Amused Confused

Easter weekend in Arkansas

2011-04-26T08:35:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Nicole and I decided to take one last road trip before the baby comes. Having exhausted most options within a 5 hour drive from Lawrence, we decided to try Eureka Springs. Crazy little town in Arkansas with no straight roads or level ground. Also it rained as much as, if not more, than the entire time we were in Ireland for our honeymoon. It dumped and poured and on and on. So we spent alot of time in the shops.... and if you know me, that's not my top activity. But we were at the local Indian buffet/hamburger joint (yes in one restaurant) and a group by the name of Big Bad Gina started playing music.

Some things of note about BBG and the crowd at the BBG show:

1. They had a roadie.
2. They played in Tulsa the night before. They mentioned this many times.
3. They classified their genre of music as "Sexy."
4. The number of people watching = no greater than 15
5. The number of women with hair as short as mine in that crowd of 15 = greater than 7.
6. This is a picture of BBG:

6a. I just found out that when you Google Image search Big Bad Gina you also get alot of pictures of big women wrestling little men. I don't know exactly what's going on there, but I'm sure that most of the women in the audience of the BBG show would be into it (and some of the band members).
7. We left after about 5 songs. I wasn't a lesbian or wearing a woman's Ed Hardy shirt so I'm pretty sure I was going to get kicked out in a few minutes anyway.
ARKANSAS!

Don't call it a comeback

2011-04-25T17:21:00.007-05:00

Okay, so after an almost 2 1/2 year absense, let's get this thing going again.

Updates since December 2008:

1. I got an internship

2. I got married

3. I graduated

4. I got a full time job

5. We bought a house

5. Nicole and I will be having a baby in 2 months.

6. I've become very skilled at putting together pre-fab furniture.

7. At least once a week I will do something to the house that I've never done before, but have looked up how-to videos on the internet. Home ownership is kind of a crap shoot sometimes.

Some other stuff happened along the way, which I maybe should have documented in blog form (blorm, florg??), but didn't find the time. Also the other various social medias have kept me busy, but nothing is quite the same as Amused Confused.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Ferris Bueller.

So right now we are in the final stages of getting things ready for the baby. Right now her room is in the process of being painted. If you want to see what color, come on over and bring a brush and/or roller. You may not like the color, but just keep that to yourself. Its too late to make any changes at this point.

We are slowly driving the 80s out of our new house, one brass fixture at a time.

Deb: Here's a taste of what you missed at Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T09:27:00.004-06:00

Which do you like best?

2008-11-17T21:56:00.008-06:00

Which (if any) would you hang on your wall? I'm just trying to decide which one to frame.

Spring Break '09

2008-11-08T10:04:00.002-06:00

I'll be heading to France. Clermont-Ferrand to be exact. Cool, right?

Its through the School of Business so I will be taking a class while I'm there, but its still France. One regret I had about my undergrad days was never studying abroad so I made a point to make it happen this time around. (Thank god for the school's study abroad scholarships...)

Inspiring? Sad?

2008-11-06T09:50:00.002-06:00

A little bit of both. I ran across this several months ago.

Matt Logelin

Which way? Segway.

2008-11-05T21:01:00.001-06:00

Sited on campus, 11/4/08. Segway with a seat.

The colors are set

2008-10-19T17:08:00.002-05:00

In case anyone was dying to know....

Ashton Grant has arrived

2008-09-24T21:58:00.003-05:00

Already sporting the beads that his cousin made for him (I assume anyway...Deb is this right?)

For those who don't know... My nephew Ashton arrived Tuesday morning. Check out pauletishen.blogspot.com for another pic. (My mom went down to Houston to see him and had Paul with her still from her Alaskan vacation).

Esquire

2008-09-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

All of that studying paid off (shown here on the DC Metro.....studying.....on the 4th of July....). She passed the bar!

PASSED

THE

BAR

Congrats.

I now expect champagne and caviar for every meal.

I'm not buying what they are selling

2008-09-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Zach for finding this. The sad part is that so many Americans will fall for it....again.

The week off begins

2008-08-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

I don't really have anything exciting to report. It is nice having the week of, that's for sure. I bet I'm doing better that these people:

This is the view from my window Saturday afternoon. For some reasons unknown to me, this woman dumped all of this stuff in the parking lot in the pouring rain. She tried to talk to him, but he just kept his head down while picking everything up. She apparently gave up, backed out of the parking spot, then sped down the alley while running over some of the possessions. Entertaining stuff.

PSA

2008-08-06T20:38:00.004-05:00

This is how Nicole's family handles babies.....What have I done?

Yes, let's encourage that behavior

2008-07-31T14:27:00.002-05:00

This is pretty cool when you first read it...but you wonder why these guys aren't working on stuff like....oh...I don't know...cancer research. At least we have our priorities straight.

In case everyone forgot

2008-07-17T21:31:00.002-05:00

KU won the NCAA National Championship this year.

Here's a reminder of the Miracle Man:

Packer sent packing

2008-07-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

Finally...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3485871&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

At least Clark Kellogg makes it seem like he watches college basketball for more than 2 months out of the year. The same could not be said for Billy Packer. He was always concerned with comparing the current game/situation with something that happened 25 years ago. Every year he always talked about Keith Smart winning the title for Indiana, Danny Manning (good to hear as a KU fan, but c'mon...) and/or Jimmy V. Its like he ignored the last 15 years of college basketball.

Washington DC pictures

2008-07-12T13:27:00.006-05:00

The night tour

On the metro on July 4th.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (warm!), Natural History Museum, madness around the Hope Diamond.

Deb vogueing (sp?) on the National Mall, the girls sharing a soda, Nicole studying for the bar on the Metro, and the best damn looking guy in the world.

Well, I had a good run (Nicole hates this title)

2008-07-08T22:18:00.002-05:00

Not Washington DC pics, but so much more exciting. Guess who got engaged?

(Hint: Me)

So do I need to dumb it down?

2008-07-07T15:34:00.003-05:00

Virginia/DC was enjoyable. Funny how going there makes KC (and Lawrence) seem so small.

Being back at my desk today has been a pretty big drag. Only 1 month and 1 day until I'm done, though.

Pics coming from the D.C. trip sometime tonight...

Okay baseball nerds

2008-06-26T09:09:00.003-05:00

And for those who like odd stuff:

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/

Go on the left and you can look at the details of all players of all teams in major league baseball. For example: Troy Glaus has a perk in his contract that give him a
1. suite on road
2.$0.25M annually for personal business expenses (wife's equestrian training)

HAHA. A $250,000 horse-riding trainer. I paid ZERO and know how to ride a horse.

Arod? He gets a $30M marketing agreement based on home run milestones ($6M each for reaching 660, 714, 755 and tying and breaking major league HR record)

Not bad, not bad at all.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japanese pitcher for the Red Stockings)
perks: physical therapist, massage therapist, interpreter, 8 first-class round-trip airline tickets per year between Boston & Japan, spring training housing allowance of up to $25,000, Boston housing allowance of up to $75,000, one-time moving allowance of up to $35,000, use of Lincoln Town Car or similar car, Red Sox player ticket package, including 2 field box seats, team employee to assist Japanese media, uniform No. 18

I'm at work right now so I can't delve fully into all of the details. Let me know what other oddities you find.

I change my mind

2008-06-17T13:44:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago a few of us had a discussion on what's the worse sport to watch between softball and soccer. I said I would rather watch softball, mainly because the soccer game that we had tried to watch was like watching a one-armed blind man trying to drive a stick shift.

HOWEVER...

After watching/watching the gamecast of the past few games, I have had a change of heart. International tournaments are solid entertainment. Don't believe me? Watch the last 20 minutes of the Turkey - Czech Republic game. It was some wild stuff.

Push the doors of science

2008-06-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

This is why they shouldn't allow the people at the homeless shelter in Lawrence to use the internet unsupervised.

http://lawrence.craigslist.org/wan/722593461.html

Wanted: questionable doctors with cloning equipment

Looking to clone myself, possibly twice if we can make them the same age as me. In return, one clone for slave labor (Pays off in overtime fees anyway), and more then likely miles of protesters. Let's push the doors of science forward together.

(And no, I did not post this.)

Two months

2008-06-09T14:47:00.004-05:00

I think my last day of work will be August 9th, meaning today is exactly two months away from what should be a happy day.

I found out that I will be received a little scholarship from KU. Not bad, not bad.

Some people's blogs are being updated less and less. I blame the price of gas. Or maybe they are just busy. Or lazy. But probably busy. And lazy.

That's all.

Too easy

2008-05-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

I bet his phone is ringing off the hook.

http://lawrence.craigslist.org/wan/695944729.html

St. Louis pics

2008-05-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

Nicole's Graduation and more

2008-05-20T11:32:00.011-05:00

Pics from Saturday (Nicole giving a tour of the Law School and cookout at Clinton Lake. Absolutely great weather all weekend.

/sarcasm on\ This makes me so proud to be a Kansan. /sarcasm off\

The Phelps clan was in full force (left side of the pic, neon signs). I took this faraway so they would not get some sort of satisfaction knowing that I took their picture. They are really turning into a modern day circus freak show.

Nicole down the hill.

In other news, I bought a new bike. A Trek 3700. More importantly its a 22.5" frame. In other words, in actually fits me. Plus I have already benefited from buying it from Sunflower Bike. This morning I noticed my seat was flexing in the middle and hitting a screw below the seat so I stopped by the store. The guy switched out seats with a newer one that was less flexible, no questions asked. Hopefully the new one will hold up to my massive bulk...

Stock photo:
I have listed my old bike on craigslist and already have had 2 responses. It will be nice if I can sell the old one....my apartment can only handle so many bikes.

But what if we don't want him in 2 years?

2008-05-01T11:35:00.002-05:00

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/may/01/2010_prospect_woolridge_commits_ku/

Alot can happen in two years. Is there an obligation that the school has when a kid signs a letter of intent? Do they have to guarantee him anything?

New Layout

2008-05-01T08:34:00.001-05:00

What do you think?

Can anyone guess when/where this picture was taken?

Aunt Nicole

2008-04-27T17:49:00.002-05:00

Nicole with Logan Michael

Road Trip dream

2008-04-24T09:05:00.003-05:00

Had this last night. Very vivid

Chase and I are driving from Lawrence to Kansas City in his Lumina. We are in the place where K-10 usually is, but the road was alot hillier and more curvy. Something happens to the car and the next thing I know, we are on bikes on gravel roads. At one point they are very springy and we can just hop over fences with no problem. We come to a house that we are unable to get around for some reason (it wasn't that big....who knows). We take a road that looks like it is covered in snow, but is just bright white. It must have been a limestone or talc road. We take this road until we get to a barn.

--Now things get weird (and interesting).

We have to go through the barn to get to where we're going. In the barn are dozens of horse carcasses everywhere. I mean everywhere...on the ground, leaning against the walls, up in the loft, hanging off the loft. It was a horse carcass fiesta. I don't really see Chase but I know that I was talking to him and we are trying to figure out how to get through this barn and on to our destination. Then a horse carcass charges at us. ZOMBIE HORSE!! We yell and scare it away.

--About to peak the weirdness

After the close encounter, we spot a calf up in the loft. We notice that the floor of the loft where it is laying is unstable and it caves in. The calf is on the floor of the barn and looks pretty dead. Then BOOM, it wakes up, starts running around us and yells DON'T F*#$ING TOUCH ME!!DON'T F#$^ING TOUCH ME!!

Then I woke up.

Welcome to my mind. Admission is free but, the damage to yours might be long-term.

Party pooper

2008-04-21T16:11:00.005-05:00

Lawrence is always pretty friendly. Don't get me wrong, people aren't doffing caps at every stranger, but conversations happen in public and they are usually friendly. For the weeks since the national championship, this has been at an all-time high. Downtown has an extra bit of energy; not sure how to explain it, but its there. With the weather turning warm again and more people heading outside and are in noticeably good moods.

I watched a bit of the Lawrence Half Marathon on Sunday morning and the friendliness seemed to spill over there, too. The spectators would clap and encourage the racers and some (alot actually) even said thank you back at the crowds....no need folks, you're in the middle of running 13 miles. At one point, a John Deere Gator drove along with two fire-medics who were there in case a racer would need assistance. Pat and I cheered them on, "you can do it, push!" They got a kick out of it, people around us chuckled when one of them responded, "yeah I'm started to work up a sweat."

So hopefully I'm painted the picture: This town basking in good vibes. Got it?

Well, not the whole town. The owner of Milton's is not feeling the love. Don't go there, ask for a table for 8, have 6 people there and expect to be seated. Your entire group has to be there. Our group even got to the table (for breakfast after the H-marathon) and when he saw that we weren't all there, he told us that he had told us "3 times that everyone needed to be here in order to be seated." He asked where the other 2 people were. We told him that they (1 H-marathon volunteer and 1 5k runner) were a block away and he said he didn't care. He had no problem making making us feel like dirt. None of us had a problem with making a scene. Alot of "we're-not-dealing-with-this-lets-just-go-someplace-else" talk was going around. We immediately walked out, straight to Wheatfields. My omelette was delicious there and we were treated like paying customers instead of no-good bums.

I actually liked Milton's before this. Too bad none of us will ever go there again. If we do, we're getting a table for 30 (I don't think that is even possible in that little place) and just drinking water for an hour.

Hot New Releases

2008-04-18T20:07:00.001-05:00

Did I miss something? When you think "recently released," do you think Mrs. Doubtfire and You've Got Mail?? (Chase also pointed out that You've Got Mail is definitely NOT a comedy.

Oh waitress, what kind of pie do you have?

2008-04-18T17:36:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2007:

Pics from Championship Night

2008-04-15T18:34:00.002-05:00

A treat for all

2008-04-14T17:50:00.006-05:00

From the archive, December 2006.....

Keep in mind that we grew up on the farm (i.e. no cable) and are masters at entertaining ourselves.

She wasn't even trying to be funny. that was just her technique

Then she tried a more difficult maneuver and Rebecca had to show her what's what.

2 Randoms

2008-03-20T11:58:00.002-05:00

1. What is it about being tired that makes someone talk in a deeper, "I sound like I'm sicker than a dog" voice?

2. People who laugh after every sentence can be annoying once you realize that they are laughing after EVERY sentence. It seems like its a defense mechanism for people who get uncomfortable or uneasy when they are talking. Maybe the giggle at the end is a way to protect themself since they are not sure if they will be laughed at by others so they laugh at themselves first? Lost yet? hehe, me too? hehe?

Grad School Update

2008-03-11T16:41:00.003-05:00

Who loves peanut butter cookies with milk and will be starting in the KU MBA program this August?

This guy:

The interview was nothing at all like I expected it. The guy immediately began talking about what classes I should be enrolling in, internship possibilities, and study abroad. I thought it would be more like a job interview, but it was more of him selling the program to me. I won't have to take a bunch of the classes that I already took as an undergrad like the intro marketing class.

At the end he finally said, "Well I can't think of anything else, other than I will see you in August at orientation."

WHAT UP

Just imagine

2008-03-11T13:08:00.002-05:00

I'm sure Municipal stadium was demolished with good reason in 1976 and was no longer needed after the Truman Sports Complex was completed. It had probaly turned into a huge dump. But just think if they had used that money to refurbish Municipal....

It was the typical old-style ballpark , with quirky dimensions and many crazy stories from goats trimming the grass just past the right field wall to the speedy construction of the upper deck, it would be one of those ballparks that people would go to just experience its history. Of course the neighborhood (22nd and Brooklyn) is not the greatest now, but who's to say what it would have been like if baseball was happening there during the summer. Its close to Prospect Ave., the most notorious part of KC, but what if...what if...

I like Kauffman Stadium, but I can not help but wonder how neat it would be to have a truly historic place reminiscent of Fenway or Wrigley.

Grad school update

2008-03-06T15:33:00.001-06:00

I have an interview with KU on March 11th at 4 pm.

Guidelines to court design

2008-03-06T12:15:00.007-06:00

I watched the Baylor - Texas A&M game last night and it got me thinking...what does a basketball court need and what should it never have on it? I know this has already been tackled by an espn columnist, but his conclusion that less is more was horrible.

1. Do not use the outline of a basketball for any of your jump circles. This looks childish. Of course Baylor isn't alone in this...

Yuck..and this is where Jordan had to play. Center Court is disgusting. And how many Bulls' heads do they need on the floor? 5??!!?? Why stop there? Why not just line the entire playing area with them.

2. Definitely paint the lane. But dear God, only use ONE COLOR!

Looks like Halloween threw up (must have been out on the town with Coach Sutton...)

3. ONLY paint the lane (out of bounds is fine too), not this:

K-State used to have a variation of this paint job and it looked even worse. Just imagine all of that purple. --shudder--

4. If you are big time program, there is no reason to have other sport's boundary lines on your court. Build that non-revenue producing ("Olympic sports") another home.

5. No advertisements on the floor. I'm looking at you, Texas Tech. Even though I can't find a picture of it, I know what I've seen on the television and that has NEVER let me down.

6. Big logos at center court are a must, but this can be overdone very quickly:

The Jayhawk at Allen Fieldhouse was close to pushing this too far, but its fine considering its just one big thing. The Aggies have 3 gigantic things: Outline of the State, a T and a star. One thing I do know about Texas is that they will put that damn star on anything they can. So special..

They did have one thing right, however....

7. Parque floors are awesome. Hands down.

and

That's all I have for now. Any others?

Order restored

2008-03-02T14:11:00.002-06:00

KU took care of business in beating K-State last night. Here was our victory celebration, Guitar Hero Duels!

Sweater Day

2008-02-29T12:17:00.003-06:00

March 20th, in honor of what would have been Mr. Rogers's 80th birthday. You have plenty of notice. Plan on it. Deb, make sure you wear a red one!

And some very cool facts by the numbers from Pittsburg Magazine:

- 5: The age at which Rogers began playing piano
- 8: The percentage of households tuned in to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood at its ratings peak, in 1985.
- 24: The number of cardigans Rogers had over the course of his career
- 33: Number of seasons that Mister Rogers' Neighborhood produced new episodes
- 40: Number of honorary degrees awarded to Rogers
- 60: Number of seconds of silence that Rogers would ask for at speaking engagements; he would instruct the audience to use the minute of silence to remember those who helped them become who they were.
- 200: Number of songs Rogers wrote during his career

And apparently he had a huge part in getting funding for PBS in 1969.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fredrogerssenatetestimonypbs.htm

I get paid to do this

2008-02-28T10:18:00.000-06:00

As for me, I'm awesome

2008-02-27T13:01:00.003-06:00

I had my yearly review here at the ofice yesterday and here's some actual excerpts.

"has done a good job at meeting customer expectations, and keeping the customers’ interests in mind, and has built strong relationships with field and business partners.

demonstrated a proactive approach and forward thinking in handling problems and bringing them to resolution. He willingly accepts challenges and does so with a positive attitude.

consistently takes ownership for not only his work but also additional tasks and responsibilities.

definitely a team player, and goes above and beyond for his team members by assisting them, keeping them informed of items that he has learned, and making sure that he does more than his fair share. He has shown the ability to both offer and support to his team and business partners."

So kiss my feet jokers, you're in the presence of greatness.

Also, a few of us tried the indoor bocce ball court at the new Joe Schmo's. Food left a bit to be desired and one corner of the court smelled like cat piss but other than that, it was a good time. I guess "Cat Piss Corner" gives the place a homier feel.

Zach, you need to build a bocce court in your backyard. That way, we can grill our own burgers, drink our own beer and when we smell cat piss at least we know its Orrie's. Here are the step-by-step instructions (yours should be more than 40 ft., regulation is 76-90) http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_lawns_landscaping/article/0,2029,DIY_13852_5516754,00.html

I'm kind of a big deal

2008-02-22T09:34:00.003-06:00

So there I am, on the front page of ljworld.com:

Full pic here:

http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/2008/feb/22/141342/

The guy who took the pic was so excited to see the swimsuits in the display window of the store behind me that he had me stand in front of them for this picture. He told me a story how he had the same scene set up 20 some years ago and it made the A.P. wire. I figured this would be in the paper because he immediately hopped in his car and drove away after taking it, so there you have it.

SNOW!

2008-02-21T12:29:00.004-06:00

We get it winter..enough already...

Getting it twisted

2008-02-21T10:17:00.004-06:00

Greetings. First of all, here's a story of how my morning went.
Sleet, crappy weather
Riding in the car to work (it was my carpooler's turn to drive) and she hits the brakes as there is slower traffic ahead of us. The braking caused the rear of the car to fishtail a bit and we are in a pretty good fishtail pretty quickly. She was doing a spot on job of steering into the swerve the whole time but we still ended up in the median ditch on K-10. turn out that someone bumped us on the rear bumper at some point so that may have explained why she never got out of the swerve. We decided to go back to Lawrence and not worry about going to work. So no work for Edwin today!

Next, I see a bulletin on myspace (copied below) about how we should support our troops:

You stay up for 16 hours

He stays up for days on end.
____________________________________________________

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running water.
____________________________________________________

You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
____________________________________________________

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
____________________________________________________

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
____________________________________________________

You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
____________________________________________________

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
____________________________________________________

You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
____________________________________________________

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.
____________________________________________________

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
____________________________________________________

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
____________________________________________________

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes ove r.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
____________________________________________________

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
____________________________________________________

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
____________________________________________________

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
____________________________________________________

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
____________________________________________________

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
____________________________________________________

You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
____________________________________________________

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.
____________________________________________________

You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
____________________________________________________

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.

He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.
____________________________________________________

Whew, thats a long one. And horribly innaccurate

1. Just because someone is anti-war DOES NOT make them anti-soldier. I'm tired of hearing that. Only the crazies are not able to make that separation.
2. I do not have down pillows.
3. My parents haven't asked me to go to the store in years. And when they did, I'm pretty sure I did it.
4. I only see what the media wants me to see.....is this the same liberal/left-wing/anti war media that we always hear about? Then if the media is anti-war, are they cleaning up the war to make it look....better? And how is that my fault. I can't afford a plane ticket to see this stuff first hand. And I sure don't want to join the military....the way its been portrayed in this bulletin makes me want to avoid it at all costs.
5. I have yet to hear a joke about the soldiers in the war...anyone?
6. Criticizing your government, of sending the troops over there? So demanding that they be brought home is somehow anti-soldier? This logic makes my head hurt.
7. Who is selling the anti-war / don't support the troops t shirt? Again see #1.

This was not the first time I have seen this, but it just makes me shake my head each time. Yes, the troops have it tough. Yes, people do not support that they are over there. However, the leap of the argument that all of the anti-war people are troop bashers is asinine. I think its quite the opposite. If you are against the war, you are probably against the idea of sending them over there to get killed... So is it safe to say that the people who are pro-war are actually anti-solider? What wacko wrote this?

Chess

2008-02-20T13:24:00.005-06:00

When I see something like this: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/feb/17/chess_contest_hones_kids_skills/?city_local it always makes me feel like I wasted a lot of time watching tv when I was a kid. I've only recently even seriously tried to learn to play chess and am horrible at it. I can barely keep track of what piece moves where while kids like the ones in the story are able to plan moves. Plan moves? Not me. Maybe these kids are actually all wizards...not chess wizards, but WIZARDS!....

That would explain alot and make me feel much better about myself. How could you expect a muggle like me compete with wicked wizardry?

Grad school update

2008-02-18T14:08:00.004-06:00

Got word from KU that I needed to send a transcript from Independence CC. I took 2 night classes there back when I was in high school, but they still need the transcript. That will probably hold things up by a few days to a week.....woops.

Why I live in Lawrence, Part 1

2008-02-18T11:11:00.004-06:00

Why do I live in Lawrence? In no particular order I will explore the reasons.

First off, the Honk for Hemp guy. Go downtown on any weekend and he's there. Right across the street from the courthouse. And everyone honks. Everyone. There is even a website for the movement. Here: http://www.honkforhemp.com/ (there is even a schedule for when/where he'll be)

He is just one of many characters that make this Kansas town so unique and eclectic. I'm sure I'll find some others to share.

Huckabass

2008-02-18T09:18:00.004-06:00

Its a good thing Mike Huckabee will eventually lose the Republican nomination. C'mon, he plays bass. You can't trust a bass player with the country. Can you imagine if another world leader came to visit and he would see Huck in this situation? All negotiating clout would be lost immediately.

(And careful Mike, it almost looks like you're rethinking that anti-gay marriage stance.)

Of course, this feels somewhat familiar...

Somehow, BC was able to pull it off way better.

What did I do with my Saturday Night?

2008-02-17T08:12:00.003-06:00

Simpsons Clue!

Perhaps

2008-02-16T00:13:00.004-06:00

So I've never been really sure what to use this blog for, but I think I have an idea. Grad school updates.

Tuesday I officially hit 'send' on the my application to KU and Wednesday I mailed off all my supporting documentation. Next up (if they chose) is my interview.

Let's back up a second (not sure who would be here and NOT know this story...by my estimate, no greater than 2 people will read this). I made the decision to go back to grad school at KU and get my MBA. I plan to do an Information Systems concentration. I am currently employed, but it is in the life insurance business. I don't exactly wake up with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step as I go to work to setup policies and create booklets. I had a job that I didn't despise once, but that company lost the contract I was working on...so I got this job.
Reasons why the current job is sapping the life out of me:

1. Its in Overland Park. The drive

2. The work. I realize I'm young and the job that I have now will not be glamorous, but the tedium I face sometimes... All of the systems are housed on the East Coast, so the lag time for the programs I use to do a majority of my work have a lag time that can cause some programs to just get hung up for 30 minutes at a time. Even when things are moving, the work can get boring. And when things get a bit complex and I have a question, well, check #4 below.

3. Meetings. I had an epiphany a few weeks ago: My job satisfaction is at its lowest when we have an site-wide or all employee meeting. Just hearing management fumble around mission statements and blow smoke up everyone's asses is killer. The worst was an all employee meeting that was broadcast from the East Coast and we watched in a conference room on an projection screen. It had the usual array of managers speaking and talking about maximize this, consolidate this, and leverage that. Then we got to listen to a motivational speaker. It was like I was in high school all over again. He talked for 30-45 minutes. Those are precious minutes I could have been at my desk reading up on baseball trade rumors on espn.com or the evolution of the apartment on Wikipedia. Meetings...useless in alot of companies, but this place....

4. I don't really have a problem with the people who work there, but the attitude of most support staff toward helping employees like me is piss poor. I've heard some describe someone coming to ask a question as "getting trapped." No, that's your job. I could ask my manager, but she probably doesn't know the answer and.....

5. My manager's availability is spotty at best. If she is not at her usual 5 meetings a day, taking a smoke break, just about ready to leave to go to a meeting ("if you're question isn't quick I can't answer.") or gossiping with another support staff behind closed doors she is on her cell phone.

I'm sure that's not the whole list and alot of things I may have sensationalized for dramatic effect, but regardless I'm trying to get out of there. I could keep going, but why waste the keystrokes.

So yeah, the interview. I've done some searching online and it looks like its pretty much a job interview, but (hopefully) with less emphasis on having to ask the all the questions that 'corporate' requires. In the end I hope I can be with a smaller company. I think many of my issues are with the bureaucracy that is prevalent in big corporations. I say that now, but if Proctor & Gamble comes knocking one day (yeah right), who am I to say no?

I should hear back with a flat denial or the interview request in 4-6 weeks, I think. Until then, think about this:
I saw this on the History Channel and guess who does NOT have it? Wikipedia! What?!?

New York City is now covered by skyscrapers and concrete. But in the city’s early days, while New York was a British colony, lower Manhattan still had farms. Hogs rampaged through the grain fields of New York City farmers. To prevent a repeat, Manhattan’s city fathers built a long wall along the northern edge of Lower Manhattan. The street bordering this wall became known as Wall Street. That’s the same Wall Street that now houses the New York Stock Exchange!