Tag Archives: Northern Virginia

Not a Short Timer, Just an Old Timer

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After a lot of gut-wrenching moments, we’ve decided to remain exactly where we are, in regards to both residence and jobs1. The angst over the life/work situation came to a close today, about 20 minutes before what was to have been my farewell lunch, which turned into a salute to our team of admins, and the standing up of our 300th Red Hat powered server. Somehow, word that this wasn’t a farewell lunch had gotten out2, and the following dialogue ensued:

Co-worker: Ken, are we really saluting your last day?
Me: Salute anything you please, just don’t anyone plan on looting any shit out of my shabby cubicle come Monday.

A few laughs, and outstanding barbecue followed.

I talked with the CFWISF, had an interview set up for September 9. They then subsequently decided to fill the position “via promotion from within”3.

My current employer is a stand-up organization, and they are working on some ideas to ease my workplace concerns, and I’m sure they will come through as best they can.

Now, all that remains is to decline the West Virginia gig4, cancel the movers who were coming on Saturday to make an estimate, tell our WV real estate lady of our change of plans, and cancel my hotel reservations for next week.

I’m happy and looking forward to the future. Even in Northern Virginia. Even though there were at least three drivers on the commute home who richly deserved the proper salute for their Neanderthal driving courtesy.

You can’t have it all. We soldier on.

-k-

1 My Little Bride will still semi-retire, but that was also semi-planned, just a matter of time.

2 There are no secrets in Cubesville Halls

3 A concept I endorse, even though I was without in this case.

4 Something that is somewhat painful, both that it has to happen, but more so for the late notice.

Week on, Week off

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One more week in my shabby cubicle in a nondescript building in a nondescript industrial park. The next week, it’s an Al Bundy vacation of sorts. My little bride and I plan to give our townhouse a good dunging-out and rearranging.

For the first time, we’ll rent a space from Public Storage or somesuch like place, and move valuable dreck from our house to there1. I never thought I’d pay to have crap stored. But we need the space, and that dreck we store will hopefully grace another house, in a land far away from Northern Virginia, at some later time.

In the interim, we’ll have a nice, tidy, and neat place. That’s my story, anyhow,

-k-
[stags]NorthernVirginia, life, work[/stags]

1 Never collect 1/24 scale NASCAR diecasts without adequate space in which to display same.

Carolina, RoVA, NoVA

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SWMBO and I are safely ensconced back at tbbs World HQ, following the drive from Conway SC back to Northern Virginia. The trip was routine, except for a real “flat rock” rain that happened just north of Richmond. A little time in a nearby Walgreen’s parking lot, along with the munching of a few Cheetos while the rain subsided, and we were rolling again.

We’re tired, but happy. And our faithful cat was delighted to see us again. The feeling was mutual.

-k-

The Buddy Lily

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I write from time to time about our son Ryan, who died long before his time as far as SWMBO and I are concerned. We always called him Buddy. Our church had a long-standing custom where congregants could purchase an Easter lily, fill out an “In Memory of ..” form, and have it displayed on the altar for Easter services. The lily was then yours to take home after the late service.

So, after Buddy’s death, we’d buy a lily, dutifully bring it home after the service, and put it beside George the ficus tree 1 whereupon the lily would die in the first week we had it. And not just a turning brown; no, these poor plants would turn black, shrivel to nothing, leaving only a pot full of dirt. As years went by, we repeated this ritual, until I suggested to SWMBO that we couldn’t keep torturing these lilies forever, and proposed that she dig a hole beside the fence out back, plant the lily, and at least give it a fighting chance to survive.

To the results are pictured above, and in spite of the fact that Easter is long gone, this is the time of year these things bloom in Northern Virginia.

Easter or not, when this plant blooms, we think of Buddy.

-k-

This picture posted with the click to embiggen feature, if you’re here at the tbbs site.

1 I name computers; SWMBO names plants.

Where I’d Go

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OK, I’ve hinted that I am less than enamored with hate Northern Virginia. And not being one to sit idly by, I present here the CONUS map of the places where I could live, work, and survive.

Color coding should be evident, but just in case:

  • Black = Lights out. When donkeys fly.1
  • Burgundy = The state is not ruled out; specific areas within each are.
  • Green = Plunk me down anywhere in the border; I can and will make do.

One caveat on the greens; I’m a drylander, so I’m at least 100 miles from the coastline.

Define, refine, and go at it again. That’s how it works. And I’ll have a series of posts on the greens and burgundies as this blog rolls on.

-k-

Maps courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps used with permission.

1 Unless the donkeys bring megabucks.

The Tour Rolls Eastward

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After much feasting and mirth in Arkansas, SWMBO and I crossed two states today, and find ourselves in Bristol TN, a scant(comparatively) 350 miles from the tbbs Homestead. After a swing by Bristol Motor Speedway tomorrow on a reconnaissance mission, it’s north on I-81, and back to Northern Virginia. It would be nice to say home to Northern Virginia, but Northern Virginia is not very homelike. But then, the cat is there, and he’ll be glad to see us.

-k-

Legislative Nitwittery on Parade

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In the Maryland State Legislature, Democratic Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk has introduced a measure that would sieze the remaining cash on unused gift cards, and divert that money into the state’s educational system.

Read that again. Yep, she wants to take the balances on gift cards which have been unused for four or more years, sieze the funds, and transfer the proceeds to the state’s educational budget. During her presentation of the bill:

She argued that companies are unfairly keeping money paid for gift cards and gift certificates.

Unfair? If I run a business, and you pay me fifty bucks in advance for goods or services; I’m obligated to honor your deposit. If you never return to claim those goods and services, that money is now mine. How am I unfairly keeping it? According to this astute legislator:

Pena-Melnyk calls it “enrichment for the companies.”

I call it being a dumbass consumer, who is unable to spend free money. And, Ms Pena-Melnyk, profit is not a dirty word, though it apparently is to you.

How is the state going to track the unused portions of gift cards? That’s right, by forcing businesses to do the state’s dirty work, and file annual reports on unused balances meeting the criteria. This unnecessarily adds to administrative costs for business.

Finally,

It’s also unclear whether the state would have to advertise before seizing money from each gift card, as is the custom for other abandoned property taken by the government.

Government in action: spend a buck to collect 10 cents. I have ample confidence in the Maryland government to do just that. Congratulations, Maryland, as a true-blue “Year of the Chickenshit” participant.

As much as Northern Virginia sucks, at least it isn’t Maryland. Hmmm, there may be a slogan in there someplace.

-k-

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Lumped Out

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OK, the POD is empty and swept out. We rescheduled its pickup for Tuesday. SWMBO and I are awash now in a sea of boxes. As much work as moving to someplace we’d like to live, except we’re still in Northern Virginia.

I can’t say enough good things about PODS. Their customer service is excellent, and they’ve embraced on-line self-management of your account in a big way. You can schedule deliveries, pick-ups, etc., all on-line, and a confirmation email is promptly received. I suppose they don’t have PODS in the places we’d like to live, but if we were actually in such a place, we wouldn’t be looking to leave either.

Now, on to the mound of boxes.

-k-

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Be it Ever so Rude

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SWMBO and I got back about 4PM local time, after 2100+ miles, 6 nights, and three states. In the 2 hours we’ve been home, I’ve witnessed more instances of dumbass driving and other general A-type yuppie rudeness than in the entire 2100 miles and six days combined.

I miss the South already. NoVA (Northern Virginia) most assuredly is not South; RoVA(Rest of Virginia)1 is definitely South.

-k-

1 – RoVA may be found South of I-64 here in the Commonwealth.