Happy Halloween

The day has sadly arrived. Today, 2 November 2009, I had to return to a real job for the first time in over six years. This is not to say I've been unemployed since 2003. I was teaching from 2003-2006, and then for the past three years I was in school at AFIT. Each of these jobs was hard work, but for the most part, I could control my own schedule. I didn't have to contend with staff meetings or briefings or other like activities (although I did have to put up with students that couldn't grasp the complexities of Ohm's Law--V = IR damn it!). Thus, I had a lot of autonomy. Plus, since I thoroughly enjoyed each of these jobs, I didn't really consider them work (and the fact I could take 2-3 hours off to go to the gym probably had something to do with it).

I'm back in the work force, working for Air Force Research Laboratory. Hopefully, the job will be fun and exciting, and ideally, three years from now I won't consider my time in AFRL "work"; however, these first few days back are a shock to my system. I have a boss (Wayne, nice guy, smart, pleasant, been doing this for 40+ years) and will have to put together briefings and attend meetings and telecons. How will I ever survive? :-) But the people seem nice, and in my (and Ashley's) experience, it is the people that make a job fun. So here's hoping...

This past weekend, we bought Bode a little table. He loves it. His Grammy also got him a new toy--a little device that sings the alphabet song (which is maddening after the 30th time), and also tries to get Bode to identify letters. Here's Bode sitting at his table playing. Saturday was Halloween. Fortunately, Auburn (the football team) beat Mississippi breaking a three game losing streak. It was fortunate because Bode's costume was a (miniature) Auburn football player. Here he is getting ready to go trick-or-treating when suddenly, he was attacked by a giant spider. Ashley also dressed up, also going as an Auburn player. Bode's costume also entailed mini-shoulder pads and a cool old-school helmet. He refused to wear both. In Ashley's hand, you can see Bode's little helmet. That's about as close as it would get to his head.Ashley took Bode up and down the street. The little fellow didn't quite understand the purpose of his basket--he thought he had to eat every piece of candy he was given then and there. Needless to say, he was a little wound up, but since he walked a considerable distance, he went to sleep at a reasonable hour.Note the cool pumpkins. Ashley did a great job carving them. What did I dress up as? I went as a thirty-something year old man that doesn't dress well who enjoys watching college football. I think I nailed it :-) Pleasant day to all.