BEST WEEKEND EVER!

I think the title says it all. This was, far and away, the best weekend I've ever had. We took our first vacation together. A long weekend in one of my favorite places - San Francisco. We got there Friday around mid-day and left Sunday afternoon. We took in a baseball game in Oakland (the A's lost), spent a whole day in the city and took an awesome tour around the city on a motorized cable car. The best part of the weekend was that it was just Amy and I, and we did things on our own schedule. It was a nice relaxing weekend away.

On a separate topic, yesterday was also my Mom's birthday. This is the first time since 1996 that I was around for my Mom's birthday. We took her to Bob Taylor's Ranch House. If you haven't been there, it's a nice special occasion type restaurant. It's one of those places that are becoming harder and harder to find in Las Vegas - a non-chain restaurant. It also gave my parents an idea of someplace to eat that isn't Kavanagh's.

Well, Amy and I both took Monday off as well, before the week starts. It's going to be a hectic week. Friday is going to be my last day at ClientLogic, so I'll be busy transitioning all my projects once I get back into the office. My current boss is in Las Vegas today, so Amy and I are having dinner with him. I like Ted. I can honestly say he's the best boss I ever had. A couple of my friends from other offices are in town this week, and they want to get together. We'll see what materializes there. My goal is to have everything transitioned by the end of the day Thursday at the very latest. I'm not going to be one of those dopes that gets stuck working late on their last day...

Relief

Mom and Dad's stuff arrived today. This is welcome news since they have been staying there with only a mattress and box spring. Now all they need is the DirecTV folks to show up tomorrow. The phone company will be back on Tuesday to fix the jacks upstairs, and then Mom and Dad will be fully operational.

Woo hoo!

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Well, change is in the air. I gave notice at ClientLogic this morning. Ironically, on the day after my 10th anniversary. My boss took it OK. I'm just a little nervous. Change is always nerve-wracking. The opportunity is great for me. Ted (my current boss) even said there was no way he could match the position or salary increase. It's very exciting, but makes me anxious at the same time.

Bottom line - I'm moving on and I don't regret it. I'm just nervous about the change. That's all.

Old habits die hard, I guess...

Every once in a while, my Catholicism comes out. I'm Catholic and I admit to it. I still have a hard time grasping that the current Pope is NOT John Paul II. I was reading today how Turkey invited the Pope to come visit next year. My initial reaction was to help heal the emotional/diplomatic wounds from when the Pope was shot bu a Turkish (or was it Bulgarian) national. Then the light bulb went on. The current Pope isn't John Paul II, but rather Benedict XVI.

I guess if I went to church more often I would know these things...

Corporate fire drills

Over the course of the last few days, I've run into more than my share of corporate fire drills. For the most part, people were running around for no real reason. One person was freaking out because our COO asked a simple question. Others were panicking because of other silly little issues. And of course, people had to call my cell phone without leaving a voicemail on my landline.

I guess that's what really bothers me. Once upon a time, cell phones were for emergencies. In today's day and age, this is less and less the case. However, I pay for my cell phone out of my own pocket and the company only reimburses for $50 a month. I use my cell for personal reasons too, but since when did mundane details like how to respond to a simple request become life and death?

Progress

I can start seeing light at the end of the tunnel. My folks place should be painted today, unless you listen to my Dad's way of thinking. They are going to go shopping for flooring tomorrow, and Dad and I are pulling the existing carpet out of the downstairs on Wednesday.

I really do feel for my folks. They are coming up on two months of living out of suitcases and in un-homey conditions. The drive back and forth is killing them. This being said, on the positive side, their place is feeling more and more like their home. The bedrooms and upstairs bathrooms along with the kitchen are all painted. They have ordered their bedroom and dinette sets. Mom and Amy have bought sheets, shower curtains, dishes and stuff. Once the floor is in downstairs, I think they'll be set. I honestly believe that if they had a mattress and box spring on site, they'd be living there now.

To make a long story short, I think everyone involved is ready for them to be in their own place and settled. This being said the time in front is shorter than the time behind us.

For the record - Bills 22 and Texans 7. The A's lost yesterday. They are 2 games behind the Angels in the AL West and 2.5 games behind Cleveland for the Wild Card. They open a three-game series in Cleveland this evening.

Yippee!!!!

My phone service is switched back to Sprint! This is welcome news for anyone that's tried talking to me on the phone in the last couple of months. Vonage was OK, but having my phone service tied to my internet connection really sucked. Given the amount of time that I work from home and the number of conference calls I am on, I really need something more reliable.

Now I can go down to just one router on my Internet connection...

Home again.

Well, I'm back from Canada. For all my bitching and complaining, it was a good trip. The client was pleased with the smoothness of the launch, which is always good. The flight back was long, two hours to Montreal, 2.5 hours in Montreal, but part of that was eaten up clearing US Customs, and then 5.5 hours from Montreal to Las Vegas. However, at least I got home last night.

Mom and Dad's tenants have moved out. This is welcome news. Now they have stuff to work on! There is plenty of stuff that needs to be done, given the condition the place is in. They are getting ready to head out to buy their bedroom set and stop at the Home Depot before heading out to their homestead and start cleaning things out. Right now it looks like their stuff will be here sometime between 9/17 and 9/22.

Anyway, I'm glad to be home - just in time for the long weekend! YAY!