RE: SMS Post

Got a pup tent for Fathers Day today so my son & I can camp in the yard tonight.

On Second Thought....

Today at work I announced to my crew that I had decided to stay with the company after all. My wife made a cake for me to take in that said "I'm Back" on it. The reactions were mixed.

• Some people were disappointed that I was staying. These were some of the people who hoped for the possibility of being promoted as a result of my position becoming vacant.
• Some people were indifferent.
• Some people thought that the store would run smoother without me leaving.
• One actually told me he was wondering if the company was just going to let a good Manager get away.
• Another was relieved, because he wasn't sure he was ready to take my position just yet (he was the most likely replacement for me), and he was happy to have some time to focus on getting prepared to take over the store in the future.
• Some thought I was crazy for staying after all.
• Some (the conspiracy theorists) told me that he thinks I was asked to stay so that they would have time to train my replacement, then fire me.

It was an interesting day.

Of course, I stayed because I have a commitment from Human Resources, my District Manager, and my Divisional Vice President that I will be moved to a store within ninety days that will cut my drive time in half, that I will be put on the path to advancement to District Manager (this is scheduled to occur next week) and identified as a candidate for such, and that I will have first crack at the store closest to my home when it finally comes in need of a Store Manager.

Had I made the change of companies that I originally planned:

• I would have taken a $7000 cut in my salary (about a $1000 more than I would have saved in gasoline, oil changes, and health benefits);
• I would have been stuck in a store working as an Assistant Manager for very possibly the next year;
• As an Assistant Manager I would have been closing three or four nights every week and working every Sunday.

I think things will be better in the long run this way.

Joe

Constant Change

Things change. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes, it's better not to change. And sometimes it's just hard to be sure what is best, and you have to stay the course.

After giving my resignation on Monday morning to pursue a career with a new company (I listed the reasons for that change here), my Human Resources Department, my District Manager, and my Divisional Vice President committed to some changes in my current situation in an effort to keep me from leaving. While they provided no financial incentive, money was never the reason for leaving.

They made the following commitments:

• to assign me to a store in Indianapolis within ninety days, which would cut my driving time in half;
• to give me first claim on the Bloomington, Indiana, store (should it come open), which is the closest location to my home;
• to develop with me a roadmap that will put me on track for advancement within my current company to a District Manager position.

These, in part, address two of the major reasons that I decided to leave the company in the first place. The only thing that they can't immediately address is the health benefits, which I believe the company will make some new major changes to in the next open enrollment next January.

My wife and I discussed the matter, and weighed the pros and cons of both staying and leaving carefully. I feel that there are just enough uncertainties with the new company that I was going to join to make it the less attractive of the two options, and agreed to stay on board with my current company. It obviously isn't a perfect situation, but I feel that things will be better going forward, and my future is probably a bit more secure with my current company than it would be starting over someplace else at this point.

Joe

RC2 Corp. Recalls Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys

My son has some of the toys listed in this recall:

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2007
Release #07-212 Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 725-4407
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

RC2 Corp. Recalls Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Products: Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys

Units: About 1.5 million

Importer/Distributor: RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill.

Hazard: Surface paints on the recalled products contain lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None.

Description: The recall involves wooden vehicles, buildings and other train set components for young children listed in the chart below. The front of the packaging has the logo "Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway" on the upper left-hand corner. A manufacturing code may be located on the bottom of the product or inside the battery cover. Toys marked with codes containing "WJ" or "AZ" are not included in this recall.

Recalled Product Name

• Red James Engine & Red James' # 5 Coal Tender
• Red Lights & Sounds James Engine & Red James' #5 Lights & Sounds Coal Tender
• James with Team Colors Engine & James with Team Colors #5 Coal Tender
• Red Skarloey Engine
• Brown & Yellow Old Slow Coach
• Red Hook & Ladder Truck & Red Water Tanker Truck
• Red Musical Caboose
• Red Sodor Line Caboose
• Red Coal Car labeled "2006 Day Out With Thomas" on the Side
• Red Baggage Car
• Red Holiday Caboose
• Red "Sodor Mail" Car
• Red Fire Brigade Truck
• Red Fire Brigade Train
• Deluxe Sodor Fire Station
• Red Coal Car
• Yellow Box Car
• Red Stop Sign
• Yellow Railroad Crossing Sign
• Yellow "Sodor Cargo Company" Cargo Piece
• Smelting Yard
• Ice Cream Factory

Sold at: Toy stores and various retailers nationwide from January 2005 through June 2007 for between $10 and $70.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled toys away from young children immediately and contact RC2 Corp. for a replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact RC2 Corp. toll-free at (866) 725-4407 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday and between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. CT Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at recalls.rc2.com

Joe

Average Joe Radio Episode 28: Short-Timer's Syndrome

New this week on

Average Joe Radio

Episode Twenty-Eight: Short-Timer's Syndrome

I ramble on a bit about why I'm making a career change in my life, plus great music!

"Sympathetic Stranger" from "I Was King"
by Tom Paul
Buy at Magnatune


"The Bends" from "Where The Truth Lies"
by Jeremy Rowe
Buy at Podsafe Music Network


"Run" from "All In"
by Mike Errico
Buy at Errico.com


"The Game" from "It's About Time"
by Kevin Reeves
Buy at KevinReeves.net


"Freedom", "Starting Over", & "Loop-o-plane" from "Guinevere"
by Jeff Wahl
Buy at Magnatune

Feedback Line: (206) 600-4JOE

All music, commentary, and download hosting provided by:

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Reaping First Rewards

I'm working the closing shift tonight -- my last closing shift at my current employer. Every time I close, my (not quite) four-year-old son calls me up to say goodnight. He always says, "Ok, me want you to sing."

Tonight, after he said that, I said, "You know that job Daddy was trying to get? The one closer to home?"

He said, "Yeah, me know that."

I said, "Did Mommy tell you that I got it? Which means I'll be home with you more."

He squealed, "Yeah," so loud that it almost hurt my ear.

Then I sang him a song of his own imagining ("Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat"), and told him goodnight. That one phone call alone makes the whole thing worthwhile!

Joe

It's Officially Official!

As of today, the deal is made official! My last day with my current employer will be this Friday, June 15. My first day with my new employer will be Monday, June 18. Here are the biggest benefits to making this change:

• No more 2 hour (each way) commute. I'll be able to make it in fifteen minutes, and that's hitting every light red!
• No more lousy benefits plan! I'll be on a traditional benefits plan, with no wait (coverage effective July 1), and all for $55 less per paycheck! That means my wife and I can once again discuss whether we want to have another baby or not.
• Advancement potential! There will be nine new positions available this year that I can advance into, growing my income and future potential.

That's the big three. There are so many more reasons that my wife and I have decided to make this change at this time. But I will cover those reasons in a future post, when the change has been completed, and I feel safe freely discussing this current (soon-to-be-former) employer.

Wish me luck!

Joe