All About Mick's World

This is my seventh and I think final post regarding the closing of the factory and the events following, beginning with the announcement of the closing in late July, and ending with me finding meaningful employment. It has been quite an emotional rollercoaster ride, with a few highs and a few more lows, lost sleep and tears shed. I feel like one of the lucky ones, I’m still on my feet and now putting my life back in order, if in a slightly different direction. Many of my former coworkers are still looking for their own personal different direction. I wish them all the best. I feel for them. Let's call this a venting (although if I don't control myself, it could easily become a rant.) The events that transpired over the last seven or more months since the announcement of the closing have been, to say the least, a bit unpleasant and stressful for my family and me. I have largely kept my cool throughout this, but it has not been without effort. Much of what has transpired has...

There is an old saying….“It Takes a Village.” While the original intent of this adage was, I believe, in regards to raising a child, in this case it's in regards to me rejoining the workforce after my forced separation...and in this case, YOU are that village. Without my connections to you all, without the support of my friends, and without the never-wavering support of my wife, I could not have navigated those treacherous waters in search of that elusive job...that white whale that evaded me at every turn until I enlisted help from you, my crew. I cannot fully express my gratitude here, but rest assured, your aid and support did not go un-noticed. I had but to mention I was in need, and in no time I'd have a dozen messages with advice, offers, and good thoughts. (Do not underestimate the value of those thoughts, those messages helped me through some stressful times. I often went back to peruse some of those when feeling alone.) My search for sustainable employment is a ...

(I'm attempting to post this at the exact time as…..) Exactly one year ago today at 11:22 a.m. I met Stew. Stew, the squirrel. Up close and personal. I assume most of you are aware of my little incident, if not then you've not been following me very closely. (I can't fathom why you're not following me, but that's a different subject altogether.) Now, one year later I'm as physically healed as I imagine I will be. In fact, I feel that I'm just about as healed as I could possibly ask, after breaking my bike’s frame and my helmet, and my back and my neck. Oddly, for me, the only lingering physical remnant of the wreck is an itchiness all day, every day, on the surface of the skin right where the two broken vertebrae lie. I have to say that a year ago when the doctors came into the emergency room to inform me of the damage I'd done, I worried about my future physically. I wondered if I'd damaged myself to the point I'd not be able to ride a bike. ...

GOALS: 2015 (Now, that was a year!) My annual bragging post, wherein I laud myself and my cycling achievements. Ah, but this year wouldn't turn out as I'd hoped it would. I'm not sure what this year was called in the Chinese calendar, but for me, it will forever remain in my memory as “The Year of the Squirrel.” (Non-cycling events notwithstanding.) This post is a departure from my previous five….thankfully. I’m happy to take a leave from my other posts’ subject and return to what I originally intended this blog to be about: cycling. My hobby, and life, outside of work and family. After a record-setting (for me, anyway) year in 2014 , I had high hopes for 2015. I set some goals, hoped to improve, and do the big one...something that, for me, signifies a truly serious cyclist. So, my racing goals for the year were a repeat of the previous year’s: Sullivan Triathlon, Tri-Shark, Decatur’s RTM tri, and Oak Run tri (my favorite), with the addition of the ABR TT serie...

I will forever remember 2015 as the year that broke my back. Quite literally, but not quite figuratively, although it gave it one hell of an effort. The old saying goes something like “That which does not kill me, only serves to make me stronger.” If this adage is even remotely true, then I jump into 2016 as one strong bastard. When it first became apparent that I was definitely going to lose my job of over 26 years, many well-intentioned friends said that everything will be okay, or everything will work out. It was also suggested frequently that this is my opportunity to go out and find my “Dream Job,” whatever that may be. For future reference, I will never tell you that “things will work out.” Hopefully they will, but you (and I) really have no idea what the future holds for us, and there is always the potential for things to not work out. I’m not trying to sound pessimistic about this, but rather, pragmatic. Let me be the first to tell you that, yes, I was spoiled at my pr...

November 30, 2015 5:30 am Coffee greets me as I walk into the kitchen. A good way to start any day, even a day such as this, my last day of work at Mitsubishi. No lunch to pack this time, as I don't anticipate being in the plant past about 10:30. I will need to bring my own pen to use though, we have been told by the company. Seems a little cheap and petty, but I guess I'll play by their rules...for one last time. 6:30 am This is it. The turnstile swinging around, locking noisily behind me. We aren't sure just exactly what will happen today, we just know we will not be spinning the turnstiles tomorrow morning, as we each did some 6,000 times in the past. Rumor has it that we will be told to sit in our respective break areas until called in to the front lobby to sign our acceptance of termination. (My choice of words, not theirs. I just thought it better signified the proper weight of the occasion.) It's a damp dreary morning, perhaps befitting the somber ...

The Future The future. It’s always ahead of us. Just a moment away, and out of our grasp. We never know exactly what the future will bring us, but we generally have an idea. Tomorrow and the next day, and the next, etc. will follow a pattern mimicking today and yesterday, and the day before, etc. Today the alarm went off entirely too early, just like it did last Monday, and just like it will next Monday. I’ll stumble barefoot to the shower and begin another somewhat predictable day, in the same way as thousands of days before. As I read the book of my life, and I turn the page to the next day and the next, the writing is there, accurately telling me of what much of my day will consist. A few of the details may be erroneous, and as I peer further into the future the page may contain fewer and fewer specific predictions, but still, the continual lifestream goes on in much the same way as in the past. This consistency will come crashing to a halt in just a few days, as I open to...