Bah, HUMBUG!!

It's my last day of work at the College, and it's also my 36th (read: OLD) birthday.

Wife and kids threw me a Star Wars party. They were all wearing Darth vader helmet masks, and my in-laws and a friend of ours came over. Had cake, blew out the candles, and Logan and Connor helped me open presents. They them proceeded to wear my new shirts I got until bathtime.

I have a lead or two on jobs. I am still looking.

My sister called me already this morning. (Thanks, Kris).

I'll keep everyone posted on what happens next.

Still going

I am still in the job search...I have some good leads, I just don't want to say what they are, in case they don't pan out.

We'll see what happens. I am putting my trust in God and my wanting to provide for my family to guide me.

And so it begins

I have been searching for a job for 3 days now. No calls. I know that it's going to take a while, but I can always hope that it doesn't, and that I transition seamlessly from one job to another. We shall wait and see.

As The Shoe Drops

Well, my birthday will be bitter-sweet...(okay, just bitter, since I'm over the mid 30's hump). I found out yetserday that the federal government will NOT be renewing our grant keeping us afloat at the college, and I will be umong the ranks of the unemployed.

But, I have a resumé, and I am NOT afraid to use it!! I also have extra refills for my G-2, and I will be getting reference letters here before too much longer. So, I am set. Now, if I could just learn Spanish in 2 weeks.

Pressure

Now that the blurb announcing this blog to friends and family ran in the paper, I need to update it more and keep it pithy.

What was I thinking?

Impulse control is not one of my better attributes...

School's in!

First day of Pre-K for the boys. They are excited. Logan wanted his mom to hold his hand while he checked things out. He then went in, started playing, and forgot about his mother.

I think they'll adjust fine.

Finally!!

My new colmn is out. You can read it here:
www.valleystar.com/articles/2006/08/14/opinions/opinion2.txt

Smart Kid!

My in-laws were watching the twins, when Logan climbs up in my father-in-law's lap and tells him "Your name is God Popo (my last name)."

My father-in-law asked him why was that his name, to which Logan replied:

"Because you love me more than anything, like God!!"

I just bought this new stuff I saw on TV to relieve headaches. It's called "Head On". Does anyone know where to apply it?

Oh, well

I got my first rejection letter from the syndicators today. It was from Tribune Media Services (TMS), and it read as follows:

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your proposal for possible syndication at TMS. Rest assured that your work was reviewed by and editor. While we may have found merit in your york, we are not currently launching new features in this content area. We are concentrating on other areas or have sufficient content at this time in the field in which you specialize.

TMS receives many submissions that are of high quality, but we can not take the vast majority. Each submission requires extensive marketing and selling effort, and we introduce a relatively small number of new features each year. Also, TMS editors often solicit and develop material for syndication that does not arrive in the form of a submission.

We do appreciate your interest and wish you the best in placing your feature elsewhere. Should we shift our focus to your area of expertise, we now have you on the radar for consideration.

Thank you,
Mary Elson
Managing Editor/Tribune Media Services

It doesn't hurt when you expect it. One down, three more to go...

The widow

About a month or so from now, my wife will be what is usually referred to as a "Football Widow". The NFL is kicking up soon, and I will be spending either my Sunday afternoons, nights, or Monday nights watching football. And watching more SportsCenter and ESPN News so I can catch up on the games I missed. She hates this time of year for that reason alone.

Maybe Connor and Logan will start watching it with me....

Ode

Today is the birthday of a friend of mine from Jr. High and High School, named Baden Rowland.

I haven't seen you in 15 years, but still...happy birthday.

Critiques

I have received two critiques for my work. The first one was from B. A. Mata of Brownsville, TX, which read:

"I had a good laugh at the well-written essay on overly seasoned food printed May 7 written by Jason Wreden, which was titled “No reasoning for the seasoning.” I have cut the letter out and added it to my collection on the refrigerator door."

Thank you, Mr. or Ms. Mata. I aprreciate it.

Then, I had Mr. Don Kique, also of Brownsville, TX, respond to my "Real men wear tights?" column with a great, one word critique:

"WHAT?!"

So eloquent, Mr. Kique. I wrte back and asked what he didn't understand about the column, and I would be more than happy to explain it to him.

Any other questions?

Not so Blue Sky

"Blue Sky" is the Allman Brothers Band song that is stuck in my head this morning, and I WANT IT OUT!! I don't want any Allman Bros. band song in my hand, since I am boycotting them!
A little background:

I was a HUGE Allman Bros. fan for many years. I had the anthology, a few of their albums, and knew every lineup from the 60's until now. I may not have agreed with their politics, but I LOVED the blues-based rock. Then something happened that made me angry.

They fired Dickey Betts.

So? You may ask. They fired one guy. Big whoop. You have to understand that Dickey Betts was the writer of "Ramblin' Man", one of their (if not THE) biggest hits. He also wrote some great jams, like "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Pegasus". I even had a variation of the spelling of "Enlightened Rogues" (one of their best, but under appreciated albums) as a screen name for a while. He is arguably one of the best rock guitarists ever. On the same level as Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Billy Gibbons, Ted Nugent, and Jimi Hendrix. He gave them some of the greatest lyrics as well.

If he has just left, it would have been different. It wasn't amicable, and they won't have anything to do with him. So, I don't want anything to do with the Allmans any more. Until they bring Mr. Betts back.