The much anticipated follow up!  The weekend was a BLAST overall but full of many up's and downs.

 

Friday- Still feeling plenty discouraged I forraged on with life with full intentions and anticipation of launchin the SugaCane on Saturday.  I had by that time talked my dad into takin his yacht out too so we could cruise the waters together and have a awesome day.  I went and got my boat and towed it over and for the 1st time physically wiped down the seats and interior down in the galley.  Its pretty this point is because wifey and I had a fallin out a week or two ago about "cleaning" the house not just "straightening up" as i do lol.  If its somethin i take great pride in ill take care of it (such as Nyte Ryder... my 05 Trailblazer).  After cleaning it was mostly just trinket installing/securing then i was basically done.  Batteries charged and ret-ta-go, I took'er back to Kent and returned to my parents to help my dad install the power cord on his Dodge Ram for the powerwinch purchased for his boat. (Another reason why im still sore as i type this now almost 3 days later)  He didnt have a creeper at his house (as i had used when installing mine at my house) so i had to get down on the freakin HARD concrete and weave the cord along what i call the "electrical super highway" runnin the length of the frame to the tailgate.  Went home showered up and crashed.

 

Saturday- THE BIG DAY!  Started out rough.  Didnt get as early a start as i had wanted to but it was fine.  My dad was still resting and by that time had opted out on bringin his boat (or even goin for that matter) so i felt pretty discouraged and nervous.  Why? Cause that meant id have my 2 kids by myself while also tryin to launch, park, pay, deploy, all that alone as the only adult.  So I decided to take my 11yo niece with me to help wit the kids while i tried to do er thang else.  Wifey had a hair appt at 10am so she wasnt there initially (I got to the boat launch round 1230).  I pull up and much to my surprise and pleasure it was pretty much a ghost town!  That took a LOT of the edge off because this would be my first launch alone and i didnt want some novice bullyin me to hurry up (or cop for that matter as they did have out there on busy days).  So bein that the case i did it completely opposite of how i was supposed to. Tells you to PAY before you drop in the water... well I told myself i aint PAYIN till i know shes gonna crank and i can go! lol  Got her in the water and off the trailer after a minor struggle (didnt have the trailer far enough in the water so it didnt float off initally) Already had the blower on and before movin the trailer i jumped on to crank her over... NOTHING.  (expletive!!!) Try again... nothing.  Try AGAIN... stubborn wont start.  (Well i can deal wit that over not crankin at all!)  My dad had taught me the trick of throttlin up to prime the engine so i tried that and sho nuff that 5.0 engine fired up to life! YES!!! Moved the trailer, paid (now that shes runnin lol) got the kids fully situated on board and castoff... and thats where it allll started to go sideways.

 

Castoff was perfect, kids had their lifevests on, toys ready to amuse.  I wasnt gonna go far from the boat launch cause I was in contact wit wifey and she wasnt too far from arriving and my in-laws were enroute as well.  So we stage just off to the side engine idlin but not anchored as i plug in my new Garmin 540s GPS for the 1st time.  Next thing you know i hear an "UH OH!!" didnt surprise me. What is it?  "Tamia dropped her fishing pole in the water" WHAT???? I run to the back of the boat and see if initially floatin at the top of the water i yell at'em to move out the way! and open up the back seat (has a storage compartment) and get the fishing net out.  By  the time im notified get them to move and get the line out it was no longer in view.  Gone.  I was PISSED. i just got her that for her birthday 3 weeks ago and had JUST took it out the wrapping 6min prior!  She knew it too and made it a point to steer clear of me for a while.  I go back to the GPS bookmarking where we had launched and getting little things situated.  Go to the bow to cut off the tag on the Lewmar Windlass i had installed (but never got to use yet) and put 2 fenders in the storage cage up there and i hear this ear piercing SCREAM! MURDER in the back alley type scream.  I jerk around to see what the heck and my niece was up on me nearly pushin me overboard.  WHAT IS IT????? "A BUG!!!!!" are you serious right now????? I reamed her for that stunt and told her to get back in the galley.  You cant be doin that ish! this water is 49 degrees and im bent over doin somethin and no vest on! its just a freakin bug!!!! Turned to head back and SPLASH! One fender had slipped through the cage and into the water.  Ugh, this is the kind of day its gonna be. So i spend the next 10min amusin the waterfront people im sure with a fishing net and a retrieval pole tryin to retrieve my fender.  Circling, reversing, doin passes.. FINALLY when im bout to give up and go get wifey (who's now at the dock) i snag it.  Cruise up, get wifey, just as im pullin off from the dock i hear a whistling and the in-laws where there so pulled BACK up retrieved them (its good docking practice so i didnt mind).  I welcome them aboard the SugaCane and we deploy.

 

Got'er past the no wake zone and i opened'er up to show what kind of (stock) muscle she really had (this was only 2nd time ive ever had'er in the water)  She roared to life as if she was a Mustang 5.0 on water! 1st stop was just north of Seward Park to have lunch. (same location from Book of Lon in 2006 for seafair weekend where we put the floatin pontoon out behind my parents boat and sipped on some MGD's!)  I go back to the bow to release the anchor from its storage clips (no kid behind me this time) and usin the up/down pedals at the bow i also had installed i successfully anchored, killed the engine, cast the fishin lines over the side and got our fish on while eatin and listen to music from my ipod.

 

Pulled anchor after unsuccessfully catching anything and proceeded northward, underneath I-90, underneath 520.  I tried to look up the Ballard Lockes in my GPS but for some reason it wouldnt register so ill have to find that next trip.  We again set anchor just off of the old Sandpoint Naval Base to fish again.  Nothin.  But what we did catch is one case of seasickness!  My mother-in-law, a first time boater, thought the waters a lil too choppy (it wasnt even a windy day!) so she was the 1st to puke aboard tha Cane.  Wifey was a lil woosy but she held her own so im proud of'er (she was the puker back SeaFair 06 on my parents boat)  After the in-law puked and rallied I made verbal notification that i was bout to go pump the waste tank so if anyone had to go potty do so now.  My daughter went then i go to potty and OH WHAT A SURPRISE!!! THERES NO MORE WATER TO FULL THE (EXPLETIVE) BOWL!  I just stand there and laugh.  Why am i not surprised??? I exit out, get two lipton ice tea bottles and go to the back of the boat to fillllll them up wit water so i can pour one in the bowl to flush my daughters 6-7 squares of tissue she decided she needed (which she knew better) then the 2nd in the bowl just to pee!! pulled up anchor, looked up in the GPS where the closest pumping station was (Im tellin you that Garmin was AMAZING) just like the ones u can buy in your car but its for the water.  I clicked on "where to", pressed "fuel" (gives you the option of food, fuel, repair, moorage, etc) the closest was 2 miles away (straight line across the water literally in Kirkland) so arrived there and of course bein the one man band i was that trip, jumped off, tied her down, got the gloves on and proceeded to pump out the waste tank (which is sooooooooo nasty cause part of that hose is see-thru so you are WATCHING get vaccum'd out what was put in! ewwwwwww!!!)

 

Leavin there I enter in the waypoint i had created initially when waitin for wifey to arrive at the dock and it points me the way home.  We pull on up, i tie her down, kill the engine, and let'em all exit off while i go get the trailer.  Line'er up wit lil difficulty pull the boat forward wit the rode, click on the harness hook for the powerwinch step back on the dock and in a cocky push of the button..... wrrrrrrrr..... that winch had me loaded within the minute! No more crankin and crankin!  Pulled her out the water, removed the drain plug, strapped her down, hooked up my trailer lights and bounced!  Bout that time i realized my wedding ring was missing.  Not in my pockets, no where to be found and i dont recall at what point it went missing at all.  So many variables of problems and things i had to deal with alone and managing that i dont know if it just slipped off or i took it off.   All i know is i tore my truck apart and the boat apart and its 100% M.I.A.  What a day.

 

Sunday-  CHUUUUUUUUUUUUURCH! lol  But before that on the way there had to stop at Best Buy to get MarioKart for the Wii!  Figured id better get 2 steering wheels for my sister's kids when they come over or when me and Tamia play against each other lol! Anywho, our church is hosting Eastside Baptist Church for a couple weeks as their church burned to the ground a week or so ago.  So afterward I had DOUBLE lock-up duty of the main bldg and the Family Life Center.  Got that done and went on home to eat, rest, and prepare for my "Pre Oral Board" interview at 1800.  I get there w/ease and initially it was me and another lady.  Someone lets us in and we are taken to the conference room where im not tryin to sit there in silence we had 10min to go so i engage her in convo to break the silence.  Was a really nice lady.  Shes African American too, a mother from Ohio who came to this area to be wit her daughter who's prego and who's husbands in Iraq!  What a move!  She was also a lateral dispatcher.  Another girl then joined us and shes from Bothell dispatch.  The 4th didnt show but she was an entry level.  The guy then talked to us about what that agency as about and what they were lookin for in hirees. After I asked he gave us the shifts for dispatchers and call recievers alike (they work 5 8's , rotating days off, and they bid yearly). Gave us a tour of the facility ( the one person i know to work there wasnt on duty but i did see her name on the dailies) after all was done we had to write a paragraph of our experience and what we could bring to their facility.  You KNOW im bout to sell myself on this one! This is the #1 agency i had wanted to work for after all the others id applied for!  It plugged in perfectly wit the separate letter i had already prepared with my personal history statement questionaire that was to be submitted that day too which again was sellin myself hard that yes i did have disciplines but in that personnel file is only the NEGATIVES of my career but NO mentions of my positives in those 6yrs.  So in the interest of full disclosure because im tired of bombin out in the bkground phase I pleaded for the CHANCE to prove myself and not be judged solely on the bias of the correction centers file on me.

 

Submitted all that, asked one question on the PHS (pertaining to theft from business.  I had originally been putting "yes" in reference to takin a piece of paper from the printer from time to time to write a letter, grocery list etc when the sun sets thats theft so i put yes.  But i think that was bein over analytical because i had said yes in that question to sumner and seattle but this agency said no thats not theft.  could i have been sabotagin myself all this time???  Left there and returned to tha Cane since it was still daylight to give another sweep of the whole boat to find my ring.  2million candlepower searchlight in hand i check EVERYTHING, even storage compartments i didnt even know existed!! but in the end, NOTHIN. My ring is gone :(  It had special meaning not only cause it was my ring but it was also the same ring from our 1st failed attempt at marriage in 2001. She kept mine, but i had took hers and had upgraded it to the bling she has now.  It was white gold with 7 diamonds across the front to me representin the 7yrs we were together before gettin married finally in 2004.  And of course even sadder because im unemployed so i cant afford to buy another wedding band.  The marching drum of drama rolls on.

 

This edition comes 1 day early ahead of normal postings because so much is happening too fast and not the way i need it to be.

 

Saturday- Nothin went down at all just bummed around the house.  The weather of course took a turn for the worst bein in the 40's and SNOW so that nullified takin tha Cane out.  Eventually my daughter came back from the in-laws and Chuck E Cheese (aaaagain)  so chatted wit them for a few then back to movies and msnbc.  Ended up gettin into it BAD wit one of my closest friends (Lucy) that night, worse than usual.  Alot of bridges have been gettin burned lately and i know i have everything to do wit it in some cases cause im so discouraged and bitter at where ive gotten myself employment wise.  Ive been reachin out to another one of my friends, Goldielocks (or just Locks) for about a week now but she's completely disappeared from radar.  Saddens me cause she bein in my parallel universe was another source of support that we were poundin the pavement together tryin to get back on our feet but she's now not returning any of my txts.  My friend Syren, same deal. just disappeared no reply to txts, myspace mails, comments, NOTHING.  Can someone just TELL me they aint gonna talk to me anymore so i can delete outta my blackberry and myspace and tell me what the hell i did to deserve a sudden onset cold shouldering??

 

Sunday- Chuuuurch! It was an awesome service full of good energetic music it was poppin!  They had a new members luncheon goin on afterward and one of the other members was attending thats also a trustee and had offered to lock up the church when it was over wit and i had nooooo problems wit that! (this month of April as a Trustee was my responsibility to lock up the whole church after service) so i went on home... but not before divertin down I-5 to get some Church's Chicken in Lakewood! Perfectly fitting yes i know lol.  From there I bummed round the house till it was round 1030ish pm when it was bout time to pick up my girl from the airport.  But of course checkin online her flight was delayed so watched some shows till it was time then got there just as she was in baggage claim.  Took'er on home and checked on my boat since i was in Kent.  Leavin though i was hopin to see one of my best friends who i hadnt seen since i was fired.  Initially I had communication that i had wanted to see her and say hey since she was up on break at that time i was leavin the boat but suddenly line of communication went dead and never got a txt reply of yea or nay. :(  felt a lil dissed by it so just drove on by and went on home.

 

Monday- Was a big day for me which i got to share with many of you.  I interviewed with another agency thats right in my locality.  Wifey was home sick so she kept the kids and I got there bout 30min early cause i was pretty pumped.  The director gave me a tour of the whole facility and then i did a short observation with one of the dispatchers till 2pm.  By that time I got to see 2 fmr corrections center employees there just arriving for their shifts.  I sat down wit the panel of 4 and started my 3rd oral panel interview.  They asked the usual line of questions and in the end asked me if theres anything i wanted to ask them or add to the interview. I told them.. ADD. and i proceeded to plead my case.  i worked in that facility for 6yrs. was the #1 dispatcher for 2007 with OT.  Very positive person.  But in my personnel file none of that is reflected, only the negative. (the 4 disciplines i had told them about)  but i asked them please keep that in consideration the GOOD ive done in the 6yrs and not focus on the bad.  I know its a hard pill to swallow but all im askin for is a CHANCE to prove myself. 

 

I never have a problem wit my interviews its always the personnel file. Always.  So i left there shaking from anxiety and praying for the best.  Stopped at McDonalds on the way home and picked up an Iced Mocha they now have.  Tasted Great! 

 

Tuesday-  Allllll about the PA Primary.  I was GLUED  to the tv waitin to hear any type of word.  I got a meet up wit my gurl Pattycake and had breakfast then ran up to Costco to do some quick shoppin and saw my mom there after pickin up Tamia and discipling her after i found out she punched another girl in the stomach! (and seein her hit my punching bag i KNOW that girl has a punch!).  Over to Joe's to pick up some gun barrel cleaning supplies then back home to finish cleanin my assault rifles.  Of course word soon came out about the results and i was PISSED.  Couldnt believe she took it by 9.4%.  Ugh.  Had to do a meds run later that night for the wifey still home sick (im bettin the late season flu). Spent most of that time finally squashin beef wit Lucy that had basically terminated our friendship but all is fine and well again now.

 

Wednesday- No school store since its week 2 of the WASL testing.  The day before i had gathered up a bunch of DVD's i owned that i KNEW i didnt want nor desired to watch again so i went up to Gamestop to trade'em in for in-store credit.  Got raped on that transaction cause wit all the dvd's i had i only got $52! Whaaatever its money towards MarioKart Wii that comes out Sunday ($49), or Wii Fit that comes out next month ($89).  Back home playin Mr. Mom watchin tv and doin loads of laundry.

 

Thursday-..... today. Was mostly catnappin watchin tv not yet ready to field the indepth convos of MSNBC. Phone rings as "Private Caller" Normally i dont entertain the calls but wifey's work # appears that way so that time of day (1030hrs) i picked up.  It was another agency that i had pretty much written off cause they had no eta of callbacks! (the one that i got 2nd place testing but said DONT CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU!) LOL. He set up a "pre oral board" interview wit me for this Sunday 1800hrs!  I was soooo awake at that point!  He of course asked me about my application and havin on there that i was released from duty.  So i give him the same as Puyallup.  Go through the story of each one and how the 1st specifically was a boneheaded move and i deeply regretted all and that NONE were misconduct issues as found by the state (for unemployment) but just corrections center policy violations.  So he said he understood and that it shouldnt be an issue then. 

 

After hangin up gettin my daughter and returnin I had a brief impulse to finally mow the front yard. on my 1st lap though I turn around and in what had been extremely  tall grass was now exposed a next and what was left in that next was a remnant of a shell :( No tree nearby a bird had decided to make a nest there and now ive committed homicide by lawnmower!! To add to my woes the maillady had came so i went and checked the mail and there it was.  City of Seattle letterhead.  Like Sumner just get to the 2nd paragraph cause thats all that matters.  "We regret to inform you...." (expletive) another strikeout. NOT good. Within one hour gain a potential and lose one.  It had many cons ill admit. the commute to seattle, it was a call reciever not dispatcher, and the pay was less then all agencies i had applied to. But it was still a job.  Im crappin out wit this personnel file.  So that brings me to where im sittin here typin you early.  Discouraged but keeping faith.  I may have to retire from what i loved doin because i cant overcome documentation kept on me by the corrections center.  Its tanking me everywhere i go (thus far) Keep me in your prayers.

 

I may add a special edition chapter after Sunday to follow up on what happens over the next 3 days. Friday my dad is off so we'll probably be workin on his boat and my boat together gettin'em ready for a season of fun.  Saturday is supposed to be 60's and partly cloudy so i plan on puttin'er in the water. Then sunday the interview after church so stay tuned.

 

Special Shout goes out to my girl D.  I read her blog entry this a.m. and it touched me listenin to anothers struggles.  My prayers are with you and your family and theres not much that i can do in my present condition but what i can do i will D.  You've been a good friend to me and that never goes unpaid back.

Weeeeeeeek 11! Let's see what happened this last week:

 

Saturday- Kids choir practice for starters.  Took her up there to the church and read my newsweek mag while they did their thang.  I harassed Olympic Boat Center pretty much all day since that was the only day the sun was out and the temperature had reached 80 in most places.  They stilllll had tha Cane though no eta of finishin so had to abort the plan for some spring time crusin that weekend.  That evening i was supposed to be runnin a spotlight for a church function but they called me that day and advised that they wouldnt be needin it done so that ruined any and every possible plan i couldve done for the day.  So we pall'd around the house.  Was gonna go to parents house and loiter but did laundry instead.  My ol' buddies (bein sarcastic) the JW's came knockin on my door (exclusively) tryin to re-invite me to their faux holiday celebration the following day (they call the Lord's Memorial which is their own CREATED "easter". Yet they call the true orthodox christians easter and christmas a pagan holiday celebration like theirs is some pure "since the times of Jesus" day? are you serious wit me right now??) I was NOT in the mood for some bogus B.S. so i never answered the door. yet looked out the window and they sure did go riiight back to their car parked across the street and left! didnt go to not one other house in the hood?  I hadnt had my tattoo on my forearm at that time but maybe i shouldve opened the door and showed'em.... Im down wit the Lord for LIFE. so dont come around here with some manmade created religion thinkin you gonna perverse another life cause it aint gonna happen.  "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"

 

Sunday- Chuuuuuuuuuurch!  It was a pleasant surprise to see the in-laws there (who my mother-in-law has been a JW for over a decade).  They came to see Tamia in the kids choir sing and it was nice to have'em there. I could tell wifey's stepdad was enjoyin it for reals. (he confided in me that he was NOT feelin the JW's and their ways and have had doubts for a long time)  Just to hear those words was a blessing to me cause anyone that looked at the FACTS of that religion could tell it aint right and certainly not of God!  They had to cut out just before the sermon cause mother in law needed somethin to eat (diabetic) which totally sucked cause the name of the sermon? BEIN JESUS' WITNESSES! hahahaha!  After church we went to my parents house changed our clothes and all went up to Chuck E Cheese to finish celebratin Tamia's b-day from last wednesday.  She had a good time wit her cousins. From there we all went our own ways.

 

That night me and wifey had what we call our own "state of the union" summit at the dining room table to discuss the status of our marriage and what needs to be done to smooth out the wrinkles and fix problems that have been consistent over the years.  No DV or anything just a nice calm debate/discussion coverin the points that needed to be mulled over.  In the end we both walked away satisfied wit the discussion and the hostilities (which had been running rampant) subsided which was nice.

 

Monday- Was a non-productive day.  Back to the grind for reals. I had got a letter in the mail from one of the agencies down south that said they scored my tests for Lateral Dispatcher and i was 2nd place! So they keepin it on file and will callback for interview whenever (no eta).  Very excited about that though, thats the facility i had originally wanted cause out of all agencies locally they make the most as dispatchers.  Spent most of the day (matter of fact the last several days prior) talkin to a friend of mine i met through a mutual friend about Christ (Sup Katt!).  Now respestin this persons privacy cause its not my place to tell their story this gurl has gone through a LOT in her life and as a result eventually turned away from Christ completely, denouncing him and turning to a wiccan faith.  She'd tell me stories about this other pastor who was tryin to convert her and that it wasnt gonna happen.  I smiled and continued to exchange myspace mails (cause you and i both know people of the world that those who come in contact with Christ and His true love, its OVER wit.) and kept her in my prayers.  Wasnt my intentions to convert her at all but to show her the true love of Christ and the truth of Christianity and from there its up to her if she wanted to continue to look the other way and forsake her blessings waitin for her.

 

Tuesday- Was my chance to prove His blessings to her.  Her daughter had an appt in Tacoma that they could NOT miss at all.  I had known about it prior and before i even THOUGHT about if i had anything to do that day i had already volunteered to pick them up and take them after i picked up my daughter from school and fed'em.  So i do that and we head on south on the long trip to eatonville (usin GPS cause you know i never go past 220th ((smirking)) in graham so i know nothin about anything else down there.  We get there load up a couple of her kids (one bein Tamia's age so they were more than happy to occupy the 3rd row and play together). Head up north and west to Tacoma to make the appt by 3pm.  Get to the first location (Remann Hall, which was nice to finally see after givin cops directions on how to get there all this time) but the lady wasnt there so we had to go to another location in dwntwn Tacoma.  Well the actual address didnt register in my GPS so it had me all south of I-5 (the portion where I-5 bends wb/eb south of the Tacoma dome.  We eventually found it 13min after the appt time and everything through the grace of God paid off for them and they no longer have to do the appts!  I noticed the whole time we were driving to and from the appt Katt's eyes seemed to have opened up more and she was noticin churches all around her.  I told her after she saw the brick church (viewable from I-5 south of the Tacoma dome but north of the Tacoma Mall) pick anyone and walk right in! Dropped them off at home after exchanging goodbyes and final remark of "count your blessings!"  She told me later she noticed a scripture from Proverbs hangin on her wall, her Bible and other things in her home that I guess had been mentally blocked.  She has kids that go to a Christian Church in the town and i told her hey! whats good for the Goose is good for the gander right? so vice versa! if its good for them its certainly good for you!  So ya'll keep her in your prayers I pray my words and sincere act of kindness (specially in my broke unemployed state) that my sincere act of kindness in Jesus' name will touch her heart to forsake the witchcraft and return to the love of Christ.  There is no religion/true "that works for you" Just like people have different sides of the story in the end there is only ONE truth.

 

Wednesday- Another lounge day.  Schools are havin the WASL testing so i didnt have school store that day.  I wasnt aware Tamia got out at her typical time vs 12pm so i wasnt there on time to get'er so had to throw on the shoes and pick'er up.  From there I had got a call that the SugaCane was done and ready for pick up! yea!!!! So went back to the house and grabbed my real shoes (was in sandals) got the kids some snacks and headed over to fife via the bank to pick'er up.  Came wit a nice hefty repair/install bill of $1010.58.  ugh!  It was my fault though. they were only supposed to de-winterize her (which was $150) but since they had'er already i told'em to fix the water heater (that was bad when i bought the boat so that was another $500+) and since they had it, I had bought that wired remote control last week that controls the sony deck and our ipods, so i had'em install that to make listenin to music way more convienient at the dashboard. (another $200) so after tax and supplies used a nice hefty $1k.  Hooked her up and towed her back over to her mooring/storage spot in kent made sure she was all locked up and headed back home. 

While i was there though the job up north called and advised they had went and looked at my personnel file at the corrections center. (dun dun dunnnn!!). She told me from there it goes to her boss for final decision so maybe ill hear somethin in the next couple weeks.  Keep me in your prayers!  Also heard back from another job in the south end down here and they wanted me to come in for testing on the 29th so that makes 3 official leads and 2 in queue.

 

Watched the presidental debate that aired on abc/channel 4 and was highly irritated at the pointlessness the moderators had in their questions.  purely seeking out ratings with their bringing up gaff's as they call'em from the past vs what the people truly wanted to hear debated about (gas, economy, health care, iraq).  Which i find highly amusing that turning around now listening to msnbc (its friday im recappin the week) abc/washington post says a recent poll shows 49% say the candidates spend too much time arguing about unimportand things. well hmmmmm abc what do you think your moderators just made them do????

 

Thursday- Now was a day to get 11 weeks of stress out!  Went up to the gun range wit my gurl snowflake who i aint seen in a looong time (she had did a bid over in Iraq as a private contractor)  she had bought a strap she hadnt really got to shoot off since she bought it and i havent shot ANY of my guns since last July when we had went to Mississippi (ref Book of Lon in July 2007 Day...5 i believe) Ugh i wanted to wild out but of course proper gun etitique have to shoot carefully with aim and not 2 guns at the same time (i took 2 outta 3 of my 9mm's).  Took 2 different targets and pleeeenty of ammo.  Had to use up the bullets i had bought in Mississippi and hadnt used up as well as bullets i bought in 07 and hadnt used up when i 1st bought the guns.  One of the targets was quadrant shooting.  Each vital organ was marked.  Your boy is SICK!! I posted the targets up on my myspace for viewing (http://www.myspace.com/lonnielon) all was shot at 15ft and was HIGHLY accurate.  perfect center mass shot, head shots, even gave'em a tracheotomy with perfect throat shot hahahaha.  Had my glasses so was excellent accuracy i was very impressed wit myself.  Headin back south stopped by my gurl's house harassin her by blarin loud music outside her house till she was forced to come out lol.  She was fussy at the beginning but got over it.

 

Friday- Son is behind me nappin and im in the house typin to ya'll before goin to get my kid from school.  My gurl JA, aka lil momma, advised me she's goin outta town for the weekend so im goin to give'er a ride to the airport. But just as i jumped out the shower and threw my son in..... he decided to go pee! not just anywhere..... ON MY LEG!!!! EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!  i couldnt help but laugh cause it had only been 30 seconds since i had taken off his diaper and water hose away!  Ugh, got all cleaned up AGAIN, went and got Tamia and took lil momma to the airport.  From there since my daughter is stayin wit the in-laws for the weekend and the weather report says the weather is noooot of boating substance so dont forsee much else goin on the rest of the weekend! Everytime i think im gonna suck it up and take tha Cane out regardless of weather it starts raining again and im reminded i dont wanna be trapped under the canopy the whole time i wanna be able to see everythingand maybe fish! Annnnyways, daughter is gone now so just me and the boy till wifey gets here, and im hunnnngry so talk to ya'll soon!

Well, we've hit a milestone in my unemployment life this week.  Week 10 of bein jobless in Seattle.  Things are startin to look a lil better though overall but again no where near close till i can overcome that personnel file and hear the words "Youre Hired" one more time.  Lets catch up on the weeks events:

 

Saturday-  Choir practice for my daughter during the day.  Wife had to ger her hair did as well as a variation of other errands and parties so didnt see her all day and when i did it was NOT a pretty site.  I met up wit my girl "Lucy" to run an errand when she was off work to Tacoma.  We had 30minutes to get from Puyallup to Boatersworld in Tacoma to pick up a Powerwinch for my dad's Bayliner trailer.  She was off at 630 they closed at 7pm and i had to get gas!  She was tryin to persuade me to terminate the task and do it the following day but i was determined!  Those that know me KNOW i can drive in a bind! (Remember when we were carpoolin cake and mobbed out from Puyallup to work walkin down the green mile at work with 2 minutes to spare? lmao! PRO!)  Anyways get there wit a couple minutes to spare tell'em what im there for... they dont have any in stock! what???? ugh all that for nothin.  But i needed a wired remote control for my Bayliner to control the sony deck in the galley and my ipod from the dashboard at the steering wheel so i went ahead and picked that up when i was there.  Spend most of the day consoling one of my good friends Goldielocks (or just Locks) who was cut loose from the corrections center as well the day before.  Told her to catch up on her readin of these last 10 weeks cause this is the highs and lows she's in for!

 

Sunday- Went to church as we do weekly.  Was nice to see my sister there again.  Actually singing too! hahahah (i can write that cause chances are she dont read this autobiography so she'll never know! hahahah) came back home and waited for my girl "Lucy" to get off work again to try our task again, this time to federal way's Boatersworld. Headed out round 230ish and get there no problem-o.  Get the powerwinch in custody and deliver it to my ol' man who was at a conference in tacoma still so dropped off no problem after testin it to assure it worked w/out a problem.

 

Monday- Back up and at'em after droppin my daughter off at school. (YES! outta my hair for a couple hours!) Had to go BACK to boatersworld again cause they failed to gimme the rebate slip for the powerwinch so had to get that.  Stopped at the boat center to drop off my wired remote for them to install since they already had it down there still waitin for the water heater to arrive so they could install.  Climbed aboard to tell'er hi and pull the deck out to assure it would properly control my ipod and the deck as it was supposed to (which of course again).  From there since i was in the area i dropped in on one of the jobs i had applied for since they hadnt called (but lookin at my bank acct they had cashed a application fee check of $15 back on the 20th!)  She told me that she had been sick all the following week (and was audibly coughin when i got there too) but said she would be callin sometime this week to schedule an interview.  I sad okie doke and headed on back to Puyallup to pick up my daughter.  Later that night I had a Trustee Meeting at my church which was VERY interesting.  So much goin on we tryin to take care of but so lil resources to cover it all.  While we were in the meeting a scraggly white guy walked in unannouced and startled said "Oh im sorry i didnt know you guys were in here" and stumbled out.  One of the ladies went out to him thinkin at first that he was lookin for the Gym where they were playin basketball so none of us thought anything further of it.  But then we thought well one of us guys should probably go with her to assure he's out the building.  So one of the guys went out to assist her and while they were gone another lady jokingly said "Maybe you should go assist'em pastor" we all kinda chuckled.  He said "hmph, ill pray for'em!" we all roared laughin hahahaha  Of course they both came back safely and had locked the door as a precaution that he didnt double back.

 

Tuesday- Palled around the house nothin happened.  Got an invite to test with USPS as a Rural Carrier Associate for Auburn, and Spanaway.  Dunno if im gonna do it though cause it seems part-time work only which aint gonna work and i know NOTHIN about the pay scale either.  I went to Walmart and got my daughter a disney princess fishin rod she had wanted months ago. 

 

Wednesday- Back to the school store grind hustlin to lil kids!  Was a lil refreshin bein around others even if it was for 2hrs.  It was also my daughters 6th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMIA! I gave her the fishin line that she absolutely loved and couldnt wait to play wit.  I put it up though cause i didnt want it broke before we even got out on the water for her to truly try to fish wit it.  when wifey got home we had a birthday meal of mcdonalds and they took her up to Toysrus to let her pick out any toy she wanted.  Originally she had picked out a polly pocket house thingy to play wit and some cashier thing. totally $60 but i wasnt fond of either specially the polly pocket cause she got a my lil pony house for christmas that would then be neglected if she got the other.  I tried talkin her into a BIG barbie dollhouse to play wit all her dolls in but she declined that for a kitchen set she had saw.  I declined on the kitchen set cause she already had one that she had stopped playin wit completely last year so we gave it to charity! lol but she wasnt feelin it so pushed on again!  In the end we got to the bikes and we were able to talk her into gettin a new bike and helmet. (problem is she never learned to ride the other one at all w/training wheels so there was no way she was gonna learn on this one lol) it was a steal of a deal though.  So bought it and as we were walkin to the door wifey announces her remote stopped workin.  nice.  end up settin of the alarm to get into the car, load the stuff, go back in the store blow another $6 on batteries just to put in the remote to deactivate the alarm to go home.

 

Thursday- Was quite a fascinating day.  I had volunteered to go on my daughters field trip to the Pantages Theater.  So I had Marcus, Tamia, My girl D's daughter (nice seein you D! its been forever! stop bein so in a rush lets go have coffee and bring Alexcir over for their playdate!), and another boy in the class.  We took the school bus on out there (1st time ive been on one in forever!)  Soon as we got there we immediately had lunch which since it was wet outside still we ended up eatin underneath a covered pedestrian overpass to a transit center right outside the theater.  Very unorthodox and on the fly but they all ate their food and i made my group wipe their hands wit a baby wipe.  From there we went in to stage and wait to be let in for the play but not without a rush of kindergarteners needin to use the bathroom!  Bein im the oooonly guy on the trip guess who had to go in there and supervise?!  They went within seconds from anarchy chaos to filing in/out the stalls and urinals lmao.  ORDER! You aint my kid but ill whup yo azz if you gimme just cause!  Ran like a well oiled engine! pee, wash hands, dry, get the hell out!  My lil group was special cause since we had Marcus and his stroller we couldnt go up the stairs so we got to take the elevator exclusively to the 2nd flr to our seats.  ( I make it a point to stand out as the "cool parent" that all kids wanna pair up wit lol) The play was very cute. Hadnt seen one like that since i was a lil kid myself goin to the Seattle Childrens Theater at the Seattle Center.  It was nice to see how D's daughter was excited happy and interactive cause she's been havin some depression/separation anxietly issues since movin here the 2nd semester.  I also made it a point to sit away from Tamia cause me and wifey raise our kids as independents.  No clingy needy kids.  And not disturb her environment as a child in her class.  Shes naturally a good kid and i wanna show her that i respect her as an individual and come down on her when only necessary. (she sat away from me on the school bus goin to and from the play).  After returning she went back to class for a bit and i had talked to the teacher a bit and she told me she as well was a devout Obama fan and had been wanted a button for forever so i told her i had a 2nd one and i'd bring it to her the next day. oh if it was appropriate im sure i wouldve got mauled wit a hug she was so excited hahahaha.  Spent the rest of the evenin chit chattin and watchin tv.

 

Friday- Which is now! Just got back from pickin up Tamia from school, the boy is asleep.  Met up with Cake to try these McCafe' Latte's that McDonalds was offering through breakfast time today (Which it what my Myspace Bulletin was referring to).  It was pretty good although I cant really compare it to anything cause i dont drink frilly coffee at all and havent had a latte in a long time.  Was good seein you again Cake! Been awhile!  Still havent heard back from the job up north, so jury still out with them as theyre doin my bkground check.  As said it could take upwards of 60 days. A local city called me yesterday while i was on the field trip wantin me to interview with them in a couple weeks so i set that up and am lookin forward to gettin a few cities in queue and pray they all pan out and i can choose the best for my family but if ANY of'em say yes im there even if it is the commute up north.  Already in the back of my mind i have a charted out to spend 3-4g's on a 2dr commuter car cause driving the Trailblazer would KILL in gas.  (which me and my girl "Lucy" found saturday at 176th and canyon the am/pm there is $3.33! the cheapest gas around!)  Anywho! dont forsee anything else happenin the rest of the night but if so ill amend this chapter.  My girl Lil Momma called and asked if i wanted to meet for coffee but i told'er ive already had some this am lol then my mom interrupted that call to see if she could get Tamia to take her to Rainforest Cafe for her birthday so i may have to head up there to drop her off and not lookin fwd to it! 

 

All of you i hope are doin well and keepin your heads up. Anjeanette, Happy birthday to you as well since you and my daughter share a birthday, JITT congrats again on the house, ill help move ya in if i can, KimKim welcome back stateside hope you had fun in Hawaii, Locks keep your head up we'll both get through this unemployed state. Cake you blessed girl my check engine lights now on lol, Lucy congrats again on your promotion!

 

(Yawn) Well... week 9 now.  Life still the same.  Cant say its bad... cant say its good.

 

All week has been spring break for my daughter  so theres been a whooooole lot of just sittin around the house not doin anything and stayin home to conserve gas.  Doin laundry, catchin up on some newsweek mags and jet mags that i used to read at work on downtime so yeah... 8 weeks worth of mags! 

 

Wednesday I was so bored i actually just pulled out 2 of my 9mm's that i had last shot in the woods of Mississippi wit my dad back in July and lubed and cleaned'em finally lol OOPS.  Disassembled those bad boys and had'em spit shined somethin fierce!  Stainless steel gleamin like they was chromed out!  The day before (Tuesday) I had went to the gun club to inquire about their membership and requirements.  This one closer to my house (Paul Bunyan) is actually cheaper than the Tacoma Sportsman Club so eventually when i have the extra funds ill join'em so i can let my ak spray one mo 'gin!  Met up wit a couple of my firends and hung out for awhile which was really... REALLY nice!  Had stopped at the Tommy Store for the 1st time in MONTHS to see what they had jumpin off in there.  Sad couldnt spend though :( Went to Azteca and got some grub and had a stroooooooong Sangria! Much needed!  Tried to go to boaterswold but they had just closed by 8 minutes so no frivilous shoppin there.  As i was drivin that way i tried callin a couple gun stores cause i got my eyes on a tec-9 to add to my gun collection.  Dude told me they were pos's though so i may or may not continue to obtain one.  We'll see.

 

Thursday-  I went back up north for part 2 of my background check.  Met wit the Detective and went over the results of the "pre polygraph scantron" as i call it.  Had me reconfirm all my answers which i did by signin'em off.  But lookin at'em i noticed astericks next to specific answers so i brought it to the detectives attention cause i felt it was discouraging. (have you been fired, have you stolen anything from work, have you applied for a concealed weapons permit, are you known to carry a gun in your vehicle, do you own any assualt rifes....)  so i had answered yes to all those but i asked her am i bein OVER honest cause the theft from work who hasnt taken a piece of paper from the printer at work to make a grocery list or write a letter.  We're not talkin a ream of paper or a box of pens here.  So its makin me look bad but unnecessarily.  Havin a CPL.. so what? Carryin a strap in my SUV... and?  I NEVER carried it to work only on my weekends and when i was driving to a foreign place.  This society is gettin way too outta hand NOT to specially when i have my kids.  Assault rifles? Yes..... i like guns so i have an ar-15 and ak-47 so what?  Not like i carry THOSE in my truck lol.  There was a few others but whaaaatever.  So after goin through that and the personal history statement and verifying references she wanted me to then write a statement explaining in short detail each of the 4 disciplines that led to my termination.  She left me alone expecting a brief paragraph for each one....well... FOUR pages later....hahahahaha  I had a loooooot to say about the writing specifically the suspension then the termination.  I accepted responsibility for all and not try to "justify" what happened but the way some of it went down was just not fair. I wrote on there to take into consideration all those disciplines were as a dispatcher, never as a call reciever.  By the time I was done another guy had came in and said the original detective had to leave so gave me my form to get fingerprinted before i left hahahahaha. well i was done by the time he came in the door so i just gave it to him and took off.  According to the HR lady the background could take up to 60 days so we'll see when i get the results.  If i truly did get this gig i wouldnt start till august though so ill be pursuing other agencies as well.

 

I did check in on tha cane to see how she was doin at the boat center gettin dewinterized.  turns out she's done and ready for pickup for 1/2 the initial cost i was quoted!  So since i now had that extra bit of $$ back i told'em to go ahead and fix the water heater that was broke since i had bought the boat last year.  never got it fixed cause figured i wouldnt be gettin use outta it before i had winterized but now that she's (hopefully) about to be used and shes already in the shop i dont wanna have to put'er BACK in the shop for x amount of weeks.  So she should be officially done by next week and ready for her inaugural launch!

 

Been spendin time alot more wit my wife and kids.  Had let my personal life spiral outta control for awhile and decided to finally rope it back in and take back control of who I (truly) am and where i wanna be in my life.  It sat well wit some and not so well with others but when the sun sets i know i did whats best (and right) for me.  Ill holla at ya'll next week.  File your taxes! i did mine today so i can get my " economy stimulus check " which is only a loan against your 08 tax filing season  but whatever hopefully i wont need to live off that money to get through the year :(