A good, bad, and ugly weekend.

I'll save the good for last.

The Bad. SWWBO got laid off last Friday, and today has to make the "perp walk" to her now-former (and soon to be named, maybe even in a EEOC complaint - but that's her call) employer to turn in her badge, laptop, and cell phone.

A door closes, doors open. She's hated what she's been doing and the environment for months, so there is an element of relief to it, as well. She has an interview in two weeks with another tech firm, and since the COO is making the pitch, this is probably a small company - and they want her. She's also being head-hunted for 3-6 month contract jobs in the metro area, which may actually be a good fit. Work some, take a month off. Work some, take a month off, etc. Heck, *I* could live with that. But her current employer? Well, let's just say there isn't a leader among 'em, and many of the managers don't manage very well, either. And they have a serious age discrimination problem. Apparently younger IT geeks don't like working with their mothers... especially when their mother is *much* better with the client, and often much better technically, too. This company makes money because they can't help it - they have a great product line, don't get me wrong... but they also clearly don't have serious competition yet, either.

Oh, and some punk stole the XM radio player (the MP3 part, none of the rest of it), apparently didn't like my music, as they riffled through the CDs and didn't take any, but, for some reason, left the GPS system. Since that is the only time I've left the door open on the truck overnight in years - it makes you wonder how often they walk up and down the street trying the doors of the parked vehicles...

The Ugly. I spent most of the weekend working a proposal. Since I currently have billability issues myself, I'm happy to make myself useful getting people work - since I know there are people working to find me more work. I just had other plans for the weekend before this landed on Friday. C'est la vie - without work, a consulting firm doesn't *need* employees... This prop was actually less painful than many (I say that with fingers crossed, we get the red team's feedback this morning) I've worked and it will keep the firm positioned in the cutting edge of evolving military doctrine if we win it. What were my other plans? Oh, the air show and gun show in Kansas City.

The Good. I did get to spend yesterday afternoon at the new Castle. SWWBO was building her guinea-coop (heh, that would probably get me slugged in certain parts of New York and New Jersey), I inspected progress on the Arms Room. Speaking of which, in true Castle "combined" fashion - the wood being used for framing the Arms Room is... Canadian.

The Castle Guard Force was out with us, getting the lay of the land. Here is Master Sergeant of the Guard Kiki counseling Recruit Private Gunner on his dress and deportment. Apparently burrs are unsat when on duty.

MSGG Kiki also had a whole new batch of rekeets er, recruits out for some orientation training. Here she is conducting Keetergarten.

While watching all this, I heard a throaty rumbling to the southeast. Vaguely familiar, yet not. The growl got louder, and deepened in tone - my heart started racing... I know that sound! Scanning the skies, I quickly saw them - a two-ship of piston-engined beauty, headed northwest, apparently going home or on to the next show. Too bad SWWBO had the wrong lens for the shot - but she caught this pic as those two, beautiful P-51D Mustangs rumbled by overhead...

That's a sight you don't often see, hear, and when overhead, *feel*.

Ahhhhh.

Thank heaven the weekend ended on the Good.