The Fog of War

[ehowton]

Train don't run outta Wichita. Lessen you're a hog or a cattle. People train run outta...Stubville.

Road trip. Just my wife and I. Right after I re-host this box at work, and clean up my office. I'm working from home this morning. Was up late getting my self-assessment completed for our annual review. Last year, my worthless boss chose not to author anything on me, which gave me the ranking of, Meets, occasionally succeeds. Its far, far easier to neither praise, nor discredit on the appraisals, as middle-of-the-road requires no additional input whatsoever. What I enjoy so much about some of my former managers is their unwillingness to put forth any effort whatsoever. Sure writing up something on all of my guys was time consuming, but I'm not a lazy prick. Then again, I only had six people under me, where my current and past boss both have 75. Do more with less, they tell us. Brilliant, really.

Driving into Dallas yesterday with drax0r my car felt as if it were going to shake itself apart. "Mud in the tires." I thought. I stopped at a car wash and bummed $1.25 off him and sprayed out the tires from that little rally race I'd been involved in from all the rain. Back on the road and it was worse. I thought I'd either missed some mud, or I had a tire which was about to physically detach itself from the car. I jumped out with my tire iron and made my way around the vehicle where I found about 4-pounds of wet mud stuck to the inside of the wheel. Considering balance weights are measured in ounces, this goop caused quite a bit of trouble.



And now, for the news you've all be waiting for...My wife got a job! Her first foray back into the workplace since our first child. The good news is that this company is such a great place to work that only one person in its 50-year history has ever left voluntarily (and he did so for love, sweet love) and she'll be able to, for a time at least, carpool, as this job was a hook-up *bows to the lady in question* in which my wife will be the third person from our perfect North Dallas community to work there. On the downside, she completely and utterly (by her own admittance, "forgot") dismissed those of us around her in the know who have been coaching on her how to handle salary negotiations and took their first offer. Yes, they low-balled her, and now she's at a company she'll likely never leave getting 2% raises for the rest of her natural life. But being a dual-income family again is a very promising prospect. And though she doesn't make enough that I can quit my job, she'll be too busy making her own money that she won't be spending mine...

Requirements for travel:

• Music




• Heavy Metal: The Score


• Tin Man


• Mank




• Books




• Stardust


• Watchmen

So my days of free love, no pants, and eating raw have come to a close. Or at least a temporary cessation. The children will be back, and a new chapter in our life reveals itself. I always think that if I had a bigger monitor, I'd be able to see further past the fog of war. And while that would certainly be telling, it often dispels even the simple surprises life sometimes nonchalantly tosses our way, both the good, and the bad. I embrace it all, because without it, my eyes grow dull.