Been a while since I updated everyone. I've been crazy busy these days.
Okay, so here's the dealie-o. The biz is dead, now. Combination of uncooperative weather, an injunction opposing counsel filed, and just general crappiness in the economy all the way around. I finally think I have everything sold. Should be wrapped up by my deadline at the end of the month, when my lease runs out.
It's been taxing to deal with. It'll be nice to have it over. I'm trying to focus on the new job and career. So far, I really like working for the Air Force. I just hope I can manage to keep the job. It really is enjoyable. The location really sucks balls for me. As long as Logan is still in school, Toledo will always be my home. So, another seven years of doing what I can.
I hope that eventually I can get into a situation where I can telework (telecommute) 2 days a week or so. That would be pretty much ideal. If not, hey, I'll just keep on keepin' on. At least I get diamond status with a hotel chain. Once I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking around down there, I'll probably get an apartment or try to find a room-mate. Until then, the hotel thing is working surprisingly well.
The thing that should bother me the most is the thing that bothers me the least. I have a 150 mile commute, one-way, when I go from home to Wright-Patt. I actually sort of enjoy it. I've always liked long road trips in my car. Long as I have an iPod that's loaded up with tunes, I'm always okay.
This job is so perfect for me. Those of you who know me know that service to my country is a very important thing to me. I drilled 4 years as an officer in the Navy reserve, and net-net, I doubt I ever made a penny. I paid for my own travel to drill locations in Texas, for instance. Once you factored in cost of uniforms, travel, etc., it never was a money-making thing.
Ever since 9/11, I've wanted to find a way to serve my country. This is pretty much perfect. At my age, and with my skills, my job is probably the best way I can contribute. The fact that I can also earn a living while doing it is icing on the cake.
I do miss being in law school. I'm sure it'll always bother me that I didn't cross that one off the list. In the end, it worked out to a risk/reward thing. I could have made a lot more money in the law if things went well, but could have done much worse if things didn't. Since I just so recently ended up on the short end of the risk/reward thing, I needed something a little more solid.
Plus, the idea of not really having income for the next two years and being six figures in student-loan debt was a pretty big factor. At this point, I need to be worrying about how to pay for Logan's education, not mine.
I really can't complain about the job, though. I am really happy with pretty much everything about it. I like my co-workers, my supervisors, the work environment. I get 4 weeks vacation a year. Two and a half weeks of sick leave. Eventually, I'll have a pension.
The pay is a little hard to get adjusted to, but it's a steady paycheck, and that counts for quite a bit. Especially in this economy. Just heard a statistic that there's about 5 unemployed people for every job-opening in the economy today. Especially given that I'm a middle-aged former middle manager.
I'm truly grateful for this opportunity. Hey, life is funny sometimes. You do what you can. The rest is outside your control.
As for Logan, couldn't ask for a better kid. He's in middle school, now. Playing football. Basketball tryouts are soon. Looks like he caught on with another travel baseball team. He got put into the most advanced section for math at school. I just couldn't be prouder of the kid.
Anyway, short blog post. I have to get some studying done for this training class I'm in for work. It's absolutely the most intense training class I've ever had. Quiz every day. Exam every week. I used to think that most corporate training classes deliberately avoided any individually graded assessments because:
1. Nobody likes to lay bare the fact that so many people in your organization are stupid.
2. No corporate trainer is going to get his class renewed when he flunked out half the morons the company sent there.
This class? No such deal. It's one of the requirements for certification for defense acquisition. (Called DAWIA certification.) I know people like to bag on the government for wasting money, but having seen it from this side of the fence, I can assure you that the folks involved take their responsibility very, very seriously.
It also reinforces some opinions I have on, say, government purchase of prescription drugs. I've long held that we're just being flat-out robbed by pharmas when they charge other industrialized countries much less. Some folks have said that they just don't trust the government to buy this stuff for us. Personally, I disagree. I don't see that health-care acquisition need be any different than defense acquisition.
There is no shortage of suppliers in defense contracting. They make money. The government gets stuff it needs at reasonable prices. We could be doing this with our pharmaceuticals and getting the same great prices that... oh... everybody else in the world pays. But that's a debate for a different day.
