Tizeye

What's the matter? Everyone getting "Likes" except for you? Sounds like a personal problem. ?

While we have "Sad", "Confused", "Whatever" among others, why don't we have a "Dislike" ?

Hours? Oh to be so lucky. Coming through....move it!

While we talked about worst jobs, how about best jobs. While I guess I could say my toying with part time retirement, the best actual job follow my first Masters degree. For 2 years I was a policy analyst in the Florida Legislature on the Committee for Health and Rehabilitative service. The second year I also staffed the subcommittee on the budget. We very much had to be non-partisan and basically be able to argue both sides of an issue, breaking it down. Myself and two others reviewed all bills, writing reports before the committee and penning amendments on the fly during committee hearings adapting what the legislator was trying to change within the bill. We had to stay in the shadows with all attention focused on the elected official. Always remember first, and was shocked when one of my reports killed a bill (that legislator, while her freshman year, later went on to become Lt Gov). In the final days of the Session after all my work was done as bills had passed out of Committee to final Floor vote, would sit in the gallery and watch the strong egos battle it out. Reason I left? It was "service at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House" and President Carter nominated the FL House Speaker for a leadership position on a Federal agency, beginning a new Speaker with their committee assignments. My wife was pregnant with our first child at the time and I needed something more stable. Applied for several positions in the Executive Branch I had overview authority on and it essentially intimidated the people who would be my managers, one even suggest that I should be applying for her job. Did a short gig with the American Heart Association, developing fundraising and giving programs within a huge are of N Florida (Apalachicola to Suwanee Rivers). Then a letter from Dept of the Navy came, and I joked they wanted me figuring it was recruiter's mass mailing, then saw it was from the civilian personnel office at Camp Lejeune where they got my name from my earlier application and it came up with this new job they were creating. Basically, they were developing a trial Family Advocacy Program at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendelton (two positions). It focused on Child and Spouse Abuse, child neglect, and rape (any age) intervention. The program was successful and they created the Commission expanding it through the Navy, they even called me from Bethesda saying "where is your application! But I jumped ship and went Air Force active duty. Often wonder what would have happened as if had stuck with the Legislature. My manager later became an elected representative for Tallahassee, but it was one of my 2 Policy Analyst coworkers that filtered through house and senate staff position. Fast forward 20 years when took daughter to college, went walking through the halls at the State Capital and suddenly say my co-worker's name on an office...but not just any office. He had progressed to the most powerful non-elected position...Clerk of the House who sets everything up - agenda, assignments, everything - under the direction of the Speaker of the House. After identifying myself, they let me in and we had a good time reminiscing and updating what we had been doing.

I NEVER tip (bribe) the guy who does the State auto inspection. Oh wait, we don't have a State auto inspection and I certainly don't tip people randomly.

Mine was an insurance sales program for some secod rate insurance that had deceptive sales practices. 1) I lasted 6 weeks before I told them to TTJASI as I refused to follow their sales tactics, and 2) learned never to accept and apology which I practice to this date, and when I hear people "demanding and apology" I'm thinking...you fool. It was selling, or more appropriately, upgrading after review, life policies as the were existing customers. We made home visits with set appointment times, except we were required to be 30 minutes late as part of the sales script. Sine I typically as on time or early, that was particularly hard for me. Of course, they would be pissed when we arrived where we would then go into apologetic mode with tales of last client was extremely complex requirements that bogged us down placing us behind, trying to catch up. (In reality, we stopped for a sandwich, socialized, etc while stalling for time.) Even bring it up if needed to thinks about it....running late for next appointment, need decision now, etc. The dynamics were amazing. They would rationalize...well he did apologize, and were like putty in my hands. It was really an eyeopener as I looked at apologies in general and what an apology really means. First, they don't mean it as they fully intend doing the same behavior. Second, you are delegating control of your feelings and emotions to an individual who could care less.

While I don't have cable, 'splurged' with Sling's $25/mo package last Sept to get ESPN during football season. I can cancel it now! Alabama finally met some competition experiencing their worse loss after their cream puff schedule.

Always driven past this airfield, but decided to pull over yesterday. (NOTE: it is a small municipal airport with the single combined runway/taxiway and no tower - Not a commercial static display of vintage aircraft.) From the bushes in the foreground, there is a railroad track, small ditch with beggar weed brush I didn't venture into, then the shoulder of US441 where I was standing.

My thought exactly. I thought man's first friend was Eve, even if she ruined it for everyone as she just had to have an apple.

Their corporate jet? Assume "C" is Canadian registration consistent with their corporate headquarters, but the final Charlie-Delta-Sierra being Cirque du Soleil.

And if is says "sold by Amazon" you can price match it at Best Buy. About to use it today. I have a $50 Reward that expires 1/27/2019 and want to get a battery pack for recharging phones/tablets. It is $49.95...a nickel short of the $50 Reward, so need to get something else. Getting low on the 4x6 Canon glossy photo printer paper which Best Buy has for $21.95, but Amazon has for $10.95. Best Buy will do a manual override price match as long as it is 1) the same model number, and 2) "sold by Amazon" - not one of their affiliates.

It is local, but have never been. I just don't venture to the tourist part of town.

That was actually a 2016 photo. They are doing great, visited over holidays (photos posted) and returned to Switzerland Jan 1. Another from 2016...the next couple of days with grandma and also my daughter. Funny part was, a day or so later the hospital photographer came in with an entry level Canon and basic lens. She became intimidated when she saw me with a huge 70-200 mounted on my Sony.

Romainmontier, CH A small town along the French border within the Jurassic Mountains and on the Tour De France route every second or third year with the noted cobblestones inside the original walled city, exiting at Passage de la Tour de la Torture. Loved the tea house where was basically honor system, serve self and when finished call waiter over who determines the bill by counting the plates and cups. Daughter was actually in very early pre-labor, regular labor later that evening and her size caught the attention of all the ladies of the town. Wish I had used a faster shutter speed to eliminate the blur...but it does show the passage. That is the trouble with "A" setting on camera as you just don't think.

(This was actually a billboard Apple created for the forthcoming CES Convention in Las Vegas.) ?

Not a port city/base as had no ships. Edzell Naval Station was inland (originally an RAF base, thus the runway) and was an early warning monitoring and listening post...thus that gigantic golf ball antenna smack dab in the middle of the runway. It was decommissioned in 1997. Rare that I make a trip like this but as the Deputy Dir of the Inpatient Alcohol Treatment Program at RAF Lakenheath, I went up to Edzell ostensibly to interview a new seaman who fell off the wagon on the international flight with the PCS. Impressed how he had built out his own recovery plan in the several weeks before I arrived, active in the community and joining a civilian AA group. In debriefing the Station Commander, looked at the overall pressures for personnel in a remote assignment (but not as remote as the Station in the most norther tip of Scotland. Rather than adverse personnel action looked at how could use him, developing his leadership, as a resource. Also swung by there on a family vacation to Loch Ness for cheap fuel as I had more than enough US gas ration cards. Forget if it was there or Alconbury that the pumps were in the middle of open range sheep and really had to watch your step or you had a job cleaning your shoes off. You mentioned Holy Loch. Never made an official trip there but was part of my return loop on the Loch Ness family trip. We use to refer to the sub tender there as "the floating beer can" as we got quite a few clients from there. ? Most memorable was the baker who inhaled the yeast fermented air when baking breads. I had heard of a lot of a lot of ways for an ETOH fix - mouthwash, etc, - but that was by far the most creative.

Do it...you will enjoy it. Amazing how sometimes the train will go down the street in the village and back up the traffic. Also, you may have noticed a "2" on the outside of the car. That is 2nd class coach. You don't need to pay the premium for 1st class. Finally at the end of the film when departing the Bernini Express and it left empty. Waiting on the adjacent platform was a Swiss Rail train. While I noted it in an earlier post, did you notice how much smoother and quieter it was.? I find it amazing.

Actually, a MUST sidetrip from Madrid is the train to Toledo. Likewise from Barcelona, a train ride day trip to Monserrat. Unfortunately, I took a bus to Monserrat as was just after wife's concussion and were really crunched on time - be back at the bus in 3 hours vs multiple later trains.

And let's not forget what is billed as the slowest express train in the world - The Glacier Express. Thie we took a regular train to Zermat, The Glacier Express runs from Zermat to St Moritz which we took halfway then a regular train down to Bellazona and Lucarno where we caught the local FART train that cut through Italy, rejoining the Swiss Rail main line near Zermatt.

And then I forgot the cog train up where my daughter's research is at next to last stop, and took it on up to the top. And they didn't tell me they had chocolate as the conveniently sat down on the bench.

Sure. Amtrak stops locally and was a bucket list item for FIL. Figured out we could go two cities down, get off, wait 30 minutes and catch the 'sister' train of the NY/Miami route for the return. In Great Britian, could take the train to London for the day with change in Cambridge. Also, the direct train to Petersburough had it's station across the street from the closest shopping mall. Likewise had a consulting assignment to the Naval Base in central Scotland. Couldn't fly because they put a giant listening ball in the middle of the runway ruining a perfectly good airfield (as a Air Force officer, I kidded the Base Commander about it. That was an overnight train and learned never get a sleeper over the axel!. Another was flying from the UC, Landing at Gatwick. Unfortunately hitting the 8AM traffic, took a train toting luggage from Gatwick to Victoria Station, Then hopping the tube to Kings Cross to the train station serving north of London for the ride home, changing in Cambridge. I do all the time in Switzerland. Those trains are so smooth you don't even feel or hear the track junctions. I even have an app on my phone to see schedule and buy tickets. Took a high speed train a couple times. One from Lausanne, CH to Venice. IT, and they didn't have train service to Austria, so had to take a bus to the border and catch a high speed train to Vienna. Most difficult train station I have been I was Zurich as we came in on Platform 40 (yes, 40+ platforms) and had to walk forever winding past various offshoots to other platform to finally get out the front door.

Nah, at that price hipsters and old baby boomers with too much income (wait, what!) would buy Ti. Steel if Ti was too rich for them, Aluminum...not with their bones and arthritis, and definitely wouldn't buy any of that plastic junk. ? It doesn't have to be a $5000 Moots Vamoots when a Lynsky R270 Ultegra/disc $2750 will do.

Better chance of a hurricane and sink holes.

If you have to ask, I guess you haven't found the YouTube video yet.

Yes. Win Mega-Millions then swap out that motor on your electric bike with a jetpack. Enjoy the ride.