Unclean!

Inspired by Kristy’s recent post and the OT book of Leviticus [I compare those often!], I felt moved to share a recent photo from my work experience at Richardson Products, Inc.

This little fellow [gender unconfirmed!] flopped out of a pallet of plates I was off-stacking to their proper location.

Looks tranquil and at peace to me.

“And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.”  -Leviticus 11:29-31 ESV

All in a day’s work.

¿Se Habla Español?

Meagan is taking Spanish this year and I asked mi amiga Maria at RPI to help her with her vocabulary.

Upgrades

I’ve neglected the blog recently so I haven’t yet reported on two major upgrades in my life.

First, on the vehicle front, I said a teary farewell to the little red truck in early March and downsized to a more gas-friendly Honda Civic. After number-crunching my Jan-Feb. gas expenses, I reasoned I could make a car payment with the money I used to keep the truck running. And at 35 MPG that theory has proven true.

  Lexie bidding the little red truck a sad goodbye on a rainy night

The Civic in all of her shiny, compact, silver glory

Second, I received a promotion at work in early May! The leadership team at RPI decided to fill the Plant Manager position and tabbed me as their guy [and no, I am not in charge of landscaping!]. My primary responsibilities include overseeing all areas of the physical plant, managing 20+ employees, part and product ordering/assembly/shipment, and serving as a liaison between upper management and employees. This is a great opportunity for me personally/professionally, it allows me to drop my second gig at UPS, and it returns me to a normal sleeping schedule.

Holy water

My UPS gig provides me a daily, 4-hour interaction with packages of all types and contents. And some just make you stop and ask yourself the obvious question: “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Like this one…

To learn more about Evangelist Jenkins and get a free vial of his miracle water, go here.

Really, click the link. I’m not making this up!

Craft queens

Regina, Heidi, and Lexie have turned a stylish pen-making hobby into a ‘lucrative’ business venture.

What started in Texas [thanks Payton!] as a cutesy way to kill some time has evolved into a side gig Lexie is using to finance her way to camp…or an Ipad [puhleeeeease!]. She and her pals started making the pens a few weeks ago, taking orders and logging them in a handy notebook, and selling them for $1 each. Meagan’s volleyball team devoured the initial inventory and kept coming back for more. From that meager start, the entrepreneurs have made several trips to Michael’s to restock their supplies, doubled the price to $2, and established a “customer of the week” incentive that nets the person who buys the most pens a freebie!

So if you’re looking for that special way to tell that special someone they are really special, consider a bic pen all decked out in artsy duct tape.

Here are your color options…

…and the finished product!

True Texas grub

We celebrated a fellow RPI-er’s 45th birthday this past weekend at the local Texas Roadhouse. Feeling right at home, I opened the menu and immediately saw this…

Presented with a decision sure to impact the balance of power in the Metroplex, I selected the Ft. Worth Ribeye over the Dallas Filet in a tightly-contested photo finish. And for those of you fellow Texans who are curious about what a Ft. Worth Ribeye looks like, this pic’s for you…

Digging out at work

Here are some pics/video of the blizzard impact at Richardson Products, Inc…

Mob ties

My work with Brown has me dangerously close to organized crime. Should I depart this life via the 50 gallon drum on the ocean floor, this is where it all began.

Italian feast

I was drawn to this picture at Buca di Beppo, a really nice Italian restaurant that hosted our annual RPI Christmas party Friday night. The guy seems comfortable in his abundant skin.

We had some great conversation and did a gift exchange but the menu might have been the big winner. Five courses that included [1] fried mozzarella and bruschetta, [2] antipasto and caesar salad, [3] fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti with meat sauce, [4] chicken parmigiana and chicken marsala, and [5] cheesecake and chocolate cake. I sampled most everything so I’m well on my way to imitating the robust man above…but I’d probably go with a ball cap over the modified do-rag.

Just in time for Thanksgiving…

…I’m noticing quite a few UPS boxes with this smiling lady peeking out one end. She spooked me the first time I ran into her. The fine folks from Arkansas will be pleased to learn that Turkey fryers are still comfortably out ahead of her as we move toward Thursday.