I interviewed today for a job at a company that makes, packages and ships snack foods. I had orientation this afternoon and start work at 8 AM. Still waiting on a background check, but that will most likely come out fine.

As some of you know, I spent quite a few years working as a Security Police Officer on an Air National Guard training base, also known as a Combat Readiness Training Center, or CRTC. The base was owned and operated by the State, but both State and Federal Government agencies played their part. Enter bureaucracy at its finest.

Projects to be completed and issues to be resolved often meant the creation of committees which would study the subject at hand and form ideas and proposals on how to deal with it. That, of course, meant meetings. I hate meetings, and avoid them when possible, although some are necessary and important.

Eventually, at our base, we saw an item in the news letter voicing concern that, due to the large number of committees, so many meetings were being held that it was interfering with day-to-day business. I half-jokingly said they would probably form a committee to meet and study how to reduce the number of committees, and thus reduce the number of meetings being held.

They did exactly that.

Original:

As I write this, it is just after midnight, so Saturday May 11 2013 is newly upon us. I am spending the night at my father-in-law's house; Tomorrow my wife's brother-in-law will take me, my few belongings and my dog, to the house he is kindly letting me use. It's gonna be strange to be living alone with just my dog for company, but at least I won't have to stress all the time wondering when my wife is going to come home. I bought a laptop so I'll be able to get online. I'm waiting until I have money coming in to buy a TV, and even then I probably won't get cable, but a TV that has an analog descrambler built into it, to avoid having a bill. Thanks to all of the friends who have listened patiently when I was stressed out and needed to talk. Yeah, I know I'm actually typing, but same thing.

Take care of yourselves and those you love, my friends.  Appreciate them and make sure they know it. I love you all.

Update:

I'm getting settled in at the house. Living simply. I will be okay and this will be a place to start getting my mind settled and ready for what comes next.

Spent a couple hours at the neighbors' Mother's Day. Talk about culture shock!!! A large African-American family with lots of kids, loud, music with words "b!tch, f@ck & n!gg__" used in abundance. Not that that makes them bad people, just different to what I am used to. I wet my mouth a few times with the beer they gave me and, after a nice piece of steak and half cob of corn, thanked the lady of the house and headed back to my dog to give her the bits of steak I brought her. I have had dear friends who were black and have worked and shared meals with black people on many occasions, but they were not like this.

Both kids called to wish their Mom Happy Mother's Day, as did I. Today I walked to the library, where I am now, and with help I got set up for Wi-Fi.

TTYL, my friends!!!