Where I'm Calling From

I got a dog, a part Chihuahua and part Dachsund. We named her Mini . She is small and cute and well-behaved. We got her from the animal shelter and when I saw her I knew she was the one for us. In the picture she is wearing her Halloween costume which is supposed to be a unicorn, but is really just a horse, a very soft horse. I'm here on Boston on Halloween night arriving by jet airplane, of course. We were an hour late getting off the ground in DFW, so we arrived in Bean Town at 4:20pm. The weather was mild, 70deg., and low humidity. In the cab on the way to airport as the Eastern European driver explains all the pertinent Boston-info to me I realize how beautifully old this city is. It's love at first sight. It takes my breath away the structure and layout of the city. The liveliness is all around and I'm like a kid in a candy store trying to take in all this life and activity. The streets go this way and that and people are everywhere, walking jogging, bik...

Touched down in ATL at 6:15PM. Touched base with my lead trainer to confirm she was going to be arriving shortly. I now pace behind the rental car for about 45min. She arrives and we introduce ourselves. She is my mentor and nice. I am her student and eager to learn. The drive is, as usual, filled with newly acquainted chit-chat about backgrounds, experience, what it's like to live where you live. I did not inform her of my past duties of a being a rodeo clown in southern Canada. Nor do I mention I'm secretly studying to be a belly dancer. The truth is written all over my face and the scar over my ribs tells the biggest tale with little room for correction or contradiction. I am not ready to divulge the urge to writhe in the restaurants of Ft Worth for change and cigarettes. I am packing a gun, though, I won't be put in that position again. I was traveling, as usual, feet above the floor, skimming the surface, as it were, trying to become fixated on the spot in...

Man, I hate being the new guy. I just got off of a conference call with some of my team members and our supervisor and I felt about this impt. and smart (imagine my thumb and forefinger about 1mm. apart). It's sucks not knowing what to do and what to say in a meeting with your peers. It seems everybody has everything under control but me. And I'm out here training other people on what to do. I need a drink. Part of it, though, could be that I'm tired. I'm beat from working-out and starting back to an ultra-low carb diet since I've gained about 10 pounds in the past few months...must be because I'm into my 30's now. It let me tell you it's much easier to gain then to lose it broseph. I must say that my physical fitness has improved since I started working out in hotels. I can run longer and faster and don't feel as winded after exercise, as I sit here and write about how beat I am. I need to go work with my colleague on some work in the hote...

It's too damn hot in Texas today. What gives? I can't get away from the heat. It's time to give it up Summer. Give it up. Ooh, but I did see a good band last night. My friend, Cameron, is in a band called Black Heart Society . It was their first show and I was very impressed. You see, I played bass guitar with them once, yeah once until they kicked me out. That's OK, I have my own band ********** to worry about. Anyway I was going more out of curiosity because the only other time I've heard them play is through the other side of the wall and a drunken haze. They play a very familiar mix of 60's 70's Brit rock, but competent none-the-less. I was very pleased to hear them, I think their band came together very well. I commend them fully. I also got to brag about our deal with Northern Star Records because the guys in the band had seen a show with one of the other bands on the comp we're going to be on put out by NSR. Small world, eh? That w...

Griffin was pretty cool to visit. It reminded, a lot, of where my grandparents used to live which is Greenfield, Indiana. Where you have the main 4-6 lane interstate (where as a kid leads to a much more interesting state or town. Past the point where you exit to go to grandmas house and never go and is such a mystery.) about a mile form the town center. You exit, get onto the main road leading into town which is a 2 lane highway called Route or Highway 3 or 5 or 10. Then you come to the department stores and grocery stores of a small town populated by old cars and older pick-up trucks. Where the people look different enough to notice that you look different to them. At least that's what their stares say. Then State Road such and such becomes Hickory or Hill Street which takes you almost directly to the clock tower atop the courthouse pre-9/11 without guards. The buildings are old and beautiful. It's like architecture took on a less important role these days. Every b...

7AM...68deg...88% humidity. I'm out to Griffin Regional Radiation Treatment Center. Last night I flew-in from DFW with a 1 hour delay due a young lady passing out in the aisle of the plane while holding her infant. The baby was OK though, but the mother was escorted off the plane with child which means our plane had to get back in-line on the runway and wait 55 min. to take-off. What do I do? I roll with broseph. Unpack the iPod and jam to Airport 5 for 50 min. This is really an attempt to the drown the lady next to me who seems to not have had an enjoyable experience inher life...especially this flight. I like the way some people unnecessarily embellish the facts. "No, that's not how it happened." Oh, well, her problem becomes my competition. We finally take-off and I accept my glass of water because that's what I want in return. Water in return. I am meeting my trainer for my first internal training. This training will be for hardware and it's ...

Man, what the hell? Can't get online in this city. I tried to log onto our wireless network in the classroom , and no dice. Here at the hotel , where I paid $13 for a yogurt and a bowl of oatmeal? forgettaboutit. Yeah, pay $10 a day for extremely shoddy wireless access on T-Mobil ? I gave up after it kicked me off several times in as many minutes, but that's alright, I charged it to my corporate card. But still, you would think you could find reliable wireless access these days in a city such as "the ATL". So, I'm here on dial-up and it's not half-bad, it's not like I'm downloading huge files right now or anything. I'm cool though, I'll be alright. This week of class isn't nearly as bad as the 2 weeks in Vegas. I'm already going home tomorrow, but it did take me nearly all week to get online. Yesterday I did manage to get on the wireless network in the classroom, but only for a few minutes before my laptop battery died, m...