Hamilton Happenings

I've currently leveled up to Diamond status with Progressive (car insurance provider). It sounds a lot more prestigious than what it is. It just means that I've been insured with them for 5 years or more. The next level is Emerald (10 years) and then Crown (20 years). Each loyalty level gets you a little extra privilege but it's really not too impressive... We just recently decided to participate in Progressive's Snapshot discount program. It's a little device that looks like some lame happy-meal toy that you plug into your car's computer under the dash. The idea is that it takes a "snapshot" of your driving habits over 6 months. If they find that you're a safe driver, then you get an additional discount. Supposedly even if you're a bad driver it will not increase your premiums. It primarily monitors speed, braking habits, and times of day that you drive. Certain hours of the day are at higher risk for accidents (before dawn & rush hour)...

One of my current jobs is working at OpenBook. I've been there for a little over 2 years. Recently they've been shaking things up at the company and let go everyone in the Sales department - except for me. There are a lot of allegations as for the real reason they did this, but those aren't really my concern. The COO and I have talked numerous times and he has stated that he would like to create a position for me within the company. Other department leaders have said that I could have nearly any position I wanted within the company. It's been pretty gratifying knowing that your company recognizes your value. But others have also been noticing. Just last week, I received 2 calls out of the blue from people interested in recruiting me to work for them. One of the positions I wasn't interested in, but the other one wouldn't be too different than a lot of my tasks at OpenBook - just a different industry & about twice the compensation. After telling OpenBook a...