10/10/10 wishing for 7/11

This evening, I was sitting here catching up on some reading, and I re-read a couple entries from my own blog, one of the being a post from New Years Day. I know in my last post I had become down on myself for some of the choices I had made in my life...more down on the consequenses of the choice, not the choice itself.

Sometimes, I just wish that I would think about things before I just do something.

Lets just say after re-reading that post from New Years, so far, it is a fail, fail, fail, and fail....at least that is how I am feeling :(

J-Dawg

Life...and the hard lessons learned

This self-destructive train-wreck of a person has decided that I am no longer going to allow the character flaw that I have to be hurt anymore. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and unfortunately that comes with some consequences. Just like in my last post, you make choices, and you live with those choices. I wouldnt change the world for the choices I have made, but they come at a cost. That cost is the pain I feel tonight. A pain that I am not sure will go away any time soon.

Life, love, pain, tear - all 4 letter words. Agony, heart, broke, tears - all 5 letter words.

J-Dawg

Condendum of Situations

Do you ever become hard on yourself for decisions you consciously made? Sometimes, I find myself to be my toughest critic. I never regret decisions I made. We arent 18 and in high school anymore. I am 39 and an adult, making adult decisions. Some of these decisions are as a result of doing what makes me happy. Some of these decisions are because they just feel the right thing to do. Either way, they are MY decisions. You don't have to agree with them, but I do ask that you respect them. Sometimes when you make a decision, people can get hurt. Sometimes, people just dont understand, because they choose NOT to understand.

In life, we sometimes have to make decisions that don't necessarily "agree" with those not involved with the decision, mainly because they don't understand the entire situation, or are only seeing it from their own perspective, or as if it were their decision to make.

I dont want to divulge the entire situation, for some things are meant to be private. Just understanding what I am dealing with, or knowing that sometimes you have to make difficult decisions, is enough for me. Do I do the right thing, or do I do the right thing for me?

Its never easy, that's for sure. I never have a situation where you look at it and go "Well, duh! that's an easy one!" I seem to find myself looking at things and basically says "WTF have I got myself into this time." Whether its a work related issue, or in this case, a personal issue, sometimes life just lends itself to working itself out to the best decision. Which still leaves me with the question "Do I do what's right? or do I do what's right for me?" My buddy Rick told me today "you have to be happy. Whatever makes you happy, is what you should do. You will know when you have the decision you need make made."

He's right. We owe it to ourselves to be happy. Either way would make me happy. Which way would make me happiest is another question. In my mind I think I have the decision made, but at what cost? In my mind, I know which decision would make me happier.

J-Dawg

Inspiration from a Friend

Earlier today, as I was sitting here with my allergies, wishing I would have been able to go to the softball game I was invited to, I came across a passage:

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ~



Earlier in the day, I have become "down" for the lack of a better term, with the fact that I wasnt able to get out today due to my allergies. Then I had come across a video on my friend Melissa's FaceBook page. Its a video I have seen before, but each time I see it, it makes me think. It is the story of Nick Vujicic (yeah, I had to google it to figure out how to spell his last name!) and his "Life Without Limbs". Its an amazing story, and one which makes you realize how miniscule your problems are compared with the rest of the world.

Yeah, today was one of those days where I had to dig down deep to have the strength to get back up. Its not that I have some debilitating disease or anything like that. Sometimes I forget that the challenges put before us, strengthen us as a person. God will never give us something we cannot handle. Sometimes I just lose sight of that.

J-Dawg

Thoughts of a Post lead to a blogger re-design

Tonight, as I sat here, I contemplated doing something I havent done in awhile...write! As I sat here, I decided that my blog just needed a new update. No, there was nothing wrong with the old one, I had just become "old" with it. Funny, since my original blog lasted me the first 3 or so years of its existence before I changed anything about it.

So that wasnt the intention when I sat down, however I changed it. Funny thing is, when I went to write, I had forgotten what I was going to write about ... I guess it wasnt that important to begin with then was it! :)

J-Dawg

End of Week 1 / Beginning of Week 2

As with any new job, come responsibilities. For me, these responsibilities are new, and as such, I am finding it a challenge on what I can and cant do. There aren't many set processes in place, or rulebook I can follow. It seems to be made up as we go along, or it's a case of "that's how we have always done it" which for me, is just a sign of lack of direction.

I am finding though that the challenges are worth their weight in gold. I am starting to learn the every day duties that go on in the office. Each day, I am forcing myself to learn one more piece, or one more process, or one more duty that I didnt know the day before. Its hard coming into a new job, where people that have been there as long as some of them have, have the mindset of "we've always done it this way". When you try to implement a change, they see it as you not knowing what you are doing. Then again, my office staff thinks pretty highly of me.

The first thing I noticed when I came into the job was that the office area we had was not conducive for an office environment. It was loud, not set up well at all, and there are constant interruptions. I noticed an office area not being used, so in my first meeting with each of the office people, I asked them a simple question: "What one thing would you change about your work that you currently do?" I expected to hear getting out on time, or taking some workload off my plate. NOPE! Each of them stated (in separate meetings) "I would love to be in an office environment where we can work and not have an many interruptions and is quieter"...so in the first week, I asked my immediate boss what would be the possibility of having our current office moved to the office/conference area not being used right now. He agreed, and we move in 10 days! THEY WERE THRILLED!!! They said they had been trying to get moved SOMEWHERE - ANYWHERE - for almost 6 months! So they think I am a pretty cool dude LOL which is fine by me. I like to think I am a likable guy! I actually got a compliment from one of the lead drivers, who also works in the office. He said to me today "You are doing just fine - the guys are taking a liking to you already - just keep doing what you are doing!" That made me feel really good!

Its hard when you work in an environment for so long that is pro-active, and now you are in an environment that is constantly reactive. But that is the nature of this business and the business they run. There are ALOT of holes that I would like to address but one at a time is how I am taking it. We got the office environment we want (or will have it anyway in 10 days!). One down - many many more to go!

Its been an interesting week, and I look forward to another week filled with challenges! Until next time...

J-Dawg

Tonight's Weather

Here are a couple photos from tonights weather-maker - Tornado Warning tonight in Green Bay.
The first one is PRE-warning
The second one is AS the tornado sirens were going off
The third one was 30 mins after the warning expired
The last one was during the rain - I actually got a picture of it raining.

J-Dawg

Post #200 - and ... the start of something new

Almost 15 years ago, I started with Schneider National Carriers as a driver. They took someone who didnt know the first thing about driving a truck, and trained me to become a driver. Since that time, I have had the privilege of being a part of One-Way system freight (random) Dedicated for customers such as Ford, Kimberly Clark, Proctor and Gamble, Fort Howard (now Georgia Pacific after a few acquisitions), and Chrysler. I had the opportunity to work in operations, dealing with driver concerns, pay, overweight loads, and the like. Then I had the opportunity to do a start-up of an account in Newark Delaware, for our customer Chrysler. This entailed building routes, setting up rack and part returns, dealing with 6-7 trucking companies, and over 100 of our own drivers. I then had that same opportunity in Green Bay to work with GM-SPO. After that, I became a 2nd shift dispatcher, dispatching freight in the Northeast (Basically Virginia to Buffalo and east, and from Windsor Canada east). I eventually added dedicated to my plate, which was alot of fun. I then had the opportunity to work with our box team, developing and deploying a tool known as Box Management. This tool would allow us to keep better track of our trailers. I then moved into a Driver Dispatch Planner role, which was alot of fun. This allowed me to be responsible for almost 200 drivers, and dispatch them no matter where they were in the country. This was my most challenging role. This also allowed me to work on a project known as Weekly Time At Home (WTAH). This was started at 7 different operating centers, but over time, the only one continuing the program was myself (with my counterparts at the Chicago OC). I asked permission to develop it and work with the drivers more directly, which they allowed me to do. The WTAH model I developed is now being done by alot of different people at Schneider all over the country. Then, Schneider decided to eliminate my position due to the economy, which I took in stride. At the end of my severance time, I chose to return to driving with Schneider, a move that ALOT of people questioned, and a move that at least one manager tried to block. Even my family was taken aback by the decision. I looked at it this way. I know the ins and outs of that company better that almost anyone...why not keep doing what I already know...so I did. I eventually was given the opportunity to become a training engineer (train drivers who have recently graduated from driving schools for trucking) and I have enjoyed that.

But now, I have an opportunity to grow not only as a person, but also grow others as well. It is with great sadness that I say that I am leaving Schneider National. But it is with great joy and jubilation that I announce that I am now the Transportation Supervisor for a small company here in Green Bay. It is a great move for me, filled with its own new unique challenges. I am eternally grateful for my manager the last 1½ years Wanda, for she kept me grounded, she believed in me, even when those higher up didnt, and almost pushed me to be the best I can be. She nominated me for the Training Engineer program (the only Green Bay driver). I had to fight to keep her as my manager, but it was well worth the fight. She always looked after me on the road, and did her best to always get me home ontime. I always did the best I could, and even did the work that nobody else would do, and got the job done.

Now I get to enjoy being home every night and every weekend again. I get to do all the things with my kids that I have been missing -- like my daughter's dance lessons, my son's swimming lessons, and my daughter's and son's soccer practices and games. I am looking forward to having a routine again. I am looking forward to making a life again. And .... I am looking forward to 16 days from now when Annie will be landing in Green Bay! :) She is coming up for a 2-plus week visit!

So as I say goodbye to a part of my life, and hello to a new chapter, I am reminded of the quote from Jim Coleman ... "I like to think that my finest hour is still ahead of me, so I can look forward rather than look backward." I am looking forward to the new challenges I face :)

J-Dawg

The Exposing of a Crook

Its not often that you will hear me come out against a particular person, or a particular company but this time I think once you read this, you will understand why.

Just before Christmas, Annie bought herself what was supposed to be a brand new laptop. When the owner (Freyner Gonzalez) of the company (A-1 Support) delivered the laptop, for the first couple of days it seemed to work just fine. Then the monitor started having some issues (black lines streaking down the screen). So I told her to contact him and have him replace the monitor since it was defective. For the next two months, he could not be reached, either by email, or by phone! For the next two months, the monitor got so bad that is have become all but unusable. There is a 4-5" patch right down the middle of the screen that is now while, with streaks down the right half of the monitor from the top. When I saw the computer for the first time, I asked her what she had purchased. She said it was a new laptop. This was **NOT** a new laptop! Being in business for myself, and having an IT degree, I can tell you that this may have had a new memory chip, or a new outer shell (which even that was an offbrand!) but if this was a new laptop, I would like for him to show me where!

This is my problem. You (not me mind you) are in business to sell services to the public. You should stand behind what you sell. No less than 20 phone calls over a 2 month period, and at least a dozen emails go unanswered. All the sudden, you miraculously appear out of nowhere when the last email stated we would take legal action against you if you didnt rectify the situation within 2 weeks. You state you would rectify it with a new computer (we asked for a refund!) within a couple of days. Now, you have disappeared again. Rip-off artists such as yourself sicken me, and make me wish there was something more I could do about this. So I have taken this opportunity to do one of the two things I have set out to do:

(1) I have filed an official complaint with the Better Business Bureau in Austin about this whole situation, to have a case started about this person, and his business.

(2) I have decided to blog about it, to bring attention to this person and his business, negatively, the type of person that he is, and the type of business (and shams) he is running.

Freyner Gonzalez
A-1 Support
PO Box 170113
Austin TX 78717
(512) 617-0045
(254) 813-5338
http://www.a-1support.com

Like I said, its not often I jump on something like this. My issue since I first got involved in it was not to bring negative light to someone's livelyhood. But there comes a place and a time where you have done the right thing, tried to resolve the issue directly with the person involved, and they have chosen to "hide" and "avoid" the situation in hopes that we will just go away. Sorry BuckShot - I dont just walk away! You have messed with the bull. Now you will deal with the horns!

I urge you, and ask that, if you know anyone in the Austin / San Antonio / Killeen areas, to make sure they avoid this guy at all costs. He does not stand up for the products that he sells, and he will not resolve any issues. His choice and course of action - run and hid!

As an IT person myself, I am ashamed of you, and you should be ashamed for what you are doing to your customers! There is no way I would EVER do to my customers, what you have done to Annie.

J-Dawg

Photos 04/10/10

Here are some photos I took while I was in Mississippi - I had to take pictures of the road signs to remember where I was LOL

J-Dawg

Photos from Texas 3/13/10

Here are some pictures from when I was in Texas -- took a couple shots, however they didnt turn out the way I thought they would. What I had in my mind, and how the pictures turned out, werent the same. I will keep trying until I get it to work out the way I have it in my mind.

J-Dawg

Photos From Texas 3/11/10

Just thought I would post something since its been awhile. These are photos from March when I was in Fort Worth. Notice the progressing of the vividness (is that even a word??) of the rainbow as it progresses. This was over a 10 minute timeframe....then there are a couple pictures of the storm clouds that remained after the storm passed. I wish I had more time to go shoot these kinds of photos!

J-Dawg

Where have I been?

Hey everyone
I have been somewhat slacking in my duties here...but alot of it has been around trying to keep my feet grounded, and keep my head square on my shoulders! I have been so busy, I am going to try and get caught up hopefully in the next couple of weeks. I know my Photo365 has taken a real hit unfortunately

J-Dawg

2010 Super Bowl CHAMPS!

28 years I have been waiting for this day
28 years of dismal teams at best
28 years of some decent years
28 years of the paper bag comments
28 years of the AINTs comments
28 years of hearing how we are one of 5 teams never to get to a super bowl
28 years of that BS IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!



CONGRATS to my NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!!!!! 2010 Super Bowl Champs!!!!

J-Dawg

Project 365 Days 8-14

Hey everyone! As I stated in an earlier post, I am going to do this on a weekly basis, but 7 pics at a time to let you see what I see (A star - a star?) ANYWAY...here is this weeks edition of Project 365.
Enjoy


This is sunset around Springfield IL on
Day 8 -- 1/8/2010







This is sunset somewhere along US-75 south of Tulsa OK
Day 9 -- 01/09/2010







This is at the Wal-Mart DC in New Caney, TX. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to get the shot I wanted. As I was checking out of the facility, a deer came RACING by the entry gate and into the fenced in area and was running around trying to get out! There were trucks behind me so I couldnt stay.

Day 10 -- 01/10/2010


If you zoom on this photo, this was the moon on the day between Day 10 and Day 11 - you can JUST make out a blip on the picture that is Venus...in person it was plain as day! I COULD NOT for the life of me get a good picture...this was the best one.

Day 11 -- 01/11/2010




This is the ice on the Mississippi River near Cape Giradeau, MO. I have never seen ice this thick THAT far south on the Mississippi before. This is at the bottom of Illinois.

Day 12 -- 01/12/2010





This is how you are greeted as you enter Effingham IL from the south on I-57. This cross is also lit up at night. There is another one (I think it is in Northern Virginia on I-81) that at night, it has random colored lights glowing on it.

Day 13 -- 01/13/2010




This is the sunset in Racine, WI. I was parked for the day and JUST caught it as it set.

Day 14 -- 01/14/2010

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 7

Three words - MORE &@#$(^&#($%^ SNOW!!!! nuff said

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 6

Hey everyone! Its 11pm at night, and truthfully, I was so busy today, I didnt know what to take a picture of, so I grabbed my little DJ Monkey and took a picture of him.

Ladies and Gentleman - I Present to you - DJ J-Dawg :)

He is actually pretty funny! He moves the record back and forth, and its to the song "Everybody Dance Now" by C+C Music Factory! My kids love this little guy!

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 5

There is a little place in Bloomington IL that I like to frequent when I am there. Its just a little hole-in-the-wall kinda place, quaint, and very inexpensive. It is right next door to the Pilot truck stop which is one of our fuel-stops, and I love just parking (when its AVAILABLE) and walking over to this little restaurant and getting Chinese food.

So today, I knew I was going to be passing thru Bloomington, so I had my heart set on Szechuan Three Delight (no broc-a-ree), shrimp lo-mein, and an egg roll...of course, I get to the Pilot to get fuel and park, and the line to get fuel is 2-trucks deep on EACH PUMP (12) and there is NO parking to be had - ANYWHERE! SO, all I could do was take a picture of the restaurant as I left the parking lot...and dream about what was SUPPOSED to be my dinner tonight. :)

So I present to you - Yen Ching Express, Bloomington, IL. I highly recommend if you are in the area!

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 4

Yesterday I could **NOT** get my laptop to connect to the internet, and my Blackberry was being a POS - I think it was the weather, because today, BOTH are working just FINE. This is a sunset in Indiana yesterday. I just loved the colors - I wish I had time to pull over and grab my DSLR because I bet a wide-angle would have been a PHENOMINAL catch! Cant really see the colors too well (taken with my Blackberry) but I did manage to get a nice little Sun-burst. Oh well :) Se la vi Such is life and sometimes I cant stop - gonna keep movin! Hammer-down-westbound!

J-Dawg

A Quote I Just Heard

"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible."
~George Chakiris

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 3

When I moved here to Wisconsin, I can tell you that the only time I generally drank wine was when my dad would make home-made wine coolers out of Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Maneschewitz wine. It was delish. Then, one of the local wineries in Door County (its the thumb of Wisconsin NE of Green Bay if you are curious) made a wine called Plum Loco - I FELL IN LOVE with the wine! IT was sooooooooo good! Well in 2002 (give or take) they stopped making it! I found a bottle a couple years later on a back shelf on a mom-and-pop store, and then when I came home, VOILA! THERE IT WAS AGAIN! It has new (and pretty spiffy) logo now, but the wine DOES taste as good as it did before. SO, one of my little delicacies this time home was to enjoy some Plum Loco from Door Peninsula Winery (as well as a couple other of my faves!) Simple pleasures!

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 2

Well, today it got to a balmy 7°F for a high, with wind-chills WAY below zero, so today was a Wii day, and we took advantage of it. I should say MY DAUGHTER took advantage of it, destroying me in Wii Bowling! To make things worse, my SON (who JUST turned 4 the other day) ALMOST BEAT ME!

You know you are getting old when kids are beating you at your own games :)

J-Dawg

Project 365 - Day 1

I was reading another blog, and she is doing a thing called PROJECT 365 - a photo a day every day that chronicles your year. SO I thought I would try to do the same thing. Thank you Tracie for giving me a great idea to try. WOW what a commitment - every day a photo! There are some days with my job, i dont even have time to burp, let alone take a photo, but I am going to do this!

So here is my Day 1 photo!

J-Dawg

Battle of the Peaks and Valleys

I think the first thing I thought of when I started to write this was "oh no - here we go again" like it is a recurring theme. I hate the fact that right now, inside I feel like a theme ride at an amusement park. The peaks and valleys of the emotional roller coaster I have been on for what seems like months is not coming to an end. My friend Dawn the other day said something to me that has stuck with me for the last couple of days ... "You cannot control the circumstances. You cannot control the things that happen around you or to you. You cannot control how others treat you or how they act or what they do or what decisions they make. These are all external variables over which we have no say. But you CAN choose how you react and how you let these things affect you. You can choose that part." I have tried to figure out how to react to something that has an emotional tie to it that when it doesnt go your way, brings you down. Maybe its the fact that I never dealt with my feelings before, that I never had a problem in the past. Maybe in the past, the problems were minor compared to now. Maybe my problems now arent as large as they appear to be.

Jan 1st 2010 -- this is a day that I want to remember a year from now and look back and say "I DID IT!" I want this year to be filled with the positives. I want this year to be the year that I can say I put everything into everything I am doing. I have a wonderful person in my life that makes me happy. I have kids that are so wonderful, and I love every moment I get to spend with them. I am blessed to have the love and support of my family. I am blessed to have the love and support of my close friends (you know who you are). I am blessed to have Jesus Christ back in my life where He should have been all along. I am thankful for all the riches I have in my life. There is no way I could be where I am without all of this being in my life.

FOCUSES for 2010

1. New Job - I am actively looking for new work. I want to put my 14 years in transportation and logistics to better use, or be able to put my IT degree to use more than it is being used right now
2. My weight - it continues to be an issue. With my current job, it is so difficult to lose weight, but I know i have to find a way to do it.
3. My kids - I want to have more time with them, and continue to nurture and grow them into the wonderful kids they are today. I just want to make sure they continue to grow in all the right ways.
4. My family and friends - to make sure that the positives I need in my life they also get to enjoy in their lives as well.

This is just a part of what I want to do this year. I hope that you all can enjoy this year with me and be positive not only for me, but also for yourself as well. I know I slip (damn BANANA PEELS!) from time to time, and will find a way to turn that slip into a positive. Here's to 2010 and all that is holds in store for us!

J-Dawg