....or Not KY.

I guess I'm not going to Kentucky after all, which is fine, I wasn't incredibly fond of any part of that plan except for the paychecks. Quality of life, there is something to be said for that. I like drinking beer on the 'toon in the middle of the lake with Nic and whatever other stragglers happen by. Don't get me wrong, I really do love to travel, and I will still have to do some of that (U.K. and China maybe a stint in Chihuahua) but never on open ended terms. No more "Hey Aaron, I need tosend you to Oakville for a few weeks." only to return 9 months later....

This'll be good. I've accepted a position within the same company except instead of doing strictly electrical debug and software development, I will now be involved from start to finish. I get to work on the tooling design, follow it out to the shop floor while we prove it out and debug it, and then also follow it to the customer facility to do the installation and put any final touches on it that the situation might call for. The position is with the Advanced Engineering group within the Powertrain division here at Comau N.A. They are doing a lot of diesel engine work (not designing the engine but more building tools to test the engines once they have been built and diagnose problems as they arise in the field). Almost all of our work comes from Ford Europe and from Perkins in China. So I can look forward to some trips to both places in the future. The only downside is having to walk away from the money that being on the road as a Technical Supervisor would produce. Sick, twisted sums of money that could be used for all assortments of debt reduction/charitable contributions. Some fun too. Oh well, I shouldn't complain. I have a job that will more than cover my expenses and provides me with interesting work that also looks phenomenal on a resume.

After a hard fought battle with the insurance company, a battle that involved regional managers and a brief bit of ass chewing at the Saab Dealership in Troy, I am getting my car restored to it's original, defect free condition. I'll still have the scar on the bumper that marks where I hastily backed into a wooden wall(pffffffff....deep breath). Suspension on the up an up though, and that is the important part, really. I will also be looking around for a new insurance company. I'll give you a bit of advice; should you find yourself in the possession of a Progressive Insurance policy and you need work done to your vehicle and they suggest that it be done at their repair facility, tell them to piss off. Ass clowns, the whole lot of 'em.

I'm running in the 3rd annual M.O.M. race in Royal Oak on may 3rd. It was started by a friend of mine (we went to college together) in honor of her mother you passed away 3 years ago after a long battle with bi-polar disorder. It's getting to be a big deal, with over a thousand runners expected this year. All of the proceeds go to charity(U of M depression clinic, etc). It's a 5k race, so if anyone reads this and would like to participate you can sign up as late as the day of the race. Give me a call if you have questions. Nic, Joe and I are doing it. Nic will kill us time wise, but I'll win the "sexiest finish line crosser" award. I'm thinking porn 'stache and chops, non? Head and wrist bands are standard as are knee high socks and short shorts.

I am also going to see Eddie Izzard with Joe, Nic and Jon on May something or other. It's a Tuesday night. I love that transvestite. Really funny. We also procured tickets to the Radiohead concert on August 3rd in Indianapolis. August is looking awesome, as a matter of fact. Several potential sets of visitors (family, might as well be family, and the guys from the now infamous World Cup '06 excursion). Tack all that onto a Radiohead tour date and, well....yahtzee!

Off to the gym. Talk to you all soon.

Music: "Ground on Down" - Ben Harper