Rough Day - But I Win!

I felt like I won the lottery today simply because I survived work.

I mean, problem after problem after problem...all day. I'd get rid of one customer's problem, and the phone would ring with another, and so on, etc. I can't even recall most of the specifics because my brain has mercifully wiped out most of the memories. All I know is that I got through the week alive, and I can go into a coma for 2 days before diving back into the shark-tank.

But somehow, I feel pretty good. That can't possibly last, can it?

Busted!

Note: I was informed tonight that my parents have finally found our blogs.

So, after church tonight, we went to visit the orphans. Then we volunteered at the local soup kitchen to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We just love helping others!

Mastering the One-Day Turnaround

Last week, I drove to Atlanta and back on the same day for work.
Today, I flew to Nashville, TN and back on the same day for work.

The company I was visiting today decided to delay the trip, but didn't inform us until I got off the plane in Nashville. I decided to deliver the equipment and train the contractor anyway, and it was a good thing I did, because an important piece of equipment was in the process of being installed in the wrong place, and I "nipped it in the bud", so to speak.

This saved us from having to come back a third time, because we wouldn't have been able to get the equipment running next week, and they would never have been able to get the contractor back on site to fix it in a timely fashion.

And the good news is that the contractor I trained thinks he can do the work next week without me having to go back!

PS: The airline that will remain unnamed (but rhymes with US Scareways) absolutely sucks. I'd rather fly Delta and connect thru Atlanta rather than go through this again. Get this: I get the row in front of the emergency exit (won't recline), the air conditioning is warm and won't blow harder than a trickle, making the temperature about 85 degrees, no beverage service, and the seat in front of me over-reclines, leaving 5 inches (I measured) between the seat back and my chest. (I couldn't hold the in-flight magazine in order to read it!). The pilot never turns off the seat-belt sign, so no one can go to the lavatory during the flight. I repeat may asssertion here that if the USA forced these conditions on the prisoners in Gitmo, that Amnesty International would have a fit about "Cruel and Inhuman Punishment".

Surely There Must Be A Solution

I'm sure most of you have noticed that World War III has started in the Middle East.

I've been pondering what my opinion on the ME region should be, and I haven't quite gotten it figured out yet.

What do you do with millions of religious zealots whose primary goal in life is killing Jews, and secondary goal in life is killing anyone that doesn't share that goal?

You'll notice that I'm not grouping these people into the same religion. Obviously, there are flavors of Islam that don't support genocidal mania.

Message To My In-Laws

Mom & Pop,
I know that Bernie can't wait for your visit in October. I want to let you know that I can't wait, either! I think that I have the two most wonderful parents-in-law in the world, much like I have the greatest wife in the world, and I miss you almost as much as she does. Our marriage has been a total delight every day, and we are so excited to show you how much of an adventure our life together truly is. We haven't had a dull moment since the wedding. I personally can't imagine being happier, and I want to show the two of you how I've been taking care of your daughter. I hope you are proud of me when you witness it! We have so many things to show you about North Carolina and our home, and I can hardly contain my excitement about it. October can't get here fast enough!

Love,
Jason

Poseidon

Bernie and I went to see Poseidon tonight at the dollar movie.

Wow. This movie was much better than the reviews I read. Tense from the first minute and it didn't let up. You find yourself holding your breath a lot. Not a great date movie, though. You can't ever manage to kiss your wife because either somebody just died or is in mortal danger on screen. We both enjoyed it, though.

Then we get home, and I check out the 'net and see this.

No cruises for me anytime soon. Nope.

Kellie Gets Her Record Deal

Well, it looks like Kellie Pickler got her a Nashville record contract. Good for her!

The bad news is that they plan to release her new album in November, and she's going to be recording songs between stops on the "American Idols Live" tour.

What does this mean?

• Putting out an album that fast means that there will probably be very little original material. I'm anticipating many cover songs.
• Kellie will be singing and that's it. No creative input from her. Maybe that's a good thing, considering her song choices on AI.
• No duets or collaborations. Not enough time to put it together.

Contrast this with Taylor Hicks' album, which doesn't have a release date yet. He's pledged to write most of his own songs, perform on the guitar and harmonica, and to do collaborations and duets with other artists. You'll notice this takes a lot longer to produce.

I'm hopeful for this girl. She's interesting, which makes her potential star material, but she needs a lot of guidance from her team.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

After getting home on Friday night at 10pm from our jaunt to North Georgia, we spent Saturday doing...absolutely nothing.

Having rested properly and recharged the batteries adequately, we then spent Sunday doing...absolutely nothing.

My favorite kind of weekend, right there.

Good News

Well, the Friday overnight installation in South Georgia has been changed to a Friday morning install in North Georgia, so I don't lose any part of my weekend after all!

Bernie's still coming with me to make sure I don't fall asleep at the wheel. The nice thing about these rental-car jaunts to Georgia is that it doesn't cost anything to take her along, so I can still have my wonderful wife with me!

This makes me feel so good, I think I'll grill something this weekend. Anyone want to come over?

The Barker Family Travelling Road Show

1. Charlotte NC to Oxford NC and back for St Johns Day (both of us)
2. Charlotte NC to Asheboro and back to see the NC Zoo (both of us)
3. Charlotte NC to Rosemead CA and back for work (just me)
3. Charlotte NC to Wilson NC and back for Grandma's funeral (both of us)

Now I have to be present for an install for work on Friday night in Atlanta. Since it's the weekend, why not ask the wife to go with me, right? Geez, we've been on the road a lot in the past few weeks.

Grandma

Today, I lost my Grandma.

Actually, I lost her months ago, as she has been slowly taken away a piece at a time by mini-strokes. For the last two months, she has been immobile and unable to speak, and it tore my heart to shreds to go and visit her. I knew that the end was near, and I didn't want to remember her that way. I last saw her a couple of weeks ago, when I took Bernie to visit with me. It was horrible and I couldn't make myself stay.

I prefer to remember the woman that smothered her first grandchild with love, cooked wonderful southern meals, and was such a happy part of my life for so long.

I miss her already.