Relaxed

I just had the most relaxing weekend. Jessica, Branson and I just watched movies, played games and Lego’s all weekend. We also went and saw “Night at the Museum” at the Rave and it was very good. It was just a laid back, simple, low key weekend.

Now it is Monday morning and it is hard for me to focus on work. I have to work a double tonight so I am not looking forward to this 17 hour day. At least I am off job number 2, after today, until Saturday morning.

I am still working on a way out of my main job. We are ending our contract with our consulting engineering firm and doing that all in house as of July 1st. On top of that our chief engineer is retiring in April and our chief architect is going back to Iraq in June. So the work load will increase significantly over what it is now come July 1st and there will only be two of us left to do it all. I know it would be simple, one would think, just to hire more people. The thing is people do not want to work here for a couple of reasons but mainly the low pay and poor working conditions. Last time we hired a PE Engineer it was advertised for 2 years before we filled it. Our GIS position has been advertised for 2 years and it is still not filled and we have an engineering tech position that has been advertised for 1.5 years and still not filled. I have to be out of here by July 1st.

Right now I am concentrating on my photography. It has been doing well. I started actively pursing it in October or November and I have done one show and I have pictures hanging at two local restaurants. I hope to have a booth in the ART SCENE in North Little Rock in March or April. I am creating a pretty good portfolio now. I still need to work on my portraitures. For that though I need models. I taking 3 photography classes this winter so I hope I learn some good stuff.

2007

It is a new year and a new beginning. 2006 was such a tremulous year. Jess and I bought a house and got engaged, my sister was diagnosed with cancer and is currently fighting her biggest battle, and I have decided to fallow passion of photography and hopefully make it into a career. I accomplished two of my life goals this past year. It has been a year of ups and downs but ultimately it was a good year.

I have made a lot of goals (resolutions just sounds too flighty to use) for 2007. One of them is to volunteer with an environmental group locally. The environment/outdoors is a passion of mine. I want to not only volunteer myself but get my son involved. He is old enough to now really to start to help and to understand the importance of volunteering.

I also want to develop a retirement plan. Middle age is creeping up on me and I want to get a plan together so I can be ready for the future.