...don't get too comfortable...

Announcement

2008-03-07T11:40:00.003-05:00

Let it be known: I successfully made honeymoon reservations AND they were to my fiancee's approval. i.e. I didn't Jack it up somehow...

Namby-Pamby

2007-10-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

Today I was called a pansy. My man-points are dwindling, and by lunch, I'll be singing showtunes. This all according to my colleague, the Mexican Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man, who delights in my discomfort. It'll be a long day.

Office Spaced Out

2007-09-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

Seeing as how I have crap nothing to do, I’ll air out my laundry to you, the reader. Laundry, here, being the operative term for my job, and the absence of activity being the mustiness of which it must be rid.

This, my current and last training rotation, is likely the least productive to date. During my first few days, I attended meetings, read briefs to gain information on this organization, and began a little project. This project was to be a fact finder and explain the benefits of new inventory planning software to my supervisor and his boss. After being met with some resistance from my primary contact, a colleague and I headed to Philly to attend a class on the subject. It was a day out of the office, but the valuable info was sparse. The following day, we created a presentation to convey the purpose, pros, and cons of the system. That was about three weeks ago and I have yet to present it to anyone. My only other ongoing task is to report last night’s baseball scores to my boss. In my surplus of time, I must do something other than sleep.

Wednesday the 19th, was the Employee Appreciation Day for my home office. They rescued me from my current cubicle to partake in the picnic and accompanying festivities. The Directorate Cup, an interdepartmental competition, was composed of a three-legged race, two relays, a x-country skiing race, and a cake eating contest. Our office won for the second straight year.

I have read/ skimmed through many an online article relating to various topics, e.g. the FedEx Cup, the UK, super-string theory, anatomy, new movies, motorcycles (keep dreaming) etc. Other than that, I mainly frequent eBay and also hope for Tuesday to arrive with a new episode of House. This, of course, is of slightly lesser priority than reaching the weekend. I hate to wish my life away. So, I’ll say that I anticipate the weekends yet try to enjoy the days betwixt them.

Something to ponder: Does freedom = power? Is someone who desires to be able to act, dress, speak, and do as they please... 1) thirsting for power or 2) seeking freedom from structure and regulations imposed? Think of this within a completely legal and moral framework.

Additionally, if anyone knows of a non-teaching job that involves creative thinking/ problem solving, let me know. If it includes helping people…bonus points. For now, I’ll return to the review questions for my class.

Wedding out West

2007-08-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

A week ago, I made my first trip to Utah. A friend of mine was getting married in Park City. This was a very non-Mormon wedding, in case you are curious.

Saturday was mostly spent in the air or on the road. I was heading for BWI (Baltimore Washington International) by 330am. We took off around 7, and I hopped around to Vegas, Phoenix, and then to Salt Lake City. That night we had a fairly tame “bachelor party”. It entailed little more than an embarrassing outfit for the groom-to-be and a trip to Main St to visit a couple pubs and bars.

Sunday we jolfed…or tried to. Those of us who could keep under 80 or 90 did, I was not among the elite. Despite my hackery, I enjoyed the beautiful non-humid sunniness of the area. The venue: a fantastic layout of green amongst hill sides of brown brush. The Pete Dye course at Promontory is long. I played from the 2nd longest tees, and it was still probably about 7600 yds. I will admit the ball does travel farther than to what I’m accustomed. Most of the holes were fair and fun. The 299 yd par 3 was a bit daunting due to 260 or so yards being all carry over a canyon of tangled flora. My shot du jour was an uphill decelerating double tap (or hit and carry) flop shot. ..not good for the score, but good for laughs.

Hole 2

Have enough club?

My retirement home?

The early part of Monday, we toured the Olympic Park from the ’02 winter games. The highlights were riding a rolling sled down a twisting chute, and seeing the skiing tricksters practice aerial maneuvers into a bubbling pool at the end of the jumps. Later, we attended a wonderful wedding and reception. (the real reason for the trip)

Summary: Great trip, fun, and memories with a few familiar faces from good ole MethCo.

Not the Usual Excuse... and time out of PA

2007-08-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

Typically, I don’t have anything worth posting. This time, however, I’ve wanted to mention a few things for the past several weeks and just haven’t had the opportunity.

The last two full weeks of July were spent on a command inspection of Fleet Industrial Supply Center Puget Sound, a Naval facility in Bremerton WA. The base itself was nothing to see. The buildings and layout were very drab. The highlights were its well furnished fitness center and the Sam Adams Brewhouse just across the street from the quarters at which we stayed. Despite being the “dry” season, it was cool, rainy, and gloomy for the first week we were there. Eventually this gave way to some pleasant, sunny days in the high 70s. Washington being called “The Evergreen State” is quite apropos. Evergreens and lush flora cover every mountain and hillside in sight. That is, of course, except the snow-capped peak of Mt Rainier jutting enormously into the sky as if it were so much closer than it really is. I toured Seattle and the campus of U Dub. The city is cool, in general. Watching the fish being tossed about at Pike Place Market is a standard attraction. Shops, clubs, bars, and cafés line the main thoroughfares. Before I left, I had some Irish fare at Fado Irish Pub. I find myself quickly becoming a fan of ciders i.e. Magners (Bulmers in Ireland), Woodchuck, and Strongbow. I recommend Magners the most. This makes me very much want to take a trip to Quip’s for wing night. Mmmm…

Following the two weeks in the Northwest, I went on vacation with my family and girlfriend. It was a good time in Ocean City MD. Time was spent playing some golf, getting mildly sunburned, playing cards, and walking the boards.

...continued thoughts

2007-07-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

In retrospect... I should have resisted. Well, at least I wasn't in the office. (Confused? - see end of previous post)

Mental Escape from Office Drudgery

2007-06-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

…with nothing to do, here I sit. Bored. Bored senseless. Bored out of my gourd. Yes…bored.

This week has been anticlimactic. Monday was shortened only by the need to drive to Crystal City that afternoon. Tuesday’s class, that necessitated the aforementioned trip, was a waste of a day. I did refrain, somehow, from becoming overly antsy in the class or from being in an ongoing argument with the presenter. …all of this frustration over a likely soon-to-be-implemented pay system that has the great concept of pay for performance combined with a lack of checks and balances, the deprivation of ways a person can increase his or her salary in a short period of time, an obvious deficit of input from Joe Schmo, and way too much bureaucratic group-think with congratulatory back-patting before program flaws have been investigated - let alone remedied. Wednesday and Thursday somehow passed without much fuss. Today, however, is different. The morning crawled at a snails pace…actually, slower. I enjoyed a break from my corner at lunch and visited Subway. At this point, I still have 2.25 hrs to endure. I have fired up Launch as TV-Links is no longer my working-day friend. Nearly every link I click and option I choose is met by (a) the need to download a media player, (b) an error, or (c) oblivion – in which a window opens but nothing ever loads. TV-links presents another problem. (2 to be exact) If I get enthralled, I am not likely to hear someone coming behind me. I don’t really want to be found watching House reruns or Fight Club (if I could get the friggin’ thing to work!). The alternative, listening to a program, is very much less interesting and is therefore unacceptable. The other problem is that Big Brother is watching. High bandwidth usage is a red flag, and as much as I might complain, I’d rather be employed than not…

This weekend is currently being viewed with much anticipation and optimism. One of the certain highlights is it is three days long. I love taking off of work. Monday will be spent hacking my way through a 36-hole marathon. Even if I average 95 per 18 holes, the day’s rating will soar far above that of office drudgery. Mt Valley beckons me…and I shall not resist.

#6 on the "Maple" nine

The Open @ Oakmont

2007-06-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

Perhaps against my better judgment, I’ll type this while in a stupor of drowsiness. This, being not out of a sense of obligation, but written to both inform the nonexistent masses that frequent my page and to numb my mind to the inescapable sense that the hands of the clock are moving at half-speed while I sit in my cubicle jail cell. Without further blabbering, I present the past week:

This past Tuesday, I turned 24. It was a fairly quiet event. I’ve found that birthdays aren’t the annual holidays of our childhood, once we have moved away from home. When I was young, family and friends constantly reminded me of the occasion, and there were parties and gifts to anticipate. Now, though gifts are still nice, and being with loved ones is still a treat, there is a definite decrease in the hoopla factor. This isn’t really a complaint. I do not care about having a big bash, nor do I mind being older. In fact, I quite enjoy the inverse relationship that my car insurance premiums share with my time on this Earth.

This weekend was fantastic despite a disappointment that was completely out of my hands. On Sunday, I was one of these people.

Thanks to my wonderful girlfriend and some planning with a good friend of mine from my days at MethCo, the “woms” (a term of endearment coined by another friend) and I spent many hours in close proximity to many of golf’s top players: Els, Funk, Singh, Furyk, Mr. Woods (just google him - if you must) etc. Mickelson took the weekend off… that’s ok. (I can see overweight hackers at the local municipal track.) The only other tournament I’ve attended was The Player’s Championship in the spring of 2002. I was able to get much better views there. I’m under the impression that approximately the same number of people attended each. However, Oakmont’s openness and hole configuration do not allow for spectators to be along each side of every fairway and tee. This caused many areas to be off limits and severe congestion in those that weren’t. Worse yet was that after Baddeley handed over the lead on the first hole, Tiger couldn’t hold onto it with par. His 2-over round resulted in a 2nd place finish tied with Jim Furyk, one stroke behind Angel Cabrera. Despite the loss, it was an enjoyable experience.

I also decided that my not-so-coveted Fashion in Golf award goes to Ian Poulter (see above). I’ve liked his sartorial choices for a while but would never wear any of them. Why would I, a hacker, want to have any more people’s attention than is absolutely necessary?

After the festivities, we made the return to Harrisontonburgvillefieldcesteria around midnight. Time well spent.

"Find your fun - faster" ...I found mine.

2007-06-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the rut I’ve created, fallen captive to, and perpetuated, information from two weeks ago can still, very much, be considered news. This news is the purchase of a new automobile. After very much research, some test driving, some crunching of numbers, and a good deal of thought, I decided on the Honda Civic EX. “Why?” you might ask. …to which I respond, “Why not!” My criteria were many and, dare I say, unrealistic. I was looking for new, 4-doors, manual transmission, good acceleration, fuel economy, that runs on 87 octane fuel, and is affordable. Also added to this list were the elements of appeal and reliability. Several cars satisfy some and not all of the requirements. The first four requests would be easily met by the BMW M5 or Mitsubishi Evo. The Kia Rat-trap or Hyundai Shoebox could likely meet some of the standards too, but let’s not be silly.

Among the researched vehicles were the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Dodge Avenger, Chrysler Sebring, Saturn Ion and Aura, and Pontiac G6, to name a few. I realized that I’d need to explore “extra-continental” options. (as if the afore mentioned pop out of US soil like the corn in Iowa) The search continued on to the Mazda 3, SPEED3, and 6; Toyota Camry and Corolla (what do you mean they stopped making the Supra?); Honda Civic and Accord, Subaru Legacy and Impreza, Volkswagon Jetta, Mitsubishi Galant and Lancer, and the Nissan Sentra and Altima. Further eliminations were made to rule out larger, old man-ish cars and those with turbo or super-chargers …as they require high-test petrol. I was now left with the Civic EX or Si, the Mazda 3, and the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V. Despite the Mazda’s good reviews, well equipped, it was more expensive than the others, had mediocre mileage, and has a very unattractive rear-end. I test drove a 2006 Spec-V. The performance was mediocre, styling was worse, and the salesperson was the worst. She even misinformed me as to what octane gas it needed. That’s no way to make a good impression, much less a sale. I left without hesitation. The next several test drives were Civics in either the EX or Si trim. The Si is sweet. It’s sweetness is diminished, however, by about another grand on the price tag and around $400/ year more in gas, thanks to it’s premium requirements and lesser efficiency. The EX has the necessities and some accessories to make it enjoyable. Sure, you won’t see it at the drag strip or being power slid in tripod mode by Jeremy Clarkson, but I have yet to be plowed into while attempting to merge into traffic. Here she be:

...it's tough to complain about averaging 34 mpg...

This past Saturday I played in a little fundraiser-type golf tourney. I haven’t been on a course since January, so I knew it’d be interesting. Our team of hackers wanted to lean on me, but that would have been analogous to leaning on a crutch of cotton. We skank-bladed, snap-hooked, rip-topped, and laughed our way to a one over par. This, I might add, was a mere 14 strokes off the lead. …can’t be perfect all the time.

As an afterthought, I highly recommend any future car buyer to read this article. Confessions of a Car Salesman, though lengthy, provides a great deal of insight and is entertaining to boot.

Unoriginal...but entertaining

2007-05-17T06:26:00.000-05:00

Until I find the topic and the motivation that deserve and can produce a new post, I'll pass on this tid-bit. I am a fan of #12, particularly, but almost all of them are good.

Esquire presents: The Laws of (American) Style

desidiosus equus inefficax

2007-05-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

Translation- loosely, this means "lazy = unproductive". This of course being a statement about me. I'm not being self-centered nor am I being defensive. I am merely pointing out the obvious and thus alluding to the cause for an absence of recent posts.

Most recently, the only thing worth mentioning is a recently attended concert. The venue: The Chameleon Club, the headliner: Anberlin... I'm not sure why this place is called The Chameleon Club. Despite it's drab, brick appearance and its ability to blend in with the surroundings, it failed to change color, and this camouflage failed to fool the few hundred fans that made their way through the entrance at 6pm on Wed. May 2nd.

The opening act was PlayRadioPlay. That's enough. I don't feel the need to grace them with any sort of hyperlink. Fortunately, they weren't on stage too long. Following them was Jonezetta. I thought these guys were pretty good. http://www.purevolume.com/jonezetta I'll let you decide for yourself (yourselves, making the leap that assumes more than one person might read this). The next band was Daphne loves Derby. Not only will I not provide a hyperlink, but I will not look up the name to confirm the spelling of Derby(ie). Their moment of redemption came when they closed with Hey Jude. This of course quickly became a crowd sing-along - swaying to and fro the whole time.

As mentioned earlier, Anberlin was the main attraction. http://www.purevolume.com/anberlin I became a huge fan in a short period of time. I had heard a handful of songs prior to the concert and bought tickets based on that limited sample. *As an aside- How about how Ticketmaster reached deep into my pockets and took me for an extra 50% after surcharges and fees.* Moving on... The performance was great. The music was good, and the band was personable. After leaving the stage and returning for an encore, they pulled out the acoustic guitars and treated everyone to a cover of Radiohead's Creep. It was a great ending to a great experience. Much to my dismay, I neglected to bring my camera. My proof of attendance is a CD, two blurry camera phone pics, and two clips that only verify I was somewhere with a subject in motion and blaring static as the audio accompaniment. Maybe I'll get another chance someday.

The Latest

2007-04-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

So, here i sit. It's Friday, Good Friday, in fact, and I'm at work. This being, of course, attributable to the fact that I am employed by the gov. Presumably, we get Christmas off and not Easter, because Easter is, dare I say, still more religiously affiliated than it is commercially. I'm happy about that; I'd like another day off, but I'm glad it has retained some of it's meaning.

Over the past two weeks, I've seen a few movies and hit a few golf balls, played some tennis and racquetball, and cluttered my apartment. As none of this could be that exciting to a reader, I'll abstain from rehashing any of the aforementioned, movies withstanding. I watched "Reign over Me" in theaters. I wouldn't recommend it. It's 95% lead-up/ plot-building, and 5% inconclusive resolution. The acting, however, is good, and there are comic moments. ...just rent it. Don't bother renting "Children of Men". Not great acting, boring story, and not very entertaining.

Ok. It's about 0940, now. Seeing as how I have nothing to do today at the Inspector General office. (my new temporary assignment) I will try to pass the next 35 minutes until I can start watching CBS coverage of Amen Corner at the Masters @ Sportsline.com. GO TIGER!

Rae's Creek

The missing month

2007-03-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

Okay... I haven't been in foreign lands fighting tyranny or oppression, in the ICU with the plague, working on the world's next great opera, finding the cure to any of the many diseases that ail mankind, nor have I been island hopping in the South Pacific. What have I been? ...unmotivated and lazy. Today, I am home from work, sick. I find this the opportune moment to play catch-up. In an organized fashion, I'll do a 5-week recap.

February 16th marked 6 months with my fantastic girlfriend. This and a weather-related belated Valentine's Day were celebrated by a fine dining experience at Tavern on the Hill. Unless you are from this area, I don't expect you to have much of a clue as to this locale. The food was delicious and the atmosphere pleasant.

On Feb. 24, I saw The Number 23. All in all, I liked it. ...intriguing, thoughtful, dramatic, deemed to be worthwhile entertainment. It wasn't Secret Window, but I found it very interesting.

On Feb. 26, I took the F-bird to Firestone Complete Auto Care for a wiper blade. I left with a new wiper blade and a cracked windshield. To this day, the cause is unknown to me, but the glass has been replaced, and I can see the Harrisburg traffic clearly through a scratch and crack-free pane.

As Spring appeared to be rapidly approaching, plans were made and carried out to go skiing on March 10th. Being my first time in two years, I was grateful to finally get back out there. The snow was a little wet, but at least there wasn't any ice. Spring, however, must have found it still a little brisk outside and retreated for the time being. I am anticipatory of signs of its emergence in two days.

Thursday, March 15th, marked the day that I began awaiting the release of 300 onto DVD. This film proves that knowing the ending ahead of time does not necessarily spoil a movie. This is the film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Some feel that it is actually about 90% historically accurate in its depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae. The gist: King Leonidas and 300 Spartans ally with several hundred other Greeks to oppose Xerxes' Persian army of more than 100,000 troops, including the infamous Immortals. Our elite group of heroes are, of course, destined to fall. However, there must first be character building, plot thickening, gathering of the audiences' allegiance, and much bloodshed, naturally. I loved it and don't really care about all the people who think they are the victims of the director's agenda. ...it's against Bush, or Iran, or gays, or the disabled, or whomever has a complex and a desire for attention. Bull! It's historically inspired art; enjoy it. There must be something appealing here; 300 had the 3rd best grossing weekend ever for an R-rated movie and was #1 at the box office after weekend two.

..for your entertainment

2007-02-12T11:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, sure. I'm a slacker. Read this, have a snicker, and patiently wait for me to post something of substance.

Mike the Headless Chicken

Fare thee well, Cleveland

2007-02-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

As I look back on the past four months, it seems the time has passed quite quickly. I won’t mind not living in a hotel anymore, but I’ll miss some of the people met and friends made. I’m not getting choked up about it; have no fear. I very much anticipate my return home to see my girlfriend, family, friends, and former co-workers. …this list being closely followed by the ability to venture outside into cold weather that is not substantially worsened by blasts of Canadian air that move at Mach 1 over Lake Erie.

Appropriately, as Cleveland is the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, one of my last activities here was to see a show at the House of Blues. I met some friends for dinner and the Matt Wertz show. Not knowing the setup, I entered the main entrance at dinner time only to find myself amidst a crowd of gothic, Cradle of Filth fans. It would be fair to say, that I didn’t contribute to the homogeneity. I asked an employee and found my way to the dining area. Matt ate there as well and mingled around while waiting for service. I can’t say that I was star-struck as I had never seen or heard of him before. It was still a move of magnanimity (or at least friendliness) on his part.

The opening act was the best. Jon McLaughlin, a piano-playing, singer, performed just a couple songs and made way for the Alternate Routes. They were a motley bunch, for sure. Lead singer: an acoustic guitar playing, mid 20’s-ish average Joe; fairly normal seeming with the exception that he admitted to finding out an old flame got engaged via some snooping on Facebook. Rhythm guitar/ keyboard player: think Chris Kattan with longer blonde hair and punk, plastic frame glasses, who sips conspicuously at his glass of red wine. Lead guitar: a Brit-poser who looked like he was a nearly 40 relative of Bob Dylan; talented none-the-less. Bass aka Ginger: Shaun White hair, eyes that nearly touched in the middle, and a sense of style that called for cowboy boots, tight jeans, a black leather jacket, and a scarf… I thought he stumbled into our area from the neighboring death metal concert. Drums: buzz cut, glasses, and an occasional blank cross-eyed gaze. Some of the music sounded fine, but the best part was the fodder provided for commentary. …interesting… Matt Wertz took the stage an hour and a half after the show began. 11 pm is already past my bedtime. He was ok. One particular tune, accompanied by the disco ball, made me feel like I should be a roller rink (with a 12 year-old girlfriend – thanks Jackscolon). Some of us left early as the interest in sleep increased, and the value added by each song waned in comparison.

Additionally, I was at one point credited (or blamed) for perhaps single-handedly bringing back the beard. That being said, it will surely be vacant from my countenance in the foreseeable future.

Weekend in Sports

2007-01-29T07:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's 7 in a row and 55 total

First of all, Tiger won the Buick Invitational. He overtook and/or stayed out of reach of a few "young guns" who had one or fewer tour wins. Everyone talked about the great opportunity it was to be playing or competing closely with Tiger. One commentator's response to this attitude was this: "It's (playing with Tiger) like singing along at a Stones concert. You feel like you're part of it, but no one else notices." Also, until I read about Andrew Buckle's Sunday behavior, I didn't realize that smoking was permitted on tour. Maybe I've just been living under a rock. That or they never televise such things...

Secondly, Roger Federer won the Australian Open. I'm not really a fan of his, but I can certainly appreciate his talent. I like Roddick, more so now that Agassi is gone. Much to my dismay, I forgot to watch the Federer vs. Roddick match after work on Thursday. After learning of the 4-6, 0-6, 2-6 loss suffered by Andy, I figured maybe it was better that I hadn't seen it.

An evening well-spent: V for Outstanding

2007-01-24T09:50:00.000-05:00

V for Vendetta

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you, and you may call me V."
-V’s introduction to Evey

I feel that I can hardly do any justice to this film. However, I’d just like to say that it was amazing. With monologues like the one above, the creativeness and way with words of the writer virtually demand respect and surely spark my envy. V for Vendetta has it all: replete with drama, action, suspense, and hints of romance and comedy. Shakespeare is worked into the dialogue, and the caliber of original writing is, as already mentioned, superb. Thanks to the Wachowski brothers, there are definite hints of the Matrix in the stylized action scenes. These scenes are not the foundation on which the movie is built but rather a complement to the already solid plot. Another Matrix tie-in would be Hugo Weaving. On this occasion, though, he is not the rigid Agent Smith but the vindictive anarchist, V. His face is never seen, but the voice is unmistakable, despite being more emotive than his prior character, Smith. There is even a scene which is reminiscent of sped-up chase sequences from Benny Hill and the Keystone Kops. This is a short-lived glimpse at humor in a movie based upon the uprising of a people against tyranny while being lead by a vigilante donning a Fawkes mask.

I’ll leave you with this poem based on the Gunpowder Plot, a key part of the history involved in film’s story line.

Remember, remember
the 5th of November,
the gunpowder, treason and plot;
I know of no reason
why the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.

DrMLKJr Day, Strip Malls, and my car.

2007-01-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

Let’s take a journey…shall we? This account is a factual review of my holiday weekend. I’ll choose to focus much more so on the holiday than the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday were very typical. Activities included going to the mall, watching TV, attending church, cooking, eating, and sleeping.

Yesterday, as many of you know, was recognized as a holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The gov had the day off. …but not me. That is to say, I wasn’t at work, but it certainly was no vacation. The bird, in all of her glory, needed a water pump. It’s a time consuming repair, but it’s mostly covered under the warranty. I figured my day off would be the ideal time to have this done, thus resulting in the least inconvenience. Ha! There’s a strip mall a mile from the shop. I thought I could kill a few hours there until I was “go for launch”. I was dropped off at a coffee shop at about 8:45 am. There, as I nursed my beverage for the next 30 minutes, I read part of the Cliff’s Notes for All the King’s Men. Not much can be said for the plot, as my brief time committed to the subject was merely enough to be introduced to the main characters and the setting. I replaced the pamphlet taken from the bookshelf and made my way down the side walk. I took note of movie show times and continued forth to Circuit City. However, CC doesn’t open until 10 and it was still a half hour until then. I went to the neighboring grocery store and read magazines until I was assured that I would be granted access to CC. As per usual, I bought nothing. I stuck to meandering and looking at things of interest for about an hour. At this point I revisited the AMC theatre for the 11:20 showing of The Pursuit of Happyness.

It’s the predictable, heart-warming, inspirational, pursue your dreams, rags to riches story that I suspected, but it did burn up nearly 2 hours for less than the price of a rental at Blockbuster. Following that, about an hour was devoted to ambling through TJMaxx, talking on the phone with my girlfriend, and negotiating and setting up future service with Comcast. Why you say?

…duh. My 2:30 lunchtime was spent at Applebee’s where I can now say with conviction, “Don’t order the blackened Tilapia sandwich.” I generally like the seasoning/cooking style associated with “blackened”, but that generalization failed this go-round. (I could make a much better tuna sandwich at home.) I then returned to the CC and further perused everything from my first trip. There are only so many times you want to play the motocross-esque demo on PS3 or the same 4 holes on Tiger Woods 07 for XBOX 360. This amusement fatigue also extends to looking at TVs, radar detectors, notebook computers, CDs, DVDs, and the Bose surround sound station. I then proceeded to Lowe’s for the remaining hour of my day. I am not yet excitable by carpet swatches or bathroom fixtures. Thus, it was quite boring. Exhaustion took over, and I sat down until it was time to get a ride back to the shop. An employee picked me up at 6ish. What a wonderful way to spend 10 hours on a holiday. Aren’t you jealous?

Despite the time I was able to pass by drafting this at work, I'm tired now. Good bye.

The Holiday Report

2007-01-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

What to do in Eastern New Los Santa Harrisontonburgvillefieldcesteria...

Harrisburg… can it be, this is the city which I see?

I spent the past week and a half in and around the not-so-blooming metropoleis of Allentown and Harrisburg PA. It was filled with the usual holiday hecticness that comes from visiting a familiar area for a brief time. There were people to visit, Church services to attend, parties at which to make an appearance, and quality time to spend with those to whom I am closest. Failing to make the to-do list was watching the Strawberry drop at Strawberry Square in downtown H-burg.

A few things of note:

Ice skating isn’t what it used to be. When you are 9 years old and all you want to do is weave between adults doing Mach 1 in an endless oval, the 2 hours allotted for public-skate is barely enough. However, at the feeble age of 23, I find that the activity is more a romantic setting for conversation, a mild challenge, some physical activity, and an opportunity to get cold and thirsty. After an hour of this, you and your date will have a tired right leg (assuming the typical counter-clockwise loop) and the desire to go elsewhere to sit down and warm up. May I suggest skiing or, if you must, snowboarding. Albeit not as economical, the lifts provide some repose for chit chat and more exhilaration exists during the descent. If weather and/ or location decrease the feasibility of said activity, I can’t help you. Or maybe I’m just tired of thinking about it…

Thing of note #2 – I have no idea what it was.

Here’s an impromptu #3 – Rocky MMMCXCVII or something like that was ok. I liked the first 4. The latest, not greatest, had one major problem. I couldn’t look at Rocky as a character. I could not see him as the portrayal of a retired boxer turned restaurateur. I saw the man on the screen as Sylvester Stallone, dressed down and with an accent that is not quite his own. It was mildly interesting with a feel-good conclusion.

Upon my return to Cleveland, I found that I would have an extra day of vacation. The gov was in mourning on the day of its recently deceased 38th President, Gerald Ford. That’s not super exciting, just worthy of rubbing in everyone’s face.

What's so affirmative about it?

2006-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

I realize that I may be painting a metaphorical bull’s-eye on myself by exploring the topic to follow. However, this justifies the name of my blog. For some time now, I have not been thrilled with affirmative action. Granted, if people were always fair and selected new hires or students based strictly on qualifications, there would be no need for this. It’s a shame that we need to establish such practices. I worked for a few months in the Equal Employment Opportunity section of a federal gov’t Human Resources office. While I was there, I learned that career fairs and recruiting must be conducted in a diverse environment or in several locations so as not to give one race more exposure to the opening. I somewhat saw the reasoning. So, I posed this question to my non-white supervisor. “Can a manager recruit strictly from Harvard or just Ivy league schools?” The answer was a somewhat anticipated “no”. The reasoning, of course, was that these schools are predominantly attended by white students. Here is the problem. Harvard has already done the recruiting, from the very diverse entire country, for the manager. High school students across the country know about Harvard. If someone is among the elite, he or she can be accepted. This is without regard to who you are or where you live… e.g. white in Montana, Hispanic in southern Texas or Miami FL, Asian in a Chinatown, or black in center city Philadelphia. If you are the best of the best, the best schools will want you. Of course this policy extends across national borders and oceans, but that isn’t pertinent to the issue. The rules of recruiting are not even the biggest problem. Not only are schools and businesses scrutinized or penalized for not selecting a variety of ethnicities, but quotas devalue those who are hired. I would like to be hired based on my ability to add value to a corporation, not because they need one more person of whatever background occupying a cube. If affirmative action gets you a job, you’ll get paid, but wouldn’t you prefer to have the job because you are superior to the other candidates? Naturally, you would. Such is the story of another good intention gone wrong. This makes me ask myself… “Would I state my race as Hispanic for my own advancement?” I’d like to say not. Ignorance is bliss…

What we have here, is a failure to communicate...

2006-12-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

Leave it to the government to do something with its right hand and somehow keep the left hand in the dark about what is transpiring. Here’s a for instance. Let’s say there is a DoD financial trainee program. In this program, fifty naïve minds are drawn in under false pretenses each year. Bait, including: substantial yearly raises, a cushy job with future security, and holiday and time off benefits which surpass many entry-level positions in the private sector, is used to lure the oblivious into its clutches. Once a person takes the job, he will soon learn that the job can be mundane at times, the interdepartmental shifting can be a hassle, and the notion of leaving town once for two months has now evolved into at least twice for four months. Excuse me; I digress. Regarding the matter of communication failure... Trainees are expected to pick up and go elsewhere in the country for four months at a time. If this is less than a two hour drive, it isn’t a big deal. A weekend trip is certainly not out of the question. However, if a person is going to work across the country, paying a couple hundred dollars to fly back for a few days is tough to justify. It might be worthwhile if the vacation were longer, but there are rules against taking an extended break while on a travel assignment. Sure, the federal employee gets a fair amount of vacation time, but with a traveling schedule, when could he use it? It turns out that trainees can actually have two trips home, per four month rotation, paid for by the government. Isn’t that nice? That trainee’s taxes are coming full circle and allowing him or her to go see family and friends twice, while away. …but wait… “Why? What’s wrong?” you ask. Herein lies the rub. The trainee program was never authorized to pay for trips back in the first place. * insert despondent sigh here. For those who found out about these return trips late, they are now back in Screwedville. …hopes boosted …hopes shattered, and no free rides home. Such is the story of a benefit not advertised, a benefit realized, and a benefit reinstated as nonexistent. O well. There is always per diem to hoard…

Blog kick off and word to the wise

2006-12-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

I needed an outlet to express some creativity. That leads me to pt. 1 of the title. Thanks to Jackscolon's Poetry and Scotch, this site has been brought to my attention as a means to make accessable my ramblings. As of this moment, my blog and my girlfriend share a birthday, albeit more than decades apart. If you know who she is, this is your cue to congratulate her.

Moving on... The word to the wise for this weekend comes at a price. After a very enjoyable couple days with friends from home, the weekend took a bad turn last night. After playing some games and hanging out, my friends and I made our way out on the town to celebrate the aforementioned occasion. First we went to an establishment known as the Boneyard. This place had peanuts everywhere. This is not a big deal if you aren't allergic. However, I am. We made our way next door to the Winking Lizard. This is a clean, fairly well lit, sports bar. After a few drinks there, we found out that they closed at 1am. The birthday girl and I made our way over to the previously visited Boneyard to hang out a little longer. My other friends parted to get food and return to the hotel. The Boneyard had several TVs featuring sports, but I don't know that I'd call it a sports bar. It was much darker and featured louder music. The peanuts were avoided by sitting at the bar rather than at one of the booths. Due to a lack of knowledge in preferences and the desire to broaden her beverage horizons, the bartender was given the request for something fruity. Well, he took it upon himself to stray from the path of the traditional. Rather than a martini, or daquiri, or margarita, or anything that could be found on a menu, he concocted a mix of citron, raz, lemon juice, cranberry juice, lots of sugar, and perhaps one or two other ingredients. This amalgamation forced a 180 on an unsuspecting consumer, who for the better part of the past 24 hours, has been sick, feeling sick, and is only now recovering. Happy Birthday, from your local bartender. I realize that it's not completely his fault, and we shouldn't have given him free reign. It's not like walking into a coffee shop and saying that you want more mocha than java...surprise me. Be aware of what you are doing. Don't trust your best interests to those who are not proven to be worthy.

Hopefully, in the future, I'll have a variety of topics to entertain, educate, and share things of interest.