Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Certificate of Achievement

Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Certificate of Achievement

Leads

Um... well, still no word on those jobs. The ball is still up in the air, but there is a slim chance that we might get some word this week. It is a statement on the world we live in, I suppose, that it takes so long these days to find out such things. Somehow, I do not imagine that in the past that it took this long to find out about employment (come on people, this round-robin has been going on for years!). Yet, we must try to cultivate some Dude-esque calm (if only for Donny's sake). As soon as I hear something, I will be sure to pass it on to you. In the meantime? Screw it, let's go bowling!

Veterans Day

Well, it has been nearly a year since coming off active duty. The 2009 deployment is still quite fresh in my mind (despite Life's best efforts to distract me!). I still keep in touch with my best buddy, TSgt Mike, and we both still look back at those days in the Sandbox with a mixture of pride (for the job we did) and relief (that we aren't there doing that job!). To everyone out there who has served, or who knows someone who has served, please have a happy Veterans Day!

Mr. Cat's Birthday Message!

...And His Well-Deserved Reward!



Mr. Cat's Birthday Message...














This wonderful message was posted on Mr. Orange Monkey's website by Mr. Rik and Miss Carol for Mr. Cat's Greatest Fan in North America (or, at least that is what we are claiming until an even more enthusiastic fan can be found!).

Thank you all for this amazingly brilliant Birthday message!



"All Things Are Joyful To A Monkey"

The House of the Orange Monkey is a website that I discovered a few months ago while researching something totally unrelated to anthropomorphic stuffed jungle animals (although, I must admit, it has become a weakness of mine...). It is, from all appearances, done by an English couple who received the above-stated orange toy simian, and decided to build a wonderfully intricate storyline based on Mr. Rik's and Miss Carol's travels and interests. 

As taken from Mr. Orange Monkey's bio page:

"Mr Monkey was, apparently, born in China, and brought over to Britain in some form of slave ship. His memories of this period are somewhat confused, and the brand on his label has worn off. What is certain, however, is that he ended up in a box in a shop in Alnwick, surrounded by beanie pigs and cows.
His attempts to escape failed until Mr Rik and Miss Carol came into the shop; while Carol was stocking up on Sloggi's finest, it was obvious that Rik was stalking the front of the shop in search of a birthday gift for her. Recognising this, Mr Monkey used his beanie monkey powers to influence him. This is why Carol didn't get bath foam or an intricate candle for her birthday.
Mr Monkey's manumission was paid to the shopkeeper, and he was smuggled out without Carol noticing. After a couple of days shrouded in paper from an off licence (a period in which he wondered whether he had made an awful mistake), Mr Monkey was unwrapped and was able to take his rightful place as Most Important Monkey in the house."

"It's Ch'o'rnobyl. In Ukrainian it's Ch'o'rnobyl!"

"It was like a Russian party, Arkady thought. People got drunk, recklessly confessed their love, spilled their festering dislike, had hysterics, marched out, were dragged back in and revived with brandy. It wasn't a French salon." *

* Wolves Eat Dogs, Ch.9, pg. 174

"A virtuous man always selects to associate with virtuous people."

August is heading out the door, and September is nearly upon us. Another summer is moving on, and autumn will be soon making an appearance. Once again, another memorable summer - still waiting to see where Another Life will end up - but still, not bad.

Royal Rainbow!

Holy crap, people, the three-initial Government agency is serious! Yep, not only did I get a call-back, but I am going in for a polygraph this Friday. Sheesh, a lie-detector test - this is getting scarily close to possible employment. The really funny thing is that I never (let me emphasise that: NEVER) thought for a moment that I would even get in the front door on this thing. Not that I wasn't qualified, or had some relevant experience (my recent all-expense-paid trip to the Middle East comes to mind), but it has been my experience (since coming back to the USA from Japan) that jobs are not given to the qualified; they are given to relatives, in-laws, friends, or friends of friends (nepotism: learn it, live it, love it) - or political hacks (oh, and don't forget quotas!). Uh hem... yeah, so this has all been rather a surprise, and now I am on the cusp of getting strapped in and asked a whole lot of questions. Folks who I know, who have had a polygraph, reassure me that it will be a straight forward process, and not to sweat it. But I think that we have all been there where someone asks us a question, and we over-think the answer ("Have I ever stolen anything?! Geez, define Stealing..."). Some folks have suggested the old tack-in-the-shoe trick to fool the test. But I have nothing to hide, so, I am going in there with just my integrity... and the Fifth Amendment. Ha ha ha. In any event, the end-game is drawing near - the ball is still up (crikey, the longest field goal in history), but one way or another one of these job is going to land between the uprights. In the meantime, the waiting game continues. Let's play some Katamari!

Waiting is the hard part...

Ugh - these people are killing me! Still no word on any of the jobs I interviewed for. "Glacial" seems to be the best adjective to describe the length of time it takes for these folks to make a hiring decision. C'mon, you know you want me! Just send the hiring letter and let's get this show on the road!

Three-Initial Government Agency

Howdy folks - the hits just keep coming! Got a call last Friday about a job with a certain three-initial Government agency. This was something I applied for... geez, um... wow, like a long time ago. Anywho, they arraigned for a telephone interview yesterday, and I think I did well. Unfortunately, this particular organization is well known for being rather unimaginative and bureaucratic (as far as the types of folks they look to work for them - a self-selecting pool of woe, if you've ever seen one). The interview was a conference call with maybe six or seven people; they asked a number of good questions - I answered promptly, and (in my opinion) my answers were coherent and well-thought out. In addition, I think that my experiences and skill sets are perfect for this position. Which is exactly why I won't even be considered for it.

The ball is still up...

Still waiting on word from that interview last month - but, in the meantime, I had another interview last Friday. That, too, went very well, and I should be hearing something this week. Who knows? Something should break soon, but in the meantime it is just situation normal here at work. The job I interviewed for last week would mean a another visit to the Sandbox (but this time as a contractor) - but the salary is crazy awesome. The other job wouldn't pay as much, but it would be something for the long-run. Choices, choices!

The Professional -- Everyone

What can I say? This is one of my fav Gary Oldman moments (and believe me, there are a lot of them out there!). "Bring me everyone..." Brilliant!

Crazy Awesome 4th of July!

Well, despite all the things that have happened over the past 234 years, I still think that we are darned lucky to be able to live in a place like the ol' U.S.A. I spent the past week up in O'Canada, visiting friends and taking part in a fun Canada Day celebration (1 July). Canada and the USA share a lot of things, and we are truly lucky folks. The loudest detractors within our countries to our way of life seem (to me anyway) to be those who generally benefit the most from them. Having traveled extensively (to some very nice, and some not-so-very-nice places), I still am struck by the incredible freedoms that we enjoy. Abbie Hoffman may have toungue-in-cheek described it best when he described freedom as the ability to yell "theater" in a crowded fire, but we do have a lot to be thankful for, and may America, and her northern neighbor, continue to be free and a unique place in the world for a hundred hundred more 4th of July's!

Triple Nickel!

Hey, hey, hey! Just checked the counter, and Five Hundred and Fifty-Five (五百五十五) of you have come by to visit! Another milestone - next stop... one thousand!! Whoohoo!

The kick is up...

Howdy, howdy! Well, had the interview on Friday, and it went good. In fact it went better than good - it went great! I will be putting some on-line paperwork in this week, and maybe within a few more weeks I should know whether or not I got this job. If everything goes puppy dogs and fairytales, this could be the culmination of everything (Like what? Everything!!!!) that I have worked for since returning from Japan. I am crossing my fingers (and toes). This is the BIG job that finally pays grownup money, and makes all the hard work and hard times worth it.

When I got back from Japan I had a plan. It took a loooooong time, but all the things I wanted to do have come, or are coming, into place. It is amazing what persistence can achieve...

Hang on, Dear Readers, for the exciting final act of the employment roller coaster!

海行かば

It has been raining a lot, but it is finally summer! Yes, Dear Readers, it is good to feel the sun again (between intermittent showers). The job continues (with varying degrees of success). Next week I am going in for an interview. If it is successful, then things could possibly change. Way back when, in the early days of this blog, I had the hope of finding some seriously-good employment, and start a new and better life. Things haven't been easy, but the place I am at now is much different from where I was at. At this moment I can honestly say that it has been a long and difficult journey, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. If (and this is a mighty big "if") everything works out next week, I might be looking at the culmination of five years-worth of effort. Not the end-all-be-all final step, but a pretty big one. I have already achieved part of my goals (the commissioning-thing), and now the civilian-side is starting to line up. Crossing the fingers and hoping for the best!

What now?

Well, Dear Readers, once again I find myself on the cusp of something new - not quite sure what that will be, but I just have a feeling that another opportunity is just around the corner. The new-job search has been on-going, and recently there have been some rumblings that maybe-kinda-sorta something might be happening. The current job is okay, but it isn't what I'd call a long-term option. Crossing the fingers - hoping that, finally, something will happen.

A little piece of ribbon

This past weekend was drill, and I am still getting used to the new unit. So far, so good. Anyhow, on Sunday we had our joint group hug before heading home, and I got called up to receive a Joint Service Commendation Medal (JSCM). It was for a bunch of stuff that we did during my deployment. Wow. It was totally unexpected, and I was really touched. Honestly, I'm not doing this for medals or a pat on the back, but it is nice to get recognized.

Long time, no post

Wow. Sorry, Dear Readers, for my near-catatonic presence and glacial-updating. Actually, things have been quite busy. The job in Indiana hasn't quite lived up to expectations, but we have had some fun. We inadvertently blew up some stuff a few weeks ago, much to the consternation of the engineers who designed it. However, it did not surprise my boss, who tried to explain that their design was flawed - and when they protested, citing their facts and figures, he just shrugged and said "Enjoy the show". When we went to the test range, the item didn't fail to impress (although it did fail spectacularly). Hooray for science! I have joined a new reserve unit - it is, so far, fun being an Ensign. No one really has any big expectations, and when you do something right, folks are impressed (the bar is set rather low, I'm afraid). The butter bar fails to impress anyone, but they still have to insert "sir" into their sentences - of course, they are often prefaced with "Sir, with all due respect..." then they pretty much tell me to go sit in the corner (the infamous "shut up and color"). Spring has finally arrived - and not a moment too soon. After returning from the Sandbox, I was ready for some cooler temps and some precipitation. Well, after a cold, wet, dreary Winter, I am now ready for some warmer weather, and to see my old buddy, BOB (the Sun). I am furiously searching for newer, better, deffer, fresher employment - and maybe, just maybe, something might just kinda-sorta happen later this Summer. In the meantime, I am banished to the wilds South-by-Southeast of Bloomington.

Back to work!

Well, drove back down to Indiana on Monday, and started work on Tuesday. Crazy-go-nuts fun? Not exactly, but it is a job, and maybe this time it might lead to something better. What was it that Churchill said about success, and how one reaches it by bounding from failure to failure? Rural Indiana is bleak this time of year - a thin, bitter veneer of snow, and cold. Surely, I hear you exclaim, there must be something worth the effort? Just the job, and that is about it. Oh, and a good buddy down here, too, who has kindly allowed me to stay with his family while I get acclimatized. Yes, actually, I am very lucky - I am surrounded by good friends and family... hmmm... maybe this will be a good year after all!

... In with the new!

So, this is what 2010 feels like... hmmm... Well, so far, so good! Had Osechi on New Year's Day (serious Japanese yumminess). Today, I saw my great, and oldest friend from the PRM, and he honestly looked the best that I've seen him in years. A fun day had by all! Gotta face going back to work down in Indiana - not looking forward to another winter in Mitchell. Here's hoping you all enjoyed the holidays - hope to see you all this coming year!