'Twas a nice Christmas

I had a very nice Christmas holiday. On Christmas Eve, I somehow made the decision to drive into work even though the roads were still bad. Normally, I have a "take-the-bus-into-work" policy when it snows - especially if it's icy. And it was very icy. Yet, somehow, I decided the unpredictable bus schedule and the need for my fiancee to get into work with her deadlines meant a car ride downtown.

Thankfully, we made it into work downtown safely. I dropped G off at her work then proceeded to Active Voice. I was on fourth avenue (between Macy's and Westlake Mall) at a traffic light, waiting for my green-means-go light. From my periphal, I see this homeless guy looking at me from the right. He goes to the back of my car and loops around to my driver's side window.

What the heck does this guy want?

Suddenly, I see a huge "KOMO News" camera in my face. Intrigued, I roll down the window even though I knew my light was on it's way to green and I'd soon have to proceed down the road.

Cameraman: "Hi, I'm [didn't hear his name] from KOMO TV! Can you tell us how your commute was coming into Seattle?"

Uh, oh. I could see the light had JUST turned green!

Me: "I came from West Seattle. It wasn't too bad. You just have to take it slow,"

After my quick quote and a wave goodbye, I accelerated down the road. I wasn't going to keep folks behind me waiting. Although, I did notice there wasn't anyone actually following me. Through the rear-view mirror, all I saw was the cameraman in the middle of the road.

Funny how quickly it all happened. I kinda laughed at myself thinking, "Wow... I gave that guy nothing to use. There's no way they're gonna use that footage. They didn't even get my name!"

I was going to call G-Lo to tell her all about it but, once I got to work, I completely forgot about it and went about my merry way. Two hours later, I received a Facebook message from an old high school friend:

"Just saw you on KOMO 4 News on a report about driving in the snow!"

What? No way! After about fifteen minutes of searching the KOMO website, I finally found the video clip.

Click here

The clip's kinda long but I'm about halfway through. I can't believe they used my stupid sounding quote without even citing who I was. They must not have had any luck with anyone else.

...So much for me writing about how nice my Christmas was. I'll just save that for another day.

So hot...

I have five layers on top. And wearing two pants. I've overdone it. So hot...

More snow stories. Snow-ries?

Shoveled the sidewalk and cleared the deck on Thursday afternoon. Was a hard worker clearing all the white stuff. So what happens? It snows... again. I took a look at the new snow that dropped-it-like-it's-cold on the deck. I'd say there's at least three new inches. I can't remember the last time we had so many days of signficant snow. In just a week's time, there's been three different snowstorms. But at least I did a little more today compared to the past few days:

-Actually took the car downtown, did a little bit of shopping, then rushed home when the snow started coming down.

-Friend going back to North Carolina had a helluva time getting to the airport. Kept in contact with her via text messages. I originally offered to take her to the airport but decided not to risk the dangerous road conditions. She finally got a taxi to the airport from Capitol Hill and is now waiting for her flight. Sure, the flight's delayed until 1:30am, but that's only a couple hours later than originally planned. She can't wait to leave this city!

-I was offered tickets to tomorrow's Seahawk game. Sure, the 'Hawks aren't having a good year - but they're playing the Jets (with Brett Favre). AND, it's Holmgren's last game in Seattle. Ugh. Would be a great game but I just don't want to deal with the cold weather, the traffic, and everything else related to it.

-We bought our Christmas present. Yay! A new digital camera! Forget wrapping and unwrapping it... we're gonna play with it tonight...

Life interrupted. That's what this weather's doing to everyone. No x-mas shopping, no white elephant, no musical, no birthday party today, no birthday party tomorrow. But lots of warm cozy house and relaxing. Plenty of that...

(and solving the rubiks cube)

I think I've completely checked out

What a day... I have been so lazy. I mean, I've done some things around the house. I did a little bit of work. But, for the most part, I'm just bummin' around not doing anything. Watchin TV, surfin the web, trying to stay warm. Tomorrow, I think we're gonna try to go out and take the bus downtown to get a little shopping done. I'll try to be home before dark just to avoid the cold and icy roads.

Oprah's on in the background. "I Hate my Job" interventions. Am I happy with my job? Eh. Not so sure. I like what I do, I like my boss, but I don't like the company culture. Darn Strategic Management class showing me how wonderful it is at other companies. Actually, I'm not naive. I know that, no matter where you go, there are employees that check out and don't really care for their job than anything else but a paycheck. And, of course, that's our main motivation. Money. But there's gotta be more to a job and I want to work with people who are overly eager to make a difference. I wanna know what it's like to work for a company that's team driven with individuals striving to meet the organiziation's various objectives and strategies.

A friend of mine told me about an accounting position opening at her work. They're a Microsoft owned company. It sounds perfect for me. I think I might apply just for the heck of it. Why not? We'll see...

Getting stuck

A coworker sent me an IM while I was offline. Poor guy!

I barely got home last night. my wife dropped me at the p&r cuz she was going to pick me up and go somewhere after work. That got canceled so I took the bus. Our exit was closed so they took the next exit and got stuck. I started walking the mile or so to the p&r and after walking one block, the bus drove by us all and didn't even pick us up. My wife was going to come pick me up but got stuck in the p&r lot so I had to get her unstuck and put the chains on just to get home. Phew. Glad I'm home right now.

I'm SO glad I'm not out there right now...

Snowed in

Wow. I guess my disappointment has turned into excitement! The snow is here. The white fluffies hit hard and is still going strong. I'd say there's about four inches on the ground. Active Voice is closed today so it's like a holiday... being paid to stay home & be safe.



Too bad I can't make lunch plans with a friend leaving for North Carolina this Saturday. I might not be able to see her before she leaves. That's a shame. I don't even wanna try taking the bus. The news is showing buses getting stuck. Ummm... not so safe. Interesting message on the bus website for Route 54 from West Seattle:

Due to adverse weather, this route is operating an unpublished reroute.

I understand what they're trying to say but doesn't that sound kinda funny? OOOooooo... a secret route.

My new beginning is right down the road

To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed it didn't snow today. I wasn't hoping for it - but I was expecting it. I'm not a fan of the icy roads that are a result of the snow... But, aside from that, I think it's pretty purdeee... I had bundled up today, was all warm, and was expecting to leave early from work once the snow started falling. But nothing happened. It's 1am now and still no snow.

Well... I think the time has come for me to finally improve my health. I just weighed myself. 198 pounds. Wow. Yes, wow indeed! Whenever I step on that scale, the reading ranges between 194-198 pounds, depending on the time of day. I'm set to finally begin the long overdue changes to my diet and workout schedule. I've said that before... but this time I mean it. I hope I'll be able to write regularly about all the things I'm doing to lose weight, get stronger, and make the dramatic change.

What makes this more fun is that the new gym is right up the street. I just have to walk to the end of the block, up a steep hill, then up about three more blocks, and there you go. Anytime Fitness. I have an access key to all these machines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Can I ask for anything more? I can stop blogging, walk out my front door, and be to the gym in about five minutes. So exciting! I just received the key yesterday. I should start tomorrow night after Happy Hour with old coworkers... unless that gets cancelled. Then, the new beginning will... uhhh... begin.

Harassed during harassment training

I'm taking a company course on my corporate company's "Vision and Values". It's a bit dry and I'm falling asleep in my office. Coke break. The training reminded me of a course on the topic of harassment back in 2005. We had a guy from headquarters in Texas fly out to conduct the training. He was a big wig - been with the company for over 20 years. Friends with our CEO. But, man, what an event! I was reminiscing about the experience with a couple of coworkers and one of them said, "It was like a scene straight out of The Office." True. Very true.

After the whole thing went down, I sent an email to corporate about the whole incident. I wanted to confidentially provide feedback. But confidential? Yikes. Not so much. Below are the emails that were exchanged...


From: Me
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2005 1:25 PM
To: HR Training & Education
Subject: 06/06/2005 Policy Against Harassment - Seattle, WA

The Policy against Harassment training is a very important class for ALL employees to attend. I believe the material covered was thorough and the presentation of this material was clear and presented in a manner that everyone understood what was covered. I shared the enthusiasm of the instructor and recognized that he understood the seriousness of this topic.

However, I felt that the presenter’s opinions and examples bordered on inappropriate. For example:

1.In my class, he asked a female if he could use her as an example of physical contact which may be perceived inappropriate from a third person. In this example, he commented on her shirt saying it was nice. He then ran his fingers against the material on her shoulder to demonstrate that, though he was simply admiring the fabric of the material, someone from the outside could find this contact inappropriate in the workplace (not knowing the reasoning behind this contact). I had no problem with this. However, I wasn’t sure if he was done with his example or if he was still playing a role when he said, “Oh, that turns me on” or something to that affect. That comment seemed inappropriate, example or no example.

2.The presenter also made the comment that, on a personal level, he loves women and that his wife knows that he loves women. With that in mind, he likes to look but would never act upon it (or something to that affect). I felt that this comment was inappropriate as well. I feel that a presenter of harassment (and specifically sexual harassment) should not be sending a message that it’s okay to ogle over women. Instead, I believe that, as an instructor, he should have the professionalism to keep these type of opinions to himself because such comments can be misread saying it’s okay to ogle over the opposite sex. I feel that such behavior is inappropriate and, in itself, a form of harassment

3.I also feel that the presenter should have a better understanding of politically correct terms in reference and what is considered inappropriate. It is my understanding that the term “Oriental” is one that is offensive to Asian Americans. But, during the class, in making reference to Asian Americans, he stated, “…or Orientals as some of them like to be called.” I feel that such a statement is incorrect and that he should have a better understanding of such classifications before using these them.

4.Through a couple of people in another class, I heard that there was a story about his being part Asian – though he doesn’t look like someone who is stereotypically “Asian”. Since the instructor is part Indonesian (thus, being part Asian), he shared that his wife calls him “Chink” – a derogatory reference to Chinese/Chinese Americans (though he isn’t Chinese). He then proceeded to say that this was okay because she was part Native American and that the class could imagine what kind of names he could call her. My friend thought that he would leave the story as is but proceeded to say that he affectionately referred to her as “blanket head” – a derogatory reference to Native Americans. But he said that this name calling was okay because it was just between them. I found this story to be very offensive and inappropriate. I also found it interesting that this story was told in a class in which no one of Asian or Asian American descent. This, again, was according to my friend.

Overall, people in my class and other classes felt that some of the personal opinions/stories shared were inappropriate. One felt that some of these comments were made purposely in order to get “a rise” out of people to possibly spark comment. I think for the most part, people did not choose to participate. They simply wanted to complete the course. As a supporter of such education, I feel that our instructor needs to be a bit more sensitive and concentrate on getting people in the class more involved versus telling these type of stories. Maybe add scenarios/role-playing to the class? I’m not sure if that would be appropriate – but I do feel that the class should be tweaked a bit. Thanks for reading my comments…

So... that was that. I thought I might get a response thanking me for the response. But, instead, the trainer actually wrote me back!

From: Trainer
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 5:39 AM
To: Me
Subject: Training Critique

I just returned from my trip to Active Voice and was given a copy of your critique. Since you provided me with the courtesy of providing your name and contact information in your critique I believe you are owed a response.

First of all thank you for taking the time to let me know what your thoughts, perceptions, recommendations and feelings are about the training and the way it was delivered. I truly do appreciate your comments and am very sorry that I offended you or anyone else during the training.

All of your comments provide me with food for thought about how I can modify my presentation in better ways and I will do so accordingly.

Again please accept my personal apology for any discomfort you or any other student felt because of anything that I said or did during the training.

Sincerely,
Trainer

Are you friggin kiddin' me? They sent him the message? Just 'cause my email contained my name didn't mean I wanted it shared with MY name!!! I guess I didn't specify a request for anonymity - but, I just assumed... you know. Ugh. I felt my message was appropriate - but I didn't feel the need to be identified. So then I respond back...

From: Me
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 12:49 PM
To: Trainer
Subject: RE: Training Critique

Thank you very much for your reply… although an apology was not necessary. I simply felt that it was my duty to give you constructive feedback for comments which I felt (in my mind) to be inappropriate. Just as you taught us in class, it is all about a person’s perception. In my case, certain comments were inappropriate in MY opinion. However, I think you are a great asset to NEC. Your enthusiasm and passion addressed the seriousness of the topic and I applaud you for that. Keep up the great work. I hope my feedback does not take away from what you’re doing. That is not my intent… Thanks again for coming to Active Voice to train us. Everyone found the training sessions to be very helpful!

There. Done. Ugh. Felt stupid. I wouldn't have cowered in my response but felt I needed to be cordial in order to be politically correct. I don't mind standing up for myself but also know that the job is all about relationships. At least he was nice in his final response...

From: Trainer
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 12:46 PM
To: Me
Subject: RE: Training Critique

I appreciated all your feedback. Sometimes we get too close to the forest to see the trees and need that third party to tell us what we are doing right or wrong.

Have a great day and thank you again.

I hope to never-ever-ever see the guy again. In over three years, I haven't. Good.

Final grades at CWU...

I thought about emailing my International Business instructor in protest. But I'm not going to. The website for my class showed that I received a 93.5% in the class. According to the syllabus, that should equal an A. Instead, the official grade posted was an A-. I've scored many 93-point-whatever in other classes and received an A but I guess this guy rounds down. I don't feel like being disrespectful and asking for a correction considering I missed about five classes (equivalent to two and a half weeks of classes).

My Strategic Management grades were just released. I can't believe I got a 204 (out of 200) on my final - the highest grade in the class. I really, really, really don't understand how I score so well on tests. I'm one of those people. "A good test taker". I barely read the chapters. My method of studying was reviewing chapter PowerPoint slides and creating an outline of all the topics given by my professor. I'm not gonna complain though... I scored one of the five As in the class of twenty five. I don't understand this whole curve grading process but at least I did what I needed to do to get a good grade.

It's all done now. No more CWU. Goodbye school...

The weather outside is snowful...

There it is. The first snow this winter. It's so beautiful. SO purdy. But it's a bit sad thinking that tomorrow night's dinner may be cancelled. I was looking forward to seeing a bunch of people, eating some good food, and just relaxing. For us, no problem. The festivities are planned for right across the street. But guests are coming from everywhere else and who knows how the roads will be tomorrow. If the temperature stays below freezing (as forecasted), then I think it just might be icy and not so good for people to be driving. I hope it ends up being okay.

Trip for Portland was cancelled 'cause we decided to not risk potentially dangerous driving conditions. I think we would have been okay but... sigh. It would have been nice to have gone away this weekend.

By the way, props to online shopping. I'm finding lots of good deals via the Internet. Although it doesn't seem like the brick and mortar stores are too crowded this year.

The office in the background

I'm at home today, cleaning a bit, and watching The Office (Season 3) in the background. I'm so glad I have this DVD. Cracks me up. I'm waching an episode where Michael finds out that one of his new employees (transferred from another branch) is a criminal... I mean, "reformed confict". Not knowing what the crime is, Michael confides in Dwight... who, of course, overreacts to the news. In a confessional, Dwight says:

I am greatly concerned about having a convict in the office. And I do not care if that convict is white, black, Asian, German, or some kind of halfsy. I do not like criminals.

Halfsy? Heh heh heh... ever since watching this episode long ago, I've used that comment. Not in a racist kinda way. In a, "I can't believe he said that" fashion. My fellow Office folks understand the reference. Horrible Dwight.

I'm thinking it's all over with

When can I officially say I'm graduated? I choose now. Sure, all the grades need to be officially submitted by my professors. Then the classes will be reviewed and all the admin stuff will need to be done. Heck... do I get my degree in the next six weeks? Or will I only get it when after the graduation ceremony in June? Who knows. But what I've decided is that I'm done. It's unofficially officially over with... I've graduated from CWU!!! "I can't believe it," is what I've been saying all night. In Facebook, I changed my status to, "Rodney unofficially has his accounting degree from CWU!!!!!!!" People have already sent their congratulations... and a couple of folks have emailed me best wishes. I called my fiancee first thing after class. Then I called my mom, then my sister. Everyone's happy for me. But nobody's happier than me! It's been a long journey and I'm just so proud of what I've done. I'm soaking it all in and just on top of the world right now! There's more to come... more classes to qualify for the CPA exam, taking a review course for the test, then taking the exams late next year. But I'm taking some time to reflect on what I've done and be proud of all the hard work. I'm so thankful for everyone who's been supportive and encouraging. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

One more left...

Oh my goodness. One more left. Took me an hour to take my first final. Ate a quiche at Caffe Ladro. Now I'm on my way out for Int'l Business final. I've got butterflies! Last final ever for my undergrad! Was evereyone else this anxious when they finished school.... Can't... Breathe. :)

The day is here

My last day at CWU. It's here. I can't wait. I've got five plus hours to take in whatever info I can for these final finals. My FINAL finals. Well... I'm still taking classes next year in addition to getting ready for the four-part CPA exam. But, yeah, after today, the grades will be tabulated and I'll be awarded my degree in friggin Accounting. I was emailing Eric... telling him that today's my last day. His response:


Good luck! I'm sure you won't need it, but it's still an important accomplishment nonetheless. If my dad was still around I could get him to quit bugging me about "Is Rodney ever going to go back to school?..." :)

Eric's dad was great. I do wish he was still around... just so he could see this. When I took my "break" from school, Mr. Ecker gave me a hard time and wouldn't stop. I barely saw the guy but, when I did, he'd tell me how smart I was and that I needed to get my degree because of the potential I had. I'll always remember that about him. And... awwww... my dad too. He was always about education and, though he was a man of few words, I know he was proud of me and my high school accomplishments. I know he was a bit devastated when I dropped out of college in the early 90's. At least he was still alive when I made the decision to go back to school. I hope he's looking down on me saying, "Stop blogging and get your ass back to studying! And, oh yeah, good job..."

Can you believe I blogged about going back to school over three years ago? My how the time's just passed.

I'll take that fortune

Safeway Chinese food for dinner. Yeah, I know. Sorry, but sometimes you eat what's available. Anyway... fortune cookie ancient chinese message:

You will be rewarded for your efforts within the month.

I likey.

Done prepping

I've been pretty much prepping for my finals this entire weekend. I finally got through it all today. For International Business, I cutdown the notes provided by our instructor throughout the quarter so it only consists of the areas he said to focus on. I also compiled all the quiz questions & answers into one document. For Strategic Management, I copied and pasted into a Word document only the parts of the chapter powerpoint presentations that my professor highlighted. Also, I took the online chapter quiz questions & answers and stuck them all in one doc. All the prepping is out of the way. Now comes the learning and reviewing.

I'm at the Starbucks in the Barnes & Noble at University Village. Whenever I'm in a Starbucks, I steal the internet connection from other unsecured Wi-Fi's. Right now, I'm connected to the World Wrapps connection (they have Wi-Fi?)... When's Starbucks gonna get with the program? They have the AT&T crap that you can get two free hours of - but, really, that's just not enough for a student. Plus, to get access of that, you have to buy a starbucks gift card, register it, and use it at least once every thirty days. I got a card and registered it but haven't used it in awhile. Plus, I lost my username and password.

Prior to coming here, I was at Zoka's - a really good coffee place at UW. Free internet there. I spent seven hours straight there. My friend, Michael, joined me. He's also got finals this week - he's back to school working on becoming a Physician's Assistant. We were reminiscing about our ol' freshman days at UW back in '92. The topic came up 'cause, recently, an old classmate was wanting to have a reunion of the dormmates who lived on my floor. That would be, ummmmm... interesting. I don't think I want to see many of those people. There's this one girl who I'm no longer friends with and then another one whom I used to "date". Nah, not a good idea.

Michael & I were totally laughing about different stories and the nicknames for different people. There's this one guy Michael used to refer to as "Goatee". Sophomore year, he didn't have the facial hair anymore. He was then renamed "Goatee-no-more". Heh heh heh... funny. And that one guy who confronted us all around 10pm for being too loud. "Can you guys shut up, like... [pause for dramatic effect] ... A LOT?!?!?"

Then there's the story of my old roommate. He's a good guy and all but, one day, I was with Michael and another friend. We got back to my room, unlocked the door, then... SLAM! My roommate shut the door on us and put the deadbolt on. "WHAT THE ???"

"Gimme a second!" he yelled. A few moments later, he unlocked the door and we went right in... And, ummm... (another), "WHAT THE ???"

It was 3pm in the afternoon, after he had gone to classes for the day, and he was in a robe. I only ever saw him wearing a robe in the morning... but now he appeared nervous and wearing only a ...

oh.

Nevermind.

Yuck.

Michael, my other friend, and I all stared at each other like... gross.

Awkward!

I don't think we spent more than a couple of minutes there before I came up with an excuse to go eat a snack at the cafeteria. We left the room, headed down the stairs, then started cracking up! We were in hysterics... Awww... how funny to catch him...

you know.

In the middle of...

tee hee!!!!

And now I'd better get back to my studying.

Worst week

Hmmm. Not me. Not my worst week. The show. I'll retype that:

Worst Week.

An awkwardly funny comedy that's got low ratings but which CBS is sticking with. I'm watching the most recent episodes on Comcast On Demand. Every episode gives me at least one gut-busting laugh. But so much for laughing at a time that I should be studying. Today went NOTHING like it should have. Today was supposed to be Day One of studying but I ended up having to work all day. All day. ALL DAY. Oh well. Had great sushi for dinner. I'll get a good night's rest and start the cramming tomorrow.

Careful who you text

My teacher just sent us the scores for our presentations this past week. I was glad we scored "average" so I decided to send a text to my classmate:

ME: Nordstrom: our score = 127... other teams: 144, 131, 118, 116; Article: our score = 42... other teams: 48, 40, 40, 35. Not bad!!!

Matt's been a good teammate. He's been the one person to show a little bit of leadership. We've been texting each other throughout the class, complaining about our other team members who have been lacking in skill. Thank goodness he's been on my team. But, then, I received a strange message:

MATT: I don't know what this means? Who is this?

I'm lost. Why would Matt respond this way to me? Ummm... duh, I'm the guy in your class. I've helped you so much this quarter and you're acting like we don't even know each oth...... oh, wait. I look at the text again:

MATT ROGERS: I don't know what this means? Who is this?

Whoops. Not only had I messaged the wrong Matt... but it was American-Idol-Season-3-Matt! Holy crap! I wrote him back immediately:

ME: Sorry... Wrong Matt! I'll delete ur number. I drove u for Detlef Shrempf foundation years ago... Again, sorry!

What a goof! I felt stupid but, at the same time, thought it was a bit funny. What a good sport. He didn't even have to respond. Everyday Rodney text "somewhat-of-a-celebrity" Matt Rogers. And he was kind enough to write back. His last text?

MATT ROGERS: Haha! no worries! When can we golf again?

That was nice.

Thank goodness for flexibility

Active Voice is way too kind to me. While at work today, I spent almost the enitre time working on my Nordstrom presentation. I really paid for it though. Whenever I finish the visuals the day OF a presentation, I do horrible. And it showed. I spent most of the time reading my sheets of notes. I was really embaressed. And, I felt pressured to quickly get through my part since my teammates spent eighteen minutes on their parts. I was last and we're supposed to keep the whole thing to only 20-25 minutes. I was really unhappy with how we did. That's what happens when a GROUP assignment is put together by basically one person. I miss my old classmates who actually care. I'm so sleepy right now. Off to bed I go. Only finals left to study for. I can't wait for this to be over with.

Old news but still clean

A few weeks ago, I didn't feel like working at the end of a particular day. I didn't feel like surfing the web, chatting with anyone, or starting up a new project. Instead, I decided to clean up my office. I was a shredding-slash-filing madman. I threw out documents as old as 1999. That was when Active Voice was a public company. My how things have changed! And, my, how I'm able to better interpret old reports and financial statements.

At the end of my day of cleaning, when nobody was looking, I went ahead & took a picture of my shiny clean office. Two weeks later, the office is still clutter free. I'm so glad I'm utilizing my shelves and no longer Rodney the Grouch. Get it? Not "Oscar" the Grouch. Goodnight.

Things I noticed after posting:
1. Man, I have a lot of computers. Can you count how many total?
2. This picture is older than my posting on the Rubik's cube. Can you see the unsolved cube?
3. Wow... what a reflection off my exterior window.

Three more drives left

I got through last night. It was tough but I'm still chipping away at my tasks. Sure, it's hard being sick, having a flat tire to deal with, and staying up late to work on school & reports. BUT... I'm getting through it. Just a few more challenges to get through:

1. Nordstrom presentation: I just need to finish the Powerpoint and rehearse my portion. One last project to present to a class on Thursday.
2. Study for finals: A final exam in both classes. Luckily, they're not cumulative. I have five full days to study eleven chapters.
3. Take the exams: Oh, man. They're both multiple choice (with a couple of short essay questions for one class). But I can do it. I can make educated guesses if need be.
4. Graduate.

Oh, man. I'm very excited. This is becoming a reality. From feeling hopeless a few years back to actually getting a degree. In accounting. This feeling is awesome. I'm going to enjoy my finals days at Central Washington

I've got a "blank" load left to do tonight...

It's shortly after midnight and I have to do so much more before I sleep. I've got to finish the consolidated financial statement for work. I'm not looking forward to that because it's the second month of the second half of the year. So now I've got to make sure that these first two months all roll up correctly for this current period.

I just got done sending an email to my group in Strategic Managment. I've spent the past three hours fixing people's parts and making the presentation look uber pretty. It's nice, let me tell you. But, content-wise, there's a lot missing on this one section. And, yikes, I haven't even begun my portion yet. I'm so in trouble.

And, on a sad note, a coworker of mine is leaving. I'm gonna miss her. She hasn't even been part of the company for long but I really enjoy her sense of humor and the fact that I completely get her way of thinking. That's a very rare person to find in the workplace. It sure is gonna be different when she leaves. I hope I'm able to stay in contact with her better than the other folks who have left. Having her around at work was like having my little sister there. You know, my little 25-year old sister. Who's white. And from North Carolina. And into way other things. Okay, they were completely different... but similar. I rant because it'll be different. Darnit. Why must the good ones leaves? Yo... bad ones. Be gone!

That was tough

Man, writing that three page (turned into four) paper took forever. I liked the global warming paper better. Why would my instructor want us to spend so much time on an assignment predicting the future? The impact of developing nations on the United States in 2025? What did he expect us to do? Did he actually want us to think???

Did you ever have a bunch of stuff to do in the span of a few days? Like, you planned to have so-and-so accomplished by the end of weekend? And, as the seconds/minutes/hours pass, you find justification to cancel or postpone certain tasks for another day? Ugh. That's what I've been doing mentally this entire weekend. I had so many things I wanted to get done with school this weekend and I just now finished just one item out of five. And now I'm going to shift to work stuff and have to put school on the backburner. I can justify everything not done because of being sick. But, man... why did I have to be all mucused and illin'? So frustrating. Okay, enough blog. On to work and we'll see where I'm at by 8pm.

Friday after Thanksgiving

I'm trying to be very careful with how I spend my money. That includes going to far less movies than I have in the past. So even though I'm very selective with what I see in the theater, I still chose to see Twilight the day after Thanksgiving. I committed myself to that cinematic choice when I read the book a couple of weeks ago. The verdict? It was bearable.

I've seen three interviews with Kristen Stewart, the actress who plays the main character, Bella. I expected more from her in the movie since she's such a pain in interviews. She's so stand-off-ish in her appearances with David Letterman, Meredith on the Today Show, and Chuck the Movie guy (online interview). I'm forgiving of such attitudes because I expect brilliance on the big screen. Wrong. She "passed" in the role... but her acting wasn't anything extraordinary.

Robert Pattinson, however, was very good as Edward Cullen. He looks the part and is a good actor... especially when comparing his mysteriously cool vampire ways to the very humble, shy, and odd person he is in real life. I feel sorry for him having a crush on his costar. I guess that's the off-screen story between he and Stewart - even though she has a boyfriend. Dude... you can do better than obsess over somebody who doesn't want anything to do with what comes with her stardom.

I think this Pattinson dude will have quite a career. And to think... my fiancee was smitten with him as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter. He's come quite a long way...

One last post for the day

I've rearranged my links on the right side to reflect the pages I look at.

1. There are the "People I Know" who blog somewhat regularly.
2. There are the "People I Don't Know" who blog regularly, are great writers, and know how to put their reflections into writing. Obviously, I don't know them... but they're great reads.
3. "Other Links" will be non-personal sites that I like to visit.
4. The "Friends with Inactive Blogs" will be the people I know who have a blog but just don't write in it anymore. Hopefully, they'll return someday to share their lives, thoughts, and anything else of interest.

I hope to add to these links in the future. For now, it's a short list. Like the short bus that they always joke about. "They"

Dancing with some people who are somewhat famous

Derrick Hough just won Dancing With the Stars... and, oh yeah, I guess his partner won too. If I was Brooke Burke, I wouldn't put up with Derrick's hogging all the glory. Sheesh. You'd think the professional dancers go through some sort of orientation where they're told, "Now, remember, the show is about the celebrities, not you, okay. Derrick? Derrick? Are you listening to any of this?"

...

In my Strategic Management class, I'm in charge of compiling the PowerPoint slides for my group. We have two presentations next weeek. On Tuesday, half of us are presenting an article regarding management at Google, Whole Foods, and W.L. Gore. On Thursday, the other half is presenting an analysis of Nordstrom. The first presentation is done and done. But our group is still working on the Nordstrom project. One of our team members just can't seem to be able to contribute. She can't research, think things through, or put together bullet points to speak on.

I just don't understand. Sure, she's an ESL student... but that's not an acceptable excuse in our 400-level class. (No, she isn't Asian) I know other ESL students in the class who produce excellent work. My teammate can't produce average work. It's frustrating because the rest of my group focuses on their areas, do their job, and send me what they have. That's that. But, for me, I basically have to do the work for our weak link. I'm forced to do so because we're graded as a group by the class based on our actual presentation. I can't let our group go down in flames - so I put in the extra work to make us all look good.

At this point in the quarter, I'm not really too upset about this issue anymore. I'm just disappointed and saddened that others have to take on the burden of her deficiencies. And when I say "others", I mean "me".

Oh, well. At least we have a chance to grade each other based on peer reviews. We had similar presentations at the end of October. For that round, my team gave me 39 out of 42... my other teammates scored anywhere between 35-38. But the weak link? She scored 19! I was able to figure out her grade from an online spreadsheet of everyone's grades in the class. I'm glad my team scored her similarly to the way I graded. She got the lowest score in the entire class for the peer review. Ouch.

...

I'm watching KOMO news in the background. I had to rewind a live report that caught my attention. A reporter is on location reporting on school budget cuts:

Mary, good evening. School district officials have said they're facing a $24million budget surf... uh... budget... ummm... they need to make up that money for the 2009-2010 budget year...

That might not sound so funny but this is actually how it ended up sounding:

Mary, good evening. School district officials have said they're facing a $24million budget surf...

[long silence]

uh...

[another long silence]

budget... ummm...

[decides to give up on saying "budget surplus" and instead says]

they need to make up that money for the 2009-2010 budget year...

Solved!

I inherited someone's Rubik’s Cube a year ago when I moved into my office. I can make one side the same color and the adjacent sides have two rows of the same color. But I couldn't solve the final side. Thanks to the internet, I'm able to find a solution:

Rubik's Cube Solver

That’s just so amazing. Not matter the condition of your Rubik's Cube, you can solve the cube. What can’t you find on the internet?

Lame things...

I'm lame. I meant to text a friend that I wasn't going to make it to a church dinner. I remembered to text him at 2:30pm while driving. I didn't text him until after 8pm. Lame.

A friend of mine, who I haven't spoken to forever, said she would try a video chat with me at 7pm. I waited forty minutes but she never logged in. I text her to tell her I was logging off and wouldn't be online. It's after 10pm and she hasn't responded. She's lame.

Some friends came over for dinner last night and left around 10pm. That night was cutoff because one of them couldn't handle our cats. Her allergies were so bad. The other couple left because one of them was sleepy after waking up at 4am that morning. None of these people are lame. But I couldn't help but feel lame 'cause I very much looking forward to the evening and the night was cut so short. Lame.

American Music Awards are on right now. I like all kinds of music but man, the Jonas Brothers? Pussycat Dolls? Taylor Swift? So lame...

I've got all kinds of projects to work on for school but I'm being Super Procrastinator. I'm acting this way 'cause school is Super Lame. But, in reality, my work ethic is crappy. Hence, I'M lame.

Lame.

Thanksgiving Potluck

Company potluck today. Everyone made delicious dishes. I made a Chamorro side dish... Chicken Kelaguen: finely chopped chicken with onions, peppers, and lemon juice. There was a ton leftover... But I had actually made too much. That's what I tell myself to make me feel better that I have to take all the uneaten portion home.

I'm sleepy from not working on my report all night. Zzzzzzzzzzz...

Can't focus

Ugh. I just can't seem to focus right now. I need to finish one measly three-page paper for International Business and I can't get beyond the research phase. I just found a third article after a few hours of using every excuse to not work on this paper. I'm half sleepy, half not... I'm laughing to myself thinking, "Why must I always work under these conditions?" "These conditions" meaning slack-now-work-hard-later...

...

In the past couple of weeks, two different people sent me job openings which I felt I was unqualified for. One position was Accounting Manager for a software company... the other was Fiscal Coordinator for a local city government. I'm flattered that people think I'm qualified for these jobs - but I still need another year or so and a bit more exposure to these duties before I'm ready. I'm lacking on the budgeting and payroll areas. I've never had to deal with those topics. I'll have to push my boss to show me more so when I leave the nest, I'll be able to lay my own eggs. Or some better analogy than that...

Today at work...

When the oatmeal instructions say, "Microwave on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes," you should really go with the 1 minute option first. Otherwise, you'll end up spending ten minutes cleaning up your mess. That was diasterous. I should just stick with cold cereal.

...

I just passed an empty office and saw a dead body in it! The horror!!! Actually, it was a coworker of mine. Just napping on the floor. I'm all for mid-day naps but that scared the beejessez out of me. He needs to find some boxes to cover the window or something so people can't see him. Man, that freaked me out...

Six more drives to graduation....

I only have to drive to Lynnwood for six more nights and then I'll graduate. Two nights this week, one next week (thank you Turkey day), two during the first week of December, and then finals on December 9. I can see the end in sight... it's lookin so pretty!

Second "Mini" Project"

For my International Business class, I have to write on one of the following perspectives:

• The increasing price of imported oil will force companies to become more innovative in how they exploit international market opportunities and develop global partnerships.
• Developments in China, India, and other rapidly emerging economies will have significant positive or negative impacts on the U.S. economy.
• Technology and communication systems will continue to evolve around the real-time demands of the global marketplace.
• The means by which goods are transported globally will be substantially different from what they look like today.

I think I'll get a lot out of the second choice. I'll spend my lunch hour tomorrow looking up articles on this one. It's just a three-page report for only forty points (out of 400 points) but it takes me so much time researching and writing. I'm fairly sure I go overboard with prepping, writing, and proofing. Oh well... it's the only way I know how to write these things. I may have gotten more done this weekend if I hadn't read Twilight. But I'm not complaining... I thoroughly enjoyed reading that book yesterday.

Reading, reading, reading

It's almost 2:30am... Saturday night/Sunday morning. I woke up around 8:30am, Saturday morning and started reading. All I've done today is read, read, read. I think there were plans to go out shopping today. But that never happened. We just stayed home, watched some TV, but mostly read, read, read. I passed out on the couch a couple of times. I think I may have taken an hour and a half or two hour nap. The length of sleep doesn't matter... in the end, it's been a very lazy day. Just reading, eating, reading, TV, reading, eating, reading, relaxing, and reading. Well, now that I'm done reading, I can finally work on some school stuff tomorrow. Four different projects I need to get done by Thursday. It'll be good to get a good chunk of those assignments done on Sunday. Maybe I'll make time for some shopping. But no more reading. That's all done with. Good reading... very good reading. That was fun. ;)

Slow counters...

I'm sitting here, looking at the presidential election results online for the nation. Almost every states' precincts are close to 100% reported. But Washington state? It's two days after the election and 67% of Washington's precincts are reported. What the _____ ? We're the slowest in the country in reporting our results. Oregon is second to the last with 77% reported. Are the counters in the Northwest that slow? Thanks to Mr. Google, I was able to find out why. Here's are some excerpts I found from a 11/1/08 article in the Seattle Times ("Old equipment will slow King County vote tally"):

...King County — home to nearly one-third of the state's registered voters — expects to report only about 39 percent of its results by late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

...The county had hoped to use new, faster vote-counting machines. But a federal law requires that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission certify the machines before they can be used. That hasn't happened, a frustration that the state and county have been vocal about.

...the new machines should be ready to go by spring. In the meantime, the county is relying on its old machines, which were designed to count poll ballots, not mail ballots. Two-thirds of King County voters now vote by mail.

"We have made this work by nursing this equipment along and treating it very tenderly," said King County Elections Director Sherril Huff.

...They will continue tallying votes 16 hours a day for the week after Election Day to get 97 percent of the ballots counted by Nov. 11. Overseas and military ballots may take longer to count.

Many of the problems that slow down the department come from voters, Huff said. She urged voters not to write their names on ballots and to fill in the ovals completely using blue or black ink.

And there you have it. The problem isn't the state of Washington. The problem is good ol' King County... representing a third of the state's population. Hence, the number of precincts reported being 67%. Thank you Google for finding an answer to another one of my pressing questions... If I had read this article prior to the election, I wouldn't have written-in Jon Stewart for President...

El Presidente

I had been channel surfing since 6pm. From NBC to Fox News... from MSNBC to ABC... I've been looking for the channel who could offer me something interesting while waiting to find out who our new president would be in 2009. And what do you know? Who did I end up hearing the announcement from? Jon Stewart. One of the channels I was tuning into was Comedy Central. It happened so suddnely. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report combined forces to host a live special tonight. Once the 8pm polls closed on the west coast, the electoral votes from Washington, Oregon, and California went to the candidate leading in the presidential race. Jon Stewart interrupted Stephen Colbert to announce, "We have a new president elect... Barack Obama!!!"

That was just appropriate for me to hear it from Jon Stewart. I've become a political junkie the past few months. I've been turning into the Daily Show and SNL to get some relief from the political machine and all the crap that comes along with all this campaigning. I see nothing wrong with getting my news from shows with intelligent writers... able to poke fun at this craziness. I am so glad all the campaigning's over with. It's time for our elected officials to move forth and make the promised changes needed to recover our countries issues - the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, and anything & everything affecting our fellow Americans.

I can't wait to hear Obama make his acceptance speech. I'm not very religous but... here goes... God, please God, please help him along the way. He's got so much on his shoulders and, hopefully, he'll have the support of his cabinet, Congress, and all of America to put this country back on the right track.

And now... he speaks.

Joke Time

A couple of funnies today came my way via email today:

A husband and wife were sitting watching a TV program about psychology when he turned to his wife and said, "Honey, I bet you can't tell me something that will make me happy and sad at the same time."

She said, "You have the biggest dick of all your friends."

Okay, that one's okay. This one's funny...

A cabbie picks up a Nun. She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY
handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.

She asks him why he is staring. He replies: 'I have a question to ask,
but I don't want to offend you.'

She answers, ' My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am
and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just
about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I
would find offensive.'

'Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.'

She responds, 'Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to
be single and #2, you must be Catholic.'

The cab driver is very excited and says, 'Yes, I'm single and Catholic!'

'OK' the nun says. 'Pull into the next alley.'

The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

'My dear child,' said the nun, 'Why are you crying?'

Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess; I'm married and
I'm Jewish.'

The nun says, 'That's OK. My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween
party.'

For President, I choose...

To me, it's obvious. Obama-Biden on so many levels. I won't go into the details of my endorsement but I will say that I quite enjoyed the comics I picked up a few weeks ago. Two comics... each one the story of each candidate. What a great media outlet to educate a different audience about the candidates! I learned so much about each of them... their strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, scandals. Neither of them are perfect... but we should expect that from human beings. We're all flawed in one way or another... and that's how we learn from our mistakes. I tend to think my choice in Obama is one of change and a restoration of country's image. McCain's choice of Palin sealed the deal for me. I can't wait to be proud of our President again again.

Here's an email I received this morning. LOVED IT:

Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 11:12 AM
Subject: FW: A Very Interesting Perspective

Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it.

Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?
Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including
a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe
disfiguring car accident ?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while
he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption
in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings
and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn't 't read from a Teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included
discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many
occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality,
do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in
another when there is a color difference.


Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism


Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in
the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.

Man, Something Stinks

It's Spotlight Night at the 5th Avenue Theater. General admission seats to get a preview of the upcoming musical... spotlight on Drowsy Chaperone. Had to change seats 'cause it smelled like something died. Seriously. Moved back three rows. From here, we can observe what sucker has to suffer through that stank. Ugh. That was soooooo bad. Hmmmmmm... they don't seem to notice. Guess have people have more tolerance for that...

These are gonna be some late nights...

I've dreaded this week... but at least it's finally here. It's not only month- or quarter-end at work. It's the end of our half-year. And in addition to the additional reports, I also have to help cover for my boss who's on maternity leave. Well, not everything she does (that would be lying)... But I will have a lot on my plate for the next three days.

I had a really great weekend. A couple of friends have a family beach house in Ocean Shores. They invited three couples to come out, relax, and just hang (since we haven't done that in awhile). We had a really good time together. The highlights from the weekend include:

1. Yahtzee - A dice game which I played as a kid. Couldn't believe this game was sitting in the shelf at the house. I showed my friends how to play and we had hours of fun!
2. Backyardigans - for the only baby who came along on the trip. DVD of this kid's show played over and over and over and over... and over and over... and over again. No worries - kept the little cutie preoccupied
3. Heart Attack - a fun card game. I'll have to post the rules another time.
4. Flying Kites - I haven't flown a kite since I was 8 years old. Now I have one of my own to fly whenever it's windy here in Seattle. Such a great feeling to control the flying beast.

Actually, the whole weekend was a huge highlight. Just when I thought I was out of touch with my ol' friends, a weekend like this come along to remind me that these people will be with me the rest of my life. School's taken up so much of my time and prevented me from hanging with these guys. I'm sure I'll have more time to see them once I'm eventually done with my degree. Off to bed I go...

Sister for Rent

Rent "Filmed Live on Broadway" is coming to select theaters nationwide starting today... playing from 9/24 through 9/28. I bought tickets to watch it tonight at Pacific Place for (WHAT?) $21. I don't care. It's Rent. Ummm... one of the best musicals ever. It'll be fun to see how the filmmakers captured the live performance for the big screen. This show is a big friggin deal because a lot of it was filmed from the offical last performance on Broadway earlier this month.

Anyway, this is why I love my sister so much (from text messages exchanged back & forth)...

Me: Don't know if u go to theaters on your own but... Rent is showing at limited theaters today, tomorrow, Sat, Sun. Last performance from Broadway!

Sister: Yes! I'm planning on going tonight :) Exicted!

Me: us too! One last movie befor my classes start... did you already know 'bout it?

Sister: I read a news article about it a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully they'll have it on DVD sometime too!

Me: You my favoritestess youngest sister ever. I'm so proud of you. (insert tear)

Sister: Haha. Only wish I could've seen it on B'way 1more time.

Should be fun to see what the live audience saw when the show eneded...

Creepy cat, man...

Coworker shared this video today... Creepy ninja cat

Yikes - I'm Blind!

I went to the restroom today to extract some little monsters which were bothering my bowels. As I walked in, I immediately noticed that someone else was already in there. My first thought was, "Darn... someone's here. I'll have to save my number two for later." My second thought was, "Why the heck is this guy out in the open with his pants down to the floor???"

Seriously. This was all happening in the huge open space of the restroom. I saw this "scarred-for-life" vision through the reflection of the mirror. This fellow coworker of mine was in his tighty-whities, pants down to his ankles, and bright-ass "Powder" skinned legs right in my face. Frack. I was shocked, of course. But I just proceeded to the stand-up urinal and, without making eye-contact, said, "Hi Ron!" And he, with his chipper "no-care-in-the-world" voice, casually responded, "Hey there, Rodney."

I could hear him behind me picking up his khakis, tucking in his denim shirt, zipping up, and buckling his belt. I'd understand if he was changing outfits. But I saw no workout bag. There were no other clothes with him. He was simply finishing up using the bathroom. Did he just finish peeing like a four-year old? With his pants all the way down? Then somehow moved back six plus feet to work on tucking in his clothes? Why couldn't he have done this in a stall? What the heck? WHY DID I HAVE TO SEE THIS????????

New beginnings (again)

On my way out to lunch today, I ran into a coworker who was headed in the same direction... to Whole Foods. We both ended up spending lots to stock our work fridge with lots of fixins for making salads the rest of the week. Funny how other coworkers gathered around us in the kitchen while we prepared our individual meals. I guess because we had all kinds of cool ingredients... Spinach, lettuce, carrots, apples, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, and so much more.

It's another new beginning for me. An era of trying to eat better to lose some weight, be healthy, and live longer...and prosperous. I'm thinking that, this time around, it's for real. Yo.

A Break for Friends

What a strange break this has been for me. I've really needed the time off from school and it's been great to not worry about going to class, working on projects, or cramming for exams. I guess the theme of my short summer break has been "friends". I've been highly addicted to my Facebook site. But that's nothing new. Usually, my school breaks find me on there looking at what people have been doing with their lives. I've also had a chance to get together, in person, with a few of them. This weekend was filled with two nights of chillin' with different folks. Some were old close friends, some new friends, and some were just acquaintances who I'd rather avoid. Just kidding. A little.

Haircut

I haven't been able to see my regular stylist (Sarah) for my last two haircuts. I've needed haircuts sooner and she's been too busy. I need to plan with her way in advance. So now I'm sitting here at Shanghai something or other in West Seattle. Been waiting for half an hr playing on my phone and I just finally decided to say, "Hi" to my blog. A fly's been naggin me the whole time I've been here. I want to kill it but then I'll look hella ghetto in front of these guys. But really? Do I care about how I look around these ...

Fast forward two hrs later. I had to cut my bloggin short 'cuz Alan was ready to "snip snip". Dude. He's good. Really nice and he cuts my hair the way it looks best. My best style is when it's short spikey/tussled looking (as Erwin's said). And Alan does it well... And cheaper than Sarah.

So I've got what I like to call... a "dilemma". Sarah's been awesome to go to but she costs anywhere between $30-40 (depending on her remembering to tell the receptionist what to charge). I love chattin with her everytime but... man... Alan's good - and only $23. Do I leave Sarah for another man? Okay... that sounds odd. What DO I do???

Would you be mine?

I've been wearing my zip-up sweater all day and finally decided to take it off. Kinda warm in the office. Behind my door is a hook and, for some reason, a hanger. As I hung up the sweater on the hanger, I started to sing, "It's a beautiful in the neighborhood..." But, really, it isn't so beautiful. Kinda busy at work. Still, good memories, good memories. Good times...

Waiting for Sunset Supper

Today's fundraising event for the Pike Place Market, Sunset Supper, starts at 7:30pm and what better way to kill time before the event then to go to Tully's and utilize the free internet while waiting. I'm so happy today. I had a very tough quarter with two accounting classes - Advanced Cost Accounting and Auditing. My difficulties this quarter came from the toughness of the course content, how distracted I was by the nice summer weather, and the fact that I just can't wait for all this schooling to be done.

My fiancee and her sister are discussing "The Mole". The show ended this past Monday and "sis" didn't watch. She dropped it from her lineup 'cause she felt like she was watching too much TV. Fiancee's doing a great job of recapping her on the happening's since she last watched.

But, yeah, I'm ready for school to be done with. I think I only have three quarters left of school. Next quarter, after taking Strategic Management, I'll have my accounting degree. Can I get a, "Woo woo"? Oh - back to the reason for being happy today... I finished my last final last night. Man - I did a horrible job of preparing for both tests (Auditing final was on Wednesday night).

Sis just tried to kill a mosquito, bug, or moth that's been annoying her. Afterward, she looked down and noticed that there's a blueberry stain on her undergarment - or her dress? Not quite sure who but they're now talking about seeing someone passing by... not sure if they know them or noticing something funny about 'em... Back to "The Mole" they go.

Uh oh... I got caught. Fiancee just asked me if I was blogging. I didn't answer 'cause I don't want her to know I'm typing about what their conversation is about. But, yeah, she called me out - she knows what my coniving is all about. Gosh - I didn't even answer her.

Sis thinks Fiancee would be a good mole. She would be so suspicious... but NOT. Yeah, I agree with that. My gal is quite a shifty type of girl. Sis started that topic by saying, "That would be so cool to be The Mole."

You just don't know how thrilling it is to be done with very difficult exams!

I just heard a funny short-story (under 500 words) of my Fiancee's. Today, she was at work with two different pairs of shoes - one for casual niceness/walking, the other fancy/shmancy for (I think) tonight's event. At one point, she was in her office and had changed shoes. She got up, went to the hallway, and noticed the obvious mismatch! One shiny...one not so shiny. Heh heh heh... Funny. I don't think she realizes how funny I thought that story was but I had to stop laughing 'cause I have to focus on adding that story to my blog

So I think I spent only about four hours total studying for my final in Cost Acctg. I just pretty much gave up.

I just found out they were actually talking about some cute baby. Sis wishes she had as cute a baby as that. Hmmm... possible - Filipino Chinese baby? Yeah, her & her man would have a cutie baby.

But, yeah, I pretty much gave up studying. I just didn't feel like it anymore. But luckily... LUCKILY... My instructor allowed us to use a 4 x 6 cheatsheet for the final. I used a 4 pt font size on both the front & back. Oh my goodness - I fit like almost ten chapters.

Funny... Sis scared me for a sec. She said, "We have to talk." I had no idea what she was talking about. She was just calling me out on how I hadn't told her I was no longer going to CWU in Des Moines (I'm going to Lynnwood in the Fall). Now we're talking about school and doing presentations in front of people... She's clowin' on a coworker who's super nervous when presenting in front of people... I'm agreeing with her how it's tough to talk about something you don't really know about. You just don't want to deal with the Q&A portion that might come afterward. When I ask folks, "Are there any questions?" after presenting, I'm secretly saying, "The end."

I'm so rude... I really am paying attention to these two. Actually, I'm paying SUPER good attention. But this is almost becoming a fun social experience. Typing about the conversation they/we are having.

I think I'll wrap-up this blog. Fiancee's so into Tetris on my cellphone and I should be 100% focused back to our lovely time before dinner. I'm glad I have time to blog more now in the next few weeks. Good to have this five week rest before classes start in the fall!

El Doctor Horrible

I've watched the first two acts of Dr. Horrible and it's really good. It's a great mix of all the things I like...

1. NPH - Barney from HIMYM
2. Nathan Fillion - from shtuff like Serenity, Buffy, Desperate Housewives
3. Joss Whedon - great director/writer
4. Musical element - the best way to make dialouge even bester is to put the words to music!
5. Mad scientist - what's not to like about someone trying to rule the world (see Dr. Evil ala Austin Powers)

...

and other stuff that's just so entertaining about this online TV exclusive. Check it out when you have a chance... and do it before it's gone on Sunday, July 20...

Dear Madonna...

I apologize for thinking your CD wasn't that great. As always is the case with me, I can never get into a CD until listening to all tracks about 4-5 times. Dude... I'm in love with four tracks - 1, 2, 6, and 9. Thanks for forgiving me and giving me time to realize that that's some good music. Makes me wanna dance with somebody...

Your Friend,
Lloyd

Rock on!

I'm totally amused by the choice of music of my neighbor here at work. He's completely rocking out to some crazy heavy metal. I mean, this stuff is psycho killer wicked... sounds like people dyin in there! I think it helps him with his work. He was nice enough to close his door and even ask me if it's too loud. Nope. No problem! I could care less. Sounds awesome though. Rock on, man!

Can't help but compare....

At some point in my twenties (I'd like to say early 20's), I stopped wishing I could have what other people had. You know, the general stuff people have - a stable relationship, lots of money, new cars, a home, all that jazz. I think I finally figured out that, in due time, I would have my own things. From some point on, I decided to just be happy and stop dreaming for items that were beyond my means. And, of course, work hard for whatever I did want.

Fast forward many years later and I have to say that I'm happy with what life has brought me in the past decade. Sure, I have debt and there are obstacles to deal with on a daily basis. But I am truly happy to deal with what is Rodney. The most important aspect of it all is the people who are there for me. My friends and family truly do make me who I am. I like to see their faces, their smiles. I like to hear their words in the conversations we have. I love to feel their spirit, their "glad to see you too" aura. It's just great to find out what's going on in their lives and to know there's a world that exists outside of me. Discovering their joys, their struggles, and their day-to-day happenings shows me how real life is for them. That comforts me in knowing I'm not alone.

I guess having a really good weekend is contributing to this nostalgic moment. Finally, after weeks of reorganizing and cleaning (and years of neglect), our house is a home. I love that place...

Handicapped

An Asian kid, about seven years old, says to his older teen brother (as I pass them):

"Well, I'm kinda handicapped 'cause I wear glasses, right?"

Older bro: "No."

Silly Asian kid...

Up all night...

Why has it taken me so long to get some organizing done in the house? I mean, for Pete's sake, it's been such a mess. We haven't had as much empty space as we should and it's about time we did. I started yesterday's night of re-org-ing around 11pm. Focusing on the office, I removed all kinds of junk that shouldn't have been there in the first place. There's this small closet with no door that was storage to bulky garbage. After I emptied it out, I stared at it wondering, "How can I make the most out of this space?" I looked over at this one bookcase and thought, "Hmm. That would probably fit in the closet. If I put that in there, maybe I could put something else in it's place."

Ah ha! I suddenly remember there was a bookcase sitting in the garage, all alone, wishing it could eat some books and other miscellaneous storable items. I rushed to the garage (with it's ghetto low-security padlock) and found the bookcase in the very back. Ugh. I had to move all kinds of stuff to get to it and clean off all the webs and little spider/bug eggs. Not fun. But, yeah, I brought that sucker in, put it against the wall, put the other bookcase in the closet, and... WHAM-O... MUCH better now. I put all kinds of books in the "new" bookcase and finally took out my Fantasy Football trophy from a paper bag and displayed it proudly. Of course, the trophy SHOULD be in someone else's possession but I don't care. I'm going to enjoy it for now.

Tonight's plan... back to the basement to take all the boxes out of the den (is that what I should call it?) and into the areas for storage. That much closer to having the cats back home!

Miss Elaine E. Yuss

15 minutes left before I leave for the day. Since I've been back from vacation (about a week and a half ago), I've been trying my best to accomplish things. I think I've been mildly successful at achieving that goal. In school, I've yet to read any of my books except to find answers to quizzes. But I'm definitely learning and enjoying the classes - well, when I go to them that is. At work, I've been busy with various irregular projects and reports - so, although I'm getting things accomplished, I don't necessarily feel as productive as I normally feel with regular tasks.

At home, the kitchen's been remodeled and we've been busy cleaning ALL our old dishes and finding places to store them. That part of our home project was completed last night. We're now at the phase of organizing all the junk in our basement. Once we clear that out of the way, our cats will return home from their two month vacation. They've been staying over at grandma's place across the street. We miss them tremendously but they seem fairly happy over there. They probably think we gave them away - but, little do they know, they'll be coming home in a few days. What goes through their little itsy bitsy brains? Will they be happy coming back home? Or will they be sad leaving their resort?

It's funny how I'm shifting the mess in the basement to a mess in the garage. At least it's that much closer to being removed permanently from the premises. As I go through all our old belongings, I think of that old TLC show "Cleansweep". I guess I'm not as attached to my stuff as once was. I'm quick to choose the option of removing old stuff than keeping it. I'll donate or give away most of them - not sell. I figure trying to sell my junk is a lot of hassle. Except those bobbleheads. Eventually, they'll find their way on Ebay or Craigslist. I don't care to display the bobbleheads of steroid using ex-baseball players.

Can't wait to go home and do a little more work. I'm cleaning the closet in the office tonight. That's been home to boxes and plastic containers. Buy a new toy, take out toy, throw box/plastic in closet. That stack will be all taken care of tonight. Little by little, we'll be organized again. Then, of course, we'll make another mess...

Hot!

The temp on the dash tells the story of our journey from California to Oregon.

Twin Peaks

Last view of the day (night) at Twin Peaks in the outskirts of San Francisco. This is probably a crappy pic... but it's really so purrrrrdy...

Beautiful Golden Gate

We're here at a view point for the GG Bridge. Forgot to bring a jacket. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.... but the fog makes the view that much more majestic!

At the pier...

It's nice to be here in San Fran. "We" are sittin here at Pier 39, Sea Lions barking as we look over at Alcatraz. That was really a prison at one point? Interesting.

The journey down to San Fran from Seattle has been fun. Went to Portland then off west to the coast starting in Tillamook. We stayed in Florence, OR then drove some more to Eureka, CA. Stayed there overnight, then to Napa, San Jose last night and we'll be at a friend's place in Lafayette. Been great to be away from work and school...

Britain's Got Talent?

I just watched the closing moments of last night's American Idol finale on YouTube. David Cook won. He was definitely the best all-around singer/performer this past dull & dreary season. The show didn't appeal much to me this year - but I can definitely recognize someone's who's got some M.A.D.D. skills.

While watching the video, I noticed a link for another video with this little girl who "wows" Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent." Holy shiznit. This girl is so adorable. Turns out she was the runner-up during the last season of the show. Check it out for the wow-oh-so-cute factor...

Another day of chilaxin.. with Chili.

I'm stuffed. I just got done eating twelve different chilis here at work. Nothing's better than pigging out during the annual chili cook-off. Most of the chilis were good... a couple of them great... and one was just plain bad. Horrific is more the word for it. I mean, for real, is it legal to serve DIRT to people? The cook of that monstrosity was out of town on business. I think he cooked it the day before and dropped it off to be served. But, whew, that was some nasty crap. And, actually, I think I'd prefer eating crap. He told our receptionist that his secret ingredient is anchoives. Oh, yeah. He puts them in all his red sauces. My first thought was, dude, that wasn't red. My second thought was... you can keep that secret to yourself.

Production made another series of great advertising videos for their chili. My favorite one was called "Shaolin Ping Pong". Ch-ch-ch-check it out, y'all:

Mariner Game

Wow. Thought we were going to be sittin up in a suite at the mariner game. Instead, we're three rows behind homeplate. Right behind where the mariner batters warm up. Ichiro was only a few feet from us. Another game for the rich folks, game of a lifetime for me and GS. Gawd I love how she got these tix!

Advice

I'm getting caught up on reading other folks' blogs and I read one about giving advice to friends on breaking up...

I don't know what it is lately. Maybe, again, I'm in one of those moods. But, honestly, at my age, I'm not one to be giving advice anymore. There was once a time when I really wanted to be there for people - to help 'em out. But, lately, the only people who "want advice from me" don't really want advice... they just want to dump their problems, pretending they want advice, when... really... all they want to do is flaunt their drama and, in the end, do whatever it is they damn well please... going in a never-ending cycle of being treated crappy and never learning their lesson. I'm not falling for that trick anymore. Now, when idiots talk to me about their obvious-to-solve issues, I just tell 'em how jacked they are and stop being so dramatic.

So, yeah, the lesson here for all my friends is... don't come to me for advice unless you really, really, really need it. Which, it's too bad all my friends don't know that this blog exists. Which, it is a good thing 'cause I want to be able to continue to talk shit about them in writing. 'Cause, yes, this makes me feel good. I'll never give my drama-ridden "pals" access to my mind...

Bad Moodin'

Rodney: "Hello, Blog."

Blog: "Hi, Rizod. Where you been?"

Rodney: "Oh, ya know. Stuff."

Blog: "We miss you!"

Rodney: "REALLY?"

Blog: "Nope, not really..."

...

Man, I've been in a bad mood lately. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't been doin anything but work and school as of late. Work's really killin' me. I'm starting to feel like my employer's really gettin the most from what that paycheck they give me every two weeks. In the past four months, I've dealt with the first round of testing internal controls, managing audits of our physical inventory and fixed assets, helping with the close of our fiscal year end, assisting in our annual financial audit, and dealing with the second round of testing internal controls. Yes, it IS as boring as it sounds. But, to me, it's been fun... but tiring as heck.

One thing that makes all this work tough is dealing with distractions. There's one particular person who's always in my office. I feel bad for her because she no longer talks to her old friend here at work. They're completely avoiding each other and giving each other the silent treatment. Honestly, I don't think that rift will ever end. They're both very strong females who I am both "friends" with - but, I must admit, we're not all buddy-buddies. Yet, here I am, having to talk to one of them much more than I have before... all cuz they're no longer talking to each other.

So, yeah, this OPP (one particular person), is ALWAYS in my office. First off, she's far too detail-oriented when she's talking. She doesn't really think of her audience. Ahem, that's me. I might appear to be paying attention to her but, in reality, I'm knitting socks in my mind. Long ol' school tubular socks with yellow-and-green stripes at the top.

Secondly, she talks to me about everything going on in her life. You would think that wouldn't be so bad since she lives a pretty simple life. The problem is... she lives a pretty simple life. I'm having to hear way too long stories (see "First off" above) about simple tasks such as having oil changed or going to a doctor's appointment.

Third, she seems to always have something to prove here at work. She's a bit too anxious to talk up the good points and complain heavily about the bad things. She's extreme about how much she likes or hates things. There's no nice middle ground. This mentality makes her personality ALL over the place. She's quick to complain about someone being way to demanding but, at the same time, she wants her requests completed ASAP. Definitely not the case of "Treat others as thou would want to be treated..." It's a one way street for her and, sadly, I don't think she realizes that.

Lastly, she turns

e v e r y

s i n g l e

s t o r y

i n t o

s o m e t h i n g

a b o u t

H E R !

Why can't she just listen to me? Why? I mean, why can't you just hear my story and ask me about... ya know... me? I like people. I really do. Just lately, I want people to know that I do exist too. That I have problems. That all I want is for you to hear me. Please, Mommy. Daddy!!!!!!!

Whoah. Where'd that come from? Anyway, yeh, she's good with the whole turning-things-around to be about her. Surprises the heck out of me when that happens. I start off talking about stressing out and all of a sudden I'm hearing about her brother who hasn't called her back in three weeks? HOW THE HECK DID WE GET TO THAT TOPIC?

Not a good first blog in awhile but, hey, it's a Saturday night, I'm trying to study, and ef-it. I need a little typing break.

Conan on Leno

Lately, I've been sleeping before midnight - which is much earlier than normal for me. But I thought I'd stick around the living room to see Conan O'Brien appear as a guest on Jay Leno. The first part of their interview just finished - eh. Conan's on another one of his hyper rampages with Jay just being blah as always. Seeing these two together makes me appreciate David Letterman even more.

So great news tonight... the pop culture trivia group that I'm involved with every Thursday won second place tonight! Normally, each night has categories consisting of movies, television, music, and other celebrity type topics. Tonight's entire night was devoted to television. I knew that was our strength but had no idea we'd do so well. We scored 76 out of 90 - just two points behind the night's winner. That's okay. Tonight's finish put us at our highest placement and highest score! For our second place finish, each team member scored a bag of game tokens for Jillians and a bottle opener/key chain. Hey... better than nothing at all!

I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow or, for that matter, next week. It's year-end and I've got to deal with a lot of once-a-year reports and projects. Next week will be very tough with 10-12 hour workdays and total stressing. I hope I don't snap at anyone. That does happen on occasion. Tsk, tsk, tsk to me.

Alright, I should go to bed now. My signif has been asleep since we came home. She's tired after a very very VERY long day at work and pop culture night. This was probably the busiest/most stressful day of the year for her. She did well... but now she's out. Too bad. We didn't have a chance to watch either finales to Celebrity Apprentice or America's Best Dance Crew. I'll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out what happened on those shows. I hope nobody accidentally reveals the results to me. I've now jinxed myself. Doh!

Lazy Luna

Little lazy Luna looked so cute this morning. I couldn't help but take this little snapshot of her.

Pathetic Men's Bathroom

(Note: yes, third blog in a row late monday night... Can't help myself. I'm really geekin over what I can do on my phone.)

This sign was posted on the men's bathroom at work above the standup urinals. Say whut? That's really sad that someone was so disturbed by unflushed urine that they felt a sign was necessary.

I took it upon myself to take the signs down. Don't get me wrong - it was friggin hilarious. But we've had Japanese visitors lately and the last thing we'd ever want is for one of them to get offended by the signs.

But, for real, people gotta flush. This ain't your home. The motto "If it's brown, flush it down... If it's yellow, let it mellow." doesn't apply to the workplace. Flush it down... ALL the time. And wash your hands...

I just looked at the blog I just posted! Heh heh heh... Can't help but laugh at silly Luna. After emptying the cats' bag of Iams cat food into their large food container, I left some pieces in the bag to lure them in. Sure enough, both cats squeezed themselves in the bag for an afternoon snack. My mission was a success. They'll do anything for food. Pigs. That's what they are. And I LOVE 'em!

Mobile Blogging

Technology is way cool! This is my first blog using the blogger mobile tool. I sent an email from my smart phone to go@blogger.com. The site then sent an email to my phone with a code. I went back to blogger mobile, entered the code and some security code. I was able to link to my existing blog and now I can send email blogs which will post. Blogging on the go. Whenever I have any thoughts I want to remember forever. Way too cool. And photos can be sent too. I'll include a nice kitty pic I took last week. Can't wait to see how this turns out.