Greeting fellow homies! We're broadcastin to you live from the couch again! Still no word from cherished friend Marie at all which is the 1st time in almost a year theres been no contact daily so I guess my friend count grows lower and lower just as Clinton's chance of winning the nomination does! lol heres the rundown of the week:

 

Sunday- Churrrrrch!  Just me, wifey, and the kids along wit my dad.  Apparently all else took a day off.  After church they had a nice luncheon that we all sat down for and socialized with each other.  Twas very nice.  From there stopped by McClendon's and bought 4 tomato plants that i was thinkin about puttin in the big garden.

 

Monday- Memorial Day of course.  Special shout out to those lost in ANY struggle.  I may not agree wit the politics and the lies that lead to such conflicts but i do respect what it is they have to do.  Its their job whether even they agree wit it too.  I was gonna stay home thanks to gas prices everywhere finally hittin the $4.00/gallon mark.  But last minute i struck a deal wit my parents that if they provided the lunch we'd make a guest appearance lol.  So they got Longhorn BBQ and wifey got off early from work so we headed on up and watched a lil tv, and played on the wii (my parents have one as i do and my sister lol)  I took WiiFit over so played on it a lil, then played MarioKart Wii and We Ski.  It was sooooo funny watchin my dad turn the steering wheel tryin to stay on the track but he held his own and beat me several times!  Tried to go back to McLendons but they were closed so went to the mall to pick up some things from there.  Met up wit Lucy and hit up Sears but opted out on more tools for the Cane.  From there went to Linens N Things and ended up gettin a new George Foreman Grill that has the detachable plates for safe washing if you ask me.  I had another one.. the 1st generation type that was small compact w/the bun warmer but i always hated the fact of havin to wash it under water gettin the electrical componets wet.  A $59 grill i got 50% off!

 

Tuesday- Palled around the house doin a bunch of nothin. Lottta tv.  Went to McLendons to get a couple more strawbery plants to bring my full total to 8 in the big clay planter i have on my back patio.  Was a few minutes late gettin Tamia from school but oh well its almost over!

 

Wednesday-  Tamia had a dentist appointment first thing in the a.m. so drove on up there and read my newsweek while she got worked on.  Makes me smile everytime goin in there cause its the same dentist i went to as a child and youth so i still know some of those people in there and even one of'em i went to elementary school wit! lol  From there we had school store volunteer work.  It was the last official day of the store so all was bein "clearanced out" basically while the rest bein boxed up for storage.  Since i was a lil behind in time she had another volunteer in there with her kids and it was soooooo annoying.  they were probably 5 and 3 years of age and were actin completely untrained.  at one point the 5yr old kept leavin the portable goin out to the ramp and she says in this very proper nicey voice: "im not very happy with your mister and you are going to be in very big trouble when we get home" i wanted to DIE laughin like are you serious???? put your FOOT in his a** and get him in CHECK!  He calms down for a while then later on starts up again as we're gettin ready to leave and she says "see, this is exactly why we dont go anywhere..." I just shook my head.  my 1yr old was actin more well mannered there these to hoodlums.

 

Later after wifey got home I went up to Borders to get a book that's been alllll over the networks written by Scott McClellan called "what happened"  He's the fomer press secretary to the Bush Administration who's basically aired out ALL of Bush's dirty laundry that has all Republicans up in arms.  It appears they are VERY on the defensive sayin he shouldnt have wrote it "while bush was still in office" but they dont deny the facts in the book! (about the war bein started off propaganda and a lot of misleading statements and other lies they been caught up in.) So you KNOW i had ta get it!  But Borders said it dont come out till the following Tues and that store was only gettin 10 and no further will be ordered! So i put one on reserve to pick up.  From there went to Home Depot to get 2 more planters for the back patio.  I was gonna go clay like the 1st one but those were $39. So i got 2 plastic ones for $16 each, 4 pepper plants (bell, jalapeno, pepperchini, and another).  While there I met up with Lucy who we'd been in an epic battle for awhile prior so argued and cussed and battled over misconceptions, misperceptions, and lack of truths in statements.  In the end all got hammered out and a band-aid put back on friendship

 

Thursday- Yet another quiet day.  Walked to get Tamia from school came home and set up all the planters and plants on the back patio.  I decided to put the strawberries in the middle clay planter and the tomatos to the left in the new planter and the peppers to the right.  Got'em watered up so worse case scenario if the big garden dont produce fruits my patio stuff will! lol From there just as i was finishin my gurl Cake called and said her mom needed a lil directional assistance in findin her house so i packed up the chidlins and met her at Walgreens locally and showed her the way which is bout 10 blocks away from me.  Really nice lady i stopped to talk to for a few minutes.  Later that evening i got into a very enlightening and stimulating conversation with my girl Lucy about religion and what does it take to obtain salvation and eternal life.  In the middle of it wifey playfully attacked me on the couch while talkin to Lucy so i had to get her off me pinning her to the floor and licking her all over her face with excessive spit which she absolutely HATES when i do it hahahahahaha but it works! In the process of tryin to get free she clawed me on my chest and took a pretty good swipe and gash outta me!

 

Friday- The first type of employment activity in awhile.  Had a test for a position of Police Data Technician way up north.  I get there round 1010ish 5 min prior to start time.  was 3 tests, data entry, filing, typing. Was over in an hour there were 2 guys and 4 girls. ( I appeared the youngest ) and the chances werent lookin good.  The guy said basically only 1 person will be chosen.  out of 6 people i have a 1 in 6 chance or 16% chance in gettin the position at test time.  from there only the top 3 of the 6 will be picked to go to oral board and bkground phase and from the 3 only 1 hired.  So to me thats not enough to gamble on so im countin'em out less they do officially advance me to the next stage.  From there went on down to Kent and checked on the Cane who's been a lil lonely for the last couple weeks.  I bought her a Hydrofoil last week in hopes to knock down that wake she brings with her HP.  Got her installed with just a minor bit of difficulty and we'll see if it truly helps.  Now thats where the new tools couldve came in handy cause it was noot cool gettin that thing lined up.  it ended up a lil uneven but not so much that i'll be goin left when im steer right lol.  Got her a new pair of binoculars as well.  Had bought a pair of 7x50 binoculars for $49 but found a pair the following week for $39 thats 8-24x50  WAY stronger. 

 

Bein out in the open like that with the weed pollen started up my allergies and all so went on home wit a sinus headache.  Laid up wit the wife and kids and watched more of my political shows and them of course still buzzing about McCellans book.  Went downstairs and watched an amazing documentary from HBO called "LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton"  Ill let many of you bookmark it to watch yourselves or for those w/out HBO interested I did record and can get you a copy (or mail you one lol).  Its about a woman living in the MS delta of MS.  An area STILL reeling from the effects of slavery, and cotton fields.  So heartbreaking to watch (1hr 30min) and touched my wife so much that she took my advice and looked up on the internet if there was a way she could help the woman and her family through donation.  A must watch even though it was from... 2002?  I didnt get to finish it cause my headache got so bad so i catnapped a lil before finally goin upstairs.

 

Saturday- Surprisingly I still had my headache so it was a definite laylow day.  The airwaves (I watch) is ruled with the DNC meeting over delegates so ive been glued to it.  Paused while they were on lunch to restart and watch the LaLee documentary in entirety and got it recorded to DVD.  Borders called and advised the book I had reserved that was to come out on tuesday was in the store ret-ta-go now! Wifey took Tamia to choir practice as she had plans to go out wit one of her co-workers and her co-workers nephew so i had her pick it up for me.  And thats where i sit now. book in hand, DNC goin at it like a cock fight and as i started out, back in front of my laptop on the couch which has now been fixed!  Found 3 new jobs I plan to apply for next week we'll see where those go.  One a temp dispatch position, one a parking meter maid, and another a permit technician.  Tune in next week for more info!

Gooooooooood Mornin! Just woke up and inspired to write the next chapter so heeeeeeeeere we go!

 

Sunday- Church! you know the routine!  Excellent sermon from the Rev.  From there we went out to lunch at Black Angus as a family (and extended family..parents, sisters kids).  At the table i spoke wit my dad about my bein pulled over on the water instance thanx to the wake of tha Cane, we chuckled and discussed how to possibly get rid of the wake.  Thereafter I negotiated a bartering deal with my niece and one of my nephews to get my backyard mowed which had been the butt of jokes for weeks at the sunday lunch table. (Running gag of havent seen my beagle and jack russell for a few weeks now cause the grass was too tall but that i knew they were alive cause the food id put out daily and water was empty) lol.  I brought'em home and let'em take turns gettin the backyard mowed with took (literally) HOURS the grass/weeds were so tall.  Im sure you all see in your yards or yards around you how bein we went from winter straight to summer how the grass reacted.  I never even knew clover weeks could get so tall before.  I got out there and helped'em in some locations and spots they were missin and when they were done i gathered up their clothes put'em in the wash, let'em take showers, fed'em then took'em back to my parents via Baskin Robbins for a job well done.  Ended up just fully takin'em home to Kent since we were already mobile after talkin to parents outside for awhile and tryin to think of names for my dad's still yet unnamed Bayliner.

 

Monday- Had to make a couple returns and repurchases.  I had bought a pair of 7x50 binoculars from Boatersworld for $49 but in the Sunday paper i saw a 8-24x50 set of binoculars for $39 elsewhere! So after droppin off Tamia me and Marcus headed north to get that done and buy my dad a cover for his powerwinch as well that we had ran the wires for a few weeks ago.  Pretty funny though cause we pulled the ol' ghetto riggin and used the covering for a 2-15hp outboard motor that happens to work PERFECTLY for the powerwinches and only cost $7.99!  Also went ahead and bought a hydrofoil to install above the propeller that will hopefully knock down the wake and save me the harassment next time!  As i came back in town I ended up passing by someone who ive tried to reach out to for WEEKS who i thought had been a friend when i was workin.  She passed by in her droptop luxury car headin north as i was goin south.  No time to wave nor honk so i txt on my blkberry that i had just seen her and her daughter passing opposite direction and that i hope all is well with them.  ( i had recently seen a newsclip a few weeks ago that the mgr of the store where her daughter worked was fired for harassing the females on staff) I gave the benefit of the doubt and waited for a reply but as like the last several weeks i got NOTHING at all. no smiley, no thanx you too, nothin.  Why cant people just be upfront and straight fwd?  If you felt i wronged you or you heard somethin you dont like or whatever your reasoning would be to turn on a friend cant you just say that and not just suddenly put someone on ignore?  Fightin wit spouse? whatever just SAY somethin.  So i guess i had been mistaken about bein friends those 4yrs so deleted her number officially out my blkberry.  Who needs enemies when you have alleged friends like that. 

 

Continuing on down Meridian, I had to drop in on my gurl Cake who got SEVERELY burned saturday on the Cane and get her food and more aloe vera to sooth her pain.  The burns were INCREDIBLE and i felt horrible that they got so bad.  I got really dark myself and minorly burned but not to tha extent and i was more exposed than she had been.  Later that day I got an interview from an agency up north askin to come in and test for one of my 1st positions outside of 911 i applied for (Police Data Technician).  Yes still in law enforcement but now outside of bein able to man the phones to be the front line for help.  Testing is 5/30 at 1015hrs.

 

Tuesday-  Primaries!!!  Watched the KY and OR which was predictable that it was gonna be a split.  Earlier that day though I got an email from the 911 agency I had interviewed wit last and got the informal notice that i had passed the oral board interview panel and placed 2nd place. (dont that number sound familiar!) According to the notice only the top 3 will go on to the background phase.  As you're probably well aware by now cause youre such avid readers (lol) this is the phase where my personnel file comes into play.  Now again, i have Warden Steve minorly vouching for me in certain areas so we'll see what his words when they come view my file along with the full disclosure honesty i gave them during the interview will result in.  I also got out there finally and sowed the seeds of my 2008 garden.  Doin things a lil differently this year.  Got 9 rows all sowed with seeds, some 2 vegetables in 1 row.  Did it in time as i knew the weather called for rain so i was gonna use the natural waters to keep things goin vs havin to turn on the sprinklers for a long time to assure proper soaking.  All keep in mind, ive NEVER had a 100% successful garden lol.  Ive had a couple good things survive but every year somethin goes wrong.  2004- the dirt was way too coarse and it just suffocated the plants 2005- slugs just obliterated everything cause i never saw'em comin, 2006- i wasnt properly maintaing and using miraclegro sprung weeds wit plants, corn stalk no cob (lol), just a bad season. 2007- worked so much OT i just abandoned it all together.  now here is 2008- i planted the seeds according to the seed chart, proper soil, proper weather, no job no reason not to maintain!

 

Wednesday- Jam packed day for bein unemployed! 1st thing in the AM we all went to school with Tamia cause her teacher had called and advised that our daughter was gettin her first school award during a school assembly!  She got the Citizenshop Award! 1 of only 9 kids in the Kindergarten level we were soooo proud of her!  From there wifey went to work and Tamia to class so me and Marcus doubled back to the house cause it was threating to rain and didnt wanna get caught in it.  Got the Trailblazer and drove back at 10am for our volunteer work in school store. Another slow day, $38 in profit which is HORRIBLE.  spent most of time startin to box up items cause only 3 wks of school left.  Thereafter went on up the street to GameStop and swooped up my WiiFit console that has been much anticipated!  Couldnt wait to get back home and get it all set up, but i waited till wifey was home so we could work out together. 

 

Got it all set up and the thing is incredible!  It measures your weight (accurately unfortunately) lol gives you your BMI and where your weight stands in relation to it. shows you your fit age, gives you a chart to map your weight loss and sets a goal for you to lose (mine is currently set to 3lbs in 2 wks).  As a regiment it lets you do aerobics, strength training, even YOGA!  Its absolutely wild and a great investment for $89 that it actually makes losing weight FUN.  We both weighed in and were told the awful truth we both already knew (Im considered overweight according to the BMI)  Ive known that ive gained weight since the now 16wks ive been outta work.  Did 30min of aerobics, showered and off to bed.

 

Thursday- Pretty slow day. Got an email from another position i recently applied for (community service officer) where they felt i was under qualified i guess so got cut before even gettin to test or interview. whaaaatever.  Even more so quiet that all day for some reason my txt msgs werent comin in yet my msgs were goin out.  All i was gettin was email so imagine the anxiety there not bein able to use my main form of communication! ugh!  So slow that goin to get Tamia from school I actually COUNTED the steps it took to get from my garage to the front door of the elementary school! (370 steps at a regular pace...740 round trip)  That again re-enforced my goal of wantin to get back in shape so i had my gurl Lucy do some recon for me at her store to see what kind of pedometers they had.  My gurl Locks took off for the weekend to Colorado which worried me as 2min after she said she was boarding and turning off her phone I see breaking news on MSNBC that a tornado had just touched down a mile outside of Denver!  I shot her a msg to warn her but it was too late. Thankfully she txt after touchdown and advised they had to divert outside of Denver due to the severe weather i had tried to warn her about.  Worked out for 30min doin strength training  and off to bed. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE! I LOVE YOU CUZ!

 

Friday- Another slow day.  Did some laundry after the previous days argument wit wifey about things gettin done in the house.  She's always haggled me about sweeping and mopping the floor in the kitchen and wiping the counters if im gonna do the dishes.  I told her 1st of all the chores in the house are uneven as they always have been. Just cause im now unfortunately unemployed and tryin to find work dont suddenly mean my workload in the house should increase even moreso than it already is.  She told me oh you think its uneven? I told her of course from my perception it is!  I listed off what i do in the house (dishes, garbage/recycle, laundry, mow the yards, kids FULL TIME, help Tamia wit her homework,  gettin back up late at nyte to make her go potty to assure no accidents, pay 100% ALL bils, do my share of cookin) I told her PLUS i was still doin all that when i WAS workin.  (mentally off the top of my head all i can think of her doin is occasional dusting, cleaning bathrooms, kids PART TIME, her share of cooking, and doin the sweep/mop/counters in kitchen i refuse to do)  I lashed back that you cant gripe about me half a**'n a chore (sweep/mop/counters which she considers part of doin the kitchen) i told her do you wanna take over the kitchen all together?  You cant gripe on me if you go all the way upstairs to use the toilet when theres one right here next to the family room!  If you feel the toilet is dirty downstairs that you wont use it, can you really then say you clean the toilet if you wont even use it? LMAO (and for the record its not unsanitary dirty you just have the occasional 6yr old rushin accident or just the fact that its a public toilet for even guests but its always sanitary to use cause even i use it regularly)  She conceded defeat on the point and left me alone about it (finally!) 

 

I went out and met up wit my gurl Lucy who had been waitin over 2hrs to get her oil changed (instead of askin the people an ETA to get it worked on! YOOOOUR FAULT!!) checked there and Fred Meyer for a good pedometer.  Ended up findin one at Fred Meyer. Its a New Balance so i felt good about the brand, it counts calories, steps, and distance walked for $17.99.  doubled back and her car still wasnt done so walked around the store talkin smack till it was done.  But when it was they had did a half a** job! Partially vacummed, hadnt replaced the air filter, took 3hrs!  I told her to speak up and say somethin to a manager then but noooooo!  she ended up payin for the air filter that couldve got for free by speakin to a sales associate vs management (shaking head) Her $$ not mine so i let it alone (she called on my advice after she got home and ended up gettin a free lube job NEXT time) lol. 

 

Went back home and watched a lil tv before workin out (alone she chose to take a break).  I got on the board.... 170lbs!  (EXPLETIVE!!!!!) i said oh no this think must be broke.  Went and deleted the profile thinkin... "well maybe i just miscalibrated some measurements and since i had adjusted the board its givin an inaccurate reading" went upstairs and checked wit the real scale.  (expletive, its accurate) Ive not gained all but 5lbs back from my original weight loss 2yrs ago.  Id maintained a weight of 160 for a couple yrs now (which BMI said i need to be 155 but i felt comfortable at 160 so let it ride) now here i am 16wks later weighin +10lbs.  NOT GOOD.  So i stepped up my game and did 1hr of workin out, doin it all. yoga, strength training, and aerobics.  Crunches, Lunges, Running in place, whatever it was telling me to do I was doin it.  No longer a game to me now I have 10lbs that need to go.  I was bench pressing just under my weight and now that the resources are no longer available to me things are gettin weaker, i could tell wit my balance doin yoga.  I did my hour and laid on the couch watchin some movies and holdin some... STIMULATING conversations till the wee hours of the am before bed.

 

Saturday-  Its definitely a bum day.  Its my niece's birthday but we definitely stayin lowkey thanks to now $4.00/gallon gas prices.  Wifey is out gettin her hair done, dad was workin this weekend so Im not at the ocean, nor downtown in a highrise for the weekend.  Supposed to rain for the next couple days so no boating either planned.  Bout to jump in the shower im peelin like crazy now and need to get active!  Got my concealing gun holster in the mail finally from the NRA!  Excellent investment ive been lookin for the perfect one for the longest time and finally found the perfect comfortable leather one ($19)  No need to be paranoid Im not always carryin on my person, only when im goin into strange places and houses (if you recall the chapter gettin my wii altered) but if im not im ridin derrty in the truck! hahahahaha

 

Special shoutouts to my friend Tanya, youre in my prayers most definitely and im glad they caught it in time, and Lil Mama, well hell you just fallin apart period hahahaha but you gonna be aight.  Prop yo feet up like i told yo lazy butt!  And Marie..... (shaking head) Marie Marie Marie.... (sigh) glad your back in town and had a great trip.  Hope youre havin a good sabbatical ill see you around

Welcome back for another installment in the book of lon saga.  What happened this week...

 

Saturday-  Devastation.  Totally unexpected on a weekend but got a letter in the mail from LESA saying thanx but no thanx for dispatcher.  Crushing.  Thats the #1 i had wanted out of all the agencies and got shut down.  Now the jacked up part.  I interviewed with them on the 30th.  the Letter of rejection was dated the 1st (the very next day).  I had sent out my thank you letter and pleading my case on the 1st so it shouldve got there btwn the 2nd and the 5th.  The ENVELOPE containing the rejection letter was postmarked the 6th.  I had called asking to follow up with the Asst Director on the 9th and i got the rejection letter the 10th.  Whats the big deal you ask? well there no real "big deal" but obviously they had their mind made up the day after interviewing me bein the letter was dated the 1st so y does it take another 5 days for you to even postmark it for it to get to me a full 10 days later?  That was a bunch of wasted energy even thinkin i had a shot and a waste of good ink and stamps.  So spend the rest of the night officially applying for anything else no longer in 911 since that was strike 3 theres absolutely no reason for me to believe any other 911 agency will be forgiving.  Sumner, Seattle, Lesa.  All new apps are still in law enforcement but no longer 911 so we'll see if they can be a lil more understanding.

 

Sunday- Twas Mothers day!  Went to church and afterward they had a big luncheon at my church so my family and my parents attended. (no sister and her kids)  It was maaaad funny cause my dad had PILES of food it was ridiculous! I couldnt believe he was even gonna attempt to eat it all!  It was definitely good eatin though.  From there back to the computer since i had ran outta ink the night before printin apps i had stopped by best buy to get more and was now home printin and writin.

 

Monday- A whooooole bunch of nothin.  I got up took daughter to school, met up wit my girl Cake, and went to a couple cities to drop off a new round of apps.  Went up to check on tha Cane then back home.  I had gotten a reply from Warden Steve at the corrections center from the email i had wrote him friday evening pleading for help.  His words were VERY kind and sincere.  He told me he hadnt expected me to stay in this field of work after bein fired.  I replied back that many underestimate me and dont know who i am as a person and understand me and my goals. He told me to give'em a call so i did once i was back home.  He told me he would go to to bat for me but in this (911) field he doesnt know much he could say because the (personnel) file is what it is.  But he will vouch for being so hard working, and good customer service.  Told me to have the interviewers call him and he'd vouch.  Felt real good about that. I got a call from one city I had tested for a couple weeks back asked me to interview the next day. (so basically yes i had passed my test!)  I totally forgot to call back before closing hrs so i called and left a voicemail assuring yes i will be there

 

Tuesday- Daughter to school and home to talk to my in-law for a bit.  Got dressed and went to my interview.  Turns out they were running 1 full interview behind so the person before me hadnt even gone yet!  I talked to her for a bit since she was in the testing wit me.  After she went in I stayed in the office wit the lady ive had to contact for weekly unemp check-ins.  Time flew cause me and her are surprisingly cool for me not working there lol.  We talked about our kids, and soccer (her kids play) and shared fabulous Vegas stories!  I told her about my wedding disaster in 2004 and my wifes clown make-up job the stylist had put on her (its one of the VERY 1st book of lon stories if you go back to... 2006?)  Anywho then it was my turn so went in before a 3 person panel, one bein the Lt.  Typical line of questioning and although i was formal and professional i also expressed my sense of humor.  They had asked me what have I done to prepare for the interview, i told'em well... this is my 3rd 911 agency so i think i got good solid answers by now! lol  they laughed with me and asked of course about my disciplines, etc.  Laid it all out for'em as i do every agency and expressed to them my full competence and ability to do the job etc.  Felt it went really well so we'll see what happens.  This is one of the last 911 agencies i have left before im confirmed out the profession.  Watched the WV primary results and saw Obama get his butt handed to'em.  That sucked.

 

Wednesday- School store volunteer work.  Very slow as it has been lately.  Home, chilled out doin some boating supplies homework  figuring out the things i would be needin for saturday as i planned on takin the boat out with some friends.

 

Thursday-  A whole bunch of magazine readin.  Fallen behind on my Newsweek, Jet, Christianity Today, and Vibe mags.  got about 2.5 newsweeks done!  Lotta tv

 

Friday- Dropped daughter off headed north to tha Cane to get'er all watered and gas'd up for Saturday.  Meter only showed i had a 1/4 tank of gas before i pumped so that couldve been a very short trip i i not! lol  Cut across the valley to Boatersworld and bought a fan, binoculars, and some other items ill be needin.  They had a sticker for $1.99 that says "show me the booty" and had a pirates logo on it, but you know me! hahahaha cuttin off the pirate so it just says "show me the booty" hahaha that'll be a crowd pleaser come seafair im sure!  Ended up 10min late gettin my daughter but doubled back to Costco, to get more stuff and back home.  Checked the mail, surprise surprise.... another letter this one from Puyallup who i interviewed wit BEFORE Lesa but finally heard back from.  RRRRRRRejected.  Sumner, Seattle, Lesa, now Puyallup.  Didnt surprise me at all cause it took them so long to reply and didnt feel as comfortable in that interview as i had others.  Ended up passin by one of who i thought had been a friend coming northbound on meridian as i was goin south.  No time to honk so i text and advised i had just seen'er and i hoped that her and her daughter were doin well.  Never got a reply back.   So that number is officially deleted from my blackberry and off myspace.  So sad cause i dont understand why im bein treated like that and all i feel is as if since im no longer of value working at the corrections center theres no further need to contact me.  well least you can say that.  Rest of the nyte was me and my son after i did a quick last minute run to walmart for more boat stuff.  Wifey went out round 10pm with some friends and Tamia was stayin wit in-laws so a lil father/son time

 

Saturday- THE BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG DAY!  Gathered up some friends and we sho did hit that water!  85 or so degree weather I got to Lk Wa roudn 1015am and dropped her in the water, fired up her engine and cast off! I had my girl Cake wit me originally so we loitered around seward park waitin for a call to do a pick up.  anchored out at the north end and this older dude wit his old school yacht wanted to cop an attitude of "slow down!!!" now you know me, originally im think slow this nuts you old bastard im doin the speed limit (tha cake throws a pretty good spray from the propellor even though im only doin 7kts)  I anchor (which is a task in itself!) and we talk.. and argue.. and argue.. and talk.  I realize im drifting toward this old dude so i crank the engine and go to relocate.  This dude then says "you gonna move further away then that" i yell back "yeah im workin on it" while at the same time thinkin... dude... you just dont know, your life is in danger right now and you messin wit the wroooong unemployed brotha right now.  I relocate to another position and drop anchor.  Then pull up anchor and go to the south end of seward and attempt to drop anchor again but that was a near disaster wit the depth finder screaming at me that the water is now only 6-8ft deep. By that time got  a call for the 2nd round of pick ups!  Cruise on down to Gene Coulon where is it paaaaaaaaaaaaaaacked with people and boats (wise decision to launch from Atlantic City!)  Its so packed i barely can make my pick up but i finagle in swoop up my girl Lucy who had the food!! yes!!

 

From there i hit it! goin north we cruised under i-90 and 520 hung a left went westbound passin the u-dub under the mountlake terrace bridge, i-5, and into elliot bay past gasworks park.  Just after gettin in there heeere comes one-time.  Can you believe this ish??? Now im gettin harrassed by them about my speed!  I throw it into full stop and yell back at him and hold up 7 fingers to him and yell "IM DOIN 7-KNOTS!!!" He tells me then im gonna have to slow down cause im responsible for the wake im making.  And he cuts off and leaves. Riiiidiculous.  Got to the southern most tip of elliot bay but no one seemed to be anchored and ive been stopped by pd 1x already not tryin to again so i turn around and start headin back out.  A bunch of knuckleheads were speedin through causin a bunch of wakes (go figure noooooooooo pd around then!) Just past 520 Lucy wanted to jump in the water so i stopped and her and Cake jumped in.  water was bout 56 degrees per my gps but i could tell they were freezin hahahaha.  They jumped back aboard and we proceeded south under i-90 and dropped off Cake she it was already after 4 and she had to get back home.  She was burnin baaaaaaaaaad too i feel bad for her.  From there hit it again and went back under i90 and 520 and anchored out just off sandpoint park (the old naval base and yes i successfully anchored that time!)  hung out and talked and watched all the people playin in the water and speedin by makin totally absurd waves. A couple times in the travels the waves from the wind (the news said would be 15-20mph winds so the waters were VERY choppy) the anchor i never fully secured thinkin it'd just be easier since i was pullin it up and droppin it so much and as a result it jumped out of its rack a couple times!  Thankfully no major damage to anything but for awhile i didnt even wanna secure back but eventually i got it to. 

 

Cruised back to Gene Coulon doin bout 24mph on the water and its stillll packed and its bout 640ish.  flawlessly pull up to an empty dock and Lucy jumps off and i castoff on my non-stop flight over to Atlantic City.  It was hecka funny when i pulled up cause you KNOW im bout to put it DOWN.  i pull up blastin the Miami Vice theme song and it PERFECTLY ends JUST as im pullin up to the dock! lol  I jump off and people just to both sides of me givin me props on the SugaCane.  Askin what size is she, did i want to trade, my pullin up to the dock was flawless and i mustve been doin this for a long time (which in truth this was the cane's 3rd water trip so i have very lil experience!)  The other guy who askin if i wanted to trade had a smaller bayliner with not even an official cuddy just an outboard and it looked like you went under to potty thats it.  I told'em you'd be surprised what you find on Craig's List cause thats where i got'er!  Earlier when i had dropped off Cake a dude on a jet ski pulled up and yelled out "SUGACANE!!!!!" I was like she's makin a name for herself alllready! The sweetest boat on the water!  Jumped off and got the truck, backed her up after a few attempts, snapped the powerwinch on'er, hit my wireless remote and guided her from the back as the powerwinch did alllll the crankin! within 2minutes she was loaded up and out the water snappin on the safety chain and tiedowns.  Hit the road and dropped her off in storing, got all the big stuff off and headed home!

 

I ended up gettin soooooooooooo dark cause i was in direct sun most of the day.  1015am-715pm basically havin a BLAST! Wish more of you couldve come, maybe next round!  Im home now and showered feelin the aches of the water so ill talk to ya'll next week!

Geez.... Wish i had somethin to actually write but this has been such a BLAH week nothin goin on.

 

Saturday- Kids choir practice sat in the back pews and read my newsweek like i do every practice.  Pouring down rain so went home and chilled.  We had got a water bill in the mail sayin our amt owed went up 100% than what weve been payin ($24)  so im like oh heeeeeeeeck naw!  We conserve water as is and having been overly usin. we surely dont water the yards so whats the deal??  I suspect it was our bathroom toilet in the master bedroom which has been slow leakin for a long time now but we never did anything to fit it.  Well after payin out another $16 i was ready to fix it!  Spent $19 on a new kit that basically replaces the guts in the tank.  No more black floating ball they got new technology now and it uses less water too.  Add toilet repair man to my resume cause that toilet hasnt made a peep since and i expect my bill to go even below the $24 now that its not leakin at all! Those guts were 10yrs old anyway guess it was time.

 

Sunday- Parents were outta town and sister and her kids werent goin so we all pretty much took a day off from church.  Transformed it into a cleaning day around the house so i vaccummed a lil straightened up like i do best (lol), set back up my weights and bench to work out more again (gained 5lbs in these last 14 weeks and my main workout was using the exercise equip in the room at my job).  I had previously brought home some weed killer stuff so i went into the garden (which had started to overgrow again) and sprayed the roundup weed/grass killer, and some preen weed preventer seed stuff and covered it with long strands of that flowerbed weed guard roll stuff that keeps the weeds from sproutin up.  covered that wit bricks so wouldnt fly up in wind now waitin 2 weeks till the stuff is supposed to be 100% dead then ill go plant and start my 08 garden.  Went up to tha Cane to work on her for awhile.  Towed her to my parents and charged up the batteries while workin down in the galley to hang the knicknacks and stuff.  Let out all the chain and rode and measured it all out and marked it accordingly by every 10ft so I know how much im lettin out (was 200 ft of rode and chain!) Got her ready for the next launch (tenatively the 17th supposed to be mid 70's and all sun! hop aboard if ya like!) and took her back to the storage spot. (still no ring)

 

Monday- A bore.  In an attempt to get my exercise routine back ive started walking to Tamia's school to pick her up.  Need to get out and breathe some real air im truly gettin cabin fever.  That evening I had a trustee mtg up at the church so was there for a bit then met up wit my girl Lucy for drinks.  But prior to even goin to the mtg I had started gettin a mild migraine.  Popped some pills thinkin it would take care of it but it wasnt.  Stopped for the drinks but was missserable the whole time but hadnt seen her in awhile so bared it as long  as i could.  Finally it was gettin to the point that i knew soon i was gonna hurl so cut it short and went home not even bein able to swallow cause i knoew that was the trigger.  Sho nuff peeled off clothes when i got home and vomitted.  By that time headache was gone and stomach was just hurtin but after hurlin stomach felt better but headache was back!  Slept it off.

 

Tuesday- NC/IN Primaries.  was glued to MSNBC keepin up on the happenings no doubt.  Everyday also keepin surveilance on the mail to assure no rejection letters arrived. That evening i was txting the PTA president who asked me if i was interested in a position on the PTA board for 08-09 season! I was flattered! never thought I'd do somethin like that.  I told her id love to but due to my current employment status im unable to commit till i know where i'll be working and what hours.  she understood so we'll see what happens.

 

Wednesday- School store volunteer work.  Boring but they had a fundraiser they just completed so i just worked side-by-side wit the pres gettin all the money counted and forms in order.  Got a flyer in the mail askin those who were present at the Washington Caucuses if we'd also like to join the 25th Legistative District Democrats group.  I went to the website and looked around and read up and decided yeah, that's somethin i can get down wit.  If anything its another time filler to keep my mind off things before i go mad.  There is a membership fee and they meet the 1st of the month on thursdays so i got time to scrounge up the funds.

 

Thursday-  A bore.  TV, did a load of dishes, played wit the kids.  Was gonna do a lil apt furnishing shopping wit my gurl who asked me to come out and i had other things to do as well but nothing panned out.  Never got to leave the house, wifey was tired so i was wit the kids and working on more and more playlists for our ipods which i had been doin the last couple nights for hours at a time.  Doin ones for record labels, individuals, then some greatest hits w/in genres.  Gonna be FIRE when im done! endless amts of music streaming non-stop no need to skip tracks, some playlists straight lets get it ON music!!

 

Friday- Which leads me to today.  end of the business week and no letters from any of the agencies of rejection which is good but even still no phone calls either.  So ive called all 3 agencies back following up as i have to for unemployment as well.. 2 of'em got thank you letters (the 2 i have already interviewed wit) and copies of commendation letters and certificates i had obtained working at the corrections center .  The other a follow up as she said that this week you'd get a letter in the mail (of rejection) or a phone call (scheduling interview).  Thats where I am now.  Just finished the calls now writin this chapter before turnin to MSNBC to watch my shows and wait for my blackberry to ring.  Take care ya'll keep me in your prayers and maybe ill see you on the water ;) 

 

Special shout-out to my gurl Locks who's bounced back quick and scored a new job already!  Hold on to it till you find somethin better if thats your desire!

Another month, another week, another day still not working.  Not too much to report a few funny moments through and still no wedding ring :(

 

Monday-  Bummed around the house not doin much of nothin.  Finally cracked open the box of MarioKart Wii with my daughter and gave it a spin wit the cool steering wheel it comes wit! That game is awwwwesome!  I also bought Mario & Sonic at the olympic games cause toys r us sent me an email advising when you buy Kart you get that olympic game for 50% off. Both were excellent purchases and the olympic game one gets you great exercise!  Later that night was takin a shower and my wife got some frilly foo foo body gel stuff that smells of oranges and had body salts in it etc.  It smells so great and sexy so i told her i thought it smelled great for HER.  She gets all super excited and tells me about it and that i should try some! i say uhhhhh NOOOOOOO the frilly feminine body wash stuff has NEVER been for me.  Im the ol' school bar soap dude. PERIOD. but bein im in the shower PINNED in she grabs a handful of the stuff and starts rubbin it on my chest while im in TEARS laughin cause im trapped and even hiding under the rainforest showerhead  i have no escape.  We both end up laughing after i tell her "i cant wear this crap! a bunch of men fresh outta prison may get all turned on by this feminine fragrance and rape me!" hahaha

 

Tuesday- First thang, i had to test for the final agency down in my south end that i intend to apply to for employment.  Got there wit 10min to spare and the testing seemed VERY familiar but not recently wit testing for other agencies so i was thinkin if maybe it was the video testing i had did to get on at the corrections center.  You needed a 70% to pass and from there they'll call you for an interview the following week.  Well i feel very confident i scored higher than whats needed since im NEVER failed a 911 test.  After testing shot across the valley to get fingerprinted for another agency that i wanna get on BAAAAAAD.  The #1 agency i had wanted to get on at when this whole employment hunt started but i had written off cause there was no eta of bein called back.

 

Wednesday- I was a WRECK all tuesday night and most of the day.  Nerves completely gettin to me because in my heart this is it for me.  Yes there is 1 other agency im waiting to hear back from and i had just tested for another but THIS one is the one i want and if nothin comes of this one or the other 2 im officially out of the 911 industry and on to Lord knows what.  It was back to the grind at the school store after havin 2 weeks off from the WASL and business surely reflected it.  Only selling $47 worth of stuff.  Wifey arrives to watch the kids and i get to the agency roudn 1510ish.  Go sit in their breakroom and wait to be called in by the Asst Director to begin the interview panel process.  I scope out the layout of the breakroom/kitchen.  TWO.. count'em TWO laptops for internet access, tv, full kitchen, refrig, coke and snack machine, couch, 2 eating tables... i was impressed for reals!  Panel starts and they record the interview answering a variety of questions.  I had prayed prior to goin in the bldg that the right answers would be delivered to my lips so i didnt seem like a bumbling studdering nervous idiot.  I acting in full disclosure gave the Asst Director the discipline papers I had and asked to not be judged solely off of the 100% NEGATIVE personnel file the corrections center portrayed me as but off the positives I proved that facility and will provide their facility.  No joke I wish i could expose my file to the public eye.  It is tragic the one-sidedness they took in my file as if they WANTED to bury me.  Its cost me 2 jobs already as a result.  Interview ended after bout 45min, shook their hands and thanked them all.  Stopped at Boaterworld lookin for rode markers but opted out after the guy advised would most likely just get chewed up wit the windlass.

 

Thursday- Another bummin around day.  I have NO motivation to play Mr. Mom anymore.  I wanna get back to work YESTERDAY.  Looked at my unemployment papers, the money'll be exhausted by July or August.  We have our stimulus check thats now marinatin in an acct in case we need it.  But this job i just interviewed for is just pullin at me.  I have such a strong desire for it more than any other i had applied for and im a go getter (as many of you know) lol So i wrote another letter to them, this time thanking them for the opportunity to interview with the agency and that i wanna work for them more than anything (not using those words) I asked them to take into consideration my words of sincere interest, my positive attitude in light of my adversity and the other side of me NOT portrayed in ONLY the corrections centers personnel file.  I attached a whole new batch of never before shown commendation letters, printouts of props given from sgt's to me, and certificates earned to show ALL  of what the corrections center DIDNT want others to see. (not a ONE of the commendations letters, certificates, NOTHING are in my file so had it not been for my own meticulous record keeping i'd have no evidence other than my word of the other side of me over the last 6yrs.. the positives.  So got that all printed out, stamped and went to the mailbox to assure it was in transit friday to be at their door by monday if not saturday.  Stopped at Home Depot and picked up a bunch of supplies to officially get my garden started now that its May and the seeds say to plant now! hopefully no more snow! In the evening another nyte of the Wii.  Pretty excited that wifey is taking an interest in playing FINALLY lol did a round of tiger woods golf, after the olympic games then upstairs for Survivor and other Tivo'd shows.

 

Friday- Which leads us back to today.  Waitin games now presses on.  Prayin for nothin but good news and i know ill probably hear from the 3 agencies next week but the one is at the top of my list and i pray my letter works.  My girl Pattycake just stopped by to pick (back) up one of the PSP's i own for her gaming needs at work lol.  Hopefully next week's entry ill have some VERY positive news to report!  Tmrw is Tamia's choir practice, parents leavin for Hawaii, and Sunday supposed to be 64 and cloudy but its also boating season's opening weekend so i just may skip on takin advantage of another warm weekend but we'll see. peace