Death and taxes

It's been a very eventful week...in several ways. As some of you may or may not know, I have been working the past few months as Crash Course Computing, Inc., a name I work under as my own business. However, it has gotten to be the "feast or famine" syndrome, and with Christmas being just around the corner, it's unfortunately been more famine than feast. Therefore, I begin working in a lab on Monday as a Computer Systems Specialist making more money than I've made in several years. This is a NEW position, so I don't have to worry about things like being ousted because of my predecessor deciding not to leave, or because someone's budget numbers didn't fit right, or because I couldn't meet the monthly quotas. I just work. I have been promised a company car because the job requires a considerable amount of travel, which should be fun. I just pop in the XM Radio and off we go!

Things with the child formerly known as my son have not changed. I still haven't spoken to him since August 20th, and apparently he's living it up--as he would with no rules or expectations. His grades for this 9 weeks are beyond miserable, pulling Cs and Ds everywhere. It's a sad statement, but I can't do anything about it. He chooses not to be a part of my life, and that is certainly his loss. Perhaps someday he'll come back around. Who knows.

Lastly, my ex-wife, as much as I despise her and her lifestyle, she has endured something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy--the person she had been dating off and on for nearly a year died in a fall this week. It's just weird that someone that close that I knew died in such a sudden way. I guess it goes to show how fragile life can be sometimes. I know my day will come...I just hope it's later more than sooner.

Until next time...

Fall arrives

So, as the leaves begin to change colors and the days become shorter, I figure it's about time for an update. I keep myself busy doing just about anything these days, so I don't have as much time as I would like to update my blog--and my site. Oh, well...I guess it will someday just fade away.

It amazes me sometimes how people who think they have something of significance to say will do so, but they do it anonymously. After my last post, I get an angry email from some 'anonymous' person who makes all sorts of comments about my parenting ability and my lifestyle choices. I didn't post it because they didn't give any sort of real name or anything. I'm not one to censor, and had I gotten their true identity, I would have posted it for all to see. "Redass" just doesn't seem to be enough information as far as a name goes...but I do appreciate you stopping by!

Now, on to more important things. The business is going very well. I've been keeping busy with several website projects and even a few network administration jobs. I have a couple of remote clients (one in Portland, Oregon, and one in San Juan, Puerto Rico) that take up a significant amount of my time because they are relatively new networks and they have several issues that new networks have. I've also begun selling mass quantities on Ebay, which is pure profit. I'm selling stuff that we've been paying to keep in storage for two years, and the $$ is rolling in. With at least a half-dozen auctions going at a time, the packing and shipping adds to my list of things to do. Finding boxes for some of this stuff isn't easy! Electronic equipment has to have anti-static packing, fragile items have to have starch peanuts, and shipping in general has to have a box that's close to the right size, or you get tagged with shipping overage (read: less profit!).

My daughter is doing extremely well in her new school. She made the basketball team, and cheerleader tryouts are next week. My lovely bride is the cheerleading sponsor, and that keeps her quite busy in addition to her other teacher duties. Progress reports came out last week, and she is on course for a 3.0+ GPA. Her grades have never really been a problem, and she works very hard to meet the standards set on her by the more rigorous curriculum of the new school. There is none of the "good ol' boy" system here like there was at her previous school, so everyone gets an equal shake. She has adjusted well, and has a whole new group of friends that keep her phone line hot and her computer keyboard smoking. Ah, to be 13 again...

So, that's about it for now. And for my 'anonymous' visitor, please feel free to continue to send in your comments, but until you give a name, I don't feel obligated to publish you. Sorry!

Until next time...

Dare I ask...?

OK, so I'm finally back up and running after nearly 3 weeks off. I lost a hard drive that contained almost all of my critical files, so I had to go back and redo everything! Fortunately, I have backups of my really "critical" files on the server, so disaster was somewhat averted.

In my last post (which I removed), I went on a slightly drunken tirade about the developments with the person formerly known as my son. He has, indeed, chosen to move back to the trailer park in Greenbrier, where discipline, rules and expectations are all but non-existent. The fact that someone would choose their few friends over their entire family will never make sense to me, nor will the fact that I've been lied to for the past 3 years. But, the true sign of a man is the ability to move on, regardless of the situation. I am now moving on without him, and my life will eventually return to normal.

I don't have much to say about work, as that doesn't exist, either. It seems as though I'm destined to be a house husband, where I do the cooking, the cleaning, and the errands, while my spouse goes to work each day. Some people would die for that kind of living--not so much with me. I prefer to be at work, toiling away at a job that I enjoy, building relationships and earning a living. Being at home, I still earn a living somewhat through the business, but it's not as steady as a salary would be, and the benefits aren't as lucrative. I make enough to pay the bills and still have some 'funny money' on the side, but I like knowing how much I'll be contributing to the budget so we can plan out things like college for my daughter and repairs on the house. I did have a very promising interview this past week, and although I've had many interviews over the past few months, this is one of those jobs that you really want. It's an international company with a big shiny building and lots of potential for growth. Their decision has been made, but it could take a few days for the candidates to be notified. I'm still hopeful, as this is a long weekend...but it's time for me to get a break for once.

Lastly, it appears as though we'll be staying put here in Little Rock, at least until my daughter graduates high school, at which point we'll be moving far, far away to a land where seasons are obvious and so is intelligence. We'll fix this place up and keep it up while it continues to appreciate in value, and perhaps by the time we get ready to move, we'll be able to make a couple of bucks in the sale. It's a nice thought, but who knows what tomorrow brings.

I keep hearing that everything happens for a reason, and sadly enough, the events of the past few months show that perhaps that isn't too far from the truth. Some really horrific things have happened during that time, and hopefully the hand that fate has dealt me won't be a bust. I guess time will tell.

Until next time...

Let's try this ONE MORE time

Well, with the realization that our current home will not sell in a timely fashion, we have put it up on the rental market with a property manager and moved on with the hunt for a home in Greenbrier. Our search took us through a dozen or so homes, some of which were "close"; others of which wouldn't even qualify as livable. We did come across one that we found to be very suitable, and quite an attractive house. It is in a very low traffic area where development will not overrun the area anytime soon. I have a couple of pictures of the house, but they're the realtor's pictures, so don't blame me if they look like CRAP!

This is a picture from the front. I don't know why they chose to fuzz the edges, but the photo is still pretty much effective. The house sits on a pretty good sized lot (about an acre), so we don't have the subdivision squeeze syndrome going on. My next closest neighbors are a good 100 yards away, and you can't even see their house through all the trees.






This is a picture of the back of the house. Notice the oversized dormer at the top. The view out that window is absolutely incredible. The house is on top of a hill, and from that window, you can see all the way across town and out into the mountains to the north of town. This room is the office/guest room/TV room. There will be a 42" LCD flat screen TV on the wall closest to the chimney with assorted furniture (and my computer) in the room. There's also a full bathroom upstairs, which makes it even nicer.

And just for my own indulgence and because I am excited about our purchase, I'm even going to put the real estate description in here! Check this out:

4 total bedroom(s)		Central air conditioning
3 total bath(s)		Interior features: Dishwasher, Fireplace(s), Range and oven, Tile flrs, Wood flrs
Approximately 1 acre(s)		Exterior features: Deck, Fenced, Public water supply, Septic sewer system, Storage/out-building(s), Trees
Approximately 2000 sq. ft.		2 car garage

So, with that said, I'll keep my fingers crossed that this house gets leased and we get the HELL out of here! Until next time...

Back on the road again!

I just got home from picking the Protege up at the body shop. She now has a new front end and fresh paint after a little run-in with a 16 year old teenage girl a couple of weeks ago. It was just enough to crinkle the hood and a fender, while it also shattered the headlight and cracked the bumper (damn plastic shit). But, after a week with my buddies at A&J Collision Repair, it's back and better than new. We sat down and did the math, and this is the 17th car that Allen and Jody have put paint on for members of my family. Most of them were my brother and my dad getting their cars and trucks repainted, but 3 of them were mine, and one was the Escort-property of the ex many years ago. But enough about that.

The kids are with their mom for the month of June, and Leslie and I are house hunting once again. Given the time frame, the budget, and the increasing interest rate, we have decided to purchase a home that's already built and save the dream house for our final resting place, either Indiana or Wyoming--fate will tell. We have our eye on a couple of places, both of which have a large lot, 4 bedrooms, a fireplace and a POOL! I've never had a pool, but I hear they're a lot of work. Oh, well...something to do to keep the ungodly hot summers at bay.

So with that said, I'll get back to my life. Keep checking back, as I will hopefully be updating more often. Until next time...