Trying to sell a house sucks. I don't like it. I'd like to hire a realtor and let him or her do all the work, but it makes no sense to sell a house for less than you paid for it, and then give someone 6% of the selling price. I'm selling something, and I have to pay for it? That's not what I learned in first grade. Here's a story problem for you:
Andy has one house. Sally gives Andy $160,000 for that house. What does Sally have now? What does Andy have now?
Answer: Sally has a house, with a super-low interest rate and a $8,000 check from the government in her pocket. Andy has negative $9,714, because the selling price was equal to what he owed on his mortgage and he had to pay a realtor. Andy can now buy a new house with a super low interest rate, only he has to come up with a 20% down payment that he thought was going to come from the proceeds of the sale of his old house. Andy also gets no money from the government because he is not a first time homebuyer, nor had he lived in his old house for five years. Andy bought a house at the worst time in the history of the country to buy a house, and for that he gets nothing. This is not the American Dream I was told owning a house would be.
I'm not angry. I'm just amazed at just how awesomely bad my luck was. It's a strange feeling having a sign in front of your house. Every time I look out the window and see a car drive by, I wonder if they're judging me. Are they wondering why we're selling? Are they assuming that we're behind on our mortgage? Do they like our choice of paint and/or landscaping?
When someone comes in the house, it's even stranger. They start making comments about how they'd put the TV somewhere else, or how they'd turn Jonah's room into a study. What, is my son's room not good enough for you? You really think the TV would look better over there? You'll be dealing with a lot more glare from the window, buddy!
The best part of showing our house to people is Jonah's reaction. He has to show the people his new Hi Ho Cherry-o game. He wants them to watch him dunk on his basketball hoop. He announces what every room is, and sometimes what goes on in that room. He'll say "Jonah's Room!" or "Kitchen! Eat!" The best was Sunday when he yelled "POOP!" when we showed them the bathroom. Ironic, because he's never pooped in there. He thinks it's cute to sit on his potty chair, make a face like he just ate a lemon, grunt, and then say "done!" Somehow he thinks this little charade warrants a fruit snack. It doesn't.
Anyways, we've shown the house to I think three or four different people now. We only got one call back about it, and that guy tried to get us to go lower than we were willing to go. We counter offered, but then we never heard back from him. If you know anyone looking for a house in the North Albany area, send 'em my way!
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Weight Loss Journal Day 8
Not much happening on the Body Modification Project. Haven't been able to go running at lunch yet this week due to heavy rains and meetings, but I'm hoping to squeeze one in today.
Weight Per Wii: 248 lbs (-1)
The Good: I'd say the good is maintaining my weight without going running.
The Bad: Tried to do a strength workout on the Wii yesterday morning. Basically it was all situps and pushups. After 10 minutes I felt like I'd been in the ring with Kane and the Undertaker.
The Ugly: Absolutely killed the free cookies and Pepsi at our meeting the other day. Destoyed them. You just don't put a can of Pepsi in a bucket of ice in front of me. You put a chocolate chip cookie next to it and you might lose your hand if you don't get out of the way quick enough
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Beach-tastic
So this weekend's beach trip was largely uneventful. Colin brought this video game called Guitar Hero. Basically it's like Dance Dance Revolution for guitar players. You have these mini guitars and you just have to hit the right notes at the right time. Sounds simple, but it is amazingly fun. So we spent most of the weekend watching basketball and embracing our inner rock star. There was a trip to the casino, but no girls with great smelling hair got close enough to us for there to be an issue.
Yesterday morning as I was pulling out of the parking lot, the guy across the lot from me was pulling out at the same time. So, being preoccupied with not backing in to him, I forgot that I had parked next to an F-350 supercab. Thinking I had cleared it (had it been any other vehicle I probably would have) I cranked the wheel to make sure I didn't hit the guy pulling out. I just tagged the very back corner of this truck. Busted the tail light and scuffed the paint a little bit. Hopefully the damage isn't that bad. I left a note on the car and the lady called me last night. She was very nice about the whole thing. I was expecting some very grumpy person.....but she was way cool. Now I just have to hope the body shop is cool about how much they charge.
Rest of this week should be fun....my coworker is on vacation so I'm trying to basically do two jobs. Hope y'all are having a good week....go George Mason
Yesterday morning as I was pulling out of the parking lot, the guy across the lot from me was pulling out at the same time. So, being preoccupied with not backing in to him, I forgot that I had parked next to an F-350 supercab. Thinking I had cleared it (had it been any other vehicle I probably would have) I cranked the wheel to make sure I didn't hit the guy pulling out. I just tagged the very back corner of this truck. Busted the tail light and scuffed the paint a little bit. Hopefully the damage isn't that bad. I left a note on the car and the lady called me last night. She was very nice about the whole thing. I was expecting some very grumpy person.....but she was way cool. Now I just have to hope the body shop is cool about how much they charge.
Rest of this week should be fun....my coworker is on vacation so I'm trying to basically do two jobs. Hope y'all are having a good week....go George Mason
Friday, March 26, 2010
Jealous much?
Everytime I go to the airport, I try to take in as many faces as possible. There's so many different people at airports, you're bound to see someone or something interesting. You know who else goes to airports?
Famous people.
Famous people fly, but unless they are hugely famous, they have to fly on the same planes we do. They go to the same gates and put up with the same dumb delays we do. I always hope to see someone famous at the airport, but never do. Well, that's not true. Once I saw former University of Arizona star and current NBA player Channing Frye at the airport. He doesn't look that tall on TV, but when I just about ran face first into his torso, I realized that the guy is a real life giant.
Of course, the ultimate hope is that you'll end up on the plane with them sitting right next to you. I would assume that most celebrities fly first class, so they can avoid sitting next to someone like me, who would ask them questions like "Have you ever played a character that died, and how did that feel to know that you had just been written off the show?" or "how often do you search twitter for your name?" Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of sitting next to someone famous. Attorney General Janet Reno was on my plane once, but she had a few secret service dudes flanking her. Plus, she doesn't exactly have a face that says "hey, why don't we have a little chat while we snack on these peanuts?" One time I went through security with a bunch of traveling Irish riverdancers. They talked like leprechanus, but sadly, they didn't go through the metal detector like this.
So today, when my friend Sammy sent me a message that said she was sitting on a plane right next to Autumn Reeser, star of my favorite primetime teen soap, The OC, I was instantly super jealous. I could've annoyed the crap out of her with questions about the cast, her role and how she's the only reason I watched season 4, what she's up to now, and how that show started around the same time I began dating my wife, so it holds a very special place in our lives. Autumn will never know how lucky she was that cell phones have to be turned off on planes, because I had about a bazillion questions I wanted to text Sammy to ask her.
I thought that hearing about some other cool thing that happened to someone else today would continue my funk, but it actually brought me out of it. Hearing from Sammy and remembering those nights when I would rush home to the ol' Park West Apartments to catch The OC made me feel so much better. So good in fact, that I was able to go for a run on my lunch break! So here's a very public thanks to Sammy for making my day.
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Weight Loss Journal Day 3
Weight per Wii: 248.5 lbs. (-0.5)
The Good: In addition to putting in another 30 minutes this morning, I also went for a two and a half mile jog at lunch.
The Bad: 2.5 miles was too ambitious. Had to walk about a quarter of a mile in the middle.
The Ugly: Realized when I went to change into my running gear that, in my haste to get ready in the dark this morning, I had put my boxers on backwards, which might explain why I was so uncomfortable all morning. The lesson, as always, is that I'm a huge tool, and that if you asked my wife why she married me, she would most definitely say something like "that's a good question" in order to buy more time to think.
Famous people.
Famous people fly, but unless they are hugely famous, they have to fly on the same planes we do. They go to the same gates and put up with the same dumb delays we do. I always hope to see someone famous at the airport, but never do. Well, that's not true. Once I saw former University of Arizona star and current NBA player Channing Frye at the airport. He doesn't look that tall on TV, but when I just about ran face first into his torso, I realized that the guy is a real life giant.
Of course, the ultimate hope is that you'll end up on the plane with them sitting right next to you. I would assume that most celebrities fly first class, so they can avoid sitting next to someone like me, who would ask them questions like "Have you ever played a character that died, and how did that feel to know that you had just been written off the show?" or "how often do you search twitter for your name?" Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of sitting next to someone famous. Attorney General Janet Reno was on my plane once, but she had a few secret service dudes flanking her. Plus, she doesn't exactly have a face that says "hey, why don't we have a little chat while we snack on these peanuts?" One time I went through security with a bunch of traveling Irish riverdancers. They talked like leprechanus, but sadly, they didn't go through the metal detector like this.
So today, when my friend Sammy sent me a message that said she was sitting on a plane right next to Autumn Reeser, star of my favorite primetime teen soap, The OC, I was instantly super jealous. I could've annoyed the crap out of her with questions about the cast, her role and how she's the only reason I watched season 4, what she's up to now, and how that show started around the same time I began dating my wife, so it holds a very special place in our lives. Autumn will never know how lucky she was that cell phones have to be turned off on planes, because I had about a bazillion questions I wanted to text Sammy to ask her.
I thought that hearing about some other cool thing that happened to someone else today would continue my funk, but it actually brought me out of it. Hearing from Sammy and remembering those nights when I would rush home to the ol' Park West Apartments to catch The OC made me feel so much better. So good in fact, that I was able to go for a run on my lunch break! So here's a very public thanks to Sammy for making my day.
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Weight Loss Journal Day 3
Weight per Wii: 248.5 lbs. (-0.5)
The Good: In addition to putting in another 30 minutes this morning, I also went for a two and a half mile jog at lunch.
The Bad: 2.5 miles was too ambitious. Had to walk about a quarter of a mile in the middle.
The Ugly: Realized when I went to change into my running gear that, in my haste to get ready in the dark this morning, I had put my boxers on backwards, which might explain why I was so uncomfortable all morning. The lesson, as always, is that I'm a huge tool, and that if you asked my wife why she married me, she would most definitely say something like "that's a good question" in order to buy more time to think.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Weight Loss Journal - Day 2
I actually got out of bed this morning and used the ol' Wii Fit Plus. We got off on the wrong foot when my virtual trainer said "good morning Andy, do you know how much you weigh today?" I guess this was some sort of exercise to show that being conscious of your weight can help you control it. Instead it made me feel like wearing baggy clothes to hide my non-drinker's version of a beer gut. We'll call it a "Pepsi Pouch."
It's amazing how even doing some yoga and light jogging in place on the Wii first thing in the morning can improve your energy for the rest of the day. I didn't even need to drink my usual diet soda first thing when I got to work today, instead saving it for lunch like a normal person. It's amazing how much better a lunch tastes when you have a drink to go with it.
Work has been amazingly slow today, which allowed me a chance to load almost all of my blog posts from 2005 into this thingy. Probably would've gone faster if I hadn't read them as I entered them in. After reading them, it's pretty obvious that I was nowhere near as witty as I thought I was. I actually wanted to just delete most of them and pretend like they didn't happen. I wonder if five years from now, I'll be back reading stuff I wrote in 2010 and going "wow, that is super lame." I can't say that preserving this stuff is a complete waste of time though...just going back and reading them triggers the memories. Even if my writing was terrible, the feelings I get looking back on those times are worth it. Remembering what it felt like to graduate from college, get a "real" job, watch The O.C. with the neighbors, etc. is why I salvaged these posts. I even found a hyperlink to the website Rachel and I set up after we got engaged. Remembering how happy we were, and being able to read the guestbook with well wishes from family and friends was a happy surprise. I'm definitely looking forward to getting home and looking at it with Rachel tonight.
Weight Per Wii: 250 lbs (+1)
The Good: Actually got in 30 mins on the Wii Fit, burning 200 calories according to it
The Bad: Still can't bring myself to get a Diet Pepsi out of the vending machine. I have no problem drinking it at home, but if Regular Pepsi is an option, I will almost always take it.
The Ugly: Let a little rain convince me to skip going for a jog at lunch today. My lack of internal motivation is shocking even to me.
It's amazing how even doing some yoga and light jogging in place on the Wii first thing in the morning can improve your energy for the rest of the day. I didn't even need to drink my usual diet soda first thing when I got to work today, instead saving it for lunch like a normal person. It's amazing how much better a lunch tastes when you have a drink to go with it.
Work has been amazingly slow today, which allowed me a chance to load almost all of my blog posts from 2005 into this thingy. Probably would've gone faster if I hadn't read them as I entered them in. After reading them, it's pretty obvious that I was nowhere near as witty as I thought I was. I actually wanted to just delete most of them and pretend like they didn't happen. I wonder if five years from now, I'll be back reading stuff I wrote in 2010 and going "wow, that is super lame." I can't say that preserving this stuff is a complete waste of time though...just going back and reading them triggers the memories. Even if my writing was terrible, the feelings I get looking back on those times are worth it. Remembering what it felt like to graduate from college, get a "real" job, watch The O.C. with the neighbors, etc. is why I salvaged these posts. I even found a hyperlink to the website Rachel and I set up after we got engaged. Remembering how happy we were, and being able to read the guestbook with well wishes from family and friends was a happy surprise. I'm definitely looking forward to getting home and looking at it with Rachel tonight.
Weight Per Wii: 250 lbs (+1)
The Good: Actually got in 30 mins on the Wii Fit, burning 200 calories according to it
The Bad: Still can't bring myself to get a Diet Pepsi out of the vending machine. I have no problem drinking it at home, but if Regular Pepsi is an option, I will almost always take it.
The Ugly: Let a little rain convince me to skip going for a jog at lunch today. My lack of internal motivation is shocking even to me.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Weight Loss Journal....Day One
So here goes my attempt at chronicling the long lumpy road to improving my health. There's no question that step one is going to be losing weight. I mentioned I was going to start this last week - then I went to the beach and sat on the couch and watched basketball all weekend. Kind of derailed my plan. Damn you March Madness!
I'm employing a very obvious two-pronged attack to lose weight: Eat healthier and exercise more. I don't want to bore you the reader (or myself) by writing down everything I eat and every time I work out. I think instead I'm going to just write at the end of every blog my weight, and then a quick "Good, Bad and Ugly" recap of the day's health related news. Here's the first one:
Weight per Wii: 249 lbs.
The Good: Attempted to go for a jog last night
The Bad: About a quarter mile into the jog, Jonah saw an overturned construction cone and freaked out. He feels a civic duty to put these things in their proper place. He demanded to be let out of his stroller to save the neighborhood from a sprained ankle, then refused to get back into the stroller, instead yelling "shoulders" at me until I put him up on my shoulders so he could touch the tree branches. Had to turn around and head back.
The Ugly: Destroyed the remains of a Costco bag of Ruffles bought for the beach trip while watching "The Blind Side." Not a good start.
I'm employing a very obvious two-pronged attack to lose weight: Eat healthier and exercise more. I don't want to bore you the reader (or myself) by writing down everything I eat and every time I work out. I think instead I'm going to just write at the end of every blog my weight, and then a quick "Good, Bad and Ugly" recap of the day's health related news. Here's the first one:
Weight per Wii: 249 lbs.
The Good: Attempted to go for a jog last night
The Bad: About a quarter mile into the jog, Jonah saw an overturned construction cone and freaked out. He feels a civic duty to put these things in their proper place. He demanded to be let out of his stroller to save the neighborhood from a sprained ankle, then refused to get back into the stroller, instead yelling "shoulders" at me until I put him up on my shoulders so he could touch the tree branches. Had to turn around and head back.
The Ugly: Destroyed the remains of a Costco bag of Ruffles bought for the beach trip while watching "The Blind Side." Not a good start.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dancing With the Stars: Where Dreams go to Die
Thanks to the TV show Friends, everyone has a list. The five celebs that you would hypothetically be allowed to cheat on your significant other with were you to have the chance. Everyone has a list, and every one's significant other is OK with said list because there's no freaking way you're meeting the people on your list.
My list is constantly changing. You might consider this a violation of "The List," but remember, once someone is off my list, I can no longer hook-up with them guilt free. Sorry Alyssa Milano, but that's the way it's gotta be. I like to picture a scenario where I come across a car with smoke billowing out from under the hood on Highway 20 in a rain storm. Being the nice guy I am, I pull over to see if I can offer some assistance, despite the fact that everyone has cell phones and I know absolutely nothing about cars. It happens to be Alyssa Milano, who is so thankful she asks me to come back to her room at the Phoenix Inn in Albany (Sorry, it's the nicest hotel I could think of in my wonderful home town.) At this point I have to say "Sorry Alyssa, I two years ago I would have, but you've since been bumped by Annie Wersching," Thus killing both my dream of hooking up with Sam from Who's the Boss and her dream of hooking up with a dude with a blog from Oregon.
At this point, since I know you're wondering, I'll divulge The List, in no particular order.
1. Annie Wersching - Agent Renee Walker of TV's 24. Qualifies under the "at least one redhead on The List at all times" clause.
2. Lila McCann - One hit wonder country singer. She has a lifetime membership to The List. I don't care if she gets both arms amputated and becomes a member of the KKK, she topped the list at a very impressionable age for me, and for that will never be bumped off.
3. Jennifer Love Hewitt - See explanation for Lila McCann. Was taken off The List for violating the "Nobody who's been with John Mayer rule," but let back on after the statute of limitations passed.
4. Brooklyn Decker - This is a strategic ploy. My wife's List includes Andy Roddick. I figure that Rachel has a better chance of hooking up with Andy than I have of hooking up with anyone I could come up with. Therefore, if she hooks up with him, I would assume this would end his marriage to Brooklyn. Unless of course Rachel is on Andy's list. Anyways, I figure at the very least Brooklyn would be angry enough to want to exact some revenge on Rachel, which is where I come in. I think this is a brilliant move on my part. I'm sure my wife finds it ridiculous. BTW, the rest of my wife's List includes David Beckham and the entire English soccer team.
5. Erin Andrews
I've never watched DWTS, but when a member of The List is featured, I have to at least give it a shot right? Plus, there were lots of other celebs I deem interesting on the show like Chad Ochocinco, Buzz Aldrin, Pamela Anderson, and Kate Gosselin.
Terrible mistake.
One of the great things about The List is that I know almost nothing about these people other than what they look like and the people they play in movies, music videos, television shows, etc. Because of this, I get to make stuff up and say things like "I bet Jennifer Love Hewitt gets excited when there's good food samples at Costco just like me!" or "Annie Wersching was in the celebrity softball game at the MLB All Star game last year, she loves sports!" In reality, JLove probably thinks Costco is "for poor people" and Annie Wersching doesn't know the difference between a fungo and a fungus.
So when E.A. goes on a reality show, I get to know a little more about her. And what I got to know, I didn't really like. It's not that she was annoying, or dumb, or anything like that. I just didn't see our personalities meshing in a way that would lead to a fictional marriage.
I will now wait for the call from my brother where he says "Hey numbnuts, you're not marrying the girls on The List, you're having sex with them." It's my list, I'll interpret it however I want OK? Back off Grant!
So thank you, DWTS, for chipping away at a dream of mine. What was once a rock solid spot on The List is now a slippery slope for Ms. Andrews. I debated not watching anymore to preserve the idyllic persona I've created for her. I thought about this for a good 12 hours. However, in order to preserve the integrity of The List, I feel obligated to support a Listee until she does something to deserve removal. Therefore, DWTS has earned a "season record" on my DVR for the time being.
P.S. I love lists. Lists about anything are fantastic and make for great debate. We do not judge here at the Snacks Blog, though you are welcome to judge mine. I'd love to hear any of your lists or debate the merits of my own with anyone.
My list is constantly changing. You might consider this a violation of "The List," but remember, once someone is off my list, I can no longer hook-up with them guilt free. Sorry Alyssa Milano, but that's the way it's gotta be. I like to picture a scenario where I come across a car with smoke billowing out from under the hood on Highway 20 in a rain storm. Being the nice guy I am, I pull over to see if I can offer some assistance, despite the fact that everyone has cell phones and I know absolutely nothing about cars. It happens to be Alyssa Milano, who is so thankful she asks me to come back to her room at the Phoenix Inn in Albany (Sorry, it's the nicest hotel I could think of in my wonderful home town.) At this point I have to say "Sorry Alyssa, I two years ago I would have, but you've since been bumped by Annie Wersching," Thus killing both my dream of hooking up with Sam from Who's the Boss and her dream of hooking up with a dude with a blog from Oregon.
At this point, since I know you're wondering, I'll divulge The List, in no particular order.
1. Annie Wersching - Agent Renee Walker of TV's 24. Qualifies under the "at least one redhead on The List at all times" clause.
2. Lila McCann - One hit wonder country singer. She has a lifetime membership to The List. I don't care if she gets both arms amputated and becomes a member of the KKK, she topped the list at a very impressionable age for me, and for that will never be bumped off.
3. Jennifer Love Hewitt - See explanation for Lila McCann. Was taken off The List for violating the "Nobody who's been with John Mayer rule," but let back on after the statute of limitations passed.
4. Brooklyn Decker - This is a strategic ploy. My wife's List includes Andy Roddick. I figure that Rachel has a better chance of hooking up with Andy than I have of hooking up with anyone I could come up with. Therefore, if she hooks up with him, I would assume this would end his marriage to Brooklyn. Unless of course Rachel is on Andy's list. Anyways, I figure at the very least Brooklyn would be angry enough to want to exact some revenge on Rachel, which is where I come in. I think this is a brilliant move on my part. I'm sure my wife finds it ridiculous. BTW, the rest of my wife's List includes David Beckham and the entire English soccer team.
5. Erin Andrews
I've never watched DWTS, but when a member of The List is featured, I have to at least give it a shot right? Plus, there were lots of other celebs I deem interesting on the show like Chad Ochocinco, Buzz Aldrin, Pamela Anderson, and Kate Gosselin.
Terrible mistake.
One of the great things about The List is that I know almost nothing about these people other than what they look like and the people they play in movies, music videos, television shows, etc. Because of this, I get to make stuff up and say things like "I bet Jennifer Love Hewitt gets excited when there's good food samples at Costco just like me!" or "Annie Wersching was in the celebrity softball game at the MLB All Star game last year, she loves sports!" In reality, JLove probably thinks Costco is "for poor people" and Annie Wersching doesn't know the difference between a fungo and a fungus.
So when E.A. goes on a reality show, I get to know a little more about her. And what I got to know, I didn't really like. It's not that she was annoying, or dumb, or anything like that. I just didn't see our personalities meshing in a way that would lead to a fictional marriage.
I will now wait for the call from my brother where he says "Hey numbnuts, you're not marrying the girls on The List, you're having sex with them." It's my list, I'll interpret it however I want OK? Back off Grant!
So thank you, DWTS, for chipping away at a dream of mine. What was once a rock solid spot on The List is now a slippery slope for Ms. Andrews. I debated not watching anymore to preserve the idyllic persona I've created for her. I thought about this for a good 12 hours. However, in order to preserve the integrity of The List, I feel obligated to support a Listee until she does something to deserve removal. Therefore, DWTS has earned a "season record" on my DVR for the time being.
P.S. I love lists. Lists about anything are fantastic and make for great debate. We do not judge here at the Snacks Blog, though you are welcome to judge mine. I'd love to hear any of your lists or debate the merits of my own with anyone.
Monday, March 22, 2010
When good beach trips go bad
Hope everyone out there had a great St. Patty's Day. I spent it in the way a non-Irish, non-drinking person should.....watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Until you've seen a young Sean Connery sing, you really haven't lived. All I know is that I've wanted to go to Ireland since the first time I saw this movie as a little kid, and my opinion hasn't changed two and a half decades later.
This weekend brought a trip to the beach with my brothers and their significant others, plus a special guest appearance by Garth and his lovely wife and daughter. A good time was had by all and included such activities as crabbing, NCAA Tourney viewing, gambling at the casino, jogging, watching New Moon, and of course, kite flying.
This was my first kite flying experience in a good 20 years so it was bound to be a disaster, but every dad has to fly kites with his son at the beach, right? Well, we went and bought the best Buzz Lightyear kite $2 can buy and hit the beach for some hardcore kiting. (Editor's Note: I wasn't sure "kiting" was a word, so I used dictionary.com to find out. Turns out it means writing a check on insufficient funds. I should've used "kite-flying," but I like "kiting" better.) Problem was that there were pre-hurricane force winds going on so the kite spent more time being slammed into the ground than flying. Being the experienced kiter that I am, I (wrongly) assumed that I just needed to run with the kite to get it above the ground level winds and up into the jet stream. So, using Jonah's favorite phrase, I yelled "watch this!" and took off running into the wind, our cheap Buzz Lightyear kite trailing behind me looking like it may be ripped to shreds at any moment. While I'm watching the kite to see if it is gaining altitude. It isn't. In fact, it's losing altitude. A split second later, so was I. You see, I should've been watching the ground, because the ocean has a funny habit of depositing bus stop bench sized logs of driftwood in the way of kiters such as myself. I hit this thing hard enough that my hands were not quick enough to break my fall, so my face did the honors. I ate sand like a true idiot, and now I'm lying in the fetal position on the beach with a mouthful of sand, a bleeding leg and a freakin' Buzz Lightyear flopping around me like a fish out of water. My wife is crying she's laughing so hard and Jonah just keeps saying "Daddy fell down!" A truly proud moment in parenting for me.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Top o' the morning to you
This morning, as I drove west on Highway 34 from I-5 towards Corvallis (the longest 10 mile stretch of road in the nation, narrowly edging out the drive into the Denver Airport), I was treated to a spectacular view. The sun was just starting to peek up over the peaks of the Cascades in my rear view mirror (Read that sentence again...I'm proud of it). I realized as I watched the sun start its ascent that I'd never actually taken the time to watch this daily miracle. Well, maybe I've sat and watched it once. Perhaps it's because in my younger days I was never up early enough. Maybe, just maybe, I've always been too self absorbed to fully grasp all this world has to offer. I was actually surprised at how fast the sun emerged. Probably took no more than a minute or two to show its full-figured roundliness. Then, as quickly and spectacularly as it appeared, the sun began to disappear behind the cloud cover that seemed to be hovering just a few feet above the mountains. So I got to watch the sun appear and disappear in my rear view mirror in a matter of minutes. I'll chalk this up as a good way to start the day.
In other news, I'm going to start using this blog as a sort of weight loss journal. Last year, I was training for Hood to Coast, and the fear of collapsing somewhere in the middle of nowhere coupled with the fact that my competitive nature wouldn't allow me to be the only family member to sit it out kept me motivated. I lost roughly 15-20 lbs and felt great. However, with nothing to push me, I've gained back almost all of it. I fear I'm going to be featured in the next Subway commercial if I don't watch it. Hopefully, talking openly and honestly about my love of terrible foods and my love-hate relationship with exercise will keep me working towards a goal of a healthy weight. However, the Wii can suck it if they think I'm getting down to 166.
Finally, a shout out to Garth Appanaitis for suggesting that I have Jonah fill out a bracket. This involved me printing out pictures of every team's logo or mascot and asking him questions like "Smokey Dog or the Aztec?" I thought for sure Bucky Badger would dominate his bracket, seeing how his likeness is plastered all over our home and clothing. Bucky did make the Final Four, but he was ousted by Jonah's eventual champion, the Purdue Choo-Choo Trains. Never underestimate a toddler's love for choo choo trains.
In other news, I'm going to start using this blog as a sort of weight loss journal. Last year, I was training for Hood to Coast, and the fear of collapsing somewhere in the middle of nowhere coupled with the fact that my competitive nature wouldn't allow me to be the only family member to sit it out kept me motivated. I lost roughly 15-20 lbs and felt great. However, with nothing to push me, I've gained back almost all of it. I fear I'm going to be featured in the next Subway commercial if I don't watch it. Hopefully, talking openly and honestly about my love of terrible foods and my love-hate relationship with exercise will keep me working towards a goal of a healthy weight. However, the Wii can suck it if they think I'm getting down to 166.
Finally, a shout out to Garth Appanaitis for suggesting that I have Jonah fill out a bracket. This involved me printing out pictures of every team's logo or mascot and asking him questions like "Smokey Dog or the Aztec?" I thought for sure Bucky Badger would dominate his bracket, seeing how his likeness is plastered all over our home and clothing. Bucky did make the Final Four, but he was ousted by Jonah's eventual champion, the Purdue Choo-Choo Trains. Never underestimate a toddler's love for choo choo trains.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Dress code?
I'm fundamentally against dress codes. We have countless laws against discrimination in this country. Most places of business make it a point to promote diversity. Why then, do they make everyone dress in a similar fashion. If you're an NFL football player or a UPS driver, it makes sense. You need to look alike so that you aren't accidentally tackled by a teammate on a kickoff or scare single women when you knock on their apartment door.
Side note, why don't we hear more stories about women being assaulted by people posing as UPS delivery people? Everyone loves getting mail, so I know that if a guy in brown shorts and a matching shirt showed up on my door, I'd let him in. I probably just freaked out every female reader of this blog, and for that I apologize.
Getting back on track, there's no reason that someone wearing jeans can't be every bit as effective as someone wearing khakis. Someone in a hoodie can work a ten-key on par with the average polo wearer. I would actually argue that I work better when I'm comfortable. I get that you shouldn't show up for work wearing grease stained sweatpants and a shirt that says "I smile because the voices in my head tell me to." Also, anything borderline offensive has got to go. I would actually argue that I work better when I'm comfortable.
Putting myself to this test, if I met two doctors and one was wearing a lab coat and that funny plastic eye patch thingy while the other was sporting a UCLA sweatshirt and jeans, would I choose to see the one in the lab coat based on looks alone? Because he "looks" like a doctor? If he's younger than me, the answer is 100% no. I'm not ready to have someone younger than me tell me I need to eat less sodium.
I'm sure there's some sort of study that says "people wearing slacks are 22% more efficient than people wearing jeans." If that's the case, why do any places institute Casual Fridays? Is this like a bone companies throw their employees? If statistics back up the dress code, why would any employer say "you know what, why don't you be 22% less effective today. You've earned it! Why not shorten my day by 22% and make me wear a tie? I'll go home at 3 every Friday.
In the future, as our society continues to do less and less interaction in person, perhaps dress codes will be relaxed. There will cease to be a reason to "look professional" when nobody's looking. As the youth of America takes the reigns of the country, don't be surprised if more and more companies allow you to wear jeans, bring your pets to work, and offer free iTunes downloads while you work.
After writing that last paragraph I can honestly say I'm equal parts excited and terrified for the next 50 years of our lives as Americans.
Side note, why don't we hear more stories about women being assaulted by people posing as UPS delivery people? Everyone loves getting mail, so I know that if a guy in brown shorts and a matching shirt showed up on my door, I'd let him in. I probably just freaked out every female reader of this blog, and for that I apologize.
Getting back on track, there's no reason that someone wearing jeans can't be every bit as effective as someone wearing khakis. Someone in a hoodie can work a ten-key on par with the average polo wearer. I would actually argue that I work better when I'm comfortable. I get that you shouldn't show up for work wearing grease stained sweatpants and a shirt that says "I smile because the voices in my head tell me to." Also, anything borderline offensive has got to go. I would actually argue that I work better when I'm comfortable.
Putting myself to this test, if I met two doctors and one was wearing a lab coat and that funny plastic eye patch thingy while the other was sporting a UCLA sweatshirt and jeans, would I choose to see the one in the lab coat based on looks alone? Because he "looks" like a doctor? If he's younger than me, the answer is 100% no. I'm not ready to have someone younger than me tell me I need to eat less sodium.
I'm sure there's some sort of study that says "people wearing slacks are 22% more efficient than people wearing jeans." If that's the case, why do any places institute Casual Fridays? Is this like a bone companies throw their employees? If statistics back up the dress code, why would any employer say "you know what, why don't you be 22% less effective today. You've earned it! Why not shorten my day by 22% and make me wear a tie? I'll go home at 3 every Friday.
In the future, as our society continues to do less and less interaction in person, perhaps dress codes will be relaxed. There will cease to be a reason to "look professional" when nobody's looking. As the youth of America takes the reigns of the country, don't be surprised if more and more companies allow you to wear jeans, bring your pets to work, and offer free iTunes downloads while you work.
After writing that last paragraph I can honestly say I'm equal parts excited and terrified for the next 50 years of our lives as Americans.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
When you come to a fork in the road, take it
I feel that I've reached a serious crossroads. I had the opportunity to apply for another position within the OSU Foundation.
On one hand, I appreciate the things my current position here allows me to do. For one, I can write this blog. Also, my stress level is so low that even Verne Troyer looks down on it. I've got to the point where I really don't even need to think to do my job. I can run through a stack of data entry while silently singing along to whatever my Pandora station is playing. I never even really have to look at the screen because I know exactly how many times I have to hit the tab to get to the field I need. Not exactly brain surgery.
On the other hand, there's never really any challenge to the day. Nothing interesting. The highlight of yesterday's work experience for me was seeing that someone made a donation using a personal check emblazoned with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s picture. This was a joint checking account of a married couple, which makes me wonder if the wife signed off on the purchase of these checks, or if she told her husband to order checks and didn't even think that he'd go the NASCAR route. If that's the case, she needs to take Rachel's class on husband monitoring. After nearly four years of marriage, I'm still not allowed to grocery shop unsupervised because "I haven't learned to do it right." In this instance "right" is a subjective term. The list said "brownie mix," and that's what I got. It didn't say "brownie mix not to exceed $2.00 in price." Also, "salad" did not have the disclaimer "under no circumstances is this to contain iceberg lettuce." I'm getting there, and hopefully by our silver anniversary Rachel will feel comfortable enough to shoulder some of the household burdens with me.
I'm getting off track here.
Anyways, I'm wondering if it's worth it to give up my job that requires so little of me for a job that may or may not actually involve me applying the skills that were bestowed upon me when a rugby player and former cheerleader got together and conceived The Snacks. Furthermore, with an move to Wisconsin in our future (at some point, it's going to happen), is it worth it to change jobs with the chance of things falling into place and us moving within a few months out there?
I think the answer is yes, if for no other reason than it's a 20% increase in salary for me. Also, while I'm 100% sure the new position would require more of my time, energy, mental acuity, etc., this isn't exactly like going from playing for Athey Creek Middle School to starting for the Knicks. It's a step up for sure, but nothing I can't handle.
So keep your fingers crossed! I applied for the job and had my interview on Monday.
Also, I'm going to go through the daunting task of consolidating all previous forms of my blog into this one, so I will be retroactively posting blogs of mine from the past 8 years or so. Having never attempted anything like this before, I don't know how it will all end up looking, but hopefully it will all flow chronologically with accurate dates when I'm done. I realize that this is 100 times more exciting for me than it is for any of you, but I'm hoping when I'm done to have something that Jonah and any future siblings of his will be able to look at one day and say "holy crap my dad was a dork, but he sure could write!"
On one hand, I appreciate the things my current position here allows me to do. For one, I can write this blog. Also, my stress level is so low that even Verne Troyer looks down on it. I've got to the point where I really don't even need to think to do my job. I can run through a stack of data entry while silently singing along to whatever my Pandora station is playing. I never even really have to look at the screen because I know exactly how many times I have to hit the tab to get to the field I need. Not exactly brain surgery.
On the other hand, there's never really any challenge to the day. Nothing interesting. The highlight of yesterday's work experience for me was seeing that someone made a donation using a personal check emblazoned with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s picture. This was a joint checking account of a married couple, which makes me wonder if the wife signed off on the purchase of these checks, or if she told her husband to order checks and didn't even think that he'd go the NASCAR route. If that's the case, she needs to take Rachel's class on husband monitoring. After nearly four years of marriage, I'm still not allowed to grocery shop unsupervised because "I haven't learned to do it right." In this instance "right" is a subjective term. The list said "brownie mix," and that's what I got. It didn't say "brownie mix not to exceed $2.00 in price." Also, "salad" did not have the disclaimer "under no circumstances is this to contain iceberg lettuce." I'm getting there, and hopefully by our silver anniversary Rachel will feel comfortable enough to shoulder some of the household burdens with me.
I'm getting off track here.
Anyways, I'm wondering if it's worth it to give up my job that requires so little of me for a job that may or may not actually involve me applying the skills that were bestowed upon me when a rugby player and former cheerleader got together and conceived The Snacks. Furthermore, with an move to Wisconsin in our future (at some point, it's going to happen), is it worth it to change jobs with the chance of things falling into place and us moving within a few months out there?
I think the answer is yes, if for no other reason than it's a 20% increase in salary for me. Also, while I'm 100% sure the new position would require more of my time, energy, mental acuity, etc., this isn't exactly like going from playing for Athey Creek Middle School to starting for the Knicks. It's a step up for sure, but nothing I can't handle.
So keep your fingers crossed! I applied for the job and had my interview on Monday.
Also, I'm going to go through the daunting task of consolidating all previous forms of my blog into this one, so I will be retroactively posting blogs of mine from the past 8 years or so. Having never attempted anything like this before, I don't know how it will all end up looking, but hopefully it will all flow chronologically with accurate dates when I'm done. I realize that this is 100 times more exciting for me than it is for any of you, but I'm hoping when I'm done to have something that Jonah and any future siblings of his will be able to look at one day and say "holy crap my dad was a dork, but he sure could write!"
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