It’s been quite a while since I have had the time to update this blog and it’s a shame. Even though not many people read it, it is still something that I enjoy doing…..Why I have no idea. Some quick updates since my last post. Winter is here, summer is long gone. Vacation at the beach seems like years ago, Thanksgiving is over and done with and soon I will be perched upon a ladder hanging Christmas lights on our porch. How time does indeed fly.

In terms of cooking and the updates involving what I thought was going to be my introduction into the world of competitive BBQ….it fizzled out. This really should not come as a surprise. The people that asked for help dropped the ball by not following up with their end of the deal. If you are curious (I am sure you are not) I am talking about the New Town General Assembly office….seems that they could screw up a cup of water these days.

Work has been pretty busy also since the last post. The life of a 100% commissioned sales person is always rocky but for the most part it’s a pretty good living. Spending time at power plants and refineries discussing particulate levels, Steam, Fans and expansion joints are not most people’s idea of a fun job but  I must say…. it fits me well.  

The end of the year is always a crazy time for our company….most of our Solid customers scramble at the end of the year to spend money to maintain their budget for the following year. This means a lot of rush orders and invoicing before the product has even shipped. I am not saying this is a bad thing, just makes for a lot of work in the weeks after Thanksgiving. Speaking of the end of the year….December also means PowerGen….a large conference and trade show tailored to companies and people who deal in the power industry. It’s a good place to see a good number of my principals (groups I sell for) and possibly pick up a new line or two to supplement our existing products. It also helps that every other year it’s held in Las Vegas.  This year we are hitting it hard with a few extra days as a sort of Christmas Party for the company….it pays to fly under the radar sometimes.

On the home front….We just returned from Houston to see Ali’s parents. Great weather and I will say I do enjoy Houston in the winter months.  It’s also good to take a break from everything and do something different for a bit. Grandpa and I took Sam to Kemah for the day to procure “frimps” and ride the train with the scary tunnel.  The weather was also warm enough to swim every day we were there….again can’t beat the south Texas in the winter.

Since my last post we have made a few modifications to the backyard. We expanded our patio to help with the usable space. I really didn’t think that it would make much of a difference but having a solid surface for Sam to ride his bike in the confines of the fenced in yard is much better than in the alley or in the street. It also will give us room to spread out next summer when we have people over. It also gives my grill a home vs. rolling it around when I wanted to use it.

Some other things over the last few months that are new…..Cadillac Jack went into retirement after three short years of ownership and I purchased a new Ram truck. The endless sets of tires, a failed clutch and all the rattles and squeaks associated with a high performance car just were not making good sense anymore. Doing what I do for a living, it probably was not the best car to make sales calls in either. I don’t smile as much driving it but it fits my job a little better than the Caddy.