Tim and Felicia's house was burglarized today. They got the TV, the surround sound system and the pots and pans. Happily, no one was hurt or harmed in any way. It may not seem so to Tim and Felicia, but we are blessed.
I really have not been in much of a mood to blog. There has been some pretty major changes in my life. Primarily, I am no longer in COEI. In fact, the bean counters of SBC have decided that COEI's value had diminished to a point that we were no longer needed. I loved my former crew. I loved the work. I loved the 4 day work week. I loved the freedom of never having to fill out a vacation schedule, because all vacation requests were granted. I loved driving only 4 miles to work. However, I am now resigned to the fact that I now work a 5 day work week. I drive 30 miles to work each day in some of the most horendous traffic imaginable. I worry about taking days off, hoping I will be granted time needed to attend family affairs. There are pluses at my new job. Oh, by the way, my new job is communications technician at the Network Operations Center (NOC). My group is Pronto, which primarily provides dialtone and DSL service over Pair Gain Systems. The job is challenging. I have been on it for 4 weeks now and still feel like a fledgling. However, I really like my new boss. Also, the people with whom I now work are wonderful.
I was forced to the NOC with 3 other technicians from my former crew. Of those 3, two of them will more than likely be retiring within the next 2 months. Both of them have more service than I. They are not adjusting to the new job or the commute to get there each day. Their commute is worse than mine. I have to admit, I check my lump sum option and annuity option amounts daily. I was hoping to hold off til I am 62 to retire, so I can augment my income with early social security payments. Hopefully, Bush won't f--- that up too terrible much.
On a positive note; I love my family and am very glad that I am part of it. I have a total of 10 photos of Magda proudly displayed at my work station. She brings me so much joy. I am healthy.