Idiots Everywhere

25 years ago, you wouldn't be caught dead in the town that spawned both baseball and Frank Sinatra (well, maybe if you were dead...). Now, however, Hoboken, NJ is a thriving small town just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. It has excellent restaurants, a bustling boutique store market, and an exciting nightlife scene. Some cops from Hoboken came to New Orleans to help in Kenner after Katrina and did some stupid things. They did even more stupid stuff in Hudson county. There is a lively blog discussion going on with this story in New Orleans. You should hear the outcry in NJ. It basically comes down to this - some people cannot handle authority in the proper manner. There are idiots everywhere.

PS - This is interesting to me because my wife was living in Hoboken before we moved out to Pennsylvania. I liked that little town. If you ever go, you need to get a Roast Beef and Mozzarella sandwich at Fiore's (only served on Saturdays). It rivals any RB poboy in New Orleans.

New Job Update

I have completed the 90 day trial period and am awaiting my meeting with the owner/general manager of the training company for which I work. It has occurred to me that I have not yet given much of an update here. I have lots of thought about this especially as my life is about to take an expected and exciting turn in the next few months. I do not wish to be enigmatic so it is here that I will announce that my wife is pregnant. Because of this fact (planned, I may add), I would like to present a list of pros and cons about my old job (a Latin teacher) and my new job (computer trainer).

I will start with the new job since it is freshest in my mind:
PROS:
a) It's mostly close to home - though I do have to travel in the area infrequently, it's mostly non-trafficked roads in the Pocono Mountains to Wilkes-Barre or down towards Reading.
b) I am meeting people who live in my area. I like meeting new people, and it gives me a chance to talk about New Orleans.
c) I like teaching computers because it gives me a chance to improve myself as well.
d) I don't have to get up at 5 AM.
e) I am given time to prepare for classes at work.
CONS:
a) My company is run poorly.
b) Communication is poor, expectations are hidden, and follow-up is lousy.
c) I have to travel 90 plus miles sometimes one way in a day.
d) I am not given much time to prepare for classes. I would love to be able to do this at home, but because of the sins of some (who no longer work for the company) we all have to sit in a small room and study.
e) I make very little pay. I am afraid that the salary for which I took the job is not going to be enough to keep me doing this.
f) One week vacation.
g) Little support or motivation unless we are part of the sales team. We are not.

It seems to me that I have have chosen a career that I will to continue to pursue. I was happy at my old school, and I had things better than I could have expected.

I will be looking to return next fall, I believe. I have a lot of work to do to make that happen, but I think I can pull it off. At least, I know what I don't want to do now.

I am funny

On Halloween this year, I was dressed like a horrifying wraith. I say horrifying because you couldn't see my face, I had on long bony finger gloves, and I stood in the shadows and sneaked (yes, sneaked) up on unsuspecting trick or treaters.
I am a Red Sox fan. As such, I hate the Yankees and their fans. Not so much that I wish them harm, but I do like to make their lives difficult and I love to talk trash. This year a young man came by trick-or-treating in a Yankees uniform. I refused to give him candy. He pleaded, but I stood firm. Ultimately, I gave him a single piece of Laffy Taffy (tm).
When a kid wearing a Red Sox uniform arrived, I poured candy into his basket noting that I refused to give any to the Yankee kid.
His father and I had a good laugh and exchanged sad sap stories about our luck over the Red Sox winning another World Series. I lamented that I hadn't even had the chance to hang up my 2004 World Series Champion yet and now it was outdated.
He said he was upset because he went and bought a jacket that said "Six Time World Series Champions," and now they've won seven.

Oh, and for the neighbors' annual Halloween party? I was the Geico Caveman complete with brow and chin.

My wife went as a positive pregnancy test. Don't ask.

UPDATE: This post was created the day after Halloween, and I don't know why I didn't publish it. So here it is. Another glimpse into my uninteresting life.