I am staying busy with various activities. Jobs around the house, consulting, helping my wife's aunt with her house, and golf. But I am still somewhat unsatisfied with the challenges of my existing life. I am considering whether to return to the workforce. The extra money would be helpful for some other big projects we want to pursue, but more so I am feeling like I'm just floating along. I need some additional purpose. The consulting could do that, but so far isn't as time consuming as I had thought it would be.
I submitted an application to Oak Ridge National Laboratory this morning for a position as a Senior Program Manager. Let's see if anything develops....
Monday, May 21, 2007
Post vacation recovery
We had a great trip to California. We arrived in Sacramento right on time. Thanks, United! We took the rental car bus to the rental car agency complex, and I stood in line for my turn, and finally got to the counter. I realized shortly afterwards I was at the wrong agency's counter. My wife tried to tell me, but I am apparently a slow learner. Anyway, I got back in line again at Dollar, the agency with whom I actually had made a reservation. By the time I got to the head of the line, they were out of regular full-sized cars, and I ended up with a Lincoln Town Car, so big it had its own zip code. (At the time, I was relatively pleased about this turn of events, but after I had filled the gas tank a few times, I wasn't quite so happy.) We had no trouble stowing our bags in the cavernous trunk, and off we went to Pleasanton, a drive that took only 75 minutes. Traffic was flowing quite well, and I must say, California drivers cruise right along. Our Town Car cruised very comfortably with them.
We arrived at the Sheraton Four Points Resort, got our room, and prepared for the evening's festivities. We found the Wente's Winery in Livermore and proceeded to have a fun evening at the rehearsal dinner. No, we were not part of the wedding party, but apparently the out-of-town guests were invited along with the wedding party to this gala event. We met a couple old friends, made some new acquaintances, and had a wonderful evening.
Saturday morning, we had promised to help our friends (the Bride's parents) serve lunch to the female side of the wedding party. Right around noon, Bob and I went downtown and ordered and delivered sandwiches and drinks to the bride and her entourage, who were ensconced in a suite at the Rose Hotel. The hotel is delightfully understated in elegance. When we went into the suite, Bob & I were greeted by a bevy of beautiful women who were in various stages of getting their hair done and make-up applied. It was strange for me, both fascinating and intimidating. I thought this is what a harem must be like, an environment so female, where a male would not necessarily feel unwelcome so much as completely out of place. Anyway, we made sure there was nothing else the ladies needed, and we retired back to Bob's house to feed the rest of us lunch, including my wife and Bob's sister and mom.
Late Saturday afternoon, my wife and I got dressed in our finery, me in my new tux, her in her new gown. I think we looked great. We boarded the luxury tour buses that had been thoughtfully provided for the wedding guests, and went to church. The ceremony was well-attended, meaningful, and blissfully short. The bridal party remained behind for pictures, and we all got on the buses again. But many of the bus riders were also predictably relatives, and had to be in pictures. But after only a short delay, we went on to the reception. Again, at a winery special event center in Livermore, a beautiful venue decorated in an abundance of flowers, most noticeably orchids. The food & drink were served and enjoyed. A nine-piece band provided appropriate background music during dinner, and shifted smoothly into dance mode as the evening progressed. It was a very nice evening, one we'll remember for a long time. Thanks so much to the parents of the bride and groom.
We spent Sunday with Bob & Sarah, and their family, in an open house kind of brunch atmosphere. It was casual and friendly, and Bob & I had a chance to catch up on each other's lives. Monday morning, we checked out of the hotel and drove to southern California, to visit our son (Transplanted Lawyer) and daughter-in-law. The week sped by, and we enjoyed every moment we had there. We had a chance to visit a couple other friends, and I even made a business call on a company in Victorville, a follow-up to the conference I attended in Atlanta a few weeks ago.
We flew home on Monday the 14th of May, and although our flight from Sacramento to Chicago was on time, the flight to Knoxville was delayed by a couple hours. I guess three out of four legs is as good as it gets these days.
The grass had grown significantly during my absence, and it took most of Tuesday to get the lawn back in shape. Our new little dog, Jasmine, was happy to see us. Thanks very much to my cousin for house-sitting and dog-watching!
The rest of the week was spent catching up on all the details of life, reading mail, paying bills, and all the rest of the things we need to do. It was fun to go, but it feels good to be back home.
We arrived at the Sheraton Four Points Resort, got our room, and prepared for the evening's festivities. We found the Wente's Winery in Livermore and proceeded to have a fun evening at the rehearsal dinner. No, we were not part of the wedding party, but apparently the out-of-town guests were invited along with the wedding party to this gala event. We met a couple old friends, made some new acquaintances, and had a wonderful evening.
Saturday morning, we had promised to help our friends (the Bride's parents) serve lunch to the female side of the wedding party. Right around noon, Bob and I went downtown and ordered and delivered sandwiches and drinks to the bride and her entourage, who were ensconced in a suite at the Rose Hotel. The hotel is delightfully understated in elegance. When we went into the suite, Bob & I were greeted by a bevy of beautiful women who were in various stages of getting their hair done and make-up applied. It was strange for me, both fascinating and intimidating. I thought this is what a harem must be like, an environment so female, where a male would not necessarily feel unwelcome so much as completely out of place. Anyway, we made sure there was nothing else the ladies needed, and we retired back to Bob's house to feed the rest of us lunch, including my wife and Bob's sister and mom.
Late Saturday afternoon, my wife and I got dressed in our finery, me in my new tux, her in her new gown. I think we looked great. We boarded the luxury tour buses that had been thoughtfully provided for the wedding guests, and went to church. The ceremony was well-attended, meaningful, and blissfully short. The bridal party remained behind for pictures, and we all got on the buses again. But many of the bus riders were also predictably relatives, and had to be in pictures. But after only a short delay, we went on to the reception. Again, at a winery special event center in Livermore, a beautiful venue decorated in an abundance of flowers, most noticeably orchids. The food & drink were served and enjoyed. A nine-piece band provided appropriate background music during dinner, and shifted smoothly into dance mode as the evening progressed. It was a very nice evening, one we'll remember for a long time. Thanks so much to the parents of the bride and groom.
We spent Sunday with Bob & Sarah, and their family, in an open house kind of brunch atmosphere. It was casual and friendly, and Bob & I had a chance to catch up on each other's lives. Monday morning, we checked out of the hotel and drove to southern California, to visit our son (Transplanted Lawyer) and daughter-in-law. The week sped by, and we enjoyed every moment we had there. We had a chance to visit a couple other friends, and I even made a business call on a company in Victorville, a follow-up to the conference I attended in Atlanta a few weeks ago.
We flew home on Monday the 14th of May, and although our flight from Sacramento to Chicago was on time, the flight to Knoxville was delayed by a couple hours. I guess three out of four legs is as good as it gets these days.
The grass had grown significantly during my absence, and it took most of Tuesday to get the lawn back in shape. Our new little dog, Jasmine, was happy to see us. Thanks very much to my cousin for house-sitting and dog-watching!
The rest of the week was spent catching up on all the details of life, reading mail, paying bills, and all the rest of the things we need to do. It was fun to go, but it feels good to be back home.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Spring is back
The rhododendrons have been blooming for several days, but this morning our irises finally opened up. It has been warm for a few days, into the 80's. Everything is getting green. Some of the plants seem to be recovering from the late frosty weather, but a couple still haven't made up their minds about it yet. I hope they come back, especially the magnolias at the driveway entrance. We recently put up a new hummingbird feeder, and the birds discovered it within an hour or two. The hummingbirds also like the rhododendron bush as well. So far, I haven't been able to capture the hummingbirds on my camera.
The other day I was drinking my morning cup of coffee, and saw a raccoon on the bird feeder. Now I finally know why the birdseed disappears so fast. It wasn't the squirrels, they can't put away the food like a raccoon. Now I have to figure out how to prevent the raccoon from devouring the birdseed.
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