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