Cranium Drainium 14 - Nothingness

I will be taking things down a notch or two as far as blogging.  I may even take a break and see if I want to continue this.  Who knows.  Meanwhile, I have a few more posts coming, including this one.  So if you're really having trouble sleeping, a paragraph or two of my ramblings should help.

The economy still sucks, but here in this area (Hampton Roads, aka Norfolk-region, of Virginia) things feel as if they've bottomed out.  In fact, much of what I see appears to have changed very little compared to 2006 or 2007 as far as people out in traffic, shopping, etc. Crowds are crowds.  Lines are still formed at restaurants in Town Center on Friday and Saturday nights.  Movie theaters still seem to be pulling in business.  Malls are busy.  The only visible impact I've seen is car dealerships and housing sales.  There is about zero new construction in housing and almost none in commercial real estate.  Dealerships are noticably empty, regardless of day of the week or time of day.  Furniture stores seem to be struggling also.  Best Buy is as packed as I've seen it during this period of year, compared to the past nine years I've lived here.

Work is steady at our company.  We have almost a hundred job positions posted for this area alone, which is incredible considering the overall economy.  Looking back, I've learned a few important things that have changed my life immensely:

- If you have to choose between working for one of two employers, and the differences are that company [A] has great people that are fun to work with, but the location and facilities aren't really great, versus company [B] where the facilities and location are great, but the people are not so great to work with, always choose [A].

- Working in the fast lane is cool and indeed fun, but sometimes the slow lane is better for your overall quality of life.

- Whenever your management smiles and tells you things are great and the future is bright, respond accordingly, but investigate it anyway.  Everytime I've been told "don't worry, they would never do us wrong" I've been screwed over.  Keep your resume up to date.

- Take the stairs.

- Get outside even when it's cold.  If the sun is shining, that's all you need.

- Under promise and over-deliver.

- Don't confuse co-workers, colleagues and friends.  There are friendly co-workers, friendly colleagues, but friends are a different thing entirely.

- Don't burn bridges.  Never spread negative views at work.  Give everyone a second chance.

- Know-it-all people are usually compensating for something else lacking in their life.

- You really do learn who your friends are when you're life turns upside down.  This is when you quickly separate friends from co-workers and colleagues.

- Family is the most important thing in a person's life.

That's about it.  I can't think of anything else.