Insomnia strikes again!

I hate it when I'm in bed and my mind is racing with so many things that I simply can't make myself fall asleep. Perhaps it's because of the (lack of) dinner I had last night. Or that I slept for eleven hours the night before (because of a lack of sleep this past week). Whatever the case, I'm SHoPping now.

Speaking of insomnia striking, I found this interesting news tidbit:

Boeing strike rooted in post-9/11 talks

I was a former Boeing employee and while I wasn't part of the union that is currently on strike, I was a member of its smaller sister union and it seems that unions like to stick together. I wasn't exactly forced to join the union, but at the time of my hiring, it was strongly suggested to me that I do so. So, being the green engineer and my proclivity to try and fit in, I did so. Well, my union never struck while I was an employee but the IAM nearly did so in 2002 after 9/11. I suppose they didn't go on strike at the time because the economy was bad and machinists feared the future without work. Now, three years later, with aerospace in the pacific northwest finally rebounding (with the advent of 787 work), the IAM found good reason to reject Boeing's latest contract offer.

Oh well... I'm a lot more disconnected, now that I'm in SoCal. I do miss the Puget Sound dearly, though. Good memories, as I'm sure Tio Jaime will attest to. I'll finally be going back to visit next month for a family wedding. That would made it over 2.5 years since I left after my layoff. I'm sure that when I get there, I'll be greeted with the usual Seattle rain. And I'm sure that I won't mind it at all, not one bit.