I am David Gaines

Where in the World are the Travel Posts?

David Gaines — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:59:37 +0000

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.

When Everything Seems to be Crazy…

David Gaines — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:45:07 +0000

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

Getting Some Bacon on the Way to Dubai

David Gaines — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:05:16 +0000

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.

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!?

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...

Najwa Knocked Out on the Sofa

David Gaines — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:30:11 +0000

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

DC OTA Annual Meeting Coming Up

David Gaines — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:14:52 +0000

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...

Najwa Gets a New Do

David Gaines — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:32:13 +0000

Najwa gets a new do...

Najwa, Hair Done By Dad

David Gaines — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:12:59 +0000

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

This Song Makes Me Feel Like Dancing

David Gaines — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:44:06 +0000

My 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...

Looking for Work? Try DC or Des Moines

David Gaines — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000

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.

Who Needs CraigsList!? Just Go Mobile

David Gaines — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:45:58 +0000

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?