Scorching Hot Summer Fun Edition

Yikes, I skipped a month... haven't done that in awhile.

Before I let another month slip by I wanted to check in, say "hi," and catch up on a couple of things.

First newsflash:

IT'S FREAKING HOT HERE IN LAS VEGAS!!

I took this shot with my iPhone while running some errands around town in my Jeep-mobile last week. In case you're wondering... no, I didn't take the picture while driving.

This is the time of year in Las Vegas I don't particularly like, to be honest. Yeah, yeah, it's a dry heat - LOL. Having lived on the east coast (Orlando, FL), I'll admit there *is* something to the whole dry heat / humid heat thing... and I much prefer the dry heat... but 115F is friggin' hot no matter what. I'm the type of person who'd much rather be cold than hot.

During the summer here, it's not unheard of to have temperatures above 100F well into the night, even after midnight! I generally find myself running from air-conditioned space to air-conditioned space.

Second newsflash:

I'm currently jobless.

Back on July 6th, my VP called me into a conference room to inform me that the company was eliminating my position as part of some cost-saving measures they were taking. My duties were going to be 'absorbed' by other people.

And that was that.

I've been on both sides of that conference room table, and I know from experience he wasn't enjoying the conversation any more than I was... so I kept things short, and went on my way. It's a tough business climate out there, and sometimes tough decisions need to be made. I get it. I was with the company for over 17 years (including acquisitions of subsidiaries)... and, I must say it was a good run overall. It's a company full of good people, and I wish them well.

Of course, any "life event" like this is reason for reflection. Where I am in life, how I got here, and where I want to head next. I'm considering many different options, including finding a similar job elsewhere... but I'm also checking into some new and exciting possibilities - some of which may be pool-related (in case you're wondering, it's safe to say I'm not going to be a pro anytime soon).

Interestingly, the seed for one of these possibilities got planted around two years ago when a guy named Kevin strolled into my Wednesday night team's home bar and caught me practicing a bit after league play. We shot a few racks and casually chatted. He explained what he did for a living and I found it to be very interesting. I told him I could see myself joining him some day. He gave me his card and told me to give him a call when I wanted to look into it further.

I kept that card, and knew exactly where it was last Tuesday when I decided to make that call.

Amazingly, Kevin remembered me. He remembered the bar (which sadly shut its doors as yet another victim of the economy a couple of months ago). He remembered our conversation. We chatted on the phone for probably around an hour about all sorts of things... and most importantly, we talked about the possibility of me joining him.

It's much too early to talk details, but I have to say I'm taking a hard look at the opportunity and pretty excited about the possibilities.

And with that, I share my fortune from the fortune cookie I had about an hour ago with lunch today (picture taken against a backdrop of emerald green Simonis 860 cloth peppered with marks from jump shot practice):