There are several things I would like to talk to you about today, but there's only one that I'm going to talk about, because it is a discussion that needs to be had. If you haven't heard about the events of this past week, you are clearly living under a rock. I'm of course talking about the mass shooting in Uvalde Texas. I haven't done this in a very long time because I switched to one post a week and my input and timing were late, so unnecessary, but it is very much needed now. These are the victims of this horrible incident.
Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
Layla Salazar, 11
Maranada Mathis, 11
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Jose Manuel Flores Jr., 10
Xavier Lopez, 10
Tess Marie Mata, 10
Rojelio Torres, 10
Eliahna "Ellie" Amyah Garcia, 9
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10
Jackie Cazares, 9
Uziyah Garcia, 10
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Irma Garcia, 48
Eva Mireles, 44
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Alexandria "Lexi" Aniyah Rubio, 10
Alithia Ramirez, 10
I want those names and ages to really sink in. These were children that only had 2 days left in their school year. They were thinking about spending time with their family and friends, maybe going on fun vacations to new places they've never been and now will never be.
Once again we are caught in the throws of, "this isn't the time to talk about this'. I've always thought that was a bunch of bull, because if now is not the time then when is it. It seems like once this passes, an we have all learned that it will, they will say why should we talk about it now, and this endless cycle of never getting anything done to, at the very least make the number of mass shootings to go down. I am now a gun owner, something I never really thought I would say. That makes me see things a bit differently, but not as you would think. I've always had a long standing belief that we need comprehensive background checks in order to buy a gun of any kind. I have gone through a number of background checks in the past few months and can truly say that if you are up in arms about getting a background check in order to buy a gun, you do not deserve a gun. Remember, the 2nd Amendment begins with "A well regulated militia". The word regulation freaking there. That means that a regulation can be put on you getting a gun. That doesn't mean that it is infringing on your right to have one, it just means that their can be qualifiers to you having one. Now that was written over 200 years ago and things have changed, but regulated still means the same today as it did then. Like I said, I've had 8 background checks performed on me in the last few months, and I have one more coming for a certain clearance I will be receiving very soon, so you can frag off about whining over a background check.
Where my view has changed a bit is in the training I had to go through in order to get my "D' and "G" licenses. One my "G" license it doesn't say Armed Security anywhere on it, it does say 'Statewide "Firearms License'. My instructor of the class mentioned several times how he wished that it was a 7 day course as opposed to a 3 day course, and I absolutely agree with him. I would have truly relished 4 more days of training, because the training I received in those 3 days was abundant and far more than I could have imagined, so how well prepared would I be with 7 days? The rest of my training now falls to me. There are more courses I can take, and I eventually will, but for the meantime, but training consist of me practicing what I was trained to do, and going to the gun range to improve my accuracy. It is a fact that most gun owners never practice with their firearms. They have them and expect that when the time comes they will just naturally be a marksman. That is not the case. Without training you will freeze up. I believe that in order to get a gun, every person that wants one must take a course similar to the 3 day course I took. That course covered firearms safety, the 4 universal gun safety rules, 4 step draw, proper storing of your weapon, proper discharge of your weapon ( actually shooting on a range ), and proper maintenance and cleaning of your weapon. It is my belief that if you think that by having to take a course like that in order to buy a gun infringes on your right to have a gun, then you shouldn't have a right to own a gun. Doing something in order to understand the proper use of a gun, and even though this course was for handguns, it can translate over to rifles as well, but I would say that a course specific to that would be in order, is a must. I'm not going to give a comparison for anything about what you need to do in order to be able to do other things, because you already know comparisons.
I'm truly tired of all the senseless death in this country, and that is not me condemning or saying I don't want to be a part of this country, that is me saying that I'm proud to be an American and I know that we can do and be better. Being proud of your country doesn't mean mindlessly following along with the status quo, it means standing up when you see a wrong and trying with everything you have to make it right. Stating when your country is wrong is not anti your country, it's saying you want it to be better. I want this country to be better, and right now we aren't doing it on so many fronts.
I only mentioned two things that should be done to make things a little less easier for a mass shooting to happen. There are so many more things that should and need to be done, but I will leave it at the two that I directly have experience with and I know can make a pretty big impact. We need to be better as a people and a country, peace in and good night.
I know this is a day early, but that's because I'm going to be doing a 12 hour shift tomorrow starting at 6 in the morning. This week has been wild. After writing this last week, I went in to work then got a call around 8 at night from my supervisor. He was having car trouble and asked if I could fill in for him on his morning shift. I of course said yes. That meant I was leaving the site that nite at 10pm then turning around and coming back in at 6 in the morning to do a double that would have me leaving at 10pm that night. If you have never done a double shift after doing a late shift the day before, you haven't lived. I'm being very sarcastic there. It was brutal, but there is the little fact that my site is my site, and I absolutely love it. Because of that double though, they canceled my shift for launch day, but I'll get to that in a bit, because there is a lot to that. Ok, since I took over for my supervisor I got to experience a tour going through. It was a delegation of the Florida legislative branch, which meant a very important person was leading that tour, that person is a good person to impress, and guess who managed to do that? That's right, your boy right here. That person oversees certain level of access within the company, and my supervisor requested that I move up the line in that and that certain individual can speed up that process, so fingers crossed. I know that is very vague and pretty hard to follow, but maybe someday if I see you in person I can explain it all to you, but it's a really big deal, and when I saw really big, I mean it deserves all caps, but I'm not a schmuck so I won't do that.
Ok, so the rest of my week went as planned with a day off on Wednesday, and then the added Thursday which was launch day. The reason was because they didn't want to over work me and it came down from higher up in the company. You will see why that is hilarious in just a bit. Since I have access to get out on property, I went out for the launch and it was really exciting to be there for a pretty historic launch. This was Boeing's first successful launch in a few years at the least. I kept getting mixed numbers of how many years, so I'll just stick with a few. While I was out there, mu supervisor told me of the new revised schedule. he is possibly being moved to a new site and his first day was going to be Friday, which was a surprise to all of us, which meant he had to scramble to get people to fill for him. All these people that said they wanted more shifts and hours all of a sudden couldn't make it, so he had the overnight guy extend his shift by 6 hours and then asked if I would come in to fill 7 hours then go to my 12 hour shift at the other building. It was short notice and he really needed somebody so I went for it. I've learned a lesson from all of this. Don't do a 19 hour shift ever again. That being said, some good things came out of it. There happened to be another tour on Friday, and I once again managed to impress some pretty important people. The tour guide being one. He went out of his way to get me a mission patch which as he told me, is very rare and hard to come by since they only made a very small amount of them. This one is mine.
I'm sure you can understand how stoked I am about this patch, just with it being purple alone, but the simple fact that I am one of a select few people that have one is freaking incredible. Oh, should put the video of the launch here as well. Short little note about that. I was watching the livestream of the countdown and decided that I would cut that off at 10 seconds to start filming the launch, but the stream was 30 seconds behind so I nearly missed it, that is why it starts with the rocket already in the air, and you might hear me mention that if you have the volume up which I suggest that you do so you can hear the sound of the rocket. Rockets have a unique sound when you are that close to them and the phones microphone picks it up pretty well.
Ok, so the video is processing again, let's see if this works for a second time in a row. Ok, so my plans for staying up on Thursday night to get my body acclimated to staying up the whole night were shot, since I know had to be at work at 11 in the morning. That of course meant that m body decided that I didn't need sleep and woke up at 2 and didn't get anything more than maybe an hour of sleep after that. That meant that I was already exhausted when I went in. I still represented as I said I impressed a couple more important people. After my 7 on my normal site I took the short drive to the other building which is basically a 1 minute drive away. Now this building I can finally talk a little about. Generally not much goes on there, but when Starliner goes up, the building goes up to 24 hour security. Normally it is just 7-4 Monday to Friday. The reason it goes to 24 hours is because that is where Boeing houses their mission control. Now the NASA mission control is of course in Houston, but Boeing's is in the building and they monitor everything that is going on with the capsule. Here was the big thing that just blew me away. Certain people have access to mission control. That means they can go in and out of the room with no problems. Those people are usually VIPs and the actual employees that are working in that area. Guess who has approved access? Your boy once again. Now, I could have badged in and watched the docking of the capsule with the ISS ( International Space Station ), but I chose not to. I just wanted to let them do their work and get the job done. I was just super excited to be on the list. That was enough for me. I simply watched the NASA TV feed from my security desk and congratulated everyone as they came passed my post. Even though the docking took over an hour, it was pretty exciting to watch considering I had seen that very capsule pass right by me as it made it's way to be mounted on an Atlas V rocket. I truly have the greatest job ever.
With all of the being done the night was very long, but I made it to 6 and then went home to get some sleep. My goal was to get a solid 5 hours in but Ri Ri wasn't having that, so it looks like 3 is it for me. This should work out for the best though, since I'm off today, but have to be at that same building at 6 in the morning tomorrow. I'm sure I will sleep well tonight. My schedule as it stand now will have me doing a 12 tomorrow, Monday, then have Tuesday off, with an overnight on Wednesday, then I should be back to my normal second shift at my normal site on Friday. We will see if that holds up. Either way my check for next week is going to be pretty big, because I was told that I was getting double overtime for I think 3 of my hours last night, since I went over the standard double of 16 hours. That's all going to add up in the end and will make it all worth it. I'm very much ok with all this time, because I know this is just a busy week and it won't last, so I should take advantage of it.
Back to my supervisor moving to a new post. He told me he really doesn't want to leave Boeing and is kind of hoping that they will allow him both posts, but it's looking like he will be moving on. The good news in that is that he told me that he recommended me and one other officer to take over as supervisor of that site. I know that I won't get it, but it is another big deal that he recommended me for the position. That means I'm all impressing him which eventually pay off in the long run. Even though my site is considered one of the top security sites in the area, people tend to move on quickly for one reason or another, so it's just a matter of time before I'm running that site.
That's really all I have for this week. I think I'm going to forgo FSOTW since I have some pretty epic stuff above. Oh, the video is still processing, so my hope of it actually working this time is dwindling. I do hope you had the chance to see it when it was up on my Instagram story which was also shared to my Facebook story.
Ok, have a fantastic week an most of all, peace in and goodnight.
Where to begin today. I guess I'll just start with the rug. So, the house has hardwood floors and when my mom passed I got rid of the ramp that I made going from the living room to the TV room. The ramp left a small blemish in the floor where screw must have scraped along the floor, so I needed a way to hide that. An optical illusion rug seemed like the proper and possibly humorous choice. Well, joke was on me cause the black and white rug is now gray and white thanks to my two dirty dogs, but this is what it looked like when I put it down.
By the way, both dogs really love it. Ri Ri is often laying on it, mostly because it is right at the foot of my chair and she has to be right next to me at most times. She downgraded from all times lately. She's a happy pup now, and not so anxious, although the me going to work has her in a slight tizzy, but she is getting better with each day that I'm gone.
Ok, next photo is from work, well kind of. I have to do frequent and mostly random patrols of the interior and exterior of my building, and on Friday I walked out and found a bald eagle taking a bath or maybe just getting a drink from the puddle that forms in this small area of grass. This was the second cool thing I saw that day, but this was the only picture of events that I have. I'll get back to that other cool thing in just a bit.
Pretty freaking cool right. I'm sure that has to be some kind of good omen or something. Ok, now for that other cool thing. The final push to my work is a 3-5 mile road that leads to the area where the VAB is, as I was driving down that road and nearing the last quarter mile there was something going on. I saw a lot of lights flashing and a very large transport vehicle, as I got closer I could make out a large cylindrical object laying on the top of the transport. It was mostly black so it kind of threw me as to what exactly it was. I knew it was a rocket of some sort, but it wasn't until I was driving passed it that I saw that it was the Falcon 9 first stage that can return and land. I had no idea that it would be mostly back, but it made sense once I thought about it. That final burn when it land is pretty intense and basically scorches the entire outside of it. That was only my first day back to work after my first 2 days off. Then Saturday happened.
Ok, before we get to Saturday at work, I have to mention that I finally scattered my mom's ashes. It wasn't the experience I thought it would be. I expected it to be more emotional, but it was much more a sense of completion. I spread about 2/3rds of her ashes in the garden and backyard as she wished. I still need to spread some in the front yard around a particular bush that she really loved, then the rest I will hold onto, so that I can take them with me when I travel to anywhere I think or know that she would have wanted to visit. This will be my way of letting her visit those places she never got to go to.
Ok, now for the rest of Saturday, and I really hope this video loads up. I've had trouble with loading videos directly to this blog in the past, so here goes. Saturday was the first time I got to watch a launch from work. Space X was putting another Starlink satellite launch up and I was going to be there. Now this video really doesn't do it justice. With the naked eye the visual is much better. I actually had to zoom in the camera to get half the clarity that I saw. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I could practically read the words on the side of the Falcon 9 rocket. Despite the wind noise in the phone, it did capture the audio experience for the most part.
Ok, as I'm typing this it says that it's processing the video, so I hope it works this time. Anyway, if you don't see it here, and you have a chance before it expires on my Instagram story, you can see it there. When I post this you will have about 9 hours left to see it there or on Facebook since it shares it there as well. Still no happy about that whole Facebook share thing but it is what it is, and it gives people more of a chance to see my stores. Well well, it looks like the video worked. Now lets see if it makes it through the email process for my subscribers.
Next week is when the Starliner launches which is the capsule I showed you pictures of 2 weeks ago. It's going to be quite crazy and although I wasn't on the schedule to work the day of the launch I talked my way into working that day, so if the launch goes off as scheduled I will be right there for it, and the launch site for the Starliner on top of the Atlas V is quite a bit closer than Space X's launch pad. I'm hoping for a better video for you next week. I can actually see the pad from the building where as Space X'x pad is hidden by a few small buildings and trees, it is also about a mile further away from where I am.
I also found out that I will be posted at the other building on Space Center property. That building is where all the action is going to be next week, and I have a few shifts on the overnight. The first night I'll be there is when Starlink is supposed to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). That will be a big night if all goes as planned. That is also when All the important people will be there. I can't say more than that for a couple of reasons. The first being that I'm not allowed, and the second being that I really don't know much more about what is going to happen there. I just have feeling that it's going to be epic.
Oh, I should mention that I finally finished all the classes a processes I needed to get all of my clearances. Once again I can't really tell you what that mean, and this time it's because I simply can't tell you, just understand that it's a really cool thing.
Ok, going to wrap this up with Favorite Song of the Week. This is from a band I'm pretty sure that I've shared before. They may be one of the most technical bands alive, and once you watch the video and hear the song you will see why. Oh, and even though it's a video the song is actually playable as it sounds with the exception of any keyboards that are in it. Those are pre-recorded and added in, but the drums, bass an especially guitar are all as they are with now doubling or anything like that. You are about to see why it is important for you to know that. I present to you Polyphia with their new song, "Playing God".
Do you see what I mean now. Normally Polyphia are known for being electric, but it was a nice touch with them going acoustic for this one, and it really highlights their skills where as sometimes effects peddles can sometimes cover up some of that.
That's all for this week. I really hope to have some great video for you next week. Until then, peace in and goodnight.
It has been a very long week, but in the best way possible. I've completed most of my training, I still have one more class to take to finalize my credentials, but I've already been sent out on my own. I have to say, that I absolutely love this job. The people are great, the atmosphere is fantastic, and I'm in a location that I wouldn't have believed I would ever be in my wildest dreams. I can't say much about my job and you will see why when I share the photos. I was given permission to share these so I've chosen to do so here rather than on social media. Not much for sharing things on the whole social media sites.
So as I mentioned previously, I'm working at two different sites. One is very laid back and does have the secrecy or restrictions of the other site, but does have some Top Secret level stuff going on. That's going to be my weekend post when my schedule finally kicks in. More on the schedule in a bit. The other site is on very restricted property and has some very big stuff going on. My first day of training there, which was my only day of training there was a huge day for the company. Oh, I should mention that I work for a security company which contracts employees to business for security, and my contract is with Boeing, yeah that Boeing. Anyway, my first day was a huge day for the company and the next picture will show you exactly why.
That is the Starliner Space Capsule poking its head around the corner as it leaves the building heading for it's pairing with and Atlas V rocket. When I was a kid I got to go to the Space Center and they would give these bus tours that would drive us right up close to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The day we were there they had a rocket in the bay and we couldn't see inside, Top Secret stuff when they are assembling the rockets. So with that little story you can see that I've always loved the space program and the potential it holds, but never thought in my life would I ever be that close to an actual space vehicle, and here I was watching one go by on it's transport like it was driving down the street in a parade.
I have a few more pictures I can share as well, and for me, these are mind blowing that I'm this close to these iconic things. The first two are the VAB, or Vehicle Assembly Building. This is just to show you exactly how close I am to it.
How crazy is that? I mean ever day that I'm out on this site, the little kid in me is going bonkerz. Yeah I spelled that with a z because that is how bonkerz I'm going. The final picture is the one that really gets me excited, and I very soon I will get to see this one in action. This is the crawler that transports the rockets to the launch sites. Turns out that there are 3 of these crawlers and they are so impressive to see this close.
Yeah, that's right on the other side of the fence from where my site is. I get to see all of this stuff each and every day that I'm out there. How could I not love this job?
Ok, now for the schedule. I was hired as a part time employee, which I was a bit bummed about, but the plus side was I knew these were the locations I was going to be at, so it was incredibly hard to turn this down, which is why I didn't. With being part time, that means I get 32 hours a week, which really won't cut it, but it turns out the Space Center site has some issues with lack of officers to be at the post so I"m going to get hours. I've also been asked my availability at the other site as well. Since last Sunday, I have worked every day this week with a 9hr and a 12hr shift already. I'm scheduled to work 3 more days this week which will give me 10 straight days of working hours, which means I hit some over time in there. When I was at the office I did here a conversation with the CEO asking about an employee that was part time but putting in a bunch of hours and he told them to just shift him to full time status. I'm hoping I will be the next one to get that. Full time means benefits which is really what I'm wanting. Gotta get that health insurance.
The only problems with all these hours is that it keeps me away from the pooches, and I've had to cancel my appointment to apply for my "G" License. I have rescheduled for this week in the morning of a day that I'll work. I'm on a later shift so I'll be able to get it in. The dogs though are dealing pretty good. Morty had a few years with me where I worked so he is just really happy to see me when I get home, but Ri Ri has always had me here all day as long as she has known me, so she is taking some time to adjust. I have a few bags of clothing items that I still need to take for drop off and she has torn into one of them and has been eating clothes hangers. It makes me laugh a bit, but I know that is her being stressed out, so I give her lots of extra attention when I'm home.
I learned a few other things about my job this week which I can't go into, but I can tell you that there is some exciting stuff in the future that could take this career to some insane heights. Right now I'm being pulled toward the Space Center site with lots of hours, but I want to maintain an appearance at the other site as well. That is supposed to be my weekend gig and I want to keep that. Right now my schedule should be Thursday-Sunday with Monday-Wednesday off. I've told both supervisors that if they need me those days to just let me know. I think The Space Center site will take the most advantage of that, so there is a good chance I'm looking at a minimum of 48hrs a week, but I have a feeling it will be more. After 3 years of doing nothing, I'm ready to work. I know that some will say that caring for my mother was nothing, but that honestly didn't feel like work to me, that was just something I was going to do without hesitation, so that's why I say I wasn't working.
Oh, before we get into Favorite Song of the Week I have to tell you about this very odd situation I have experienced while in uniform. If you have seen any security officer you know that there uniform slightly resembles law enforcement. Although recently law enforcement has gone more toward a tactical look the traditional uniform is still the norm. Ok, so when I'm in uniform I get this very, well very strange to me, level of respect, especially from law enforcement. Everyone knows about the brotherhood/sisterhood that officers have, but apparently that extends a bit towards security officers as well. I guess it is more like a little brother/sister for them though, but still a level of respect I didn't get when I was in civilian clothes. There has also been a moment when I was at a convenient store and the clerk gave me the LEO discount when I bought a couple of sodas. It's a bit weird to me to be even seen in that same light as a law enforcement officer. I know with the costumer that here is respect because we are there to protect them and prevent harm to them, the customer in my case being the Boeing employees. We are the first line of defense in harm to them in any way from violence, where we are there as a deterrent. We are seen as an authority so with just our presence it makes people think twice. We are also a line of defense against fire. Our purview is to seek out potential fire hazards and eliminate them. Since at my post were are also CPR certified, we are there to in worst case scenarios, to help aid in saving their lives, so I get the respect we get from them but from your average person and law enforcement seems really weird to me. I guess it's just something I'm going to have to get used to.
Ok, time for FSOTW. I gave you a little preview last week of this so you should know it's another Harry Styles song. I promise this will be the last one for a while, but this is his latest song, and it is so good. Not only that, but the video is artistically stunning. So I give to you Harry Styles with his latest song,"As It Was".
Are you starting to see why I compare him to David Bowie now? Ok, one last thing before I go. I missed Friday Night Vinyl this week because I was working, and if my schedule kicks in then I will be at work each Friday when I'm supposed to do that, so I'm going to have to get all the pictures for the post in advance and then post it on Friday night, so just know that I won't actually be listening to the album when I post it from now on. I just wanted that transparency with you so that you would know the truth of the matter. Ok everyone have a great week, I know I will. Peace in and goodnight.
This has been a week that seems to not be quite over yet. The not over part is the fact that my internet and cable have not yet been restored even though I've spoken with them twice now, the latest being yesterday which the swore that in a few hours it would be back on. I did learn something from this whole process though. Even when the suspend services they still allow a very small bandwidth to go through, which is how I've been able to watch Netflix, but no other streaming services, and write this right here. There are certain websites I haven't been able to access due to a high bandwidth for the initial site download, which is keeping me from downloading the software for my new printer/scanner. This has been a very big problem but we will get into that later.
Monday I was able to apply for me concealed carry license and like before they said it could take 40 days and that after 5 weeks I could go to a certain website to check up on it's progress. Since my "D" license came so fast I decided to check the site early and it worked. My license was issued on the 28th and is in the process of being printed and mailed, so I expect it will be here later this week. Why is that license important? Not for the reason you would think, at least not to me anyway. I really don't plan to carry like most people with that license would, but the thing is, that if I do get an armed guard position, that license allows me to transport my firearm to and from the work site. Without that license you could actually get arrested for illegally carrying a firearm even though you are a licensed armed security officer. It's all about the details.
I began training on site for the new job, but since I will be posted at two different locations, this is only the first round of training. I begin training for the other site later this week. That one is the one I need specific credentials since it will be on Space Center property. The first location is a nice gig. I've already got a handle on the patrols and what I physically need to do, but there are a whole slew of computer related things that need to get done as well, and that will just take me learning the system, which seems pretty simple. My issue is just getting in there and getting a chance to do it first hand. The supervisor is a great guy, but a little slow, especially with the computer, so there was a bit of a situation on Friday where I ended up guiding him through a process I've never seen before so that he could get it done right. In essence, I was instructing him on how to do his job, but I kept it very relaxed and made sure it was more of a collaborative effort and he was leading the course of action. One of the things I learned in my "D" class was, "don't outshine the master". The reason for this is that it can come back to smack you in the face later on. The way I saw the whole thing was it was a learning experience for me with practical real life scenario since it was actually happening in real life and not a simulation. There's also the fact that this supervisor has already made two rather telling statements. 1. He kind of wants to go back to the second shift which is more of a sit back and watch the day go by type of shift, and 2. That I would make a great supervisor. By lifting him up and not making him look bad for not knowing how to do that thing earlier, It keeps a good relationship with him that if he ever decides to step down from the supervisor position, he will recommend me for the post.
When I was offered this post the hiring manager told me to bring a book or my phone cause you will have plenty of time to just goof around. In my head I said to myself, "nah, that's not me, I'm going to prove to you that you made the right choice in hiring my, but the wrong choice in making it only part time.". I'm going to do my patrols, take my notes, and right great reports, so that I move up in the company as fast as I can. I've already shown that to my own supervisor and he is already looking at letting me pick up more shifts once I finish my training.
The one issue with all this training is that I have to postpone applying for my "G" license. Oh wait, I buried the lead with that. I successfully qualified for my "G" license. I shot 90% and as I believed, I aced the written part of the test with 100%. After going through this class and the certification I truly believe that anyone who buys a gun should have to go through a class like this. Even though I knew proper gun safety, I learned so much from this class that I didn't know, which tells me that just some schmo coming off the street to buy a gun knows nothing and really should learn. I'm pretty proud of that 90% because it was the number that I would feel happy with to qualify considering it's been 34 years or so since I last shot a gun. I will have to recertify every year, so I plan on raising that 90% quite a bit by the time a recertify next year, or really in 8 months. I will have to get a bunch of range time in there in order to do that, so my goal is to hit it at last once a month and fire off a hundred rounds minimum. The only way I will get better is through practice.
Ok, now for a little better news. Yeah I know that a most of that was pretty positive stuff, but I've finally been able to clear a few hurdles with the finances. The first one is that I'm finally actually making a paycheck now, which is fantastic, but I was also able to meet with the lawyer that did my mother's trust and she did a huge solid by giving me a discounted rate in order to write up a few documents that would help me out with things, which they did. I was finally after a month of effort, able to close my mother's bank accounts and free up that money. I've already divided that amount appropriately and checks are on their way. I'm having a little bit of a hang up with PayPal in that they are only allowing me to transfer so much into my account which I need in order to pay back that family member that gave me the life saving loan. If you are reading this I know that we have already spoken, but it is all in the process. Right now it's looking like it could take until the end of next week but it will be paid back soon. I know you aren't all that concerned about it, but I am and want to see this done sooner rather than later. It was a truly wonderful thing that you did so I don't want to delay the return. The problem is also that they are taking 3-5 days to process each transfer and it doesn't tell me how much is in the process, so I have to wait and see if the first to transfers have taken hold and then I will hopefully get the final transfer in so that I can send that money along it's merry way. I will be happy and relieved once that is over.
The lawyer also helped me with another document that allows me to get the simple IRA account of my mother's freed up. I've sent that document along with a death certificate so it's a matter of time for that one. That will be the last account that I have to divide up and then I should be done with that whole process, which has been hanging over me like the pendulum in Edgar Allen Poe's Pit and the Pendulum. Please tell me you know what I'm talking about, cause I'm not going to explain it any further than that. The last one which I'm having an issue with, and need the internet for is the annuity. That one only pertains to me so it's not a huge deal if I don't take care of it, but the company wants me to scan in all the documents and email it to them, so they never gave me a hard address to send it to. I have all the documents ready but since I'm still dealing with getting the internet re activated, I'm in a stand still with it. When I requested the appropriate documents I did have them send hard copies as well, since this is the second time dealing with them over this because they never sent me the email the first time. If I can't get this internet reinstated in time, I'm hoping the hard copies come with a return address. Now that I'm working and I've got the balls rolling on the last financial thing that I need to divide, I'm not all that concerned with money. I can make what I need to live so if I never see the money from that annuity it won't be a big deal.
Oh, after taking care of the bank I did celebrate by going to the record store. I had to miss Record Store Day, since I was doing that "G" training this weekend, so I did miss out on a few things that I wanted it. Turns out the Taylor Swift release was the big one to get and it is all gone. I did get one of the David Bowie releases, so I'm happy about that, and I was able to pick up the release from St. Vincent. I"m content with that. Sure I'm bummed I didn't get those other records, but they won't break me. I'm in a very good place right now and I'm going to just keep riding this high for now and see where it takes me.
I don't have any picture this week. I'll hopefully spread my mom's ashes this week and get the mulch down on the garden so it will like right and proper for a good photo. I did get some plants that I'm sure that my mom would approve of and they are in the ground. I'm just waiting for a good day to spread her ashes before putting that mulch down. I had plans to do all of this earlier but you know about best laid plans and all.
Ok, time for Favorite Song of the Week, and I'm going back to Harry Styles again. I'm telling you this kid has something that I really like and this is a great song from his first solo album. He does have brand new song out that will definitely bee a FSOTW in the future. Here is Harry Styles with his song "Two Ghosts".
That's a great song right there. Give this guy a chance and you won't be disappointed.
Oh, I do have one last thing to talk about and I can't believe I nearly forgot about it. On Thursday I got a text with and audio file from my "G" instructor. He had contracted Covid from apparently someone in the class. Now I think I mentioned that the guy sitting next to me was showing possible symptoms during the 3 days I was there, but get this, I don't think it was him. I truly think he did have allergies as he was saying. The instructor normally stood in the same location in the class room which was by the table across the aisle or other side of the room from my table. One of the gentlemen at that time also texted that they were having symptoms. I think that it was the other guy that was sitting at that table that brought it into the room. This is also the guy that I'm absolutely sure I will see on the news some day that he shot somebody on duty and that it will not be a righteous shooting. The funny thing about this is that my instructor went on a rant about how Covid was all a hoax and that if it were true then everyone already had it and it's over. Guess he found out that wasn't quite the case. He is doing better since he went and got the monoclonal antibodies, not sure what the other guy did though or how many other people felt symptoms. I immediately contacted everyone I had come in contact with to let them know of potential infection. I never experienced any symptoms at all so guess what? The vaccine works. I'm double boosted and either that fought off the virus completely or I was asymptomatic all week. I can say that no one I came into contact with has experienced any symptoms either, so I'm leaning on the, it complete fought it off train of thought and I never caught it. So get that vaccine it does it's job.
Ok, that's it for this week, oh yeah there was one more thing I wanted to say today. If you were expecting pictures of me in uniform or of my pistol, I'm sorry but those are never going to be taken. For several reasons but mostly because that just isn't who I am at all. I have no desire to display my firearm to the world or what I look like in uniform. Goodnight and peace in.
