Selina called me today in tears because she and several dozen other L.I.M. employees were herded into a meeting room and told that they no longer have jobs. From what she was telling me, some really good people got let go. It's crazy how life can change so quickly -- last week we were celebrating her promotion and today we're making sure we'll be fine as a one-paycheck family. Don't worry, we'll be fine...just means that we won't be purchasing that 47" LCD TV that we've been talking about.

Truth be told, I think I would probably feel like crying, too. She was so excited about learning a new skillset in her new position only to have the rug pulled out from underneath her before she could really get a good footing. In fact, her release paperwork still had her listed under her old department. Guess her effective date on her promotion had not come yet. In a way, it's like they demoted her and then laid her off. What a crock.

Today I decided that I no longer felt like sweeping the driveway like a caveman, so I went to Wal-Mart to purchase an electric leaf blower. The guy in front of me was on his phone while the cashier was checking him out, but if that wasn't bad enough he actually started trying to haggle with the cashier over a TV tray once he finally got off the phone. I kid you not, haggling! He kept telling that cashier that he did not agree with the price and would give her no more than $4 for it (it was a $5 TV tray). After trying to explain to him (with the help of a manager) for about 5 minutes that the prices are clearly marked and can't be negotiated, the guy swiped his credit card through the machine and paid for the $5 TV tray. When the cashier told him to have a good day, he replied, "I certainly will not with prices like these". Hahaha...what a blowhole.

With less than a month left until Selina and I hit the pavement for the 2008 Race For The Cure, we are trying to get back into our running rhythm. This year will be the 2nd year that we are doing the timed race, meaning that we feel obligated to beat our times from last year -- mine was 27:19, which I'm pretty sure I can beat. And while I have your attention, I'll go ahead and throw a shameless request for donations towards finding a cure in here...see my donation page for more details.

In addition to the running, Selina has also convinced me to start the 100 Push Up Challenge with her, meaning that we are alternating the running with the push-ups. Today was Week 1, Day 1 and I can already feel it in my arms, chest and shoulders. Hmm...seems like a good little workout plan to me. I maxed out at 17 consecutive push-ups tonight (as part of the 10,12,7,7,max), which I think is pretty good. Let's see if my feelings change in the morning when my muscles start telling me what they think.

That's right, we are now within one year of our wedding date. Guess we need to start working on the Save the Date cards...

Looks like the 3rd time was the charm after all...I am now the Western Desktop Support Team Lead! I've actually known about it for about a week now, but I've been unable to publicly announce it until today. Damn, knowing and not being able to tell everyone about it is about as bad as having to fart in church but being stuck in the middle of the pew (no pun intended).

I officially start in my new position on Monday, October 20th, but tomorrow is my first meeting with Dax (our supervisor) to go over my new responsibilities. Going into this I already knew the top things I would have to overcome: one, my fear that at some point I may have to actually get tough on somebody and, two, that I have to master the art of delegation. Number one is a challenge because I'm not really an in-your-face kind of person and I'm not a big fan of confrontation unless I'm feeling threatened. Number two is a challange because I always feel that I have to take of something myself in order to ensure that it gets done right.

In any case, I'm really excited about this new position. The only thing I can hope for is that I can give it my best and that I don't make a fool of myself in the process.