Whose Policies Failed?

Silk Purses & Sows Ears

Today was an interesting day. This morning we drove over to Grandview for a dress fitting with Mrs. Attila's seamstress. The dress is coming along very nicely and the Mrs. is going to look fantastic in it.

This afternoon, we did a bit of shopping for me. The last time I bought a suit, Jimmy Carter was president, and bell bottoms were in fashion. I needed a suit for an interview with Hyman Rickover. My dear departed mother would say the putting me in a suit is like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I can't say that I disagree. In any event, it's been thirty years since a last bought a suit, and I was not looking forward to the process.

It all went well enough, and I think I'll end up looking presentable. I even scored a few points with Mrs. Attila for choosing a shirt that matches the jacket to her new dress. (Just because I don't enjoy shopping for clothes doesn't mean I don't know how.) One thing's for sure though, I'm definitely not the 42L, 16.5/36, 32x36 kid I used to be. One other thing's fairly certain: I won't be buying the next new suit I'll be wearing, and I'll be wearing it for a VERY long time.

Following up on yesterday's post, we also started to execute our disaster preparations. We mailed off a check to pay off one of the outstanding PLUS loans. We should be able to get rid of another before I have to worry about a layoff. That, combined with the asset protection we put in motion yesterday should position us well in the event we need to deal with a layoff. If things go as we hope, and I stay employed, we'll be that much closer to being completely debt free.

Even better news is that our future should be clear long before the next wedding.

Uncertainty

The news was mixed last weekend. Mrs. Attila was picked up by the new contractor at work, but your humble (no, really) servant was not. I'll be staying with the incumbent for the time being. My management assures me that the company doesn't intend to lay anyone off. Since there's still one piece of the contract to be transitioned, I'm probably safe for at least a couple months. I've usually been successful keeping myself employed, so I'm not too worried.

Still, with an economy that can only charitably be described as shaky, I've felt the need to plan for the worst. We've talked with our financial planner and are moving some assets around to protect them in the event the stock market tanks and I end up looking for work. While we're waiting for everything to sort itself out over the next several months, we'll be suspending payments into our IRAs and use that cash to pay off debt. That'll reduce the burden our retirement funds will have to bear in the event we have to liquidate to get our cash outflow down to something manageable on one salary (plus un-, or seriously under-employment pay).

Having a plan is a good thing. Here's hoping we don't have to execute anything more than the debt reduction portion of it.

Stress Reduction

We had an "all hands" meeting this afternoon lasting almost forty-five minutes, at the end of which I knew no more than when I entered. With the contract changing everyone is concerned about their futures, and understandably so. We are 18 days from a major contract transition on the site, and it seems there are no firm plans in place to accomplish the task. There's much motion and activity to be sure, but no numbers for our staffing level to be, no firm description of our work scope, and no budget numbers worth the paper they're written on (thank you, Democrat Congress). It's almost like the winning bidders were taken by surprise when they got the award.

The only thing that I know for sure is that I was asked this morning whether or not I was interested in accepting a position with our new overlords. My answer was of course, yes. I suppose I can breath a little bit easier, but until I have an offer letter in hand, I'm going to be feeling some stress. It's a damn good thing I've got a new gun to shoot. Nothing lowers the stress level like putting a few rounds down range.

Why I Love Opening Packages

Today the mail brought me a new factory guide rod/recoil spring for my XD-40 from Pistol Gear. UPS brought me a Swiss K31 from Samco, and a brick of GP-11 to shoot through it. God, is this a great country, or what?

A Puppy Again

Our Carmen is undergoing treatment for Cushing's disease. Today she decided to play with us outside. We tossed a tennis ball around the back yard like we used to do when she was young, and she chased it with abandon. It was wonderful.