...and so begins...2008

I know it's been a long time since I last posted any bloggerific brain droppings. Whether it was a matter of my work schedule being too heavy, or just a lack of stuff to blab about, I can't say. No matter, it's 2008 and life is still good. Currently, I'm sitting in the World Airways office, (Thank You Justus for the net access and the use of the facility) waiting on what promises to be a busy last 2 to 3 hours before I get a full day off tomorrow. With an L1011 that has come and gone, I now have a 767 arriving and departing at the same time as my 737 from Guantanamo Bay makes it's way back. Tomorrow...weather permitting....I'm going flying and I can't wait! Who could ask for a better day? Flying in the morning, followed by Football and Beer in the afternoon. If it were 75 degrees and sunny, I would say that I discovered heaven.

The Holidays this year lacked my usual excited Christmas Spirit, probably due to my major lack of sleep and the heavy work schedule. Though the holiday spirit didn't boil out of me like last night's Italian shrimp/linguine dinner, it was still an enjoyable season. The schedule slowed down enough for me to have some time to visit family, eat like a freaking pig and catch up on some sleep. I don't want to sound like a Grinch when I say this, but...I'm glad the holidays are over. A return to normal (or my abnormal world for that matter) somehow brings me comfort. Speaking of comfort, I bought a fold up bed that fits in a small bag. This baby can help me catch a few winks on some of those long nights without having to shell out huge $$$ on a hotel room. That isn't to say that I'll be ditching the comforts of the BWI Hilton for good, but if the timing works out...I can use the fold up bed instead.

Let me just take a second to mention the Da Peppe's restaurant dinner I had last night. The Spicy Shrimp and Linguine with Marinara sauce was wonderful. Great taste, fiery spice...damn good food. Shocking was the fact that I didn't empty my colon until 1600L today. That moment arrived with the usual "uh oh...poopy dance" to the ASIG bathroom, and ended with a painfully thick cable spiraling into the water with the stench of road kill. I really though that beast came out sideways...until I looked down at the voluminous girth. It's a miracle that I can walk...for that...today...I Thank God!

So, it's 2008 and I need to sit down and map out my goals for the year. I did it in 2007 and achieve success. Last year, it was easy for me to figure out what I wanted to do with my time in 2007, this year, I'm a little cloudy. I do hope that I can find some clarity so that I don't waste too much time. The fact is...life is very short, it's an awful shame to waste any of it.

Switching gears and speaking cryptically for a moment - I had to deliver a message to a friend today that bothers me greatly. With excitement, I agreed to do everything I could for him and when finally given the opportunity, I can not fully deliver. Though my reasoning makes perfect sense, and I know he understands it...that still doesn't erase the fact that I am failing to deliver on what I told him I could do. The stress factor on this one has certainly caused some sleep loss and now time will dictate the outcome.

I'm currently in the market for a New(er) Honda Accord. After my failed attempt at replacing the best car I've ever owned, I am looking back at Honda once again. Yesterday, I went down to the local Honda Dealership and sat down with a guy that Sheri used to work with at the Nissan Dealership. I had a great conversation with him...and the General Manager of the place who also stopped by to chat. What a world of a difference between the Nissan place and Honda. The hours the sales folks work are brutal at Nissan...and near perfect at Honda. While it was cool to chit chat with Mike from Nissan, I found it to be really rewarding to sit down the the GM and discuss "how does a dealership work" from a business person to business person stand point. Overall, it was a neat experience for me and I look forward to having them locate my next car for me. I did give the a list of what I want....this time around...I'm very specific and don't want to settle for less. I have a feeling that the Honda experience will turn out much better.

My 767 is about to touch down. To the Rice Mobile Batman!