Peakah's Provocations...

My first month at my new job as an Accounts Manager has been extremely sucessful. The General Manager at my location started the same day as I did on the 1st of May and the Sales Manager only outdates us by a week. Other than that there are only two other people who work out of our store, a Customer Sales Rep and a Driver/Mover who've been there themselves for a only a few months.

The location is only 6 months old and is in a prime location along a main throughfare through Henderson heading into Las Vegas. Yet, the location has gone through staff like Guinness goes through Wyatt Earp!

Such is the transient nature of Las Vegas' employment culture.

As a result, the store ranked at the bottom of every indicator since it's opening in the western sphere of the corporation's national reach.

The GM and I put our heads together and committed to turning that store around- "From Worst to First in 30 Days" was our motto.

Well, the numbers are in... and we're FIRST in revenue in only 30 days in our entire region prompting visits from the Vice President, and next week, the President of the Corporation from Atlanta. How's that for progress?

Is 30 days into a job too early to ask for a raise?
Buwaaahahahah...

I have a few moments to share an experience I had on Mother's Day that really made an impression on me.

A friend of mine owns a flower shop and calls me when she knows she's going to have a really busy day... mainly making deliveries. Well, Mother's Day is one of those days.

One of the deliveries I took will remain cemented in my memory forever.

I approached the door to a quaint house in a typical north-west Las Vegas suburban development. I rang the doorbell and awaited a response. In my left hand was a large vase of a gorgeous arrangement of flowers for a loved mother.

Little did I know how loved this mother was.

My first assumption was that the woman who answered the door was the intended recipient- and the initial look on her face when she saw the arrangement of fresh flowers was confirmation...

However when she read the name on the card, she gasped and immediately teared up.

I then doubted that I had the correct house.

She saw the look on my face and assured me between sobs that I was at the right house, but that the intended recipient had died 25 years ago... it was her mother.

Her mother had been so loved by those who had known her that she still received gifts of flowers by delivery even 25 years after her death to honor her memory; particularly to honor her memory as a Mother.

I was astounded and couldn't help but think of things I could be doing to instill that love and respect to inspire others to honor my passing even 25 years after death!

May the memory of that mother inspire us all to do those simple yet awe inspiring things that offer up encouragement and enlightenment...

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An Irishman who had a little too much to drink is driving home from the city one night and, of course, his car is weaving violently all over the road.

A cop pulls him over. "So," says the cop to the driver, where have ya been?"

"Why, I've been to the pub of course," slurs the drunk.

"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite a few to drink this evening."

"I did all right," the drunk says with a smile.

"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight and folding his arms across his chest, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"

"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk. "For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

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Brenda O'Malley is home making dinner, as usual, when Tim Finnegan arrives at her door.

"Brenda, may I come in?" he asks. "I've somethin' to tell ya".

"Of course you can come in, you're always welcome, Tim. But where's my husband?"

"That's what I'm here to be telling ya, Brenda."

There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery..."

"Oh, God no!" cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me."

"I must, Brenda. Your husband Shamus is dead and gone. I'm sorry.

Finally, she looked up at Tim. "How did it happen, Tim?"

"It was terrible, Brenda. He fell into a vat of Guinness Stout and drowned."

"Oh my dear Jesus! But you must tell me truth, Tim. Did he at least go quickly?"

"Well, Brenda... no. In fact, he got out three times to pee."

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Mary Clancy goes up to Father O'Grady after his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears.
He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary my dear?"

She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news. My husband passed away last night."

The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible. Tell me, Mary, did he have any last requests?"

She says, "That he did, Father."

The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary?"

She says, He said, 'Please Mary, put down that damn gun...'

How many of you remember this?

Those were the days eh?

-you rock Matt!

This is what we probably have to look forward to in the not too distant future from our boys...

If I don't get the chance to post before Sunday,

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
(link leads to a future glimpse of my boys)

...the past couple of weeks have been!

As Dr Phat Tony puts it, I’ve been extremely busy doing a job that illegal aliens won’t do...

Continuing my old job, learning a new one as an Accounts Manager for a national Sales and Lease company here in town, finishing up of my sons' baseball season, and having them keep up on their homework, not to mention the million of other routine things that just have to be done to keep life in order, has kept me running like Osama through the tunnels of Tora Bora.

Today I finally am kicking back and taking a deep breath... PHEW!!

Thanks for the emails from you who have been wishing me luck and keeping up with me via that vehicle. It is nice to be loved and missed!

As a result of this insane schedule I've been unable to keep up with current news events but I have a hard time believing that I'm missing much-

I don't think I'm going to die of Bird Flu, illegal aliens are flooding the border at most likely the highest rates ever, the price of gas is rising, as is dismay with the Republican party.

I feel as powerless as ever to change any of this, thus my nosedive into real life... which is probably nothing more than the political calm before the storm of this year's election cycle sure to be more gory than a Tarantino flick as psychological warfare over the voter's mind is mercilessly waged.

Actually that sounds like fun! And great blogging material...

So I'll probably be lying a bit low till then... we'll see.

*closing eyes and clicking heels*
"There's no place like home...
there's no place like home..."