Saturday, June 30, 2007

What's the freakin hold up?



(what keeps us busy)

somewhere upstairs, amongst the kayaking and backpacking gear, beind on or two solid white doors is a freakin mess. A mess of tools, insulation, screws, fans, drop cords....all things that we used while we remodeled the upstairs. But there is one room. The master bath that holds it all. For 3 months now the upstairs has been ignored. It's time to get on it.

Next week I will finish hanging the hardy board so that Mark can come and pour the shower floor. From there it is all tile. Boxes of tile await me. Floor tile, showertile, backsplash tile...oh joy! I am not really looking forward to it, but damn, it's time to get it done.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Antioch College to Close in 2008!?

Be Ashamed to die until you have won some good for humanity! Horace Mann, founder of my great college in the middle of Ohio.

It was announced yesterday that Antioch College will close the doors in July of 2008. SHIT! I knew it was a downward spiral when they closed up Maples, but this is just too much. Antioch is everything that I am, it made me who I am, it is in my blood.

More Info on it
http://technorati.com/posts/tag/antioch+college?page=2


I am going to be calling for a large kick ass festival next year for all alumni and family. We have to send this place out in style.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Dream Job over New Dream being lived-


5 years ago, as a underpaid teacher, I worked as a raft guide in my hometown of WV. It was my 6 season, and I was really just working to make ends meet through the summer. Sandy was in grad school and we were trying to figure out what we were going to do. I met someone in my raft who forever changed my life. A recruiter for the number 1 powertool company in the world. We hit it off, I interviewed, got the job....Moved to Seattle.

Life started to turn. They paid to move us out west, we were excited to be going somewhere new, ready to start a new life. It just couldn't be any better. A dream job of doing field work and marketing for a powertool company. Driving a big truck, free gas, working with young people, no office...yeah it was good. Seattle was good. Awesome food, awesome scenery, rivers, beer, music, and friends. for 3 years we lived out in the PNW working and playing. I went from being a teacher, which is what I went to school to do, to being a sales rep. Not really a job that many would say " damn I want that job" but just about 90% of all guys out there wanted my job. It was a good job.

Our dreams started to shift back to the east coast. My dad was getting ready to retire and most importantly we were thinking about starting a family. Sandy took a job over here in NC and I had that difficult phone call to make to the tool company. They took care of me. They created a position for me here in Raleigh NC. I took the lateral, and we moved east. That is when this stonehouse project started.

But that family conversation didn't come about for an entire year while here in NC. But when it did come up, we were just ready. This past April it all came to be. Along with that was reality of working too much. The company that I loved to work for was turning. I was working too much, stretched too thin and no end in sight. I had to leave. I knew that I was going to need more time with my son and wife. That priorities had changed, changed for the best. It's just awesome! I start a new sales job next week for a local distributor. Still in sales, still for a great company, just a little bit different.