Four Years and 10 Months

Today, two months shy of my 5-year anniversary with ETIC, I was let go.

I knew something was coming, because they had lost their contract with Exxon. Exxon had done a reverse auction for a lump sum cost to completion of the major remaining sites in northern California. The contract ended up going to another company, and my former management feels this company underbid quite a bit.

So I'm now looking. I will be getting a nice severance package, so I'm not under too much pressure, but I'll be starting my search in earnest next week.

I ask that everyone remain positive, and send only good thoughts my way. I have lots of friends and former co-workers who know or will soon know. I am sure I can find a new position somewhere soon.

Happy Thoughts, Happy Thoughts

So, I'm going back to work today, again.

The pressure in my ears is doing better, but is still present. The spiking headache appears to have gone away. I'll see how today goes.

In other news, Monday I got an email from the sergeant in charge at Martinez PD. He told me he has an appointment to see the DA today to make his case.

Jennifer and I are keeping our thoughts focused on the speedy return of our jewelery. We want the case to be strong, and for them to get a conviction, but we want our stuff back.

I Was Doing So Well

Yesterday I went in to work. I warned visitors off with a Biohazard sign on my door.

Really.

And then I came home and was feeling pretty good; looking forward to feeling better.

Last night it took a while to get to sleep. I felt like I'd had caffeine, and was awake until after 1:30.

This morning I woke up and it feels like there's a spike in my left temple. And when I cough it gets worse.

So I'm at home so that I don't have to deal with bright light.

Down with the Sickness

Last Saturday was our monthly roleplaying game. One of our members came to the game and was just getting over being sick. As of today (as far as I know) I am the third of the remaining five to have gotten sick after the game.

Mr. Wilson's new epithet shall be Plague-Bearer.

So Thursday I had that one-sided sore throat where you ca pinpoint the exact location of your tonsil.

Thursday and Friday I was experiencing big bouts of sneezing. And I mean big bouts for me. Sneezes coming in groups of four or more.

Then Saturday I felt really bad. Nose plugged. Sinus headache that sort of thing. Pretty much the same today, but no relief on the headache. At least yesterday there were points where it didn't feel like I had earplugs jammed deep in my ear canal.

If the sinus pressure is no better tomorrow, then I'm staying home.

On a happy note for me, the Steelers and the Packers won. It's a sad note for Jennifer who was rooting for the Jets and da Bears.

Volume, Volume, Volume

This week's big new appears to be that Starbucks is adding a new size of drink. There is apparently an uproar that the drink size (31 ounces) is larger than the average human stomach.

My first reaction is, "But what is the size of the average American's stomach?"

And then I look over at my old 7-Eleven soda mug. I use it at work for water now. I've got a few and they hold 1.538 liters. That's 52 ounces. And the last time I checked, 52 is greater than 31.

My big mug is about 10 years old.

But let's go a little further back. Think hard now. How long have you been able to buy 32 ounce sodas at any fast food restaurant you might care to name? And most of those have free refills.

Someone at Starbucks is just good at PR and they've got people talking about the new size.

And Now in Local News

Last night when I got out of the gym, I had a phone voicemail from my parents.

Here's what happened.

No LotR, but 30StM

Friday night, Jennifer and I ended up not watching "LotR: The Two Towers". We ended up doing other things, and watching recorded television.

Saturday, I was in Albany for a triumphant return to gaming with the guys. We had a thoroughly fun game with multiple opportunities of showing off for all around.

Sunday, I went to Freeborn Hall at UC Davis with the Sorrells to see 30 Seconds to Mars in concert. It was some of the most fun I've had at a concert in a long time. The crowd which wasn't too bad, and were so into the show. And of course the music was great too.

Return to Middle Earth

Last night while we ate dinner, Jennifer and I watched the most recent episode of "Undercover Boss".

Then we were flipping channels because she told me there were new Encore movie channels available. I saw that "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was on, and we watched the Council of Elrond scene.

So we decided we had to watch the whole thing.

I'm a bit tired today because it was the Special Edition, and we didn't get to bed until after midnight.

Tonight, we'll watch "The Two Towers" and Sunday night (Saturday being GURPS night for me) after football, we'll watch "The Return of the King".

Forget what I mentioned about Transparent Aluminum. Now there's Palladium Glass.

More Reading

I'm continuing my return journey through Terry Pratchett's Discworld, and have reached some of my favorites. Lord and Ladies is a wonderful blend "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and a reversal of "The Taming of the Shrew". Now I'm almost done with Men at Arms with all the fun that an Ankh-Morpork guards' book entails.

While in the middle of Men at Arms, I had a Jim Butcher book come in at the library called Side Jobs. It's a collection of Butcher's short stories so far that involve the adventures of Harry Dresden. One of the fun parts is seeing, in a very rapid sense, the growth of Butcher's writing skills.

At this point, if Jennifer (or anyone else who is a Dresden fan who has not read the book), you need to stop reading.

...

I'll wait.

...

So, the last story, which begins only a couple hours after the end of Changes which ended with Harry being shot and falling into Lake Michigan from his boat, is frustrating. It ends up being more about Murphy coming to terms with Harry most likely being dead.

And there is no resolution to Harry's fate.

At least in April, there will be some sort of resolution. the next book comes out then and is entitled Ghost Story.

Yeah, Whatever...

The rest of the week went pretty well. The driller's helper was a bit frustrated with us for the way the week went. Our primary concerns were water, and keeping the hole open. Thursday we left three holes with temporary casing in place, and then Friday we sampled the water in them. But these were some pretty impacted locations.

There was even little blebs of free product in the water samples we collected.

And I've decided I should never describe the weather patterns for the week to someone in the middle of the job.

Tuesday and Wednesday the weather was amazing. There was no fog on the other side of the Sunol Grade, and we got up to around 60 degrees.

Then I told Jennifer on Thursday not to worry about me being cold, described the weather, and then went on to be a bit chilly with high clouds.

Friday morning, I said we'd be fine, and again described the fog situation. Then on our drive Friday, the fog situation was reversed, and while were only on site for a few hours, it never got anywhere near warm. And we were sampling water, so even though we were wearing nitrile gloves with work gloves underneath, our hands were still cold and hurting.

I'm actually looking forward to being in the office this week.

And then this weekend was been spent enjoying my time with Jennifer, sitting on the couch and watching football. I've done a lot of computer stuff.

Not Gone, Just Working

So it would have seemed like the end of 2010 was the end of the blog, but I avow that I am here.

This week started with a refresher training in Loss Prevention System, and then Tuesday I was out in the field again.

I'm working in Santa Clara, and actually enjoying myself. The weather is cold in the morning, but once the sun is up, it's actually pretty nice.

We were successful today in there being enough water to sample, and we got two holes done. We've got three holes left and two days to do them in, so I'm pretty confident of a steady and relatively relaxed pace.

Then who knows what I'll be doing next Monday. Maybe writing some reports for all the field work that's we've been doing.