The heat is on...

     Now this is serious heat...Over the next week, starting today with 112, temperatures will hover above 110 degrees, reaching the highest point of 119 sometime this weekend. Hot just doesn't do these temperatures justice...there should be a separate category for the Southwest during the summer months.  How about 110 DH?  DAMN Hot! or 110 RH? Ridiculously Hot!  or 110 HTM?  Hotter Than Most! I think you get the picture.  It is 8:33 pm on Saturday night...the sun has set and the temperature reading is 110. Now that's hot.  What does it feel like? I like to use the preheated oven at 400.  Wrap yourself in your favorite down comforter and climb into a 400 degree oven.  Dry heat or not, it's FH...(no, you dirty minded readers) Fabulously Hot!

    The good news is that it's at least 10 degrees cooler where I work.  A balmy 100 degrees until well past midnight.  And last night was Wild America night and I felt like Marty Stouffer driving around on patrol.  I saw a coyote prancing around...I saw a small pack of javelina on one of the properties and then smelled them for an hour after...(they stink!). I also can face to face (not literally) with my first rattlesnake.  He was slithering across the road and I pulled over to watch him...(of course I stayed in the truck!)  It was cool and nerve-racking at the same time.  As he slithered into the desert he gave me a little tail shake to let me know he knew I was there.  Creepy!  But it is nature's wonderland out there and I'm glad I get to patrol inside a vehicle...(big, tough Security Man, eh?).  So, the weather won't break for a least a week, but will "cool down" into the low 110's for the high later in the week.  I will be playing golf next week...I need to set a new record for hottest recorded round of golf...previous record was 108 degrees.  Don't worry...many bottles of water, iced bandannas for around the neck and several layers of sunblock will protect me.  Have a warm day!

  

Loving the new job...

     Greetings again.  This is my fist blog as a (gasp!) senior citizen...and an "active" adult.  What a milestone! I can't say that I feel my age or notice any diminished mental capacity...or any further diminished mental capacity. Considering what I did to my body and mind with alcohol and drugs in the past, it's a wonder I can function at all.  I have truly been blessed with sobriety, relatively good health...(we all have various aches and pains) and enough mental acumen to keep my self and others fairly amused.  Being a "bit off" (sounds better than crazy, doesn't it?) lends itself to some exciting opportunities.  So, that aside, I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes that were sent my way.  I really made the day extra special and I appreciate it.

     As stated in the title, I love the new job.  I am only responsible for getting me to work and doing my job...no scheduling, finding replacements, billing accounts, collecting payment, building jobs, etc.  I get to work, sign in, patrol the grounds and check in visitors for an 8 hour shift and then I leave to go home.  The job stays there.  The commute is awesome.  Traffic is minimal at night and I go against rush hour in the morning.  The people I work with are awesome.  They took the time to train me and share the responsibilities equally.  The area is beautiful...surrounded by the McDowell Mountains and Pinnacle Peak, the air is cooler than where I live and at night the stars are awesome.  Still getting used to changing the sleep cycle, but it's coming along.  I will receive my benefit package (also awesome) after the 90 trial period.  I am already making some overtime, but not than 4 hours per shift...(working ONLY 12 hours is like a half day).

     I told you I was planning on moving closer to work.  Well, my current landlord threw me a curve and sent me a rent proposal with no increase!  There really is no reason to move.  Scottsdale is more expensive with rent and other amenities, there would be no packing up and paying a mover, and kitty (aka. Mrs. Wafflepuss) would not have to move either.  She really likes it here and so do I.  My chiropractor and other places I shop and frequent are here and I love the bike trail and park across the street.  Gas will be more, but factoring in all the other expenses, it would even out in the long run.  So, I am staying here in Tempe for the foreseeable future.

    So, now that I am an "active" adult, I will be planning more adventures...(especially on the golf course).  Day trips around this beautiful state and overnight excursions on days off.  Which brings me to some bad news...as the low man on the totem pole I do not get vacation time right away. I already booked my trip to Aruba in November and that will use up any time that was available, so I will not be able to attend the reunion at the end of July.  There are people scheduled for vacation that week and weekend so I will have to cover for them.  I expect many pictures to be taken and shared with me.  So plug in the camera batteries and buy more memory cards and film (do cameras still use film?) and take lots of photos...

I killed the Phoenix and started a new adventure...

     I return to the airwaves hoping that I still have my dedicated fans...(or at least some shut-ins with nothing else to do but read the ramblings of an on again off again blogger).  Much has gone on since I last typed away on my laptop.  One of the reasons I have been away (besides being a lazy ass) is that I grew weary of writing to you about my work experiences.  It was all that was going on!  I fell into the same trap that I let myself get caught in back in New Jersey.  I was working incredibly long hours and and my social life (not much of one anyway) was in the crapper for lack of a better word.  I didn't travel 2500 miles to resume being a work-a-holic.  I could have stayed in New Jersey and did that.  This whole move was supposed to be a CHANGE from my old habits not a continuation of them.  It got to the point where my health was comprised and a trip to the doctor was just the wake up call I needed.  The stress of the job...(a combination of long hours, poor sleep and poor eating habits) caused me to suffer headaches, black outs, exhaustion and extreme dehydration.  Please don't panic.  I am fine now.  My bosses sent me home for an extended rest and I used that time to find a new path.  My higher power (God) was telling me it was time once again for a complete change. And this time I didn't ignore the message.

     While on medical leave I searched the internet for possible employment opportunities and one fell into my lap from Craigslist.  This company was looking for a security person to work from 10 pm until 6 am for 5 days a week.  I filled out an application online (complete with resume and cover letter) and sent it in.  I always wanted to work nights and have my days free to pursue the little white ball around well manicured park-like settings (golf).  This seemed the answer to my prayers.  I did some research and discovered that the position was at an exclusive and private gated community in North Scottsdale complete with its own private golf course and tennis facilities.  In the description it said "includes golf and tennis privileges" and my mouth began to water.  I had no confidence that this would happen.  The phone rang the next day and I went to an interview.  It is about 30 miles north of where I currently live. So i am in the interview and talking with the security director (a former cop from, you guessed it, New Jersey) and we are having a great conversation.  I kept waiting for him to say "Okay, I have more candidates to interview, so I'll be in touch" (usual interview procedure), but he never did.  I asked him what was next after the interview.  He said he would check my references and do a background check and if everything checked out, he would offer me the job!  Long story (my favorite kind) short, he called me three days later and offered me the job.  I accepted and quit the Convention Center...

     Good news...I love this job. Eight hours a day for 5 days...the same days off every week...golf privileges on a private Jack Nicklaus designed course (the site of the first Skins Game golf tournament back in 1983 with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson), complete benefit package including PAID vacation and sick days, 401K and incentives.  Four hours in the command center answering phones and checking in guests, four hours patrolling the grounds in an air-conditioned vehicle.  Bad news... I am forfeiting my travel to New York this summer for the All Star Game, PGA Championship and the US Open Tennis. (silver lining? No 12 hours days everyday with no time to actually view the events). I am low man on the totem pole as far as seniority and vacation. The commute is 30 miles one way.  Overall, it is a great gig.  I started Wednesday the 12th for training and begin my vampire shift starting next Wednesday.  And since my lease is up at my apartment at the end of July, I have decided to move to Scottsdale, dahling! (insert Thurston Howell III voice to say that).

     The return of the Artful Blogger (sorry Charles Dickens) rings in with a whole new deal.  New address, new job and new non-work adventures to entertain you (I hope).  Love to you all.