Winter Chill

Another two months have passed since my last entry. And I had been on a pace of one or two entries a month... Not to worry, though, my life has been boring enough so that my reader(s) won't miss much if I don't recap the past two months in great detail. My time has been spent working and planning for the Christmas break, when I will be travelling to Beijing, China to visit Cici's family.

So, since my life has been so boring, why do I bother posting now? Vacation next week! I'm finally getting some much needed time off and have no plans other than shuffling around my house and relaxing. This year it seems that every time I have a day or two off I have spent that time travelling or running errands. This time, it's all about having some chill time...

Now, here I am at work, on the Friday before my great sedentary escape, plotting out in my head the spots on my couch I will begin to sink into first and where to roll when my butt needs a fresh cushion. I have a nearly full case of beer in the fridge and plenty of healthy foods to munch on. Just because I'm lazy doesn't mean I want to become a fatass. I do plan to take some meandering journeys around my neighborhood to balance out my couch and computer surfing hours too. And suddenly a Simpsons episode comes to mind ...

Homer drives the ball up high, and he yells "Woo-hoo!" while itflies in the air, but it lands in the sand trap: "D'oh!" Burns adds, "Yes, you're in deep d'oh now."

Burns: Oh, quit cogitating, Steinmetz, and use an open-faced club. The sand wedge!

Homer: Mmm... open-faced club sandwich.

So that's that. I'm about to check out for awhile to come back fully refreshed and ready for the busy holiday business push. My next blog should include my hellishly busy first week of December - both forecasting and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt workshop - as well as stories from my trip to China!

Catchy'all on the downslide~

Moving Forward

So, another post... I haven't been keeping up with these as much as I used to. Work keeps me busier these days than it has before. Actually, that's the theme of this post: I have absolutely no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. The only thing I am sure of is that there is no ONE thing I want to do. I want to do everything. And go everywhere. Always in motion.

So, I sit here at my desk thinking about where to go and what to do next. I've only been at this job a year, but I feel that I've been stuck in this situation much longer because of the two years I spent in grad school. And I am overdue for a change. A change of scenery and perhaps even another career change.

That last one isn't too likely unless I stay here, at my present job, a while longer. But I can definitely feel that urge beginning to pull me - not too different from when I was searching for something beyond banking and ended up living in Japan for nearly three years.

If I were to go overseas again, at this point I have no idea where I'd go. I've often thought about going back to Japan, though... It was enough like the U.S. to make me feel really comfortable there, but different enough to catch my interest.

India is another place I've thought about going, but I think the chances of getting a job there are pretty slim outside of teaching... <>

So, for now, I sit and contemplate my next move. It is both a good and bad feeling at the same time. I feel restless and uncomfortable in my current situation but also hopeful when I think of all the options and opportunities that lay ahead.

It all makes me think of a famous poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost:

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

Stuck in a Box

I'm stuck. Who would notice if I weren't busying myself in some manner?

The sound of keystrokes and mouse-clicks with the occasional stretch and popping sound of joints stiffened by confinement within a tight, gray-felt-lined box . . .

Scurrying around the office searching for a purpose . . .

It really is that I'm just too fast at my work.  If only I could work from home... Dare to dream . . .

Work Changes

So, I met with the boss the other day to gather some advice on climbing the corporate ladder, how to position myself for better upward mobility and a general philosophy on the experience based on his tenure with the company. It went well, with me collecting a few homework assignments to get done over the next few months. And all is well. I am set to chart my course through the company waters.

Then I get back to my desk...

...and I learn of new responsibilities that I'll be taking on.  I get leverage to help myself squirt ahead in my career. Heh heh heh... 

So, now I can update my resume to include more STUFF!!! HA HA HA!!! No, I'm just going a little crazy right now, since I'm in the middle of the forecasting cycle.

Latest Developments

Well, I don't know exactly how long it has been since my last post. More than a few months, I suppose. But much has happened over that time and it this new blogging is well overdue.

I've ditched my old, green car in favor of a 2003 mustang that runs well but uses a bit more gas and seems to have had a problem with the fuel cap staying on tight. The gas usage is annoying, especially with the rise in prices lately. The fuel cap problem should be fixed now that I have bought and installed a new, locking gas cap. Other than that, the car looks nice and runs well. No worries.

Work has kept me busy. So has my yard. I've been busily gardening whenever I can muster the energy after work and have completely weeded my backyard! That was an amazing feeling once it was done. There were so many bush-like weeds growing back there that it seemed like I would never finish. And it took me a total of 5 1/2 hours to finally clear the backyard. Now I still have to do the sides and a patch in the front, but I will tackle that next week. I'm not putting it off because I'm lazy, but rather that I don't have any more space in my yard debris bin. My last foray into the backyard filled up the bin completely and that won't be picked up by the waste mgmt company until next Tuesday. So, I have a valid excuse to chill until then. I am really looking forward to clearing those weeds, though...

So, I mentioned that work was busy. And so it is, but I have been able to improve my performance through developing office relationships and through increasing my knowledge of the business. "It's been a long road... gettin' from there to here..." - Star Trek, Enterprise theme. That show kind of sucks because they didn't develop more than a few characters and even that not as deeply as the other Trek series have done. Anyway, I'm getting off track...

There isn't really much else to blog on about. Life is going well and I'm also looking forward to getting outside more now that the weather has finally come around from the Spring storms to generally sunny skies.

To wind things up here, I'll post some pics of the car and yard soon.

~D

Blue Monday

An alternate title for this post would be: Why today sucks, or: Parking lot bust, or: Dave's unlucky car.

I was backing out of a parking space this afternoon after a quick visit to Subway when a GIGANTIC truck tapped on my car... --> (\ /) __

A new dent now decorates the left side rear panel, just above and behind the wheel.

What a perfect way to start the week. Well, it could have been worse. My car is still driveable. But I am just too exhausted to deal with this right now. Need a new car anyway. The other guy's insurance claims adjuster is supposed to call and begin working things out. I really hope there are no hassles with this. He hit me, I'm all clear, need the funds to get 'er fixed... well, I suppose I don't really need to get the car fixed. I plan on getting a new one anyway... Maybe I can use those funds toward a new car... Hmm.... things to think about.

That's all I've the energy to write now. More later, perhaps.

A Bit of Advice

It has been awhile since the MBA days. Kind of seems both like just yesterday and long ago at the same time. I don't really miss it though. Getting a paycheck is much better than staying up until 4am with a beer in one hand and bong in the other while stressing about what topic I'll choose for that Marketing paper I have due the next day. Lol. Seriously, tho, Xerox is treating me well. Pays the bills with the potential for good upward mobility.

Anyway, if you're looking to get some experience abroad and make some $$$ at the same time then perhaps teaching in Japan is right for YOU! What you've got to do is choose an Eikaiwa (English Conversation School) and submit an application online. The three biggies in Japan are:
AEON http://www.aeonet.com/
Geos http://www.geoscareer.com/
and ECC http://www.japanbound.com/

Look them up and choose which one you like best. The employment situation, housing opportunities, wages and whatnot may have changed since I left, so just poke around their websites to get the latest info. Notice that I didn't mention NOVA http://www.teachinjapan.com/ as one of the top three. Its big, but they dont treat their employees well. They are forced into living with their coworkers and do not have regularly scheduled teaching hours. I never met a happy NOVA employee in my three years with AEON. AEON is pretty good, easy textbooks to teach from. It's less like teaching and more just guiding the students through the book material page by page. Pretty much. You may feel at times as if you're just putting on a performance for the students, but then I think you'd really dig it too.

Culture is pretty good,and fun. Hmmmm.... Oh, keep in mind that the Japanese drink A WHOLE LOT and regularly either pass out on the streets or run stark naked with their coworkers chasing close behind. That is, there is an alcoholism problem there. If you end up going, just be careful not to join the crowd too often. Just some friendly advice.

If you decide to go, you should think about what city or region to request being stationed in. Hokkaido is fucking cold as hell. Sorry, can't put that any other way. You will literally freeze your balls off there. But, if you like skiing, no place is better. Nagano would be nice, but its kind of remote. No big cities nearby. Been there. Not that you need a big city to meet people. Just do a bit of homework on that. About dating, tho, the thing to do is to ask for a chicks Keitai (pronounced: Kay-Tie, and means: carry-phone, or cell-phone) address. Most people text message there rather than calling. If you date a chick, you have to call. But to get her to the dating stage, you text. See?

A New Year Ahead

Maybe it’s the start of a new year or that each day we see daylight a bit longer but whatever it is I feel much better about my job and how to do it than I felt just a few weeks ago. I get the feeling that 2007 will be a great year in the life and times of Mr. Dave Savoy. Now, I don’t want to get all mushy here and glow about the prospects of my job and all because it’s been tough. And more than likely its been my continuing perseverance that has enabled my increasing level of comfort in doing what I do. I’ve still got a lot to learn here and a ways to go before I can move on to my next stage either here at Xerox or elsewhere; however, this time of year does give me cause to reflect on all that the previous year has brought and on my accomplishments during that time.
Before moving onward, I am just taking this moment to look back and praise God that I’ve been able to go from Japan back to school and from school out into the job market and into a position with great potential whether or not I decide to stay with the company. I say this not because I am looking to leave, but it does my mind some good to know that I have the option of leaving at some point. Obviously I’d like to stay here for at least a few years in order to build up a stable employment history. But beyond that I am pleased to say that I have not yet decided my plans. At this point my life is still unfolding and I am excited to be on the verge of something potentially really cool and with just about six months of Xerox under my belt I can begin to see the slope of the learning curve becoming less steep. It’s stable enough ground for me to take a glance over my shoulder and look at the monstrous hill I’ve just climbed and say to myself, “Self, that’s quite a slope you’ve just scaled.” Then turn back to the hill and keep climbing. I’ve come a long way. Still got a ways to go, but at least I can say that I’m making some pretty good progress.

Happy New Year!!!!