Long Weekends

Looks like we're having back to back long weekends. Last weekend was three days due to the 4th of July and this weekend just includes a really long day ... and it's not even over yet.

Last weekend, and the better of the two started with a great fireworks show put on by the city of Daphne. Jillian and I took Stella Blue with us like we did last year, but completely forgot her klonopine. It's supposed to keep her calm during the explosions. Surprisingly, she wasn't upset by them at all. In general, the fireworks show went without an issue. The grand finale went off at then end instead of the middle like it did last year and we were able to beat the traffic out of the park by do a little off-roading, following city vehicles out of a restricted area.
Saturday was a little out of our normal routine. Our friends Gavin and Jessica were in town with their two kids and we all went to a bowling alley/arcade in Spanish Fort. I don't think any of us had gone bowling in quite a while so our scores aren't really worth mentioning... although their daughter Vivian did pretty well. Gavin even had time to show his son Harrison how to take out a "big buck" with what appears to be some kind of tactical machine gun. The best way to hunt I assume...

Sunday was a beach day.

This weekend, so far, has not been quite as enjoyable. It started pretty early this morning when Jillian woke up (probably around 3 am) because the house was 75 degrees. Our A/C had gone out at some point and she shut it off for a while hoping that we just had frozen coils. Several hours later, we turn the air back on and things had not improved. It was about the same time that Jillian discovered a wall in the garage was wet. Not slightly wet; sheet rock turning into mush wet. A few days ago we had called the landlord of our rented home and told him about the pool of water around the water heater... so we knew he was going to be thrilled about yet another water issue.
So far today, we've had a plumber come out and fix the leak in the attic that 'mushed' up my wall and then replace the water heater. At the moment, we're sitting in the living room watching soccer with giant floor fan pointed at the couch. Hopefully, a/c gets here today or we might as well sleep outside tonight.

On a much more upbeat note, I tried Jamaican food for the first time yesterday. My boss had mentioned going to a place in town a few days back and I decided it would be a good time to try before Jillian and I make the trip south. At least I would before-hand whether or not I'd like it. Even though spicy foods and I don't mix, I thought it was terrific! Seriously, it was excellent food from a hole in the wall place I would have NEVER stepped foot in before. I had jerk chicken over rice with some kind of cabbage/vegetable slaw. Before I found out that portions were enormous, I ordered a side of fried plantains (which tasted like sweet potatoes). Awesome place. So great in fact that I went straight to work and posted a review about them on TripAdvisor.com . If you're ever in the mood for Jamaican food in Mobile, this is the place to go. They've apparently been there for 11 years so I don't think they're going anywhere.

PS. Also a great place to buy Jamaican trinkets, small flags, dvd's about who knows what and some kind of "tonic wine" that makes you good in bed.

Big News

Three weeks ago I started my new job with the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I'll be starting off as an Accountant II in the Purchasing department, but it appears as though that may only be a temporary or partial position. I keep hearing from multiple people that I'm being groomed for bigger and better things. We'll see.

Regardless of what happens with the job, I'll say I'm very pleased to be back in a legitimate office again... and not some laundry room full of office furniture. The furniture is nearly the exact same I had with my last job so that makes me feel right at home. I even have a nice second floor window view of a park between the administration building and student center.

For the first time in a long time I went to a music concert.  Local radio station 92ZEW was sponsoring a free concert in Downtown Mobile for Vance Joy; an Australian musician that I had been following for about a year. Unfortunately, it was both an after work show and at a bar Jillian refused to return to, so I ventured out with some friends. The show was great even though he played every single song in his catalog except for the one I wanted to hear. Oh well. It was still an enjoyable show.

In other news, Jillian and I have been watching a bunch of World Cup soccer games. We decided about two days in that it would be much more entertaining if we picked teams. I'm pretty sure we're both batting over .500 on our picks, but to this point, she's two games up on me.

The United States were knocked out in the round of 16 this year, after escaping what media called the 'group of death'. We got to the round of 16 by defeating Ghana, tying a Portugal team led by Ronaldo and losing to Germany (0-1). In the first single elimination game, we took Belgium to extra time at 0-0, but they were taking shots nearly the entire game and ended up with the 2-1 victory. It was only an entertaining game in that we witnessed US goal keeper Tim Howard break the world cup record for saves in a game with 16.

Just prior to one of the US soccer games, Jillian and I went to brunch in Mobile to meet up with some friends. It was our first time eating at the Blind Mule; which I thought was just a dive bar. I was surprised to find out that they serve food and expensive bottomless mimosas.

We went to the beach again last Sunday, just so we could urinate in the ocean. Not much of a story there.

Semi-related to both the beach and work: With my new job comes an interesting holiday schedule. I lost my 23 days of PTO but gained university holidays that include Christmas time off from Dec 23 to Jan 2. Because I'll only have been working for a few months and will not have accrued much regular vacation time, Jillian and I have decided to take a vacation over that break. Hoping to enjoy some warm weather during the winter, we've decided to head south of the border and enjoy some Jamaican sun. We had the good fortune of coming across an all inclusive Hyatt resort in Montego Bay that was having a grand reopening, 50% off sale so we jumped on it. In true organized, Jillian fashion my wife has already started our travel folder. Hopefully this trip will be as enjoyable as the last.

We had our yard sale. It was very profitable but we were still left with a garage full of junk. Jillian's continuing to sell things like clothing and videos on Facebook, but I have a feeling that the vast majority of what's left will eventually make it's way to goodwill. I hate to give things away, but it's better than becoming a hoarder... or at least that's what I'm told.

This is what it looked like at the end.

Lastly,  With all the extra space in the house after the yard sale, we were able to move some furniture around and finally set up my man cave/auburn room. Here's the result of that days work: