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...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
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
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, February 21, 2009
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
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
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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
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
Monday, December 22, 2008
Trip to Savannah
My girl, Angela, and I spent the weekend in Savannah, GA. I had never been there, never even really thought about going there on vacation until a few weeks ago, and can honestly say I am looking forward to going back!
I guess one of the main things I enjoyed was the historical significance of pretty much everything there. I love reading about history, and one of my main issues living in the Tampa area is there very little sense of history here. Well, that and you have to drive EVERYWHERE!!! Ugh… Seriously, I walked more in 3 days in Savannah that I have in the past 5 years here in Tampa. I could lose what little fat I have in probably 2 weeks living there!!!
We got there Friday evening and you get an immediate sense of nostalgia and history when you arrive in Savannah. Tree lined streets, not a Border’s or Best Buy to be seen (although there is a Starbuck’s!). A number of small stores line Broughton Street and you can find pretty much anything you are looking for. We got to our hotel, the River Street Inn and were upgraded to a room overlooking the Savannah River. Absolutely gorgeous view! Stan was definitely the Man! (Stan’s name has been changed to protect the innocent)
One thing that the restaurants on River Street are known for is a concoction known as the “Chatham Artillery Punch”. It’s a brew of immense flavor and toxicity. Here’s a link to a recipe – not for the faint of heart:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005896.html
One amazing fact about Savannah – it’s one of two cities in the United States that you can stroll down any street with an open alcoholic beverage! (The other city is New Orleans) Needless to say, Angela and I each had drinks in our hands for the majority of the weekend. We were NOT messing around. ;)
We had dinner at the Shrimp Factory on River Street – a fantastic meal with a great seat watching the people walk by. That was where we had our first beverages of the weekend. ;) We took a small sample of the Punch and quickly decided to take a couple to go. Wandering the streets with a drink is a lot of fun. It makes everyone around you that much more interesting!
We ended up sitting and watching a great two-man blues team along the river walk. Walter on guitar and “Blue” dancing and vocalizing was a real treat. I’ve always said “a sign of a good guitarist is how many strings they break in a show”. I counted 5 breaks in the time we sat watching these guys jam and delight a throng of passersby. Apparently they are out there EVERY day of the week form what we could tell.
We got up pretty late on Saturday, but we didn’t miss much. It seems Saturday morning is made for sleeping off a hangover in Savannah as we hardly saw anyone as we walked around and hit the nearby Starbuck’s. From there we trekked all over downtown Savannah visiting such local attractions as the Telfair Museum of Art, the Jepson Art center, strolled through numerous squares including Wright Square, found our way though the City Market and saw one of the oldest African American churches in the south.
We had lunch at the Moon River Brewery – which was outstanding. Great food and very good beer and the best part was the music. If you love good ol’ down south Delta Blues, it don’t get much better. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out there. We also stopped for drinks at a few other places including Molly MacPherson’s, a Scottish pub where the bartenders wear Kilts! I think Angela was checking them out, but we got out of there after one round in which my mom became a bitch. :( Long story short, my roommate’s fiancée is a FAST drinker… and when she finishes a drink before anyone, she slams her cup/bottle/glass down and says “Yer mom’s a bitch!”… yeah, it’s catchy…
Saturday night dinner was at the Boar’s Head Grille, a recommendation of a couple locals. And we were not disappointed… had a couple nice filets, and a pile of fixin’s… we left with very full bellies, and another drink for the road. Back down to Walter & “Blue” for a lively evening wind-down as they entertained a large crowd with renditions of Christmas songs, old Delta Blues tunes, and a few Elvis tunes thrown in for good measure.
By Sunday morning, we were ready for more and walked to Starbuck’s and then straight down Bull Street to Forsyth Park. We stopped along the way to see a few monuments – Savannah has a LOT of history on display! Forsyth Park was beautiful... reminded me a little of Grant Park in Chicago with regards to the amount of people just chilling out or tossing the football around… one difference is it is VERY accessible. It’s surrounded by residential neighborhoods so plenty of folks hit the park just because it’s right there!
It was a great weekend and I cannot recommend the River Street Inn enough to anyone that might be planning a trip to Savannah any time soon. It was a wonderful stay and right in the mix of everything happening along the Savannah River. I’ve got pics posted at my Facebook profile which can be seen here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49070&id=592483971
We are already considering a return trip for a long 4th of July weekend... there is a LOT to see and I feel we only scratched the surface!
Peace out!
Heitz
I guess one of the main things I enjoyed was the historical significance of pretty much everything there. I love reading about history, and one of my main issues living in the Tampa area is there very little sense of history here. Well, that and you have to drive EVERYWHERE!!! Ugh… Seriously, I walked more in 3 days in Savannah that I have in the past 5 years here in Tampa. I could lose what little fat I have in probably 2 weeks living there!!!
We got there Friday evening and you get an immediate sense of nostalgia and history when you arrive in Savannah. Tree lined streets, not a Border’s or Best Buy to be seen (although there is a Starbuck’s!). A number of small stores line Broughton Street and you can find pretty much anything you are looking for. We got to our hotel, the River Street Inn and were upgraded to a room overlooking the Savannah River. Absolutely gorgeous view! Stan was definitely the Man! (Stan’s name has been changed to protect the innocent)
One thing that the restaurants on River Street are known for is a concoction known as the “Chatham Artillery Punch”. It’s a brew of immense flavor and toxicity. Here’s a link to a recipe – not for the faint of heart:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005896.html
One amazing fact about Savannah – it’s one of two cities in the United States that you can stroll down any street with an open alcoholic beverage! (The other city is New Orleans) Needless to say, Angela and I each had drinks in our hands for the majority of the weekend. We were NOT messing around. ;)
We had dinner at the Shrimp Factory on River Street – a fantastic meal with a great seat watching the people walk by. That was where we had our first beverages of the weekend. ;) We took a small sample of the Punch and quickly decided to take a couple to go. Wandering the streets with a drink is a lot of fun. It makes everyone around you that much more interesting!
We ended up sitting and watching a great two-man blues team along the river walk. Walter on guitar and “Blue” dancing and vocalizing was a real treat. I’ve always said “a sign of a good guitarist is how many strings they break in a show”. I counted 5 breaks in the time we sat watching these guys jam and delight a throng of passersby. Apparently they are out there EVERY day of the week form what we could tell.
We got up pretty late on Saturday, but we didn’t miss much. It seems Saturday morning is made for sleeping off a hangover in Savannah as we hardly saw anyone as we walked around and hit the nearby Starbuck’s. From there we trekked all over downtown Savannah visiting such local attractions as the Telfair Museum of Art, the Jepson Art center, strolled through numerous squares including Wright Square, found our way though the City Market and saw one of the oldest African American churches in the south.
We had lunch at the Moon River Brewery – which was outstanding. Great food and very good beer and the best part was the music. If you love good ol’ down south Delta Blues, it don’t get much better. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out there. We also stopped for drinks at a few other places including Molly MacPherson’s, a Scottish pub where the bartenders wear Kilts! I think Angela was checking them out, but we got out of there after one round in which my mom became a bitch. :( Long story short, my roommate’s fiancée is a FAST drinker… and when she finishes a drink before anyone, she slams her cup/bottle/glass down and says “Yer mom’s a bitch!”… yeah, it’s catchy…
Saturday night dinner was at the Boar’s Head Grille, a recommendation of a couple locals. And we were not disappointed… had a couple nice filets, and a pile of fixin’s… we left with very full bellies, and another drink for the road. Back down to Walter & “Blue” for a lively evening wind-down as they entertained a large crowd with renditions of Christmas songs, old Delta Blues tunes, and a few Elvis tunes thrown in for good measure.
By Sunday morning, we were ready for more and walked to Starbuck’s and then straight down Bull Street to Forsyth Park. We stopped along the way to see a few monuments – Savannah has a LOT of history on display! Forsyth Park was beautiful... reminded me a little of Grant Park in Chicago with regards to the amount of people just chilling out or tossing the football around… one difference is it is VERY accessible. It’s surrounded by residential neighborhoods so plenty of folks hit the park just because it’s right there!
It was a great weekend and I cannot recommend the River Street Inn enough to anyone that might be planning a trip to Savannah any time soon. It was a wonderful stay and right in the mix of everything happening along the Savannah River. I’ve got pics posted at my Facebook profile which can be seen here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49070&id=592483971
We are already considering a return trip for a long 4th of July weekend... there is a LOT to see and I feel we only scratched the surface!
Peace out!
Heitz
Friday, December 5, 2008
Stupid Book & Jury Duty
So, I am reading this book that my roommate's fiancee left behind after her last weekend here. The author has a degree from University of Chicago, a law degree from Duke University, and is being hailed as an “Internet God” in one review... Tucker Max is apparently the guy every guy wants to be!
I dunno... I am three or four chapters into “I Hope They Server Beer in Hell” and am just not feeling it. As far as I can tell, I probably kicked this guy's ass at some point if what he is writing actually happened. He's the kind of pretentious, self-indulged asshole that probably gets his kicks just talking louder than other people. All his “friends” have stupid nicknames, and basically all they do is drink heavily (no arguments there...) and treat women like dirt.
And seriously... what the hell kind of name is Tucker Max? He's named after my buddy's dog apparently.
Looking at the cover I thought to myself... “he looks like a jackass but maybe it'll be a good laugh while I am on the shitter.” No lie, I have been constipated as hell since starting to read this bullshit that passes for a NY Times Best Seller. Cannot get a good BM going so I gotta finish this worthless waste of paper quick... I promised Emily I wouldn't use it to wipe, so no worries there...
The good news is, this gives me hope! I can out-write and probably out-think this guy in my sleep! He will probably drink me under the table but shit so can Emily! Why the hell am I not published yet??? What this guy is published because he's a brilliant author? Hardly!
So, I am going to keep reading in the hopes it improves. So far, not impressed.
*
I had to show up for jury duty a few weeks ago and was fortunate enough not to get picked for a jury. I am a big fan of the trial by jury thing, I just don't want to have to take part. I'm a HORRIBLE juror anyways...
Basically, the way our judicial system works is you have to leave your personality at the door, forget about ANYTHING that might have happened, and focus on what you are TOLD are the “facts”.
Anyone that has gone into a court room as part of the selection process has probably heard the analogy they use to try and determine if you can render a verdict in particular cases... I've been to jury duty twice and heard this same spiel twice so I think it is in the “Lawyer 101” course... I should ask Tucker Max... he probably knows...
“If there was a law you didn't agree with, but mind you IT'S THE LAW, would you be able to render a verdict for a case that has something to do with that law?”
The story they use goes like this... Let's say the lawmakers in Washington decide to ban Blue Pens. Yeah, blue pens... damn them all to Hell.
OK, so anyways, assume Blue Pens are now illegal. Whether you think this law is just or not, would you be able to sit on a jury and pass judgment on someone accused of using a Blue Pen. Of course, I can't just sit there and take it so I say to the prosecutor:
“Well, it depends...”
“On what?”, he says.
“Well, first off... how many blue pens do I have at home? Second, can I walk into Wal-Mart or CVS and buy Blue pens legally???”, I reply.
“Well, none of that should matter if they are banned,” he says.
“Sure, if you are living under a rock.” I comment... then continue, “A better example would be Prohibition. If Congress decided today to bring back Prohibition, I can say with 100% certainty that I would get done with jury duty today, go home, open my refrigerator door, pull out an ice cold Beck's, crack it open start drinking.”
Needless to say, after scribbling some notes, I was removed from contention as a juror that day. Seriously though, I HAVE to be this cynical... here's what happened the one time I was selected to jury duty...
JURY FOREMAN!!!
Yeah... damn fraudulent case if ever I saw one. The problem is, the lawyers and judge get together ahead of time and agree on certain things that will be kept out of the courtroom... like, hmmmm, I dunno... a toxicology report for someone that fell off a roof.
No lie, this guy never worked a day in his life, fell off his cousins roof “fixing a hole”, and was trying to get $250K out of the insurance company. Th issue I had was we receive a 50 page hospital report regarding his injuries and treatments INCLUDING a 5 page tox screen that had all the info blacked out.
Now, I am not a cop, nor do I work in a hospital, but I think common sense says if a tox screen comes back with 5 pages the boy was drinking or doing SOMETHING!!!
Yeah, he got nothing... the looks on both their faces (as well as the two lawyers) was priceless... they were clearly splitting the winnings and had it spent already. We gave them, to the penny, what his medical expenses were to date.
The way I see it, you have to have a sense of self preservation. If I am drinking, and it's a rainy Saturday in college football season, I am NOT getting up on a steep South Side roof to patch a damn hole. I am going o keep my ass safe on the couch and watch the game!!!
Yeah, I did my homework... knew the neighborhood, etc... Michigan played Notre Dame that day so ya know there was some heavy drinking going on all over the area.
But back to my original point... I am a horrible juror. All I gotta do is wait for the Blue Pen story to come up and I will get out of it every time.
Peace Out...
Heitz
I dunno... I am three or four chapters into “I Hope They Server Beer in Hell” and am just not feeling it. As far as I can tell, I probably kicked this guy's ass at some point if what he is writing actually happened. He's the kind of pretentious, self-indulged asshole that probably gets his kicks just talking louder than other people. All his “friends” have stupid nicknames, and basically all they do is drink heavily (no arguments there...) and treat women like dirt.
And seriously... what the hell kind of name is Tucker Max? He's named after my buddy's dog apparently.
Looking at the cover I thought to myself... “he looks like a jackass but maybe it'll be a good laugh while I am on the shitter.” No lie, I have been constipated as hell since starting to read this bullshit that passes for a NY Times Best Seller. Cannot get a good BM going so I gotta finish this worthless waste of paper quick... I promised Emily I wouldn't use it to wipe, so no worries there...
The good news is, this gives me hope! I can out-write and probably out-think this guy in my sleep! He will probably drink me under the table but shit so can Emily! Why the hell am I not published yet??? What this guy is published because he's a brilliant author? Hardly!
So, I am going to keep reading in the hopes it improves. So far, not impressed.
*
I had to show up for jury duty a few weeks ago and was fortunate enough not to get picked for a jury. I am a big fan of the trial by jury thing, I just don't want to have to take part. I'm a HORRIBLE juror anyways...
Basically, the way our judicial system works is you have to leave your personality at the door, forget about ANYTHING that might have happened, and focus on what you are TOLD are the “facts”.
Anyone that has gone into a court room as part of the selection process has probably heard the analogy they use to try and determine if you can render a verdict in particular cases... I've been to jury duty twice and heard this same spiel twice so I think it is in the “Lawyer 101” course... I should ask Tucker Max... he probably knows...
“If there was a law you didn't agree with, but mind you IT'S THE LAW, would you be able to render a verdict for a case that has something to do with that law?”
The story they use goes like this... Let's say the lawmakers in Washington decide to ban Blue Pens. Yeah, blue pens... damn them all to Hell.
OK, so anyways, assume Blue Pens are now illegal. Whether you think this law is just or not, would you be able to sit on a jury and pass judgment on someone accused of using a Blue Pen. Of course, I can't just sit there and take it so I say to the prosecutor:
“Well, it depends...”
“On what?”, he says.
“Well, first off... how many blue pens do I have at home? Second, can I walk into Wal-Mart or CVS and buy Blue pens legally???”, I reply.
“Well, none of that should matter if they are banned,” he says.
“Sure, if you are living under a rock.” I comment... then continue, “A better example would be Prohibition. If Congress decided today to bring back Prohibition, I can say with 100% certainty that I would get done with jury duty today, go home, open my refrigerator door, pull out an ice cold Beck's, crack it open start drinking.”
Needless to say, after scribbling some notes, I was removed from contention as a juror that day. Seriously though, I HAVE to be this cynical... here's what happened the one time I was selected to jury duty...
JURY FOREMAN!!!
Yeah... damn fraudulent case if ever I saw one. The problem is, the lawyers and judge get together ahead of time and agree on certain things that will be kept out of the courtroom... like, hmmmm, I dunno... a toxicology report for someone that fell off a roof.
No lie, this guy never worked a day in his life, fell off his cousins roof “fixing a hole”, and was trying to get $250K out of the insurance company. Th issue I had was we receive a 50 page hospital report regarding his injuries and treatments INCLUDING a 5 page tox screen that had all the info blacked out.
Now, I am not a cop, nor do I work in a hospital, but I think common sense says if a tox screen comes back with 5 pages the boy was drinking or doing SOMETHING!!!
Yeah, he got nothing... the looks on both their faces (as well as the two lawyers) was priceless... they were clearly splitting the winnings and had it spent already. We gave them, to the penny, what his medical expenses were to date.
The way I see it, you have to have a sense of self preservation. If I am drinking, and it's a rainy Saturday in college football season, I am NOT getting up on a steep South Side roof to patch a damn hole. I am going o keep my ass safe on the couch and watch the game!!!
Yeah, I did my homework... knew the neighborhood, etc... Michigan played Notre Dame that day so ya know there was some heavy drinking going on all over the area.
But back to my original point... I am a horrible juror. All I gotta do is wait for the Blue Pen story to come up and I will get out of it every time.
Peace Out...
Heitz
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Just working over here
OK, so I have had my head buried in the sand for a while since my 100th post... sorry about that... but it's a friggin recession up in here, ain't it???
Hell, I've been screaming recession from a mountain top since the beginning of 2007! Hmmm, seems that is still ahead of what the Feds are finally fessing up to. Either I am brilliant or they lie too much... maybe a little of both.
I guess as someone who was cut loose from gainful employment 4 times in the past 24 months and 5 times overall since 2003, I have a pretty different perspective from most folks when it comes to being out of work, down-on-yer-luck, and just putting the nose to the ol' grindstone when I do have a job. Had a conversation this morning with someone who hit the proverbial nail on the head... "I feel happy just to HAVE a job right now!"
I was part of a BBC radio show a few weeks ago that some folks may have heard... I plastered it all over my Facebook page... Talk about a whole “OTHER” perspective!!! I was the unique person on the call because I had been through so many layoffs. And not just being laid off... I mean, I was right in the thick of the “Sub-prime Tsunami” as my pal Darrin likes to call it. I worked for Fremont Investment & Loan, the first company the FDIC really came in and just flat-out shut down. I think worked for IndyMac bank who suffered a similar fate and is now being controlled by the Feds...
I then went to a division of Bear Stearns and we all know they are now a branch office of JP Morgan Chase. And now of course JP Morgan Chase is laying folks off here in the Tampa area! Good thing I didn't go over there, huh!!!
Finally, Robert Half cut me loose (well, I cut them loose technically but I only just beat them to the punch I bet) and I hear now that the entire division I was a part of is Adios!
As crazy as it seems, all of those failed companies crashed for similar reasons, and all of them had too big of an ego to realize they were in trouble. I was in meetings and conference calls with ALL of these companies that sorta went like this:
: “We are a publicly traded company with $X billion dollars in reserves! The economy is fine, you just need to work harder to make the same amount of money! We aren't going anywhere!!! We've been in business forever!!!”
Or specifically in the case of Bear Stearns: “We've made a profit for 87 consecutive years!!! We're not going under!!!”
No lie, by the time I left Robert Half in August I could lead the conference calls myself. I heard the same ridiculous, egomaniacal rants from so many executive levels folks that I just couldn't even listen half the time. NONE of them would come to the table and say, “OK, times are tough... here's what we are going to do to weather the storm and ensure you still have a job”.
Sadly, many of them are STILL out of work. As I said before... “I feel lucky to have a job!!!” and it's the sad truth!
The good news is, the new job I have is great! I am a computer geek again! WAA HOO!!! I had a guy say to me a month ago... “Well, I feel safe because no one ever lays off IT people!!!”
hmmmm... it was all I could do NOT to punch the guy in the nose. Talk about having yer head buried in the sand!
***
But back to the BBC thing... some food for thought...
The unemployment in the US is still below 10% (actually, just looked online and US Dept of Labor says 6.5%)... one person on the round table discussion said that the unemployment in his country (I want to say it was Ghana or something) is in the neighborhood f 75%!!!
Imagine if you and you entire family were all out of work and no prospects for work in the next 12 months... seriously, that is how much of the world is!!! There was a caller from China on the show... here's what he had to say (paraphrasing a bit here):
“It's a foreign concept to us here where there are no 'rights'... no right to work, can't vote... I mean, just the thought that you just selected your country's leader is mind-boggling”...
I've always been one to keep things in perspective, I guess. Even though I have been through the ringer over the past 5 years, it could be MUCH, MUCH worse... I could be out of work AND have no one to blame but myself??? hmmm... not sure I like the sound of that.
…
In other news, the Chicago Bears severely suck ass. Anyone that saw the ass-whuppin' the Minnesota Vikings laid on them Sunday night realizes that. Of course, one person still with his head in the clouds is head coach, Lovie Smith. After halftime (and mind you they were losing at the half) the sideline reporter informed the nation that Lovie is officially on crack:
“...Lovie Smith said that the Bears really dominated that first half...”
OK, again I paraphrase a bit, but that was the gist of what she said. So riddle me this... if you dominated, how are you losing? The Bears got whupped in ever aspect of the game... our defense played well, but then collapsed at key moments (like the 99 yard TD pass!!!)... the Offense was mildly productive (rookie RB Matt Forte played well... just don't expect him to score from the 1-Yard line) except for when it was self-destructing.
My buddy Dave hit the nail on the head... the Bears should have traded Devin Hester last season. He's a waste of space right now. He caught a pass early in the game and took it all the way for a TD but then dropped 4-5 passes and did nothing at all returning punts. For the amount of money he is making, anything short of a TD a week is a waste of time.
Well, I resisted the urge to throw a temper tantrum and just drank another beer. Needless to say, Monday was a rough day.
Alright... back to the video games...
Peace out...
Heitz
Hell, I've been screaming recession from a mountain top since the beginning of 2007! Hmmm, seems that is still ahead of what the Feds are finally fessing up to. Either I am brilliant or they lie too much... maybe a little of both.
I guess as someone who was cut loose from gainful employment 4 times in the past 24 months and 5 times overall since 2003, I have a pretty different perspective from most folks when it comes to being out of work, down-on-yer-luck, and just putting the nose to the ol' grindstone when I do have a job. Had a conversation this morning with someone who hit the proverbial nail on the head... "I feel happy just to HAVE a job right now!"
I was part of a BBC radio show a few weeks ago that some folks may have heard... I plastered it all over my Facebook page... Talk about a whole “OTHER” perspective!!! I was the unique person on the call because I had been through so many layoffs. And not just being laid off... I mean, I was right in the thick of the “Sub-prime Tsunami” as my pal Darrin likes to call it. I worked for Fremont Investment & Loan, the first company the FDIC really came in and just flat-out shut down. I think worked for IndyMac bank who suffered a similar fate and is now being controlled by the Feds...
I then went to a division of Bear Stearns and we all know they are now a branch office of JP Morgan Chase. And now of course JP Morgan Chase is laying folks off here in the Tampa area! Good thing I didn't go over there, huh!!!
Finally, Robert Half cut me loose (well, I cut them loose technically but I only just beat them to the punch I bet) and I hear now that the entire division I was a part of is Adios!
As crazy as it seems, all of those failed companies crashed for similar reasons, and all of them had too big of an ego to realize they were in trouble. I was in meetings and conference calls with ALL of these companies that sorta went like this:
Or specifically in the case of Bear Stearns: “We've made a profit for 87 consecutive years!!! We're not going under!!!”
No lie, by the time I left Robert Half in August I could lead the conference calls myself. I heard the same ridiculous, egomaniacal rants from so many executive levels folks that I just couldn't even listen half the time. NONE of them would come to the table and say, “OK, times are tough... here's what we are going to do to weather the storm and ensure you still have a job”.
Sadly, many of them are STILL out of work. As I said before... “I feel lucky to have a job!!!” and it's the sad truth!
The good news is, the new job I have is great! I am a computer geek again! WAA HOO!!! I had a guy say to me a month ago... “Well, I feel safe because no one ever lays off IT people!!!”
hmmmm... it was all I could do NOT to punch the guy in the nose. Talk about having yer head buried in the sand!
***
But back to the BBC thing... some food for thought...
The unemployment in the US is still below 10% (actually, just looked online and US Dept of Labor says 6.5%)... one person on the round table discussion said that the unemployment in his country (I want to say it was Ghana or something) is in the neighborhood f 75%!!!
Imagine if you and you entire family were all out of work and no prospects for work in the next 12 months... seriously, that is how much of the world is!!! There was a caller from China on the show... here's what he had to say (paraphrasing a bit here):
“It's a foreign concept to us here where there are no 'rights'... no right to work, can't vote... I mean, just the thought that you just selected your country's leader is mind-boggling”...
I've always been one to keep things in perspective, I guess. Even though I have been through the ringer over the past 5 years, it could be MUCH, MUCH worse... I could be out of work AND have no one to blame but myself??? hmmm... not sure I like the sound of that.
…
In other news, the Chicago Bears severely suck ass. Anyone that saw the ass-whuppin' the Minnesota Vikings laid on them Sunday night realizes that. Of course, one person still with his head in the clouds is head coach, Lovie Smith. After halftime (and mind you they were losing at the half) the sideline reporter informed the nation that Lovie is officially on crack:
“...Lovie Smith said that the Bears really dominated that first half...”
OK, again I paraphrase a bit, but that was the gist of what she said. So riddle me this... if you dominated, how are you losing? The Bears got whupped in ever aspect of the game... our defense played well, but then collapsed at key moments (like the 99 yard TD pass!!!)... the Offense was mildly productive (rookie RB Matt Forte played well... just don't expect him to score from the 1-Yard line) except for when it was self-destructing.
My buddy Dave hit the nail on the head... the Bears should have traded Devin Hester last season. He's a waste of space right now. He caught a pass early in the game and took it all the way for a TD but then dropped 4-5 passes and did nothing at all returning punts. For the amount of money he is making, anything short of a TD a week is a waste of time.
Well, I resisted the urge to throw a temper tantrum and just drank another beer. Needless to say, Monday was a rough day.
Alright... back to the video games...
Peace out...
Heitz
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