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Update: Saturday, 3 OCT, 12:32:23 CDT - Wow, you guys need to warn me when my grammar and coherence loses this much control. Holy sentence diagrams! Thank goodness I have time to clean this up...
LIVE FROM THE BWI AIRPORT...IT'S THE POST THIRTY POST ROAD SHOW.
I had a great idea for a post this week, but life caught up with me...should I say, life overtook me. But more on that next week...
I have to say that it was unprecedented when we circled the outskirts of Houston due to weather concerns. It was even more unprecedented that I had my first "diverted" flight. However, there is "diverted", then there is what I had..."Uhhhhh, this is the captain speaking. Uhhhhhh, we are going to head back to Corpus. Uhhhhh, they are not accepting any incoming flights. Uhhhhh, we will be back and fuel up in 20 minutes so, uhhhhhh, sit back and 'enjoy' the trip back."
Fun.
Anyway, being in an airplane and an airport setting for the better part of 12 hours, I have made some distinct observations involving the status of air travel. Before I go all Seinfeldian on everyone, I just want to mention [again] that I loathe flying. Not that I'm claustrophobic, just that I am not a fan of not being in control. Now I know how my dogs feel when they want to sit up in the front seat but get regaled back to the back. It's instinctive of alphas that this sort of annoyance is there when control is lost or temporarily broken.
Upon observation, there are six constants when at an airport or in a plane. These are the people flying with you. And in a Utopian universe, you could ask them so many questions that a new level of human understanding would be achieved. But, I don't know if it's reconditioned human nature or time constraints or a lack of bravery toward that Utopian world that inhibits all of us to take time and find out about other people. Or, the fact that it is 5:56 a.m. and no one appreciates a chatterbox that early in the morning...maybe that's why we don't talk to the six people we meet.
...in no particular order...
- Young kid that is way too cantankerous to be on a flight but is at the terminal anyway: I am not anti-child. Hell, I was once a child (and still behave like one at times). Babies are not interesting to me because the cannot communicate effectively. But 3-5 year-olds are great. They are just as talkative as I want to be. Sure, they have huge potential to ruin a calm flight, but as crammed in as everyone is on a plane, everyone has that potential. Besides, when is the last time you have revisited how awesome fire trucks are? With the size and the lights and the sirens and the color...c'mon, those bad boys rock. But seriously, why didn't you leave the kiddo at Grams or Pepaw's house?
- Individual that speaks foreign language/awesome foreign accent that checks in with everyone before the flight: Maybe it's because I never had the drive or time to learn a foreign language. Two straight years of college-level Spanish and I still can conjugate tener, but I think we can learn tons from this person. First off, why is he or she on the phone with everyone in creation? Second, I just want them to start reading names from the phone book...I love accents. For some strange reason, it is ten-times more soluble to digest a foreign accent in person than over a phone (thanks, HP tech support). Anyone that can carry on in multilingual fashion has "interesting" written all over him or her.
- Senator John Cornyn...no, seriously, he was on my flight - or was I on his flight? Senator Cornyn is an interesting fellow. Forget the fact that I fundamentally disagree with every single thing he argues in support for, I think adversarial thinking is entertaining and interesting. I would have a slew of questions, but there is only a limited time to speak while he is devising strategy to shoot down health care reform. Again, nothing wrong with respectful disagreement. But, another observation was that he looked exhausted. I can only assume that his companion was his lovely wife...yet another perk as a US Senator...you can travel with Your Lovely (lucky!).
- Man or woman that checks in at the counter every 10-15 minutes: We can all argue personal importance and urgency to what we are doing at any specific point in time as THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT/ITEM/OCCURRENCE EVER(!). But, you really wonder why they are checking in over and over again. Perhaps they have bigger control issues than me. However, this is my first impression and I am rerouted and laid-over in Houston overnight. I asked one question to one person overnight and got what I needed. The service industry has never been an industry out to get us. Sure, inconveniences in air travel have gotten our goat time and again. But there is really no reason to repeatedly go back and forth to a control desk unless you are the person with control issues. What's in your head? Why the stress? Why not go with the proverbial "flow"? What is so extremely important that you have to triple-check what has been written on your boarding pass the whole time? Simply put, what is the story?
- Two guys that look like they are in a band but probably not: These guys are always the chieftains that order a beer at 0900 (local time). They are constantly asking for directions. These guys are the closest to having a very interesting conversation with you, but they are too busy hitting on the bartender at the airport "pub". You do want to start a conversation, but they are too busy with their dissertation on how Muse is the next Led Zepplin. For some strange reason, you don't like where any of the conversations will lead. They have the gumption to start up a conversation, but you refuse to reciprocate. And that is lame.
- Me: I'm an interesting guy. I come full circle from my thesis. I want to know what makes microcosms of society tick. In transition, we find people in their most-focused or least-focused state. We are between flights. We are between destinations. We are away from home. We are coming home. We have fear and anxiety. We have hope and purpose. We move fast. We meander slowly. It's the constant flux that we never hone-in on but we have to because of the transitive state. So, I am that guy. I want to engage in how individuals move from point A to point B. But, I don't because while traveling in this state (specifically flight), we invert. We don't engage. The push-pull of why we are flying is overriding any sort of socialization that we long to invoke. But, hey, that's okay. We travel. We move forward. We go backward. We shift laterally. But wouldn't it be kinda neat if we took the time to discover this perfect opportunity? I not saying, I'm just saying...because I don't want to be that guy.
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) No matter what happens, don't panic.
2) Carry-on luggage is nice when you get diverted and have to stay overnight somewhere. Apparently, it's policy to keep your baggage overnight it you were redirected to another flight. You paid the $20, might as well earn the money.
3) Friendliness is still contagious. Bad days happen. Stupid things happen. All it takes is some understanding and a deep breath to make things easier for everyone involved.
Ha! Thematic posts...who ever heard of such a thing? As always, to my readers, I appreciate the catharsis that is P30P. Turning the mundane into the quotable is a fun exercise. One of these days, I might get used to flying. But Wonder Woman has yet to let me borrow her jet. Talk later.
post script - I really had a good post lined up for this week. We will hit it up when the time is right.
Now, if I can get the boys to abstain from human food, we will be okay.
At midnight, it will be fifteen up and fifteen down. Fortunately, I am not going through another Hell Month. But it's another important month for me internally - not so much externally.
You ever have one of those weekends where you exceeded a certain limit? For some people, it's athletic endeavors that do not end well. For others, it's eating too much cake in one sitting. I will admit, this used to happen a lot more back in college, but I seriously tied one on in the last weekend in August. That bottle of El Grado tequila did not know what hit it, until I hit it. That could be the root cause for no blog that week.
I realized the following day that staying up until oh-dark-30 and sipping aged tequila is a young man's game, like being a soldier or competing in "Project Runway". I did not feel well all next day. In recognition of knowing I am no longer 23 years old, I told The Lovely I was going to knock it off with the adult beverages for a month, starting 1 September.
A couple of things I should note: 1) I do not have a problem with alcohol. Sure, denial is the first step, but seriously...I don't have a problem. If I had a problem, I'm pretty sure my doctor, dentist, boss and spouse would be all over the problem. I don't want to discount that alcohol has been the cause of family, marital and violence instigation issues since we all figured out the metaphor to the catchphrase from "The Honeymooners". B) This is a test of wills. I am telling myself no beer, wine or stiff drink AT THE BEGINNING OF FOOTBALL SEASON! And watching the start of the Longhorn season, this is increasingly difficult. I guess my inner Catholic is kicking up, but is still failing to do the same during Lent due to the St. Patrick's Day conflict. C'mon saints, get it together...are we abstaining or are we driving out all the snakes from Ireland? Wait, what? Anywho, I am testing my body. Again, my doctor said all liver, kidney and heart functions were good and normal. But this is more of a mental test.
It's not fun unless you can challenge yourself. It's not fun if I can't run a minute faster than yesterday. It's not fun if I can't disassemble a desktop and see if I can put it back together functionally. It's not fun if I can't be better than I was yesterday. So, in that spirit, it's not fun unless I can abstain from drinking while still hanging out at bars. It is a challenge to remove a mainstay from my consumption and my learned culture. Within the challenge, I have learned that I was just like this in high school.
Enter flashback sequence here...
When I was in high school, I drove a Ford Taurus wagon and had a deathly fear for authority. So, as a good friend and better child/driver, I was the DD for all my buddies when we would go out to the "cement plant".
>>Quick aside, I think every teenager had a rendezvous point for shenanigans and Tom Foolery. Ours was the "cement plant". I think my older brother had a farm and my younger brother had the Solar Estates subdivision. But I digress...<<
So, I really didn't have my first drink-drink (not a sip where you ask your dad what the hell a Jackncoke is and he grants you said request...for a sip--I said a sip) until college. Thanks fellas. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about public safety since I didn't have a car in college. Personal safety was another matter. So, I figured out that alcohol wasn't as cool as everyone made it out to be, but it's the person that makes the coolness.
And end the painful flashback here...
So, booze was debunked and I just enjoyed people's company...then the beverages. My consumption is no where never out-of-hand, but it is good to take a break. While on stated break, I am also examining some specific differences:
- The myth that the subtraction of empty calories is helping me lose weight - That is a Joe Wilson. I haven't lost an ounce. I'm still a shade over two bells.
- I still wake up having to perform half-yoga poses to wake up my body. With those actions, my body responds by sounding like a bowl of Rice Krispies. I had to do the exact same action after a couple of cocktails.
- What the hell is the point of going to a bar? Granted, I don't get stares or questions when ordering a club soda and lime. But seriously, I have a better TV and dependable Internet connection at home.
- I am drinking way too much sparkling water and Topo Chico.
But hey, a month of cleaning out never hurt anyone. So, I've got another half of a month. Don't be so surprised if this experiment continues to a random series of school nights as well. What did they say about how long it takes for a habit to develop?
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) It is impossible to argue the validity of any college football team after two weeks. With no preseason and teams playing Northeast Western Cupcake State, we won't know anything until 17 Oct.
2) Louisville is a nice town, Mr. Riggs. Not really sure why you would want to leave. But hey, it's your résumé.
3) Speaking of Corpus, according to BoldFutureCB (from the Twitter boards), "the fastest growing age groups in the Coastal Bend [between] 2007-2012 are expected to be those aged 65-74 and 55-64." So, when I build Post Sixty Post, the tagline will be "Where's my pudding!??!"
I would like to thank everyone for their support with this abstinence. Just about everyone, with the exception of a drunk Australian and a rude fellow cigar connoisseur, has been behind me 3000% with this break. It's fantastic I haven't had to trade-in any friends. Well done, everyone. Talk later.
It's good to get a little frustration out.
No movement yet.
Obviously the preoccupation of landing square on my feet has distracted me from my third-first love. But that just builds more material for posts. But the overriding issue remains the forefront.
So what does a grown-up like me reflect on? It's reflective moments like these that create an acute focus of desire, passion, aptitude, experience and challenge of skill that meld into a definitive answer. The answer is simple...now. The question is: what do you want to be when you grow up?
I can't be a dinosaur; that one has been taken. I want to be a security professional. And I know why. The experience and challenges previously achieved and hurdled affirmed that now more than ever, we need more security professionals. That's all there is to it. Just like we need smart teachers who are concerned about the growth of students, just like we need nurses that are passionate about doing the job right the first time, just like we need people to say what they mean and mean what they say, we need people at the proverbial fence.
Granted, I am becoming more and more embedded with Spook Central. But the news that breaks here, breaks everywhere. The Wall Street Journal tracks information security contractors like they are the new Twitter or Google. POTUS want a czar (bad example; government wants a czar for everything). And users still log on with unpatched workstations without an anti-virus program just waiting for the next event to "surprise" us . With this push, I would love to get in on this sort of action. But not because it's fashionable.
I think this education I have had for these three-plus has primed me for the next challenge. We have a baseline of where things lie and where things are supposed to be. A little training and certification has been a benefit. But it's time to see how the levers are operated on the other side of commerce and business.
I boil inside every day for the next opportunity to do good and defend and counterattack and prove the difference-maker. It's unfortunate that I don't have enough years under my belt to control the bubbling and heat and steam from the kettled reaction every morning because it sometimes manifest to cranky, misdirected anger. But maybe I have time to figure it out. Maybe.
This will weigh heavy on mind and heart until it is resolved. With the focus, I know what I want. With the experience behind, I know what I can do without. With the optimism projected to the universe, the address should resolve itself soon.
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) On the Eve's eve of The Admiral being enshrined into The Hall of Fame, I do agree with Jeff Garcia - the NBA did screw the pooch on a PR goldmine.
2) Oh, Corpus Christi City council, you guys are the gift that keeps on giving. Now, you can put down an incomplete for not doing your homework after you were elected. You stay classy...
3) College football, as much as I love it, is the biggest Catch-22 known to modern times. Either I shell out have a paycheck for a lousy ticket in the nosebleeds or my ears start bleeding from pay-by-play announcers and Kenny Chesney every commercial break with TV coverage (even worse, I could only find the only other college-football-associated song unbearable for ears). Oh, I missed you so, college football!
As I have been telling everyone that asks: any change, I will certainly let someone know. Until then, talk later.
Yes, it is time for a change, but nothing TOO drastic.
As it is common knowledge for everyone that knows me, I am looking for employment. It's nutty that every time someone says, "yeah, I'm looking for a job", it always means that it's elsewhere. Euphorically, I didn't think that was going to be the case of me. Too bad my vocation is way too esoteric for the Coastal Bend.
Absolute sadness.
As of Monday afternoon in queuing the caller.com Jobs section (called hotjobs - what an absolute asinine name) searching the "technology" section, there were seven listings. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Two of the listings had nothing to do with "technology" (why would "Models Needed- All Ages, Looks and Types" be in the "technology" search field?). Two other listings have to do with the military, however you have to be in the Naval Reserve or the National Guard...yikes. Nothing like searching for a job in Corpus to find out you are shipped to Afghanistan two weeks later patching top-secret Windows "boxes" while a Taliban surge in raining rounds of AK-47 caliber bullets to the tech bunker. In essence, only three of the seven listed jobs are actually a tech job in the Corpus area. One, two, three.
If I type in "healthcare", there are 134 listings - mostly legitimate leads running the whole gamut of the medical field, from billing to nursing.
So, a city with a population of 266,000 (estimated) only needs three people to work on networks, applications and systems. Granted, this is shorthanded listings from caller.com, but seriously, WTF?
Even the bastion on Internet salvation, craigslist did not have any Corpus IT leads either. But in "security", there was a bodyguard listing available. I don't think I can grow from a CISSP when trotting sidecar to the Jonas Brothers. The tech support listing had six leads with one lead labeled "Chrysler Service Writer". How the hell is writing service contract for cars a tech support job? That's a "writer" position by any stretch of the imagination. And why do I need "reliable transportation" for Tech support? Cheeky bastards want me to burn miles on my vehicle for $10 an hour? I don't think so.
For a laugh, I checked the austin.craigslist.org site for Systems/networking jobs...yeah, 34 leads since 30 June.
I just don't get it. As far as this town is considered, I think there are a handful of severe shortcomings that inhibit any sort of new or existing IT talent to be fostered or imported.
- What company (large or small) would have the intestinal fortitude to build a NOC, data or IT center in a city that is 17ft above sea level? I know one does...but beyond that, there are very few.
- Okay, okay, economic downturn blah-blah-blah. But when there was an economic uptick in the nineties, with the dot com splash, where was the Sparkling City By The Sea? So the cheap bastards hire some guy that six months away from retiring that "knows computing machines", runs the IT shop and is now the CIO. That is crazy scary.
- Give credit where credit is due - the small IT shops that are supporting bigger companies and agencies did their homework to corner the market. Richline, Identity Theft Solutions and RSSS have done very well for themselves raising their hand and saying out loud "I know computers".
- All the IT professionals hired for IT professionals are probably doing something else, like running a school district, teaching Health class of being the middle management of an off-shoot department...and I'm not even going to mention the deficit of security departments with this staff paradigm.
It's sad how marginalized how IT is down here. And I'm not bitching about my position. We are talking about ALL of IT.
That's cool. If this town has settled with losing corporate headquarters and building pollutants for the future, then let's not get the largest growing sector of business to get in the way of negative growth.
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) Never invest in an investment plan than you can't break away from at a moment's notice. It's your money. Don't let The Man tell you how to run it.
2) Looking for a new jobs is it's own full time job.
3) The stress is literally making me nauseous.
Looks like I am going to be bitching about employment opportunities until I find a solid job. To clarify, there is nothing wrong with contract jobs. It's just that there is no love here locally with contract jobs. Until Corpus turns into the next Ft. Sam, a proliferation of contracts are not going to mosey down the pipe until CCAD multiplies tenfold. Crap. Relocation is sounding better and better. Talk later.
Ah, yes, those were happier times, August 2008.
I want to complain. I want to bitch. I want to scream at an entity that has no ears and plays games with livelihoods. But I don't know what good that will do.
Usually I get great catharsis with P30P. But tonight, I really can't go into the details. I can't drill down why a broken system can be saved by a scrappy team of misfits (because it might sound like too much like a Quentin Tarantino vehicle), but I really want to.
I know it's unclassified. But still, we do important work. I'm calling the gag order on prudence and better judgment.
Generic time: all I can really gripe about is a system that was doomed to fail once somebody crunched the right numbers. Why would the government hire an overpriced outfit to do tasks that you could easily specialize soldiers and civilians to perform? Why would someone form a company that has no corporate paperwork to show for themselves? Why would anyone sign on with a "corporation" that has no proof of corporate continuity? Easy - it's the evil root.
Contracting is evil. I'm not talking about buildings and paved parking lots. I'm talking about military contractors. I'm talking about the no-bid bastards that don't deliver a damn thing but the CEOs of the contracted company make millions in the turn of a ball point pen. I'm talking about the low ballers that oversell the value of an hour but under buy the souls of workers. I'm talking about stinking capitalists that could care less that the government, with specialists, could probably do it faster, cheaper and more efficiently. But it doesn't matter because the all mighty dollar is driving this uninsured bus.
I'm angry at myself for creating this illusion of solid status. I knew this was not the ideal situation, but I gutted forward because I was learning an exponential amount of knowledge. But now that I have my Microsoft chops, learning accomplished. This plan of action should have been executed last month.
So, if anyone cares, I am looking for a job. I love long walks and small, cuddly animals. I love Information Security, but I am still a FNG at the hardcore stuff. I know my way around "the most expensive Operating System known to man". I have some certs and a degree, but I can always sit down and look for some more. I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I will work harder to outsmart the guy. This posting thing doesn't pay squat and I have two dogs and a decent lifestyle to support (yes, yes, and I am married, but we know that). If anyone has any leads, please don't hesitate to pass them along.
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) Celebrating a half-anniversary is a very good way of keeping the relationship fresh. That and hotel rooms...is a very good way of keeping a relationship fresh. BONUS: Anytime you see a hotel called "historic", that is code for "small".2) As mentioned before, other towns get it. If the service at any random restaurant, bar, dealership, shopping center is good, people will WANT to visit. Thank you, San Antonio. Corpus has a lot to learn from you.
3) As of midnight Monday morning, we have 47 days until the first Horns football game. Baseball and Lance quitting on me just isn't doing it for me.
No, but seriously, if anyone finds some job leads for me, contact me. Talk later.
Black Market Revival left it all on the stage, literally.
Pardon the repeated theme, but it seems to be reigning the headlines. However, eff the headlines. In most cases, micro has much more impact than macro.
Recently, the thought of death was passing. This week, notsomuch. Guilt set in when I was reminded that it only takes two and a half hours speeding southbound to get to abuela's house. It sucks that you get those reminders when it's a bit late regardless of what Dad said, even though it wasn't a big deal to visit.
Compound that with the complications I learned with abuela's two weeks in the hospital, and I was reminded that death has a precursor. Let's just say it was a textbook case of what happens without a living will and an executor. My dad with the help of my sister and my uncle took care of the rest of the unpleasantness that you don't think about until it's either too late or too-too soon.
So, after all of these necessary evils, Dad and Sis have figured out they want two things: 1) no suffering if everyone knows the prolonged treatments won't do any good and B) cremation seems to be all the rage. Unfortunately, that is a start.
It's too much to process that turns quickly into a slippery slope. If it's not the "what to do when I am sick", it's the "what to do when I finally depart". Then, after, it's the "bury, cremate or other". Then it's the "what to do about the memorial". Then, you always have the "when I go, I want a party" comment. But really, when is there a party when someone just died...unless you are a despot or mass murderer. It's way too much to process especially when you are the one that just passed.
When you grow up and you see loved ones leave, you have to start making difficult decisions. The big lesson learned is (as a reminder): our time is finite. Regardless of how well or lousy we take care of ourselves, we must still depart. I feel there is a lot left to do. My impact is still awaiting, but in the effort to remind myself to get something drafted, I want to post my wishes on the Internets to not only remind my readers and beloved, but also myself. To thyself, stay (somewhat) true.
- Dad and Sis have a good idea. Cremation is a pretty decent way to do it. No open caskets where you look nowhere near as well as you used to or no pine boxes where you stare at unfinished wood. Nah, "ashes to ashes" sounds better than the Bowie track.
- My ashes should be released on the Colorado River. Sure, do it in Austin, or do it in San Saba County - I don't care. Just as long as it gets me to the Gulf, I should be fine.
- So, I mentioned a party. Yeah, don't worry about gathering on my account. If you are going to be at my drop zone, fine. But don't suffer in suits and ties and summer heat on my account. Make that wish happen and move on. It's bad enough I have wasted people's time with dying on them.
- No effing eulogy. I haven't done anything but damage bank accounts and smile at photographs. And even if my impact was felt on people that weren't my immediate family/friends, I still wouldn't want one. Again, quit wasting people's time.
Wow, that was macabre.
Lessons Learned, my three things.
1) It's not really a three-day weekend when you are busting ass still trying to move into the domicile all three days.
2) I have a new-found respect for Andy Roddick. At the very least, he is coach-able.
3) If you are trying to "say tober" at a bar, take it easy with the water-back with the adult beverage. It kinda backfired for me. So, maybe I should just not drink to stay sober, period.
Well, enough of this Fourth of July wholesome goodness. I think next week, I will blog about my favorite "area" rock band as they make their return to the Bend of the Coast. Who knows, I may go all Huffington Post or Daily Beast on this gig. You know, without the aggressive liberal spin and the political banter. Until then, talk later.
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