Contact David Gaines I am David Gaines on Facebook Follow David Gaines on Twitter I am David Gaines on Google Plus Connect with David Gaines on LinkedIn YouTube Channel: I am David Gaines Where in the World is David Gaines? What is David Gaines reading? Photos around the nation's capital by David Gaines David Gaines reviews on Yelp
 

Where in the World are the Travel Posts?

05
Apr 2012
David Gaines   

I can 100 percent say I’ve recovered from jet lag. Actually I only felt it for a day or two, but staying up past midnight getting caught up on TV shows, posting on blogs and reading about what was going on in the NFL didn’t help. We took so many pictures and shot so much video that I’m still formatting them to be posted. But I’ve been blogging about the Dubai trip on another blog I set up for when we travel.

Already we’re planning another trip in a couple of months. There’s some logistics to work out, but we should be headed to Eastern Europe around Memorial Day. And the plan is to finally make it to Kenya so I can meet her parents, her people, and practice the dozen or so Swahili words I’ve learned in my quest to one day be fluent in it.

But you can visit Passport of David Gaines for a list of those posts and “like” the Facebook page to read about our future endeavors crisscrossing the globe.

Category: Travel the World

When Everything Seems to be Crazy…

05
Apr 2012
David Gaines   

We all have those days at work when something happens that make us ask ourselves, “how did I get here!?” Life in general is like that. Multivision, Inc. has been a blessing for me, yet I’ve had those days. And most everyone I know have experienced those days. Being a recruiter and listening to the unemployed speak of their journeys to where they are today, I’m convinced there’s no such thing as the ideal job. Or life for that matter.

All we can do is dig deep and ask ourselves what will be our next decision. Like a broken record, I’m heard often saying, “what you focus on the longest becomes the strongest.” Think positive and positive things happen. Have you ever heard of a pessimistic millionaire? Or do you believe it’s the money that buys that happiness?

And sometimes, when you least expect it, there’s a sign that even in the middle of all that’s crazy, positive is all around us, we just have to look for it. I was at the bus stop the other day after a long day, when a rainbow painted the sky, and it made me think of Prince lyrics from one of his thousands of songs…

Fair 2 partly crazy, deep down we’re all the same
Every single 1 of us know some kind of pain
In the middle of all that’s crazy, this 1 fact still remains
If u love somebody, your life won’t be in vain
And there’s always a rainbow, at the end of every rain

Rainbow

Category: Prince

Getting Some Bacon on the Way to Dubai

19
Mar 2012
David Gaines   

On the way to Dubai to visit Nduku’s sister and her family, we had a quick layover at Heathrow in London, England [or is it the UK? Or Great Britain?]. We grabbed breakfast at a place called Giraffe, which as pretty cool. Our waitress reminded me of Minnie Driver, part her look, part her accent.

I have no idea what time it was at the airport or inside my head, but whatever was on the menu just didn’t seem to be what I wanted. Everything sounded fancy. So I asked if I could just get some scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. Of course they didn’t have Mountain Dew so I settled for water.

While we waited, the waitress brought out some Giraffes, naturally it being the name of the place.

Najwa at Giraffe

And just as my eyelids were convinced it wasn’t the middle of the night and stayed open, the food arrived. Why did I think that everyone knew cheese in my eggs meant American cheese? Though it wasn’t as gooey as I like my eggs with cheese, it was quite good. Only there was a huge sausage on my plate and I’m a bacon man.

Minnie Driver apologized, so politely, and came back almost immediately with what appeared to me as another failure to communicate. She brought me back a plate of sliced ham. Nduku saw my face as I was about clarify what I had been trying to order for breakfast then said she was about to warn me that bacon to Americans and bacon to the rest of the world isn’t quite the same. That slice of ham was bacon.

What the bloody hell!?

Bacon at Heathrow

As bad as I want to tell a story for every picture taken, there just isn’t enough time. Well, not right now at least. We have 6 days left, the bodies are finally caught up from jet lag and we’re about to head downtown…

Going to Dubai

[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2373najwa.jpg]
Najwa being difficult at the airport, but knows to smile for the camera.[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2382dca.jpg]
Say goodbye to Reagan National Airport.[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2389.jpg]
[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2395.jpg]
Najwa saying goodbye to DC[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2400tidalbasin.jpg]
The Tidal Basin from the air[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2403lincolnmemorial.jpg]
The Lincoln Memorial[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2411nduku.jpg]
Nduku watching DC fade away[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2413najwa.jpg]
Najwa pretending she's reading a magazine[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2435.jpg]
Najwa knocked out on the airplane somewhere over the ocean[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2437toilets.jpg]
In Britain, they have toilets.[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2441najwaatgiraffe.jpg]
[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2700najwa.jpg]
[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2444baconatheathrow.jpg]
Bacon at Heathrow[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2445eggswithcheese.jpg]
Breakfast[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2452giraffe.jpg]
Giraffe[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2453giraffe.jpg]
[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2704atgiraffe700.jpg]
[img src=http://davidgaines.com/wp-content/flagallery/going-to-dubai/thumbs/thumbs_2454.jpg]
Nduku and Najwa at Heathrow
 
Category: Travel the World  Tags:

Najwa Knocked Out on the Sofa

13
Mar 2012
David Gaines   

How fast they grow. Sometimes I look at her and almost forget how tiny she was just 18 months ago…

Najwa Gaines asleep on the sofa

Category: Najwa  Tags:

DC OTA Annual Meeting Coming Up

13
Mar 2012
David Gaines   

If you’re an occupational therapy and a member of OTA, your annual meeting is coming up. I’m just proud they used my photo in their flyer…

DC OTA Flyer

Category: Announcements

Najwa Gets a New Do

03
Mar 2012
David Gaines   

Najwa got a new do…

 

Najwa's new hair do

Category: Najwa, Nduku Photos  Tags:

Najwa, Hair Done By Dad

01
Mar 2012
David Gaines   

If you left it up to me to do Najwa’s hair, this is what you get…

 

Actually it looks a lot more chaotic but mommy always comes to the rescue before I can figure out where Najwa’s hiding the camera.

Category: Najwa, Najwa Photos  Tags:

This Song Makes Me Feel Like Dancing

29
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

Yo Gabba GabbaMy homeboy Eric and I were talking about the stuff our daughters watch on TV. From Team Umizoomi to the Wonder Pets, it’s amazing how we [grown @ss men] can talk about these shows as if we were talking about the latest episode of Fringe or Shameless.

Each morning, though, it’s The Wiggles that start the morning. When I first started [against my will] watching them, I wasn’t much of a fan. Then again, I wasn’t a fan of any of Najwa’s shows. I actually found a bunch of them straight scary. Dora and Diego are cool, but Yo Gabba Gabba is eerie. And Dirt Girl gives me the creeps with those huge eyes and weird looking smile.

Anyway, one song The Wiggles perform with Leo Sayer [at first I thought it was Richard Simmons!] has grown on me. I confess, I kind of like it…

Category: For Your Viewing Pleasure, Live Performances, TV Shows  Tags: , , , , ,

Looking for Work? Try DC or Des Moines

28
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

U.S. Capitol Building

If you’re part of the 8.3 percent of the unemployed, you might want to restart your job search in either Washington, DC, or Des Moines, IA.

Looking for a good, high-paying job? Over the next four years, the Washington, D.C. area is expected to add more than a quarter of a million of them, putting it at the top of this year’s Forbes list of the Best Cities for Jobs.

Washington’s performance shouldn’t be much of a surprise, since the steadily increasing power of the federal government has long drawn defense contractors, lawyers and lobbyists to the nation’s capital. Now that Obamacare has put another 17% of the U.S. economy under the firm control of federal bureaucrats, expect a new wave of moving vans bringing highly-paid healthcare executives to Washington’s expensive suburbs. With a median household income of $88,600, Washington ranks only behind the San Jose, Calif. area when it comes to salaries.

Number Two on our list might be a little more surprising: Des Moines, Iowa. Relatively high household incomes and a low unemployment rate mean this capital city five-and-a-half hours west of Chicago is primed to add good jobs that newcomers can fill. Moody’s Analytics, which compiled all the projections for this survey, estimates Des Moines-area employment will increase by 8.6% or 36,000 jobs to 461,000 by the end of 2016. Unemployment topped out at 6% in the depths of the recession and stands a little below that now, compared with 8.3% nationwide.

Category: Employment, Employment Statistics, Job Openings

Who Needs CraigsList!? Just Go Mobile

26
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

While sitting at red lights, who can’t help but notice the mobile ad for a 2-bedroom, 1-bath abode for rent for $999 a month?

For Rent

Category: Humor, Not Your Average Day

HIRING: Java Developers [Direct Hire] in DC

22
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

If you are, know of, come across or just want to help me find a Java Developer:

Job Description

Our direct client in the Washington, DC, metro area is searching for a strong, results-oriented Java Developer with hands-on experience analyzing, developing and maintaining large scale, mission critical applications in a multi-platform J2EE and web systems environment. This position requires the astute ability to communicate and interact effectively with end-users, other developers, members of the performance testing team, and technical and non-technical management teams.

Why This Client?
  • Long-term stability – Client’s conservative nature in hiring only the best has led to a reputation of not laying off employees, even hiring during the recession while other companies were letting people go.
  • Cutting-edge technology – Client was first in their industry to provide their services online, first in offering their services using mobile apps and is dedicated to always remaining ahead of the pack in the latest technologies. You will never become obsolete.
  • Client has been around for 70+ years, generates $10 billion in annual revenue, has a healthy profit sharing program averaging between 15%-25% annually.

more…

Category: Employment, Job Openings

Najwa Already Shopping Like a Pro [Video]

20
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

Not even a month after entering the world, Najwa went on her first shopping trip ever. And following in the footsteps of her mother, her first shopping trip was to DSW.

So, here we are a year and a half later, and Najwa is back at DSW, only this time she’s the one doing the shopping!

Now if they’d only open the DSW in Columbia Heights so we don’t have to keep going out to Virginia!

Category: Najwa, Najwa in Motion  Tags: ,

If You’re Looking for a Pet Dog in DC…

19
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

When my dad got orders back in the late 80s that we were headed to Germany [typical military family life], my parents weren’t sure what to do with our pets. We had two dogs, Spike and Husky, both mutts, both my brother and I just knew were coming with us. Days before leaving on a jet plane, though, we woke up and were horrified that our parents had taken Spike and Husky, to, well, I still have no idea.

Being a kid, to me, the dogs were part of the family. Going to Germany without them was like leaving a part of me here in the states. But, seeing how distraught we were, our parents assured us they [the dogs] were in a happy place. I never found out what happened to them, but the other day I did discover for the first time where anyone can go to adopt a pet in Washington, DC…

District of Columbia Animal Care and Control Facility

District of Columbia Animal Care and Control Facility


View Larger Map

Category: Chocolate City, Passing Thoughts

Najwa on a Buggy Ride in Whole Foods

18
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

Anyone with a child — especially a 17 month old who’s practicing for the terrible 2s — knows going shopping is like stepping into the unknown. One moment your little angel is flashing that adorable smile causing all the old ladies to “oooh” and “ahhhh,” but the next she’s terrorizing the fellow shoppers. If you get separated from mommy and baby, just walk towards the screaming a few aisles down and look for the flustered parent.

What works one trip to the store is obsolete by the next. Pacifiers are passé. You can hand them anything for a moment before everything ends up on the floor. But every now and again, something happens that calms little angel down and takes her attention off re-merchandising the store for a few minutes…

It’s pretty amazing, almost scary, what babies will mimic. Though it was a bottle of cold syrup for her nasty cough, Najwa was going through the motions of putting on lotion or baby oil.

Category: For Your Viewing Pleasure, Najwa in Motion  Tags: , ,

Najwa and Her Valentine’s Day Balloons

17
Feb 2012
David Gaines   

Ok, they were really for the lady, but Najwa was just so entertained by the balloons, we just say they’re hers…

Najwa Gaines on Valentine's Day

 

But what was really entertaining to her was watching the balloons float to the ceiling. And then the fun never ends because we pull them back down for her, in which she promptly lets them float back to the ceiling, even more entertained, and looks at us to fetch them again. And again. And again…

Najwa Gaines on Valentine's Day

 
Category: Najwa  Tags: ,
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