Pensées

What not to name your child...

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:16:04 GMT

Article

I think one of the more telling things is that Wal-Mart had no issue with the cake. That just adds to my list against them.

Various Stuff

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:30:21 GMT

It's COLD! I left Baltimore to get away from this kind of stuff! We're expecting snow and lows in the teens here tomorrow and for the next week at least. This is a "once every 50 years" type of event for Seattle.   Ick!

I put up the Christmas tree on Sunday.  I took it down yesterday afternoon.   The cats have grown up and most of their bad kitten behaviour has gone away, but the tempation of the sparkly tree with many dangly things to destroy was too much. We caught Macci 3/4 of the way up the tree several times and Steve didn't sleep at all Sunday night because he was 'guarding' the tree.   They were bad with the tree last year but they were still small kittens. A 10 lb cat climbing the tree is never a good thing.

Sigh, well, I guess we're Jewish until the cats die. Shalom.

My mother's present is coming along. I am scanning about 4 albums worth of old pictures (some going back to 1915) into digital format and then pre-loading a digital frame with them.   I will then send her the frame so she can just turn it on.   She had most of the albums, so getting this done involved a Mission Impossible-worthy scheme involving getting her out of the house with one friend and having another one raid the place and ship the albums 3000 miles to me.   I'm a bit behind on the scanning (tedium, tedium), but I think I should make the weekend deadline. If I use 2-day shipping I should be OK.

The big present for me and Steve arrives this week . We're getting a piano! Not an acoustic one. They're way too difficult to move. It's a digital one that has the weighted keys and stuff so that it's simliar to a standard piano. It also has the harpsichord voice which is a source of huge excitement for me as I love Bach and have always wanted to play his stuff on a harpsichord.

Work is driving me insane.. but that's nothing new. I took a 5 day weekend for Xmas.   Let's hope I actually get through that time unmolested by pseudo emergencies...

The sign controversy

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:42:48 GMT

That this is such a controvery disturbs me deeply.

Despite the Democratic wins this year, I still feel that our country is headed towards the type of religious zealotry that is usually found in the middle-east, the very region we claim to be 'fixing'.

/sigh

P.S. Please write and/or call the State House and let them know that they should keep this sign up. Even if you don't agree with it, its mere presence is a gleaming symbol of the freedom of expression that our country is barely holding onto with the shakiest of grips...

ugh

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27:25 GMT

Phelps named top sportsman by Sports Illustrated

Ugh.. Does no one remember that this is the kid arrested for drunk driving a few years back?

I guess this is just galling to me even more because he grew up in the same crap town I did.

Why do we venerate sports figures, anyway? All "heroes" are flawed, but they seem especially so. Athletic ability usually has a negative impact on your personality and morals and not the other way around.

meme

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:45:59 GMT

Ganked from steebles

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's, father's middle names)
NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad )
STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name)
DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color, fav animal)
SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live)
SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav alcoholic drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet's name, current street name)
PORN NAME (Old pet's name, Street you grew up on)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Mazie Daniel
NASCAR NAME: Tracy Leo
STAR WARS NAME: KiJame
DETECTIVE NAME: Purple Cat
SOAP OPERA NAME: Daniel Seattle
SUPERHERO NAME: The Blue Cosmo
FLY NAME: Jang
GANGSTA NAME: Vanilla Snickerdoodle
ROCK STAR NAME: Macci Prospect (I really live on 5th Ave. N., but that makes no sense, so this is the cross-street)
PORN NAME: Benji Earhart

Blood Drive

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:56:52 GMT

I had no idea that blood donation centers still discrimiated against healthy gay men.

We got an e-mail at work asking for interest levels in donating to the Puget Sound Blood Center and after looking them up, they still tell you not to donate if you've had sex with another man since 1977.

The same restriction doesn't apply to heteros who are now the leading carriers of HIV in the world.

I pretty much figured the Red Cross would still be like that. I've never liked them, but I thought a local place would be a bit more progressive.

Oh, well.. here's one gay boy with perfectly good (and rare) blood that won't be donating...

Few random things...

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:45:15 GMT

They've shifted our department again, so I now have 5 guys reporting to me, up from 3. Of course, no more cash for this, just the extra headaches. At least it looks good on the résumé.

Our company Holiday party this year has a James Bond theme, so to get everyone 'in the mood', I was given free tickets to go see Quantum of Solace and take my team out for an afternoon at the movies. This was kind of cool, even though there HAD to be 25 emergencies that couldn't wait while it was going on. I wish I could get left alone for one afternoon without having to leave the country or flush my Blackberry.

The movie was OK. I liked Casino Royale better, though.

Going to a friend/co-worker's for Thanksgiving. I know. I still abhor the holiday, but I think Steve misses the food, so I agreed to go. I'm making my own food and bringing it.. .heh

My plans for my mother's Xmas present are well under way. I've been scanning old photographs for a week and plan on putting them, along with the already-digital ones pre-loaded into a digital frame and sending it to her. The one wrinkle in this is that she has a good # of the paper photos 3000 miles away. I'm working with her neighbour to try to get them 'stolen' from her place and shipped to me for scanning, but it's not going smoothly so far. We'll see ;)

duh

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:58:52 GMT

Steve Jobs is mocking me...

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:26:06 GMT

Why is it that no matter what song I choose to start a "Genius" session on my new Ipod, somehow "Mmmbop" comes up in the list.

I think Steve Jobs is mocking me for actually having that thing on my IPod...

things that make you go hmmm...

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:57:57 GMT

Dear James King,

Thank you for filling our online Skilled Worker Assessment form.

After reviewing the submitted information, I am pleased to inform you that
you are eligible to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada under the
Skilled Worker category.

You score the following assessment points:
- Age: 10
- Education: 20
- Work Experience: 21
- Language: 24
- Arranged Employment: 0
- Adaptability: 0
Total: 75 points while the passing mark is 67 points.

The assessment is based on the selection criteria as per the Immigration and
Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), Part 6, Division 1 ("Skilled
Workers").

I am confident of your qualifications and would be pleased to represent you
before the Canadian government should you wish to retain my services. The
assessment result is backed up by my money-back guarantee. In other words,
if you and your family members, if applicable, do not receive immigrant
visas, as per the Retainer I will refund in full all professional fees.

blah blah blah....

hmmmm

...small step towards a big move...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:56:34 GMT

Last evening, I submitted my information for a free evaluation from a company that helps secure Canadian citizenship...

This is just an inquiry, but the results were intersting.

To apply as a skilled worker, you have to score at least 65 points on various topics such as education, languages, job experience, etc.

I scored 80.

See? That French Major in college might just come in handy :)

Too bad the message didn't get further...

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:30:57 GMT

"I call upon Californians who supported Proposition 8 to make an honest and dedicated effort to learn more about the lives and experiences of lesbian and gay humanity whose constitutional rights are unfairly targeted by this measure. Look carefully at scriptural interpretations, and remember that the Bible was once used to justify slavery, among other forms of oppression. It is important that we understand that we are a state that lives with freedom of religion - and freedom from religious oppression. In my view, and in that of many Episcopalians, Proposition 8 is a lamentable expression of fear-based discrimination that attempts to deny the constitutional rights of some Californians on the basis of sexual orientation. It is only a matter of time before its narrow constraints are ultimately nullified by the courts and our citizens' own increasing knowledge about the diversity of God's creation. Too often the road to justice is made deeply painful by setbacks such as Proposition 8, which nearly half of California voters rejected. But as our new President-elect has said, "...let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other." J.

- Jon Bruno Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles

California

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:53:37 GMT

Why?

You were our greatest hope.

I know it's 'still too close to call'.. but .. well..

I know. Obama won. That IS good news and maybe America will become a different country under his leadership and after 8 years, maybe we'll think differently and my rights won't be snactched away from me so readily.

I'm not full of too much hope, though and honestly I'm TIRED of waiting. I want to live to see the day that I am afforded the same rights and privledges and responsiblities that the other 90% of the country enjoy.

Right now, I'm not sure that I will live to see that day...

I know we've come very far. I was 2 months old when the Stonewall Riots happened. I've seen the positive changes coming slowly, but there's always that last little bit that's dangled just out of my grasp...

What next? Wait until I'm 50 years old? Move to Canada? I don't know... I turn 40 next year. I still have a good bit of life ahead of me if I'm lucky, but honestly I'm tired of waiting and worrying.

Through tear filled eyes, I type...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:18:55 GMT

As I type this, i'm crying and McCain is about to concede...

Thank you, America. You've given me something I haven't felt for many, many years.. a glimmer of hope. Yes, the hard work is ahead, but I feel that the much better person is poised to be at the helm.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for my brothers and sisters in California. I feel that their choice will be an even better indication of how far we've come as a society...

Apropos of nothing...

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:53:42 GMT

I need a new Ipod. The one I'm using was purchased in 2003. The battery life off the charger can now be calculated in minutes.

5 years is a good run..

Now... suggestions?

Birthday Greetings...

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:32:36 GMT

Happy Birthday Harry and Amber!

Diet Time

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:34:35 GMT

So, I need to lose about 3 stone of weight I've put on as a result of quitting smoking and my body's contiued sprial towards 40.. I feel horrid..

Any suggestions?

To say i was a picky eater would be the understatement of the century... I have about 4-5 things I will eat, none of which are good for me.

/sigh

Spread the Word

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:37:03 GMT

Presidential Election Announcement:

Due to an anticipated voter turnout much larger than originally expected, the polling facilities may not be able to handle the load all at once,

Therefore, Democrats are requested to vote on November 4, 2008.

Republicans and Independents will vote on November 5, 2008.

Please pass this message along and help us to make sure that nobody gets left out and everything will run smoothly with this minor change.

Be sure to vote!! Know where your voting place is near you!

Love this campaign.. such a waste!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:08:14 GMT

1 Year!

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:30:43 GMT

Today marks 1 year since I've had a cigarette.

Have I been tempted on occasion? Yah.

Have I given in to that temptation? NO! I never thought I could say that. I'm pretty weak when it comes to this stuff.

/pats self on back.

blech

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:23:36 GMT

Bunch of lay-offs at work today.

I'm quite safe for the moment, but damn.. /sigh

Cruise

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:54:56 GMT

Was fabulous!

How it does suck to be back... oy!

More later...

T-1 Cruise Day!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:09:55 GMT

Tomorrow our cruise leaves!

I know what I'm going to pack, just haven't actually done it yet.. {slight panic}

Work-related threads that I wanted to tie up before I left are unraveling as I speak. {twitch}

Big windstorm headed straight for Vancouver Island! {shuddder - stomach churn}

The dark cloud that has been following me for the last 3 months is showing no signs of letting up.

Cross stuff for me, won'thcha? I need this vacation or I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.

A Joke

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:32:01 GMT

A nun is having a bath and there comes a knock on the door.

The nun asks, "Who is it?"

The person at the door replies, "It's the blind man, may I come in?"

The nun thinks about it for a moment and says, "Sure, no problem."

The man walks in, looks at her and says "Hey, nice tits! Where do you want me to hang the blinds?"

LiveJournal neglect and what's really happening

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:34:24 GMT

I know I've been neglecting LiveJournal updates for the most part.

I doubt anyone reads my journal or really even cares, but if you're really interested, find me on Facebook. I've found that my hectic life these days is more suited to the quick 'Status' update of Facebook.

However, I have a few moments and I'm going to update this for the record.

1. Kidney Stone - I managed to pass it on my own! I took a new pill to help that and this is the first time I was actually able to naturally pass a stone. That saved the pain and huge expense of surgery. I'm very thrilled about that.

2. My trip back to Baltimore - This was unremarkable, other than the fact that it happened to cooincide with about 10,000 work-related 'emergencies' and a huge sudden ramp up of my main project. This meant that I spent a good bit of my vacation working.. ugh. They did end up refunding about 20 hours of my PTO, though.

It also looks like I'll be going to DC for work later this month, so I might slip in an evening with my mother out of it, which would be nice and would help make up for that :)

3. Work - as you can see from above, I'm near the breaking point on stress at work. I'm trying to manage it better and delegate a bit more. That's my one weaknees as a manager. I don't want to burden others with huge tasks... i've got this incredible work ethic, but it's going to give me a stress-related meltdown if I don't mitigate it soon...

4. Cruise -- which leads to my next vacation. We're leaving on a cruise next week. I'm hoping that this is the get-away that I really need. It's a short cruise that goes from Seattle ---> Nanaimo --> Victoria --> Seattle, but it should be fun. It's kind of a test to see if Steve and I enjoy cruising. If we do, I think we're going to try to take a longer Alaska cruise next summer. I am telling work that I am NOT available in any way, shape or fashion during this time and I will be leaving my Crackberry at home.

5. Economic meltdown -- Life here in Seattle isn't cheap as it is so this could be trouble down the road. I do feel at least semi-secure in my job. I think that I probably won't get laid off unless the company as a whole goes down and I don't see any obvious signs of that at the moment. I don't know if Steve's position is as secure, so we're trying to put off any short term large purchases and looking at ways we can trim down our lives, as I expect a lot of folks are doing. Which, in the long run, might be a good thing anyway...

Otherwise, things are as normal.. If someone is actually reading all this boring drivel, I hope things are going well in your world :)