A Sliver of Brain Matter

Well, the last month (and a few days) of the year have arrived! It's been quite a tumultuous 2008! In February I lost my job-- one I really enjoyed! In April I found a new job-- one I didn't enjoy, but it is growing on me, and I do it well. Friendships were lost, but new ones made. That hasn't happened to me in a long time. Since college, I'd say... but as the saying goes "good riddance to bad rubbish" and I'll add "and to high school mentalities!" I've started a bootstrap non-profit ( ATX Winterguard ) that is currently operating in the black, is gaining notice around the area, and will hopefully continue to be strong and productive in the goals I've set out. I've hired an all-volunteer staff that is amazing, and I wouldn't trade them for anything! My goal is to be able to pay them next year! Judy and I are still married and still going strong. I love her so much! I wish I could let her know just how much she means to me, but

I set out a goal to update this blog at least weekly, but instead have updated weakly :-( The past month has been incredibly busy for me! At work, we finally got a whole lot of projects that need to be completed quickly-- mostly by the beginning of December. So, I have been working pretty late compared to my normal business hours. Since I work for a major company, I don't like to put in long hours, but I've been doing it lately to make sure I don't have to take work home over the weekends. So, lately I've been working from 8:30 am until 6:00 or later. This past week was the first close-to-40 hour week I've had since the beginning of October. I only worked 40.5 hours. I know a lot of people probably think that's nothing, but when you're accustomed to working 37.5 hours a week (like I was), and making MORE money than you currently make, you can see why it might be difficult to increase the hours you work and not see an increase in income. I've been red