Hi, Everyone! Been away a long, long time.

[yanktar]

It's been a long time since I've hung around here. I probably will get all kinds of people confused. It's been a bit of a rough road...lots of family issues..lots of work issues--I'm in the middle of one now.

I'm now a statistic. I contributed to April's lower level of people losing their jobs--I was one of them. The jack@$$es I work for eliminated my position but mine was the only one. They didn't have the paper trail, the balls, or the spine to tell me the real reason (probably because their VC rep had a long, interesting conversation with me and they don't want him getting any info THEY don't give him). So I'm in the market as a statistic.

I haven't ridden much since last season. Some may remember I crashed my FZ1 in 2004 and had a long and painful recovery and I've been a little gun-shy ever since. I still ride but not as passionately. I enjoy it when I do, but the crazies on the road scare me more than they used to.

Still, I'd like to reconnect with the folks here.

So ....Hiya again!

YT, aka Yanktar.

 

[exskibum]

Welcome back. As another early member who arrived here a little later on the same day you did, it's good to see your old and familiar handle back. Since you've been gone, we've lost a couple members that made up a big part of this place, especially in its early days. See the "Rest in Peace" page at the bottom of the list of fora. We all suspect that OrangevaleFJR and twowheelnut are riding together on the other side, but their posts and pics about the roads they're riding are missed.

Sorry about the job loss. Lots of that going around right now. I'm pissing and moaning (and procrastinating) as I start into the third all-nighter in the last 30 days, but I'm trying to remind myself that even though tomorrow's deadline is completely arbitrary and unnecessary, at least I have work in this economy.

 

[Patriot]

Welcome back, glad to make ya good aquantence

Sending best wishes, good karma, and prayers for things to stabilize and for all successes to ya

Cheers, :yahoo:

Mike in Nawlins'

 

[SkooterG]

It has been a long time! Wish you were here sharing better news, but glad to have you back under any circumstances!

 

[Thug]

Welcome back man you can never keep a good man down!

 

[yanktar]

Thanks everyone. I don't think I knew OrangevaleFJR, but I sure knew Twowheelnut. That's really terrible for them and their families.

Yeah, if you have a job, be thankful and keep it. These days you never know when lightning's going to strike. I think I was fired as an object lesson to people to shut up and smile. The new CEO is a regular Genghis Kahn type. I've heard from a number of people--long-time friends, but ALL of them used their personal eMail, not the company's...in the past nobody would have worried about that, now they do. The message was loud and clear. I think everyone there are now all frightened sheep. It's a terrible way to live and they all KNOW they are doomed anyway. These new guys like the young, fresh, hip West Coast kids because they are cool, maleable, and CHEAP! THEIR company has an average tenure of 9 months and ours considered you a newbie for 5 years. So all the older, experienced and high-priced folks will be there at most 3 years. Because the new goal is to run up revenues, use the cheapest staff to provide a half-assed job, then sell out quick after 3-5 years. They did it before.

Nobody benefits but them, the venture cap backing them but not the companies, not the staff, and certainly not the clients. I believe in capitalism but I believe you are supposed to actually PRODUCE something of value, not simply find a way to strip $$$ away from other companies and your workers and leave crap behind.

Sorry for the rant, but I gave this company 16 years, put out countless fires, turned problem projects back into well-run money-makers and these clowns kicked me out with 8 weeks severance. I think the former owners are now really sorry they sold to them. They were supposed to stay on as advisers, but they were kicked out even before I was.

Anyway, I'm looking to check out the FJR again, maybe even today!

 

[NoCage]

Holy Crap... Yanktar. Glad to see you back dude. I was SouthernFJR on SleazyBoard and earlier on this one. I'm on the street myself come July 1st... our company was swallowed by a bigger fish. I'm being paid a healthy bonus to help transition our network into there's... basically going back in time 5 years. Did you know that the Republican party........... (never mind).

Good luck job hunting.

 

[dcarver]

Hey! Yanktar is back! My little liberal buddie from the East Coast! LOL. Hey, we can politically flame each other on PM since that ain't allowed publically, :rofl:

Serioulsy, very good to hear from you again, even under the circumstances! Welcome back, and best wishes sent your way, mi amigo. :clapping:

 

[Bounce]

It has been a long time! Wish you were here sharing better news, but glad to have you back under any circumstances!

+ Gunny!

 

[Hotboot]

Hey YT, been a while. Wish you had better news but we will all survive this some how. Pop in at FZ1OA and stir things up a bit, that is always enjoyable. Good luck buddy !

 

[GPRIDER]

I wasn't too far behind you joining the collective. Glad to see you back. Seems like there has been several of the old originals either passing away or just fading away from the forum.

GP

 

[madmike2]

Friday evening...looking through the new posts to see who has managaed to get themselves skewered on "DogPile Friday" and I come across this posting from an "old" member.

Welcome back, Y.T. It's good to see you have retained that Yankee sense of humor in the midst of trials, tribulations and the "darker side" of life.

Enjoy the therapy of riding. Many of us who've had rather serious injuries tend to ride a bit more "controlled"....but we ride and enjoy it.

 

[yanktar]

Thanks everyone. I've missed this place, more than I realize. The FZ1OA hasn't felt like a home to me in a long time--I haven't posted there for a while and don't plan to.

Times are rough all over. Luckily we are in better shape than other folks. I saw a woman selling her gold jewelry to pay her gas bill a couple of months ago. NJ, to collect my U.I. forced me to go to a "seminar" on how to find a job--and gave me a flyer on how to be trained to be a certified fork-lift operator. Hell, it's honest work but I've been programming and working on clinical trial for the last 27 years! The market is tighter but still going in NJ. So I get there, and there is LITERALLY no place to park. The Visitors lot is gated and padlocked but there are empty spaces there. You can't park on the street in front of the building so you have to find a spot in residential areas where...what can I say? it's pure slum. Luckily it was pouring down rain so my car was OK, and nobody bothered me. Insane. A girl next to me in the seminar had been out of work since December and her cell buzzed. She said "It's another bill. What can I tell them? I have to decide who I'm going to pay this month. Nobody listens to why you can't pay." So she just doesn't answer the calls....not the way to live.

There's always someone worse off than you...So I guess that's a blessing.

 

[just roy]

for me riding is the answer. it always makes me feel better.its dangerous and i have had a few crashes but the positives way outweigh the negatives. so just get out and ride. if you need a push just give me a shout and i will come down and drag you out.i'm disabled and have the time.

 

[dcarver]

Hey Yank... 2 days and no political PM's?

Jeesh dude, you must be getting soft! :lol:

 

[Toecutter]

Definitely good to have you back under any circumstances, stick around a while this time, eh....

 

[yanktar]

Definitely good to have you back under any circumstances, stick around a while this time, eh....

I didn't really leave. I wasn't pissed off or anything. I just sorta got side-tracked and before you know it--a lot of time had gone by.

I COULD say I was working on the Obama campaign, just to give a political flavor for dcarver,

But the truth is I wasn't even doing that (stuffing envelopes, ringing doorbells, and being on a phone bank for ANY candidate is worse than root canal without painkillers--you gotta be nutz to enjoy it).

Life has been very hectic even before I got "eliminated". It just works that way sometimes.