Okay, today had some pretty major events in it. Should break this out into different blogs, but really, I need to get to bed. Long day tomorrow.
First, Logan had his first football scrimmage. He was doing GREAT. Thing is, it was held on a practice field that didn't have much grass on it. At one point, he went down and gashed his knee open. Might have been on a rock or really anything. Took him to the ER. 4 stitches. He's out for a week. Not a big deal. He should be back in plenty of time for the first game of the season.
Second, got word that he was on the bubble as far as making Mavs A team next year. I'm a little bit stunned, actually. I saw the tryouts and I thought he did great. Oh well. They wanted him to come back for an assessment against 3 other kids tomorrow. However, due to the stitches, he won't.
Now, folks who know me know I have a pretty hot temper up to a point. However, when things are ridiculous, I don't generally get angry. I just laugh my butt off. Logan hit .470 (5th on the team and within striking distance of the 4 kids ahead of him), had a .690 OBP (1st on the team) and was with the offensive leaders all season long. In additon, he was, hands-down, the best center fielder on the team. So, if he doesn't make the team this year, oh well. He has proven he can contribute to any team he's on.
He'll still make the B team. Frankly, for a lot of reasons, I think that might actually be a good thing.
Other news? I may not end up getting DAWIA certification. In the past, my education would have been equivalent to a year's experience, satisfying the experience requirement. Now? It doesn't. (As of May of 2011.)
This would mean that the certification is actually impossible for me to get. Also, the training requirements are going to be totally different starting October 1st. So, really, I'd be starting again from scratch after all this work. What a total pain in the butt.
Will see. There's some stuff going on that may change the landscape a little bit in September, but if it doesn't change, I'm hosed. I won't be able to get my cert. I would just end up spinning my wheels chasing the changing training requirements until I rotate out of my acquisition billet.
Law School? More work than I ever imagined. I really underestimated this thing. I'm keeping up just fine, but need time to refine my outline and organize myself better. I'm current with the reading, but that's about it.
And with that having been said, it's off to bed. Luckily, I am current with all my reading because the ER really put a crimp in my plans. Tomorrow is a big day of classes. (3 classes, from 10:10 to 4:50.) After that, just one session of Legal Research and Writing and I'm done for the week.
So, that's everything.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
First Long Day of Class
My belt is getting sorta loose. That's good news because it was tight not that long ago. Running is finally showing results. I didn't work out yesterday. The power outage threw me out of my planned schedule. Tonight, need to get 4 miles in, one way or another.
Today will be 3 classes, starting at 10:10 and not ending until 4:50. This will happen Tuesdays and Thursdays. Looks like 1Ls don't get any really early classes. I think they reserve those for 2Ls and 3Ls who need to cram all their courses into the mornings so they can work internships and such in the afternoon.
Logan's football team asked for more dads to help volunteer to coach. I should probably help out. Last few practices, I just spent the whole time watching. Might as well be in there. I am loathe to commit too much time. I'll probably make it clear that I'll help when/if I can. I really shouldn't. I should be using that time he's at practice a little more productively. Might be easier on him, too.
Will have to haul butt to get Logan after school today and rush him to practice. It takes about 20 minutes to get from campus to my house. School lets out at 4:50 and practice starts at 5:30. Not a lot of slack in that timeline.
I was able to step into work for a few minutes first thing this morning. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are pretty low impact. Classes start late and wrap up early. Tuesdays and Thursdays are more intense.
Management of time is going to be the key to all this. My biggest non-school time committment is time with my son. I try to stay involved in his sports. I also need to get him some batting practice so he'll be sharp for Mavericks tryouts this weekend.
Today will be one long day basically without a break.
Today will be 3 classes, starting at 10:10 and not ending until 4:50. This will happen Tuesdays and Thursdays. Looks like 1Ls don't get any really early classes. I think they reserve those for 2Ls and 3Ls who need to cram all their courses into the mornings so they can work internships and such in the afternoon.
Logan's football team asked for more dads to help volunteer to coach. I should probably help out. Last few practices, I just spent the whole time watching. Might as well be in there. I am loathe to commit too much time. I'll probably make it clear that I'll help when/if I can. I really shouldn't. I should be using that time he's at practice a little more productively. Might be easier on him, too.
Will have to haul butt to get Logan after school today and rush him to practice. It takes about 20 minutes to get from campus to my house. School lets out at 4:50 and practice starts at 5:30. Not a lot of slack in that timeline.
I was able to step into work for a few minutes first thing this morning. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are pretty low impact. Classes start late and wrap up early. Tuesdays and Thursdays are more intense.
Management of time is going to be the key to all this. My biggest non-school time committment is time with my son. I try to stay involved in his sports. I also need to get him some batting practice so he'll be sharp for Mavericks tryouts this weekend.
Today will be one long day basically without a break.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Yesterday and Today
Yesterday was a good day all in all. I intended to get caught up on my reading for school.
I did read one small section. Need to buckle down today.
I had a great run. The weather is cooling off in the evenings, now, and it's bearable to run outside. So, relief from the dreadmill until the weather turns crappy again.
At work, I was a machine. Honestly, if this is the result of Law School: that it focuses me on work to give me an excuse for procrastination, it's worth every penny of tuition money. I don't think I've been as productive in the last 6 months as I've been in the past couple of days.
Diet-wise? I didn't do so good. Had a Steak and Shake meal and then some chinese for supper. Big Mac for lunch. Breakfast, I had biscuits and gravy.
So, overall, I'd say they day was:
Schoolwork? C-
Excercise? A
Work-work? A
Diet? D
Overall, I'll take it. I think being in school is making me better at a lot of things. Should have done this years ago.
I slept in pretty late today (9:30) and didn't exactly bound out of bed. Part of it is that I haven't been sleeping enough since coming back from drill. The other half, I think, is the workout. So far, so good, though. This is the fun phase of training. You get faster almost every day.
I also just sent off my DAWIA certification request. I'm afraid that by doing so, I've put myself in the pipeline. So long as I can finish 1L year first, I should be okay. At this point, I'm trying to decide whether it'd be best to pick my poison and chose a tour that works well with school, or just stay low and wait until they tap me. At this point, I'm chosing the path of inaction.
I did read one small section. Need to buckle down today.
I had a great run. The weather is cooling off in the evenings, now, and it's bearable to run outside. So, relief from the dreadmill until the weather turns crappy again.
At work, I was a machine. Honestly, if this is the result of Law School: that it focuses me on work to give me an excuse for procrastination, it's worth every penny of tuition money. I don't think I've been as productive in the last 6 months as I've been in the past couple of days.
Diet-wise? I didn't do so good. Had a Steak and Shake meal and then some chinese for supper. Big Mac for lunch. Breakfast, I had biscuits and gravy.
So, overall, I'd say they day was:
Schoolwork? C-
Excercise? A
Work-work? A
Diet? D
Overall, I'll take it. I think being in school is making me better at a lot of things. Should have done this years ago.
I slept in pretty late today (9:30) and didn't exactly bound out of bed. Part of it is that I haven't been sleeping enough since coming back from drill. The other half, I think, is the workout. So far, so good, though. This is the fun phase of training. You get faster almost every day.
I also just sent off my DAWIA certification request. I'm afraid that by doing so, I've put myself in the pipeline. So long as I can finish 1L year first, I should be okay. At this point, I'm trying to decide whether it'd be best to pick my poison and chose a tour that works well with school, or just stay low and wait until they tap me. At this point, I'm chosing the path of inaction.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Adding Vector...
In the 1990s, I was a very productive person. I had a demanding job, was getting my MBA, and getting a certification in Production and Inventory Management.
Every day, I'd take out a yellow legal pad and write:
"James Strebler"
"MBA, Case Western Reserve University"
"Certified in Production and Inventory Management, the American Production and Inventory Control Society"
That was my daily affirmation. I believe in affirmations, but not for any mystical or spiritual reason. I think anybody who expects magic to change their lives is an idiot.
I believe in them because they focus a person. In a day, there are a million decisions we make. If we're focused on a goal, we're more likely, subconsciously, or consciously, to make decisions that move us closer to the goal.
I'm finding that with Law School looming, other things are coming into sharper focus. I just don't have as much slack time during the day. As they say, "if you want something done, ask a busy person." Busy people don't have the luxury of procrastination. Nearly all of us are capable of great things if we don't keep putting them off.
So, with that having been said, I'm trying to add vector. Combined with thrust, that should get me where I want to go.
So, for now, my targets are:
JD
Fitness:
-175 pounds
Profitability in the business (there's a tangible number attached to this, but I will keep it confidential for obvious reasons)
Add to this, the ongoing goals of:
-Service to Country
-Father
Those are the major areas where I need to succeed over the next few years.
The more I do, the better I seem to get at everything. Let's hope that continues to hold true.
Every day, I'd take out a yellow legal pad and write:
"James Strebler"
"MBA, Case Western Reserve University"
"Certified in Production and Inventory Management, the American Production and Inventory Control Society"
That was my daily affirmation. I believe in affirmations, but not for any mystical or spiritual reason. I think anybody who expects magic to change their lives is an idiot.
I believe in them because they focus a person. In a day, there are a million decisions we make. If we're focused on a goal, we're more likely, subconsciously, or consciously, to make decisions that move us closer to the goal.
I'm finding that with Law School looming, other things are coming into sharper focus. I just don't have as much slack time during the day. As they say, "if you want something done, ask a busy person." Busy people don't have the luxury of procrastination. Nearly all of us are capable of great things if we don't keep putting them off.
So, with that having been said, I'm trying to add vector. Combined with thrust, that should get me where I want to go.
So, for now, my targets are:
JD
Fitness:
-175 pounds
Profitability in the business (there's a tangible number attached to this, but I will keep it confidential for obvious reasons)
Add to this, the ongoing goals of:
-Service to Country
-Father
Those are the major areas where I need to succeed over the next few years.
The more I do, the better I seem to get at everything. Let's hope that continues to hold true.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I got rice cookin' in the microwave. Got a 3 day beard I don't plan to shave...
It's good to be home. Feels like I never left.
Went to Logan's football practice last night and it was mostly just drills. They're working out with helmets this week, then next week, they get pads.
There were a lot of kids there but they'll be divided up into 4 different teams. Two 6th grader teams and two 5th grader teams. Logan seemed to be doing well. He'll know his team this weekend.
My coursework (training courses) for my DAWIA certification has all posted to their web-site. I need to update my education (college education) and then I can apply for my certification. This pretty much puts me in the pipeline for a trip downrange. The deployment tempo for all Navy reservists is slowing considerably, but DAWIA certification is still a great way to get sent downrange.
There have been some changes at the reserve unit which will mean that I'll be there for almost all drills from here on out. It looks like I am going to be given the detachment's Operations Officer position. Either that or Admin Officer. Dear God, let it be Ops. Better job and better suited to my capabilities. I'll be an O-3 in January, so it's time I did something more substantial.
Had a long talk with one of my Supply Corps classmates and it sounds like our cohort is dropping like flies. Lots of guys doing a deployment, then requesting transfer to the IRR (which effectively ends their reserve career.) Not sure what my long-term plans are. I guess I'm still playing it by ear at this point. I would feel bad leaving, now, since I only just now finished up my certification and haven't really done anything for the Navy, yet.
This was a good, eventful month in the reserves, though. In addition to DAWIA, I qualified with a pistol, which I've wanted to do forever. I qualified as Expert, which means I have another medal I can wear.
Law school starts tomorrow with orientation. I still need to get a dishwasher and I haven't got any of my books. I'll go early to orientation so I can spend some time in the bookstore and get what I need. Books for Law School are muthafarkin' expensive.
I'm as ready as I think I can be for Law School, but I think it's just one of those things where you don't know much until you're actually in it. I'm excited for the semester to begin.
Business has been very good lately. All thumbs up on that front, though this is typically the start of our really slow period. All I can do is take it one day at a time on that. However, if things keep up this way, we should be able to hire an office person in the Spring.
Gotta keep the good momentum going on fitness. I finally got to where I can cover 4 miles in a reasonable amount of time. I'm going to keep that as my training distance for another month or so to give my body time to adjust to it. Also, I want to incorporate more rowing.
Went to Logan's football practice last night and it was mostly just drills. They're working out with helmets this week, then next week, they get pads.
There were a lot of kids there but they'll be divided up into 4 different teams. Two 6th grader teams and two 5th grader teams. Logan seemed to be doing well. He'll know his team this weekend.
My coursework (training courses) for my DAWIA certification has all posted to their web-site. I need to update my education (college education) and then I can apply for my certification. This pretty much puts me in the pipeline for a trip downrange. The deployment tempo for all Navy reservists is slowing considerably, but DAWIA certification is still a great way to get sent downrange.
There have been some changes at the reserve unit which will mean that I'll be there for almost all drills from here on out. It looks like I am going to be given the detachment's Operations Officer position. Either that or Admin Officer. Dear God, let it be Ops. Better job and better suited to my capabilities. I'll be an O-3 in January, so it's time I did something more substantial.
Had a long talk with one of my Supply Corps classmates and it sounds like our cohort is dropping like flies. Lots of guys doing a deployment, then requesting transfer to the IRR (which effectively ends their reserve career.) Not sure what my long-term plans are. I guess I'm still playing it by ear at this point. I would feel bad leaving, now, since I only just now finished up my certification and haven't really done anything for the Navy, yet.
This was a good, eventful month in the reserves, though. In addition to DAWIA, I qualified with a pistol, which I've wanted to do forever. I qualified as Expert, which means I have another medal I can wear.
Law school starts tomorrow with orientation. I still need to get a dishwasher and I haven't got any of my books. I'll go early to orientation so I can spend some time in the bookstore and get what I need. Books for Law School are muthafarkin' expensive.
I'm as ready as I think I can be for Law School, but I think it's just one of those things where you don't know much until you're actually in it. I'm excited for the semester to begin.
Business has been very good lately. All thumbs up on that front, though this is typically the start of our really slow period. All I can do is take it one day at a time on that. However, if things keep up this way, we should be able to hire an office person in the Spring.
Gotta keep the good momentum going on fitness. I finally got to where I can cover 4 miles in a reasonable amount of time. I'm going to keep that as my training distance for another month or so to give my body time to adjust to it. Also, I want to incorporate more rowing.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Everything in a Positive Direction
I have one more day to go until I'm flying home. These past few weeks away from home have flown. I dread being away from my son, but frankly, he's so busy, I don't think he notices, much. If I stay busy, I usually manage not to be too heartsick. I probably shouldn't make such a big deal about being away. I just don't like it
I like being in my home, such as it is. It's a mess and it's torn up with a renovation that may take years to complete, but it's mine. My time there is limited, though. Once my son is out of High School, I really won't have a reason to stay there.
It is amazing how my outlook has improved over the past few months. Really, in the Spring, almost everything was moving in the wrong direction. However, I've hung in there long enough that almost everything is moving in the right direction, now.
First, my fitness is improving. I still have a long ways to go, but it's getting better day by day. That, in and of itself, is good, but I notice that my overall energy level and ability to focus are much better these days. The improvement in my mood is probably due to this as well.
Second, business is good, now. We're busy and have good cash-flow. The entire organization is snake-bit after what we went through the past couple of years, but who knows. It's hard to know what the new normal is going to look like. I really do want to have my business kicking butt again like it did back in '07 and '08. Life was pretty sweet, then.
Third, because of cash flow, my debt is getting back to being manageable. Sometime in 2012, I'll be pretty close to pre-crisis stability. If I can just keep hanging on until 2014, I should be debt-free, other than mortgages.
Fourth, Law School starts soon. I'm really looking forward to meeting my classmates. Young people have energy and enthusiasm, and I could use a little of both, now.
Fifth, I should be getting my DAWIA Level I certification, soon. Then, in January, I should be pinning on O-3 in the reserves. Both are pretty big milestones for my military career. This means that if I deploy, at least it'll probably be in a contracting capacity and as a Navy Lieutenant.
Sixth, this one was always moving in a positive direction, but my boy is entering the 5th grade and continues to exceed any expectations I could have ever had for him. What a great kid. I'm proud of everything about him. He's truly a gift.
So, life is good. This is a good time to take it all in and enjoy. Things will get rough again sometime in the future. That's just the way things go. However, you should enjoy the moment when you can.
I like being in my home, such as it is. It's a mess and it's torn up with a renovation that may take years to complete, but it's mine. My time there is limited, though. Once my son is out of High School, I really won't have a reason to stay there.
It is amazing how my outlook has improved over the past few months. Really, in the Spring, almost everything was moving in the wrong direction. However, I've hung in there long enough that almost everything is moving in the right direction, now.
First, my fitness is improving. I still have a long ways to go, but it's getting better day by day. That, in and of itself, is good, but I notice that my overall energy level and ability to focus are much better these days. The improvement in my mood is probably due to this as well.
Second, business is good, now. We're busy and have good cash-flow. The entire organization is snake-bit after what we went through the past couple of years, but who knows. It's hard to know what the new normal is going to look like. I really do want to have my business kicking butt again like it did back in '07 and '08. Life was pretty sweet, then.
Third, because of cash flow, my debt is getting back to being manageable. Sometime in 2012, I'll be pretty close to pre-crisis stability. If I can just keep hanging on until 2014, I should be debt-free, other than mortgages.
Fourth, Law School starts soon. I'm really looking forward to meeting my classmates. Young people have energy and enthusiasm, and I could use a little of both, now.
Fifth, I should be getting my DAWIA Level I certification, soon. Then, in January, I should be pinning on O-3 in the reserves. Both are pretty big milestones for my military career. This means that if I deploy, at least it'll probably be in a contracting capacity and as a Navy Lieutenant.
Sixth, this one was always moving in a positive direction, but my boy is entering the 5th grade and continues to exceed any expectations I could have ever had for him. What a great kid. I'm proud of everything about him. He's truly a gift.
So, life is good. This is a good time to take it all in and enjoy. Things will get rough again sometime in the future. That's just the way things go. However, you should enjoy the moment when you can.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Good Times
Changed the name of my blog. I'm not really moderate. So, "radical middle" doesn't really work. I'm pretty extreme. It's just that half the time, I'm extremely liberal and the other half, I'm extremely conservative.
All thrust, no vector is a term I heard from our instructor, an Air Force Captain, and it describes my life to a tee. I love the fact that I didn't have to start working in a coal mine at 16, and work there until I die of black lung disease at 59. I love that I live in a time when you can change careers 4, 5 or 6 times before you retire. (Heck, some would argue you HAVE TO change careers... maybe not that often, but at least more than most folks thought at first.)
So, all thrust, no vector. Maximum speed, random direction. That suits me, I think.
Times are pretty good right now. I just finished my contracting class and really enjoyed it. Mostly, I enjoyed meeting new people. It was only a 2 week class. So, we ended up saying goodbye just as we were getting to know each other. This is making me look forward to law school, though. I'll be making a hundred new friends in my class.
I ran outside for the first time in a long time last night. Covered all 4 miles, which was my goal. I did do a lot of walking, though. Took walking breaks about every mile at the start and it ended up being a little more frequent than that at the end. Still, my overall average was right at 13 min/mile. So, that means I was running a LOT faster than I have been, previously.
That was really encouraging. The work over the past month is starting to come through. I still have a lot of room for improvement. When you start from zero, the first few months are awesome because you basically get faster almost every week.
My weight isn't as low as I had hoped, though. I'm clearly more solid all the way around. I'll just keep at the running and see how it goes. 4 miles a few times a week is a good start, but I think I should be able to get to a point where I'm covering 6 miles, 5 times a week. 30 miles a week is a solid running schedule.
Bump it up a bit with periodic weight training and rower, and I think I'll be able to get back in good shape. My fuzzy goal is still a marathon. Maybe in Fall of 2012 or Spring of 2013.
The biz is still tense, but that's to be expected while we claw our way out. Best-case, we could be pretty much out of our hole around Christmas, but things may still stay tense for a while. We're really busy right now. Busier than we've been in a year.
Maybe this is the turnaround. We'll see. At this point, I take nothing for granted.
Going to Texas this weekend and I hope we do weapons qualifications like we had planned. I also get to see my friends from my days at Texas Wesleyan. Really looking forward to it.
So, lots of positive things going on. School starts next week. My financial and business picture continues to improve incrementally. The future has potential.
Mostly, my son is just wonderful. He just got his helmet for football. I'll have to prepare him for baseball tryouts at the end of the month. He's been doing great at basketball during open gym on Sundays. He's just a great little active, kindhearted, hard-working kid. I'm really lucky.
All thrust, no vector is a term I heard from our instructor, an Air Force Captain, and it describes my life to a tee. I love the fact that I didn't have to start working in a coal mine at 16, and work there until I die of black lung disease at 59. I love that I live in a time when you can change careers 4, 5 or 6 times before you retire. (Heck, some would argue you HAVE TO change careers... maybe not that often, but at least more than most folks thought at first.)
So, all thrust, no vector. Maximum speed, random direction. That suits me, I think.
Times are pretty good right now. I just finished my contracting class and really enjoyed it. Mostly, I enjoyed meeting new people. It was only a 2 week class. So, we ended up saying goodbye just as we were getting to know each other. This is making me look forward to law school, though. I'll be making a hundred new friends in my class.
I ran outside for the first time in a long time last night. Covered all 4 miles, which was my goal. I did do a lot of walking, though. Took walking breaks about every mile at the start and it ended up being a little more frequent than that at the end. Still, my overall average was right at 13 min/mile. So, that means I was running a LOT faster than I have been, previously.
That was really encouraging. The work over the past month is starting to come through. I still have a lot of room for improvement. When you start from zero, the first few months are awesome because you basically get faster almost every week.
My weight isn't as low as I had hoped, though. I'm clearly more solid all the way around. I'll just keep at the running and see how it goes. 4 miles a few times a week is a good start, but I think I should be able to get to a point where I'm covering 6 miles, 5 times a week. 30 miles a week is a solid running schedule.
Bump it up a bit with periodic weight training and rower, and I think I'll be able to get back in good shape. My fuzzy goal is still a marathon. Maybe in Fall of 2012 or Spring of 2013.
The biz is still tense, but that's to be expected while we claw our way out. Best-case, we could be pretty much out of our hole around Christmas, but things may still stay tense for a while. We're really busy right now. Busier than we've been in a year.
Maybe this is the turnaround. We'll see. At this point, I take nothing for granted.
Going to Texas this weekend and I hope we do weapons qualifications like we had planned. I also get to see my friends from my days at Texas Wesleyan. Really looking forward to it.
So, lots of positive things going on. School starts next week. My financial and business picture continues to improve incrementally. The future has potential.
Mostly, my son is just wonderful. He just got his helmet for football. I'll have to prepare him for baseball tryouts at the end of the month. He's been doing great at basketball during open gym on Sundays. He's just a great little active, kindhearted, hard-working kid. I'm really lucky.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The New Normal
Had a nice conversation with my old friend, Chris Horne, the other night. I was talking to him about how now we're 3 years into the great recession, it's becoming obvious that nothing is likely to make things better any time, soon.
When this whole thing started, I thought it would last 5 years. Now, it's looking like that was wild-eyed optimism. If this thing lasts a decade or more, I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe it'll last 20. Maybe the rest of my life. There are a lot of bad harbingers on the horizon and not a lot of good ones.
So, I think I'm just coming to the realization that this is the new normal. There's still opportunity. There's still money to be made. You just need to react and realize that the old days aren't coming back. There'll be prosperity in the future, but who knows how and why. The things that worked before might not work tomorrow.
I feel pretty good because despite the difficulty of these past couple of years, I'm still hanging in there. With Law School starting, I have a chance at something new. I do agree with the folks who say that to survive in today's economy, you have to be able to change and adapt. That's not something I've ever had a lot of trouble with. Sticking with one thing for a long time? Now, that's tough.
Even though I'm embarking on the practice of law, I still want to keep active in small business. I don't trust Wall Street anymore. I'll be looking for future business opportunities once I have the capital to act on them. I'd like to build something I can hand down to my son.
I think things are going to be hard for his generation. Some fields will be wide open, but overall, I think they'll have less opportunity than my generation had. I'd like to bring him up to think like an entrepreneur. It has been a great quality of life choice for me and overall, it has been a step forward financially. The more I can expand and diversify, the better it'll be financially.
So, this, I think, is the new normal. Economic troubles for as far as the eye can see. If you can keep your ship afloat, that's a victory.
When this whole thing started, I thought it would last 5 years. Now, it's looking like that was wild-eyed optimism. If this thing lasts a decade or more, I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe it'll last 20. Maybe the rest of my life. There are a lot of bad harbingers on the horizon and not a lot of good ones.
So, I think I'm just coming to the realization that this is the new normal. There's still opportunity. There's still money to be made. You just need to react and realize that the old days aren't coming back. There'll be prosperity in the future, but who knows how and why. The things that worked before might not work tomorrow.
I feel pretty good because despite the difficulty of these past couple of years, I'm still hanging in there. With Law School starting, I have a chance at something new. I do agree with the folks who say that to survive in today's economy, you have to be able to change and adapt. That's not something I've ever had a lot of trouble with. Sticking with one thing for a long time? Now, that's tough.
Even though I'm embarking on the practice of law, I still want to keep active in small business. I don't trust Wall Street anymore. I'll be looking for future business opportunities once I have the capital to act on them. I'd like to build something I can hand down to my son.
I think things are going to be hard for his generation. Some fields will be wide open, but overall, I think they'll have less opportunity than my generation had. I'd like to bring him up to think like an entrepreneur. It has been a great quality of life choice for me and overall, it has been a step forward financially. The more I can expand and diversify, the better it'll be financially.
So, this, I think, is the new normal. Economic troubles for as far as the eye can see. If you can keep your ship afloat, that's a victory.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
This week is dragging...
This week has been dragging. Sitting in class is a drag. It's not the instructors' fault. They're both excellent. The material isn't that bad. Just sitting there all day is boring. At least with law school I get a break between classes.
At least so far I don't see anything that should keep me from getting my completion certificate. After that, I submit my packet for Dawia level I. Then wait to either be approved or not. Not sure what I'd do if not. They're changing the standards and it's hard enough as a reservist to try and do this. I think once the standards change, it'll go from being "really difficult" to "practically impossible" to do this as a reservist.
I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I should do with what's left of my working life. It's so odd to be thinking about the last 20 years of my working life. Granted, I think a lot of folks in my generation are going to end up working forever, and I'm probably not going to be the exception.
I do know that for the next 8 years, no matter what I do, the geography isn't going to change. So, whatever I do, it has to be something that can be done while I live in Sylvania. After Logan is off to college all bets are off. Until then, I'm staying put.
At that point, I'll be 54 years old. That's pretty long in the tooth to start a brand-new career. So, my next moves should, in theory, set me up well for the rest of my working life.
Tomorrow, though, I go home for the weekend, which is going to be great. I'll be spending the weekend with my son visiting family in Akron for a wedding.
After that, one more week of class, then a weekend of drill. I always sort of dread going to drill, then actually enjoy it when it's happening. I know one thing for sure: if I can't get a drilling location convenient to home for my next billet, I'm done. I'm not travelling like this again.
So, packing the truck up with dirty laundry to wash this weekend. With any luck, we'll get out a little early tomorrow.
At least so far I don't see anything that should keep me from getting my completion certificate. After that, I submit my packet for Dawia level I. Then wait to either be approved or not. Not sure what I'd do if not. They're changing the standards and it's hard enough as a reservist to try and do this. I think once the standards change, it'll go from being "really difficult" to "practically impossible" to do this as a reservist.
I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I should do with what's left of my working life. It's so odd to be thinking about the last 20 years of my working life. Granted, I think a lot of folks in my generation are going to end up working forever, and I'm probably not going to be the exception.
I do know that for the next 8 years, no matter what I do, the geography isn't going to change. So, whatever I do, it has to be something that can be done while I live in Sylvania. After Logan is off to college all bets are off. Until then, I'm staying put.
At that point, I'll be 54 years old. That's pretty long in the tooth to start a brand-new career. So, my next moves should, in theory, set me up well for the rest of my working life.
Tomorrow, though, I go home for the weekend, which is going to be great. I'll be spending the weekend with my son visiting family in Akron for a wedding.
After that, one more week of class, then a weekend of drill. I always sort of dread going to drill, then actually enjoy it when it's happening. I know one thing for sure: if I can't get a drilling location convenient to home for my next billet, I'm done. I'm not travelling like this again.
So, packing the truck up with dirty laundry to wash this weekend. With any luck, we'll get out a little early tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
So many crossroads...
Yah know, as little as I liked sitting in a college classroom, I hate sitting in training classes even more. College classes? Took maybe 40 minutes of information. Presented it in 50 minutes. Gave you homework and exercises to do on your own. Gave you tests to demonstrate that, at a minimum, you crammed the information for regurgitation at least once.
Training classes? Take about an hour of information, cram it into a mere 8 hours and then everybody gets a completion certificate at the end. Now, this one, I couldn't sleep through it and pass, but anybody who tries is going to pass. Almost all the work is done in groups.
Unlike groups in college, everybody in the group really is trying to contribute and do a reasonably good job.
So, there's really no doubt about finishing this thing.
Once I have this certificate in hand, I should be able to wangle my DAWIA Level I certification. If I were a younger man, this would be an interesting career field to go into. I doubt I'd want to do this for the government as a full-time job. Though I would certainly keep open the prospect of doing it for a defense contractor on the other side of the table.
Once I get DAWIA Level 1, I'm in the barrel for any contracting related deployments to the middle east.
I want to push these off at least until the completion of my 1L year. If I had to take a year off after 1L, that's not such a big deal. In fact there may be some genuine benefits to doing so, since I'm pretty sure I'd qualify for GI bill upon my return.
Also, I make O-3 in December, which is my last promotion for a while, and is a big jump from O-2. I wouldn't make big money, but would more than make enough to take care of my responsibilities while I'm gone and make some significant progress on debt, too.
So, crossroads number 1? DAWIA certification, the prospect of deployment overseas, and who knows, perhaps the prospect of working in contracts administration for a government contractor.
I have drill right after I get done with this class. As much as I like serving my country, travelling to Texas on my own dime is getting tiresome. I'll be getting a new CO in November. I really need to sit down with him and find out how he feels about me flexing my drills. My old CO was pretty awesome about it, letting me do 2 drills at once so I maximize the drilling I do per trip.
If the new CO is willing to be flexible, I can see how this could work very well. If not, who knows. No need to worry about that too much before it happens. I'd really like to use my drills and training to get the coursework done for Dawia Level II, but I think that may be problematic. Like I said, I'll see.
Crossroads number two is Law school which starts the week after I get back. This is a goal I've put off for so long, it'll be nice to actually do it. I'm hopeful that it will lead to another career, but who knows. It can be useful in a lot of ways. I just know that I've been wanting to go back to school ever since finishing my Master's.
Much like the break I took after finishing an Ironman in 2000, which lasted 11 years, this break has lasted 14. Heck, I took a 21 year break in my military career.
I may not have a lot of tenacity, but I'm no quitter, I guess.
I also notice they've changed up the curriculum in that Manufacturing Technology Ph.D. program at U of
Toledo. If I pursued that after Law School, that would take me right to the point where my son went off to college. At that point, I'd be as educated as I'm ever going to be.
Hard to believe that I'm 46 years old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Of all the things I've ever done, being an entrepreneur is my favorite. I'm also going to do everything I can to stay in Sylvania until Logan is off to college. So, that rules out most ideas of a new career.
So, right now, a mix of Navy Reserve, Law Practice and Entrepreneurism is the most likely future, but who knows.
Training classes? Take about an hour of information, cram it into a mere 8 hours and then everybody gets a completion certificate at the end. Now, this one, I couldn't sleep through it and pass, but anybody who tries is going to pass. Almost all the work is done in groups.
Unlike groups in college, everybody in the group really is trying to contribute and do a reasonably good job.
So, there's really no doubt about finishing this thing.
Once I have this certificate in hand, I should be able to wangle my DAWIA Level I certification. If I were a younger man, this would be an interesting career field to go into. I doubt I'd want to do this for the government as a full-time job. Though I would certainly keep open the prospect of doing it for a defense contractor on the other side of the table.
Once I get DAWIA Level 1, I'm in the barrel for any contracting related deployments to the middle east.
I want to push these off at least until the completion of my 1L year. If I had to take a year off after 1L, that's not such a big deal. In fact there may be some genuine benefits to doing so, since I'm pretty sure I'd qualify for GI bill upon my return.
Also, I make O-3 in December, which is my last promotion for a while, and is a big jump from O-2. I wouldn't make big money, but would more than make enough to take care of my responsibilities while I'm gone and make some significant progress on debt, too.
So, crossroads number 1? DAWIA certification, the prospect of deployment overseas, and who knows, perhaps the prospect of working in contracts administration for a government contractor.
I have drill right after I get done with this class. As much as I like serving my country, travelling to Texas on my own dime is getting tiresome. I'll be getting a new CO in November. I really need to sit down with him and find out how he feels about me flexing my drills. My old CO was pretty awesome about it, letting me do 2 drills at once so I maximize the drilling I do per trip.
If the new CO is willing to be flexible, I can see how this could work very well. If not, who knows. No need to worry about that too much before it happens. I'd really like to use my drills and training to get the coursework done for Dawia Level II, but I think that may be problematic. Like I said, I'll see.
Crossroads number two is Law school which starts the week after I get back. This is a goal I've put off for so long, it'll be nice to actually do it. I'm hopeful that it will lead to another career, but who knows. It can be useful in a lot of ways. I just know that I've been wanting to go back to school ever since finishing my Master's.
Much like the break I took after finishing an Ironman in 2000, which lasted 11 years, this break has lasted 14. Heck, I took a 21 year break in my military career.
I may not have a lot of tenacity, but I'm no quitter, I guess.
I also notice they've changed up the curriculum in that Manufacturing Technology Ph.D. program at U of
Toledo. If I pursued that after Law School, that would take me right to the point where my son went off to college. At that point, I'd be as educated as I'm ever going to be.
Hard to believe that I'm 46 years old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Of all the things I've ever done, being an entrepreneur is my favorite. I'm also going to do everything I can to stay in Sylvania until Logan is off to college. So, that rules out most ideas of a new career.
So, right now, a mix of Navy Reserve, Law Practice and Entrepreneurism is the most likely future, but who knows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)