The flip side...

Found out today that one of my co-workers will be leaving the company at the end of the month to pursue another avenue. I'm happy for him and I knew he needed a change. But the thing that stuck me was the lack of vacation time he'll have at his new job.

Yes, yes...I know the whole point is to "work", but I guess I've just been spoiled the past few years. I didn't get the full details, but my buddy will only have 5 PTO days, but all the bank holidays off. There's something about earning an extra PTO day for each month you don't have an unexcused absence.

I don't know what I would do if my PTO days were cut. My 1st year I had 10 days. For my 2nd-4th years I had 24, but could "carry over" 5 so I had 29 days to play with. Year 5-current, I got 29+5, so for the past 2 years, I've had 34 PTO days in the bank.

Now that sounds like a lot, but that's to cover everything from sick/personal days, to holidays, to vacation. My PTO just reset in May, after the Memorial Day holiday, I'll have 33 days to burn, but my Hawaii trip will eat another 7 days. This kind of freaks me out, but I have to keep reminding myself that I took similar time off in 2010 when I went to Key West and Vegas in the same week. Now that was a stressful packing situation. Speaking of which....I need to put the finishing touches on the current packing mess.

It's not just about cookouts and the day off...

...it's about remembering and honoring the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. I have seen family members and friends head overseas. Some have returned covered by an American flag.

I challenge each and every one of you to look outside of yourselves and really think about how you're able to enjoy this time with family and friends. While you're grilling out or just hanging out, remember those that will  never be able to do that again. And while many of us are feeling the early heat of summer, what about the men and women camped out in a desert, half way around the world. That 90 degree heat in May doesn't seem so bad now, does it?

Did you know...

...that May is National Hamburger Month? So, as a PSA...go eat a hamburger.

When is National Bacon Month? I'd celebrate that one daily!!

Sometimes the truth hurts...

In the work place, I'm a big believer in earning your stripes and being promoted for based on job performance and qualifications. I don't think anyone should be promoted just because they think they deserve it or because of who you know. If that were the case, who wouldn't think they "deserve" a promotion or raise.

But since I like to live in reality, I know sometimes moving on up the ladder can sometimes depend more on who you know and less on merit. I personally don't think it's fair, but life's not fair. Stuff happens.

There is an open position that would be a promotion for several people, friend, included. However, some of the "qualifications", in my opinion, are stronger in some of the people in my department. That doesn't mean I don't think my friend "deserves" the promotion, I simply think there are others who may be better suited for  it.

Apparently this upset said friend and in turn this makes me a bad friend because I wouldn't go to bat for them. Uh, maybe I missed something, but I have nothing to do with the hiring process. I tried to clarify the difference, in my mind, between "deserving" something and being "qualified". That didn't go over very well.

If I'm missing something, please enlighten me.

Can't wait to fly until the map turns blue...then green again

You know that feeling you had as a kid of Christmas Eve or the last week of school? You know, wanting something so bad you fear that day will never arrive? Well, that's how I feel now. I've been looking forward to heading back to Hawaii since 2006. In a little over a week, I'll finally have the time to hop on a plane and see my family & friends that I've missed for so long.

It seems everyone has all these grand ideas about what to do and what to see in Hawaii. Truth be told, it's always a very low key visit for me. I don't care about the latest restaurant or bar opening. I just want to see the people I don't get to see on a regular basis.

I see lots of food in my future. And yes, the dinner menu for the night we arrive has changed twice. But I'm OK with the latest change. I have a routine, the first thing I do when I land in Hawaii is find the nearest Zippy's and order fried chicken, french fries and a fruit punch. I can't help it, I've always loved fried chicken, even when I lived in Hawaii.

Fruit punch, that's something else I can't get enough of. Don't get my wrong, I love my sweet tea, but there's just something about an ice cold fruit punch that always brings me home.

Never know who you're going to see in Vegas...

I thought last weeks Vegas trip was going to  be just like all the other ones...a weekend to visit with my grandparents, eat, shop and gamble. Well, it was all that and just a touch more.

Mom and I landed in Vegas before lunch on Thursday, May 3rd. We broke from routine and headed to Serendipity 3 instead of In-N-Out Burger. After a quick lunch, we did what we haven't done in years, roamed the Strip. It wasn't as crowded as I expected. It was Fight Weekend after all, but that was just fine with me. Stupid people get on my nerves, especially while I'm on vacation.

After walking down to City Center, then up to the Palazzo, so I could find my $750 cupake (which I never saw), we headed back to the Forum Shops to pick up a red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory for my grandparents. There are so many weird turns in that place, I can't even tell you were we started, but we somehow passed by a shop called "Field of Dreams". Mom & I both stopped and I nearly peed my pants. All I saw was a banner than said "Joe Montana, May 4th".

Let me stop here and say that Joe Montana is my all-time favorite QB. Now I love my Peyton Manning like no other, but I grew up and 49ers fan and there was nothing like watching Montana lead them down the field and into the endzone. He's always been on my 'Bucket List' of athletes to meet, but come on...what are the chances we'd actually be in the same place at the same time.

Thank goodness for Vegas! Mom and I went in and I grabbed a mini Notre Dame helmet. The sales guy told me I didn't want that because the total price would be like $399 or something like that. So I was ready to walk out of the store, but this other dude ran over and said, "the 8x10's are a better choice". I found the one I wanted, it showed all 4 of his Super Bowl rings. And I already had the perfect frame at home.

Mom and I went back the next day and it was a very controlled chaos. He was just as nice as could be and didn't even flinch when I jumped on the table to get a photo with him. After all these years, he's still a class act.

The fuzzy photo proof

Fins Up, Vegas style...

I couldn't resist...I picked up tickets to see Jimmy Buffett at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this October. Fins Up, baby!!