8 random facts

I've been tagged by Deb to give you eight random facts about me...I have to post these rules before I give you the facts. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. I'm not sure I even know 8 people who blog, let alone 8 that haven't already done this, but I'll try anyway.

Fact #1 -- I'm semi-ambidextrous. Now I say "semi" cause there aren't all that many things that I do left handed, but enough that make me a little weird (imagine that!). I bat left-handed (although I throw RH), play golf left-handed and even sleep on my left side. I hold my cell phone with my left hand and usually only drive with my left hand. One other cool fact -- my left hand is really way more advanced when playing the piano than it should be, enough so that when I tried out for my highschool jazzband, I actually soloed with my left hand instead of my right. The band leader was floored... and I got in. To be honest, the solo wasn't all that good, but I think he just thought it was cool. So do I. :-)

Fact #2 -- I sorta like mowing the lawn. I think I developed an affinity for it in highschool when I got to go out and put on my headphones and mow... and just kinda fade away into the music. Also something about making those little back and forth strips in the yard made it almost look like some of the major league parks with the criss-cross pattern of grass in the outfield. A littlle odd, I know... but I thought it was worth sharing.

Fact #3 -- I hardly ever do any casual reading. It's bad, I know... cause I do actually enjoy a good book (when I have time). I usually only get a chance to do it on vacations (plane rides, etc) or when I'm sick or something. Which leads me to...

Fact #4 -- I hardly ever get sick. Maybe I just ignore it when I am. I get sniffles and sore throats and stuff but I usually don't think much about it at the time... but I really only get "stay-home-from-work-cancel-your-plans" sick about once every two or three years or so. Call it good genes, call it luck, call it something else... but I guess I'm blessed in that area.

Fact #5 -- I am VERY uptight about needing to know how things are going to happen in the near future. Ask Sarah. I need to know directions 3 turns out. I think through different scenarios and plan out my responses way in advance. I over-analyze conversations to the point of silence. Maybe that's good in some ways, but sometimes it's very annoying to others I'm sure. Oh well.

Fact #6 -- I like lima beans. Seriously. I know most people hate them, but my brother, father and I all love them. Don't know why. But they're yummy.

Fact #7 -- I learned how to play chess in 2nd grade. Now maybe that's not a big deal, but it is kind of odd for an 8 year old. I had a bunch of friends at school that liked to play, and I'm sure we couldn't have beaten Kasperov, Fischer or Deep Blue but we enjoyed it all the same.

Fact #8 -- I was an Eagle Scout at age 14. Well, maybe 14 1/2... but it was still kinda early. Something I'm really proud of, although I think more so now than when I was younger. I actually went through the program at the same time with the scoutmaster's son, and the 2 of us were pretty much neck and neck the whole way through. It was kinda cool to have someone doing it at the same time that I was friends with. I also got a cool memory book of sorts when it was done that the troop put together for me with all kinds of letters and stuff from notable people like Senators, Representatives... even the Pres. But the coolest of all was the one from Billy Joel (my hero at the time). OH -- and the 6 free cases of Pepsi Free and other products I got from Pepsi Cola. Sweet!

OK -- so those are my facts. Now I will randomly tag the following people... and if you don't blog, go ahead and send me an Email with the answers!

Dan C
Rich
Aunt Robin
Mom
Dad
Erik
Tom
Mike

To that, I say "Neigh"

As promised in an earlier post (I think), I've got some Ethan pix from his day playing with the horsies. They are included below... along with a picture of Ethan sporting his on-the-jobsite headgear along with the construction manager (Sarah's aunt).

So we think the kid may have chickenpox. He started breaking out in all these little red dots that became bigger and more widespread by the end of the day. At first, we thought it might be flea bites or something, so we washed all of his bedding... but as the day wore on, they got more and more pronounced. Before you ask -- it's most likely not an kind of allergic reaction (cause it's not localized) and we don't think it's anything to do with medication, bug bites or anything else... we're checking with doctor's office today to see what they have to say. More to come...

"And we'll have fun, fun fun..."

Things still churning...

Still at the RV place. Churn.

Still looking for permanent work. Churn.

Moving forward with the house sale scheduled to close July 9. Double-Churn.

I've had a few leads and possibilities -- nothing great -- but nothing horrible. I have 2 followups on possible CSR-type work. One is with LexisNexis (sp?) which is more like what I am looking for (tech-related), however the other seems like it may have better pay and benefits. The second job found my resume online, so it might be a longshot, but it's worth hoping for.

Also have my resume out to a few recruiters and am hoping I can shake something up there. Planning on going to a networking meeting next Wed night to shake loose a few more leads.

If you or anyone you know if a member of LinkedIn, check me out there:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrezer

"That's all, folks..."

Marriage Vows... or not

So I heard this thing on the radio today that many couples getting married these days are starting to change the traditional "Till Death Do Us Part" to something a little less binding... like "Until I no longer love you". Are you serious???? Talk about fear of commitment... I wonder if that would work in some other instances...

When buying a car --
"I'll pay you the $20K...Unless my bank says I don't have enough money..."

When ordering dinner --
"I'd like the lobster... unless I change my mind once it comes out of the kitchen..."

When going to work --
"I'll start tomorrow... unless I take another job before then..."

At the hospital --
"I'll perform that surgery for you... unless I decide to perform a different one while you're unconcious..."

"More than words..."

When in Rome...

So this is apparently where I should be living, according to this online quiz:

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

I'm in Racing Country

OK - so there's a lot going on, but I'll start with this tidbit... I'm back at Tom Raper when the woman that was hired a few days ago walked out. Now, I'm not a judgmental person, but what does that say about your work ethic? Maybe this is the reason she didn't have a job in the first place. Just sayin'...

Today at 6pm they are bringing in Aric Almirola to sign autographs here at Tom Raper RV. To me, that sounds like someone who should be judging a contest on Food Network, but apparently he's a driver on NASCAR or something. Go figure. They also have Tony Stewart's car out front, which is pretty cool. (I guess... it's in the trailer right now, but I'm assuming it's SWEEET)

[There are also a bunch of driver cards or something here that they are giving out... not to mention the 3 life-sized cutouts that adorn the halls of the showroom. Very surreal...]

House stuff moving along... our potential buyers have finally sent back the disclosures, but when they went to inspect the house, they said there were too many boxes in the basement to do an inspection. Very odd... our boxes are in the garage.... but regardless, our agent is working on a way around that. I think they are just being difficult -- or stupid (they keep calling our agent Mark, even though his name is Nathan). Hopefully we won't have to move anything out of there... or I may have to call in some favors from friends back in the DC area...you know who you are!

Had a meeting with a recruiter today who was very helpful...I have a ton of homework and netowkring to do.Apparently in Cinci it's all about WHO you know and not WHAT you know. I've gotten the same tips from a number of people, so I'm going to start following up on some of those leads.

"Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend..."

My list

OK - so here's what I'm thankful for... in no particular order...

1) My wife Sarah who loves me unconditionally
2) My son Ethan who cracks me up, tries my patience and keeps me young
3) My family who supports and loves me
4) My puppies who make me laugh
5) The ability to earn money to support my family
6) The opportunity to go down the road to a grocery store to by food for my fridge
7) To be in a country as great as the United States and to be free
8) Civil servants who keep us safe and out of harm's way
9) The ability to worship God the way I want to
10) The ability to play, hear and feel music

... and now comes the food part of the list...

11) Cheesesteaks
12) Good beer. (And I mean GOOD beer -- not that swill that passes for beer in most bars)
13) Coffee
14) Good beer. (i.e. Guinness, Newcastle, Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, etc)
15) More good beer. (i.e. Loose Cannon, Dark Island and tons I haven't even tried yet)
16) Mom's Chocolate-Bottom Cupcakes, Sloppy Joes and Green Lime-Pineapple Jello
17) A warm meal on a cold wintry night
18) Ice cream, any kind will do
19) Ruth's Chris Steak House
20) Brats on the grill

... and to round out the first 25...

21) A roof over my head, a car to drive and clothes to wear
22) Things I take for granted too often that I may not even realize are blessings
23) Friends who share my disappointments, revel in my triumphs and keep me fueled
24) Journey's Crossing, where I met some of my closest friends, not to mention my wife
25) Time away from the hustle and bustle of life when I can de-stress and reconnect...

More to come... (the next 25)

"Makin' a list, and checkin' it twice..."

Job Hunting, Part Deux

So this job runs out Friday. I have an interview with a Job Coach at the new church I'm going to on Sat at 10am....turns out he's an IT recruiter for his full-time gig! How cool is that? Also have an appt with a recruiter I've been trying to get in touch with on Wed AM next week -- that might also help stir things up a bit.

But more importantly...

We have a CONTRACT!!! They offered us our asking price plus a bunch oif closing costs, etc. We're not going to make out as well as we had hoped, but we're accepting the offer since we will escape with at least some money and we can't wait much longer. Even better was the fact that they want a quick close date (July 9 - 30 days) so that will help immensely. Please pray for our family and that everything goes well, we pass inspection and there are no complications. Thanks for your prayers thus far...

Now we are of the opinion that God was just waiting for Sarah to make her "list" (checkout her blog), so I think I'll need to make my list so we can get on with the job acceptance part of this whole thing! Keep posted...

"One Down, One to go... another night and one more show..."

Doggie Heaven

OK, so for anyone who's interested, I think the puppies are doing OK now...







More to come when I wake up... MMMMM coffee.

"MMM, Mmm... good, Mmmm Mmmm... good"

Who Can It Be, Now?

This Men at Work song is definitely going through my head now. Started working today at Tom Raper RV and was busy ALL day. Except for the period of time where I just sat on my butt cause nobody was there to show me what to do... which was kind of annoying. I got up super early to make sure I was there on time, so not only did I arrive 25 minutes early for my assignment (at 7:35), I didn't really start working until after 9. Ugh. At least I got a chance to catch up on a back issue of Keyboard Magazine. :-)

The job was OK, but very high stress for someone like me who wants to make sure I'm doing everything right and that nobody was getting ticked off at me. Lots of customers calling in, asking questions I didn't know the answers to, etc. Plus I have 7 salesmen all waiting for their next sale, and if I don't refer people in the order I'm supposed to, they get a little antsy. Of course, nobody really told me that until the end of the day, but that's OK. I rolled with it. Overall everyone their is super nice and I'm finding that people out here are just generally in a better mood. Don't know why that is, exactly... but it's possible that it could be the lack of DC Beltway traffic. :-)

Job fair tomorrow... will keep you posted...

"Call me, aaaahhhhh, call me... call me any, any time... "

New job, new church

Starting a job tomorrow that may end up being a day, or it may be 1 month. Who knows. I'm doing front office work at an RV sales business for meager pay... but at least it's something. Will let you know how it goes. I'll at least get to look at some cool RV's if I'm lucky... :-)



Went to Vineyard Cincinnati this AM. All I can say is "HOLY CRAP". It looks like Journey's Crossing on Steroids. Very cool, very much the feel of our previous church. Music was great, good speaker, lots of fun toys to play with. They are doing a ton of outreach stuff as well, which makes me feel at home... plus they have a Job Search department to help with things like resumes, interviewing skills, etc... and a JOB BOARD! Bingo!

"Knock Knock Knockin' on Heaven's Door..."

Beer Adventuring

So with this new area that I'm living in comes a ton of new places that sell imports and specialty beers and there are all kinds of new exciting possibilities. I will try to update this page with some of them for those who care about beer... :-)

I recently had a chance to try a Cinci brewer called Christian Moerlien. I tried the Dopplebock -- not bad, but a little nuttier than I care for. I'm anxious to try some of their other styles soon.

Also, on my recent trip to Jungle Jim's, I picked up 2 other brands in single serve bottles... one was an award winning Hefeweizen from the Plank Brewery. I really liked this brew. It tasted a bit like a Belgian Beer with the large amount of spices used (not sure what it was, but I'll find out for you Ken!). Apparently it won the 2004 and 2006 Gold Medal in some important beer competition, so it's definitely good enough for me! I'll definitely get this one again.

Another one I tried was an Old English Ale called Old Speckled Hen. Also very good. Not as heavy as a Bass but with a similar character. It really is very refreshing and slightly different because of a unique brand of malt (or is it hops? I forget... but it says it on the label). I would drink this again and it was pretty decent, but not remarkable.

So many beers, so little time.

Dog Day weekend

Well, looks like the doggies are not doing too well being by themselves for most of the day... Donny is ripping up his bedding and has had a few anxiety attacks. The original plan was to have a friend stay at the house to take care of them, so they could have company, etc... but we found out that was NOT what has been happening. They've only been let out of their crates to take care of business (3x per day) and then are going back in again. It's a sad existence...

Enter... MOM AND DAD TO THE RESCUE!!!

Going over and above the call of duty, Mom and Dad Rezer (We LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!) are going down this weekend to rescue them from previously said "sad existence" to bring them back to Philly and love on them. It's a huge weight off our shoulders to know they are being taken care of and loved on... We are still looking for options so we can get them out here to OH with us, but so far we don't have any contacts. Will keep looking...

Today we had bison burgers and oven-baked Parmesan potatos for lunch. YUMM-O. (sorry, Rachel Ray can't be the only one allowed to use that phrase!) We've been cooking quite a bit here and although we don't have all our kitchen stuff, spices, etc...we're making due. It's been nice to have Debbie (Sarah's mom) around also and Sarah and I have been able to take a few quick escapes... one of them being to Jungle Jim's near Cincinnati Mills Mall. If you're ever out this way, you gotta stop in there. It's like Disney meets Wegman's meets I don't know what... it's crazy. (check the links above)

"Food, Glorious Food..."

Got drugs?

Well, that's what they wanted to know... so I got to pee in a cup. Good times.

"Why is there so much controversy about drug testing? I know plenty of people that would be more than happy to test any drug you were to give them..." --George Carlin

Start a new temp job on Monday doing office work and answering phones. It's really low pay, but it's something while I continue to look for a full-time position. There's a job fair in Cinci on Tuesday that I'm going to attend, and I hope to score some contacts there.

No new word on the house... hopefully we'll get some good traffic this weekend and hear some news from our realtor Nathan next week. We'll keep you all posted!

"I want my... I want my... I want my MTV..."