Friday, August 21, 2009

Always The Bridesmaid...

Never The Bride


I'm happy sorry to report that I learned I'm the "Number Two" candidate for the job down in "the Atlanta Metro Area" that I interviewed for earlier this week.

I'm also happy to report that as a result Pat and Missy the Turbo Pup and I will continue to be allowed to live here in Mayberry in Knoxtown on the banks of the Mighty Tennessee River for the foreseeable future.

Good God but I had forgotten how insane the traffic is there in north Atlanta/Norcross.

And it NEVER lets up.

We drove out of town on Wednesday morning at 6:30 AM across the top end "perimeter" Interstate 285 and I swear we needed a few thousand logos and a fancy paint job and a roll cage and helmets on our heads like we were running in a NASCAR race because anyone going less than 75 was basically A BRIDGE or obstacle to the passing drivers.

Four to Six lanes bumper to bumper screaming down the interstate to a halt at Roswell road where someone had blown a tire.

We got back home to find the home Internet down and the so called "legal firm" in Brunswick putzing around finishing the real estate closing document package LATE as usual so I've been busy yelling at Comcast and holding my head in a bucket full of melting ice trying to keep it from exploding for the past 36 hours...thus the silence here on the WWW.

The good news is I have ongoing responsibilities with my forensic injuneering work including a new project at a university in New England and I'm going to run over and help frame out the lumber on my basement design project next week and we have company coming to town for the NASCAR race at Bristol, TN and once the stupid attorneys get my funds wired over I can start adding onto the Turbo Pup's deck and put in a new kitchen floor.

In the middle of all that ruckus my high school class of 1977 is meeting down on the Florida Gulf coast (Owl Gore Hurricanes permitting) over labor Day to celebrate every one's 50th birthday...so we pretty much have a busy month of stuff to do ahead of us without packing up and moving back to Atlanta.

Just like moving here from our little island on the Georgia coast was a major transformation, the move to Atlanta and taking on the responsibility as project manager of a $140,000,000 fluidized bed boiler project would have been a mental and physical cultural shock which possibly I wasn't prepared to accept...

and as Doris Day used to say...






Que Sera Sera...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Back Toward The Turbo Pup Compound...

Employed Or Unemployed?


After a 2-1/2 hour series of interviews Tuesday in one office, we have a 6 AM Departure for home scheduled, with hopes of hearing good news later today.

My recruiter said the last guy lasted about an hour, so I hope the extended nature of our discussions was positive.

It seemed so to me.

Then there's to be a flurry of activity with the Thursday Coastal real estate closing with E-mailing of forms and Notary's and wire transfers.

The good news is that I'm a richer man on Friday regardless the outcome of this latest adventure I guess.

Wish Me luck...if you will...

Monday, August 17, 2009

Live From Hotlanta

I'm Torn With The Prospect Of Moving Back...


Well, we made the drive from Knoxtown to Norcross in the Atlanta suburbs in time to meet with an owner and a real estate agent about finding a house in the area.

I've thus far kept to myself the fact that I have an interview for a KILLER JOB with an international engineering company tomorrow at 9 AM. I survived a phone interview last week and they've been looking at me since last April and if they hire me I'll be making 40% more money than I've ever made in my career.

Of course that's the only way anyone will ever get me back into this giant traffic jam they call Metro Atlanta--BRIBE ME WITH TONS OF CASH.

Any way, we've run around and looked at eight "pet friendly" houses for lease because I learned my lesson buying a house in a town where I didn't need one without a job to go with it...and that's sort of what the Turbo Pup compound became when my old company closed down last December.

Sitting around in my underwear all day as an independent insulting injuneer and forensic nerd is certainly fun and somewhat profitable, but no one at my house is making enough money to retire any time soon and it's time to get down to business and make some real dough to replace that I've frittered away over the past eight or nine years living in Florida and on boats and islands on the Georgia Coast.

This position will strain my professional beach bum mentality but if they offer I'm afraid I'm going to have to accept.

The pony tail may have to go also.

Wish me luck...if you will...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Leaf Blowers & Hurricanes

Can't Live With Them...I Say We Maim & Disfigure The People Responsible...


Meanwhile, in local news, the lawn guy stopped by a day late this week to provide me with my $40 worth of noise, dust, and mental torture.

We covered the Turbo Pup's pool the day before because we saw him drive by, but then he pulled a magic trick and disappeared after only cutting a couple of adjacent lawns.

Then Friday we uncovered the pool to do some maintenance and sit around in it and sure enough here he comes again ...at lunch time rather than the usual 4 PM, and we had to recover the pool and I had to stop work on my never ending front porch refinishing project. (As a side note I'm happy to report that I finished that month long epic task just in the last hour.)

Any way, I had my head stuck in the computer and didn't pay attention, and dang it if the rocket scientist lost his mind again and forgot these words...

DON'T USE THE LEAF BLOWER IN THE CARPORT.

I was out there just now putting things away and straightening up in anticipation of being in Atlanta/St. Simons this week and having guests this coming weekend and EVERYTHING was covered with lawn clippings and dust.

I swear I'm going to buy a leaf blower, find out where this guy lives, and every time he leaves home I'm going to collect everything I sweep up here in and on my stuff and take it over to his house blow it all in through his dryer & stove hood vents.

And speaking of blowing, I see where we have our third named storm in a week out there in the Atlantic, as the Cape Verdi part of the "official" (I accept no imitations) 2009 Atlantic Hurricane season gets underway.

Owl Gore and his Hippy followers probably have had to change their underwear a couple of times this weekend as they watch the Weather Channel.

"...three storms...that'l teach Rove and Rogers and Bush and all those climate change "Deniers..."

I predict this season to be similar to one of the first seasons that we lived down on St. Simons Island...quite in June & July, then it blasted our socks off in August and September with a whole bunch of little bitty piss ant sized Hurricanes and larger Tropic Storms that rained all over Florida and delivered the Georgia Coast a glancing blow a couple of three times.

It actually made for a bit of sinister macabre excitement as you had to think about buying generators and plywood and whether to pack up and bail out inland or just move the cars to higher ground on the mainland and "ride that sucker out..."

Today I find myself safely blasting the climate change jihadi infidels from a safe distance here on the banks of the Mighty Tennessee River while my generator sits in the basement, unopened, still shrink wrapped in it's original packaging.

If you're on the coast and need one I'll make you a deal (retail x 3) but you have to come pick it up...which sort of eliminates the need in the first place.

Regards...Y'all...

I saw Most Of This A Long Time Ago...

But It's Still Funny Today

Josh Blue...Disabled Comedian

Laugh Along With Me

I caught this guy once late at night on TV and couldn't remember his name...but I found him tonight.

Check him out in these videos: