Thursday, July 25, 2013

Dead as a Doornail

Woke up this morning and one of the two garage door openers is dead as a doornail.  (interesting saying, "dead as a door nail").  I love when an unexpected expense rears it's ugly head.  It normally pops up just after you've spent lots and lots of money on something else.  In this case, we just finished painting and carpeting two rooms.  So when cash is tight you can always count on the "unexpected expense" to tag you and say, "You're It!".  Not only do you need to deal with the expense, but there is also the inconvenience of calling a repair guy, making an appointment, and getting them out to the house.  Then you can always get the dagger when they tell you the parts are "out of stock" and need to be ordered.  Well, there is not much you can do about things like these.  It is best to not get too worked up over these small annoyances.  You really need to take them in stride and move on.  They keep coming and all you can do is hope that none are too serious.

As far as "dead as a doornail" goes, this is what I found:

William and Mary Morris, in The Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, quote a correspondent who points out that it could come from a standard term in carpentry. If you hammer a nail through a piece of timber and then flatten the end over on the inside so it can’t be removed again (a technique called clinching), the nail is said to be dead, because you can’t use it again. Doornails would very probably have been subjected to this treatment to give extra strength in the years before screws were available. So they were dead because they’d been clinched. It sounds plausible, but whether it’s right or not we will probably never know.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Birthday present from my daughter.  Now I'm really ready for opening day of the NFL season.




Friday, July 19, 2013

Thank God It's Friday

TGIF

I have had one heck of a week. Both at work and at home. I am so glad that Friday has arrived. Looking forward to getting together with some of my watch buddies on Saturday to hang out and show off my new Glycine Airman 08 Chrono. And, as an added bonus, my son will be visiting from Knoxville starting on Sunday. So, things are looking up. But getting this week behind me is my #1 priority. Just one of those weeks when I was never able to catch up. The heat has not helped either. Pushing 100+ here today with very high humidity. Seven days of this has been enough. When is vacation again? Soon, but not soon enough......

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

SiriusXM Radio

Hey now.....

For several years now I have had SiriusXM satellite radio in my car.  I listen to it exclusively.  I am a Howard Stern listener during my commute time Monday through Friday.  My drive in to work takes me about 40 minutes one way.  If I catch it just right, I can listen to 40 minutes on the way in and a different 40 minutes on the way home.  On the occasion, and much more frequently recently, that Howard and the gang are on vacation or hiatus or just working their 3 day work week, I like to listen to classic rock channels, coffee house, or a little Top 40. I'll even catch a baseball or football broadcast if we are out for a drive.

Today my car was in for routine service.  I really love the Infiniti service center that I use.  They do excellent work and provide a loaner car for the day.  The only problem is that the loaner cars do not have satellite radio in them.  As a result I was forced to listen to terrestrial radio for the the first time in a long time. Ouch, was it painful.  The silly banter mixed in with the never ending commercials, and the repetitive weather and traffic were almost too much to bear.  I don't know what I am going to do once Howard Stern retires for good.  I may need to plan my retirement around his.  The thought of the drive to work without some laughs and the much needed distraction is scary to say the least.






Saturday, July 13, 2013

1973 Yearbook Picture

Found this while cleaning out the closet while preparing to paint......this was a long, long, long, time ago.


Friday, July 12, 2013

Watch Obsession

It is true that I am obsessed with wrist watches of all types.  I have been for as long as I can remember.  When I was very young my father came home with a Bulova Accutron Spaceview on his wrist. I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen.  Right then and there I was hooked.  




For the next 30 years my obsession was held in check by my lack of funds.  Now as I have some cash it has flourished into a full fledged hobby.  I am a watch enthusiast as opposed to a collector.  An enthusiast buys watches for their enjoyment, to wear and use as part of their everyday wardrobe.  I try to keep my collection small, buying and selling watches to fund the hobby.  I am amazed at how many brands and models there are.  The supply of new and interesting timepieces seems to be endless.  I truly believe that this is a hobby that could last a lifetime.  It is relatively harmless, if you can control the buying impulse.  There are plenty of groups for enthusiasts to join so that they can share the obsession with other enthusiasts.  As for watches being a relic of the past and quickly being pushed out by the smartphone, well, I don't buy it.  I think the wristwatch is here to stay.  They are miniature machines with beauty and artistry.  Here is a picture of my newest acquisition.  It is a work of art.  Take a moment to absorb some of its beauty.  


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Resume Attached

How come there are so many people unemployed and I can't find a decent candidate to interview, never mind hire? Somebody needs to teach people how to write a resume and a cover letter. 

I'm serious.  I get all kinds of crap from potential candidates.  Don't they realize that this is the one shot they get at making a first impression.  The resume and cover letter are what, hopefully, leads to an interview.  Why would you send a sloppily written cover letter and an equally poor quality resume to a potential employer?  How long does it take to write a brief, well constructed, intelligent cover letter? Don't send me a form letter, a hand scribbled letter, or worse yet, a FAX cover letter with the words "resume attached".  That is the fastest way to find your paperwork heading to the shredder. 

I have two job openings for candidates with a bachelors degree in the biological sciences.  You would think that having a four year college education would enable these candidates to construct a grade A cover letter and resume to submit.  I am very disappointed in the quality of applications I see.  I think colleges and universities have done a great disservice to their students if they have not, at least, taught them this job hunting skill before they set them loose on the world.  

Good luck to all candidates hunting for a job.  If you don't know how to send in a proper cover letter and a resume, please ask around and maybe somebody can help you.  It will be worth your time and effort.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Painting Project

My wife and I started a major painting project over this long holiday weekend.  Honestly, painting is not my favorite thing to do.  I think my biggest issue with the chore is that it takes so much time out of your weekend.    I know some people enjoy painting.  I'm just not one of them.  

The real reason we took this on is that the existing carpet was shot.  These were last two rooms in the house with original carpet.  We cleared the MB and my office. As of this report we have two coats of paint on the MB walls and the office is prepped and ready to be painted today. Once painting is done it will be a few weeks before the carpet will arrive and we can reassemble the rooms.  Everything is packed into the spare bedrooms at this point.  Disassembling the room was harder than I thought.  The computer in my office along with the two printers and all the network connections took some time to pack up properly.  Also, this was the first time in 17 years that we really did anything in the office.  Plenty of stuff that needed to go in the trash.  The MB has been painted before.  The issue there was the furniture and moving it out.  A bigger chore than I anticipated.  At least today I can see the end of the project.  The office will paint quickly as we are painting the ceiling and the walls the same color so we do not need to be as careful as we were in the MB.  

I certainly will save a bunch of $$$ with the DYI project.  Back to work.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I know how I'll be spending mine.  

Monday, July 1, 2013

New Commandment

Save Our Post Office

I've had my frustrations with USPS over the years as I ship a lot of watches all over the world.  However, I think the USPS is an important part of American culture.  I believe that the USPS can be run in a manner that serves the people and is financially sound.  Please help save the USPS.

Save Our Post Office