I feel that I have a pretty good grasp of most online technology. I got a Facebook page a couple of years ago, mainly because I found that people were telling me what my kids were doing before I knew, and they had all learned about it on FB. I have had a LinkedIn profile for a while but it is only in the last month that I have really begun to make the best of it - and what a great tool it is proving to be!

Twitter, however, has seemed like a different language and I didn't really see the point of it until I attended one of Right Management's excellent tutorials last week. Since then, I feel that i have almost "got it". There is so much information that it can be overwhelming, but I have connected with some very interesting people and it is fascinating. I can now absolutely see its value in a job search and just for keeping up to date with industry trends, not to mention news, literally as it happens.

So if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can do so by clicking on the button on my homepage.  Tweet, tweet!

The prospective purchasers of our house scheduled an inspection for 8:00am this morning. So I took up residence at the local Starbucks for 3 hours where my iPhone was put to good use (free WIFI just seems to be something that everyone should offer now, and I get very ticked when hotels continue to charge a fee for something that I consider as essential in a guest room as a bed).

It is slightly strange to know that a complete stranger is tramping through your home, inspecting it for faults. And then I thought that it is not much different than when a AAA of Forbes inspector comes to one of our hotels. At least nobody was assessing us for service during the house call.

Anyway, the house passed with flying colors. We know we have to get it painted (we had that planned before my current "situation" presented itself) and there is a little bit of wood and flashing that needs to be replaced, but otherwise it is in good shape. A five star house - phew!

If you read a recent article I wrote for Wisconsin Golfer, you will know that I am a lover of Beaujolais. Made from the Gamay grape in a region south of Burgundy, Beaujolais is light, fruity, easy drinking and unpretentious; a perfect transitional red for people who think they only like white wines.

I have been extolling the virtues of the 2009 vintage which has been heralded as "the vintage of a lifetime" and even the most modest examples are delicious. But at the weekend I opened a bottle of 2009 Fleurie from a single vineyard, Domaine des Quatre Vents, made by the King of Beaujolais, Georges Duboeuf. Occasionally you drink a wine that has an amazing effect on you - what I refer to as being "moreish" - you just want to drink more and more of it! Well this wine is EXTREMELY moreish and Ginnie and finished the bottle with no effort at all! It has all the characteristics of Beaujolais, but somehow manages to balance that simplicity and straightforwardness with elements of complexity. There is depth, layering and yes, real character to this wine.

Recognizing that we want more, I just went online and was thrilled to find that Wine.com has this very wine on sale, reduced from an already good price of $17.49 to $13.99 a bottle. Check it here. I know it may seem imprudent to be buying wine when I don't have a job, but there is no doubt in my mind that great wine can be as beneficia as counselling and therapy. So I am going to order some therapy in the shape of this Fleurie, assuming there is any left!

The offer on the house finally came through and we were not happy with it initially. However after a lot of back and forth negotiations, I think we are set. Unfortunately it is contingent on the buyers being able to sell their home so this means we continue to market the property then give the purchasers 72 hours to finalize things if we receive another offer.

The weather has been awful for the last few days, and our house shows so much better when there is no snow on the ground and the blossoms are in full bloom, so hopefully that will be the case in a few weeks and we can have an Open House.

I have had some interviews and a lot of networking meetings in the last week with some exciting prospects to explore. Ginnie is back from her trip to Canada  where she was visiting her Mom and daughters, helping with the planning of her eldest daughter's wedding in June and catching up with family and friends. Hopi, our 3 year old Teddy Bear dog was great company but we were both pleased to see Ginnie back home. We are beginning to look seriously at the possibility of taking a cross-country road trip, probably starting around Easter. My youngest daughter, Rachel, is coming over for a week with her cousin before Easter, and so there is a lot to be looking forward to and I am feeling very positive about the future.

A couple came to view the house last Saturday, just three days after it hit the market. They asked to come back and see it again on Sunday which was promising however they were "going to talk about it" and I heard nothing since then. I figured that they were not interested after all;  it seemed to good to be true that we would get an offer from the first people to take a look at it.

This morning our realtor called to say that the couple are planning to write an offer on Monday. So even though there has been little news on the job front this week, we will go into the weekend with more optimism at least that we may have a buyer for the house. Fingers and everything else crossed for Monday.

Have a good weekend!

Three weeks ago I was laid off from Kohler as part of an economy-driven restructuring. The hospitality industry is having a tough time right now and the luxury market in particular is suffering, and so while I was shocked at the time, I understand.

As with anything in life, we have choices. I could choose to be negative and bitter, after all I had been with the company for almost ten years, or I could choose to look at this as a new opportunity to open up the next chapter of my life. My wife, Virginia is a stalwart supporter of positive thinking and together we have decided that we will embrace the future, whatever that is, with excitement and anticipation.

There are of course some practical things that cannot be ignored. One of these is our house. Although we absolutely love it and have put an enormous amount of sweat equity (and a sizeable chunk of real money) into making it feel like home, we are realists and understand that we will probably have to move for the right career opportunity. And so last week we put the house up for sale. Now, as the Wisconsin snow melts and spring begins to blossom, a big white sign adorns the front lawn and a lockbox is on the door.

I've spent the last three weeks going through a lot of emotions, but now feel that my search is beginning in earnest. I have received invaluable advice from some wonderful career specialists at Right Management (thank you Laura) and have a resume that I am happy with. I have been working the LinkedIn route diligently (a whole new way of interacting and networking that was not available when I was last in the job market) and I have made this website which has proven to be a lot of fun!

Being "in transition" is OK. I am confident that doors will open and for now, it is time to find those doors through my networking connections and whatever means are available. As an exponent of the principles of Emotional Intelligence, I know that I have choices. As I go through this transition, I CHOOSE to be optimistic.