A catch-all, catch-up post
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The hosting provider where I host this blog, VPS Farm, is closing up shop in two weeks. The owner is changing jobs and shutting it down. This means I have to find a new provider, and fast, or my handful of readers will be forever lost.
I have some local providers that I can turn to, so I hope to switch over to a new provider soon. With any luck the transition will be seamless but I’m sure a gremlin or two will pop up. Just bear with me. I promise that there isn’t much that can shut me up!
I know I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog lately but it’s because I’ve been very busy with stuff. The new job is going well but the schedule I’m on doesn’t leave me with much copious free time (TM). I am having to hustle to make things work and it’s been an adjustment but so far I’m making it work.
Kelly left this morning for her three-day session in Greensboro, so my schedule has taken a hit for that, too.
The other blog blocker is caused by books. Seems whenever I request books from the library they all tend to come in at the same time. I got an inter-library loan in from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library called Escaping the Endless Adolescence, which is living up to its expectations. Soon after, the Charlie LeDuff book Detroit: An American Autopsy, arrived. Because Endless Adolescence wasn’t due back until the end of the month, I read through LeDuff’s book first. Now I’m back into Endless Adolescence again. My reading doesn’t leave much time for other things.
I still have posts to catch up on and hope to get those online as soon as these books have been returned. Life is pretty good, though, all told!
I’m into week three at the new job and I’m not feeling as overwhelmed as I was the first two weeks. I’m starting to get the hang of it, at least a little bit. I’m confident enough that tomorrow I’m going to interact with my first customer, so that’s a big step.
The schedule is a bit crazy as I mentioned before, but it’s a top-notch team and I’m happy to be a part of it. Perhaps I can find a little time for blogging in-between.
Friday was my last day as a contract sysadmin at TeleTracking. It was a wonderful job with a great group of people. I enjoyed working in a small office and helping out with their occasional IT needs. Still, I have skills that I never got a chance to apply there because others were responsible for those areas. I was hired primarily to do the Linux system administration along with occasional Windows administration. I began to wish for more responsibility.
Near the end of last year, I was contacted by a company that I spoke with before my TeleTracking job. I turned them down back then due to the travel involved with that particular position, not to mention I didn’t have a clear understanding of the product. This time around there’s a position which doesn’t involve much travel. What’s more, I have a much better appreciation for the product’s value.
I start next Monday, working full-time again. Juggling my schedule (and Kelly’s) might be a challenge at first but it will be worth it. I’m looking forward to the challenge and am excited about my new opportunity!
In addition to nursing the sick family back to health, lately I’ve been doing some well-deserved reading. The book I’m reading at the moment is Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle To Save The World. It’s a compelling read about Ike’s efforts to maintain peace in a newly nuclear-armed world.
I’ll give a more complete recap once I’m done with it. For now, back to the book!
Monday’s home invasion and shooting in Oakwood has left Raleigh’s downtown neighborhoods in shock. It has also shocked me as well. This took things to a new level and as good as the Raleigh Police Department is, there was little they could’ve done to stop it. As the saying goes, shit just got real.
Fortunately, the perps picked the wrong neighborhood to mess with. Oakwood is as close-knit as neighborhoods come, and residents spotted the suspects immediately. Brothers Shabar Marshall and Jahaad Marshall were arrested shortly afterward.
I learned this morning that the rumored neighborhood home invasion did, in fact, occur. A neighbor shared the details today and this previous crime was just as scary as the one this week. The evening of November 19th, a burglar broke into a home on Wake Forest Road in Mordecai and held the daughter at gunpoint there for 10 minutes while he looked for cash. The suspect escaped before anyone was hurt but it shook the family up so much that they moved away. No mention of this incident was made in the media, nor did RPD make any announcements. If it weren’t for the chat I had with the man at the local restaurant over the holidays I wouldn’t have known about it at all.
The good news is that the victim of the previous home invasion believes that Shabar Marshall was the perpetrator of the previous crime. He’s now behind bars, but for many neighbors that’s not good enough. This serious escalation deserves an escalated response from the community. The question is, what do we do?
Kelly started feeling better Saturday afternoon, when we all got out of the house for some outdoor time at Horseshoe Farm Park. By yesterday she was feeling back to 90%.
I think we’re out of the woods on this thing now. While there was nothing funny about my family being sick, I find it amusing that I avoided getting sick and I’m the only one who didn’t get a flu shot. Y’all already know how I feel about flu shots, don’t ya.
Well, that was an interesting 48 hours. The evening following our fun brunch at our neighbors’ home, Kelly remarked how emotional our son was acting. She had a hunch he wasn’t feeling well.
That night, we discovered that Kelly’s Mom Sense was right on the money, only it began with Hallie, not Travis. Both kids spent all night throwing up. We finally turned a corner about 3:30 AM.
I worked from home yesterday, caring for our sick kids and doing a huge amount of laundry. Kelly had to make a business trip to Charlotte, which she somehow successfully did on reduced sleep. When she returned she had zero appetite and, not long afterward, she fell victim, too. She had a rough night last night. Fortunately today the kids seem to be 90% or so and took care of her while I was at work this morning.
Somehow I’ve managed to avoid all of this germy muck, though I was everywhere my family was over the past few days and I’ve also eaten everything they’ve eaten. While the rest of the family was laid low last night, I felt a burst of energy and took down our Christmas tree single-handedly. I’ve often thought I have the most sensitive stomach in the family but I may need to change my thinking.
At any rate, the Turners seem to be all on the mend. Our kids are pining to return to school, too. Things appear to be returning to normal.
I know I don’t usually wait until January to begin my annual Highlights of the year posts. I’ve had tough time narrowing down my choices this time around, however.
Look for the first of these posts shortly.
I’ve been pondering my reality today, after spending much of the morning and afternoon meeting new friends at our neighbors’ New Year’s Day brunch. The question of what I might wish for in this new year has crossed my mind.
Truth is, I am extraordinarily blessed. Things are going incredibly well for me at the moment. I have a loving family, a good job, plenty of outlets in which to channel my civic passion, health, happiness, good friends, and boundless potential. I am right where I need to be, always.
Does this mean my life is perfect? Not at all. I still have challenges to overcome. We all do. I will do my best to learn from my challenges so that they create in me a better person.
We all have a finite amount of time on this planet. Love what you’re given.
