Random Thoughts While Working

The Body's Shock Absorber

2008-06-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's often been said that the knees are the body's shock absorbers. If that's the case, it seems that one of my shock absorbers is on the fritz. It's always been a little off, but, just like you do with your car, you ignore it or write it off as a quirk and adjust to it.

That works, until something happens to aggravate that "quirk". I don't know what did it, if it was the yard work I did to get ready for the Father's Day BBQ at my house, if it was kneeling on the floor to play with the dog or if it was just a simple misstep, but all of the sudden, man it hurts.

So, now I get to pay a visit to my orthopedic surgeon. Same guy that did my shoulder a few years a go. Back then, he told me at the time that my knee would probably need some work at some point, but that it didn't really need anything at the time. Well, this time, I'm sure it needs something. So I go see my doc next week. I'm sure an MRI will shortly follow.

But here's the dilemma. If the MRI shows something (and I'm guessing it will), and if my experience with my shoulder is any indication, the conversation next week (or post-MRI) will likely end with some options. Option 1 would be to get a cortisone shot in the knee (if you've never had a cortisone shot, it's not exactly a pleasant experience) and do six months of physical therapy and see if that works. Option 2 would be to schedule surgery and just get it over with.

So, what do you do? Get the shot, do the physical therapy and hope you can stave off the surgeon's scalpel for a while or just have them knock you out and fix the damn thing as soon as possible?

That's the thing, I just don't know. On the one hand, I can understand the approach of the cortisone shot and physical therapy. The hope being that you can make the joint strong enough on it's own that you don't need surgery right away. But if the surgery is inevitable, why wouldn't you just do it right away and get it over with?

Of course, this is all assuming that there's nothing terribly wrong with my knee. If something has gone horribly awry, I'm sure surgery is going to be the top option, but I don't really feel like something is horribly wrong, it just hurts. I guess we'll find out next week.

It's the not knowing what's wrong that kills me...

"Old Friend"

2008-04-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was online today, and was fortunate enough to have found a friend of mine online. We chatted for a few minutes, caught up a little bit. Long enough to have enjoyed our conversation, but not as long as I'd have liked. These conversations always make me feel nostalgic. I'm not sure why, but it always makes me think back to my younger days and wonder, just a little bit, where all the time has gone.

I checked my friends blog later. She mentioned me, saying, "I talked to an old friend from high school." "Old friend"... The term could illicit any number of reactions. For me, it was... nice. It made me feel good, maybe even special. When I think of "old friend", I think of a good dog, or that old blanket that you've had for years. You know, the one that's a bit worn, not as thick as it used to be, but still, that's the one you go to when you get a little chilly.

I'm not sure how it was meant, but I'd like to think this was how it was intended. Something familiar that you enjoy. When it comes down to it, it really made my day that I was a big enough part of someone's day, that I was worth mentioning, especially with such an endearing term.

Thanks for making my day.

Graduation

2007-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Last week was the Commencement ceremony for SLCC. As I said in my last post, I received my diploma a while back, but they only do commencement once a year, so I had to wait until May to walk.

I went back and forth for a long time, trying to decide if I really wanted to do it or not. It seemed kinda stupid for me to walk when I'd already received my diploma, but at the same time, it's part of the whole, graduation tradition. So, finally, I decided I'd do it.

I thought it would be a little lame, but I figured at worst, I get a day off of work and that's never a bad thing.

Most of the day went as expected. Show up two hours early, stand in line outside in the 80 degree heat in black polyester robes until they're ready for us (I'd like to find the guy who thought THAT would be a good idea...), and the obligatory speakers. We had the Assistant Labor Secretary speak at commencement. Yeah, a politician. Ironically enough, the politician was the SHORTEST speech of them all. Kinda threw me a bit.

Anyway, after all of that, they had us leave the room so we could come up on stage and have our names read as we came through. Everything was going as planned until I got on stage. The lady read my name and I smiled. It really added a sense of accomplishment to the whole thing. I was surprised. I didn't think it would be that kind of an experience, but I'm certainly glad that I did it.

It's been a while... Time to catch you up.

2007-04-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

You know when you haven't seen someone in a long time, and you finally get to talk to them and you ask, "What's new?" or "What's going on in your life?" and they say, "Not much."? You know it's usually a lie. They've got a bunch of stuff going on, but the never think it's important enough or impressive enough to share.

Well, I'm the guy saying, "Not much". But in reality I've got some stuff going on. First of all, the 10 pursuit of my 2 year degree is finally over. I finished out my classes in Fall of '06, I received my diploma a few weeks ago and I'll be doing the whole commencement thing in a couple of weeks. Huzzah!

On the work front, I've (apparently) impressed the right people and in the next couple of months will be in a new position for the bank as an IT Liaison, basically bridging the gap between the IT Department and the rest of the bank. I'm pretty excited about it. 1) You can't turn down a raise. 2) I'm excited for a new challenge. 3) There is the possibility of more travel for me, which as you all know, I love.

The misses recently got a new job as well, along with a substantial raise which has given us hope that we may actually get out of debt (at least a little bit) and maybe be in a position to purchase our first home in the next year or two.

I've also started playing hockey again. I know, spring is a weird time to start playing hockey again, but hey, just be glad I'm getting some exercise. Believe me, I need it. lol First few times are going to be a bit rough, but hey, it's all worth it, right? Please, tell me it's all worth it... I'm begging you...

Now, other than the above, there really isn't a whole lot going on, unless you want to hear about doing laundry or playing video games. But I'm fairly sure that is pretty trivial stuff that not many care about. lol

And, in parting, let me recommend a great book that I'm reading. "In The Company of Heroes" by Michael Durrant. A great read for those of you who like a good military book. And a great story about his time in captivity in Somalia in 1993. (For those of you who saw or read Black Hawk Down and liked it, this is a GREAT book about that incident from the point of view of one man.)

Three Day Weekend in Phoenix

2007-02-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

So, Phoenix for ten days with a three day weekend in there, just for kicks. Sounds like a good time, eh? Well, I thought so too. Got here on Wednesday, worked on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday then had three days off... Sounded great. Got tickets to Saturday's Phoenix Coyotes game and figured it would be a great weekend.

Saturday morning, well, I started to feel a little ill. No big deal. I've been working 12 hour days for the last three days. Feeling a little run down is to be expected. Went to the Coyotes game, felt ok, nothing too out of the ordinary.

Sunday morning, however, it's a different story. Scratchy throat, stuffed up nose, my back hurts, just don't feel well at all.

I think that maybe it's just that I haven't eaten something decent in a while... That must be it. I get in the car and head out to get some food. Doesn't help. Went to bed early on Sunday, hoping that rest would help me. Not so much.

I've spent the better part of a three day weekend in my hotel room. 80 degrees outside and I feel like crap... Figures.

Hope your weekend is going better than mine.

2006-09-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened. After two years of complete domination of my younger brother on the golf course, he finally beat me. By 4 strokes. Not a large margin, but enough to sting a little.

Now, before I get too far ahead of myself and my younger brother protests that this is, in fact, not the first time he's beaten me, let me say this: he has beaten me before, however, the times he has beaten me were times where I was experimenting with new swings, attemting different styles of shots, etc. In other words, I wasn't trying to win.

Now, I could blame my loss on the fact that he's got custom fit Callaway clubs, or that he glofs 3 or 4 times a week, while I only go once a week if I'm lucky. But, the plain and simple fact is, he beat me. I had a good round of golf, he had a better one.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just always thought it would be later rather than sooner.

Did I mention that my younger brother is 12? :(

One month later...

2006-08-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been about a month since I last posted. Haven't had a whole lot happen, work has kept me too busy for anything major.

I start school again this week. I'm both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I have 2 classes left to get my Associates degree, both of which I'm taking this semester. It will be good to get those classes out of the way and finally (after 10 years) have a degree to show for it. On the other hand, it's been nice to only have to worry about work for the last few months. Doing work and school kinda sucks. So, it's Math 1030 and Media Management and Sales. I'm not really looking forward to either class. Could be interesting. We'll see how it goes on Wednesday and Thursday I guess.

Meanwhile, it's been a month since I stopped drinking soda and replaced it with water. I haven't lost any weight, but I have been feeling better. The headaches stopped after about 2 weeks and 3 near homicides. I did slip up once and have a bottle of Dr. Pepper about week 4, and absence makes the heart grow fonder. That bottle was GOOD. But the more water I drink, the more I find that my body craves it. It's fantastic. Good and good for you. Who knew?

Good to be posting again, even if it's just a short note to let you all know what's up in my world.

Getting Healthy

2006-07-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

So, lately I've noticed that I am no longer at that point in my life where I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want and not have to worry about my weight. Yeah, I know, guys aren't supposed to worry about their weight, but I'm a little concerned. I'm not "fat" per se, but I am getting a little "fluffy". It's getting to the point where people have rubbed my belly for luck.

So I decided to start watching what I eat, what I drink, and I'm trying to exersize at least a little bit. (If anyone else has suggestions, I'm open to them) The big thing that I've done is I've curbed my soda intake. And when I do drink soda, it's usually a Sprite or something without caffene.

There are a couple of downsides to this shift in beverage. 1) I am REALLY tired. I've been drinking copious amounts of caffene since I was 14. I'm convinced that this is the only reason I have been able to accomplish anything... EVER. 2) I'm starting to get the caffene withdrawl headaches. It feels like my brain is trying to get out.

Now, for those of you who know me, you're probably fearing for the lives of thoes around me. You're right to do so. I'm not a really jovial person when I'm tired. I tend to get more sarcastic and cynical when I'm tired. Add a constant headache to that and you can only imagine the results...

I thought getting healthy was supposed to make you feel better.

A wrong turn at Albuquerque?

2006-07-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

My supervisor came to me a couple of weeks ago and let me know that he wants me to go to a training class in Arizona for a new system that we're rolling out here at work. It'll be a great opportunity for me. He says that he'll get me the travel info as soon as he gets it from Corporate Travel.

That Thursday, about a week and a half before we are to leave, I get the e-mail and I start looking at our travel plans. I always look at the hotel and see how nice it is. They always put us up in pretty nice places. This time is no different.

"Boss," I say, "this hotel is pretty nice."

"Yeah, it is," he replies. "How far are we from Scottsdale?"

"Why Scottsdale?" I ask.

"I think the training class is in Scottsdale," he says.

Now I get worried. I'm looking at my travel plans... Fly from SLC to Tucson. Hotel is in Tucson. Fly home from Tucson to SLC. My geography is a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure that Tucson and Scottsdale are not near one another.

"If we're going to Scottsdale, why is our hotel in Tucson?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"They said that's the closest airport and the closest they could get us," bossman replies.

"Isn't Scottsdale right outside of Phoenix? I'm pretty sure they've got an airport in Phoenix," I say.

So, we make some calls and do some checking. Sure enough, our class is in Scottsdale. Corporate Travel can change everything but our flight into Arizona. So now our travel plans look like this:

Fly from SLC to Tucson. Pick up the the rental car and the four of us drive from Tucson to Scottsdale. We stay in Scottsdale and fly home from Phoenix.

You would think, of all the departments in the corporation that Corporate Travel would have a map...

Overdue Reunion

2006-06-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Back in my home town last night and decided to swing by Kat's house to see if she and Becky happened to be home. As I pull up the street, I see Kat's car and what must be Becky's new car.

Cool, they're home. They have no idea I'm coming. *chuckles to self*

I walk up to the door and ring the doorbell. (Man, high school flashbacks.) No one answers. I knock. Still no answer. I turn around and look. Car in the drive way, Kat's car, Becky's car and one other out front. Someone's gotta be here. I ring again, no answer.

I can hear kids laughing nearby, so on the off chance they're out back with Kat's kids, I walk around the side of the house. Sure enough, there they are. Kat, her boyfriend, Becky and Kat's parents. No one has seen me yet. *chuckles to self*

"Kat," I say, just loud enough to be heard. No response.

Kat," a little louder this time. Everyone turns and looks. Kat and Becky come running down the stairs from the back porch, the look on their faces is priceless. That alone was worth the trip.

They invite me in and we eat, we catch up a little bit and after that it feels like old times, just hanging out.

It was amazing. 10 years since we've seen each other. We've all been through different things, all grown up, all changed a little bit. But despite it all, it felt just like old times. And it didn't feel weird at all. Sometimes you see people you haven't seen for a while and you don't quite know what to say or what to talk about. Not with us. It seemed like we slipped backward 10 years, just friends hanging out.

We talked about this and that. New stuff, old stuff, it didn't matter. We talked about our friends that weren't there. (You guys were missed.) It was nice to be back in the company of good frineds and just feel... I guess comfortable is the word. Yeah, comfortable. Like coming home.

Wish the rest of you could have been there with us.

Dream Job... Literally.

2006-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Time to go to work. I go to the bedroom and find the suit laid out on the bed. A nice black suit, light pinstripes, blue shirt, blue tie. Out the door, down the hall and into the garage. I get into the car and drive to work. My parking spot up front is empty.

I wave to the security guard as I walk in the door, down the empty hall to my office. I can hear the rest of the guys across the hall, but I won't see them until work starts. I sit at my desk and go over everything one last time.

A knock on the door tells me it's time. I pick up my clipboard and make my way out of the office. My assistant joins me as we walk in silence down the hall, through the locker room and out to the bench. My guys are already out warming up. My assistant looks at me.

"Ready boss?" he asks.

"Ready," I reply.

The guys finish up and come back to the bench, my starting 5 taking their positions. The puck drops and everything becomes a blur.

We score. They score. Time seems to fly by, but seems to stand still at the same time. My guys take the puck into the attacking zone, blue blurs as they pass the bench. A pass, a shot. Everything is in slow motion. I can see the rotation of the puck, the goalies eyes as they track the incoming projectile, the twine as it bulges when the puck hits it. Then fast forward again. Blue and white blurs back and forth.

Third period. Tied up. 2 minutes to go. I tap the guys I want. Messier, Gretzky, Hull, Leetch and Pronger. Out they go. Messier takes the face off and pulls it back to Leetch in our zone. They set up, just the way I drew it up. They break out of the zone, across center ice. Into the attacking zone. The puck cycles, behind the net, to Messier, back to Pronger, across to Leetch.

Back to slow motion. Hull is open on the right side. Leetch sees it as soon as I start yelling. He lets the pass go. Hull winds up and unleashes a monster toward the net. The goalie reacts, sliding across the crease. Messier and Gretzky crash toward the net, ready for a rebound. I hold my breath. This goal could give me my first win as a head coach.

The alarm sounds.

Damn.

Spending Money

2006-05-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

I need to update the blog. I haven't posted since I got back from Houston. But honestly, I haven't done a whole lot since I got back. It was a great trip. The folks from the bank down there sent us pecan pies as a thank you. The folks I work for sent us a $100 American Express gift card to thank us for our time and effort.

(Off the subject: If you're ever going to get someone a gift card to a specific store, consider the AmEx gift card instead. Seriously. Use it just like a credit card. Once the money is gone, the card is no good and you can use it anywhere. Fantastic idea.)

I took the gift card and combined it with a gift card that I had to Golf Galaxy from Christmas (If it had been an AmEx gift card, I probably would have spent it already.) and bought a new golf bag. It's nice. I broke it in on Memorial Day with a really nice round of golf.

Spending the money was hard though. I know that sounds funny, but it really was. I guess it's the whole balance between "need" and "want". I kept thinking of things to spend my AmEx money on. I didn't want it to go to bills, because I worked hard that week I was in Houston (70 hours when it was all said and done) and I felt like I deserved a bit of cash to reward myself. At the same time, I kept finding reasons not to buy stuff.

I want a new golf bag. "The bag I have is just fine." I want an iPod. "When would I use it?" I could use a new pair of dress shoes. "I want something fun, not something practical."

I guess it comes from being more mature now than I used to be. (Stop laughing, I'm serious!) That balance between "need" and "want" becomes more important. Especially after you get married and start needing to pay real bills. When it comes to "Do I get a new golf bag or pay my electric bill..." there really isn't a decision to be made. But when there's money that doesn't have to go anywhere, that is just "found money", it's harder for me to do things for myself than it used to be. I went back and forth on what to get for weeks. I finally decided to get the golf bag because I could justify it to myslef. Is that sad? Probably.

"Motrin IB for pain."

2006-04-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

"We've got free tickets to the Astros game tonight. 3rd row behind the bullpen," my boss says to me yesterday afternoon. FANTASTIC!

I love baseball. And the only thing better than baseball, is free baseball. This makes two trips in a row I've managed to obtain free admission to Minute Maid Park. I can't wait. This is gonna be great. A good ball game, ballpark food and a bunch of guys that I enjoy being around.

So, we get out of the office after another 12 hour day (third in a row) and head down the street to the ballpark. The seats are not bad at all. Just to the left field side of center, we are right behind the bullpen. Our section doesn't fill up, so we spread out over a couple of rows and a few seats, making things more comfortable for everyone. It's a good thing. 5 hours (or 14 innings) later, the Astros finally score to break a 3-3 tie and win the ballgame.

Now, I loved every second of the game. I want to make that perfectly clear. It was fantastic. However, after about the 8th inning, I feel a headache coming on. "No big deal," I think to myself, "Someone is gonna score, we'll get outta here, head back to the hotel and I'll take some Tylenol PM and sack out."

As you can probably tell from the fact that the game went 14 innings, things didn't go quite the way I had envisioned them.

12:30, we finally get back to the hotel. Gotta be up in 5 1/2 hours. I take a Tylenol PM now, I'm never gonna wake up. I forego the Tylenol and hope the headache will just go away.

6:00. The alarm goes off. I feel like I've been hit over the head with a frying pan. This is gonna be a long day. I'm tired and I've got a headache so bad, I think I'm going to vomit when I turn on the lights. I decide not to. In the dark, I somehow manage to put my clothes on and get into some sembelance of order. Tylenol PM is REALLY not the way to go now... Gotta do something else to get rid of the headache. I vaguely remember a small pantry thing next to the front desk. I decide that's going to be my best course of action.

I open the door and the light in the hallway makes my head explode. Sensory overload. My head is on fire. I make my way to the front desk. They've got Tylenol or Motrin IB. Somewhere in the back of my head, I remember "Motrin IB for pain" from an old TV commercial. That guy better be right or I'll hunt him down and share my headache with him.

"2 packets of Motrin and 2 cans of Red Bull," I say to the lady behind the counter. The sound of my own voice makes me wince. It's like someone put a megaphone to my head and started shouting into it.

The nice woman delivers my order. It's WAY overpriced. I don't care. I'd do damn near anything to make the throbing in my head go away.

I grab a newspaper and sit in the darkest corner of the lobby I can find. Gotta wait for the boss so we can go into work. I open my first Red Bull and use it to chase down my 4 Motrin.

I flip through the sports page. Duke lacrosse... Reggie Bush... I can't even read the articles. The Motrin has to kick in soon.

Finally, the boss comes down. He tosses me his keys and says, "Pull the car around front." No problem. I pull the car out of the garage to the front of the hotel. Finally my headache is starting to subside. By the time we get into work, my breakfast of champions (Red Bull and Motrin... Mmmmmm... Tasty.) has done it's magic.

Now, if I can just stay awake for the rest of the day.

Lots of time... Nothing on the internet...

2006-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm discovering that I've got a little more time on my hands here than I thought I would. Got back to the hotel after 12 hours at work and a nice dinner at the Fox Sports Bar we got back to the hotel. I've got free high-speed internet in the hotel room, so I decide to get online. I'm not tired. Not much on TV. Sports Center is on. So are old re-runs of Mad About You, a favorite of mine. The TV is on in the background, but I'm more focused on the computer. The only problem... There's NOTHING on the internet.

Ok, I know, "nothing" is a pretty bold statement. Honestly there are only a handfull of sites that I am really interested in. A couple of blogs (you guys know who you are), ESPN, Hockey Fights and waiterrant.net. Considering I worked a 12 hour day at my computer, guess how many of these sites I've visited. That's right. All of them. Not a whole lot left for me to look at.

I keep thinking, "What are the sites that I always think I want to go to but never do?" None of them come to mind. The Mad About You re-run is over. I really want to find a convenience store and get a couple of drinks and some snacks. But then again, I really don't want to leave my hotel room... Just one of those nights...

Any suggestions for sites to visit tomorrow night?

Don't drive with drunk people

2006-04-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

First night in Houston this week. We got in at 3:00 and immediately were called in to work. Damn... This was supposed to be a day off.

Go into the office here in Houston. No one is happy. This was supposed to be a light day for them too. 5 or 6 of them got called back into the office to work on an issue. My boss is one of them. We work for a few hours. My co-worker and I who flew in today haven't eaten since about 7 in the morning. We were hoping for dinner.

After the major issue is resolved, we decide that it is finally time for some food. Good, I'm starving. We go to a little sports bar not far from the office. My boss, two of my co-workers, another lady from the office and myself all grab a table and order. As the only non-drinker, I become the designated driver. I don't mind. I'd rather be driving than let someone else drive after a night of drinking. Besides, the rental car has a GPS system to guide me where I need to go... At least, that's what I thought.

After the sports bar, and another sports bar, we head back to the car to head home. The woman from the office takes shotgun... and immediately takes control of the GPS system.

"No big deal," I think. "She'll put in the destination and that will be that."

Not so much. She turns the display toward her and says, "I'll guide you. You don't need the map."

Grand. She's been drinking all night, and now she thinks she's going to guide me home? You're kidding.

"I need the map," I say, hoping she'll see the wisdom in letting the SOBER person in the vehicle see the map so he knows where to go.

Again, not so much...

"What? You don't trust me?"

"NO!" I want to scream. But I restrain myself. While she's distracted by something (and really, who cares what it was?) I turn the display far enough that I can see it, but hopefully not far enough that her inebriated mind won't realize that it moved.

Fortunately, she doesn't notice. She does try to dance (unsuccessfully) in the passenger seat. *shakes head*

After returning to the hotel, we part ways. I think she said something about going to the latin bar down the block. Man, I hope not. She's going to be hating life enough tomorrow morning if she goes to bed now...

Oh well, to each his own. Now to the shower and to bed. Gotta work early tomorrow. More from Houston later.

The Importance of E-Mail

2006-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been one of those days. For anyone who has ever done any type of telephone support for anything, you know the days I'm talking about. Non-stop calls, everyone is an a snit and you and your co-workers are doing everything in your power not to verbally abuse the people on the other end of the call. Add to that the fact that we are converting an entire bank from the software they're used to, to our software. That increases the pressure just a bit.

So, I'm doing alright. I've managed not to put the verbal smack down on my callers, even the lady who thought I said my name was Jasmine. (Although I did have some nice words for her after I hit the end call button...) Other than that, I'm ok. I'm set. I'm composed. Until the stupid people call. You may think calling them stupid is harsh, but hear me out.

Like I said, we're converting an entire bank (Corporate Headquarters, regional headquarters, all the brances, etc.) to new software this weekend. We've been preparing for this since the beginning of the year. Over the last two months, every employee has been given logins to the new systems they'll be using. They were all sent an e-mail telling them to test their logins. Then they were all sent another e-mail, reminding them to test their logins. Finally, they were sent an e-mail saying that, the week before the conversion (this week) the systems would be taken off line and they would not be able to test their logins. If they tried to test their logins, the server would disable their account and they would need to reset their password on Saturday, when the systems come back online. We can't even get into the systems. They're down. NO WORKY!

So, now, a day before everything is supposed to go live, hundreds of people, who have put off testing their logins until the last possible second are now trying to login and they're NOT SUPPOSED TO BE!!! THEY DIDN'T READ THEIR E-MAIL!!!

Now, I understand that large corporations send countless e-mails, most of which can be ignored by most departments, but you would think they'd pay attention to the ones which deal directly with a MAJOR CHANGE to EVERY DEPARTMENT!

It's been all I can do to keep myself from yelling into the phone and saying, "YOU NEED TO READY YOUR DAMN E-MAIL, MORON! IF YOU'D READ YOUR E-MAIL, YOU WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM!"

Why can't people follow instructions?

Like Father Like Son

2006-04-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder when it happens? When you develop your own personality but somehow it ends up being just like your father? (Or mother, as the case may be.)

I've slowly been realizing this fact for the last couple of years. I notice my dad and I laugh the same, we're both fairly quiet guys. We don't say a lot unless people talk directly to us. We both have a very sarcastic, smart ass, sense of humor.

Yet another example of this manifested itself this past Sunday. My wife and I were sitting down and chatting with my mom and dad when my mom decides to try to figure out where I work. I tell her, "We're right next to My Sugar's Donut Shoppe." My mom says, "Ok. What was it you used to stop there for?"

My dad and I make eye contact. I know what he's thinking, because he's thinking the same thing I am. The difference is, I actually said it... "Donuts..."

Honestly, what else do you stop at a donut shop for? Hamburgers? Tires? NO! Donuts!!

My dad and my wife lose it. They're laughing. I look at my mom... She's got that look on her face like, "I know I walked right into that one, but you just HAD to be a smart ass..."

Yes, I did have to be a smart ass. It's in my nature. Then my mom looks at my wife and says, "Like father, like son."

That got me thinking, was I always a smart ass? Did I always respond to those types of questions with those types of answers? I can't remember. If not, when exactly did it happen? I can recall instances of my life that have encouraged the behavior. My dad and my uncles practically showed me how to do it. I have an aunt that every time she opens her mouth, they all look at each other like, "Who's turn is it to knock this one out of the park?"

Just one of those things that I end up thinking about for days. Not because it's important, but just out of sheer curiosity.

A chance encounter on the freeway.

2006-04-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

So, I'm driving out to Stansbury yesterday to play a round of golf with my little brother. As I approached the Lake Point exit, I move over to pass a couple of cars. I look over that the first car and I swear Kat's driving. Since I can't pass the next car in time to get to the exit, I slow down and let the person that I assume is Kat, pass me again. Again I look over. That's gotta be Kat.

So, I pull in behind her and follow her off the exit. As soon as the off ramp splits into two lanes, I immediately move to the other lane and pull along side Kat. That's GOTTA be Kat. I look over and wave. She doesn't see me.

Traffic. Damn. I pull in behind her again, intent on making every effort to try to get her attention before I turn off to Stansbury. I pull along side again. I wave, I honk. She doesn't look over. More traffic. I pull up along side one last time. I pull out in front a little more, hoping she might catch me out of the corner of her eye. I look back and see the name tag hanging from the rear view.

KAT

Yep, I knew it. It HAD to be Kat. I honk and wave again, but to no avail. I would have followed, but my little brother was waiting at the golf course by himself.

Kat, my firend, you are one focused driver.

Stupid Blog - Time for an update

2006-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is the third time I've tried to post today. Let's hope it works this time.

Back from vacation in Vegas! Why does it always seem like you're more tired AFTER vacation than you were before you left? It was a blast though. Gambled way to much (may have to start looking for a meeting), went to Cirque de Soleil, and generally had a great time. Honestly though, there's so much to do in Vegas anymore that you'd need a month to do it all. And that's just the stuff I want to do. Good times though. I may have to plan another trip out there next year...

Was back from vacation for a week, then headed out to Houston for work. (Again, I can't stress enough how NICE it is to travel with a large corporation. Another REALLY nice hotel, meals and rental car all paid for. It's a sweet deal.) First thing the rental car agency asked me kinda threw me though. "Would you like a GPS System in your car?" I'd never been asked that before. I said, "I don't know. Do I?" She asks, "Is this your first time in Houston?" "Yes." "You want the GPS."

It's a damn good thing I took her advice, otherwise I'd still be looking for my hotel. It's like the person who laid out Sandy, with all it's winding roads and stuff, was contracted to lay out an entire metropolitan area... then went on a crack binge. The only thing that kept me comfortable is knowing that the lady in my GPS device would get me to work and to my hotel. And if I missed a direction, she'd correct it.

Now I'm home for a couple of weeks. Man it's nice to come home. I thought our dog was going to have a puppy heart attack when I got home on Friday though. When I walked in the door, she jumped off of the couch and into my arms and about licked my face off. Nothing says, "Welcome Home" like a dog licking your face. Someone once said, "We give dogs the room we can spare, the time we can spare and the love we can spare, and in return dogs give us their all. And it's the best deal that man has ever made." Never more true than when I came home on Friday. I'm glad to be home.

Tired from travel. Good books. Headed back to Vegas

2006-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from my whirlwind training trips. A good time was had by all, but I'm happy to be home. Two cities in two days was fun, but it took it's toll. The first city was fine, I got there, went to work, checked into the hotel and had an evening to kill. It felt like regular work, just with a longer commute. It was the second day that killed me. Get up, check out, go to the airport, fly to where ever, catch a cab to work, do my thing, get a lift back to the airport and fly home. I don't know if it was the two flights in one day or what, but man, after that second day, it felt like I'd been gone for a month. I am glad to be home.

One good thing about my travels is that I had plenty of time to read. I finished two books in two weeks. Felt pretty good. I read One Magical Sunday (But Winning Isn't Everything) by Phil Mickelson and The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.

Phil's book was an easy read, but a good one. It's always interesting to see things from the other side and find out more about a person. Especially a guy like Phil, who is a really cool guy. Kinda fun to get in his head a little bit.

The DaVinci Code was a LOT of fun to read and I would recommend it to anyone. From the first few pages I was hooked. I bought it in the airport in Denver two weeks ago and I finished it on my way back from California just as the pilot was announcing that we were making our final descent into Salt Lake City. Pretty good timing if you ask me.

I came back to find that my wife and her parents are planning a trip to Vegas in March for a horse show. Any excuse to go to Vegas is a good excuse to go to Vegas. Besides, the Mandalay Bay still has $100 of my money and I want it back. :-) Guess it's time to start saving the nickles and dimes again so I have money to play with. That and I'll have more than one evening to lose it all in. Good times.

Corporate Travel, The Way To Go

2006-01-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, look out Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Irvine. Here I come. I get to travel this week and next week to train some of our folks in our affiliate locations. Good times.

This week, it's Phoenix and Denver. And it makes for a pretty busy week for me. Tonight, after I get off work, I'm headed home to go to bed. I'll get up around 7 and head to Logan to watch my friend Ahmet Gueye (http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/Player/player.html?pid=8&aid=13211) and the University of Hawai'i play Utah State. It's a 10:00 start time and it's televised, so it will be a long game. I figure I'll get back to Salt Lake by 3:00 in the morning, at which point I'm going to have Paul drop me at the airport. I fly out at 7:15 Tuesday morning. I get into Phoenix at 9:00, I'll work until about 5:00. Once I get off, I check into my hotel, then travel the 12 miles to Glendale Arena, where I'll watch the Phoenix Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks play hockey. My second NHL game. I'm pretty excited. Then I get back to the hotel, grab a few hours of sleep then it's back to the airport to catch my 6:00 flight to Denver. I train the folks in Denver, then head back to the airport for my flight home. I'm not forseeing a lot of sleep in my immediate future.

Next week will be just as entertaining. I fly out on Tuesday morning for Las Vegas (read: Mecca). I'll train the folks there until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. My flight out of Vegas to California doesn't leave until 9:00 in the morning. Which means I need to be there around 7:00. 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. That's 14 hours. Now, what can I possibly find to do in Vegas for 14 hours? I don't forsee a lot of sleep there either. Then on to California, where I will arive 3 hours before I need to be there and I'll finish up 3 hours before my flight home. (Why couldn't I spend those 6 hours in Vegas too?)

So, in short, the next couple of weeks will be filled with travel, sports, gambling, sports-gambling, and copious amounts of caffiene.

Wish me luck. :-)

Feelin' no pain

2006-01-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

*WARNING - I am on pain medication. This blog post may not be completely coherent.*

My toe hurts. I almost think it hurts more now than it did before I went to the doctor. Yesterday, I had an ingrown toenail removed by my new doctor. Not the best way to ease yourself into a new doctor. "Hi doc, why don't you perform a painful proceedure on me on my second visit?" Certainly not the way I would have liked it to go.

The only good thing is the doc put me on Lortab and I don't feel anything right now. You know, I like Lortab. It doesn't really kill the pain, it just takes it down to a dull ache and makes you not care that it's a dull ache. Work today should be interesting.

1/2 hour before the alarm goes off

2006-01-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sleeping... Soooo comfortable... Soooo warm...

Puppy paws on my head. :-( Open one eye. 6:05 a.m. Alarm supposed to go off in 25 minutes. Tell the dog to go lay down. Foot in my back. Wife says to take the dog out. Take the dog out. Freezing in my bathrobe.

Run back inside. Much warmer. Still want my 25 minutes of sleep. Back into bed. Alarm goes off. I snooze it... several times. Still only remember the first one. Apparently snoozed it one too many times. Late to work this morning. Off to a great start today.

Like it would have killed the dog to wait 25 minutes?

Head... hurts... Gonna be a long day.

2006-01-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

After a nice weekend on the couch watching movies, Monday was not going to bea welcome sight anyway. But waking up with the headache I've been fighting off all weekend just added an extra bit of joy to my Monday morning. (Recognize sarcasm when you read it?)

Watched 5 movies this weekend (you can tell what kind of exciting life I lead). Three of them were actually worth watching. 40 Year Old Virgin, Four Brothers and SAW. SAW was one of those movies like Seven or The Usual Suspects where you get to the end of the movie and say, "No way. What!?" Now I really want to see the second one.

Well, now that everyone has arrived and found out that the partying they did over the weekend made them forget their password, I have work to do...

Man I hope this headache goes away...

Gotta love Fridays

2006-01-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

It's painfully slow at work today. It's killing me. I'm so bored, I took an online Russian test. To my surprise, it says I still speak on an intermediate level. I'll run with that, considering I haven't really spoken any Russian for about 4 years now.

Anyone got any ideas on what to do at work when bored?
Utah State University LIED to me! Called them yesterday to get tickets to the USU/Hawaii basketball game at the end of the month. They told me they still had plenty of seats right behind the Hawaii bench, rows 3-9, which is where I want to sit because a friend of mine plays for Hawaii. Called them today to get the tickets, and NOW they tell me the closest they can get me is row 24. They suck. I'll probably still end up buying the tickets, but man they suck... Bastards.

Damn firewalls and too early....

2006-01-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

You guys figured it out. I was kinda hoping it would take you longer than that. *laughs*
Damn firewall at work prevents me from getting to myspace.com. Weird that it will let me here and not there. :-( Damn firewall.

It's way too early... Need caffiene... Need crack in a can (read: Energy Drink)... Need something or this is going to be one LONG ASS day...

Random Thoughts While Working

2006-01-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Haven't had anything on the blog for a while. May as well start it up again, with it being a new year and all...

Found Becky's blog quite by accident today. Weird. Looks like she's back in town. Had no idea. Guess that's what happens when you can't get on MSN Messenger at work anymore. lol
Found Kat's blog too. Kick ass. Now I have a couple of web sites to visit at work that a) i can actually get to through the firewall and b) actually mean something. I'm tired of going to the same sites and only being there for like 3 minutes before I'm bored. Now I can catch up with my friends and see what's going on with them. And that never gets boring.

Taking a semester off of school, which is kind of frustrating, since I'm only a semester away from my degree. I couldn't get any of the classes I needed because they're all offered during the day and I'm working at night now. Totally blows.

Can't wait to sleep in this weekend. Finally a weekend where I have no obligations and nothing to do. This is FANTASTIC. Only one more day... I can make it that long, right?