I've just poured the last glass of wine from a bottle I opened on Monday. I drank half as I ate a dinner of hummous and pita bread then, and I am finishing it tonight with a dinner of a Greek salad. A Chilean red of no great importance, but good company on a beautiful evening in the country south of Salem.
I am staying for the first time in a bed and breakfast arranged online using a website called airbnb.com. I have been looking and thinking about doing this for quite some time, but finally pulled the trigger last week, to stay this week. It has worked out very well, actually, as I have a private room and bathroom in the lower floor of a large house on a hill, with a nook that contains the breakfast part and holds a small fridge, microwave, tea and coffe makers, dishes, and all the necessaries of a do-it-yourself breakfast. My hosts are a couple that wanted to make a little extra cash, and they have been surprised at the freindliness of the visitors, and the success of thier venture. Debbie, the hostess, tells me they have cleared $1,000 in August alone. Not bad at $50/nite.
My week has been what is coming to be part of a routine. Everyone is in the office this week, or mostly. One of my sales guys is doing a start-up in central CA today and tomorrow, but he was around Monday and Tuesday. The boss and my co-workers are all here, and we are having what I think of as very good communication and I am fitting in very well with them. It is clear that someone to fill the void I have filled was needed. There is lots to do and someone needed to do it. That's me! I have good help, and things are moving along fine. I continue to hear from my industry friends who tell me that I have joined a good company (my feeling exactly) and they are telling my co-workers that West Salem Machinery has got a good guy on their team (again, my feelings!). So far we are all on the honeymoon, and I haven't stepped on any toes yet. Yet.
Last night I played golf with the owner of WSM, and we had a good chat while we played. He is a very good golfer, but we played about even. On one hole he drove to within 30 yards of the green, his best drive of the night, but ended up with 7 strokes on the hole. My drive was not as good but I got a 6, so I had something to rib him about, which I did not. We walked and talked, and it is clear that he needs a confidant and advisor in many things, and this is the role I am to play here. It is a good place for me, and is a big part of why I like being a part of this group. Very different than the last company.
The thing that is starting to define my travels is something quite unexpected. Peter Harvey, my friend and finnacial advisor, gave me a set of audio CD's with the chronicles of Narnia on them by C.S. Lewis. I am listening to these in the car, and I am HOOKED! I can't wait to jump in the car and find out what Peter, Edmund, Sally, and Lucy are up to now. Aslan and all the talking animals of Narnia. It is very exciting, and interesting. Too much dialogue, in my opion, but the action scenes are fun and the good guys always win in the end.
I hope you are reading this and find it interesting. I see that people are checking it out, so perhaps my efforts are not just for my benefit only. A diary, as it were.
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