The Turbulent Aughts

I find the fact the first decade of the new century is almost over to be mind-boggling. From the world's point of view we've had the Y2K scare, Bush v Gore, September 11th, invaded two countries, gave mortgages to anyone with a driver's license, lost a space shuttle and the Concorde, a big tidal wave, are still in the two countries we invaded, had everyone spend too much and lose the houses they bought with mortgages secured by a driver's license, had the economy melt down because everyone spends more than they earn, elected a black man to the presidency, had GM and Chrysler go bankrupt and be propped up by the government, made it through the worst of the Great Recession, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of important stuff still!

On a more personal level my Aughts were just as turbulent in many ways. Sure I had some of my 20s in this decade and some of my 30s will be in the next one, but overall the Aughts were my 30s and so much happened. I lost my job and was rehired 3 months later for worse hours and worse pay. I decided to change careers and go into law school. During law school I discovered the definition of hell as a school was set up in the completely opposite way I learn and 3 years of that is very draining. I did study and pass that other hell rite of passage: the bar exam. You would think all that was the hard part. I know I did. Oh how wrong I was.


I had a two year struggle of part time jobs, temp jobs, and just doing anything to pay the bills until I found a job that made use of that degree. I truly learned what it meant to struggle, be worried about how I was going to pay bills, and where was the next dollar coming from. Then I found a job, but I could foreshadow it would be problematic. The long commute, the odd subject matter, the burned out boss, the tidal wave of constant work, the debris of humanity I would be dealing with, the fact I do the work of two or three people, and knowing I would never get additional help. I knew it was a first job, not a forever job. The job in Small Town was simply a placeholder on my resume and nothing more.

To me the Aughts are the decade of transitions, survival, and rebuilding. A decade of nothing going according to plan and fighting for any minor success I could get. To me it feels like the Lost Decade. I lost 10 years of my life and I can't say I'm in a better position now in 2009 than I was in 1999. Yet I feel a very guarded sense of optimism now. I've rebuilt the foundation of my life and now all the cinder blocks are in place to actually build something. I'm in the process of buying my home. I've only lived here forever so why not actually own it. Thanks to EHarmChemMatch.com I'm at least dating again. Despite some horror stories I could describe as dating in the 21st century perhaps that can evolve into a good relationship one day. Once I've bought my home I'll begin the process of looking for a new job. I'm not certain how many jobs are out there right now. I've heard too many stories of not filling open positions and actual shedding of jobs. Still the economy churns jobs and something has to be out there I would fit into. I doubt the perfect job is out there, but I'm sure something better is out there. Then I might start believing the law school/lawyer experiment was worth it.

I can see change is coming. I'm hoping the changes will be positive. Some of my friends can tell life has hit me very hard, yet I still keep getting back up. It's been an ugly fight but at least I still continue fighting. For 2010 and beyond I want to be the one swinging and see my punches bring positive things to my life. I want to the fruits of my labor blossom and I think I'm finally in a position to start doing that. Guarded optimism indeed. Happy New Year to all and may we get the good things we want. I know I've worked for it.

The Esoteric Objects

I have an extensive collection of esoteric objects that reflect my love of various movies, television shows, and numerous hobbies. When people find one of the objects in my esoteric collection they tend to have one of three reactions: 1) Oh you like such and such. 2) What the hell is that? 3) OH MY GOD YOU HAVE A...! It is fun to watch their reactions. What is the most fun is when someone else is in the know. They see the object, recognize what it is or what it means, and they appreciate its coolness. Some things are just a subtle wink and a nod and I appreciate that.

Though I refuse to pay 2 day shipping which would ensure arrival before Christmas I stumbled upon something that is very very cool. At least to me it is extremely cool and it will add to my esoteric collection. I can't wait for the first person to notice it on my wall and just grin in amazement.

Merry Christmas folks. I hope your holiday shopping is already finished.

Christmas Shopping In The Snow. No problem!

I'm not 100% recovered from the flu yet. I tire easily and I still have a cough that comes up every few minutes with the occasional slime my lungs are trying to expel. Ugh. At least my appetite seems to be recovering a bit. I've been able to eat cereal, leftover pizza, and a turkey etoufee. I just can't eat anything quickly. That might not be a bad thing actually as it could help me lose some weight.

Since being incapacitated with the flu for a week really put a crimp in a lot of my plans I used this weekend to get some of them in gear. Job #1: Christmas shopping. The original plan was to use Amazon.com so I could avoid the holiday shopping crowds. I looked at my parents' lists and realized I could get something for both of them at the same big box electronics store.

The good news about this big box was it wasn't in or near a huge mall. In fact it's a bit of a pain to get into and why this particular building has been 4 different stores since it was built. I took a back way to the store and didn't hit any traffic. Looking around I was surprised the overall traffic wasn't too bad. It only took me around 30 minutes to grab four items for Mom and Dad Hart. Another 10 or 15 minutes to get through the line to pay for them and I was out the door.

5 days before Christmas and I think I'm already finished. This could be a record for me.

Survival Of The Fittest Part II

Except for a few hours on Monday morning to cover some hearings I've been near death at home the entire week. I'm working on the assumption it is the regular flu. Fever, aches, nasty cough, no energy, no appetite. Compared to people suffering with diarrhea or vomiting or both I have the better symptoms I suppose. Small consolation as from Sunday to Wednesday I still felt like I was near death. Constant coughing, no energy at all, the inability to sleep since I'm coughing all the time, and the constant desire to drink water, apple juice, orange juice, and whatever flavor of Crystal Light is handy at the moment. I bought a 3 liter container of apple juice Monday afternoon and finished it this morning.

For the past few days I've been napping and sleeping whenever I want. Monday and Tuesday I could only be awake for about 3 hours at a time. Sleep in my bed, sleep on the futon, sleep in the recliner chair, it didn't matter. Sometimes I moved only for the reason of sleeping someplace different. I'm not sure how much I actually slept given all the coughing I was doing.

Wednesday was both a highlight and a low light. The fever finally broke and I could actually eat one sandwich for a meal. The bad part was when I stepped out of the shower and suddenly felt vertigo. You know in the movies when the helicopter is hit and the alarms start going off while the camera is suddenly shaky to enhance the feeling of danger? I swear I heard, BREEEP!!! BREEEP!!! BREEP!!! in the back of my mind as I reached for the toilet but couldn't find it. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I figured sitting down as a better position than standing up. And...nothing...happened. I put my head on the sink, drank some water, and after a few minutes the vertigo disappeared. Much ado over nothing, but for a scant few seconds I was honestly scared. I knew if I passed out I would likely hit my head on something making things even worse. I didn't want to die like Elvis on the toilet.

Today I feel vaguely normal, call it 60%. I can talk on the phone for a few minutes, something Mom Hart doesn't quite understand. Hi Mom I'm calling to let you know I'm still alive, not wanting to go to the Emergency Room, but I'm not wanting to get into a long story of the day. I'm not certain why she doesn't understand that.

Small Town gave me a call back today as well. They've had a few of their own funny issues without me. They're glad I'm not dead and if I can make it in tomorrow for some work and the holiday lunch that would be good. Umm..upon gazing at the calendar there appears to be quite a number of hearings tomorrow. I'm rather surprised. The real question is how many of them are false positives? I suspect a lot of them have been continued, but I won't know until I arrive.

I'm hoping by Monday I can be at 100%. I'm tired of feeling tired.

Survival Of The Fittest.

Yesterday it was obvious I was coming down with some winter crude. A cough, some phlegm, and a general feeling of tiredness. I even woke up last night twice just to drink some water as I felt incredibly dehydrated.

Today's mission is simple: 1) drink plenty of fluids, 2) stay warm and dry, 3) don't do too much and exert myself, and 4) a good nap after the football game.

The Boss is taking a vacation day tomorrow so I'm the only one that can do the few hearings we have tomorrow. Luckily the courts are shutting down for the holiday season so we don't have many hearings through the end of the year. I'm just hoping I can kill whatever bug is in my system and be okay for tomorrow. I've been sick at work before and it is always miserable. If worse comes to worse I suppose I could just leave after the last hearing. I hope we don't have anything in the late afternoon if that is the case.

I think this job is trying to kill me.

Officially Winter

The weekend had some obsolutely freezing weather. What was a minor chance of snow ended up being an inch. I just happened to glance out my bedroom window and noticed all the white stuff. Surprise!

Instead of staying at home with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoying the view I had to go into work. Ugh. Last week was so obnoxious I'm still recovering from it. A drive in the first snowfall was not what I needed. For whatever reason people forget how to drive in snow the first time it comes back. SLOW DOWN YOU MORONS! Seriously, just slow down, don't tailgate, anticipate your movements and you're usually okay.

I never got above 55 m.p.h. on the interstate and 45 m.p.h. on the highway. I squeezed past two wrecks and numerous slideoffs. I followed my own advice and got into Small Town without any big problems. It took an extra 20 minutes so I'm glad I left 15 minutes early. So much for getting an early start to the day.

One day I hope to enjoy a snow day. I remember when snow was fun and not the enemy. I still want that cup of hot chocolate.