Circumcism

Today we took RJ to be circumcised. The hospital where he was born did not do the procedure.  Know that it is not medically necessary, but I think long term he will be better off from a hygiene stand point. Sherry was a wreck. She could not stand the thought of her son hurting. 

Despite his parents being emotional wrecks, RJ was a real trooper. He was more annoyed y being strapped down to the exam table than the actual procedure. 

Three hours later he is wresting comfortably and hasn't really been very fussy, despite the morning activities. This guy is something else. 

A Heavenly Gift

On January 19th Robert Justin came into our lives. He is the answer to our prayers to be able to start a family. 

When I saw him for the first time in the hospital I had the same feeling as when I saw my beautiful wife walking down the aisle when we got married. He took my breath away. How could there be anything more precious. It is love at first sight. 

One week later RJ is watching us intently when we feed him. I wonder what he is thinking?  He changes every day and makes a new face with the cutest expressions. 

Right now he sleeps a lot. But that's because he is doing a great deal of growing every day. 

I am truly a very blessed man.  

Needs Improvement

Today I had my first one on one meeting with my new boss.  In June I was appointed area supervisor when my former supervisor was terminated.  During the meeting I was encouraged to learn more about how to think strategically and ask more "why do we need to do that" questions.  I'm eager to be a member of this management team and feel that I could offer a great deal to the success of our division.  But leaving the meeting I have never felt more like I just left a failed job interview.

Must look into how to become a better manager.

Too Much Stuff...

It has been a LOT harder to consolidate all my junk!  I have been holding on to too much stuff.

I recently read a blog post from a good friend who said that in order to make sure some of the big dream ideas come into reality she has to tell someone about that idea in order to feel the pressure of an imposed deadline ( Not a direct quotation and a bit of a paraphrasing)

Before I went to college XX years ago, I really didn't have that much junk to cart around.  I was still living at home and under my parents rules - which included not keeping too much stuff around my room.  If it didn't have a direct use or I had not used something for more than 6 months, out it went.

After I moved out following college I had a regression of sorts.  I found it extremely difficult to toss something if it looked like it might have some usefulness still left.  Jump forward a few years with no parental influence for getting rid of stuff, and now I am on my way to being a candidate for the "hoarders" programs on cable tv.  I don't want to be on that show.  SO... I must make a conscience decision to start tossing out junk or getting it listed on eBay so those precious items can become part of someone else's collection.

It has been sort of painful coming to grips with my collecting obsession.  It has also been financially draining. Before I got married I lived alone in a two bedroom townhouse.  The downstairs "public" area was neat, but the upstairs area and spare room were not. In fact I rented a storage space a few block from my townhouse to keep my stuff.  Americans like their stuff.  I think that's why there are so many storage places all over.  My rental grew to three units.  When I got married one of the concessions I had to make was that I would not fill up our home with junk.  On the surface I could agree with this concession. After all I really don't want to live in a pig pen and I don't want to subject my wife to that either. But that meant that all the things I had in the townhouse couldn't come live with us in out happy home.  I couldn't bring myself to throwing it all away so I expanded to another storage space to give my junk some place to live.

That all started five years ago.

Now, I want to get back into the business of having my own production company.  The times I spent running my own company were some of the happiest employment I have ever experienced.  I would like to bring some more of that job centered happiness back into my life.  Please don't read more into that statement than is there.  I am pleased with my 8-5 job.  The people are nice, the work is not difficult and the tasks are generally easy to accomplish and excel.  It's the night time job I have become bored with.  The climate and regulations have become almost too much for me to bear for even the little time I spend there.  There is no more esprit-de-corps any more.  All of the workers arrive like pre-programmed automatons and do their tasks when called upon.  The environment is oppressive and the work is tedious. I don't want to have that as part of my life any more.  I have a need to find something more spirit refreshing.  In my effort to develop something that will meet my developmental and "fun" requirements, I have stumbled upon an idea which blends some of my recreational activities with some of my professional talents.  The really great thing is that there is no one else in this area providing the service I am thinking about.  My only problem now is that I need some money to bring this idea to market.

CONCLUSION:

I have a lot of stuff.
I need some money to purchase some different stuff for the expansion of my production company.
I NEED to reduce/eliminate the clutter in my life in order to be able to focus on experiencing life with my wife.
I will sell the junk which has any value.
I WILL develop the business idea into a viable service.
I will replace the nighttime job with something better for me.
I will dedicate time to making memories with my wife.

Wish me luck.

-R

One shop to build it...

Its been TOO long since I have posted an update to this blog.  Recently I began to follow a friends blog site.  That person has established a discipline of writing every Friday.  Discipline is something I need more in my life.  So, in an effort to put some order back into my life.  I am picking TUESDAY to update this site.  I cannot promise that there will always be something interesting to read.  But come hell or high water, this location will receive new words every week.

I hope you enjoy.

AN UPDATE:

Finally,  I have secured a small workshop space not too far from home.  This is the beginning of the road to completion on the Spider.  I will post some pre-move in pictures. The goal is to set up a working space to make the repairs needed to the car. As with this site, I will have to become more disciplined to get the Spider back on the road.

Stay tuned...

Mid-Florida AROC Car Show

I posted a video of the trip to the car show.  It can be found on YouTube.  Let me know what you think.

Here is the link.

AROC 2010 Car Show

A new direction..

Today I took a look at my first post to this space and have had a change of heart concerning the direction of the Spider restoration. I had mentioned in the original post that I wanted to "bring the Spider into more of a modern condition..." After thinking about this direction over the past few years I think it would be a horrible mistake to alter the car in such a way. So, with that in mind, I will proceed in a direction to make the best (2010) 1969 model car I can afford. I will be keeping the original fuel injection system, the braking system, and keep the finishes as close to original as possible with the means I have available.

The goal to meet is to be able to bring the refurbished car to the 2011 Mid-Florida AROC car show.

I have a renewed spirit about completing this project and now have a hard deadline goal to reach.

Wish me luck and keep an eye here to see updates.

Take a look at some detail shots of the areas with some of the worse rust damage.

Inside rocker panel looking toward where the passenger side jack point USED to be located.

A closer look at the work of the Italian Rust Worm.