Transition Time

I am currently in transition.  My last job position wrapped on November 1.  I've been working with a career consultant to get my resume updated and to develop a cogent career search strategy.

Snowing in the Metroplex

I drove to work in the snow this morning. Actually, before I could leave the driveway, I had to sweep the snow off my car. It's not currently below freezing, and not supposed to today, but it might tonight.

RTB-Dallas January '10 Meeting

We had the first meeting of the year today for the Reasons to Believe (RTB) - Dallas Network. We had twelve people in attendance, including three first-time visitors.

Toastmasters Learning Institute and Old Haunts

We just got back from the Toastmasters Leadership Institute at Concord Baptist Church in the southern side of Dallas, close to Dallas Executive Airport and Southwest Center Mall. I was there to take Vice President of Education training on behalf of Hillcrest Club. Roxanne was there to take Sergeant at Arms training on behalf of Roving 49ers.

Since we were down there, I was curious to see what the area looks like now. Some places I recognized and some places have changed so much that I couldn't even remember what they used to look like.

We went inside the mall, which was a rather unsettling experience. It seemed to be run down and to have a really low occupancy rate. We drove by our old house on Canelo and Mark Trail Way. On the whole, the exterior of the house looks about the same. There are now windows where the doors were in the garage that my dad had built behind the house. It made me wonder if they've turned the garage into an apartment.

The old West Cliff Mall up the street was torn down years ago and replaced with a strip mall. St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, where my Scout Troop was, is still there.

We drove over to the old church building for Beverly Hills Baptist Church. It's still standing, but looked like maintenance is marginal at best. I thought I saw what looked like ceiling hanging down in one of the upstairs rooms.

The old Bronco Bowl entertainment center is gone. In its place is a Home Depot.

I wish we'd had more time to drive around and explore, but I didn't want to spend the whole day over there, either.

Home Maintenance

We've been having some major home maintence work for the last two weeks. Our plumber has had to chisel a hole through our coat closet to get to a broken line under the house. Meanwhile, we've also had the house re-insulated and put in new garage doors with openers.

The door openers required having an electrician come out to run a new power outlet. In the process, he managed to slip and punch through the garage ceiling.

The plumbing is fixed, but now he's got to come back and fill in the hole.

We're also going to have the electrician come back to do some work to bring our wiring closer to current code.

Let's Try This Again

Hmmm... The last post on this blog was May 2008. Who would know that I'm a writer by profession?

Update

I used to have a recurring nightmare that I was back in college, it was the week of finals, and I suddenly remembered that I had signed up for a class that I'd only attended once. I wondered if that particular dream had something to do with a fear that I was neglecting responsibilities or opportunities.

A friend recently reminded me that I have this blog and that he hadn't seen any recent entrees in it. Oops. I didn't know anyone actually checked this thing.

Okay, so here's a quick update:

I went permanent at Fujitsu in late January.

I'm still in Toastmasters. Starting in July, I'm taking over as area governor for Area 72 in District 50.

Starting back in January, the Dallas chapter of Reasons to Believe restarted monthly meetings. Most have been at our house. I'm nearly finished with the volunteer apologist training program. I have to finish a paper to complete the second course. It's taking forever to write the paper, but I'm roughly halfway done.

Roxanne and I are still volunteering with ISI. We had the summer welcome party for ICF last night. Last weekend, we went to a Frisco Roughriders game and an ICF leadership retreat.

We are active members of Heritage Church in Richardson. Roxanne sings on the worship team. I'm an usher, among other things. A few weeks ago, I received a certificate for completing Pastor Sheats' Leadership Institute program, which involved 2 yearss of classes.

In a few weeks, Roxanne and I are going to California. Her family is having a reunion in Stockton. Since we'll be there already, we plan to spend a few days in the San Francisco area.

That's all for now.