The first domino has fallen.

Now that the mayor of Los Angeles has signed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (which starts on July 1st of every year and runs through to the end of June of the following year), the long-rumored layoffs and mandatory unpaid furlough days for Los Angeles City employees pass from possibility to likelihood. If there is no opposition to the acceptance of this budget (none is expected), the first round of layoffs will commence, starting with 1,200 City...

At work, my boss, my co-worker and I joke about "Murphy's Law" almost everyday. It's not that we're negligent or careless or anything; actually, I think we really do all we can to minimize hitches and problems. Per Murphy's Law, though, despite our efforts something seemingly beyond our control will jump up and bite us. We actually don't even cite Murphy's Law by name; we simply "blame Murphy."

Well, I now wish to invoke the same privilege and blame Murphy for...

These are somewhat strange days of late for me.

I've intimated to a few select OCN friends about the major event demanding my attention; I now wish to disclose it to everyone who might be reading this.

There is a very real danger that I might be laid off by my employer.

I work for a municipal government, and not even we are immune to the very serious financial crisis currently at play. Though nothing is for certain at this point in time, the threat...

So much has happened since the last time I updated this here blog, and so many things are still happening. As John Lennon sang memorably, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

Work still dominates the majority of my time and attention. Lately we have had people feeling ill, or having family members being sick, so this means that the workload increases for those of us more fortunate to not have such maladies. This is not a complaint, of course, merely...

Life has been incredibly busy lately. Work and my private life have been hectic, to say the least, with so many things demanding my attention.

Visits to OCN have been restricted to quick pops and peeks. I've had precious little time to get stuck in and contribute the way I'd want to. At least I know that, when things get settled again (which will happen eventually), I'll be able to enjoy OCN the way I'm accustomed to.

In my few cherished moments of freedom from...