It's all good so far

It is President’s Day so it is time to replace the dishwasher. That was the message I received from my wife upon walking into the kitchen this morning. Some of the spray parts are broken and we are at that point where the repair is half the cost of replacement on a 18 year old unit. So it is off to Sears later this morning. Fortunately we have savings set aside and can handle this.

One of those timing things. This morning I received my copy of Caesura Letters – a daily blog that I subscribe to. The topic was on moods. I found it fitting especially with my own Lenten reflections on dealing with the third party support.

The blog contained a quote from a Buddhist text written in the 7th century as part of the instructions for enlightenment.

“If it can be remedied, Why get into a foul mood over something?
And if it can’t be remedies, What help is it to get into a foul mood over it?”

I have a finite amount of time left in my life, why should I spent any of it in a foul mood. Yes there will be dragons to fight, but those fights need to be fair assertions of my rights, and I can structure them to where the third party tries to help find the solutions instead of giving stock answers. And if they can’t do anything – it is probably better to write a review than to leave a message that won’t get past the first gatekeeper.

It will be another challenge on my journey. It will keep things interesting.

Sunday morning underway. Breakfast done, the paper read, the dogs walked, and now I have the chance to complete the second cup of coffee and gather my thoughts.

I have to get a piece of software shipped to Dad this morning. Hopefully we will have better luck than we did with the other items that went to his house by UPS and bounced. I will then have to get the uniform on and drive up to camp for a meeting. It will be perfect weather for the drive and I should be well away from the All Star traffic.

We are closer to closing on the re-financing on the house (a project started in November) and I have two oil company positions to apply for. The insurance dragon is mostly done in. We are waiting for confirmation of the new coverage and then we will file claims.

We are also waiting for the 401k roll over to finish. The self-directed IRA has been established and the former company stock sold – (taking a typical tumble just prior to trade). The new strategy will be split across some solid companies (Disney, Whole Foods, Exxon Mobil, Apple). I can’t wait to hear the chorus of recommended alternatives and strategies that I should take.

So it should be a pretty good week ahead. We have some furniture still to move. Jesse needs to dismantle his unused computer desk so we can move the writing desk into the room. Sandra will be doing some more picture and treasure wrapping this week. All in all it looks like things are happening the way they need to.

My Saturday morning is underway. The morning rituals are mostly complete. Paper read, email checked, RSS read, and the dogs walked. Now it’s time to enjoy the second cup of coffee and get the entry done.

This morning’s email has a job listing that appears to b a combination of what I have done and where I woulda like it go with my career. I will be crafting a response and seeing about a reference. My contact does not know my professional skill set but has recently held the same lead volunteer position that I have held and knows what it takes to do that job.

There are still some odds and ends of stuff I need to do before the work comes to be full time. In addition to helping with the move, I still need to complete the data entry project and get some of our own home organization done. It is coming together.

The daughter is home and she and the wife are starting the great clean out. I will be drafted to assist tomorrow, but today is mine to continue with the job search and the data entry.

Did an inventory yesterday at the scout office and it is obvious that we need to draw down inventory or get more folks through the program. I am not sure why we are not seeing better participation. We will continue to focus on the quality of the experience and see if the numbers come back.