Time to recap - I've been a slacker

So, I found some more time to put my fingers to work on some blog topics. From the last time I wrote, some really big things have happened; some more surprising than others and some larger than others.

We'll start with the smaller of the items. I am still employed. This in itself shouldn't be surprising. However, with the economy and the amount of impact that was done to the banking and financial services sector, still having a job is of no small consequence. That being said, I didn't weather the storm completely unscathed. The bank invoked cost saving measures at my pay grade and higher. There were two methods made available to the individual business lines at the individual level. These methods had a common goal. Save 5% across the board. The methods available were to force everyone to take a 5% pay cut or 2 weeks unpaid vacation. My business line chose to take the 2 weeks of additional vacation, unpaid. This was handled in a very nice way. Once started, payroll would deduct from each of our paychecks for the rest of the year a portion of the amount of the cost of 2 weeks vacation. Therefore, these "mandatory" days were then added to our pool of vacation days. Therefore, we did not have to take a block of time off without a paycheck. I did volunteer for the unpaid block and was turned down. Since I have the guard to supplement my income, I could have taken the unpaid time in a block when I had my annual training and not missed a beat. My management decided not to take that route and handle everyone in a uniform fashion. I can certainly see where they are coming from.

So, if you are paying attention, you should be asking yourself, 2 weeks of pay is not 5% of your income. If you are asking that, good. You are paying attention. If you are not, eh, I've given you a pass this time. So, what about the rest of the percentage? I don't know. I think the business line found those funds from other places like: travel budget, training budget, contractors, professional services and other "non-essential" expenses which were previously on the books. That is purely speculation. Quite frankly, I never did get a straight answer to that question even though we (myself and peers) did ask that question.

So, moving on chronologically, the next event was that I officially and successfully departed the 20-something range. I didn't expect that this would be any thing to write about. Typically, I am of the opinion that it is just another day in another year. This one felt different. I know that I gave Angel grief on her 30th and she gave me her share and even took it a step further by having a surprise party for me. That was cool, but that's only part of what made this one different. It wasn't really on "that" day, but it was around that period that my brain started to churn the concept of entering a new decade of association. I wouldn't say so much that I'm getting old because I don't feel "that" old, but I'm certainly not a teen anymore.

Turning thirty got me thinking about my goals and personal expectations that I had for myself. I can recall back in high school, when asked where will I be in X years or how do I see my future unfolding, I had a pretty concrete vision as to how I saw things happening. From the view point of high school, I expected to complete the following in order:

1. Complete basic
   
2. Earn a degree in IT (AS or BS? I didn't have an answer)
   
3. Establish myself in the IT industry as a programmer
   
4. ETS from the Army (6 and out)
   
5. Move to CA
   
6. Buy & payoff a house
   
7. Get Married
   
8. Start a family

So, with that brief outline, I can say that I've completed that list in an acceptable fashion in about the order I had expected. There are a couple large exceptions to the plan and reality.

• Yes, in 2002 I did ETs, but in 2005 I re-enlisted. Now with 11 full years completed, I plan to do my 20.
  
• Moved away from Pittsburgh, but not to CA. Landed myself in the ATL instead.
  
• Found a house to plant our roots, but are certainly 30 or so years from paying that one off.

So, with those mostly minor exceptions, I can say that I've been pretty successful in executing my development plan post high school. The only question left at this point is what is my plan for my next X period of time? Well, we'll talk about that some more later in this post.

So, to move on toward lighter subjects, the surprise party was certainly a surprise. Angel did a bang-up job pulling this off. Typically, family is pretty easy to organize and convince to do things which would be considered above and beyond. Therefore, getting Mom & Dad Denner, my Mom, Dana & the boys to travel down to GA at the same time does not strike me as overtly difficult to swing. However, trying to include friends to execute this trek is a bit more monumental. Now, I will admit that the guys that did make the drive are not "just friends" and they are damn near family, yet seeing them there was simply shocking. Damn, here we are, just over 6 months after the fact and I'm still moved by the gesture. Then to top it off, Eagle wrote what could be a small window into just how close we are as friends or a long winded toast. Shit, it could have been a eulogy. Although, it was interesting that he had D read it aloud and she even got worked up because of it. What a wonderful wife I have and how blessed I am for the friends that I do have.

Well, the weekend of the surprise party truly had another surprise in store for me. As fate would have it (isn't she funny that way?), the last bullet in my "to-do" list became a reality. We didn't know it then, but were able to track it back, that it was that weekend in April that we conceived the little bundle of joy which is supposed to be joining us at the end of January. The 24th to be exact (or as exact as this type of calculation can be made). So, at this time, we are on the road Pittsburgh bound for the baby shower, a couple of birthdays, and Thanksgiving. This week in da'burgh has other significance, but more on that later.

So, due to the concerns around the development of the baby within Angel, we've undertaken another life changing course of action. Angel because of a high recommendation and myself in support of her, we've quit smoking. Since about the age of 16, this is the longest I've gone without smoking even one cigarette. At this point we are both above 5 months quit. Angel quit on May 30th and I quit on June 10th. In this period of time, we have saved a combined total of over $1,000. So, besides having the financial and personal health reasons to quit but having a child to be responsible for and to be a role model certainly carried enough weight to not only take the step to break the habit, but is also the motivation to remain quit. I am not going to try to recap the experience of the past 5 months effort in quitting. What I will say is that it is amazing how much power and control nicotine has over the body and mind. I would say that it is at least twice weekly that I have a dream where I light up. And let me tell you, it invokes a guilty feeling.

So, as if all of the above information wasn't heavy enough, I have some more heavy news. As a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard, I have been alerted of a deployment in 2010. Due to OPSEC concerns, I won't get into anything specific. I can say that our current intel says that as a member of my unit, my orders will put me away from home for a year, boots on the ground for 9 months, and we're bound for Iraq. This information is not cast in stone, terms are subject to change, and your mileage may vary.

So, this leads me directly into my last new topic of conversation before I start trying to wrap this post up. While I was at my annual training at the end of July and the beginning of August, a back problem was brought to my attention. This is something more than my typical lower back tension. I'm not saying that the situation/condition is serious or not because I don't yet know. I thought that in the time since it presented itself that it would have worked itself out. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Here we are, November, and the discomfort is still present. Thankfully, my day-to-day activity does not unduly stress my back and I'm able to function normally, to include yard work, hockey, or almost any other "everyday" activity I can dream up. Interestingly, I have found one activity that will flare it up in a heart beat. Standing. Standing for long periods of time, like shopping at the mall or "good" grocery shopping or a standard day with the NG. These activities are enough to remind me that something isn't right. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about gloom & doom here. It is a generally dull pain that rivals that of a joint that needs cracking. Unfortunately, I haven't found a movement that will relieve the pressure. Although, there is one big difference between this and joint pressure, that is the pain on contact. I can put my thumb between the vertebrae where the pressure resides and will get a sharper pain.

So, at my SRP in October, I brought this to the attention to the doctors doing our reviews. I thought that they might take a look at it or something. Instead, they said "here" and handed me a 90 day profile and a medical referral to see my own doctor on my dime. I don't know why I would have expected anything different. Anyway, I saw my doctor on Vet's Day and he tells me that a MRI is the course of action to take. My MRI is scheduled for December 1st. My doctor also mentioned that the pain is at T12 and L1. Therefore, he has requested both a Thoracic and Lumbar MRI. Therefore, my eligibility for deployment will hinge upon what the MRI results present.

So, with all of that out in the open now, allow me to reflect back to my earlier points.

This trip to Pittsburgh is significant because of all of the events pending at the start of 2010. Due to the pregnancy, Angel will not be permitted to travel during the Christmas holiday, not that I am in the position to have any time left for that anyway. But more importantly, once Cat is born in January, we're not about to travel with her north. Therefore, this will be my last trip home until after my deployment. I'm not saying that I won't see my family again before I leave, but this may be the last time I see my friends until that time. Thankfully, I manage to keep in close contact with everyone via our many forms of communication mediums which include IMs, phones, e-mail, and Facebook. In all reality, being in Iraq may not present me much different to them than the distance that we already have between us and have already adjusted to handle. For all I know, I may be more productive here an in other places because my "off hours" activities will be much more restricted. Only time will tell.

As for my other incomplete thought, what will my plan be for my future? Well, I don't have a comprehensive answer for that question. What I can tell you is that in the next year and half or so will be all about friends, family, and staying alive. We can have this discussion at such time that I am safe at home again.

So, if you have made it to this point, then I applaud you. My laptop is saying that it is time to stop because the battery is getting low. Also, in standard fashion, I have completed another marathon post (i.e. a book). One of these days I will determine a way to get this out in smaller pieces which are digestible in a quicker fashion. Maybe.