I love my job.

I absolutely, positively, 100% love what I do for a living. Not too many people can say that. Most people do what they do because they are good at it or because it is all they know or it is because it is what they've done for so long, they just are comfortable.

I started with the company I work for in 2001. I left in 2003.  Came back in 2004. Left again in 2007. Every time I came back, I felt like I had returned to doing something I was always supposed to be doing. I left in 2003 because I was young and stupid. A person on the same career path I was on is now a Vice President with the same company. I left in 2007 because my personal life dictated that I needed to move across the country and I was unable to transfer with the company, not my fault, technically (although, it was funny that 1 week to the day that I moved, I was called with an offer, after I had already accepted a position and had my first day with another company.) We won't count my brief return in 2010, because it wasn't the same, but I came back this year to the company I "grew up" with and the company that professionally made me what I am....and it feels fuckin' great.

I work with the public. I work in an industry that a lot of "regular folk" don't understand and it shows. I have customers that bitch, moan, complain, have unrealistic expectations, have no sympathy, expect the whole world to bow at their feet and guess what....I love every damn minute of it...(even the ones where I'm bitching about said customers.)

I make a ton of money. (depending on your definition...my best year with this company was close to 70k...a lot to me, maybe not to some.)
I wear a suit to work every day. (A perk for me, maybe not for some.)
I sell.
I work with some pretty damn cool people...(most of whom are slackers, just like me, but we all try to hide it well.)
I'm very good at what I do. (Not arrogant, just the truth...or else they wouldn't keep hiring my dumbass back.)
For essentially the first time in my career, I'm not "the boss"...most people usually want to be the boss, been there, done that, making the same money now by not being the boss....plus my "boss" ain't half bad, so why would I want all the extra crap ?

What I do doesn't change the world, by any means, but it could change someones night, week, month or maybe even lifestyle, if the situation is right and I've done my job correctly.

I haven't really studied up on their "social media policies" so I'm not too sure if I can name the company by name without getting in trouble, so considering the time of night, I'm just not going to name them, but most of you who read this do so by way of facebook, so therefore you know where I work.

Outside of a few years in the newspaper business, I've worked retail my entire adult life. I started in retail when I was 16. Was running my own million dollar store at 20. I've been recognized on a local, regional and national level for the work I've done, but nothing, professionally, is when that customer looks at you and gives you a sincere "thank you" because you've helped them do something they couldn't do themselves and outside of our small professional fraternity, no one else in our industry could do for them. Personally, I'm kind of a dick (ask anyone that knows me, they'll tell you) but professionally, my clients love me.

I'm rebuilding everything in Iowa and now that I'm back where I belong professionally, excelling, being part of a team and loving it, everything just seems that much better.

Thanks George.

Why don't I like sports anymore?

I played baseball for a long long time. I was decent at it, depending on who you ask and that was my main sport. I stopped playing all the other sports (competitively) after elementary school, basically. I focused all my attention on baseball. However, I knew what was going on in every major (and some, not so major ) sports at all times.

Baseball, I knew the stat leaders in all the major categories, could probably tell you the starting lineups of all 26-28 (yes, back around the expansion with the Marlins and Rockies...looooong before the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays and the Brewers were still in the American League) teams. I grew up a Braves fan (DALE MURPHY BELONGS IN THE DAMN HALL OF FAME!) and spent a little time following the Pirates and the Cardinals due to their affiliations with the local single A team in Salem.

I could name you all of the Superbowl Champions from 83-94 and the MVPs of each game. I knew the best players on each team and had my favorites and of course the ones I hated.

I hated Nebraska and Miami....and Florida State....they always just beat the crap out of the Hokies...if they could just get over that damn hump...maybe get a quarterback....

Christmas night every year was spent watching NBA basketball (usually the Bulls and Knicks, from what I remember) and yet another championship for His Airness, the greatest player to ever step on the court.

I remember "The Shot" by Christian Laettner. "The Dunk" by Grant Hill. The Fab 5 and the timeout that wasn't.

Andre Agassi losing to Pete Sampras in the finals of the US Open for Sampras' first title was the lowlight of my tennis watching career. Agassi still had long hair and Sampras still looked like an ape. (I forgave him and became a fan later, but I hated Sampras for so long because I just KNEW that Agassi was finally gonna win one....luckily one bald head and a return to Wimbledon got him over the hump.)

Never really got into NASCAR but I still knew who was who and what they were supposed to be good at.

Never watched golf...they were all fat white dudes.

Fast forward fifteen to twenty years later.....

Outside of Chipper Jones, I doubt I could name one starter on the Atlanta Braves.


Outside of Justin Verlander and the Phillies rotation, I've got no clue who the "great" pitchers in baseball are.


I haven't watched a Superbowl since 1994 and I still think Randy Moss is one of the best receivers in the league....until I heard he didn't even play last year.....I hate NFL on Sunday...or any other day of the week...it bores the shit out of me.

Christian Laettner is a coach in the NBDL and the only thing I know about the NBA is that the
"Big 3" is really a "Big 2" (Chris Bosh sucks) and Lebron could win 10 rings in a row and people would still bitch.  Shut up, he's the freakin man.

I've never, ever, seen Rafael Nadal play a match. I hear he's pretty good. I also hear the Williams sisters are washed up. Never liked em anyway. I have no idea who is good and who isn't and if anyone is still playing from when I was watching...I like the game, just can't watch it anymore.

Still don't watch NASCAR.

Most of the white dudes in golf aren't fat anymore....and who is that one guy?.....heard he did some bad stuff...

 Tech got a quarterback....still haven't gotten over the full hump they need to....maybe a new coach?

And that is the only thing I can speak intelligently on, sports wise, anymore. Tech football is the only thing I keep up with.

I try to keep up with MLB, but I just miss the old guys like Glavine, Maddux, Clemens, Bonds...etc, these new guys bore me...but I've never really given them a chance.

So I guess I still "like" sports, per say (except soccer and the NFL) but I just don't keep up with them....wonder why?


Yes, this was one of those random blogs that didn't make any sense and was only written for the sake of writing something.....like the rest of them.