What a long strange trip it has been

A while back I received a letter from The Power Load ( the place I have been "employed" for the past 4 or so years). It essentially said thanks and "good luck with my future endeavors". The really cool thing was that it was actually pink. After all of these years I have finally received a pink slip. From "family" to boot! I've learned that I was not the only employee to receive the boot. They did not let everyone go. It seems that if one had been fired or quit before, their job tended to be more secure. That is pretty eschewed.

The day after I received the letter I purchased a local paper and finally decided to "look for a job". The pickings were slim. They still are. I have realized since the later part of 2008, work was significantly slowing down. I also began to realize that I have somehow slipped out of favor with my in laws. I am somewhat confused as to why actually. Although I respect them, I still think both of them can be pretty much ignorant at times. I know that may sound harsh or disrespectful, but it is not intended to be that way. I continued to work for them and I kept hoping that I was wrong or that things would turn around. I knew I should be looking for employment elsewhere yet I convinced myself that I would have sufficient work with the Power Load. My last sojourn was at the beginning of this year in Hobbs, New Mexico. The facts that the end had come were abundantly clear. My brother in law placed me on the "shit detail". It was his petty way of reminding himself he was still the boss for one last time. I am beginning to think his employees are right when they call him a douche! As I left to return home I did not tell my fellow workers to be careful as I had always done in the past. Instead I simply said "good luck".

The job/task that I performed was not so unique that no other could do it. I was expendable. I will say that I was the best at what I did. That is not bragging. I really was the best. With the personnel that remain with the Power Load, I am confident that they can still perform well enough. The decision of my in laws to "trim the sails" was probably not an easy decision but in the end result, not a bad one. I would not be surprised if others will receive a pink letter soon.

So I looked a little closer in the newspaper and I found a job that caught my eye. I have applied for several more as well. I hope and pray I get a job soon. I am going nuts setting on the couch here. Yet I will miss working for The Power Load.

You can not work somewhere for four plus years and not have a certain amount of interaction with the people you work with. You do not need to be friends with them. You do not even have to like them. Over time you do establish a relationship with them. In some instances you develop actual friendships. Of all of my co workers (excluding my gregarious son in law and my wife's highly personable older brother) only two would fit that category. I shall really miss them. I do not think I will miss many of the others.

Over the last several weeks I have received a few phone calls from former work associates. Each tried to determine if I had or had not received a "pink slip". I was pretty coy with each of them. Some volunteered that in fact, they had received such notification. Yesterday someone called me and asked how I was doing. I had "assumed" that he was still employed and much to my surprise he too was terminated. I admit there was no reason that he should still be employed. Hell he is referred as The Company Bitch. I do sympathize with him though. I am not that heartless.

I liked the idea of setting at a bar drinking local beers in Montana; Michigan; California; Oregon; Colorado;New Mexico; Minnesota; Utah; Washington; Maryland;Louisiana; Illinois; North Dakota; New Hampshire; Florida; Kentucky; North and South Carolina; West Virginia; Texas or Maine and talking to one of my friends and family back home. Although I would not want to ever do it again, I did enjoy actually being stranded on I-80 in Rawlings, Wyoming due to a snow storm. I enjoyed a "Pink's Hot Dog" on the beach in Malibu and downing a Smuttynose on the banks of Lake Winnipesaukee. I will miss finally eating fresh caught Walleye in Minnesota and drinking a fresh Red Trolley near San Diego. I shall miss eating Lobster and Chowdah in Portland Maine and having a Dead Guy Ale at the Rouge Ale House in Portland, Oregon. I shall miss having another Oyster Po Boy at Rocky and Carlos' and drinking a 312 while setting at a bar at O'Hara. Who knows if or when I will be able to be in Ontario, Canada and have a cold Sleeman's or Ontario, California having another "Double Double" I know I will miss setting next to Bub at countless Bumble Bee's drinking a Brutus or taking a Pub Crawl with The Blue Whale.

I will not forget New England, Niagara Falls, Mt. Rainier, the Mojave/Mohave Desert or The Big Sky Country. I will miss the Rockies, The Appalachians, The Ozarks, The Sierras and drinking beers from New Glarus Brewery. (available only in Wisconsin) I will miss the 13 below weather in New Hampshire and the plus 100 weather in Georgia. I will miss picking up Basque Marinating Sauce in Bakersfield, Bill Miller's BBQ Sauce in Lafayette and Salmon Seasoning in Federal Way. ( Home of Sanjaya Malakar and Apolo Anton Ohno) I will miss Northern Wisconsin and the UP in the fall. I will miss Flagstaff in the winter. I will miss Denver in the spring and Portland Oregon in the summer.

Who knows if I will ever be able to visit another micro brewery and sample their wonderful offerings. I crossed the Mississippi on every bridge that crosses it. I have been on The George Washinigton, The Mighty Mac, Golden Gate, Tacoma Narrows, Royal Gorge, Tapinzee, Brooklyn, and New River Gorge, bridges. In addition to the Mississippi, I have crossed the Ohio and Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, and Kansas Rivers as well as the Wabash, Pecos, Sabine, Atchafalaya, Pearl, James and Gila, St Lawrence, Hudson, Deschutes, Brazos, Columbia, Willamette. Kern. Chattahoochee, and the "three rivers" Allegheny, Susquehanna and Manogohila. I have crossed the Red, Green, Black, Brown, Blue (Bayou), White and Yellowstone. Also I crossed the Suwanee, Rio Grande Wichita, Ouachita, Calcasieu, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Mermatau, Merced, Tulare, Canadian, Platte, Snake, Duck and Frog Rivers I have cross the Erie Canal as well as the Intra Coastal canal
I have seen St Johns, Biscayne, Baffin, San Francisco, and Chesapeake Bays,;Puget Sound and even Owen Dry Lake. I have seen the Great Salt Lake, Lake Pontchartrain and all of the great lakes. I have seen several national parks (see earlier blogs)

I have crossed the Mason Dixon and, The "36-30 Line" Cumberland Gap, Beartooth, Tehatchipiti, Barlow, Grapevine, Loveland, Lehmi, and Donner Passes; The Continental Divide, and every time zone in the lower 48. I have been to the one hundred largest cities in America except Anchorage Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii. I have been to over 80 places that make beer on their premises and drank beer in everyone of them. I have been to China Towns, Little Italies, German Towns, multiple Indian Nations, The French Quarter and Amish Country.

I have been on Interstates 10, 20, 30 40, 70, 80 and 90. (there is no I-50 or I 60) Also I- 95, 85, 75, 65, 55, 45, 35 (of course) 25, 15 and The 5. I have been from Chicago to St, Louis; Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallop, New Mexico, Flagstaff, Arizona, Winona, Kingman, Barstow and San Bernadino. Yes I have stood on a corner in Winslow Arizona.

As my mother once said "All things must pass".

Now I move onward.

I once wrote a blog and I mentioned many of the people I have worked with. Several of my coworkers did read that blog and told me that they really liked it. I have always tried to be polite and not say too much that would tend taint anyone too much. With a few exceptions, I did not invite too many of my co workers to my home. In fact, I am happy that most of them do not know where I live. Most of the people I worked with gave me an outward impression that they liked me. I am wise enough to see through such facade. A few such as JC, The Lamentor, and The Company Bitch go down on my list as complete incompetents.

My beer drinking friends are the ones I shall miss. I enjoyed the pub crawls. I hope Bub finally gets off the road and settles down and I hope BW finds a man who loves her and and is devoted to only her. I am grateful to my Sister and Brother in Law to allow me the life experience I have detailed. I realize they do not respect me much but that is ok with me. I have been critical and sarcastic of them from times to time here and I do not retract anything I say. My gratitude far outweighs any animosities or feeling of ill will that I may have towards them.

In summation I could say that working with the Power Load has been fun. No....it was miserable.

Well.........

Lets say that it was bittersweet.

I did a great job and......

I did not suck!!!!!

The Third