970511: Happy Mother's Day!
Before we moved here, we had never had an automatic dish washer. Now, we have discovered that automatic dish washer's are wonderful inventions, and we hope to never be without one, again. But, did you know that, if you run out of dish washing powder, that you can't substitute regular dishwashing liquid for it? Well, I didn't know that until yesterday! Fortunately, she needed to mop the kitchen floor, anyway, and it was a good excuse to clean out the dry/wet vac!
Did I tell you that a friend of mine gave me a baby tarantula? My aunt gave me a tarantula for my highschool graduation (a few years ago), and I really enjoyed it as a pet. I have wanted another one since it died (I had to leave it with my aunt while I was moving, and she sat it on a heat register and accidentally cooked it.) So, Kevin had an extra one that he gave to me. It's about the size of a quarter. I hope to be able to get it to grow to adult hood. They are really docile creatures, and they make great pets! I would recommend them to anyone who likes low-maintenance critters.
I put on a pair of rollerblades today. I haven't been on roller skates or ice skates for years, but these were easy to learn. We are going to get some for the kids, and then when we can afford it, the wife and I are going to get a pair each. It appears that rollerblading can be good exercise, too. I will let y'all know what hospital room we end up in :)

970508: Did you ever have one of those days when you really tried to do something right, but it turned out costing you something personal? My wife is an animal lover, which can be a good thing, as long as it doesn't personally affect me. Today, a neighbor's puppy escaped their house through an open window. The dog owners had already left for the day, and the puppy was running around in the street. So, my wife retrieves the puppy, places a note on the neighbor's door explaining where their dog was, and brought the pup in to our place.
She closed the pup in a room in which I had stored some magazines that I had an interest in keeping, and went on to work. Later in the day, she called me and warned me that I was going to be pissed off at her. The dog had shredded the mags. To ribbons! Confetti!!! Yep, I'm pissed. But, I understand why she felt the need to ensure the pup's safety, but right now I feel that I will KILL the next animal that enters our living space . . .

970411: Have you ever noticed that when people move up in their careers, that they begin to think that they are hot shit. (Here comes some sour grapes, folks.) Welllllll, let me tell you a little story. At the agency where I work, there is a position called an information systems security officer. I understand that the job is primarily to ensure that the computer systems that are used there are safe and secure, especially in the area of hacking and viruses. All this is fine, well, and good. I support the idea, and think it is a very worthwhile vocation. However, I don't think that the person doing the job has to stoop to lying to try to get the job done. The misinformation of which I write was brought to my attention by a general message that was put out by the office in which our resident mush-spine works, to all the personnel who use our email system. The message reiterated the policy of "no chain letters are to be sent via our email." Again, I support this idea as well, and this was a good thing, until the message proclaimed that "chain letters ARE viruses". VIRUSES!!
Now, this is pure and simple bullsnot. I agree that some chain-letters might contain viruses, but they are not in and of themselves viruses. This blatant lie was bad enough, but the message went on to make the theoretical statement that chain-letters "clog the system, and degrade the performance" of the system and employees.
So, being the inquisitive person that I am, I wrote to the area from which this message came, and asked them what data or study they used to corroborate their theories. My message was answered by a (IMHO) spineless individual who thinks that just because he is a GS-13 (or 14, or whatever) that he is above answering customer's (such as I am) questions. Instead, be starts off telling me that I am wasting his time with such questions, and that my time would be better spent simply following the rules instead of 'playing word games'.
Those who personally know me know that these kinds of answers don't set well with me. I replied to his response in the politest manner I know. I will post the 'messages of exchange' as a link from this journal within the next few days.
So, rather than deal with it as a man, the mush-spine (Stan Stotz) decided that he needed intervention from my bosses. Now, realize that mush-spine is in another building, and nowhere in my supervisory chain. I got called into my boss' boss' office, and was told how much time he and my boss had had to deal with this, and how HIS boss was all ticked off, and how I had insulted the mush-spine, etc, etc, etc. Needless to say, I walked away a few pounds lighter, and Jeff had a full meal (namely, my ass).
So, maybe I'm mud. Time will tell. Of course, you all know how management avoids the issues, and sticks together regardless of their screwups. Anyway, it just ticks me off for people to think that their snot isn't slimy, and I can't stand mush-spines!
I appreciate you wading through this little gripe. BTW, should you be interested in knowing more about mush-spine Stan, just drop me a line.

970404: I began my new job this week. The people, so far, are very friendly and helpful. It seems that their attitude is, "As long as the work gets done, I don't care what you do." Now, that seems to me to be the way to run a work section. Of course, that also depends on how much the boss is a control freak. From what I have seen this week, control is not a big deal. We will see how it turns out.
My son (11) went on a 3-day, 2-night nature exploring trip with his school. He left Wednesday, and is due back today. He went up into the mountains for this trip. He should have plenty to tell when he returns.
If you are reading this, and you live near Denver, you should visit IGOR'S T-shirts and More in the Buckingham Square Mall on Havana. He made some custom T-shirts for my business. He airbrushed our data in, and did it at a VERY reasonable price. I recommend him highly.

970314: Well, I was officially notified yesterday that I have a promotion! Effective 970331, I will be a Military Pay Technician (again) at the GS-07 level. Of course, this won't mean much to you if you are not in civil service, I suppose. However, to me, it means a fair wage increase. This, in itself, would normally be a good thing. But, it is an even better thing for me because I also was notified that I owe Uncle Sam $1300 for the move from Indianapolis to Denver. So, you can see the immediate benefit of the promotion, eh?

970309 SUPPLEMENTAL: I have been an American Red Cross certified Standard First Aid Instructor for nearly 3 years, and have never had to actually use any of the skills that I have learned or taught . . . that is, until today.
The family and I had stopped by a local Burger King to grab a bite to eat. We had just about finished our meal when I heard a commotion at the order counter. I actually was preparing to react to what I thought was a robbery in progress. Instead, as I approached the area of concern, I saw a young lady lying on the ground, convulsing. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and she was very pale. There was one guy kneeling beside her, watching her as she flopped around like a fish out of water. Actually, that was the correct thing to do, since she wasn't near anything that would hurt her. The convulsions lasted about a minute or so, but then she stopped breathing. I knelt down beside her, and placed my ear near her mouth to listen for breathing, while I watched her chest (STOP THAT!) to see if it was rising and falling. It wasn't. So, I tilted her head back to start the process for rescue breathing (911 had already been called). That was all it took. She started breathing on her own, and the proper color returned to her face. She opened her eyes, and started becoming coherent. The rescue personnel arrived, and took her into their care.
As I reflected on the matter later in the day, I realized that there is a certain comfort in knowing that you are able to do the right thing in such situations. If you are not trained in Standard First Aid, or CPR, please consider taking a course. It is easy, and not very expensive, and the value you get from it is well worth the cost and effort.

970309: Well, you can see how boring my life generally is, since I haven't written for nearly a month. I hope that didn't discourage anyone who might actually be reading this stuff.
I am still working the same old job, with the same old people. There has been somewhat of an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in this area. I am sure that some of you have been hearing about it in the news. And, of course, there's the situation with the big flood in the midwest. I have some family near the affected areas, but they haven't been touched, yet.
The weather is getting very nice, here, although it hasn't been bad at any time by Indiana standards.
I am trying to expand by part-time business in to Process Serving. It seems that there is a real need for that here in Colorado. I guess people are getting served some sort of papers all the time. I will let you know how it goes. Well, time to go. Keep those cards and letters coming. . .

970214: I got the root canal finished yesterday!!! Of course, what should have taken 1/2 hour took an hour. It seems that my face was packed with so much infection that it created some complications. However, it's done now, thank God!
Thanks for staying tuned.

970205: Well, we got our household goods delivered on Jan 27. What a pain in the ass! We still do not have everything unpacked. I will say this, though. I will never make another major move without hiring a moving company. It is well worth the money! (Of course, the government paid for this move, but it taught me a lesson.)
I am moving along in my new job. It is getting easier by the day. I would actually like to work for US Customs. So, if you are reading this, and are in a position to hire me in that agency, please drop me a line. Thanks.
I still have not had my root canal completed. Hopefully, soon, though. I am getting a little tired of the nagging pain.
HEY! Did you notice that O.J. stopped by a Baskin-Robins Ice Cream Shop after last nights verdict? Wasn't there something about a dish of ice cream being at or near the murder scene? Hmmmmm. . .

970115: Here's a pain-in-the-butt day for you. . .I went to bed with a rather aggravating toothache last night, thinking that I would see a dentist at my earliest convenience. After all, I have had toothaches before, and they usually were a result of a sinus infection or something like that. I slept fairly well, but woke with the same nagging toothache. So, I went to a dentist to find out what he could to do ease the pain, and lo-and-behold, he had to do a pulpotomy, the first step in the root canal process. My tooth, according to him, had been dying for a long time. Lucky me! It's feeling better, now, but I am going to have a heck of a time coming up with the $370 that the rest of the procedure is going to cost me. Email me if you want to donate to my face-fixing!

Now, the good news. I was able to obtain a license to operate my very own

970114: I am getting somewhat more used to my job. I am working in a building on what used to be Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. And get this. . .I'm a BILL COLLECTOR!!!

But PLEASE don't hate me. I am trying to get out of that job as soon as possible!
Actually, what we do is try to get people who left the military owing the US money to pay it back. After all, it is YOUR tax dollars (yeah, like you'll ever see them again once the government gets their hands on them!

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