Off the Block ...

* Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will report to OMRON in St. Charles, IL on Monday am for a 3-6 month AEROTEK contract job. Thank you, Lord. Prayers for me are very welcome.
* HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILA!

* Current weight chart below shows trending in the right direction while still morbidly obese.

Still on the block ...

* I did not get the TAYLOR or the GARMIN jobs, and then I turned down the ABB job ... so I still on the selling block.
* Am dickering with an OMRON engineering position in St. Charles, IL.
* I wrote an apologetic email to the THINK ENERGY contract person.
* Lila, Mark and I watched the Sorcerer's Apprentice movie and it was entertaining.

...

* I just got a scathing email from the recruiter for the ABB contract position who was very unhappy with my last minute rejection

Interview Pix ...

I had an interview with ABB (Alamo, TN) and one with Taylor Co, (Rockton, IL) on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. I should hear back about the results by the end of next week. I took some phone pix during my trips.

Below is the court house on the square in Alamo, TN. Alamo is in Crockett county (named for Davy Crockett who once lived there). This town is named for the Alamo in San Antonio, TX where Davy Crockett died.



Below is a house at 313 Sherman, St. that I rented in 1984 when I first moved to Rockford.



Below is a house I rented in Machesney Park, also called Machesney Parkinsaw at 946 Colonial Drive.



Here is the house I bought (and roofed) on 46xx Cheshire in Loves Park. Lila and I lived here for about over a year and Mark was born while we lived here.



Below is the water tower near the house on Cheshire. The heart shaped logo represents "Loves" Park.



Hope I get one of the jobs that I interviewed for.

Fourth of July, 2010 ...

Below is our backyard pool. On Friday we decided to edge the base of the pool in river rock for aesthetics. Lila's son Ryan hauled most of the stone. Yesterday some ducks we know (Gertrude and Heathcliff) stopped by again for a visit.


* Lila and I went out to New Salem and to Prairie Hills winery for the afternoon.
* My weight record chart is below. While I am struggling to drop weight to 200 lbs (in my dreams) , I would love to at least get below 300 lbs is a month or two. I weighed 318 this morning.

Professional news ...

* Good news: I have two on-site job interviews next week and a phone interview to boot.
* I copied the following article from the local newspaper. This is the plant where I was laid off last August.

First production line moves from Hobbs to Mexico
By CHRIS DETTRO THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Jun 30, 2010 @ 11:30 PM

One production line from Springfield’s Honeywell Hobbs plant already has been moved to Juarez, Mexico. Parent company Honeywell International Corp. announced last fall that it intends to move production from a plant in Spring Valley and the Springfield operation at 1034 E. Ash St. to Mexico. The Springfield plant is expected to be completely shut down in early 2011, said company spokesman Mark Hamel.

The Illinois plants produce electronic components, such as controls, switches, lighting systems, battery indicators and meters, for the transportation industry. About 120 people were employed at Springfield and 65 at Spring Valley at the time of last fall’s announcement.
“The transition is proceeding on schedule,” Hamel said Wednesday from Honeywell headquarters in Morris Town, N.J. Hamel said only one layoff has occurred as a result of the first line relocation. “Obviously, there are a lot to come,” he said.

Honeywell reached agreement early this year with the unions representing Springfield production workers to begin phasing out operations this spring.
Hamel said the other lines are to be shut down in phases for the rest of 2010. The Spring Valley plant is scheduled to close this summer. “We will communicate well in advance to workers being affected, and they will receive support from Honeywell,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Labor has said that the 120 workers at Honeywell Hobbs qualify for additional job-training benefits through the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program for workers whose jobs are going out of the country. The program provides special employment services, job training and income support during training. Workers also might be
eligible for relocation assistance and a health-coverage tax credit.

Hamel said it is too early for Honeywell to determine what it intends to do with the Springfield building. Honeywell International has owned the Springfield operation, which opened in 1938 as John W. Hobbs Corp., since 2002.

Copyright 2010 The State Journal-Register. Some rights reserved