I have officially been employed for four weeks now. It seems like only yesterday I was placing resumes on every online job board I could find. It all worked out through my professional network. It is how I have found most of my jobs. The only full time I job I found on my own was the one that delivered us to South Carolina. Even though I did not know a single person from that company, I made a connection with the hiring manager through his former home three blocks from where we lived in Ocean View (Norfolk).

I'll be traveling to Chattanooga this week for job site orientation. I look forward to getting this project underway and really getting into the swing of work. for the last two weeks I have been contacting several of my network friends in the search for more projects my new company can pursue. This is new territory for me. I am used to having the jobs assigned to me by others who have depended on the marketing department. Now I am part of the marketing department and I can better understand the importance of the job. The bottom line is, if I want to avoid the unemployment line again within the next six months, I have to help find more projects (contracts).

Enough about work, lets talk about entertainment and recreation. Thursday I happened to check my email in the morning and read a message from Jonathan Byrd's http://www.jonathanbyrd.com/ newsletter. He was to playing the Purple Onion that night and I let it slip my mind. The Purple Onion is a little gourmet restaurant in Saluda, NC. It is twenty minutes from our house. I called for reservations and we booked a table for dinner and the show. Thursday night chows are free which works good for us. We enjoyed personal pizzas, some crab and cheese spread and a table guest. Jonathan joined us for dinner and we enjoyed catching up with our friend. The show was excellent as always. We picked up his latest CD and had him sign it.

Saturday morning I was up early, as always, and loaded up the trash for a dump run. Gin was heading to Simpsonville for a health fair as a representative for March of Dimes. I packed my disc golf bag and headed for Greer after the dump run. I arrived at Century Park around 7: 30 and was greeted by the only occupants on the grounds, the squirrels. It was several months since the last time I played this course and wasn't sure how I would do. My game was solid for the first time through the entire round. I threw a 55 on this par 60 course. Many baskets that had given me troubles before, all of sudden didn't appear so difficult. I had zero bogies, five birdies and no lost discs.

After disc golf I dropped off a check at the bank and picked up some pizzas (frozen) for dinner. Finally back at home I grabbed the gas can for the weed eater and filled it up at the corner store. I had the lawn cut and weeded by 1:00 and was cleaned up and ready for Nolan and Gin to arrive a little after 2:00. I picked up a Bowen Burger from Ragan's corner store and was impressed enough to put it on my list of places to get a good cheep meal.

Gin and Nolan were home around 2:30 and we enjoyed the afternoon playing with cars, puzzles, books and whatever else kept his attention. Patrick and Jessica picked him up around 8:00. We visited for a little while, until Nolan was jabbering unrecognizable words (he was exhausted).

There are a lot of underlying events in our lives that many people never know. Many people close to us see the mask we wear and have no idea what is really happening. Most of the time we do these things to keep them from worrying. Those closest to us know things aren't right just by our actions, reactions and other behaviors. Being in control of the events in our lives is ultimately our responsibility. We want things to appear to be normal and we never want to burden anyone with our problems. It is only human nature to keep part of our lives to ourselves. Dignity and pride are things that are truly ours to protect.

When we see people we love or total strangers, we never know how difficult their lives are. We never know hard is to be who they are. I have many shortcomings and at times a lack of respect for others. This lack of respect is unintentional (most times) and stems from dwelling on my own situations. I do try to remember that every person is doing the best they can at whatever it is they are trying to do. They may appear to be acting irrationally, but they might think the same about us.

I am thankful that everyone does not think and act the way I do. That every person is unique in their own way. This is what makes our world so interesting, lively and colorful. Hating a person or group of people because they do not see things the way we do is not going to solve anything. I am trying understand my prejudices and premonitions so that I may better accept people for who they are and not what they believe, how they look or what they do.

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