29 Days Later

My, 29 days without a post. If this were March 30th I'd say "28 Days Later" like the cool zombie movie.

What's happened in 29 days?

- Leslie and I are continuting to date, and I fall more and more in love with her each day (yes, it may sound cheesy but it's true)
- I'm ready to have my house to myself again. While not horrible, having a roomate is just not worth the hassle. So, I'm ready for this to be done and living single again
- My job is still there, but I don't really like it any better
- Leslie and I visited South Carolina (this will be expanded upon)
- I found out I may be able to be certified as a secondary education teacher in the state of South Carolina (this is on-going)

Let me focus on the visit Leslie and I made to South Carolina. I was perfectly comfortable taking her back with me, and wasn't nervous for her or me at all. She said she was a little nervous, but I knew she'd be fine. She far exceeded my expectations. She didn't need me to hold her hand at all, instead she just jumped right in and struck up conversations, smiled, and made friends with everyone. She's my kind of girl. She loved mom and dad, and Dawn, and all the grandparents. I'm pretty sure everyone loved her too. She liked everyone, and she really liked Paul. They got along very well and his, uniqueness, didn't phase her at all. Even though we were only really there for 2 days, we made the best and most of it (this was a great visit time wise). Friday mom and dad and Leslie and I went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and toured the home, took lots of great pictures, then went to a winery. Then we ate at Fatz and went back home. Saturday was our day in Clemson, so Paul got to hang out with us and then we spent Saturday night in downtown Greenville. Sunday it was back on a plane to Michigan, but overall it was an excellent trip and it just confirms even more why I love her so much, and the fact that my whole family and friends (most of them) knows her just makes things even better. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Due To The Economic Situation

I've gone from peaceful feelings of doubt, to some anger, then to a little bit of apathy, to downright pissed off at my job. I'd say for the most part apathy plays a large portion, and call me jaded, but let's cut the crap and be realistic. You can have the most positive attitude in the world, and in the corporate world it may get you some verbal praise...but you'll get dumped on just like the rest.

I once read someone said "the moral of the story is aim low, don't disappoint yourself". That almost sounds depressing to read but it is actually somewhat true. I'm glad I have a college degree, and I'd like to think it will play a role when the economy gets better, but right now it doesn't really make all that much difference due to the job market.

Thursday I'll find out if I have a job, and if so, how much of my salary I'll have to give back. It's going to be awesome to jump back in time and make less money than I did coming out of school but WAIT! There's more, the workload DOESN'T GO DOWN! But be thankful they say, because you have a job in this economy. I love how that one word "economy" is thrown around as a catch all for anything. "Oh due to the economic situation" blah blah blah. So whenever you do something wrong, blame it on the economy because everyone else does.

I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

Here, You Babies

A special blog posting from a unique location: Boston Logan International Airport! Don’t pee in your pants, it’s not that exciting. I thought maybe I would post while on my trip in Maine, but that didn’t happen. We’re on our way back to Detroit, and although we had a direct flight on the way to Bangor, we have to change planes in Boston this time. At least I can say I was in Massachusetts, for whatever that’s worth. Don’t you wish you were in Boston, in an airport, at 7:00 on a Friday night? That’s right, I’m here and you’re not.

I have noticed and seen a few interesting things though:
1) Boston’s airport is very un-ergonomic. I think I dislike this airport more than Atlanta. So far, Greenville/Spartanburg wins the best airport in the world award.
2) We walked past a gate with tons of red headed people speaking in Gaelic accents and I realized it was for an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin
3) I ate Chinese food twice today, lunch and dinner. Lunch was boneless ribs and dinner was General Tso’s chicken. My fortune at lunch said “out of hard times comes opportunity”. That was a good one, considering I may not have a job much longer. More on that later.
4) Traveling with my boss was pretty good. We played racquetball at Gold’s Gym last night and that was actually a lot of fun.
5) I got to see my favorite manufacturing engineer in the whole wide world at our plant in Maine. This lady is the BOMB. I told my boss she should be hired in Northville as a comedienne. She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and laughing so hard my cheeks hurt yesterday was a good feeling.
6) I’m reading Harry Potter, the 1st book. I think I would live in the Ravenclaw house, but Leslie said Griffendorf.
7) Right now I’m listening to Death Cab For Cutie: Where Soul Meets Body.
8) Paul (roommate Paul, not Hart or little Miska) called today and said he worked from home, and let Walter stay outside and the lady who lives behind me came over and said she didn’t think Walter should stay outside that long…she was concerned. It was in the high 40’s there today. He’s fine.
9) I miss Leslie

Gosh lists feel good to write. Just glance up for a minute. Go ahead do it. No, up, above this; those numbers 1-9. Those look organized don’t they? Yes, they do. What else…what else is there to say? Oh yeah, job stuff. It’s really so screwed up right now I’m not even worried. There are rumors of 10% salary cuts (which means after 2 years of experience I would essentially go back in pay to LESS than I did right out of college) so that’s awesome. Then there’s layoffs. I’m really not scared of losing my job to be honest. I have always had above average reviews, and I’m a degreed engineer. We have people in our group who are not degreed engineers, who have bad reviews, and contractors, so those would have to go first.

My Time Up North

I just got back from a famous Michigan "up north" weekend. That's what people here say when they go to their weekend cabins 3 hours away. It's like southeast Michigan is the metropolis and people all leave on a Friday and go north and come back on Sunday. It's sort of like going to the Jersey Shore, but in Michigan. And funner and there's not garbage.

Leslie and I left Friday evening to drive to Frederic, MI which is close to Grayling, but in reality there's nothing there but trees and snow and native northern Michiganers, which are a little scary. It was an AMAZING weekend. Friday we left her house around 6:30 and got to her aunt and uncle's cabin around 9:30. There wasn't really any snow around here, but when we got north the snow was definately there. Saturday was snowmobiling. Leslie's aunt and uncle own 2 snowmobiles, and her uncle and I went out first for a 2 hour ride.

This is how snomobiling works. You ride on the road, and on trails, but never in the open woods. There could be barb wire which has decapitated people. Then, there's random bars in the middle of the woods packed with snowmobiliers. You go inside, and it's PACKED full of them. That's the thing, you snowmobile then go to a bar, then repeat.

Later, Leslie and her uncle and I left around 6:30 to go eat dinner. So we drove the snowmobiles to a restaurant in the middle of the woods, then we snowmobiled out in the woods until 11:30. That was amazing, and probably the most romantic thing Leslie and I have done. Being in the middle of NOWHERE at 11:30 on a snowmobile flying down a trail going 60 mph with snow covered trees is HOT. It was a really, really great time. We actually stopped, and turned the snowmobiles off and it was pitch black, and so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Definately one of the funnest winter things I've ever done, and being with her was great.

To make it even better, Leslie's aunt and uncle told both of us (individually) that we made a really great couple and looked very natural with one another. We always get that comment from people...that we seem to be naturals together. I love her so much!

It was an amazing weekend. I have to go to Maine this Tuesday - Friday for work so I'm sure I will do lots of updating while there, because what else is there to do in Maine?

Success! A NEW Record!

She loved it :)

See below.

Dear St. Valentine, Make This Day Great

Valentine's Day Weekend!

I'm so excited. Leslie and I have been teasing each other all week, keeping "top secrets" and not telling each other anything about what we're going to do for each other, but hinting at things. I'm making mine really hard to guess. I even told her I was working on it at 7:00 in the morning one day this week, which I was. She's so stumped. It's going to be awesome!

This is the first Valentine's Day of my life where I've had a REAL Valentine (other than a family member) and I'm really looking forward to it!

I am prepared with her favorite types of candy (which are random, I still could never find that pesky Nerds rope), a book, a picture of us, and a scavenger hunt/walk through the house with cards. I can't wait! Suprises kill me, I have a very hard time keeping a secret.

I'll post back with the results!

This Will Be Good

I'm in love. I really, really am. I've always wondered how you know, like really know you're in love with someone. Some people say they knew from the moment they saw the other person, some say they grew to love the person. For me, this is sort of my story.

I can't say I was looking for love, but what I was looking for was a girl to date, someone to have a relationship with. The last two were sort of duds, and I wanted something a little more like real relationship. eHarmony really did work for me. I'm not sure how much stock I put into the actual "matching" of it, but we were two people compatible who found each other.

How do I know I'm in love? For me, it's waking up every morning and the first thought being about Leslie...everyday. It's thinking about her multiple times, throughout the day. It's wondering how her meeting with her manager is going, or wondering if her day is going well. It's my mind being on her, and not work. It's looking forward to seeing her for any reason, no matter what the activity is. It's looking forward to each weekend with her. It's thinking of ways I can make her smile, or make her happy. It's being thankful we get along so well, and laugh at the same stupid things. It's her family, and how well I get along with them. It's just her, I can't put it into words, because I've never felt this way. It's thinking about how I'll make her Valentine's Day special even though it's still not here.

I have a plan, a good one. I'm going to do a scavenger hunt, in my house. I'm going to write out small notes telling her what I love about her, and chronicle some of the experiences we've had. I'm going to scatter them through the house like clues and let her find each one. This will be good, I think she's going to love it.

I'm happy.

Moving Right Along

Saturday Leslie and I finally used the "L" word. We love each other! It was pretty evident earlier, but the words were finally said Saturday and it was awesome. Things are going really, really well. After the hour long episode of the best show on TV (The Office) I found this clip of Phyllis and had to post it here.

25 Random Things About Me

You were supposed to do this on Facebook, but I'll post it here instead. Here are 25 Random Things About Me you might like to know.

1) If I could go anywhere in the world I'd go to Isreal
2) I love thermodynamics, to the point I got excited about going to that class in college.
3) Moving to Michigan was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but rewarding in many ways
4) I love passenger airplanes, Boeing planes especially
5) Pikmin is my favorite video game
6) Other than family and friends the three things I miss most about South Carolina are Clemson, NewSpring, and sunshine
7) I prefer cold to hot
8) I struggled deciding between engineering and secondary education as a major in college and sometimes wonder if I chose ther right one
9) My dream, since a child, was to be able to look at a car on the road and say I designed something on that car
10) Arrogance is one quality (yes, I can get by the rest) that immediately turns me off to a person
11) California is my favorite state
12) I think Europe is overrated, and the Caribbean is underrated
13) I once drove 100 mph in Kentucky when it was dark and nobody was around
14) I love sweet tea, but I hate grits
15) Blue is my favorite color
16) People tell me I ask too many questions but that's how I learn
17) I can't help from laughing when people trip or fall
18) Lifehouse is my favorite band
19) I firmly believe the Saturn S series was the best car ever made
20) Soccer is my favorite sport
21) Household chores like cutting grass, raking leaves, or shoveling snow for some reason are an outlet for me to think
22) I think the muscle pain from exercising feels good
23) Mango is my favorite fruit
24) I think the "green" movement should not be attached to politics
25) Watching a movie, however simple that sounds, is a good source of enjoyment for me

A Sad Thing

I had to experience one of the saddest things ever Tuesday. Monday our VP announced my company would close its very first plant ever opened in North America, due to market conditions. This plant is in Maine. I work with two of our plants for my programs, one is in Michigan and the other is Maine. The difference is night and day, and to be brief, I like Maine better. I've developed a close working relationship with an engineer, let's call her "Sue". She always, always helps me out with whatever I need. She goes the extra mile for me, and we work very well together. I do for her, and she does for me. I found out before hand this plant was closing, but they had no idea until Monday, when our VP went there in person and told them they were closing the plant. I called "Sue" on Tuesday morning to ask her a few questions, and she started bawling. It was such a hard thing to listen to. It wasn't like a normal cry, more of a wimper, a REAL pain in her voice you could tell, like the crying you see when someone dies or something really, really bad happens. I didn't even know what to say, which made it even more akward. What do you say? "I'm sorry" doesn't seem to cut it, it almost seems brash.

So I feel really, really bad for them. I feel bad that their plant pretty much established our presence in North America and now they're getting the boot and their products are going to the great land of slave labor known as Mexico, who can't make water with a hose. It's going to be awesome.

Today we had a information session with the VP, who tried to confidently and forcefully describe why this decision was made, and how we have to support it. Did I mention whenever he was asked a question the answer was "you know I'm going to leave that up to my team of experts...". That must be nice, to make over 100K a year (I'm speculating) and make decisions, and leave all the work up to other people. HOW do these people work in the real world? "Work" is a relative term. I'd use the term "shuffle" instead. I'm not sure ONE single person has the vision or insight a company needs to be successful, so why do they get the power?

So, since it's up to this "team of experts" I'm pretty much going to demand that I go to Maine in the next few weeks, and LEARN the product line. I design parts, and have NO idea how they're built, isn't that good? So, basically "team of experts" means I have no clue in hell what I'm doing, and we haven't made a plan, so we'll just figure it out as we stumble along. Nuh uh, that doesn't sit well with me. Since the travel budget was CUT for 2009, it's going to be interesting how all this is transfered from Maine to Mexico.

This make so much sense it's not even funny. (IRONY!)

Let Me Introduce To You...

I'd like to post about Leslie, my girlfriend. I guess I've sort of kept this relationship a little quiet to people who aren't immediate family or close friends, but I can let the cat out of the bag.

After a brief thing with Gina, my dad actually told me I should put a profile on eHarmony just to see what would happen. I'm really skeptical of meeting someone online, not because of safety or security, but mainly because of how you explain to someone how you met. I hate saying "we met online". Saying "we met each other when she dropped eggs in front of me at the grocery store" or "her door hit my car in a parking lot" or something creative like that. But, Leslie is great, and I'm going to tell you about her so that's how we met, and I'm okay with that now.

I decided to try out eHarmony for a few reasons:
- I wanted to meet someone completely new. Not a friend who "becomes" a girlfriend out of convenience, or not someone a co-worker introduces you to, but someone fresh, and new, that I have no connection with
- The HARDEST work (i.e. wondering if the person WANTS a relationship) is already out of the way. You don't have to "guess" if your partner wants things to progress to relationship status. You're both there for the same reason
- It's effective. I talked to a few people on the site through guided communication, and met one other, but Leslie and I just hit it off. I think the long list of questions you answer really does pair you with someone compatible.

So, Leslie and I entered the "open communication" stage on eHarmony right before Thanksgiving. We e-mailed each other, with just small talk. When I got back from Florida, we met one day in Troy at Panera Bread. It was going to just be a 1 hour or so get together, but we were there 3 hours and things felt very comfortable and relaxed. We left that night saying we'd get together again, which we did a few days later. Our second "date" was dinner in Royal Oak. Finally, she came over to my house and we went out to dinner in Plymouth. She showed up with dog pastries for Walter and a birthday present for me. I left to go to South Carolina for 2 weeks at Christmas, and didn't think a whole lot about leaving her for 2 weeks, but while at home, we talked everyday, literally. I'm not sure if the distance made us miss each other, but I actually really did start to miss her and I looked forward to seeing her again. Sending her flowers at work, while I was away, in my opinion sort of sealed the deal. She said it was her first time ever getting "just because" flowers and girls at her work were jealous and she loved it. Making someone you care about feel special and cared for is a wonderful feeling.

When I came back, we spent a whole day together and it was great. Things just picked right back up where they had left off, and a little more. She's really special to me. I have never dated a girl who made me feel so relaxed, happy, and cared for. In Michigan where a ton of people are "woe is me" she's got a smile on her face and is joking, and doesn't work in automotive...a breath of fresh air for me! Her family is really great, she has funny and easy-going parents and siblings, and they seem very normal. Leslie took me to a bar to meet her friends last week and I never thought a great deal about it, but meeting "the friends" is a big step, because that tells you a LOT about a person; who they associate with. Her friends were really great, most of them were teachers, a dental hygenist, and a nurse. She said she got a ton of texts after we left and they all said they approved and liked me.

I think about her a lot. A LOT. And at work my mind sort of wonders off and I think about how she is, and what she's doing. I've never felt like this about a girl before, we just connect on a good level. I'm sure I'm pretty hard to find a match for, because I'm probably a little unique as far as humor and relaxing, but this is just no issue for her at all, she puts me right at ease. It's going really well.

I just wanted to "formally" introduce her, to you, how we met, how things happened, and where we are now. I'll keep this updated, because there are a ton of great things to say about her.

Well, That Didn't Take Long

Today is Tuesday, 1 week and 2 days back into work and I hate it again. That happened a lot sooner than I thought. I figured I could make it until March or something before this set in. I've thought a lot about it and I feel one of the main reasons I feel the way I do is more ethical than anything. To sum it up shortly, I was asked point blank, to lie (not tell the whole truth) and now it's a rush covering up lies while finding a solution. I just don't want any part of it, and to be frank, I don't care. I don't have any motivation to find a solution because as far as I'm concerned this is messed up because of lies.

So, if you had a migraine headache, how would you like to spend 4 hours this afternoon:
1) Chewing glass
2) Splashing your eyes with battery acid
3) Sitting in a pile of fireants
4) Listening to some German with an agenda read a 36 page technical document full of stuff that DOESN'T MATTER

Which one did you choose? Well I had to endure scenario #4 this afternoon. I'm trying to be as patient as possible, to find my purpose here. It's not this job, I'm pretty sure of that much. Something has to change.

Also, I do have a hernia. I have an inguinal hernia, and it will require surgery to be corrected. The surgery is up to me, as far as when I would like to have it done, and I'm leaning more toward sooner than later.

X-Rated Picture, Beware

We're all adults here, so don't get upset at the picture. That's the best description of my condition. Originally all the reading and research I had done told me I didn't have a hernia, because none of the symptoms matched. I then found out about the inguinal hernia, and suprise, that's matches my symptoms and the picture pretty much confirms it. I will know more tomorrow after I have a doctor examine me, but I'm pretty sure this is what my problem is. The bulge shown in the picture isn't always evident, but after physical activity, such as shoveling snow or bowling, for example, the protrusion becomes very evident followed by a pain that's not severe, just irritating.

There was a ton of snow that fell yesterday so now we have about a foot or so on the ground. That makes driving really fun, because the roads still aren't all the way clear.

Tomorrow after my doctor's visit I can update on my condition more thoroughly.

Little Tricks For You

2 Things:

1) When you turn 25 years old, like I just did, and if you own a 2008 Honda Civic LX 4 door, your insurance premium will drop $136 every 6 months. Poof, just like that, here's $136 for turning 25.

2) I have a hernia, or a tumor, I'm convinced.

Vacation Over Means Blog Posting Is Back On

The Christmas break is over, and it's time to get back to work. Alright, I hate that attitude. I just want to ease back into it all. It feels like being gone for summer and going back to school. I even got a whole new wardrobe for Christmas so it really feels like back to school. Two weeks is a long time, and at the same time it was short. So, I'd like to do a list blog post of sorts, hitting the highlights.

Events:
Roundtrip driving: MI to SC back to MI = ~ 1,300 miles
My 25th birthday
Christmas
New Year: 2009
Cosmo's death after 13 years
My car being fixed, finally

Movies:
7 Pounds
Singles
An American Crime
My Cousin Vinny
Roger and Me
Anti-Trust
The Day The Earth Stood Still

Books:
I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell
Crank
Atlas Shrugged (still working on this one)

Friends:
Paul
BJ / Laura
Scott
Maryann
Megan

Other Events:
Keeping a "talking" relationship going while away = successful return!
Flipping a Saturn in 2 weeks


I feel well rested and rejuvenated. Everything feels in order right now which is good. I feel like now, I have a little more going for me than just a career which is a relief, and something else to focus my effort on. Here's to starting a great 2009!

1/4 Century

I made it back to South Carolina for Christmas. Today I slept until 11:30, which I haven't done in probably 2 years or so, but it felt amazing. I'm so happy I have 2 weeks of this. 2 weeks of no alarms, no work, no nothing but being lazy. It's awesome.

I'll be 25 in a few more days. 1 more day to be exact. It really feels like the past few years have just flown by. I wonder if it's natural to stop and think how old you are before you answer? Sometimes 23 comes to my mind really fast, but then I remember I'm 24, about to be 25. Weird.

Dusty Wood

Time to dust off the blog, and write a new post. What's it been...too long?

Instead of making up an excuse for why I haven't posted I'll just get right into it.

I have a roomate now! Paul is my new roomate, and he is in my small group at church. Paul needed a roomate because the condo he was living in had too many people, according to the condo association, so he had to find a new place to live. Which works out well for me, because I wanted to get a roomate, but didn't quite know how to really search for one. I was sort of holding off until someone I knew needed a place to live, and it all worked out.

I'm also seeing a girl now. We're dating, but we've only been on 3 dates so until we go on more I wouldn't call her a girlfriend just yet. I do know we get along really well, and that I'm attracted to her, and I'm pretty sure she's attracted to me, so it's going well. The dates are fun and she is laid back, and has a good sense of humor which I enjoy.

Work is work, not much to update there. I'm thankful I have a job now with the economy, but I am still working on getting my resume all cleaned and polished and will keep an eye open for other opportunities that may arise. Until then, I'm trying my best to go to work, do my best, and leave out all the rest.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas break, really, I am. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family, friends, and a break from frigid air.

Something else is that I've been having problems with my Honda. Some observations about Honda:
- They don't like to admit when their products exhibit a problem
- They don't have good customer service (not as good as Saturn)

I told the regional manager, when he called me to talk about my problems, that one of the reasons I bought a Honda was because of the repuputation for reliability and good service, but that hasn't been my case so far (4 times to the dealership in 12,000 miles). He said "Well, Mr. Smith, that's your opinion, not a fact and I work off of facts". Ooof. I forgot, you can tell someone their feelings are opinions and not valid, because that's the right thing to say as a customer service representative. Anyway, my Honda is at the dealership overnight tonight being fixed and I have a loaner car, which I am thankful for, although it's a Nissan.

I'm off to bed now, I need sleep to finish out 4 more days of work until freedom.

Snow Day

It's 21 degrees outside and it's snowing. I'm on my couch, with the curtains open, under a blanket, warm. This is nice.

Thanky G

This past Thanksgiving was one of the best I can remember, for multiple reasons (these are the things I'm thankful for):
- I suprised my family with a visit
- I went to Florida away from the snow for 4 days and saw the sun
- I didn't throw up this year from overeating like I did 2 years ago
- I watched Home Alone on TV
- I saw 2 great 80's movies - Mannequin and Karate Kid
- I finished my book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-time". It's REALLY good, especially if you like math and/or you're midly-severely autistic
- I slept on a comfortable couch
- Walter was happy to see me
- A 14 hour "welcome back" workday - I'm thankful I have a job and money since apparantly my house tax went up $1,200 for 2009. I think this is a mistake, so I need to get that figured out soon

Anyway, I'm back, and I feel refreshed, and 14 hours of work (see past posts for about 3 months of how much I hate it) can't bring me down today. Welcome home.

Saturday Sun

I felt a little better yesterday. I spent a good portion of the day at Barnes and Noble in Troy. Troy is about 35 minutes away, but sunlight here in winter is precious and taking a 35 minute drive to be in the sun is worth it to me. I sat in the cafe for a good 4 hours or so working on my resume. When I put everything I've done, work related, on paper, it seems pretty impressive. My position sounds really great on paper. I'm proud of my resume, but it looks pretty wordy and packed full of stuff. It still needs some cleaning up which I'll be doing. After that I may post it here for some feedback. I also did my Bible study so yesterday was a very productive day for me.

If you're reading this, I'd like your home mailing address. You don't have to give it in a comment, you can just e-mail it to me.

The Pokemon of the week has been updated.