Well.....I am back from the consulting job in VA.

I am off to TX for another consulting job. Seems that the business is picking up.

I might even get to see a few folks in H Town on my return.

It will be a seven hour road trip on Sunday. So, got to get the clothes washed, but at least I am driving instead of flying.

So, that puts me with four jobs now from Jan to the middle of Feb.

Retirement is doing well.

I hope to take off mid Feb to end of April so I can fish and take a lil bit of relaxation....ya know. All I need is someone to warm my bed for a lil while..or more.

I am still here.

Headed up to VA in the morning to do an accreditation audit up there at their largest corr. facility.

Not much happening.

Bitter cold down here, raining most days, Cold, Nasty... gloomy!!!! Over cast skies...

But hey its Louisiana in late Jan..... heading to Feb... that's the way it is down here.

Not much else happening, really. No news is good news for me.

I am hoping that the weather breaks and I can pull out the kayaks and go paddling here soon in Feb.

Get out on the water, throw a few flies, catch a few fish.. be nice to have someone tag along, but that is not within reach right now.

Much Better Much Better

Working in the office today, here at the house.

Tis dreary and raining, cold and wet.

Getting things accomplished here. Haven't gotten out tho.

Need to do washing, but haven't got up the courage to do that either.

Office work is much better than washing clothes. So, I thought of posting.

Retirement.... its not any control issues that I thought I would have problems with. but it the lack of responsibility that is there.

I thought that I would have control issues in my retirement, I know that there is an adjustment period here, usually takes three to eight months to overcome and settle into a routine.

Turns out so far that the issues are of feeling no responsibility for anything but yourself. Nothing to take care of, but yourself. No meetings to attend, just getting up, walking two rooms over and entering the home office. That's the only responsibility that I have.

Seems strange to me.

I guess I in my 32 years of govt work, I was in a position to take care of folks, things, clients, etc. Now, its just taking care of myself and what I need to do for that day.

But I can tell this.... walking into the office gives some some sense of responsibility, some purpose. I can look out my front windows, watch the traffic from folks walking, to cars, to delivery trucks, the comings and goings of small town life. Tend to the consulting business, read trade mags, and think.

for this I am thankful.

well i am sort of alive.

came back from tx last thursday

the last time i did an audit over there was this time last year

within less than 24 hours of arriving back home i got hit with fever, congestion, etc etc

so i arrived back on the red bricks on thursday afternoon, on early friday i got hit....yep.....

FEVER CONGESTION... fever got up to 102.5 ...

i attribute it to the mold...dark, rank, mold..... in those confinement units down there.

i was within i think about 50 miles of the last unit i did last year at this time.

so, no confinement units for me on the tx coast in the month of jan.

fever broke yesterday, no fever today. lots of coughing up junk, head is draining...

i aint a pretty sight...never was one to begin with, but certainly not in this state of mind now.

at least i could type a lil bit

I am here in Texasssssss.

I left my camera, I should just pack the damn things where ever I go.

But, no camera, here on the bay near the Gulf of Mex. In the salt marshes around Neder Land...NeddddderrrrLand

So, the work begins tomorrow, found out that I will be here till Thursday morning.

Its a four day audit....actually full three days with an exit early early Thursday.

Hmmmm........

So, sitting here in the hotel room.....banging on the keys.

Oh well.... company anyone.

Today....

Not much going on, rec'd word yesterday that I am headed to Va to do another audit in late Jan. Its around Jarratt va.

Have to decide whether I am going to drive or fly. I measured the distance on map quest, its about a 1000 miles, I could do it in one day or split it up into two days. Stop over and see some old friends in Athens Ga.

I am not sure what I want to do. I could leave a week ahead of audit, make the rounds of friends up and down the eastern seaboard or just fly out there and see if anyone would visit me.

Feeling sort of slow today, need to go make some groceries at the local wally world big store. But other than that its not much happening.

Calendar for Today

Stay Warm !!!!!

Which is not happening since I live in an old house.

Wait for the UPS man, cause he has the wine in his lil brown truck.

Its Friday.. Had coffee with Liz and Nookie (the dog). They were out for a walk.

Getting ready to head over to Tx, to do that audit. I need to start getting it all together for the short ride over there.

Need to work in the home office today, remove some clutter and move some papers around.

Oh....yes and stay warm as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday

Cold weather is here.

So, I closed up the crawl spaces in the outside wall, so my pipes have a chance at not freezing.

Suppose to get into the lower 20s and some reports it will be in the upper teens.

That spells good bye to the banana plants, the angel trumpets, might even hurt the satsuma trees.

I will pick the kumquat tree today, so the fruit won't ruin.

Trying to busy my self, since this is the first real day of actual retirement. I did turn in my resume to some folks here the other day. Just seeing my chances at gaining a second pay check for some work.

I can tell you that I have the need to feel responsible, to make an effort to do something productive and so on.

The time off will be good, but I know I will need to fill the void with some structure of working later on down the line.

I am headed to TX this Sunday to make a lil extra change, do an audit over there for one of their CJ units. Be back in La next Wednesday.