Editor's Note

The editor of Risin' and Shoutin' wishes to qualify a comment made in the August 14th post "I Am Seventeen Going On Sixteen..." The last sentence reads, "Though several have also spent the summer away, I can't wait to reconnect in a more personal way than just reading your blogs." While personal interaction is preferable to blog reading, it is the editor's desire to state that he is glad that so many dear friends choose to blog and comment on each others' posts. He only wishes more would follow suit as it has proven invaluble (In-famous is when you're MORE than famous!) to keeping up with such a wide spread group.

T-Minus Eleven Days and Counting

Due to popular demand, I'll be trying to post a countdown-countup everyday til I go home. Ok, ok, it was one suggestion, but I liked it, and I hope you do too.

Workdays remaining: 11
Installs to date: 127
Average # of installs per day to reach goal: 1.636363636363

I Am Seventeen Going On Sixteen...

do do di do di dooo...

Seventeen days and counting. I have seventeen days until my indentured servitude expires, and I become a free man once again. Well, actually my term is being measured by two sets of numbers, days and installs. I am so close to hitting 140 that I have decided to stay my full term or hit 145 installs, whatever comes second. I need to hit 140 for the next tier on the payscale. But I want to get a few more just to insure that I will get it. It could be possible that a few of my installs don't actually qualify, so instead of having 140 I end up with 137 or so and that would be a difference of approximately $2k. Thankfully, it's starting to look like I won't actually have to stay on for a few extra days to hit my goal. I have 15 workdays to get 24 more installs. If I can get three installs every two days I will be just under my goal. If I get 2 a day that'll put me comfortably at 150 or so. My renewed optimism is due to the fact that there are only 3 technicians left, and I have been scheduled out for two installs yesterday and today, which I hope will continue.

I would be very displeased if this job kept me from attending the BYU vs AZ game in Provo on September 1. I am eager to see BYU reload rather than rebuild for a change after a stellar season. In 1997, the year after BYU won more games in a season than any other team before or since ('96 record was 14-1), they went 6-5. In 2002, after going 12-2 n '01, they went 5-7. I would be thrilled to witness back-to-back double digit win seasons for the first time since '89-'90.

I would also really like to see all my friends back in Utah. It's been way too long. Though several have also spent the summer away, I can't wait to reconnect in a more personal way than just reading your blogs.

Holding on to the Bitter End

And boy is it bitter. Sales seem to be slowing, just at the time they should be speeding up. I wanted 180 installs for the summer, and now it looks like I'll be lucky to hit 140. That is a difference of thousands of dollars for me. I'm still making more than I would have in Provo, but not anywhere near the amount I was expecting to get. But I have also sacrificed my social life for this job as well. I'm on call from noon to 9, so if I start something and then get a job, I have to drop what I'm doing and go. So I haven't gotten to know anybody very well here. I can't wait for the summer to be over. At least then I can start having a social life again.

Making and Breaking

I told my friend that I would come to his wedding open house. I told him weeks ago. But my company will not let me take the time off. This is partly because I didn't ask for it off when I told my friend that I would be there. I finally asked earlier this week. And the answer was that they couldn't afford to let me go for the weekend in the busiest office in the company. Except this has been a slow week, but the chance could be that there will be a lot of work to do. A chance. That is the part that gets me. So much depends on things that are beyond my control. But if I would have asked two weeks ago, I would probably be going. So a lot depends on me too.

I found out that I have the second most installs in Denver, and rank 7th in he company. This with one of the longest install-time averages in the company. One of my friends here has consistently had shorter install-times than me yet he has 15 fewer installs. I don't understand how that can be. It's all about timing I guess. Now he is thinking of going back to Provo. If he does, that'll mean more work for me (Yuck) and that means more money (Yay). It would also mean 1 less friend in a place where I don't have time to cultivate new friendships. So I have mixed feelings about it. But he has to do what is right for him.

Impressive

The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...
[cut to Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik]
The Impressive Clergyman: And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...
[cut to the trio again]
The Impressive Clergyman: So tweasure your wuv.
Prince Humperdinck: Skip to the end.
The Impressive Clergyman: Have you the wing?
[cut to the trio once more]
The Impressive Clergyman: ...and do you,Pwincess Buwwercup...
Prince Humperdinck: Man and wife. Say man and wife.
The Impressive Clergyman: Man an' wife.

It's funny, another friend just got married, and right around my birthday. That makes three now. It seems that of the original UP 11 boys, only the Mallard and I are left standing. The oldest and the youngest of the group. Mallard, I hope you like June weddings, cause that seems to be the trend. Ol' Hungry Eyes is the one outlier of the group getting married in September.

Another year has come and gone, c'est la vie.

Negativity

I have been feeling rather negative lately. It is a self-perpetuating state of mind to be in. I have started a couple posts tonight that had derisive, sarcastic, and otherwise dark observations. One didn't post because my network connection failed, and I noticed how disparaging my last one was going. I am glad I caught it before it was published.