more changes afoot

Hello again Blogworld,

Well, I said I would post again soon, and sure enough, in less than a month, I'm at it again. It's another Festivus Miracle.

Okay, so let's get right to it. Some more rash and drastic changes in Dirks World. I'll just lay it all on ya. We're selling the house, paying off our debt, and moving - in with the in-laws - for at least a year.

So here's the skinny. Turns out my new job is not in the city originally thought, but a different city, and just 6 minutes down the road from my in-laws. Once they heard this, they put on a full court press to get us to move in. The crazy part is I thought they made sense. Basically, it is just crazy for us to live in a city where neither of us works. Wife is only 15 minutes from her folks. So they said there is no reason to spend around $600 a month on gas, 8 hours a week each in the car, and all that money in interest to banks, just so we can move to that city anyway in about 3 years.

So we pay off the debt, and pile away the money, while still able to actually formulate a budget that allows us to have a life - that was the kicker for me. Starting from scratch, with 2 full-time incomes for the first time in 7 years is just too good to pass up.

Now I know what you are saying - there is no fuckin' way that I am going to last living there. But I do really get along with them, honestly, and they have plenty of room for us. Wife & I get the basement, complete with bedroom, bathroom, bar/kitchenette, fireplace, and a 62" HDTV surrounded by Lazy-boyz (and I make one more) or (You had me at HD). The kids each get there own bedroom upstairs, and they share a bathroom. In-laws bedroom is main floor. There is plenty of room for everyone, and I have trained them well enough at this point that they understand and respect the boundaries.

I gotta admit, I was a little freaked out at first - but in the end, I just want to take care of my family, and since we are there so much anyway helping out sister-in-law, this is the best way for me to do that.

That's the big news, so far. The new job is going pretty well. It's a complete change from my last job, so I really am starting from scratch. But, it seems okay, the people are nice enough, and it looks like it will keep me busy enough for the time to fly by.

I'll post again soon, maybe even in under 2 weeks... maybe.

You stay classy Blogworld.

Until next time,

Dirk

good times.

Hey Blogworld,

So Thursday was my last day in that job, and for that company. It was a little surreal. I had a lot of people say some very nice things to me. I even had a few managers ask to keep in touch, just in case I wanted to come back. I did have an emotional attachment to this job, I created it, developed it, wrote 2 TV commercials, and did a lot, pretty much on my own, so it was a little tough to say good-bye even though I knew for certain that I made the right choice. I also ended up getting an apology from Human Resources, and one from my manager. They fucked up, no question about. The company and HR, like all larger companies, have formula's and criteria and all that sort of shit to help them figure out how much to pay their employees, and when the "industry average" goes up, to make sure we are competitive. Well, thanks to my leaving and my speaking my mind, they are realizing that they not really helping anyone, like they can't see the forest for the trees.

Basically, it came out that my particular job has gone up over the last year, and our HR saw that, but wanted to wait a year, in case the increase was a "blip". So I pointed out that for a specialist job like mine, it was hard to believe a job would go up in pay and then down the next year. And that by waiting a year, it just sounded like they are deciding to pay lower than the average for a year to save money - not really attracting or retaining the right people. Managers are kept out of the loop, so mine did not know that it had gone up and that the HR wanted to wait. So by trying to save a little money, they have lost a well trained employee, will have to raise the salary to attract anyone new, and it will take a long time to get them up to speed. It's gonna cost them more in the long-run, and even the short run. It felt good to hear that they knew the fucked up. But the decision is made, and I am gone.

I went out for a beer with a few people, and there was a couple of people that ended up staying out with me even after the others had left. I had worked with John (*fake name) a little in the last year or so. He's close to my age, and turns out we had traveled to the same places at the same time. I knew him well enough to chat for a few minutes, and that was it. His wife Jane (*fake name) joined us, we talked, drank, good times. At the end, he ended up paying for my beers, we went to their place and called some other friends over, and he had a huge bag of weed. I never would have picked him for a regular toker, but sure enough. I ended up having a lot of fun, on a somewhat emotional day for me, with people I really did not know that well at all. I was hung-over as hell though, and threw up for a few hours in the morning. Good times.

John was kind enough to even slide me a little weed, so I've got about 3 decent joints for the weekend, and I don't start my new job until Tuesday. Giddy-up.

That's most of the news from Dirk's world, but there will be more to come very soon. It looks like we are about to make a huge, rash, and drastic decision, so I will be writing very shortly to give you the update. I've already written enough for today, and this decision will take some writing to explain, so I'll save it for next week some time.

You stay classy, blogworld.

Until next time,
Dirk

A little update, a little clarification

Hey Blogworld,

Yes, it’s true, I am indeed back with another post. Life is busy in Dirk’s world. Trying to clean things up to finish up this week. It’s been very interesting around here since it was announced I was leaving the company. A lot of people have called or stopped by, most of them very surprised, and a lot of other disappointed. That’s nice to hear. A family I have been dealing with for the last several months got a hold of my boss yesterday, and said that they will only deal with me to conclude this little project, which is not quite done. So now the company would like to hire me free-lance in my spare time to finish this project. No problem, but my rate goes up big-time at the end of this week.

This afternoon my boss called me in, and it seems HR has done some digging, and it appears I was supposed to have my job re-graded last year – but it was never done, and no one knows why. As I explained to boss, money was the key – they are not paying me nearly enough, and someone else will. Apparently a couple of people who were interested in my job, are no longer interested – because of the pay. So she apologized a little (a little too late). I told her if I was paid properly, I would not be leaving, and its too late now. She seemed pissed, but I think mostly because now it’s turning into an issue, and she is going to have to take some of the responsibility. Oh well.

I met up with Friend (see He Said, She Said) last week, and had a great visit with her and her little one. One question she had for me made me think, so I better clarify something here. She asked if I used to smoke pot after dropping her home from a night out. (I tended to stay out a little late back in the day). Probably because I have mentioned a few times here that I do enjoy the weed. And no, I did not smoke pot after I dropped her off. I didn’t really start until my second year of university.

But let me set things straight – I am not a total stoner. I was, for a while, but that was a long time ago. I don’t think weed is for everyone, or that it should be a daily thing. I spent a couple of years stoned, and had a great time. But those days are long gone, and while I do enjoy the odd spliff, that’s all they are – odd. I get a couple of joints 4 or 5 times a year, and that’s it. We have a “boys night” about 3 times a year, and get pretty high, but I’m also a lightweight now. It doesn’t take me much anymore.

So, every once in a while for a treat, I get some cookies, put in a movie, spark one up, and chill out quietly by myself. That’s really all there is to it. I find it very relaxing, fun, and a great way for me to just veg out for a little while with my own headspace. Just thought I would clarify a little.

So that’s the quick (but long) update of Dirks world. We actually have the weekend to ourselves for a change, so we’ll probably just take it easy and start to prepare for the big changes that start on Monday when I start the new job. I’ll post again soon, probably, as I seem to be getting into a new groove these days.

You stay classy, Blogworld.

Until next time,
Dirk