Happy New Year!

I've got the next 3 days off for now so not a bad start to the new year. I actually worked overnight last night and all in all, things went pretty smoothly. I took the Amtrak down to the city last night and got to walk from Penn Station over to Grand Central. I had a great time people watching as I saw some very interesting characters. I've lived all over the country and I can honestly say "only in New York". In fact, the walk back to Penn Station at 0630 was possibly even more fun seeing all the "leftovers" from the New Year celebrations. To think that for many years I was one of them! How I survived those days I'll never know.

I'm on the Amtrak again, headed in the right direction now up the Hudson River and things look different. That's when I realized that it is the sunrise I am noticing. I cannot remember the last time I saw a sunrise. Most of you know I am at work at 0645 and that I have a windowless office. Anyhow, the light looks very different coming from the east instead of the west.

Well I do hope everyone survived their parties last night and are recovering well from hangovers. I'll be home in about an hour at which point, I'll be able to raise a glass too. Cheers!

Water thinking

I'm not sure I know what I want to write about... I had a great business idea in the shower last week. I wanted to create a database of local Gluten free restaurants and eateries. I formulated some ideas and went through the infant stages of a business plan. I finished up in the shower and excitedly hit the computer to start doing some research. Naturally, I found a website that was exactly what my idea was. Oh well... Maybe I ought to focus on the eBay thingy I do.

Why is the shower (or hot tub) the best place for me to think? I think it has something to do with me being a Pisces! Now, if I had a way to talk out loud while in the water and have my words transcribed, there would be many more blog posts. I would also be less likely to forget 90% of whatever I think about anyway!

Just a quick post cause I have to get my baked ziti out of the oven and get to bed. Cheers!

Powerless

Well it sure has been awhile since my last post. I ran out of excuses for not posting to the blog tonight since we have no power. The house is quiet (for now) and there frankly is nothing else I really can be doing right now.

Much has gone on since the last post but the dominant theme has been work. I work all the freaking time it seems. In fact, I had 4 days off for the month of November. My days are very long. Up at 3am and on the train at 4:15. I get to the city at 5:50 which allows me enough time to get a quick 1/2-1 mile walk in and grab a breakfast sandwich before I sit down and relieve the overnight controller at about 6:25. I need that little walk cause I generally don't get a chance to stand up again until around 11:00 on the desk I'm on. I finish up at 2:45 and am on the train home at 2:50pm. Usually, I sleep for about 30 minutes but the past couple of days has found me playing with my new toy... The iPad. So far, I'm really I'm liking this thing but that's another story. I get home at 5:00 and usually that's when the real craziness begins. Depending on the day, there is hockey, CCD, orders for the store, dinner to be made, homework, etc. By the time I get the kids in bed, it's about 9:00pm. I then have just enough time to set the coffee pot and get ready for bed. It is a little easier when Jess is not working but even still, the day is too short for me to get everything done. It's hard to even find time for the hot tub :-( p

Lately, I've been getting about 4.5-5 hours of sleep at night. I do this intentionally so I can go to sleep on the train in the morning. That might sound strange knowing how mentally challenging my job is but it seems to be working out so far. I do wonder how long I'll be able to keep this up.

People sometimes like to bash government workers or more specifically, MTA employees for what they perceive are lazy workers who abuse taxpayer money. The private sector lately has been sounding off about overtime and pensions. Let me say this about that... In my department, there are only enough physical bodies to cover the available jobs. This means that when someone is on vacation, sick leave, jury duty, FMLA, personal time off, etc., their job must be covered with overtime. It's as simple as that. So yes, overtime is aplenty and I am so fortunate that there is money to be made but this also comes with a price that those in private sector don't necessarily think about. For example, how many of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with family? Well I worked that day. In fact, Jess also had to work so my kids were sent upstate to their grandparents so they would not have to be at a babysitter. Christmas is right around the corner and I am fairly certain that I will not be home Christmas morning. Nearly every person I know that works in a private sector office will enjoy the holidays with their families. Most of them could not fathom working on the holidays so next time you read about how easy public sector workers have it, keep that in mind. True, we are compensated for working but wouldn't you rather be home? I don't have that choice. Also, in the not so distant past, people were reluctant to take those (then) lower paying jobs in the public sector. You know, civil service work was for the uneducated folks that were willing to trade salary for the security of good benefits. Now that many in private sector have seen pay freezes, reductions, and unfortunately, the loss of work, they feel the need to hate on the public employees. I do not speak for all public sector employees nor anyone else in my craft. My craft has a contract which is expired by the way so I don't know when my next raise will be (just like many others). It's not my fault I work under a labor agreement. While there certainly are abuses in the MTA, those same abuses can be found anywhere. They sure are not found in my office.

Hope my power comes back soon!! I'll try not to be so long between posts... Until next time... Cheers!

Welcome

     So about me and about this blog... I am married to Jessica and we have two adopted children, Ian and Marissa. We are considering fostering or adopting again.  I have a high stress job and a Type A personality to go with it but I think I am even tempered. I love to cook. My son is Gluten Free (GF) so I am constantly trying to find foods he likes. I have little creativity and wish I could write better. I am a fan of the New York Islanders, New York Yankees, and the Miami Dolphins. I like alternative music for the most part but I'll listen to almost everything except Country and Rap. I have a degree in Aeronautics which I'll likely never use which in a way is a shame because it took me 10 years to get it! I do most of the grocery shopping and I am a fairly avid couponer. I love filling a shopping cart and spending around $100 for it.  I am trying to live debt free and trying to teach my children this value. I run a small coin collecting supply business from home. I really enjoy interacting on Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter and I am happy to have reconnected with many from my past. I'm a huge fan of the TnT. My favorite place is my hot tub because it forces me to relax and stops me from being pulled in 10 different directions. I do my best thinking out there. That's where this blog comes in. I think I will enjoy putting thoughts down here and I hope you will enjoy reading them. I also like the idea of getting them down because sooner rather than later, I will start forgetting what I'm thinking. If you look at the "My Interests" section, you will get an idea of the topics you will read about here. Anything and everything is fair game. Cheers!