I need to start writing again.
This looks like as good of a place as any.
Stay tuned.......
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, March 9, 2009
Makin' it Rain
There is apparently an A/C drain in the ceiling above my desk. Over the weekend, that drain clogged, prompting water to soak through the ceiling and shower my desk with condensational goodness. Ironically, it completely missed my plant, which is the only thing on my desk that needed water.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Coincidence?
Just an observation...
In 2003, the two MVPs in Major League Baseball were:
American League: Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers)
National League: Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants)
Let the " * " begin...
In 2003, the two MVPs in Major League Baseball were:
American League: Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers)
National League: Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants)
Let the " * " begin...
Monday, February 2, 2009
embry
Not much to see in this end of the pool. For the latest news and updates, head on over to "Embry's Board".
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
perspective
A friend of mine was a Drill Sergeant in the Army, serving two tours of duty in Iraq. Another member of his family also served, but is now in the hospital with pneumonia. His treatment and recovery are complicated by his HIV status. While a "normal" person typically has a T-cell count between 700-1400., today his CD4 (T-cell) count dropped below 40.
The massive amount of antibiotics administered took two nurses to carry due to the weight of the material. And while I'm not certain of the name of the medicine, he told me it is some sort of naturally occurring substance in the body that without it causes blindness. The nurses wore thick, lead-lined gloves while starting the treatment.
He went on to tell me that everyone in the family is taking turns visiting him in the hospital...expect his father. An ex-Army officer, his father refuses to accept his son's lifestyle and subsequent HIV status. They haven't spoken in almost twenty years. My friend continues to try and explain that he is running out of time to make amends; that his son is going to pass soon, and with that passing goes any opportunity for apologies or atonement. And yet, his father won't budge. He will not even call and speak to his son in the hospital.
Somehow, this makes my brother canceling on us at Thanksgiving that much less significant...
Life teaches us lessons in surprising, yet opportunistic ways. Most of the time, we miss them because we are distracted by something seemingly more important.
Today, for instance, I spoke with one of my colleagues, who explained that I've become the scapegoat for many of the things going on at my former company. My response was, "Well...yeah. That's one of the reasons I left: they are more concerned with assigning blame than finding solutions." Fault is always passed to those who move on, absolving those left behind of any responsibility.
Later, I found myself reflecting on our conversation and realized I was getting defensive, trying to figure out what I could have done differently to avoid the outcome. Never mind the fact that I've been gone for seven months. Never mind that my decisions were based on the cards I had at the time, and a new deck was played after I left. Never mind the job I left for has more responsibility, better hours, higher salary, and actual opportunities for advancement. In so many words, "Why the f**k do I care?!"
And then I saw a commercial for the Army, which reminded me of my friend and his family. Suddenly, a lot of emotions and rationalizations fell into place. It's amazing how quickly our priorities can get shuffled.
The massive amount of antibiotics administered took two nurses to carry due to the weight of the material. And while I'm not certain of the name of the medicine, he told me it is some sort of naturally occurring substance in the body that without it causes blindness. The nurses wore thick, lead-lined gloves while starting the treatment.
He went on to tell me that everyone in the family is taking turns visiting him in the hospital...expect his father. An ex-Army officer, his father refuses to accept his son's lifestyle and subsequent HIV status. They haven't spoken in almost twenty years. My friend continues to try and explain that he is running out of time to make amends; that his son is going to pass soon, and with that passing goes any opportunity for apologies or atonement. And yet, his father won't budge. He will not even call and speak to his son in the hospital.
Somehow, this makes my brother canceling on us at Thanksgiving that much less significant...
Life teaches us lessons in surprising, yet opportunistic ways. Most of the time, we miss them because we are distracted by something seemingly more important.
Today, for instance, I spoke with one of my colleagues, who explained that I've become the scapegoat for many of the things going on at my former company. My response was, "Well...yeah. That's one of the reasons I left: they are more concerned with assigning blame than finding solutions." Fault is always passed to those who move on, absolving those left behind of any responsibility.
Later, I found myself reflecting on our conversation and realized I was getting defensive, trying to figure out what I could have done differently to avoid the outcome. Never mind the fact that I've been gone for seven months. Never mind that my decisions were based on the cards I had at the time, and a new deck was played after I left. Never mind the job I left for has more responsibility, better hours, higher salary, and actual opportunities for advancement. In so many words, "Why the f**k do I care?!"
And then I saw a commercial for the Army, which reminded me of my friend and his family. Suddenly, a lot of emotions and rationalizations fell into place. It's amazing how quickly our priorities can get shuffled.
Monday, January 12, 2009
snow falling on cincy
I've lived in Cincinnati for over 10 years, so you would think the weather forecasts would cease to amuse me. I remember the first time I laughed out loud when I heard the term "Sun Delay". When I asked one of my co-workers at the time what the weather guy meant by a Sun Delay, she explained, "Well, sometimes you drive up a hill and the sun is directly in front of you, so it's hard to see." Really? No...Oh my gosh...Surely, Cincinnati must be the only place on Earth where this happens. As it happens, this phenomenon occurs elsewhere as well; Cincinnati is just the only city where people slow down to 30 mph on the highway because of it.
Today, I've been hearing reports of the "Winter Storm" making its way across the United States. At first, the big news was the falling temperatures, as they predict the highs to be in the teens the rest of this week. Ok...I'll give you that's a little chilly. Of course, those of us from the Cleveland are refer to those types of temperatures as "Spring". While driving home, however, the newscasters began talking not about the cold, but about the chance for -- get this -- "blowing snow".
That's right folks...snow simply falling may be newsworthy, but throw in some wind and it beckons the label of "severe weather". I fear that if the sun is out too, we may have ourselves a natural disaster.
Having studied Meteorology, I understand how unpredictable the weather patterns can be throughout this part of the country. But I've also lived in Ohio my entire life and have learned to expect drastic changes throughout the day. When I hear the weather folks say, "Expect accumulation up to an inch", I laugh because that is barely enough to cover the grass. I grew up hearing the words "Lake Effect Snow", which means anywhere from an inch to four feet. The most impressive thing about four feet of snow is not your buried lawn, is not even the drifts between the houses...but rather the enormous piles of snow in the mall parking lots after they plow. These snow hills were easily some 40-50 feet high and were still visible in June. Cool stuff!
Anyway, I'm really not making fun of the newscasters or the people who buy into their panic-inducing predictions. I've just never understood when the weather became such a topic of attention. How did people 30 years ago survive without Weatherbug? Do we really need updated forecasts every 15 minutes? More importantly, if the weather does change, will you completely alter your life around it? There are people in our office that bolt for their homes at the first sign of a snowflake. Their rationale: "They aren't concerned about the snow. They are more worried about the idiots that can't drive in it." Yet, it always sounds like an excuse for leaving early. I've always thought, "Wouldn't you want to stay off the roads so the plows can treat them?!" Instead, everyone rushes out en masse and creates a traffic nightmare.
But I'm digressing into a whiny diatribe. I'm just sitting here trying to watch Jeopardy, but keep getting distracted by the severe weather alert scrolling across the bottom of the screen. "I'll take The Winter of Our Discontent for $1000, Alex."
Today, I've been hearing reports of the "Winter Storm" making its way across the United States. At first, the big news was the falling temperatures, as they predict the highs to be in the teens the rest of this week. Ok...I'll give you that's a little chilly. Of course, those of us from the Cleveland are refer to those types of temperatures as "Spring". While driving home, however, the newscasters began talking not about the cold, but about the chance for -- get this -- "blowing snow".
That's right folks...snow simply falling may be newsworthy, but throw in some wind and it beckons the label of "severe weather". I fear that if the sun is out too, we may have ourselves a natural disaster.
Having studied Meteorology, I understand how unpredictable the weather patterns can be throughout this part of the country. But I've also lived in Ohio my entire life and have learned to expect drastic changes throughout the day. When I hear the weather folks say, "Expect accumulation up to an inch", I laugh because that is barely enough to cover the grass. I grew up hearing the words "Lake Effect Snow", which means anywhere from an inch to four feet. The most impressive thing about four feet of snow is not your buried lawn, is not even the drifts between the houses...but rather the enormous piles of snow in the mall parking lots after they plow. These snow hills were easily some 40-50 feet high and were still visible in June. Cool stuff!
Anyway, I'm really not making fun of the newscasters or the people who buy into their panic-inducing predictions. I've just never understood when the weather became such a topic of attention. How did people 30 years ago survive without Weatherbug? Do we really need updated forecasts every 15 minutes? More importantly, if the weather does change, will you completely alter your life around it? There are people in our office that bolt for their homes at the first sign of a snowflake. Their rationale: "They aren't concerned about the snow. They are more worried about the idiots that can't drive in it." Yet, it always sounds like an excuse for leaving early. I've always thought, "Wouldn't you want to stay off the roads so the plows can treat them?!" Instead, everyone rushes out en masse and creates a traffic nightmare.
But I'm digressing into a whiny diatribe. I'm just sitting here trying to watch Jeopardy, but keep getting distracted by the severe weather alert scrolling across the bottom of the screen. "I'll take The Winter of Our Discontent for $1000, Alex."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
random observationisms
Watching the Foosball
My track record in football games over the past few weeks is not good; I keep backing the wrong horses. I was hoping the Baltimore Ravens would lose in the first round of the playoffs. They did not. Then, I was hoping the Indianapolis Colts would win. They did not. I was rooting for Ohio State, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, and Ball State in various bowl games. They all lost. Surely the New York Giants can buck this trend and beat the Philadelphia Eagles, right? Nope. Oh, well. Maybe I'll break my age-old rule and actually root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though that's a cardinal sin for someone from Northeast Ohio.
Kid Genes
I've never been able to explain why I'm missing the kid genenome. I'm an uncle to over 10 nieces and nephews, and we live next door to a house full of pre-teen girls. But as far as having any interest in my own kids, there is less than zero. Never had any interest whatsoever in having kids. And part of me actually feels slightly guilty about this. We know people that can't have children and would give anything to be parents. When I'm around them and I make a comment about not wanting kids, you can see the disappointment on their faces. I wish only the best for them and I'm sympathetic to their reproductive struggles, but I decided a long, long time ago kids were not in my cards.
Puppy vs. Treadmill
All in all, Traz has been an easy foster dog. Other than the initial snapping from the other dogs on Day One, we've had no aggression from anyone. To-date, Traz has eaten a hole through a blanket, dug up and eaten some lanscape lights, likes to chew on towels and throw rugs, and loves to eat frozen clumps of dirt and mulch (but, you know, who doesn't?!). Otherwise, he hasn't done anything overly destructive. Yesterday, however, he told us what he thought of the treadmill by standing on it and peeing. He has not peed in the house before or since, but -- for whatever reason -- he decided the treadmill was dirty and needed hosed off. Maybe that's why Mason tried to pee on RanDee in the shower...?!
What's in a Name?
Speaking of Traz, how many nicknames does a foster dog need to have before he ceases to be a "foster" and you start referring to him as "your new dog"? So far, he is known as Alcatraz, Alka Selzter, Traz, Traz Man, Trazzy, Trazmanian Devil, Traz-continental, Traz-Siberia, Trazlator, Trazformer, Trazmission, Trazzador, Traztastic Man......or just Puppeh.
Alert Level: Orange (High)
After losing two dogs in five weeks towards the end of last year, I've found I'm still on high alert. Yesterday, Darcy got sick and threw up across three throw rugs (never mind the rest of the floor is tile, of course...she HAD to throw up on the rugs, because that is Canine Law). For the rest of the day, I was trying to watch her every move and make sure she didn't throw up again. If she had, I probably would have taken her to the emergency vet clinic. Thankfully, she ate her dinner without incident and she seems her normal self today. We went to the dog park and she did her normal Basset-Spaniel behavior: wander, sniff, wander, pee, wander, bake tarts, wander, attack dog five times her size... Since then, she has eaten a bull penis and is now chewing on a bone. Life is good!
My track record in football games over the past few weeks is not good; I keep backing the wrong horses. I was hoping the Baltimore Ravens would lose in the first round of the playoffs. They did not. Then, I was hoping the Indianapolis Colts would win. They did not. I was rooting for Ohio State, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, and Ball State in various bowl games. They all lost. Surely the New York Giants can buck this trend and beat the Philadelphia Eagles, right? Nope. Oh, well. Maybe I'll break my age-old rule and actually root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though that's a cardinal sin for someone from Northeast Ohio.
Kid Genes
I've never been able to explain why I'm missing the kid genenome. I'm an uncle to over 10 nieces and nephews, and we live next door to a house full of pre-teen girls. But as far as having any interest in my own kids, there is less than zero. Never had any interest whatsoever in having kids. And part of me actually feels slightly guilty about this. We know people that can't have children and would give anything to be parents. When I'm around them and I make a comment about not wanting kids, you can see the disappointment on their faces. I wish only the best for them and I'm sympathetic to their reproductive struggles, but I decided a long, long time ago kids were not in my cards.
Puppy vs. Treadmill
All in all, Traz has been an easy foster dog. Other than the initial snapping from the other dogs on Day One, we've had no aggression from anyone. To-date, Traz has eaten a hole through a blanket, dug up and eaten some lanscape lights, likes to chew on towels and throw rugs, and loves to eat frozen clumps of dirt and mulch (but, you know, who doesn't?!). Otherwise, he hasn't done anything overly destructive. Yesterday, however, he told us what he thought of the treadmill by standing on it and peeing. He has not peed in the house before or since, but -- for whatever reason -- he decided the treadmill was dirty and needed hosed off. Maybe that's why Mason tried to pee on RanDee in the shower...?!
What's in a Name?
Speaking of Traz, how many nicknames does a foster dog need to have before he ceases to be a "foster" and you start referring to him as "your new dog"? So far, he is known as Alcatraz, Alka Selzter, Traz, Traz Man, Trazzy, Trazmanian Devil, Traz-continental, Traz-Siberia, Trazlator, Trazformer, Trazmission, Trazzador, Traztastic Man......or just Puppeh.
Alert Level: Orange (High)
After losing two dogs in five weeks towards the end of last year, I've found I'm still on high alert. Yesterday, Darcy got sick and threw up across three throw rugs (never mind the rest of the floor is tile, of course...she HAD to throw up on the rugs, because that is Canine Law). For the rest of the day, I was trying to watch her every move and make sure she didn't throw up again. If she had, I probably would have taken her to the emergency vet clinic. Thankfully, she ate her dinner without incident and she seems her normal self today. We went to the dog park and she did her normal Basset-Spaniel behavior: wander, sniff, wander, pee, wander, bake tarts, wander, attack dog five times her size... Since then, she has eaten a bull penis and is now chewing on a bone. Life is good!
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