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.

10 Hours of Shooting

Today I played video games for over 10 hours. I think that's enough to last me a while. I started at noon, going over to Cory's house for "nerd olympics," as Stephanie calls them. It's more commonly known as a LAN party. We usually play older games, since not everyone has a newer computer that can run all the latest and greatest. Today we played Team Fortress Classic, which is one of my favorite multiplayer games. It was a lot of fun! We didn't have a great turn out, but we always had 5 or 6 people, and that's a pretty good number.

I got home around 7:30, Steph went to bed at t 10, then I played Xbox for a little while before completely burning out. I usually play the Xbox every day, but after today's marathon session, I may have to take tomorrow off. Yeah, right.

Campfire Without the Camping

Well, I didn't make it out to McQueen today. I've been running all week, so I decided just to stay home and relax today. I've got all next week off too, so I plan on taking a trip out there then. With all the trimming I did a while back top prep for the new sidewalk, I had a pretty significant pile of stuff to burn. I did a little of that tonight, then just ended up throwing some logs on and staring into the fire for about an hour or so. I think it's really therapeutic to just relax and turn your brain off for a while. A good campfire's great for that.

I still haven't heard anything about the contract or my future employment at Chrysler, and I probably won't until sometime next week. The local leaders are going to Detroit on Monday to get all the details, then I'm assuming there will be a meeting some time next week for us to be filled in. I have to be honest, I'm not feeling too good about my chances. Maybe that's just my slightly cynical nature speaking, but I just have a bad feeling. I just have to keep reminding myself that if I don't get hired in at Chrysler, it's certainly not the end of the world.

Favortie Shots #18: Bridge at McQueen

As I said in a previous post, there's an amazing forest preserve about 10 miles from us called McQueen Forest Preserve that I really love. We've gone camping there a few times, and it's really great just to go for a walk through the woods or along the river. This shot was taken there a few years back, and this was actually taken with black & white film around the time I was taking photography classes. B&W prints don't often scan very well, and this one is no exception. I'm showing this today because I plan on taking a trip out there tomorrow afternoon. With all the stress surrounding my uncertain contract status at Chrysler, I really need to go and clear my mind.

Fall's Opening

I know that technically the first day of fall was sometime last month, but today really felt like that first day. I went out today into a windy, cold autumn day, and I was loving every minute of it. This is by far my favorite time of year. I can comfortably wear jeans and a warm flannel, but it's not so cold that I don't want to be outside. Today was the first day I experienced that "fall smell." You know what I'm talking about, the smell of dry leaves, cold air, and dark earth. It's my favorite smell. I welcome the fall with open arms.

Tag-Along

I've vowed to myself that over the next two weeks, this bag, and the camera that is usually in it, will be with me everywhere I go. Most of the time I don't carry it. I know that I'm potentially missing some big shots, but it's just so big and bulky that I'm loath to drag it around. Eventually I'll invest in something much more portable, but never mind that. We were talking about these two weeks. I will have it with me on my time off, and I will make a point to go out and actively look for things to shoot. With the exception of Sunday, it really hasn't happened yet.

Today I had the joy of spending nearly 2 hours in line, waiting to apply for unemployment benefits. What a joy! Now with all the talk of potential strikes, I'm concerned that it may have been for nothing. I'm not convinced that if we strike, and it's looking like we may, I'll still be eligible for benefits. The woman who helped me said that it was still possible, but that the decision would be made "at the state level." Guess I'll just have to wait and see. I should know by tomorrow if we're striking or not.

First of Fourteen

Today was officially the first day of the shutdown. Somehow, without entirely meaning it, I've gone from a third shift sleep schedule to a first shift schedule in a matter of 2 days. I had originally intended on staying up every night until 2 or 3, then getting up around 9 or 10, but instead I went to bed at 11 and got up this morning at 7am. I'm a little screwed up at the moment. If I'm to be getting up at this time every day, it's certainly going to make for some long ones. Today I ran errands, getting groceries and picking up a few things at Target. Tomorrow I have to do something I've never done my entire life, file for unemployment.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, Chrysler, in its infinite wisdom, shut our plant down for two weeks. All the full time employees will collect 95% of their normal pay, but since I'm not yet full time, I'm S.O.L. I can still collect standard unemployment, but I have a waiting week that needs to be fulfilled before I can collect. There may be a bit of a hitch in that, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

Exercising the Eye

I went for a drive today. Before I started 3rd shift, this was something I did fairly often. I'd grab my camera, jump in my truck, and just drive. I'd just let my instinct guide me, look at everything, and when my eye would see something, I'd shoot it. I haven't done this in ages, but since today was such a beautiful day, I really couldn't resist. I also stopped at one of these little rural cemeteries I used to be so fascinated with to shoot the photos below. It such a quiet, solitary place, I always find myself whispering my thoughts aloud instead of speaking them. It feels like a crime to violate the stillness of the place.

It's so tragic to me somehow that these people once lived, but now they're all but forgotten. Some of these headstones are completely illegible, some have been knocked over by callous vandals, but some are in shockingly good condition, considering their age. There are a lot of places like this in my area, and it's one of things I really love about rural communities.

Oh, and one more thing. Do me a favor. Save these shots to your desktop, then open them with your photo viewer. They look soooo much prettier that way. See yesterday's post for an explanation.

Changing Colors

I was completely ready to make the switch. Browsers, that is. For many people, there really is no difference which web browser they use. We use Firefox, most people use Internet Explorer. Either is fine for everyday use, but as a photographer, neither of these is really any damn good. The lack a key feature that is quite important: Proper color management. Color management takes the embedded color information in every photograph and uses that information to display the photo in the browser. Firefox and IE are really poor at doing this. The photos tend to look washed out, and it's very disappointing for me to see a beautifully colorful photo in Photoshop turn into a dull, washed out mess on a browser. My other option for a browser is the Apple browser, Safari. Safari has great color management. The photos look every bit as colorful in Safari as they do on the desktop. I was in the process of switching over to Safari, when I realized the one web page I'm on every day, the one you're looking at now, doesn't' support it. Yet. Rest assured that I will be making a change as soon as they do.

Switching Sleep

Something I often do when facing long time off is to switch my sleep schedule. It's usually quick, drastic, and kicks my ass for about three days. I'll stay up for about 24 hours straight, then try to sleep during the night when I normally would. I'm doing this again this time, but since I'm off for two weeks instead of one, I have the luxury of taking my time instead of trying to do it in one day. I'll gradually go to bed earlier and earlier, and eventually my sleep will resemble more of a "2nd shift" schedule instead of day sleeping. It's going to be nice to sleep when it's actually dark outside. No more super hero mask for a while at least....

Two Weeks to Shoot

One thing I'm really looking forward to in the next two weeks is taking a couple days with my camera and just shooting a ton of pictures. It's been so long since I've done that, I feel like I've gotten away from it way too much. There's a really beautiful forest preserve about 10 miles away from here that I'm dying to return to, and one thing I really got into a couple years back was visiting old, abandoned cemeteries in the area. We have so many old railroad towns around here, that some of these forgotten rural cemeteries can be really interesting places. It will be good to get to know my camera again.

One thing I really hate about working in a massive facility with thousands of people is the speed at which rumors fly through the plant. Couple that with doom-and-gloom negativity from a lot of unhappy people, and you can hear some really nasty stuff. It seems every week we're about to lose our jobs, third shift is going to be shut down, or 400 transfers are coming in from some far away state to bump us out onto the street. All of it is nonsense, of course, but trying to reason with these people can be completely maddening. This two week shut down has really fired a lot of these people up, and frankly, I'm looking forward to getting away so I don't have to listen to it for a while. One more night!

Shutdown

Does this look familiar? It should, as I've used this shot before in another post. No, I didn't take a picture today. I feel like what I'm writing about today takes precedence over what I'm shooting. I have some news about work, and frankly, I couldn't think of anything to shoot that would be relevant to today's post.

Rumors have been running rampant lately at work, but two have seemed quite persistent. One is that our Saturdays for this month will be canceled, and the other is that they're planing a two week shutdown for the month of October. Today I found out that not one, but both rumors are 100% true. Our Saturday for this weekend is canceled, and beginning Monday, I will be off for two weeks. They're also saying that our Saturdays will be cut off for the rest of the year. They've attributed this to an "inventory adjustment", which is management speak for "We busted your ass for 18 months and now we have too many cars." What's actually happened is a little more complicated. They have been working us a lot in anticipation of demand that really isn't there yet. The Caliber has sold well, the Patriot isn't selling as many as they'd hoped, and the Compass is just not selling. On top of that, they've been overproducing, as our contract is set to be renewed, and they have to prepare for the possibility of a strike. Add all this together, and you have a surplus of cars that must be accounted for. I also believe that Chrysler, facing the possibility of having to hire the 600 "ETEs", finds it more opportune to have the layoff now instead of later, since we are not now eligible to collect the "SUB pay" that would give us 95% of our pay for those two weeks. What it really all boils down to is piss-poor planning, and now the hourly workers are paying the price.

To wrap up, we're shut down for two weeks. I'll be able to collect unemployment, but we stand to lose quite a bit of money for these weeks. The "no more Saturdays" thing is just fine by me. I've been working 3 out of 4 Saturdays for 16 months, and frankly, I'm tired of it.

Poured

They began to pour our new sidewalk, and I must say it looks great. You really don't realize how bad something look until you can compare it to something new and clean. I really wish I had shots of the old, tattered walk so I could give you comparison shots. It was cracked, crumbling, and frankly a bit dangerous to walk on. Big sections were loose and would move when you stepped on them, and chunks were missing in places. We don't often use the front door, but it still should increase the value of the house somewhat to have this brand new sidewalk. Unfortunately, yesterday and today they were working on it around the time I usually go to bed. The sidewalk is about 3 feet away from the front of our house, and the bedroom is in that front part on the upper level. Needless to say, I got to bed late the last few days. Luckily, they're done with our section, so tomorrow should be much quieter.

September: In Review

This was surely the most memorable month of my life. We actually found out Steph was pregnant last month, and I did make some allusions to it, but this month was really the one where it hit home. It seemed so unreal and impossible last month, but seeing that ultrasound and hearing the baby's heartbeat changed everything. This month was also marked by:

• The release of my favorite beer
• Bowling with the family
• I unveiled some major news

Here's my favorite shots for the month: