I was discussing with a colleague of mine recently about our impending job loses.Since she and I will be heading out the same door at about the same time our conversation ventured into the current job market.Talk about depressing.
In our discussion she had an interesting insight about us as the older applicants in the job market.She argued that we as older job seekers tend to fare better than our younger counterparts.Her reasoning was that our generation (baby boomers) have been imparted with the knowledge of good “common sense.”
As a parent, I had to applaud her reasoning.We of this generation have done our children a disservice by not grounding them in a foundation of good common sense.
Those of you who are parents of pre teens or teenagers, you know it.Watch your kids freak out if the microwave stops working.How will they “cook” their meal?How many of you had your child beg you to let them tattoo or pierce something on their body?The radio in their car doesn’t work so they though it was a good idea to just use their ipod and earphones.
I’m not judging our children’s intelligence.The children we are raising have the intellect to do more than we could ever hope to.What parent isn’t constantly getting their ass handed to them on Guitar Hero or some Wii game?
Why won’t they let me win sometimes?
Hell, I haven’t been able to help my kids with their school work since they started the eighth grade.And yes, I have a college degree!My sixteen year old brought her math homework home the other day and it looked like she was working on the formula for creating an atom bomb.
Common sense is not learned in school.It’s learned at home.Many parents have forgotten that for kids to survive in this world they need the knowledge to know that not everything is grey.Sometimes the answer is black and white.
My appreciation for cigars has been an on again, off again affair. My first cigar as a young adult made me turn green in the gills.But through the years I have found an appreciation for the subtleties of the cigar.
Cigars are tasted and appreciated much like wine.Connoisseurs or aficionados as they are called, appreciate the nuances that the tobacco brings to its smoker.Where as wines will be described as “soft and elegant” or “ripe and round” with “flavors of insert fruit name here,” cigars will use “toasty and creamy” or “spicy with nutty notes” to describe their complexity.
So with an appreciation for cigars and being of the male persuasion, I have ventured far and wide to present the following cigar ads.Some you’ll recognize from days gone by, others I just like and are fun.
Life has certainly been interesting the last few weeks.Strange things have been brewing and it makes a man sit and ponder.Hmmm….
Ouch
On Monday I stopped by the vending machine and bought a box of these
I admit, I have a really bad sweet tooth and my love for these candy coated black licorice beauties is, wait for it….legendary.
So I popped one in my mouth and felt a crunch that wasn’t normal.I ended up breaking a tooth.The back molar to be exact.Over $400 later I’m the proud owner of my first crown.
Yeah, you can feel the sarcasm…
Vacation?
The wife and I just finished a week and a half vacation together and we both survived not wanting to kill each other.This was a practice vacation for when I’m out of work in about three weeks.Then it will probably be a fairly extended vacation for me.She’s already got the honey do list going.
“What color did you want the kitchen, honey.”
Head Colds
Probably the reason we survived the mini vacation together was because we both were fighting head colds.Misery loves company, I guess.
We suffered together, even through Disneyland.
Cigars
I’ve been moving my internet favorites from my office machine over to my home computer this past week.I had over 20 cigar sites listed, from review sites to on-line stores.
That’s not obsessive, is it?
Cell Phones
When I leave this job in three weeks I need to give them their Blackberry back.That means I need to start shopping for a new cell phone.I’ve been looking and trying to decide what features I need and what I can live without.Being a techie geek, I want all the bells and whistles, but the practical side is screaming for me to go simple.
This is going to be tough…
Oldest Daughter
Currently she is in the middle of her junior year at college.She’s a communications major with the emphasis in Public Relations.However, for the last year she’s been a writer for the school’s newspaper.In fact this past semester she was given her own column on the Opinions Page.She writes with a mature insight and a bit of humor (not unlike her dad) and it has not gone unnoticed.She was recently asked to consider taking a position as the Editor and Chief for the paper.
Maybe she should have chosen Journalism instead.
Middle Daughter (Princess)
Starting this weekend she will be involved with a major controversy that has been newsworthy nationwide.Her high school will be putting on the High School version of “Rent.”This version is much tamer than the original play but still retains many of the controversial characters.It has not been staged by many schools as of yet and those that have put it on have had to endure criticism for doing so.This upcoming performance is not an exception.
The local law enforcement has told the high school that there is several planned demonstration outside of the school.Reporters from CBS and numerous newspapers are planning to be there on opening night.
Though I am conflicted with the choice of this show, I am proud of her and her costars for bravely going forward.
Youngest Daughter
Her accomplishments are proudly displayed in my previous post.
The Bread Winner
My wife who is a private school grade school teacher recently found out that she will be the mentor (leader) for her grade level.Let’s give a big round of applause for the little lady.Thankfully they love her there and she loves teaching.Especially since in three weeks she’ll be the primary bread winner in the family.
Or another Anne Geddes or Margaret Bourke-White in her future?
I’m trying very had not to be THAT proud dad.You know the type.The guy whose chest is pushed out and tends to walk a little bit taller. That guy who runs around with a smug look on his face.That dad who would love nothing better than to jump on the tables and shout to the world, “Yeah, I’m the dad of that genius child over there”.
But when your daughter is chosen from all the local high schools for her talent you’ve got to do something.
My youngest is in her second year in high school.Her mother and I had to beg her to take photography.She thought she couldn’t do it.You know teenage confidence is not always there.But we all recognized that she had talent.She seems to live with a camera in her hand.And they way she sees the world and takes pictures in it, well it just amazes me.
So her photography teacher at school found a photo he liked and told her he wanted to submit it for competition.Friday they announced the winners and she won her division.
The proud dad submits the photo for all of you to see.Enjoy….
Guess what the wife and I did yesterday, without kids?
No, not what your thinking.
The wife and I are on vacation this week and we decided to use the 2fer deal for the parks.We went to Disney’s California Adventure first.We’ll hit Disneyland in a few weeks.
Here are some pictures of our day.I’ll bore you with the details later.
By the way, who knew there was so much alcohol available in the happiest place on earth….
