When I go off the office each morning, its usually before 630 am, I see this as I turn onto the drive at the office.

The complex in the background is the operation I manage...all 270+ employees...etc.

Its really such a wonderful sight so early in the morning...to drive up on that sight..and see the twinkling lights, the fog drifting away...and the sun rising for a new day.

Here I am.

Since about mid June I have been fatigued...... few pounds here and there.. looked like I was bloating..

Was I falling apart..well damn right I was. I couldn't understand the reason. Healthy eating, a lil lite exercise, and still the weight was coming on.....

So, after a trip to the good ole doctor...he did the blood work...and here is it is

My thyroid was not working... testosterone was down....

So my metabolism was just not running correctly... after a week worth of therapy.. taking the pills. the energy level has responded... so now I hope the weight gain will be weight reduction..

Other than that......

I have been wrestling with where I want to be. What type of life do I want to have... after retirement from Corrections (and let me say...I needed to retire..even at such an early age..it was getting to me..the stress of being No. 1 ..it was a great 30 yr career even tho I begin in my early 20's) and then came.... The new position with the City...being on the Mayor's Staff is very challenging, but I do miss my old job to some extent..I just need to find myself. I thought starting the new assignment with the Mayor's Staff would bring me more of a sense of accomplishment than it has.

I am not finding the satisfaction that I was questing for... Did I know what I was searching for to begin with is the big question I have to answer.

Or maybe I am being to critical of myself.

I was thinking that maybe the return of John is on my mind, but I think I have positioned myself mentally on that. ..

I do know that my circle of friends is diminishing and that is occurring at a fast pace. ..... have I boxed myself in to some sort of guarded fort... dug a moat around myself. .. as folks move away I am not meeting new friends... as friends are drifting to other levels.. am I not reaching out....just questions I am asking myself...


or is this just a point in my life that I am doing a great deal of self reflection.

But I am blessed...truly blessed ..I know this..with all my self doubts, reflections.

Well...not much is happening other than our Zoo Director passed away on Saturday. The Zoo comes up the DPW.

Had my first crisis with the Zoo this afternoon. Delivery of horse meat. 6k pds. Really interesting when you get to think about it.

Oh well, doing good, moving ahead. I will be doing some pics here soon on a project to save some Live Oak trees. We are doing that under the banner of the DPW....

Tree Hugging at the Finest.

Sunday Morning on the Red Bricks

I didn't go to Mass

I didn't really get moving as I should

I didn't mow the grass yesterday nor will I mow it today

I did have a wonderful visit with my Lil Sister today, she stopped by after Mass

I did promise myself to ride the bike, and I will today

I did take it easy yesterday and will today too, so to be refreshed for Monday.

I was out and about yesterday making my Friday rounds with a Street Superintendent. He brought me to a lil known pond in the City. On these Friday rounds I have been bringing my camera taking pictures of places of interest, etc.

So, it was raining and I shot the shot of some egrets that were perched on some fallen cypress limbs.

I am still enjoying my job. Its very hectic, sometimes a lil stressful, but most of all rewarding due to the employees and their dedication to their jobs and the mission that they serve.

Made it for one month in the new job.

With all the hub bub about the job and my qualifications for it, (side note: the city council was really not in favor of me) I have made a dent in starting to form the relationships necessary to complete the task at hand.

That is: forming a new invigorated department that contains 10 city divisions with all the personnel issues, under handed and slight of hand moves by lower ranking employees and so called concerned citizens......

all is well in the land of the red bricks.

I feel that the motivation techniques that I have employed are working....

getting to work at 630 am, watching the sunrise over the River, having no blinds in the office, opening my doors, greeting employees as they get out of their pick up trucks, saying good morning, standing at the coffee urn and listening to the grips and comments....

then getting out of the office every day and going into the less fortunate part of the city, walking up to folks on their door steps, saying hello and just listening.

its all in a days work.....

this morning we had to go into one of those less fortunate areas of the city and perform a court mandated removal of a junked up house and yard. the lil old lady that lived there was so upset, we had gone there yesterday to talk to her, brief her on what was about to happen.. after we left...the neighbors said she started to hide her cans, broken appliances, broken bicycles, more tin cans and bottles across the street in an an abandoned house...

so it was the sanitation and street department with me and the code enforcement officers at 7 am this morning hauling the junk from around the house.... 7 am on a Saturday morning in the lower section of my great City..

i was truly the oreo in the bunch...and i loved each minute of my new found employees and their performance of duty.

vox populli to the max