Passing The Time Away...

It's December 17th, 2009. The time is now 10:35pm and I once again find myself sitting in an airport...passing the time away. And what better time than now to blog about stuff, especially since I have another hour to go before my flight leaves. I guess this may be one of those blogs where I look at things that have been going on over the past bit of time. I mean, it's been a while since my last post. Not that anyone is really reading this, but still, I like to think that I have a following. It makes it worthwhile...even if it's just one.

So here's the skinny of my most recent endeavors over the past few months:

1. Back in late August through early September, I made a trip to Denver for two weeks. My company decided they wanted to invest in me and introduce me to a new ERP system. So I flew to Colorado and went through two weeks of crash course training. It wasn't all work though. I met some interesting people (none of whom I have spoken to since the training) and got a chance to get out and enjoy the sights and sounds of The Mile High City. To add to it, my anniversary was at the end of the month, so I flew my wife up and we celebrated up there. It was a good way to celebrate. Two years straight we've been somewhere other than home during our anniversary. Sounds like the start of a good tradition if you ask me. Definitely one that I'd like to keep going if I have it my way. (Some girl just walked past with her lips all poked out, looking like she's hung over, and squeezing her belly fat. Now she's just shaking it like a drunken Santa Claus. Hey, I said I was in an airport.) Needless to say, the Denver trip was good and it set me up for the next thing that took place.

2. So after I finished my two weeks in Denver, I was "stationed" in Boca Raton, FL. This place could probably best be described as the retirement community for the rich. All you see there are high-end cars, well dressed individuals in them, and dogs no bigger than chipmunks wearing t-shirts and scarfs that probably cost more than my winter coat. Yes, it's that type of place. Luckily, the beach was close by (which I never saw), and the only saving grace was Florida-Internal University which was down the street. They helped supply the youth of the place, so it didn't turn out to be all that bad. Overall, the project wasn't all that bad, and the location wasn't that bad either. I didn't get out that much as I normally would, but I made the best of it anyway. I was there for about a month and then I ended up leaving and heading off elsewhere.

3. I forgot to add that I started a little side gig somewhere between Denver and Boca. I now have gus4 Photography! I got started in photography a while ago; you can check the blog out here. But I decided to move it to a business a few months ago. I've had a few good clients, and I've learned a lot with them. They've helped me progress and develop my "eye".

4. I took a week off and went to Thailand. It was a much needed vacation (this came after my time in Boca). I actually saw a few new places that I hadn't seen from my first trip there. We landed in Bangkok and also traveled to Hua Hin. Big beach, open water and all the smiling a person can stand. Though I only saw the beach once, it was still worth the trip. I also visited a lot of the night markets and bazaars while I was there. This place is awesome when it comes to shopping! You can negotiate just about anything! Just try not to be TOO greedy. Sometimes you can lose yourself thinking that a number is too high, and you forget to convert it to your personal currency and you end up walking away from a really good deal that you would otherwise not come close to having back at home. Uaintnevalied racks up when she's there, and did so again this trip. Her mom made out like a bandit! After a week, it was time to return back home for me, while the rest stayed behind for a few more days.

5. So after I return back, I get changed to another project. San Francisco. Fun place, lots to do and see, and some of the best skyline pictures you can imagine. Let's not forget the Golden Gate. Aside from the red-eye flights, it's a pretty good gig. I have an awesome team I'm working with, and everyone gets along pretty well.

And that brings us back to here. My flight tonight has me taking a 3-hour layover in Las Vegas. I've already had dinner, won about $60 in a slot machine in the airport (don't ask me how I did it), and I'm now awaiting the plane while watching people walk by and realizing that booze, gambling and prostitutes do not go well for some people while they are here (and this poor girl is still walking around shaking her belly fat...what's up with that?!?). Needless to say, I'm having a good time while I'm sitting here. The array of individuals passing before me are providing an endless amount of hidden giggles and chuckles that I may no longer be able to contain. What more can I say...it's Vegas!

Patriotism At Its Finest

When I was a kid, July 4th meant several things. Perhaps a new outfit, going to see family or have family coming over, lots of BBQ that I probably wasn't going to see again until Memorial or Labor Day (depending on which one came after...I don't know and don't feel like looking it up to make this accurate) and shooting fireworks. Not those crappy kind that you get in some states due to law restrictions, but those good ones back in Alabama. The ones that could launch forever and a day skyward and then suddenly explode and leave paper residue all over the neighborhood and nobody cared because all of their kids were doing the same thing. And besides, the parents knew they were going to have their kids out their cleaning up the yard the next day anyway. You never really thought about the flag, or the country you lived in, it was all just a party of the July 4th experience. You were young, eating as much sticky / gooey / saucy meat you could get your hands on, and trying to blow up your siblings with as many skyrockets as you could tie together.

As you grow older, things start to change a bit. You may get a new outfit, but it's more for showing out and keeping up with the Jones's (for some). You're still eating for the same reasons, but now you're trying to get to as many BBQ's as possible because you want to sample and be seen (again...for some. Most of us are just trying to get as much free food as possible without having to cook ourselves). If you're shooting fireworks, it's because the last place you ended up in at night had kids over and they drug you outside with sparklers. Else you watched it from the comfort of your TV or attended some major fireworks production in your current location.

On July 4th, 2009, I experienced something a little different. I got a chance to witness the very thing that got our nation going, an event that tends to bring tears to the eyes of those that witness and definitely those that partake. I drove my brother-in-law and his wife to her naturalization ceremony. For those of you who don't know, this is were a foreigner swears their allegiance to the United States and (after a long and drawn-out paperwork process) becomes a U.S. citizen. She was one of 100+ people that had come to this country and realized how great it is to be an American, and all the advantages that are here and available to all of us. The ceremony was short (compared to the overall time it took to do everything), but meaningful to all who attended. There was a welcome from President Obama, videos of things that make America Beautiful, and videos on the history of what makes this nation the place that it is. They played "America the Beautiful" to a video they were showing, and the emotion in the room was something to behold. Granted, those that were just sworn in had a few tears, but many of their family and friends, those who were already citizens, were in tears, standing up with their hands over their hearts and even saluting. Even more surprising were the emotions by those who had held and/or sponsored the event on some many previous occassions. Many of them were overcome with emotion and doing their best to hide it. It made me feel good to know that even though we're not in the best of times, people still feel strongly in their nation, in what it stands for, and that America is definitely a place to come and try to make something of yourself.

This was all the more confirmed when, at the end of the ceremony, my brother-in-law's wife came out with the biggest smile on her face and her naturalization certificate. She proudly waved the little American flag they gave her and both she and her husband proudly stood under another flag and took pictures...grinning harder than I've ever seen them grin before.

I can't help but wonder what our nation would be like if more people considered stuff like this and viewed their country in this same manner. Perhaps we wouldn't be where we are today afterall. In either case, God Bless America!