Things are still rumbling on in Iraq now. The war which we were so sure would be swift will likely take a few months, and cost almost a hundred billion dollars. Amazing how times have changed. Sadaam's now offering $35,000 to families of those who perform suicide bombings on U.S. and ally troops. But nah, that's not worth fighting a war over, is it? YOU FUCKING HIPPIES! Any man claiming to respect life and then rewarding those who take it is a man that needs to be removed from society. Jailed, killed, or otherwise, people like that shouldn't live to even be in our children's history books. And of course this is a battle that would take forever to win. Bush's fight to end terrorism isn't a fight really, it's more of an epic battle. But it's the struggle to free the world of oppression... the struggle is worth fighting for. I can't believe anyone who'd protest such an obvious need for humanitarian aid. I can't imagine anyone who'd tell me that the best solution to the dying citizens of Iraq would be to just sit on our hands and wait for them to change.

Stepping down from my soapbox a bit, I want to thank you all for commenting on my site these past few days. It's been a really strange weekend. Some ups and downs for me personally, and I've really appreciated your comments. This is the first time in (coming up on 3 years) that I haven't jumped right in and reacted to comments posted on my site. So thank you all for your support about the 10k run. I had a hell of a good time. I ran like shit, but I was proud for showing up and crossing the finish line. It meant a lot to me to have my friends there (and on peer2all.com) cheering me on.

The office has gotten thinner as two of our brethren have been pushed out and laid off. It has been a little wierd in here. I'm caught between the desire to lash out and demand explanations and the desire to keep my job and see where this company is going now because of the changes. I respected both men in ways, was irritated by both in other ways. I don't even know how much of this I should be typing here. Oh fuck it, who cares. Alvin and Pat, I'll miss ya. I wanted to get a chance to say goodbye, and that's what really peeves me most about your going. I've learned a lot from you guys and hope to carry the good stuff on with me throughout the journey of life. Work-wise, I hope you land on your feet, (but really have no doubt that you will) and all goes well for you and your families.

It's a scary thing, putting your trust into a guy who's been employed for just short of a month, but that's exactly what this group has done. We've had to trust that the departure of our own was part of some master plan. While one side of me thinks that's just really shitty, the other is hopeful for a new future. I learned yesterday that the future doesn't include me either. I'm moving over to Marketing. This was one of those briar-patch moments where the last resort was to move me to a place I've wanted to work for three years now. :) Darn! :)

My office has been cleared out and emptied. I did that this weekend, when I wasn't sure what had happened Friday and whether or not I was next. It looks like I'll have a job (as long as I don't screw up and post something on peer2all.com that I shouldn't!) and that I'll be in marketing soon. Doing pretty much the same job, but just answering to a different team. This is right on par with my master plans, so I look forward to kicking ass there and really working hard for the company.

In cooler news, Stephen Mackey and Shannon Skemp will soon be Stephen and Shannon Mackey! :) Steve popped the question to Shannon down in Florida, at the spot they first met more than 10 years ago. Lots of lies and deceipt were used to set up the moment, Shannon says. :) But it wouldn't be a Mackey event without a big production and mass-conspiracy. It apparently took a lot of fanagling to get them both down to Florida for a week's vacation. I won't do the story justice by typing it here, but basically, they met at a fair doing audio work 10 years ago when they were students at Miami. And this year, the fair had an ice rink, so they snuck into the dark ice rink and Steve popped in a CD. Figuring he was just being a sweet romantic, Shannon danced with him in the center of the rink when a spotlight came on them as they danced, and Mackey went in for the kill. Way to go! :) Congrats to both of you!

So it's April already. My, how the days fly by, huh? Paul's friend Pammie has been let go from the company, as was warned last December. April seemed so far away back then. She's got a kid to play with for a while before she decides what she wants to do. It'll be fun having this time off, I'm sure.

I ran a mile last night. I remember thinking that these used to take forever. Now when I get to half a mile, I feel like I've just warmed up. My shins started achinga bit, so I backed off. It might have been too soon from Saturday. I feel fine today, so I think it'll be okay. Now that I have piece of mind job-security-wise, I might start looking into doctors and dentists and setting up some visits. It's been a long, long time.