The Sometimes Place

Does it grab? Or is it too bland...?

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 03:07:15 GMT

The sun was approaching the halfway mark upon the horizon when the oarsmen below deck brought the Red Tempest past the promontory of Wheat Isle. A warm red glow illuminated the approaching landmass that was Highseat. The air was tinged with the aroma of sea salt and heavy with the humidity of the late summer. The massive island still lay nearly a day’s sail away, but the hollowed mountain spire wherein the city itself sat came more and more into view as the ship approached.

Now that I remember my Livejournal...

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:10:10 GMT

What the hell do I talk about?

I don't think I post here often enough to be interesting to people who probably don't care in the least to begin with. :Op

It is Mrs. Jax's birthday today. Happy Birthday! YAY! I even remembered to leave a card for her this morning for when she wakes up. Taxes a couple weeks ago really took a toll. I wish I had had more money to get a better gift, but she did get the new cell phone she wanted. How romantic, eh? At least the animals were active when we went to the zoo over the weekend as part of her whole birthday weekend.

Go Cubs! :Op

I'll slink back into my hole again now. HA!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:38:15 GMT

I absolutely forgot I had a livejournal! Bwahahaha!

Big Weekend...

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:11:24 GMT

Two posts in two days. I think this might match my monthly quota or something...

Heading off to Brown County, Indiana tomorrow.

http://www.ilovebrowncounty.com/

I've never been there. It's somewhere Mrs. Jax vacationed sometimes with her family when she was growing up. So we're making this trip. We're actually going with her parents. Not a worry. I like her folks and they like me. For kicks though, they decided that MY parents should go along too. Not a worry. My parents and her parents get along great. But it should be an interesting weekend none the less.

I'm just hoping that the food and taverns are as advertised! :Op

See ya'll on Monday.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:48:05 GMT

Self grand standing? Probably. But it's been a good day. Got some chores out of the way early and then was able to enjoy nine holes of golf before going to watch the Cubs game (12-1 over the Giants. WOOT!) and then it's off to dinner once Mrs. Jax is home and then there's always more apricot cake when we get home.

I suppose I can live with having another birthday.

You haven't lived...

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 02:01:45 GMT

...until you've had to cut a wedding cake into 300+ slices. And let me tell you, fruit fillings and pudding fillings suck ass when you're cutting. I'm gonna smell like cake for a while I think...

Calgon, Take Me Away!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:32:11 GMT

Is it NEXT weekend yet? I'm ready for a break. I'm looking forward to going north to catch a ballgame in a place other than Wrigley Field or Miller Park (not that I won't be back to either place by the end of the month too!). Though I'm afraid Mrs. Jax might get herself lost in the Mall of America if she has her way. Gotta remember to keep an eye on her American Express card... :Op

But it's the vacation in July that I really want to get to. Not that there will be much relaxing. Somehow, my in-laws and parents have decided that they need to take a weekend together and we're all heading down to Brown County, Indiana. I don't know much about this place, but Mrs. Jax tells me I'll like it. And there's no camping! So we'll see.

First I gotta make it there though.

Why May Sucked (Sorta)

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:16:29 GMT

Who's been busy? That's right. This guy.

May just hit the ground running and didn't let up. Frankly, it was a killer amount of work, but it should be wirth it in the end (at least it better be!).

The month started with 1500 of these guys: http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/jesters_en.html Average age? 55-60. Average daily alcohol consumption? 24 pack/person. Now, don't get me wrong. Any group that comes in and wants to pre-order their booze and set up their own liquor room inside one of our meeting spaces is fine with me. I think it was about $43,000 they ended up spending after 4 days (this does include a hotel mark up, of course). They opened their bar (manned it themselves despite our union contract) at noon on Wednesday and it didn't close until noon on Sunday. I spent the entire weekend running ice and juice and tracking their booze and keeping my staff up on maintaining their bars. They were a blast though. The "bar manager" was so pleased with all the help I gave them he told me he wanted to "Take you up to 26 and treat you".

Oh did I forget to mention they'd imported their own hookers for the weekend? The 26th floor had the hookers' rooms and suites. That's all I actually know. That's all I want to know. But I got a kick ass letter of commendation from the group to my GM which was a nice "attaboy" for the file.

Then we moved right into a three week program of Service Training for Hyatt Banquet and Housekeeping managers. 3 weeks. 3 seperate groups of a couple hundred each. Three weeks of having the corporate office planted inside the hotel and being scrutinized by all of our peers in the company. We kicked ass. Why do I say that? I attended the third and final week of training and got to look at our operation from the inside looking out. We absolutley hit one out of the park.

Made some interesting new friends last week too. Spent a lot of time hanging with a group of F&B managers from Hawaii. Good times. Capped the weekend with them by ending up here: http://www.theredheadpianobar.com/

Mind you, interspersed into the time during the Service Summit Training we had a Saturday with 4 weddings, another week with a secondary group of 800, the grand re-opening (officially) of the hotel and Memorial Day Weekend with the Bullshooters Dart Tournament: http://www.bullshooter.com/ (Mind you I escaped most of that weekend by going to my sister-in-law's wedding. Woo Hoo!).

A full month.
Hopefully I'll actually get to breathe in June. At least I'm heading up to Minneapolis in a couple weeks for a Twins game. Mini vacations rock!

Hi again, by the by, everyone!

Amuse me!

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:51:59 GMT

Now I know I shouldn't complain when work is just that slow that I can actually post a message on here or play about with Ran's Board or even try to break my all time high score on Text Twist, but even still, the day is dragging.

Wish I had gone to Scotland. :Op

Well, HEY THERE!

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 17:00:51 GMT

Just seeing if you're paying attention.

Carry on. And happy Saturday.

Well hell...

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:29:14 GMT

Forgot about this again. This and MySpace. I never remember to update frequently enough. Mind you, I never know how much I really have to say, but I could put something up, eh?

It's actually quiet at the new hotel, on a Saturday night, as I type this. Mind you, this is day 7 of 7 this week, so I'll take what I can get.

It's been an interesting experience so far, and I've take to it more than I thought I would. We're about 8 days away from the grand opening of the new restaurant and the new bar here. This is actually what's caused me the most stress this week, or since I got here. The final two weeks leading up to the opening is intensive training for the bar and restaurant staff. So the powers that be decided that the best solution, since the staff was going to be so hard pressed, that they shouldn't be responsible for working the temporary bar/restaurant at night. So, banquets, assumed control of the temp. place for three meals a day. NOT an easy thing to do at a union hotel. It's caused more than it's fair amount of issues. But we're making our way through. A $60 million+ renovation is nothing to sneeze at!

I've actually taken to the "big box" hotel better than I thought I would. At least through the first three weeks.

Frustration!

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:21:34 GMT

Well, it's time to sweat. I'm a few days away from starting my new gig at the new hotel. I'm taking less money for it. Mrs. Jax actually has a job offer on the table that should make up nearly all of the money I'm losing by taking my promotion, but it's a complete unknown as it's something she stumbled upon. It intrigues her though. And to top it all off, my idiot mortgage guy seems to have found a way to botch my re-finance (that I started on at the END of January) to stretch it out further. I'm seriously pissed at this now. I want to jettison the guy and start over, but I'm far enough in that my budget for the last 6 weeks has been wrapped up in all of this that to pull out now would cause even worse financial stress at a time that I can't afford to have financial stress.

I'm just waiting for Mrs. Jax to tell me she's pregnant. That'd just make it all better.

That or winning the $350+ million Mega Millions...

GAH!

It's Official...

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:28:49 GMT

For good or for ill, today, I accepted a "promotion" to a bigger Hyatt. It's the same position, and less money (no more OT), but it'll mean a lot for the future if I'm successful.

More to come when I know.

Sometimes Being An Adult Sucks...

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:27:26 GMT

UPDATE!

I have it on good authority that I should be getting a job offer to move to the bigger hotel. That's good.

It looks like the position will be more banquets, and not what I originally wanted. That's bad.

It'll be a pay increase none the less. That's good.

It'll be a pay increase based on my base salary and not including the extra $10K I've averaged the last two years because of OT. That's bad.

So now I'm faced with a decision. Do I go forward with this? It almost certainly garuntees that Mrs. Jax and I will have to sell the townhome and look for a smaller condo. It also means that, despite the loss in salary, I should be able to write my ticket in the company if I succeed and that money will come flowing back. To not take the offer (when it comes) would be tantamount to flushing the last 7 years down the drain and I might as well hit the Help Wanted ads ASAP.

So I'm backed into a corner with no real choice here.

But I should be getting my promotion! Yippee.

Update...

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 19:36:46 GMT

An hour long drive out to the hotel.

An hour to talk to two people.

An hour drive back home,

I'm about 95% certain I'll get an offer. Yet I'm suspecting it's not going to be an offer for where I want, which is Room Service. I think it's going to be more Banquets. Ultimately, if the money is good, I'll do what they want, but I don't relishe another stint in Banquets. Even if it's going from 10,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. But I'll do it. Keep my nose to the grindstone and get out in 6 to 12 months. Make the best of it and cash the checks I say!

We'll know within a week at most.

Today...

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:28:37 GMT

Second Interview Day.

Didn't expect it, but I got it. Time to work my way uup that food chain.

More later. Hopefully good.

Something I've NEVER done before...

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:57:32 GMT

And I'm ashamed to admit it. But I actually stayed home sick from ~~school~~ work today (shows how bad I feel that I had to go back and edit this). I don't know that I've been 100% healthy all season, since before my trip to Mexico, but it's mainly been a head cold thing. Then I go and practically pass out last night. It still feels like a head cold, but it sucks. So I actually let Mrs. Jax talk me into staying home. I have always preferred to go to work ill and let them send me home. Didn't work out that way.

But I better be feeling better tomorrow, since I refuse to spend time at a doctor's office. Doctors. Bah.

The 32" LCD Flat Screen of Death!

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 13:37:54 GMT

Yeah, that's right. I went there. 32" not that big you say? Well, it is to me. LCD, HD, wide screeny goodness. A deal we couldn't pass up. Mrs. Jax really had to twist my arm "that much" to get me to go for this. But when the set's basically 1/2 off and you can finance at zero interest for 2 years (knowing you can get it paid off well before that, hella good). Biggest, most expensive piece of entertainment technology I've ever owned and it'll be hooked up later today, hopefully well before Rome comes on. :Op

Now, the only other piece of the puzzle I need to come through is to actually GET the promotion I interviewed for on Friday. I should know no later than mid-week, but my GM says he thinks it'll be a good thing and my F&B is already lamenting my movement. So here's hoping!

(This one's for you, Paddy! Reminding me to actually post once and a while!)

Bear Down!

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:46:01 GMT

Oh man. A Sunday off. Bears Playoff football. Mr.s Jax consigned to the fact that I'm going to be watching this football game in 1 hour and 20 minutes (from now) and there's nothing she can do about it. (Well, maybe one or two, but let's see if she figures that out! HA!).

Side Notes:

1. I think I'm gonna have to re-arrange the bookshelves in the loft while watching the game, simply because I'm embarresed by how small they are compared to some of the shots of other collections over on the Literature thread (This is NOT Stego envy...not yet. :Op )

2. Re-Read Miller's 300 last night in preparation for the movie coming out. I think we might have found a possible case where the movie might be a bit better than the source material. It's good. It's crafted with love, but it doesn't feel like some of Miller's other work. I'm sure I'll be proven wrong, but it's an early opinion.

Just for something different...

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 20:57:19 GMT

I'm actually tyoing this in my car sitting in a parking lot. Wireless is such a wild, wonderful thing. That is all. Carry on. :Op

Back!

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:59:57 GMT

Mrs. Jax and I made it back Saturday night after some adventures with airports.

If you've ever been to Cancun, you know that the "International Airport" still only has the one runway and but two terminals, so it makes it crowded and slow going at times...particularly Saturdays. That isn't the worst of it though. So I go through Duty Free (wonderfully large store there at the airport!) and spend some dough getting tequila for my friends and some rum for me...no problems, right? In this day and age, they take the liquids, all wrapped up tight, straight to your plane for you. Mind you, once you go through security at the Cancun airport, they actually go and search all of your carry ons again right before you board as you check in. We watched some poor sap who didn't know better that that was going to happen and he had a couple bottles of tequila confiscated. People were not allowed to bring on bottled water, regardless of whether or not you bought it after the securtiy check point. Mrs. Jax and I actually had bought a small bottle of hot sauce we were going to use in a white elephant gift at work. They took it. Despite my protests that the airport sold it to me after the security check point. Pissed me off it did.

Needless to say, we took off nearly 50 minutes late for Atlanta. Landing there, we had just over an hour to clear customs and immigration and then collect our bags and re-check them for our flight to Milwaukee. Let me tell you, it was a photo finish. Otherwise we'd've been stuck over night in Hotlanta (Not that that is a bad thing...). Of course, we then were missing a bag after we got into Milwaukee. I've never lost a bag. Pissed me off to say the least. Never mind the fact that about 25 minutes later, as we're on the road south to home that we get a call that our missing bag was at the airport and that they were going to bring it to us. Idiots. Why not get it right the first time?

In any case...that was the adventure home...in a nutshell. I'll post some more about the wet wet trip to Mexico once we get the pictures sorted out. :Op

Far and Away...

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:41:09 GMT

Whelp, I know I'm not the most prolific poster here abouts, so I know I could leave for my vacation tomorrow night, be gone the whole 9 days and none of you'd be the wiser, but I thought I'd put up a note saying "Out to Lunch" anyway...

Mom and Dad are celebrating 35 years on the 18th this month. They've decided to take the family and a slew of friends to Cancun with them on their annual trip this year (similar to what we did 5 years ago, this time with a LOT more people). They left today. Mrs. Jax and I and one brother are heading out Friday before the sun even comes up. If nothing else, I'm excited that I get to share this trip with Mrs. Jax, since I've told her all about some previous trips I've made to Cancun and how much I know she's gonna like it.

So I'm off.
Hopefully all goes well (though somehow fate decided to give me a head cold Monday night that still plagues me as I get closer to this long long planned trip).

I might even make it back with some money left, who knows?

I'll do some tequila shots for you all!

Let it Snow, my ASS!

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:30:06 GMT

Nothing like being woken up to the sound of, "Honey, the car's buried!",,,Mrs. Jax isn't going to work any tim soon today and I'm not sure I will either and I don't go in until 3 PM! Don't get me wrong, I grew up in Chicagoland, but this is a doozy of a storm for the first one of the year. Not Blizzard of '79 yet, but we'll see not less than 14" to start December about my house. If only my Condo Association was on top of things.

It better not snow when I'm supposed to be on a plane LITERALLY 7 days from now (I mean, this time 7 days from now I'll be on the plane WOO HOO!) heading to Cancun.

Lament for the Comic Book Collection...

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:16:41 GMT

Well, I've spent the weekend eating turkey with the family and getting Chirstmas decor out of the attic for Mrs. Jax and going through and sorting some of my comic book long boxes to get a proper catalog of what I've got so I can learn how to use e-Bay and maybe make some money off of the things.

Now, I'm not sure I want to sell them, but if I can make some sort of cash, I should, right? *le sigh* 20 years of collecting has come to this.

At least I got to have a blast reading through a bunch I didn't remember I had and some others that I know now I'll never get rid of. Could be worse. Now I gotta deal with the e-Bay.

A Free Saturday!

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 01:43:25 GMT

Yah. I know I write this on Sunday, but yesterday was a free Saturday for me. Those don't happen to often. (Oddly enough I'm off this coming Saturday too, they must come in bunches!) Finally got to have the semblance of a social life!

Mrs. Jax and I ended up heading to dinner with 5 other couples. Good friends, most of whome we hadn't seen since July, some since our wedding two years ago. Good times. Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Having never been there before, I can now state unequivicably that I truly am NOT a fan. Pizza isn't supposed to be that weird.

Then it was to the bowling alley! Haven't bowled much lately, but in my first two games it was a respectable 122 and then a winning 175. I did manage to fall on my ass in the third game, which we were spending more time goofing off than anything else. Lotta fun. Some others came out to join us as well there. Made for a grand big group.

And what goes better with a bowling alley better than beer I ask you? Not much. Haven't gotten to drink like that in a while, yet I still maintained a pretty level head that never had me feeling more than the lightest of a buzz (which is fine since I had to get us home). Mrs. Jax is still at home trying to feel better.

Pucker is not her friend apparently.

Now we'll see what NEXT weekend brings!