Made it to the Square first time all summer today -- Openers were awful, but Robert Randolph cooked. Rain kept the food and drinks lines short and to the point.

Started cleaning out my desk today for my next assignment. It's a little depressing. It feels a little weird to be sort of irrelevant all the sudden in the job you really liked while at the same time getting the hairy eyeball from the old krones in the room I'm moving too. One jabba like bundle of joy told me I had to bring her presents everyday. I asked in a voice loud enough for all to hear "Do I look like your peewhupped husband?" Even the witches next to her cracked up. I don't like copping attitude in a new spot right away but my new surroundings have my stationed pretty close to a gripe fest -- so I had to show that I wasn't there to be a punching bag. Mission accomplished on that count.

Not real satisfying. I took the high road with the young pup who's replacing me in my department and cracked a few jokes. I wrote in an earlier journal about he had no idea about the circumstances that he's walking into. The incoming higherarchy is setting him up for a fall. He's entry level qualified, but it's not entry level work.

Back to the square, post a few drinks at the buckin buffalo, I suprise myself. There were a number of folks, but I started to feel old so I headed home via spot which was peepless around 9:30. I'm waiting for a grande mocha shake when my daughter (the eldest) and a buddy come in. She comes over on the way to the bathroom and we checked weekend plans briefly and with cat like speed to inspire dads everywhere, I make sure she has money, receive my beverage and am out the door.

I see the Sabres are going to wear their old jerseys for 15 games in addition to 26 as the raging hairpieces. Larry Quinn is a wimp. He should realize that it isn't just the blue and gold that old time hockey fans are after, it was the complete package. If the new logo was taken from their current red jerseys and recolored blue and gold, nobody would have said boo.

But alas, the world would be so better off if people would just listen to me once in awhile.

"it's getting better all the time. (Can't get much worse)." I may just be shaking the (e:strip) funk

The winds might be shifting, gentle readers. I finally got my official job offer from the new cable guys today. It is a tremendous monkey off my back, knowing all the health care issues and whatnot won't get interrupted. It triggers the screening process so I had to pee in the official new company cups, but I was so relieved to get that offer with I almost didn't to drive to the lab.

Our current GM stopped me briefly to say "we've got big plans for you" which is intriguing because she doesn't say something unless something is truly up so my mental gears were rolling before she finished walking away. My current boss said that the GM wants me to be the marketing coordinator (my current title) for the GM's about to be formed department. It gave me a lot to mull as my work friends and I parked ourselves at a back picnic table to watch the Adelphia trucks get repainted with the new logos.

I'm getting a bit of a bonus in August for our work the first half of this year so I'm bucks up for my vacation week. Can't really go anyplace during the time, but it will be nice to have some temporary breathing space.

I relayed all this to the ex-wife who was supportive, and she also pointed to a mutual friend of ours who apparently asked her about me. It's been a day of interesting surprises.

I thought I was headed for the dumper when I had to help the H.R. department pack employee welcome kits -- cable tchotchkeys -- but as the day transpired there seems to be a little more light shining.

Robert Randolph is at the square tomorrow night. Might be time for me to celebrate a slowing shifting of events by stepping out.

Anybody up for it?

Been checking where I can use a Free Jet Blue ticket to. I'm juggling through a number of factors. The one criteria is I'm looking for something new. Done New York and Chicago so I'm trying to broaden my horizons.

I'm thinking of a lazy weekend in either
Miami or
San Diego.

Or a more wanderlust kind of thing
Vegas
Boston
San Francisco

Fun to think about.
Pros and/or Cons??

There used to be a commercial from IBM that showed some poor slob riding a tidal wave of paper. I'm starting to relate.

I signed a letter to keep me on the payroll back in June and the upshot was that you get a kit to register for everything under the new employers. Here we are, eight days before the new employers take the keys and I'm still empty handed. I bitched to the boss who I'm reluctantly leaving. I bitched to my new supervisor and her boss. It's getting to be very cyclical. Since nothing showed in the weekend mail other than the usual collection of final notices, magazines, etc, I went to H.R. to bemoan what's going on (little tip for you just out of school folks, H.R. runs or ruins the world), so an all points bulletin is out for my file of stuff.

We have to get new I.D. Badges taken and it turned into a clusterfuck in impressive timing. Old boss says see new boss. New boss so far says nothing.

Did I mention that nobody's said what I'm doing come next Monday?

I can't even decipher what is going on via 401K stuff. The treehouse I built for my kids came with less complicated instructions.

Do I look tired? I sure feel it. Good thing vaca is only a few more weeks away. That will just be a time for my son and I to hang out. I'm more looking forward to what may happen in September. My dad is offering me a open Jet Blue ticket and I'm looking for something new. I've done the NY schtick enough and I think I want to explore someplace new for a few days.

Any ideas? Anybody want to come along?

Grabbed my youngins' last night and did the parental thing. Dropped the eldest off at a play at McKinley and took the other two for a quick bite at Subway. We scooted back to the apartment so my daughter could use the pc to rip a couple of cds to her mp3 player. By that time, the eldest was ready. So we collected her and began a scheme.

I thought it was time to start educating my children and cost cutting at the movies. My middle child pointed out that if we bring our own beverage, that's more money for popcorn.

At the market arcade, where popcorn rocks and crowds are thin, you have to appreciate that logic. So, a quick trip to Willie Farms for juice and proper arrangement of said juice in the purse of my eldest. We hit the theater for "Monster House." It was actually pretty good and added to the fun. Kids had a good time hanging for a "late" show and we all had a case of the giggles walking back to the car at 10:30 at night.

"Omigawd, we're having fun with Dad!?!"

who'd a thunk it. Such things are possible.

Here's the new cable toys coming to your cable box for free in August

A&E
Adult Swim
Anime
AOL Music
BBC America
Cartoon Network
CNN
Comedy Central
Court TV
Driver TV
Exercise TV
G4
Great American Country
Golf
Movie Trailers On Demand
National Geographic
NBC Universal Free Movies
PBS Sprout
Speed Channel
Sportskool
Sundance Free Movies
TBS
TNT
Turner Classic Free Movies

I'm actually looking for to the AOL Music. You get the good tunes without all the requisite AOL propaganda.

I've been logging a lot of travel time on our roadways this week so far for work. Yesterday was a couple of laps to Niagara Falls Offices for stuff. It was largely uneventful, but I'm know a fan of Boston Coolers thanks to a ice cream stand far up the boulevard.

Today was a few laps to Lancaster. Returning to my own office on the first trip, I was sailing along the 90 and a truck was merging without giving a fuck as to what was already on the road. He was going to do HIS speed and screw whatever got in his way. Unfortunately, that was me as I got forced into a thankfully empty lane. Appropriate angry old man fist shakes later, I kept going. He had the nerve to be gesturing at me like I was supposed to do something on his behalf. Well, I did help him out, by not laughing directly at him as the NY trooper following us pulled his ass over.

Score one for me

Milk was a bad choice....

Nah, not another self-pitying post. I come to you, dear reader, in praise of pool side pizza and beverage on a Friday night. The look on the lifegard's face was worth it. After depositing my eldest at a get together, the other two and I headed for the Holiday inn pool on Delaware to attempt to cool off. While still on the 290, I had my industrious 12 year old get on the phone and order up a chicken sausauge pizza from Just Pizza and have it delivered to the pool. If you've never been there, there are a bunch of tables outside the pool. We commandeered one. I unpacked my stuff included coop pop just as the delivery guy appeared at the gate.

Much to both my own amusement and those of other pool folks, I paid the delivery dude and took our dinner to the table where the three of us chowed down. Lifeguard strolls over, with "You really shouldn't have it delivered here. You can bring it, but you can't have it delivered."

I being me would have usually said something like "worked pretty good this time," but this time settled for a promise to not to do it again and an offer of a slice.

A kind word and a slice will indeed get you far. Was so pleased with my self, I cleared as the kids were first ones in the pool. I was a rotten egg but for once it was okay.

All praises to (e:Springfaerie)'s post -- I took that to heart and am ready for another round of cable foolishness on Monday.

"Bring it on, beeches!"

I apologize, estrippers. My past few posts have been of the whining variety about the state of work, when it is just a damn job. It's been a tough week and the places I can count on for sympathetic ears have been seemingly few and far between. I'll bring the shopping list of all the new free on demand channels monday -- that actually is cool.

I appreciate the strip wide indulgence.