When it rains it pours

It sure has been a long winter. When I first moved to NC, I had trouble adjusting to the heat in the summer time. This year, it's the cold that is getting to me. I try to adapt to change, but it just doesn't come easy. On top of the cold weather, the transmission in my truck is out, there are several problems with my car, and the van could use a few repairs. On top of all that, Kelly and the boys have been sick, it seems to be non stop for 4 weeks now. Work has been a little frustrating, with one project in assembly that I just can't meet customer specifications on. I think that management & the customer are understanding, and hopefully some progress will be made tomorrow.

My list of complaints could go on and on. I try to see the good inspite of the bad. Sometimes it is just overwhelming.

On the bright side, our tax refund was decent this year. I do not like to get a lot back - hate the thought of loaning the government money. After a tough financial 2009, the tax return should help us get back on a solid financial foundation.

I've got a week of vacation that I may need to take before the end of March. Had hoped to go to Haiti, but that was before the earthquakes - not sure I could help out at this time. Maybe I'll use the vacation to spend some time with the Kelly and the boys, get some things done around the house, or if it were to work out it would be great to go see Mariano again.

Verizon has me upset. I lowered out minutes at their suggestion and my bill has not dropped like they told me it would. One month it actually jumped up significantly. At the end of this month I am eligible for a phone upgrade and had hoped to get a Droid. Now I am not so sure that would be the wisest move. I need to take the bill into the store and get the right plan in place or switch networks.

Oh yea - the quiet Mike Rice stirred a hornets nest this week at work. I've been getting feedback from my coworkers that a vendor has been providing bad quality and delivery. So I sent out a nasty-gram letting the vendor know that I had other options if they couldn't correct the issues. They have been emailing me and calling me every day since to make sure I keep specifying their components. They sent me a long email and lengthy attachment trying to show they were not the problem on delivery. Our purchasing agent is a fireball and she informed me that she has a paper trail showing where the vendor is the problem. I really hate controversy. There will be some compromise as some of the product will not meet our requirements - the remaining problem is overcoming the complicated part numbering system the vendor has. In the end I think I will be able to help implement some kind of solution to smooth this out. If not, there are other options.

Better quit rambling and get some sleep.