28 Years of Service

The times they are a changing.   With what I know I feel secure at my desk but wonder if a younger person could do a better job.   The older I get the less stress I seem to be able to handle.   Like an old rusty wheel, I get cranky.   Kernice Swepson is retired now as of yesterday.   She was too cranky at work and with her management challenge it is not surprising.   We will see how business down at Anprolene does without her.

A two year absence finds me own self of the same mind: I would like more time.  And now that I have my own second home there is only a year to leave Carrboro.  No easy task.  My job will be hard to leave too, and I hope I don't find myself in exile at the beach.  There is another side of this life, I believe.

Consequences of working are financial, income, investments and bills for services and purchases.  Also emotional wear and tear along with time.  Druthers would be ease and rest, read, music, bicycle, housekeep, garden, food, maybe write.  Learn.  Pursue interests.  Help somehow the world I live in.  Be comfortable.  Heaven.

Never having become a mother is to miss certain joy, but also constitutes a trade off for equal shares of pain.  Life is not easy.  Having the freedom that is unparalleled in human history for the relative peace I've enjoyed at the expense of my parents participation in WWII is to be in an enviable position.  I have enough.  Not too much, but I hope to be independent for the rest of my life, and live it modestly.

Sunday morning is so heavenly.  No pressure.  Seek what is good.  Still there are things to be done, in spite of dreaded Monday looming in the near future.  Once I get there it's not so bad, but still more time would be real nice.

Alice and Skippy 1963

Birthday Bash.  Fabulous party last night for my boss's one and only son, a very successful doctor and handsome 50 year old whose lovely wife arranged this surprise for a pretty large crowd, all friends of the honoree.  My 67th year started today with only Pete sending an email, but some Facebook friends acknowledged my anniversary.  The price I pay for total independence is loneliness, admittedly it would be nice to have a friend, a hard act to follow, considering the last 24 years.   There has been no phone call.  Nice witches say please and thank you. Bad witches die alone of poison soup.

Time is Now

Look at a clock but live in the moment.  Do not waste time.  Pursue happiness.  Be well. Get enough rest, nutritious food, keep clean, contemplate or consult if needed, and make something.  Get going.

Okay write, draw or read something.

Salt water

I'd head east from the Piedmont to the Atlantic, although some prefer Ashville.  Now I have a place to go, so in three and a half hours I can stay as long as I have time.  That's the problem.  Working provides income but take up all of my time.  Thinking about having 20 or 30 years of my time will take some consideration.  Maybe a person can do nothing.

There is a good senior center near by.  How will I adjust to making friends apart from work and my tribe at Andersen?  Beach seniors might be like me, independent. I will find a way to contribute.
Moving out of Brighton Square will be a long process so I am already thinking about it.

Moving in entails a lot of downsizing. Start planning.

Present and Future

Knowing the right decision is a matter of passion. Plans are layed for being closer to salt water, and though I've grown to love living in the Piedmond, travel to the coast is a constant. I wonder what it will be like when I have time and a room of my own. Much to do before that time comes.

What we learn from bugs in the lab

I'm not sure how much DNA we share with fruit flies, but I share their natural reactions to warmth and light.  I guess we don't make this comparison, but here is the article.

'Jet-lagged' Fruit Flies Provide Clues for Body Clock Synchronization | ALN

2012 Congress | OpenSecrets

2012 Congress | OpenSecrets
We the People should keep track of this group.  Howard Coble in NC was the only one who did not vote for a pay raise in about 1990 and serves honorably.  Maybe we should have shorter term limits so they don't get so entrenched.  Their spending is now out of control.  That's our money.  We exchange our labor for money and it is only In God We Trust that it's worth anything.

Working

I work with some of the nicest people on earth. Their questions, comments and orders have helped Andersen make a better product over the years. My customers are in the business of health, wellness and healing for both humans and animals that love them. When we can assist it is very satisfying. Some of our customers have been with us longer than I have been with the Andersen family of companies. In 1980 I began working for Andersen Products in the factory. Over the years in an office position at the switchboard I learned about the products and in sales I have covered all five regional sales territories. It is a real pleasure to hear from customers I knew from earlier years. One instructor of veterinary technicians at Purdue taught me that life can't be "hurried up" while discussing how a biological culture is incubated and read. Once a biological indicator is started it takes 24 hours and another check 24 hours later to confirm a negative culture. It's this knowledge we gain in bits and pieces that I am grateful for.

How to blog when there is nothing to say

Tomorrow I will attend a seminar on how to use electronic marketing. I am loath to write anything about products I sell and support that would cause controversy. It is clear that the products work. For more than 45 years gas sterilization has been increasingly regulated. For clinical and R&D applications using a small dose makes economic and environmental sense.

Google

Love and trust, but how can we verify if it doesn't work?

Stop A Dividend Tax Hike

Stop A Dividend Tax Hike This is a must for anybody with stocks that pay a dividend. The government has some nerve!!

More Stuff

On the way to get this old computer check a sign beckoned "Tag Sale". It was an easy right turn, like I need more stuff. The value is what makes these sales irresistible. I usually only buy things I can put to use, except baskets. I have hundreds and use most of them. Extra baskets can contain gifts to give away. Anyway it was less than $20 and fun to see the art. I should go back, but guess it's a Sat only sale and too late now.

Random beauty

The ropes

Just as there are different types of music and venues there are different types of sales approaches. Learning your market is the first step to getting ahead, and giving the best service to your clients and customers. Your customer is the head of the organization. Your client is the user of the products. What's in it for your customer and clients? What is important to the customer and why he first noticed your product? Find out why they are buying. Only talk to them about how this will help them. Ask for the sale. Stop selling. They've asked you, you presented. Stop talking and let them decide to decide. If you have confidence in your product and solution, they will have confidence. Confidence comes from preparation.

Are we really that stupid?

It is amazing to me having just trained a young man to represent my Company in California, that the concept of freedom in the minds of younger people is quite different from what it used to be.

I will never forget how odd it seemed in 1959 or 60 that the cord of my new hair dryer had a warning that I should not use it in the bathtub. Who would ever do that!

The government should leave off protecting us from ourselves.

Winter Comment

Can really important things like caring and love be done from a distance? To justify my independence and love I find, is incongruous to just talk on the phone and email, yet I manage. Can't expend too much energy beyond commitments to duty, unless the calling is there. The bed and warm and cozy is calling. Tis the season to sleep and stay busy during the short cold days in the northern hemisphere. I wonder what Australia is like.

Connections

Having lost earthlink wireless service and my PalmOne Treo the options for a replacement were slim since the Treo was so good for so long. The iPhone is the answer.

For my entire vacation I had a sense of guilt about the total freedom and relaxation, although I did some work, it was not enough. I am so far behind, I will never catch up, however, the salt air is refreshing and calming.