Saying Goodbye

Today was the day I said goodbye to something I loved for many years. I used to play a card game called Magic: The Gathering. I was into it. Really into it. I used to participate in local tournaments, and most of the time I did pretty good. I won my share, and in the process, gained a great appreciation to the creation aspect of the game. Crafting and honing your own unique deck, then taking that deck and winning a tournament was a great joy to me. Then came the internet. Creativity wasn't rewarded anymore. Now the guy with access to deck lists and unlimited resources could build the latest killer deck without putting any time into it at all. The tournaments became rock - paper - scissors affairs, where whoever had the best draws with the best "net deck" won out. I completely lost interest in playing. It just wasn't fun anymore. Eventually, I gathered up all my rares and some of the more valuable uncommons, and sold them on eBay. I made a fair amount of money, close to $1,200, but I was left with boxes and boxes of common cards that were virtually unsellable. I finally found a home for these cards, and it makes me happy to know they will be used often and well. It was difficult to see them go, but I think it was just letting go of that part of my life that I loved so much, not the actual physical property that got me there. Enjoy them!

Here's another shot I took today that I was very happy with.

In Front of the Lens

I had an interesting day. About 2:30 this afternoon, I received a call from someone I did not expect: A reporter. This reporter was calling from one of our local television stations, WTVO Channel 17, and she was calling about the contract situation at Chrysler. She wanted an interview. Now naturally, I was pretty confused as to why she was calling me. I have been pretty vocal at the Local Union's message board, but I have been one of many, so why I was singled out wasn't immediately apparent. Then I remembered Stephanie Pearson. Stephanie is my buddy Erik's wife, and she works for the station. She heard they were doing a story, thought of my situation, and recommended the reporter call me. Man, am I glad she did. Up to today, there has been virtually no coverage of our situation in the local media at all. I never thought I'd be the one talking to the press, but I guess all my obsessive info gathering and reading about this contract actually payed off. The reporter's name is Kimberly Nelson, and I have to give her credit. She did a great job on the story. In the small amount of time they had, she not only mentioned my specific situation, but also highlighted the many serious flaws in this proposed contract. I was really happy with the story. Here's a link to the story on their webpage, along with a video.

As I'm writing this, the results from other ratifications votes are slowly starting to trickle in. As of right now, two more local unions have REJECTED this contract. This is really amazing stuff. We're looking at history right now. To my knowledge, no international agreement has ever been rejected en masse by the rank and file. This thing may not be over yet.

A Walk in the Park

Well, it wasn't meditation, but it certainly was enjoyable. I finally took that trip to MacQueen Forest Preserve this afternoon. It's such an amazing place. It's so quiet there, with only the wind rushing through the trees and the sounds of the occasional falling branch breaking the stillness. It's really quite eerie to be so isolated from the sounds you're so familiar with. No car engines, no tv or radio, no talking. It's just you and the woods. It's so peaceful that you can't help relaxing while you're there. I saw a herd of deer, about 9 or 10, but they were too far away and ran when I saw them, so I wasn't able to get any shots.

Well, we're finally moving the desk out tomorrow. We've been wanting to do it for a while, but life keeps getting in the way. That, and a little procrastination on my part. I really wish I could keep it, but we just don;t have the space. It was nice to have a place for all my stuff. Guess I'll just have to relocate.

Here's the rest of the shots I took today.

Meditation May Be Needed

This has been one hell of a week. It all began with the Chrysler B.S. I've been stressing over that for more than a week now, but it really began on Monday when it became official that I wouldn't be hired in. To pile it on, I found out today that my Grandma Alexander has been in the hospital since Monday! Not only is she pretty damn sick, she's gotten progressively worse over the last three days, and no one bothered to tell me about it until today. I felt like my head would explode. Steph and I went to the hospital to visit her, and she does look pretty bad. I think she'll be okay, but it's shocking to see her like that. She just looks so old. I know she's 78, but when someone you've known all your life gets to that point, it's distressing, to say the least.

I was stressing pretty bad on the way to the hospital, and Steph suggested the I learn how to meditate. I'm pretty sure it would help me calm down, but I'll be fine once things around me calm down a bit. This week has been rough.

Rough Around the Edges

I haven't shaved in over a week. I know, I know, for most people, this would probably be like 4 days growth. Not for me. There's no particular reason for it. I actually do this when I'm off for extended periods of time. It a bit of a game, really. How long can I go before the itching drives me batty? I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting close. It should be funny to see the reactions of my co-workers when we get back. They'll probably think, "Man, Jason's really taking this hard."

I still haven't heard anything about meetings or voting for the contract. What I have heard, however, is a very vocal opposition to this thing. There's always the very slight possibility this thing could get voted down. GM's contract was only approved by 66% of the majority, and they receivedfar more than we are getting. I did find out that we will be allowed to vote, and we will receive the $3000 signing bonus as well. This is a small consolation, but the bonus will help our savings for my inevitable release.

Terrible News

I didn't take a picture today. In fact, I didn't even touch my camera. The last few days I've had virtually no interest in photography. I kinda read the writing on the wall, and today, my worst fears were confirmed. I will not be hired in at Chrysler as a result of the new contract. All the patience and hoping over the last 14 months has resulted in absolutely nothing.

Needless to say, I'm pretty crushed. I left a job of 11 years to come to this place in the hopes that someday I would be a full time employee. It was a calculated risk, and even though things have not worked out as I had hoped, I still feel like I made the right decision. Belvedere Corp, where I was previously employed, is in no great shape. They haven't made any money in years, and I really don't think that place will be around much longer. I got a nice severance package when I left, and for the last 14 months I have made really good money. I only wish we hadn't been thrown under the bus again by the International UAW.

I don't know how much longer I'll be working at Chrysler. At this point, we've pretty much decided we're going to ride it out until they tell me not to come back. It could be only weeks, it could be months. At the very least, it will allow us to save as much as we can for my inevitable discharge so when I'm drawing unemployment, we won't be completely destroyed.

In the end, I guess I just need to keep reminding myself that this isn't the end of the world. Things may be tight for us for a while, but I have no doubt I'll be able to find work. I'm really sorry I don't have a picture for you today, but this was probably the worst day of the year. This was and will be the only entry in this blog that doesn't have a photo attached. I'll keep you all updated as to any more news about my future at Chrysler. Don't worry about us too much. We'll be alright.

Losing Focus

Okay, it's time to come clean. I haven't been giving this my all. The last few weks I've been absolutely consumed with the contract negotiations for Chrysler, and the last week has been especially difficult. With the baby coming, it's so very important that things work out okay, that I'm really thinking about it too much. I'm having difficulty focusing on every day things, and in particular, this blog. It's become another chore that I avoid, then I end up throwing something up at the last minute. That's really not fair to those of you who come here frequently, and I feel like I'm somehow cheating myself. When I look back at these writings and photo in the coming years, I don't want to feel like I didn't take this seriously enough. I hope to hear something within the next 5 days or so about work, so hopefully then I'll be feeling better about things.

Now, I know the above picture is (intentionally) out of focus, so here's a nice shot I took the other night at my little fire.