less naïve than most. The other thing I think I learned by growing up there is having an open mind, especially for things that are wholly different than what I am used to. One of my old sales managers used to tell us to “get out of our comfort zone” in order to be successful selling. I think I have taken that to heart in all facets of life.

While we were in Nigeria, I was able to visit Lagos (the largest city in Nigeria), Calabar (a wonderful city near the epicenter of the recent kidnapping fears), and Abeokuta (home of Olumo Rock).

What I learned about Nigeria during my trip was not only enlightening, but also allowed me to think about the world from a different pair of eyes. As a first time “world traveler” I had a lot of American stereotypes that I tried to address with my eyes wide open. I tried to cover everything from “don’t drink the water” to “don’t pee in the ocean”. I didn’t get kidnapped, and no one stole $50,000 from me (of course, I would have to HAVE $50K laying around for someone to be able to steal it, right???). I made some wonderful new friends and strengthened some family relationships that will follow me for the rest of my life. Instead of being afraid or being the “belligerent American tourist”, I tried to behave myself and not be obnoxious.

And maybe, just maybe, I changed a few Nigerians minds about Americans in the process.

Bears vs. Steelers thoughts

Wow... that's all I can say... I gotta say I like Jay Cutler a heck of a lot when he is tossing TD passes. Sadly for me, I am not one of those fans that just gets all excited when we win and doesn't pay attention to the things we are doing wrong that might make our lives a WHOLE LOT easier and less stressful!

Some great things I saw last night in the Bears victory:

1. Johnny Knox didn't had some of the route running mistakes from week 1 and played a brilliant game. He had some fantastic catches, some near highlight reel stuff (pass on the sideline that he just couldn't snare in), and really played very solid all game long.

2. Kelln Davis! Who needs Desmond Clark, right? The third string TE came in and had 5 catches including the Bears first TD of the game.

3. Alex Brown was a one man gang registering 2 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. He has long been our most consistent D-Lineman, maybe this is the year he really sets the pace on the line and does this EVERY week.

4. Cutler was accurate and put a lot of steam on some passes. The mental miscues from last week were nowhere to be seen (hint, maybe the receivers ran the right routes this time???) and he looked to be in command the whole game. A couple of the throws he made were pinpoint accurate and moving - particulary the TD to Davis where he pulled the defense left with his eyes before zipping the ball right between two defenders.

All in all, it was a good game, and a victory over a team as good as the Steelers (remember, they won the Super Bowl last year!!!) to avoid starting out 0-2 was HUGE! The problems I have that kept me stressed out the whole game, and Angela and Remi wondering what exactly is wrong with me are these:

1. We did not even attempt to establish a running game. Now, maybe our whole gameplan was to come out and throw the ball 20 times more than we ran it. I dunno... seems to be playing with fire against such a good pass rush as the Steelers. And I don't believe for a second that Green Bay and Pittsburgh CANNOT be run on in their 3-4 defenses... point in case, look what Cedric Benson (yes, that Cedric Benson) did to Green Bay's D yesterday. If Lovie really thinks we are a running team from the moment we step off the bus then he really needs to have a chat with his Offensive Coordinator.

2. O-Line - where are ya? Trouble picking up blitzes and zero room to run when we did pretend we wanted to run the ball.

3. When the Bears blitz, why is it we rarely get to the QB? Especially on our favorite blitz - two LB's up the gut. When was the last time anyone saw that work for us? Of course, it works just fine when teams do it to us! You would think that our O-Line would know how to block pressure up the middle since that is all we try to do (ok, I am exaggerating a bit since Danieal Manning had a safety coming on an edge blitz last week - but that is a RARE occurence).

Perfect example of this... the Steelers lined up with 3 guys coming off the Bears left edge. Now a REAL offense would adjust to a quick slant to the completely uncovered Devin Hester. We tried to toss the ball to the flat over the 3 blitzers as they buried Cutler... naturally it was incomplete. Why is it that EVERY team in the league employs sight adjustments when there is an overload blitz coming, but the Bears stubbornly refuse?

Anyhoo... We won, I am happy... still stressed to the Bejeezus, but happy... we cannot win every week like we did last night or I will age a decade over the course of the season.

Alright, that's all I got for today... gotta see if I can find a job soon!

Peace out!

Heitz

Seriously? I am over-qualified?

Alrighty... so before I go off on Coach Lovie Smith for benching Kevin Payne... I gotta vent about the job search stuff... just gotta do it...

A very cool non-profit organization was looking for some help on a project. I have worked on a few projects EXACTLY like what they are doing. BUT, since I have a wealth of experience they decided against even interviewing me because they figure I will leave as soon as a "better" job opportunity presents itself.

OK, so here's the background... someone else who was also "over-qualified" was in the position for a month and quit. I am not sure why someone would leave a position in this economy unless they had something else lined up. Also, it is a contract position - so, most people working on a contract basis are probably still sending out resumes. You HAVE to assume that when you are working with someone on a contract basis instead of hiring them outright.

The frustrating thing is that while I do have a wealth of experience in the field, I was out of it from 2005-2007. I am trying to get my foot in the door at a lower level to work my way back up but no one is willing to pull the trigger. They think I will be "bored" with a lower level position and they make this judgement without even speaking with me. Most hiring managers are so swamped with resumes that they can't go calling EVERY person that sends a resume, but in many cases they are working with recruiters as well. If they won't trust their judgement and meet with a candidate that is worthy, then why are they wasting everyone's time???

Well, all I can say is that someday someone will wise up and hire me, and they will never regret that decision. Until then, I am gonna drink my coffee, play some Xbox, and keep writing...

OK, onto more important things...

Lovie Smith has decided to put his boy... his pet project... Danieal Manning into the starting lineup at Free Safety...

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/1778855,CST-SPT-bear19.article

Now, don't get me wrong... I dig Manning... he's got skills... he can return kicks with the best of them... but to say he is the only "true free safety on the roster" is just missing the mark entirely. Does anyone remember the last game Manning started at Free Safety? I do... he got schooled by his bro, Peyton, and Reggie Wayne as the Bears lost momentum in the Super Bowl.

I guess Lovie is trying to make a splash for the home opener... in my opinion a winnable game. The Steelers and Bears are both without stud defenders, and I think Pittsburgh's D is without a doubt a step above ours. So how does chaninging your Free Safety at this point helps us? Will we see Hines Ward and others roaming free in the secondary?

Besides all that, who better to play safety than a guy named "Payne"??? That just screams intimidation at ya!!!

Anyhoo... at least the game is on regular TV so I don't have to sit in a public place when we get beat. I can hide on my couch...

Fun times...

Peace out...

Heitz

Dilemmas

I could re-title my blog "Diary of the Unemployed" - maybe I'd get some notice then. ;-)

Some random thoughts after 7 months in the unemployment line.

1. The job market in Florida is REALLY bad. When I was laid off in Chicago in June 2003, I was able to find project consulting work within a few weeks. It wasn't an ideal situation, working for a fraction of my previous salary, but it was something.

After 7 months of looking, I don't feel I am any closer to finding work than I was the week I was laid off back in February. I am overqualified for the "entry" level or junior level positions, and I had too much time away from IT to be qualified for the Senior level IT positions. What's a boy to do? 5 layoffs since March 2007 is almost too much to take...

2. Unemployment compensation really sucks ass. Not just the lack of funds coming in (and believe me, I have lost almost 15 pouns by just NOT drinking beer nearly as much as I used to) but the lack of health insurance is a big issue. I never go to the doctor, but a couple days before going to Africa I came down with some weird dizzy spells and vomiting. Yeah, 1 hour in the ER and a $3,500 bill later I am wondering WTF? was that all about?!?!?!? Told me I have "Positional Vertigo"...

Yeah, no shit, Einstein, I coulda told you that... I saw the movie... WHY did I suddenly have it? No clue... thanks, Doc...

3. A couple things I am able to do that I realize I REALLY enjoy...

3a. Reading... I seriously LOVE to read... if I could get a job where all I had to do was read? Shit, sign me up... I'll do that til the day I kick it. I have typically been reading 2 or 3 books at a time over the past 7 months. Lovin' it...

3b. Making noise on my guitars... I really suck, can only play a handful of licks / riffs, but I really like it and it makes me feel good. If nothing else, i have a severely low stress level these days. Well, except for the certified letters from the IRS, etc...

3c. Writing... I've written two short stories which I have entered in a contest for 'Zoetrope': All Story magazine - literary publication put out by Francis Ford Coppola. Check it out at www.all-story.com

3d. Spending time with my woman... after a 12 year long distance relationship (even when we were in the same place it felt long distance some times...) it's a refreshing change to be able to see my baby cakes EVERY day... ;-)

4. The IRS really doesn't give a shit... Due to a clerical error when I cashed out some stock a couple years ago, I received more than I requested and owe a little over $5,000 in back taxes. "We'll levy a tax lien on anything you own..." - yeah, good luck with that! the only thing I own is the skin on my back...

5. I love football... and not so much baseball. Seriously, I have not watched a single inning of baseball this season. I have a buddy who HAD to order the Baseball pakcage when he moved here to Florida so he could watch the Cubs every day. All I need to see is the headlines of the Chicago papers online to know I haven't missed a thing... same shit as the previous 30 years. As for football, hell, I even will watch soccer over baseball these days. And now we get the Bears rolling into their season and one game in I am already drowning in melodrama... urlacher gone for the year, a horrible gameplan in the first matchup on prime time TV... hell... I am hooked!

Alright... time to do some dishes or something... gotta make myself useful every once in a while...

Peace Out

Heitz

Game 1 - Need to do Better Boys!

OK, I got a lot to beef about with the way Game 1 of the Bears supposed Magical Season of Cutler started out...

My complaints are many, too bad no one is listening.

1. I thought we were a "running team when we step off the bus"? First half resulted in only 10 running plays and 24 (yup, more than twice as many!!!) passing plays. Of course, the announcers are all like "I don't know why they aren't running the ball!" That is a two word answer - RON TURNER... he thinks he can out-scheme folks and do it by becoming the NE Patriots. Then when he finally does allow our stud running back to get in the flow, he insists on doing it from formations that ensure poor results.

Couple points on this... we couldn't do SQUAT on the ground from a two TE set all night, yet we kept doing it. Our best runs came with a blocker in the backfield - both running and passing - yet Turner feels keeping someone in to pickup the blitz or clear a path is beneath him.

Turner reminds me of John Shoop a bit these days - he's got Cutler... a fancy new QB with some skills. He acts like it's his own personal Erector Set and let's see what kinda fun it is to fling the ball all over the place to rookie receivers.

2. Speaking of the receivers... Hester and Bennett were OK. Bennett had a busted route at one point and Hester was our only real weapon all game. But it was clear that GB was taking away Bennett at some points (4 defenders around on a rollout toss) and they completely took Greg Olsen out of the game.

Johnny Knox... great long ball, but where were ya on two blown routes that resulted in INT's? And why is Knox active instead of the guy that really seemed to click with Cutler in the offseason - Devon Aromashodu. Knox looked WAY out of his league and it cost us big time.

Of course, the mental mistakes were not just on rookies - Desmond Clark gave up on a route that became another pick. The only INT that I don't blame a receiver on was the crazy one handed stab by Johnny Jolly - all 320 pounds of him. Yeah, I'll hang that one on Cutler.

3. Offensive line - where were ya? I am ecstatic that we went out of our way to get Frank Omiyale... the fourth time I saw him laying on the ground when Cullen jenkins blew up a play I started to cry. Then I started to laugh... Only the Bears could have such high hopes only to implode so badly.

4. There were a few bright spots. The Defensive line played a stellar game registering 4 sacks and putting serious heat on Aaron Rogers all game long. Of course, one botched coverage at the end meant the difference between winning and losing.

Speaking of blown coverage - last I heard, Nathan Vasher should feel lucky to have a job. The way the media made it sound, had it not been for a hammy tweak to Zak Bowman and assorted maladies to Trumain McBride, Vasher may have not even made the roster. So, why is it that he is the guy in there covering a stud WR in Greg Jennings in such a crucial situation??? He looked so completely out-matched as Jennings strolled past him downfield for a 50 Yd TD toss that I don't doubt he will be working at Chuck-E Cheese by the end of the season.

Well, at least we have a few days to recover from this one... oh shit... Urlacher getting surgery, Tinoisamoa out indefinitely, and how many other injuries??? Pittsburgh next on the slate? Can you say "get ready for an 0-2 start to the Year of Feeling Good in Chi-town!"???

all I can say is... "poop"...

Peace out...

Heitz

Getting my ass kicked

Wow, I haven't sweated this much in probably 15 years...

I have been unemployed for 7 months... fortunately my girlfriend is an amazing woman and puts up with me. ;-) We recently decided to get our butts in gear and join her 9 year old son in Taekwondo classes. We thought it would be a great way to bond as a family, while also getting us in better shape.

Well, tonight was our first real test... one on one sparring with the whole class basically. I used to do plenty of fighting in the streets of Chicago, and even boxed a little back in the day... but nearing age 40, I wasn't sure how I would hold up against a load of 20-somethings.

Everyone in the group (except me and Angela) are Brown or Black belts... just an added bonus.

And to make things worse, I have three blasted discs in my lower back... very painful, but I suck it up and make it through each day.

So, we basically get our butts handed to us. Sweat pouring off us in buckets. I have blisters on both my big toes and had two near misses on the family jewels. All in all, a very good night though as I landed a few punches and kicks on some black belts (I know, they probably let me... but it felt good...).

I haven't thrown a punch in probably close to 15 years so using muscles that have been dormant for so long was exhausting. But I think we'll all have so much fun with it each week that it might just be our Friday night tradition... ;-)

Oh yeah... and tomorrow at 9am we have a Mixed Martial Arts class... apparently it's guranteed to destroy us as well...

yippee!!!

Heitz

Sheesh... Football Season!!!

Well, I am just a slacker and a half... I will have a blog coming (or maybe a series of them) about my trip to Nigeria. I promise...

For now, I am just excited about the upcoming football season! The Chicago Bears have like their first REAL quarterback in forever. Now, the big question is, was our probelm all along the play of our QB's? Anyone that knows me knows how I feel about Ron Turner (how is it he has a job and I am unemployed???).

I think the offense will be better than it has been recently - with the production of Matt Forte and the reunion of Jay Cutler and one of his college teammates, Earl Bennett, as well as the continued development of Devin Hester - I just think that for once our offense will not be an embarrasment. I am really worried about the defense though.

Tommie Harris is one knee bump away from being ineffective. Is Urlacher back in his 2006 form? Can our defensive secondary survive the Danieal Manning experiment at Safety or the injuries at cornerback? I honestly don't know what to say about all that...

What is clear to me is that the defense must play better than it has in the previous two years. They don't have to be as good as 2006, but at least the top half of the league. If that is the case and the offense ocmes anywhere close to what people think they can do, well, then we might have something to celebrate.

For now, I am just going to wash my PAYTON #34 jersey, and get ready for game 1 against the Packers.

God, I hate cheese...

Heitz

Beating Your Kids & A-Rod w/ Palin's Daughter

I'm not sure how everyone else was raised, but I got my fair share of but whuppings when I was young. My siblings and I were all good kids (for the most part) and yet we ALL still got our whuppings when we needed them. I was hit with everything from a shoe, to a long wooden mixing spoon (mom broke that one over my head), to a razor strap, to a sorority paddle (there was one in the attic of our house when we moved in - I was never able to actually get a Sorority girl to paddle me :( )...

So I came across this big story about a former Reform School Supervisor who is the center of a civil suit alleging he beat kids 50 years ago.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/16/florida.boys.school.lawsuit/index.html

Of course 50 years ago parents were allowed and able to be strict with their kids. Some of the whippings I received when I was young would probably land my poor mom in jail these days. And that was just in the 70's and 80's!

So, I read through the article and I really can't understand these folks wasting the State's and Court's time with stuff like this. The guy in question is 85 years old. The main plaintiff is like 60 years old, a Vietnam War vet, etc...

Even after going through the Vietnam era, and dealing with the recent collapse of Wall Street (he is an Investment & Insurance Broker) he is claiming that he still worries about the "beatings" he received at the hands of the Reform School Supervisor.

Gimme a break... seriously... I'd love to see his financials these days. Is he broke? Hoping to get a few million from the state? It's not a criminal investigation so it's ONLY about money.

And the bottom line is, we are talking about kids in a Reform School... a fancy name for a Juvenile Detention Facility. When I was a kid, I remember a couple neighborhood kids that landed in "Juvey" as we called it. They got spanked when bad just like the rest of us "good" kids... I guess they needed it more since their parents weren't dealing out any punishment when they were breaking the rules.

So kids in a Reform School got the occasional whipping? Again, I can't feel any sense of sympathy. Give it a rest, get over it... whatever you need to do... shit, grab a bottle of whiskey if you have to.

Then I noticed the story about Davide Letterman's joke about Sarah Palin's daughter getting knocked up by A-Rod. Seriously, I laughed my butt off until I realized all the idiots in the world think Letterman was talking about the 14 year old daughter!!!

Seriously folks... get a grip... let me see... Palin's 18 yr old gets knocked up during the Presidential campaign and it's HUGE news with their "Family First - Pro-Marriage" right wing BS and people seriously think the joke was targeted at the 14 year old jail bait daughter?

Just another attempt at the Right Wingers to try and stay relevant by creating some sort of media sensation.

Some day the world will have a sense of humor and not worry about headlines. We just ain't there yet...

Peace out

Heitz

Wedded Bliss

So, I was Best Man in a wedding last week (Congrats Chad & Emily!) and a couple things stood out in my mind over the course of the week.

First off, I have been honored to be Best Man for two great friends. I am not sure how this happens, but BOTH are Green Bay Packer fans! Seriously... I am a born and raised Bears fan and absolutely HATE (is that a strong enough word???) the Packers!

So I am officially announcing that I will stand in for ANY Groomsman in a Bears wedding. Please... I am begging you all... if you are getting hitched, and are a Bears fan, Please hook a

brother up... I can only eat so much cheese.

I guess the interesting thing about that is... well, absolutely nothing. Or I guess it shows that

friendship transcends football rivalries? (shit, am I soap boxing here?) Regardless, a great time was had by all and it leads to the second thing I noticed about weddings that I attend.

I am pretty much the life of the party.

There...

I said it...

OK, now let me just qualify that statement a bit.

I am the life of the part if you are a 4-Year old.

I have a habit of making faces whenever a 3-5 year old does so immediately I bond with most

small kids. They also usually think butts and pooping are funny, so we usually hit it off

immediately if not sooner (just check my Facebook Albums for Booties Around the World). This is probably the fifth or sixth wedding I have been involved in or attended where I danced more with a little kid than with my date... (Seriously, I AM SORRY ANGELA!!! BUT LOOKIT HOW CUTE HER LIL' NOSE IS!!!) - Yeah, I won't be living this one down any time soon... :(

I think the same personality trait that makes me appealing to a little kid feeling out of place wearing a tux or pretty dress is the same reason my nephews think I am awesome and why Angela's son Remi feels perfectly comfy-cozy chatting about farts with me.

Now, the only difference this time around is that I came out of the wedding week partying with some "Rapist Scratches". :(

You know what they are... you see a picture on the news after they arrest a rapist and they have scratches on their face where the victim attempt to fight them off - OK, maybe you only see them on 'Law & Order' wen they are questioning a suspect and he says he had an accident with an egg beater.

Turns out, this 4-Year old in particular thought I had funny cheeks and started grabbing them... and digging her nails in... OUCH!

I'm a tough guy so I just kind grinned and let her have her fun, not realizing she was drawing blood. I went to the bathroom later that night and looked in the mirror and about dropped my toothbrush in the toilet (thankfully it clanked off the toilet seat which I ALWAYS put down... whew).

So, apparently I now need to make sure the 4 year olds clip their nails before allowing them to grab my cheeks and see how far they stretch before my nose bleeds.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. As always, the Chicago weather was equal parts sunny, rainy, windy, and cold. And as always, I bumped into a friend on Michigan Avenue.. yeah, cuz that never happens to me...

I couldn't ask for anything else...

Peace out...

Heitz

Mid-Week Ramblings

Well, it's been a helluva week already and we are only at Humping Day.

We've been moving for a week now... slow but steady wins the race, right? What an exhasting process moving from a second floor apartment to a third floor apartment! I am NOT trying to lose weight but you just can't help it with all the stair work I have done in the past week. But the worst part isn't the stairs, it's been the weather. Good ol' Mother Nature decided a little over a week ago that the drought in Florida is officially over and has been hitting us with big downpours pretty much every day.

Of course, exhaustion, soaking wet from the rain, and in and out from 88 degrees to arctic A/C means I caught something. I have had this stomach bug for a few days now and I think that has had as much to do with the weight loss as the exercise.

Then I saw a show last night that said something like "to produce 2.2 pouds of lamb creates 40 pounds of methane gas"!!!

They were talking about the effects of livestock and certain crop production to increasing greenhouse gases. It made me wonder how much methane I had produced over the past few days of having this stomach ailment. I mean, I have been a Farting Machine since pretty much last Thursday.

Now, Remi is a gassy lil' dude, but even he was running for his room the past few days. So I can only guess at the tonnage of methane gas I created. I wonder if I will be on some environmental watchdog's "Hot" list or something???

All I know for sure is I felt like ass... pun definitely intended.

In other news, we have a couple exciting trips in the works. We are heading to Chicago next week for Chad's wedding. I was looking at renting a car for the week only because we will be spending so much time in the suburbs. I haven't rented a car in a couple years and all I can say is - STICKER SHOCK!!!

Seriously, I am thinking of just buying a bicycle for the week I am up there. $300 for 5 days in Chicago??? Seriously??? I know better than to assume my insurance will cover a rental car if some dumbass hits me, so I always take the insurance... of course I have rented cars only a handful of times in my life so I'm no expert.

Bottom line is, they basically want almost my monthly car payment to drive some compact P.O.S. for less than a week. I'm not sure how to get into that racket, but godDAM!!!

The other trip in the works is a 3-Week trip to Nigeria in July & August. Angela's sister is getting hitched and we are flying over for the wedding. I am pretty excited for my first trip to Africa. I've already been told by one Right-Wing friend that I won't last 10 minutes, but I'm pretty sure I will surprise him. It's not like I am going to Somalia or something. ;-)

My biggest concern is my camera... I have a shitty little digital camera that sucks major butt when it comes to zoom, picture quality, etc... but being unemployed, it's not like I can just go buy a new camera, right? This is about the time I wish I was still in contact with my old "shady" friends from the South Side... I'd have a new Canon Rebel at a fraction of the cost in NO time...

damn...

peace out

Heitz

Tuesday Morning Stuff

Just some random things...

I un-friended someone on Facebook the other day for the first time. Or is it be-friended? De-friended? Hell, anyway you cut it, I took them off the list of people lucky enough to read my super interesting Status Updates.

It was really just a contact of a friend of mine that was trying to help me land a job, but the "contact" never replied, never got his hiring guy on the phone with me, and proceeded to fill my Inbox with Right-Wing (he claimed he was middle of the road but kept referring to Obama as 'The Socialist') propaganda.

Just an idea for all the right wingers out there...

Look up the definition of 'Socialism' and 'Fascism' before trying to apply inflammatory labels like those to someone. I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree but I do know the difference between a Democrat and a Fascist.

Oh yeah, and don't forget that the most infamous Fascists murdered their way into positions of power instead of being elected by the largest voter turnout in years and a pretty wide margin.

Years ago (OK, probably less than a decade ago, but it SEEMS like a long time) a friend of mine asked me a question.

I wasn't sure how to answer the question as I kinda had a crush on her... cute lil' thing... so I just probably said something silly and left it at that... but it has haunted me...

Anyhoo, so she had a guy roommate and asked me why is it that guys sometimes pee on the toilet bowl, floor, wall, or anything else that happens to be within a three foot range of the toilet. How the hell is it that we can't hit the target.

I am sure that most women have wondered this... Hell, I recall my mom asking the same question on many occasions.

So for all you ladies out there that really want to know... here is the truth... I may lose my membership in the "Dude Club" for this but I really don't give a damn...

The male 'pee-pee organ' is not an exact creature. Any woman that has woken up to her husband's (or boyfriend's, lover's, one-night-stand's) early morning wood knows this. And it can sometimes be tricky to pee in a straight line. Stories of guys writing their name in the snow probably only work for guys with short names like 'Al' or 'Ed'.

So, the myriad of causes can be anything from a stray hair in the way of the pee-pee to the remnants of a happy dream to maybe trying to pee before that early morning wood has subsided. Any guy that says they haven't had the same issue as Steve Carrell in '40 Year Old Virgin' is flat out lying to you.

Of course, any of those problems will cause a stray stream of pee-pee to hit the toilet seat, the wall, the roll of toilet paper, the magazine rack, or possibly the trash can... the much larger issue at hand is...

Why don't we clean up after ourselves when it happens???

I know this is the problem my mom would like solved... and the reason my friend oh so many years ago was so exasperated by it. If the dude roommate had just gotten a paper towel and some Windex, problem solved, right?

I am as guilty as every other man out there and some days I just get lazy-ed into NOT cleaning up after myself... for this, I apologize whole heartedly... I may not change, but I definitely apologize.

Peace Out
Heitz

Stuff on my mind

The Handshake Hear 'round the World
Seriously, I doubt any handshake in history has gone through as much scrutiny and criticism as the handshake between President Obama and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez the other day at the Summit of the Americas.

Personally, after watching a few days of Obama handling things in Mexico and at the Summit, I can say I love the humility and attitude he takes to the table with our neighbors in this hemisphere. Shaking hands with Chavez and showing polite courtesy only follows his already defined personality in dealing with other world leaders.

Now, don't get me wrong... Chavez is a dipshit and proves it every chance he gets. I don't buy gasoline or anything from Citgo stations (even though they are routinely $.04 or so cheaper than anyone else!!!) just because of the Chavez link.

But... that is ME... and I am not the President of the United States. Obama is showing that he is above the petty squabbles of the past (perceived or real) and is willing to open the doors of diplomacy to even our most fervent critics. Does the fact that someone disagrees with us vehemently make us right or them wrong? Worst case scenario in my mind is that we don't reach any sort of accord and the relationship stays chilly.

But at least extending the hand of cooperation and showing the willingness to sit down and talk about our issues is a HUGE step that our past administrations would never have done and to me is a huge step forward.

UN Conference on Racism
Is it any surprise that the Iranian President (or whatever he is called) Kharzai started mouthing off about Israel on the first day of this conference? I for one was not surprised. Why is everyone else all up in arms about it? Kharzai speaking at a global conference? What the hell else is he going to talk about?

The bottom line is two wrongs don't make a right. You can't say that Palestinians are racist and kill indiscriminately and then think the Israeli's are just defending themselves. They are just terrorizing in a different way... One uses a lone bomber on a bus, the other uses a $25 million dollar rocket that "misses" it's target. Or maybe the target was surrounded by 30 women and children each time...

Explain to me the difference... I promise I will listen.

But since the US does not have a delegation there, I am not sure what we can hope is accomplished by the rest of the world at this conference. The UK has a group there monitoring the activities, but they were one of the groups that walked out when Kharzai went on his babble-fest. Why not just listen, then respond... if you don't like the way a two-way conversation is going you can always shut up and THEN walk out.

Job Search Woes
Well, the job search process really sucks... with double digit unemployment in the Tampa area, there are way too many candidates for each job that is posted... and the job postings have slowed down considerably. I am lucky if I find one job per day to send a resume to. You see the same positions listed, day after day, and no one is calling. You can only assume you are resume #4,372 in the stack and they will only look at the first 100.

Answer me this... you have a job to fill... you have two candidates... one has more experience than the other...

All things being equal (they will both work for the same salary, benefits, etc...) who would you hire?

If you said you would take the guy with less experience... kick yourself and explain why.

I feel that once you hit that decade of experience mark, regardless of how much you "dumb down" the resume, people assume that you want too much money, or will keep looking, or whatever...

How about this for an idea... pick up the phone, and call them both. THEN make your decision... what is the harm of a 5 minute phone conversation?

Too often though, American companies can't see past the next 12 months and will take the "immediate fix" with no thought towards where this person can help them go beyond 12 months. Can they handle it if your company suddenly grew by 100%? Can they handle it if your Sr. Level guy decided to pursue a different position and left?

Point is, take the experience and never look back.

All I'm gonna say 'bout that...

NFL Draft
YAY! NFL Draft this weekend! The Bears don't pick until the second round so I will only kinda be watching on Day One. I will probably have it rolling on the screen on Sunday though, that's for sure.

The sad thing is, due to the job situation and a lack of a first round pick for my Bears, this year will end a string of I think 7 Years watching the draft with my buddy Dave at Hooter's in Tampa. well, that and the fact that the draft starts later this year.

Used to be, we'd get to Hooters at 11am, start throwing them back, and by the time Day 1 was over we'd be at least four and a half sheets to the wind and have to find a way to get home.

Now, not so much... I'll probably hit the pool until around the time I think the Bears will pick, run in and check it out and then back for some more sun & fun. ;)

Here's to the memories!

Peace out...
Heitz

US Boycotting Racism Conference

Happy Sunday morning to everyone!

Sometimes you just have to scratch your head, I guess...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/18/U.S.racism.conference/index.html

The Obama administration has decided to boycott the UN Racism Conference that will be held in Geneva next week due to the wording in some of the documents that paints Israel in a negative light apparently and some other wording relating to "incitement".

Considering the fact that we just elected our first African-American President, and the strides we have made in the past 150 years to combat racism and its evils here in the US, I think this is a huge mistake to not have a delegation in attendance.

Are we too supportive of Israel and their quest to secure their homeland? I think if you look at the history of the conflict between the Israeli's and the Palestinian's (and other groups in that region; Egypt, Syria, etc...) you will see that Israel is the aggressor as often as they are the victim. Does it make sense to back them so vehemently to the point where we will boycott an international forum dealing with racism?

I think not...

As for the section on "incitement", I haven't read the information but it is being reported that it contradicts the US' stance on Free Speech. Obviously it's an issue if a journalist makes claims against a local government and is slammed in a jail for it... but again, is the best course of action NOT showing up for the conference?

Or rather, does it make more sense to send a group there to voice our concerns and work towards resolving them with the rest of the world? The Congressional Black Caucus seems to think so and I think I am in agreement with them.

Put it this way, if we don't show up do we have any right to complain about anything that comes out of the conference? I think it's a little egotistic to think that our opinion counts if we won't actively participate.

At any rate, I'd love to see us come to our senses and get a delegation there. Since that probably won't happen, I can't wait to see the end result of this conference and our response to what comes out of it.

Waiting with baited breath...

Peace out...
Heitz

Seriously

HAPPY TAX DAY!!!

Yes, mine are done and heading to the Post Office in a little while. Nothing like dropping off two years worth of taxes all in one fell swoop. ;)

And of course with Tax Day comes the annual "Tea Parties". WTF is this? I see it all over Facebook today and I swear I never heard of folks having a Tea Party on tax day. Maybe I wasn't paying attention...

Well, I am going to have my very own "Coffee Party" today instead. I am shooting for two pots. I think with two pots of caffeinated goodness flowing through my bloodstream I should be able to get another two chapters written in my book, don't ya think?

Some other things I realized today...

1. Pirates off the coast of Somalia... I still don't see why people think we need to go into Somalia with troops... AGAIN!!! Has anyone seen "Blackhawk Down"??? Seriously, do we need to re-live that? A good friend from Grammar and High School was in Somalia the first time around and he had nightmares seeing that movie because all the bumbling decisions were so accurate. I say we just start torpedoing these damn little boats the pirates are using. Seriously, one quick burst of .50 Cal rounds into one of them little row boats and by the time they swim back to the coast they will be thinking of another line of work. Problem solved... yer welcome...

2. Baseball season... April is kinda surreal I think. Having spent the bulk of my life in Chicago where April "Snow-Outs" routinely occur it's not hard to see why the NFL Draft holds my attention more firmly in its grasp than does the start of baseball season. Add to that the fact that the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 and it's a no-brainer that I won't give a hoot about the beginning of baseball season. (My guess is the Billy Goat Curse will extend to 2045 since that is the year we kicked Sam and his goat out of Wrigley Field).

3. I booked my first trip to Chicago in a year today... I really miss civilization and am getting tired of complaining about the backwardness of Florida. I think I might be on a 5-Year plan to move on to something bigger and better. Oh damn, did I just say "5-Year" plan? Seriously, Angela will NOT be waiting tables at Hooter's... of that we can be sure. Between the eroded economy and housing market, the piss-poor job market, and the lack of infrastructure for growth around here it's no wonder that people are leaving the area. 5 years from now I see myself in either Chicago, London, or maybe some other cool place like Paris or something...

4. As for the Job Market... well, the good news is I have been putting a couple hours per day into my writing. I have had a couple decent interviews, and a good interview at Guitar Center. Seriously, I would have a blast selling guitars and writing. That is the one job I really have my fingers crossed on. Probably the most stable as well as long as I can make some sales! ;) The IT job market is abysmal right now here in the Tampa area, and it's made even worse by the fact that I am not your typical geek... 3+ years in Sales on top of 10+ years in IT and recruiters just have no idea what to do with an IT guy with a brain and a personality. Well, I guess if the end result is me finishing my novel, publishing it, and moving on to book #2 then it will all be a huge success.

5. Jamming is cool but I am also trying to learn how to work on my guitars myself... seriously, $30 to do a setup on a guitar? How hard can it be, right??? Well, after changing the strings on my Les Paul and Remi's LP Special I can say that I think $30 for a setup is pretty damn cheap! I cracked the nut on Remi's guitar, bought a replacement that turned out to be too short, had to raise the bridge just to get the strings to a playable height, and then of course realizing that you could drive my SUV under the strings... sheesh... it ain't as easy as it seems, folks! I figure the best way to learn is to try and see what happens. :) Needless to say, I have some more practicing ahead of me before I start charging folks for my services.

OK, time to wrap up... I think I may start hiring myself out as a motivational speaker. I saw something Angela was watching where they had a guy who was supposed to be a "Positivity Coach" or something. Seriously? This guy gets paid to get people thinking positive thoughts? How the hell do I get in on this racket???

Wish me luck!

Peace out...
Heitz

Pirates!

So, all the hoopla lately with these "Pirates" off the coast of Somalia had me thinking... I went back to my video game archive and busted out 'Sid Meier's Pirates!' and Remi and I looted and plundered around the Caribbean this weekend.

Then I read on CNN this morning that the Pirates in Somalia are angry at the USA and France for... get this... FIGHTING BACK!!!

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/13/somali-pirates-vow-revenge-2/

So... let me get this straight...

You kidnap, extort, kill, and destroy...
Receive MILLIONS of dollars in ransom over the course of your illegal activities...
Steal money, food, weapons, etc...
And get upset when someone decides they've had enough and take steps to defend themselves???

I wonder if these guys might actually be in Hollywood or something? Talk about being disconnected from the REAL WORLD! Since the dawn of humanity, there have been oppressors, and there have been people that fight back. What makes these idiots so special?

Now they say they will just kill American and French crew members when they kidnap them. Wow... yeah, like we expected anything different from 21st century pirates. I saw on CNN yesterday that there are coalition forces patrolling the sea there but that it is over 1,000,000 square miles! How much can you do with a small force of warships?

My feeling is, you start sinking these idiots on their pirate "ships" (seriously, did you see what passes for a pirate ship these days???) and it won't be long before this is a non-issue. Oh wait, firing first and asking questions later is a 'no-no'???

Damn... Sometimes being the world's police is a pain in the ass...

Peace out...
Hetiz

Deadly Stuff

OK, so t's been a little more than a week since a 15 year old girl was hit and killed on the road near where I just moved to. It's a stretch of Tampa Road in Palm Harbor between Curlew Road and McMullen Booth Road. I drive down this piece of asphalt many times each week and even before this accident I had already noticed the lack of streetlights.

The street runs past a large shopping complex that is always busy having a Starbuck's, Panera, Mongolian Grill, and large movie theater among other things. On Friday nights it's even more crowded with large groups of teens "hanging out" as teens are inclined to do. When we left the movie theater with a half-asleep Remi in tow (seriously, he fell asleep watching Aliens vs. Monsters... something is wrong with this boy), we drove right past the accident scene... a pickup with a smashed front-end, ambulance crew working frantically at ground level, police directing traffic.

Just before getting to the scene, we spotted a group of three or four teens standing in the median of the road, just hanging out. I said something to the effect of "I wonder how often one of these kids gets hit out here since there are no streetlights..."

Now I realize a LOT of people move to Florida for the sunshine, but I also know people look at things like no income tax and think it's a great thing. Personally, I am very disappointed in the leadership in the state of Florida. Ever since I moved here I have been amazed at how many kids are taken (amber alerts weekly), how many seniors are taken (SILVER alerts... yes, no lie, Silver Alerts), and how many kids are killed crossing the street. Seriously, for the first couple years here it seemed like a weekly occurrence to hear about a kid getting killed crossing 19, or McMullen Booth, or Hillsborough after the school bus driver dropped them off on the wrong side of the road.

Is it me or does anyone else see a problem here? Are homeowners not paying enough property taxes to put streetlights throughout our cities or to hire bus drivers that have to pass a simple common sense quiz? For that matter, why would a school bus make a stop on a main road like US 19 or McMullen Booth or Tampa Road. I just saw a school bus drop a kid off the other day at the corner by a MacDonald's. Seriously, is that where that kid is supposed to be let off???

I have decided that it's time to get involved locally. I have no idea who the local representatives are but I am going to find out what can be done about something so simple as streetlights.

And maybe we can get the stop lights put in a spot where people can actually see them... just a thought...

***

This just occurred to me the other day...

I think Jennifer Aniston may have a penis.

Think about it... she's had three high profile guys (Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, John Mayer)... high profile breakups... and rumors of all the work she does to stay smokin' hot... so it started the thought process.

If I had Jennifer Aniston, what would be the one thing that would push me away from her? If she were God-Awful in bed, would that make me run for the hills. Or, lets say she was horrendous in bed AND brought a little pal to the show!

Now a high profile Hollywood couple like Brad & Jen isn't one thats easy to break off. There's all the tabloid stuff, EVERYTHING is public... and who knows, maybe Brad likes being the chick from time to time... But at some point it'll all fall apart...

She still looks phenomenal, but I would have to think long and hard (no pun intended) before I decided to take a date with Ms. Aniston at this point.

Peace out...
Heitz

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Sometimes life is pretty crazy...

So, I am on a month of being unemployed, there are fewer job listings online than I recall seeing EVER in my life, and there is a LOT of uncertainty not just in my little world, but all around me.

So, why am I so happy?

Hmmm... probably a few things.

1. I am writing more! OK, so my blog has been suffering lately, but I have finished (I think) three full on chapters for my novel and am cranking on Chapter 4 this weekend... I actually have eleven chapters written, but am re-writing a lot of what I previously put down on paper. So, that makes me feel good... I just hope it's worth reading! :)

2. For the first time in my life I am truly happy in a relationship! :) Angela is like a dream come true, and every day is better than the last... so, that helps! ;)

3. I am playing some guitar... and trying to learn how to work on guitars a bit as well. I've already broken and repaired Remi's guitar, so who knows? Maybe I can find myself a whole new life as a guitar tech??? :) Gotta be better than being laid off by another bank/software company/ ...

4. And the Bears may have finally ended their drought at the Quarterback position!!! YAY!!! Now all that remains to be learned is whether Ron Turner keeps his job if they stumble this year.

So, all in all things are going well. The lack of a job really bites the ol' big behind, but luckily Angela works nights so we get to have the whole day together pretty much. Not too shabby.

Thinking about the trade yesterday that brought Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears... there were some stats thrown about yesterday that were just mind numbing.

Cutler last season threw for over 4,000 yards, more than 25 TD's, and went to the Pro Bowl. The last Pro Bowler for the Bears at the QB sport was Jim McMahon after the Super Bowl season in 1985. Erik Kramer was the last Bears QB to toss over 5 TD's in 1995. And the Bears have NEVER had a QB throw for over 4,000 yards. In fact, Cutler had more yards passing last season than former Bears starter Kyle Orton has in his career! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the value here.

As for the draft picks given up... well, the Bears love trading down in the first round or out of the first round altogether. And when they do make a first round selection, it is usually a 50/50 chance for bust (same with most teams). For every Brian Urlacher there are two David Terrel's it seems. To get proven quality and cough up two first rounders doesn't seem too far fetched when you realize that one of those first rounders would likely be a bust anyways.

***

So, the job hunt... sheesh... it ain't easy. Given my background, it may be next to impossible. I have 10+ years in IT, but most of my experience was 3+ years ago so getting any Senior level position is out. BUT, because of the decade of experience,I am deemed "overqualified" for the lower level positions. Lovely Catch-22. I think my next job NEEDS to be fun, so yesterday I applied at Guitar Center and there are like three other guitar shops in my area that I am going to go into and check out. If I can make $10 an hour after my commissions (or more... more is always nice...) then I can pay my bills and contribute here at home. AND, have time to write! I think that is the key, and the reason I probably would not have take a job say with the Buccaneers even had it been offered.

So, for now I will keep sending out the resumes... keep writing... if I can work through a full chapter a week, I might have something worthy of being published later this summer. :)

In the meantime, I have a trip to Chicago for a wedding, and maybe a trip to Nigeria for kicks later this summer... that would be FUN!

Keep rocking...

Peace out...

Heitz

Blog for the Dumped

Alright... Day 1 of my new adventures in Unemployment concluded with a bang last night! Here's a run down of how a normal day in the life of the unemployed should go:

7:00am - huh? Is it Saturday? Why am I still in bed at 7am??? Guess I should get up.

7:15am - Am I the only one that reads while sitting on the toilet? I see a lot of folks with books & magazines in their bathrooms, but everyone always seems so appalled when I say my leg fell asleep because I wanted to get to the end of the chapter.

8:15am - pooped & showered... why shave? Nothing important happening so I go "rough" style.. Got coffee and Facebook to keep me company... YES!

8:30am - emailing some peeps, responding to a barrage of "WHAT?!?!? You got laid off again?!?!? What the hell happened???" Seriously folks... I've been here before. I am probably less upset or worried than anyone I talked to yesterday. Crazy!

10am - Sent off a couple resumes, including one to a former client... those always seem to go well since I am so lovable! I also find out a couple things - 1) My former employer wants some document notarized! Uhhh, I was underpaid so I am broke, and you want me to pay to notarize the release papers? Yeah Right! I am an expert in getting laid off and have NEVER had that request come up... We get that sorted out and I find out 2) I am only getting paid for 1 week this Friday (laid off in the middle of a pay period sucks) and the one week severance won't be paid until March 16th! Good thing I have two kidneys... looking for a buyer so I can pay my rent. I'm a little aggravated at that and have a little time to kill before I go meet Angela for lunch so time to transform myself into my violent, Russian, alter-ego... Niko Bellic... Grand Theft Auto time...

11am - OK, I suck at Grand Theft Auto... after getting killed on some damn mission to take out some mafia boss for like the seventh time, I figure it's time to go hit the gas station and head to lunch.

11:15am - Who chooses the hour before lunch to run a report from all their gas pumps so that no one can buy gas for like ten minutes? Chevron, folks... yep... Lady comes out yelling "IT WON'T WORK!!! I'M RUNNING A REPORT!!!" I'm like twenty feet away, I can hear ya just fine lady. So then she decides I am not going to use my Pimp-Hand on her so decides it's time to start being Chatty Cathy... she moved here from God Knows where (New York maybe???), was in health care for like 20 years, got tired of the health care "racket" in Florida, so now she is selling Powerball tickets at a gas station. Great career move! Wait, she actually HAS a job whereas I just got laid off for the fifth time in two years... I bite my tongue...

Noon - Meet Angela @ Panera... Damn that's a fine looking woman! We kick back, beautiful day to be sitting outside. She seemed stressed on the phone about me getting laid off, but I am not worried so the anxiety melts away and she is sticking her tongue out at me like usual. ;)

1:30pm - Leave Angela as she has some work to do and I have more jobs to hunt down. I get home and have another wave of Facebook messages... gotta respect the peeps so I hammer out some fun responses.

3:30pm - Calls from a couple friends with job leads. I LOVE knowing people! Some pretty good ones so we'll see how that pans out.

4:30pm - Don't feel like doing much else today, and don't feel like getting my Russian ass kicked again... so it's time for some FIFA on the Xbox.. I tell ya, this soccer game is EASY! I don't even break a sweat so i am not sure why the rest of the world loves this game so much.

6pm - Roommate is home, big re-organization happening in his office the the next day (today) so one of our buddies he works with is coming over to celebrate all the people that will be quitting. We hit the treadmill for a half hour and I am alerted to "put my drinking shoes on".

7:30pm - Brian and his wife finally show up - thought they got lost. Strange as they have been here a number of times. He likes to sit in the parking lot on the phone it seems while we are sitting here waiting to get our "DRINK" on. WTF? We take the long way around to go to our favorite hang out across the street - The Rack. Good food, hot waitresses.. and lots of alcohol.

9pm - By this time we have had a couple drinks and the waitress is showing an uncanny ability to show up right as we are talking about something ridiculous or in some cases downright embarrassing. Chad and I always compare the "white-trashiness" levels of our respective families - things like comparing how many family members are in prison serving life sentences, how many GED's in the family, how many siblings or cousins have multiple children from multiple daddies, etc... it's usually good fun! ;) then she shows up as we are talking about beating kids (not me personally, but like when my mom used to smack us around)... then shows up when we are talking about drinking and drug use (turns out she started drinking in 6th Grade!!! Bravo Darling!) So, naturally she is our favorite waitress ever because none of this is appalling to her and she even throws in a couple things of her own that win over the crowd. She's getting a good tip! Well, not from me... I am broke and unemployed! ;)

11:30pm-ish??? - We were drinking pretty fast there for a while... folks gotta go to work in the morning so we call it a night. Clearly I have no reason to get up, but we have Guitar Hero waiting for us (Brian's wife is addicted).

1am - After a number of failed drunken attempts at Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" it's time to call it a night. Naturally I forget to brush my teeth...

5am today - my mouth tastes disgusting... I brush my teeth and go back to bed...

I gots dem layoff blues...

Well, that was a first... most companies lay folks off on Thursdays, but me and bunch folks just got laid off this morning! I have honestly never been laid off on a Monday before so I can cross that off the list of things to do! :)

So as of this morning, I have now left my 5th company since the beginning of 2007. Hard to believe??? The subprime tsunami swept through and I was laid off from Fremont, quit IndyMac Bank (total train wreck there and the whole company was pretty much dissolved a month or two later), then laid off from Bear Stearns 90 days after that (got a 60 day severance though!! WOO HOO!!!), then went to work for Robert Half Int'l (talk about evil empire) and laid off after 9 months of riding that roller coaster, and now laid off from Spatial Networks, a very cool little company but struggling like most are these days.

What is a boy to do? Seriously, I just had this conversation the other day - Am I really cut out for Corporate America any more? Sure I have mad skillz in a number of areas... am I an expert in anything though? Probably not. And at this point, being laid off doesn't even phase me. I've been through so many that I already know the drill, I know it sucks, I know they are tough decisions... I know I will be just fine eventually.

The beauty is, I am so used to living frugally that I am not really worried about debt or bankruptcy. I have a fraction of the debt most folks are carrying around with them (Thank You Fremont for those 6 figure commission checks!!!). Anyhoo, the good news is, at least for the time being, I get to write more! YAY!

Just woke up from a nap (seriously, in between paragraphs... dozed off for a bit... unemployment does have it's perks!!!

Peace out...
Heitz

Saturday morning bliss...

yeah, right! ;) Cup of coffee, woman sleeping in my bed, it don't get much better, does it? So, why am I sitting at my laptop???

sheesh...

Lot of crazy stuff happened this week... starting with the editorial cartoon in the NY Post.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-02-19-monkey-cartoon_N.htm

First off, no one reads the NY Post... that's like saying something was printed in the Southtown Economist, or the Davis Island Penny Saver. That being said, did the cartoonist cross the line here? My first reaction to the cartoon had nothing to do with race. I knew they were tying the shooting of the chimp the day before to the stimulus package, and I also know that Congress and the legislative branch drafted the stimulus package. President Obama is just lucky enough to be the guy to have his face on the package!

It wasn't until after the fact that I even thought about the racial implications... Obama is black (and white). Comparing African-Americans to chimps or monkeys is probably a favorite past-time of the less educated and fearful in our society. However, comparing Congress to a bunch of monkeys is also a favorite pastime... or rats, herd of sheep, etc... Did the Post think they'd have a racial backlash on their hands? ABSOLUTELY! I guarantee you they have had more hits on their web-site and more copies sold this week from the uproar than you can imagine.

Now, some people might say, "Of course you don't think it's racist and insensitive... you are white!" Well, there is nothing I can do about that... but two things I can say about it are 1) I am not afraid to talk about race and I think that is what is really the issue here (see below), and 2) I spent most of 7th grade running from kids trying to join the Gangster Disciples or Blackstones... anyone else remember that when going to school on the South Side of Chicago knows a little bit about oppression.

I feel the bigger issue, as our new Attorney General, Eric Holder, pointed out is that Americans shy away from dealing with race as an issue:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/mitchell/2009/02/attorney_general_eric_holders.html

Now, he may have used some strong words such as "cowards", etc... in getting his message across, but just because we elected our first African-American President doesn't mean all is right and fixed with regards to Civil Rights and equal treatment for all. Again, going back to my Chicago roots - there is still a lot we can do, and I feel we need to do, in order to cross those boundaries. A very insightful article ran last December in the Chicago Tribune:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/dec/26/local/chi-segregation-26-dec26

This is how I remembered Chicago growing up, and it is still the same way. Some folks, including many of my classmates from High School, ignored the invisible boundaries and went where we chose. Now, that's not to say I picked up and moved to 87th & Exchange, but there is not a corner of that city that I did not explore including the infamous Robert Taylor & Cabrini Green housing projects. The train ride from the far southwest corner of the city to the Loop basically took you through some areas that looked more like war-torn Bosnia than a bustling metropolis.

So, that is why I feel there are way more pressing issues than a political cartoon with a hidden agenda. The NY Post issued an apology, but I hope that some people that were incensed by it take a long look at AG Holder's message as well. Reach out to people that maybe you wouldn't ordinarily reach out to... go somewhere you wouldn't ordinarily consider a vacation spot and come face-to-face with history instead of avoiding the issues at hand.

Anyhoo... let me get off my soap box... let's talk some football!

Errrr... I was just reminded that it's about to be Baseball Season, meaning I have a LONG seven months or so until training camp. Sheesh...

When does the Arena League start???



Anyone???

Last note... had my birthday last week, and Angela got me the greatest birthday present ever! I'll be sure to blog about that in the next week with some pics... she's da bomb!

Peace out...
Heitz

Wow... been a while

Oh yeah, I have a blog to write!!!

I tell ya, reading the news and seeing what's going on in the world, it's been crazy. I have mostly been keeping my head down for fear of it getting shot off. The financial institutions are in ruins (I worked at Bank One, First Chicago, IndyMac Bank, Fremont General, and Bear Stearns) - none of which except IndyMac even exist anymore... and IndyMac is basically being run by the Fed right now.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-burge-investigationfeb04,0,5165114.story

Then I see the articles in the Chicago media about the detectives being investigated for torturing confessions out of suspects. Now, I can't go back in time and go to a different dimension to see how this would have played out... but I know every name I have seen in those articles about cops being investigated. I met all of them through cops I knew (who shall remain nameless) at varying points in my life. I can only wonder how I would have turned out had I not flubbed a Psychological Evaluation with the Chicago Police Department...

For anyone that has gone through one, it's pretty simple. They are pushing buttons to get reactions. Apparently I got flustered when he kept pushing the "do you use drugs" deal. Whatever... My best friend at the time got into the academy and I did not. I knew he was a bigot but it really came out in him after getting a badge. I'm pretty sure we would have gone to fisticuffs at some point had I not vacated the neighborhood.

Anyhoo... so I guess it could be worse... I could be getting investigated for torturing murder suspects. :)

***

Went camping for the first time in years recently... it was a Boy Scouts of America campground in Clearwater, FL. Great time with Angela & Remi... except it was frikking COLD!!! seriously, sleeping outdoors when it is hovering around the freezing mark is drastically over-rated.

The thing that struck me about the whole setup though was something I don't remember ever seeing when I was a Scout. I felt like I was at a Nazi Youth training camp. White kids as far as the eye could see and I can't remember the last time I heard so many prayers and hymns... probably a Catholic wedding at some point...

I am pretty much middle of the road in everything I do - I've voted Republican AND Democrat (but mostly independent - yeah, I was the guy that voted for Nader, Perot, Forbes...)... I also like to think for myself instead of believing some very specifically chosen folk-tales (yeah, Catholicism and Christianity are not even on my radar when it comes to beleifs) or think that EVERYTHING is a conspiracy while toking up on the bong water again...

So, you can imagine skin crawling as all of this unfolded... Now, when I was a kid I remember the only time we really bowed our heads for a prayer was at the annual Pancake Breakfast. Of course, it was hosted in a church... 'nuff said. So, was I just "lucky" in being in a group that didn't buy into the right-wing agenda of the Scouts, or is this a recent thing???

Whatever it is, I fear brainwashing... ;)

Alright... time to watch Sportscenter for the first time in like forever... (yeah, been that far under a rock...)

Peace out
Heitz