AquariusGuy

I knew I had read this article somewhere before. Derek Hartley of Derek and Romaine wrote an article about it in the Huffington Post. He wrote an interesting piece after reading the blog and talked about it on his show on SiriusXM outQ. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-hartley/gut-check-everyone-is-talking-about-how-fat-you-are_b_1829595.html

What an interesting way to close out the story line. Will and JP's conversation at the beginning now makes a whole lot of sense why he said what he did. It was good to see everyone reflect especially JP. He went to a place where they weathered the good and the bad and it was an interesting symbolic choice. It will be interesting to see what tone the epilogue set for the next series in the CAP drama. Great Chapter and story Mark!!!

How did I end up here? 8 years ago this April I either linked from Comicality's page or from one of Vance's stories off Nifty. It was so long ago I don't remember which one brought me here. Once I joined I discovered different author's with many great stories. While many I originally followed have gone dormant, I have found some really other great author's to provide me with some interesting reading. I've kind of blended into the shadows commenting here and there. Still am that way..... sort of.

According to my iPhone my song of all the time.

Yes and I know a few other tumblrs that do too. On the weekend I typically hit it in about 2 hours or less. Today I spread it out so I didn't happen that quickly.

That's not too bad. Let's just say I hit my 250 a day re-post limit daily. Been on there over a year and am just shy of 50,000 posts. I do however have over 50,000 likes of photos. I need a new hobby.

I am on there daily, I must not have a life. There is even an app for that so I can tumblr from anywhere.

my tumblr is NSFW at all.

I kind of have been reviewing your stories on and off depending on how I feel. Overall Mark you are a great writer and this story is yours to deal with in your own way. So what if people don't like the direction your story goes. It happens. 9/11 changed people and this story has reflected only some of the things people went through. While I don't directly know anyone who was in the tower's I know people who did. To try and sugar coat anything surrounding the tragedy would be a tragedy in it self. This chapter was interesting. Will in typical Will fashion apologized for his outburst. He made mended the fence with Frank and now we will see how Frank behaves. This chapter set the stage for JJ. Every character in CAP has been dealing with 9/11 and JJ is the only one who hasn't really come to grips with the whole situation. He was very close to Jeanine and Robbie and that is going to make things 110% worse for him. I am glad to see Will recognizes this and is putting forth the effort to make sure his brother is ok. The only one who will deal with the whole situation later in life is Maddy. She will have a tough road when she become older. Right now she is too young. Keep up the great writing Mark! Who cares where the story goes as long as it keeps going.

Oh joann.... it was nice. Especially this last episode. You should definitely watch it.

It just had its 3rd episode airing, so about 3 weeks ago. I caught most of it fox on demand through my cable company. It is on their website. It is a good show. My cable company even had the special where they showed how the main characters went through boot camp.

I totally agree and he knows how to steal a scene. I have my DVR set.

Has any one watched the new military show "Enlisted" on Fox Friday's? I have to say the show has been pretty cool and the one brother Randy (Parker Young) who has been shirtless quite a bit and loves popping in on his brother Pete (Geoff Stults) at odd times. Including a shower scene and when Pete was moving into his own place Randy showed up and showered and decided he would stay naked making his brother uncomfortable. What are your thoughts on the show?

A very good chapter Mark!!! Staying in "the condo" is prorbably going to be a thing for Brad. So much happened there that I don't think he will ever let it go. He is having it furnished and it is his connection to Robbie and Jeanine. Zach and Will seem to be making deeper connections. They both shared some deep and personal things and it sounds like there is more to come in their relationship. Zach is working on his future and Will seems to now understand it but they don't have to label anythign yet. They have a whole lot ahead of them. Any thing can change at any given moment. Nothing is gaurenteed. Who knows Zach could be injured before college but that would be a major blow to him but life is constantly changing. Nothing in CAP is a stable envirnoment. There will be more things coming.

So today has been totally weird. First I was the only member of my team in Des Moines as the others were out on a job today. I've had an escalated issue yeh big boss gave me to do and it hasn't been easy. Well today I asked someone from her office to try and look something up for me and she got the same results so she asked another person to look it up. Mean while it dawns on this guy that it was his customer. He calls me asking what I am doing as he's been trying to fix this account. My response was "insert boss's boss" gave it to me as an escalation and I am working on it and it hasn't been easy. Needless to say he really screwed a customer's account that our IT people can't even figure out what he did. He started complaining and worrying and going on and on. Well obviosuly he didn't like the fact I was working it. So it told him the big boss gave it to me and not to worry. Fat chance now. So big boss returns from visiting out in the field with the others. I asked her about his training and what he's gone through. She said not much why? I said you know that escalation you gave me? She said yes..... I showed her IT's response and told her that he admitted it was him who screwed the account. She got this look and I know he will be very unhappy Friday when shes back in Minneapolis. She and I talked and I told her I told him I was working it and not to touch it. She agreed. I told my boss to calm the other guy down that esclalations aren't a bug deal. She said what escalation, I didn't give you anything. I said big boss did and she copied you on the emails and a few minutes goes by and she goes so she did. So I had to explain it all to her and she asked me what big boss's face looked like when I told her. (I should mention this conversation with my boss is via a chat program) So I expalined the look and she said he will be screwed six weeks from Friday when big boss is back. I feel bad that I had to rat him out but she would have known any how because we had a trace on who helped him and him admitting it made my job easier. So big boss and I talked before I left as she is Omaha bound in the AM. She said not to worry and would see me first week of February. So I came home shut off my work phone.... and I read Mark's 9-11 and another story on a different site and I sign into facebook. I have a bunch of message from T who I mentioned in another blog. Why is your phone off I REALLY need to talk to you. I responded because my day is over. He said please call me. Alright so I did. He had this $4,500 accessory order that he has been flipping out over. He has called me constantly and the one day I swear he was on the verge of tears over it. We had to fight to get the accessories ordered and used my inter-office connections to do it. Well today the customer only received half his inventory and T was freaking out. I asked if he tracked it and he said yes but I only show one shipment delivered and one on the way. So I fired up my ipad and was able to tell him the customer has an additional 20 or so boxes coming that were delayed because of the snow in the east. He has said ok thats fine and we hung up. I swear not more than 5 minutes later did my text go off. T: Are you sure? Me: Yes T: How sure? Me: Well unless FedEx steals them I am confident they will arrive. No response came until later. T: I just want to make sure they are coming. ME: I showed you the tracking numbers if you are that bored sit there and refresh the page . T: Well I'll take your word for it. So I am not sure how to take today. it has been odd all over and this last part of the night made me wonder how T is going to survive in his position. He's a great guy but when he gets these panic attacks its annoying becuase he won't give up even when I assure him. To top things off my trip Friday out to Cedar Rapids was canceled. I also have a co-worker up in Minneapolis who wants to do dinner before our meetings since she knows we are coming in early the first week of Februrary.

If there is a book and a movie I tend to read the book then watch the movie. I totally agree about the movie falling short. The funny part is my mom gave me the book to read when I was in high school. I read it and was hooked and then saw the movie. Then 2 months or something like that we were assigned to read it in english class and then write a report and were given a month to do it. I was able to jump on the report right away and finish so I didn't have to worry.

hmmmm. an adaptation of Orwell's 1984. Might be interesting. Read the book and loved it, the movie not so much.

Friday next week I am back in the field with a sales rep who works out of our Cedar Rapids office. I emailed him this morning for the details and got his out of office. I was on a call with a co-worker and when I spun around in my chair he (the sales rep) was behind me. He said I got your email. I said that's nice you didn't have to come all the way here to tell me that, a simple reply would have worked. He laughed then proceed to tell me he was there for a training and wanted to stop in since he is rarely in our office and to tell me he didn't have an answer for my email yet.

A very interesting chapter. JP in a situation that's he seen before and now ona different side of it. At least he had the expereince to lean on. Brad confronting Frank was long over due. Probably a poor time to do it but this family loves drama. I think we coming ot a turning point for Matt, Wade, Will, Brad and Frank. How they move on after tonight will be completely different and some of them have major obstacles to over come. I can tell you I really loved the whole part about Wally and Clara being kidnapped and sent to Siberia. That was good...He could have sent them to the north or south pole, as he may eventually need to business in Siberia. Great Chapter Mark!!!

Well it has been an interesting start to 2014. Started off the new year with some snow, which won't be going anywhere any time soon since we won't be above 10 degrees for a while. Today was probably the most interesting day. There were these two guys I made friends with when I was in training in Chicago, we'll call them T and J. Both great looking and both married with children (not the show). I am assigned to T as a buddy to get him though his first couple months after training. We talk on a constant basis daily about sales issues he runs into but he knows with my job I support a whole bunch of people and conduct web trainings. Well today I was do a web training for a customer and T called me 8 times, texted constantly and emailed me. I answered each time except the calls telling him I was in a training and would call him back. To no end he kept going and texting. So when I was done my conference call and training I had a debrief with a team-mate H. She and I were talking and she said you kept cutting out when we talking and I said I kept getting calls. I purposly talked to H longer than I needed to since she and I are working on a project together and she's in Omaha, so its hard to put out heads together. So I got around to calling T back. He says to me you had me worried. I said why I answered your texts and emails and I was on a call with a customer then had to talk with H about the call and our project. He was like but I thought something happened to you. I told him that if it did I would have been answering his messages and he said it was valid. I asked him what he needed and he said nothing.... just thank you for wishing me a happy birthday yesterday. So he blew up my work phone because of that... Well later when he called he had a better reason and needed some real help and I helped him close a $3,000+ accessory sale. I told him he owes me and he said he knows. Closing that deal wasn't easy as I need to ask another Associate Director for a warehouse contact and I had to wait for an after hours response. I do say T has a knackk for knowing when I am at door, as he almost always calls me when I need to be unlocking it or using my badge to get in. Now to J. He was messaging me internally on our chat and I was helping him with a customer. I got his issue resolved and told him I had to go do this web conference and I put my status up that I was busy and in a web conference. Well he took a page right out of T's book and was texting me and mesaging me. When I was done with T I called J. He first said sorry bro. I told him I was in a meeting and I the distractions were a bit much. He appologized and said he promised to bug me more in the future and then hung up. Both T and J are wonderful people but they are both really testing my nerves. It was kind of sweet that T called to thank me for the birthday wish. I think something else was going on but that's all he could come up with since I probably sounded bitchy. So completely different subject. I refinanced my car through a differnt bank to cut the interest and lower my payments. It has been nothing but a hassle with them to the point if I could I would undo it. I started the re-financing before I moved and told them I was moving and the loan officer said hey no problem. Boy was that a lie. I told her to send me the title and I would get it changed to get Iowa plated since I heard froma friend they are really stingy here about getting it done to the point where they will fine you. I called them December 9th since my parents were getting my loan papers at their house. They had no record of me making the request for an address change. I had the email correspondence and shared it with their VP of lending and she assured me my title would be to me asap as they contacted the company that processes them and I would get it right away. So on December 30th I called and left a message with the title clerk asking hey its been 3 weeks whats going on. She sends me a nasty email back telling me I called on the 19th and she was looking into it. I finally got a response that she needed my address to have it overnighted. I sent her my address. The more I thought about it the more pissed off I got. So I fired off a nasty email telling her off. I told her the specific time and date I called and I know its right becuase I was in Chicago at the time and pulled up my phone records. The email she used to respond to me shows she didn't contact the title company until the 30th or atleast follow up until then. I basically told them that if Iowa fines me that they will be sent the bill for the fines I also blasted them on their customer service telling them basically it sucked coming form a servicing the customer perspective. I didn't get a response and I didn't expect one, what I did get was an email telling me my title was overnighted to the wrong place and they were correcting it.I know that they won't be my loan provider for very long. So 2014 has been interesting and its only 2 days in. Let's see what else can happen. Maybe the world will end since it ended a year ago Wednesday.

Welcome back Mike, its been a long time. I was wondering what happened to you. Hopefully life has been treating you well.

My friend from training was standing there the whole time. Had they done that I definitely would have escalated. He looked at the guy and was like dude what's your problem.

So when I got to the airport today and was going though the TSA they were questioning my temporary Iowa Driver's license. It is equipped with a watermark and security features but the guy was asking for something else. He asked for my social security card, which I don't carry. I landed up showing an insurance card and credit card. I was surprised I didn't have to give a DNA sample. I was so happy when I got home and in my mailbox was my official Iowa Drivers License. Now when I am in DC next week I will be fine.

It's been amazing living on my own again, Oh I have missed not having to fight for the shower or the laundry room. Things were a little rocky when I left home. My brother didn't take it so well and was upset he couldn't update my computer and that I was not paying for him to come with me. So what did he do??? Got into a fight with my dad and bent the fender on my u-haul trailer. My dad fixed the trailer pretty well since U-haul didn't notice. Since the cops were called and I am the one who called I got a summons to appear. Slight problem is I am in a mandatory training that day and I have called the Maryland State Attorney handling the case and left numerous message that have not been returned. So it looks like they won't have a case and my brother gets another get out jail free card. Any how...,. I have been busy making friends EXCEPT no one is local. One is in South Dakota and the other is in Eastern Iowa. Both are married through and which sucks. They both called me today to check in which was funny. We met at training in Schaumburg for our new positions. I will be supporting them both so we will talk frequently. I will see them both again second week of December for our final training week and then again at the Business Sales Conference in Minnesota in February. So even though I am hundreds of miles away and a time zone behind my family is still bothering me. I got the 3rd degree from my mom for not calling the other day. I said mom nothing was going on and if you needed to talk you have my number. Friday they really put me on edge at 7:30 central. I got a text form my older sister telling me that my younger sister was in a car accident. Over an hour went by before I heard anything else and you can imagine what was running through my head. Especially since my sister just the week prior got her car back from hitting a deer. So my sister is OK but her Honda Civic was officially totaled today. Friday I was trying to check on her and all she could do was tell me about her car. I said look I asked about you and NOT your car. She has some bruises and a chemical burn from the airbag but all and all she is OK. The part that sucks is there was a lot of hoopla when she bought her car that her ex-fiance (they were engaged at the time) talked her out of GAP insurance. So after the loan is paid by the insurance her balance is $666.00 even. I told my mom that it was an omen that the car was the devil. My mom ate that up and went on and on about it. Funny thing is my cell phone must fall into the same category as the last 3 are 666. So as I sit here in cold Iowa pondering my next move. I am glad I not at home and won't be for either holiday. Ironically I have a training back in Maryland right before Christmas so I will be visiting then. My boss asked if I wanted to save money and stay with my parents. I said no really fast and she said what you aren't even going to think about it? I told her no I would not be staying at home as I would end up missing my training. I will be spending a day before the training with them but that is it. Things are looking up and I wish things would move faster but I am taking them one thing at a time. I have already had a few things go my way financially over the last couple of days including 2 surprise checks. Surprise money is not a bad thing. I am slowly making friends and we will see how things go.

Thanks every. I won't disappear from here just my family.