Day 148 - Rainbows on Her Toes

I had been wondering where the rainbow tape was.  

Guess the girls had it.

Who knew it would make quick and easy toe nail polish.

Good-bye Seattle

Spending 4 days alone with Garbanzo and without the kids was exactly what the doctor ordered.  I think I said back in November that Garbanzo and I don't get out enough by ourselves.  It's the whole best intentions thing - but usually something fucks it up - to put it bluntly.

But when we heard a while ago that Veronica and Hubman were going to be in Seattle, we jumped at the opportunity to get away under the guise of meeting them in person.  I'll be honest.  When Seattle was brought up by Veronica, I was like 6 months ago or more, and meeting them was interesting, but not necessarily the primary reason.  Getting away with my husband was the primary reason.

To be honest, a lot can change in 6 months.  As we got to know them more and more, it became clear we HAD to meet them in Seattle.  Spending time together with Garbanzo was still the primary reason, but hanging out with those two was definitely becoming a necessity.

I think Hubman summarizes it well on his blog - we have forged a very nice friendship over the past few months.   You always worry that you will be repulsed in person - I mean, everyone has their own online persona to a certain extent.  And, someone clever with Photoshop can always make great HNT pictures. I'm sure you've seen the YouTube video demonstrating how Photoshop can change a woman from plain into model quality.

All joking aside, they are two of the most genuine people you could ever meet.  We had a lot of fun wandering around with Veronica while Hubman tended to his professional obligations.  And, the time we spent with Hubman post-obligations was equally enjoyable.  When we would go out to eat, Veronica and Garbanzo would discuss how they could recreate that meal at home while Hubman and I discussed beers on the menu.  A good time was definitely had by all.

I've been in Seattle many times over the past 10 years.  And, I will have to say one of the biggest improvements is downtown.  Outside of Pike's Street Market, I have always found downtown to be dead on the weekends.  We used to be reminded me of old areas of Portland pre-redevelopment days.  Imagine my surprised when we spent a lot of time wandering around downtown.  Even at night, we found good places to eat (or drink).  There was an accessibility to Seattle downtown I have not seen before.  Hell, maybe it was the weather that changed it.  Who knows - but it was a very pleasant surprised.

But, today we all go back home.  The kids await us.  And Derek would probably like some sleep.

And, Veronica, just so you know - it's cloudy today.  I guess you did bring the sun with you and are taking the sun back with you!  ;-)

Day 147 - Beautiful. Gorgeous. Wish You Were Here

(name that movie quotes if you can.)

We spent another gorgeous day doing touristy things in Seattle.  And, while the others went up the Space Needle, I stayed on the ground.  I'm a lame-ass when it comes to heights.  Not all heights, mind you, but some.  And, I know getting to the top of the Space Needle would have probably ruined my day regardless of if I made it up there or not.  I try to think of it as knowing my limits, but I'm a lame ass - regardless, I digress.

So while the others enjoyed a spectacular view, I took pictures from below.  My most amazing picture that I stumbled across - and thanked every deity that my camera was ready to shoot - was this one:

I cropped it so you can see it better... Yes, I caught a hummingbird mid-flight - twice.  Had on the right lens and everything.  I have missed several opportunities in the past...several....but not today, obviously.

Here are some other random shots from around the Space Needle.

Day 146 - Rain?

Garbanzo always responds to a statement about Seattle with the comment "it's always raining when I go there".  I don't know if it is the visitors from the East that brought their sun with them, or what - but the weather in Seattle the past two days has been amazing.  And, the view has been the best I have ever seen.

A Modern Day Story Problem

A sign went up above our coffee maker at work a few weeks ago.  It read:

"Please use your own reusable cup before using the paper cups.  We have to pay for the paper cups and are spending about $100 per month on these cups.  The cups cost us $0.05 per cup - so use reusable before reaching for a paper one."

As a self proclaimed Math Geek, I just couldn't believe those numbers.

Neither could the Engineer from what I gathered a few days later:

"I am sorry, but I cannot accept your numbers.  There are, on average, 20 working days a month.  If we are, in fact, spending $100 a month on cups, that means we are using 2000 cups a month or 100 cups per day.  Since there are only maybe 200 people in the building, not all of them drink coffee, not all of them are working daily, and many of the coffee drinkers use reusable cups exclusively - it seems as though our coffee supplier is screwing us."

The sign lasted about 48 hours before someone took it down.  The other sign remains.  But, it does beg the question - how are we going through 2000 paper cups a month?

++++++++++++++++++++++

I love signs people put up at work.  The most recent was clearly from our Facilities Manager - a man who looks like Grizzly Adams complete with bad tattoos.  You don't mess with this guy.  His note:

"I am not your mother.  Wash your own dishes, or I will throw them away."

I have never seen such a clean sink in my life.  Guess there are a lot of people afraid of the man.

Day 145 - Sanitary Public Market

I love Seattle.  And, we spent time wandering through the Pike Street Market - something you have to do when visiting Seattle.  My favorite sign in the Sanitary Public Market.  What exactly does that mean?  No rats?

Good News

Over the weekend, we heard that the complaining about our neighbor yielded results.

Our neighbor has been told his lease is not being renewed.  He is to be out of the apartment by 1-July.  And, I guess our complaint resulted in him apologizing to the other tenants in the building.

I'm rather surprised really.  I figured the owner would make him get rid of the crap, but I guess getting three  warnings from the city was enough to make him decide to just get rid of the problem instead of dealing with it. People amaze me like that - take the path of least resistance which is not to confront the issue.  It's the owner's choice really - but maybe he's taking advantage of the situation.

The neighbors wonder if he is in denial. While he knows his time is limited, they don't see any indication he knows he will have to leave.  In fact, this weekend, he was doing more garden improvements and adding to his garage sale.

I guess we'll see what happens.  We are all happy that the four cars will be gone.  The shit between his house and mine will be gone.  No more crazy tent crap in the front of his house.  Hell, maybe we can do something about the fence between our properties now.  Crazy idea.

That four-plex is rapidly starting to act more like cooperative housing where all the neighbors pitch in to keep the place looking nice, taking care of the yard, helping each other out, etc.  In fact, the neighbors we've talked to put a nice patio area out back for parties and such.  I can only hope that whoever replaces him in that apartment fits into the attitude that has been created there.  All of our multi-family properties have taken on that tone over the past year, so it would be nice to continue to build this neighborhood feeling.

Day 144 - Traitor

Mr Chatty knows I have been watching my weight. He knows because of
the conversations he has been part of with our boss and others who
have commented on my weight loss. Yet, he brings cookies to work.
Homemade cookies. And instead of putting them somewhere else, he puts
them on my desk. Unless he objects, the are coming with me to my 2 pm
meeting where that crew will surely devour them.

Relationship Advice from a Technical Magazine?

Like any good IT person, I have many technical newsletters delivered to my inbox each day.  Newsletters -  I always intent to read, but may never do.

Today, before simply deleting the last weeks worth, I actually glanced through them.  And one article caught my eye:

"IT People Are From Mars: Why Your Marriages Are from Hell Or Are Headed That Way"

Relationship advice from a technical magazine.  Must be a slow news day.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I clicked the link so I could read the article.  I was a bit annoyed by it really.  The author had posted a question to the magazine's LinkedIn forum asking "What do you wish your spouse understood about your job?"

What she found was that communication issues were the issues most encountered by IT management types and their spouses.  So, she tackled the issues one-by-one.

Her responses to how to handle situations better was very lopsided.  While IT management is still, in many areas, male dominated, I struggled with using her advice with my husband.

For example, people complained that they don't always have time to return phone calls home which leads to hurt feelings as well as assumptions that something must be wrong with the relationship - or if you aren't returning my call, you must be mad.

The author's comment was to say something like "I just called to say I love you."  That will, in the author's words, "get you a weeks' worth of whatever you want."  To be fair, she does go on to say that you are showing consideration and thoughtfulness which is a gesture that can go a long ways.

Fist off, I wouldn't have this issue with my husband.  Why?  Because he understands what is going on.  I explain what is happening.  And, I explain why I cannot always answer the phone if he calls.  So, in many cases he will use email or text to let me know a piece of info I need.  And, if I don't call back, he knows I'm busy.  Why? I've communicated with him about that part of my job.  He gets it.

Second, if he did need to get a hold of me and I wasn't returning emails or text messages or calls - simply saying "I love you" isn't going to get me out of the doghouse.  I'm sorry, but to imply love is a universal get out of trouble card in a relationship is simply false.  As much as the idealist in me wants to believe love with conquer all, I know that it isn't always the case.  How about being considerate and making 5 minutes to make a call once in a while?  As an IT person, I know there is always time to do that.  And people around you will understand; we all have home lives of some sort.  Treat people as you would want to be treated.  Simple idea.

Lastly, I don't care what job you are in - you must have balance between work and home.  Do you want to be known as the IT person who solved problems well?  Or the person who was a great parent, raised fabulous kids, and was a great spouse and friend?  I chose the non-work one.  I'm all for being career-driven, but we are living in a day and age where companies care more about their balance sheets than they do their employees.  The public sector is having to downsize due to budget short falls as well.  Jobs come and go - so why not make sure your family does not follow the same pattern.

Overall, I am amazed at the fact there was enough to do this article.  IT people are successful due to their ability to analyze a situation and solve the problem.  Many times, it is the simple act of communication that solves that problem or at least sets expectations.  Ironic that at the heart of this article is communicating and problem solving - two things that IT managers should be good at.  Maybe that's why I never assume in my personal life, that I error on the side of over-communication as a way to set expectations among those I care about.  Why should I be giving more at the office than I am at home?

Day 143 - Sicko

Indigo was sent to see Garbanzo today around lunch time.  She was complaining about a headache and had a low grade fever (99 to be precise).  She laid down for  a while, had some lunch, then went back to class when she seemed fine.

Soon after, she was sent to him again.  She laid down and took a two hour nap.  It was clear when she got up that not all was well, so he skipped his staff meeting to bring her home.  We are pretty sure it is a small bug of some sort - nothing to worry about.  This little thing has been hitting everyone the same - low grade fever, sleepy, and headache.  Goes away pretty quickly.  The fact she and her sister were up late last night didn't help.  The downside of sharing a room.

While she laid on the couch being sick, DJ decided to entertain her....

And she wonders why I refer to her as my crazy child.....

Day 142 - Bike Seat

I went out to get one thing and came back with a new bike seat.  I hate it when that happens.  Actually, I don't.  I've been wanting to replace my seat for a while, but never think about it when I'm actually at a bike shop.  I was at REI today and saw something that sparked my memory. Then, I left with a new seat.

I came home, swapped out the old seat for the new one, and went for a ride.  MUCH better than my old seat.  In fact, I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

I also got a new water bottle.  My old ones were pretty disgusting.

Don't ask me why I went to REI.  I don't remember - the bike stuff distracted me.  
That place is dangerous for exactly that reason.

At least I didn't listen to DJ who was trying to convince me that I needed a bike computer.

Avenue of Flags

Every year started out the same.  Up early, despite the day off, ironing uniforms, and making sure we made it to the cemetery for the ceremony.  In the early days, there was a parade - and being a girl scout, we marched and waved to the people as they joined in at the end to go to the cemetery.

Along the way, you passed flags.  The court house was surrounded by them.  The cemetery was filled with them.  All government buildings had them flying out front.

Traveling by them, you would think it is just another small town patriotic scene.  Stop and take a closer look at the flags, and you will find that each one belongs to a person.  Each flag was a soldier who served the country in a time of war.

These are the flags that made up the Avenue of Flags.  And, after the names were read of those who served and had passed during the past year, there was the reading of the flags.  When a soldier who has served in war dies, their casket is still draped with a flag.  They are still entitled to the ceremony of a soldier even if it had been 40+ years since they had served.  The family may chose to keep the flag, or they can have it displayed through the Avenue of Flags.

The people at the Avenue of Flags put each flag on its own flag pole.  They tag the flag with the person, wars served, etc.  Then, for Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Flag Day, and 4th of July, they make sure the flag is flown.  And the year they die, their flag is dedicated during the ceremony.

In 1991, my grandpa Percy's flag was dedicated.  Grandpa served in WWII and the Korean War - he was a Navy Sea-Bee.  He had died the previous year, and my dad, in his dress uniform, carried his dad's flag to its place of honor while Grandpa's name was read on at the Memorial Day Ceremony.  And, when the ceremony was done, my dad oversaw the National Guard's 21 gun salute for the honorees and others soldiers being remembered.  I think that was the year they did it with the howitzers too.  It was a pretty spectacular view really.  Sunny day, blue skies, thousands of flags in the air, with the smoke drifting through.  I doubt Spielberg could have setup a more perfect scene for a movie.

This is the image Memorial Day will always have for me.  And, even though we are not there to do the annual search for Grandpa's flag, we will be flying our own flag.  For Grandpa Percy, for Grandpa Bob, and for Grandfather Skeet. And, for all of those who have served our country.

Disturbing Facts

As I was scrolling through the eight million twitter updates I seemed to have, one jumped out at me:

80% of US families did not buy a book in 2008.

WHAT?  How could that be the case?

As a rabid reader, I cannot imagine not buying a book during the course of the year.  Hell, I've been known to buy a dozen books during a single trip to a book store.  This can't be right, I thought.  So, I did some searching via Google.

And got even more disturbed.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 

42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college. 

80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. 

70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years. 

Source: http://www.humorwriters.org/startlingstats.html

After thinking about this a bit, I recalled a study Garbanzo's coworker did as part of her reading specialty training.  They were both teaching at a very poor school in the inner city, and this school had a high rate of kids who could not read.  The ones with the worst gaps were sent for reading help while the classroom teachers tried to close the gap with the rest of the kids.  She was curious to see what reading material was in the homes of these kids - books, magazines and newspapers specifically.  That was her research project.

She did home visits and interviews with a lot of families.  And, what she found - the kids who struggled with reading had no reading material at home.  She was amazed that many couldn't think of 5 or more books or magazines in their house.  She even commented that glancing around the living rooms confirmed there was likely nothing in the house.  Not one magazine.  Not one newspaper.  Not one kid's book.

Garbanzo, upon hearing the results, started understanding why his gift of books to his kids at Christmas went over so well.  For many of these kids, no one had ever given them a book before.  And, we also started understanding why so many of his classroom library books would wander away never to be seen again.  Given he bought these at the county library store for a quarter, we never worried about it.  I mean, kids stealing books....it could be a hell of a lot worse.

Looking at our own house, it really isn't a mystery why our kids are readers.  We have so many books in the house that we never have enough places for them.  Even though the internet is a good source of information, many times we will grab a book if, say DJ, wants to learn about fossils.  Or if Indigo has an interest in US presidents.  (Yes, they are both non-fiction freaks.)  But, books aside, we have other forms of reading material.  We have magazines and newspapers.  We, of course, have comic books.

If books cause any issues in our house, it is the fact we never have enough places for them.  So we continually are thinning the herd in an attempt to keep it under control.  But again - I can think of worse problems to have.

I know many of you all are avid readers.  What is on your nightstand right now?

Day 140 - More Garden PIctures

I'm obsessed with my clematis.  I can't help it.  They are gorgeous.  And, I'm just amazed at how they are doing.  Plus, to be honest, I haven't really left the house today.  We've just been relaxing and enjoying the weather.

Day 139 - Dinner

Garbanzo arrived home today at about 2ish.  I found him outside talking to his substitute teacher who happens to be the wife of an ex-coworker who is also a friend.  She accepted a sub job of his a few months back and has been a regular sub for him since.  She is a great teacher who has unfortunately never found a home which has prevent her from getting tenure as a regular teacher.  When he saw me, he excused himself from the conversation saying "I have to do something completely inappropriate and unprofessional".  That's my kind of greeting! ;-)

And, I actually got him out of there in a reasonable timeframe.  Garbanzo is one of these people everyone sees and has to talk to.  Usually I end up being the talking clock continually reminding him we have to go.  Today, he got himself out of there - but the fact I was ride definitely helped.  And, I made it clear we were leaving by a certain time.

The girls had taekwondo class - or classes in DJ's case.  DJ is amassing quite the weapons collection with her latest being escrima sticks - two rattan sticks about 2 feet in length.  She and another kid were showing up the black belts today - not bad for their first day with these weapons.  After that class, she handed them to me with a huge smile on her face and said "I LOVE these things!"  When we got home, she brought them in the house saying she needed to practice.

Sparring went well too.  Garbanzo and I, per usual, snuck away at the start to go shopping for dinner.  (If we were in a less crowded place, we would have likely tried to sneak away for some more private time - but that was not possible in this location.  Damn strip mall!)  Since it was a gorgeous day and the start of a long weekend, we decided to grill.  I find it humorous that my vegetarian husband chose this:

The only problem - we discovered we were out of propane when we got home.  Thankfully we have a grill on our stove.

While the steak was grilling, we roasted asparagus then drizzled them with balsamic vinegar.  Oh, and Garbanzo had a garden veggie patty of some sort.  I doubt it was as good as the steak.

After dinner, the kids played in the yard, Garbanzo sat on the deck writing on his computer, and I read in the hammock.  What a great way to end the week!

Day 138 - Save The Plants: The Musical

After picking up the kids at school, running them to taekwondo practice, and taking them out to dinner.  we had to go back up to the school  The three 2-3 classes of which DJ is a part of was doing a musical called Save The Plants.  DJ played a shrinking violet which was ironic given she is far from shrinking in personality.

The play was pretty funny.  The premise is that a school gets money to put in a new playground which means they will pave over the garden.  One of the students gets very upset by this idea and disappears.  Her friends who don't understand, go to look for her.  What they find instead is the garden is alive.  In the end, as you would expect, the kids decide to save the garden. 

What made this even more funny was the fact they changed the teachers names to be actual teachers in the school - and the principal was renamed to be the principal in the school.  And the kids played those adults perfectly.

My Shrinking Violet

Conversations on the Way to School

With Garbanzo at Outdoor School all week, I have gotten the pleasure of taking the kids to and from school.  A task I normally avoid like the plague.  Why? On a good day, it doubles my commute time to an hour.  On a bad day....well, we won't talk about that as it usually means a bit of road rage on my part.

What I miss out on are all of the conversations.  With Indigo, it can be fairly one sided.  But the conversation the other day was pretty entertaining.

Before we left the house DJ picked up a book.  I was teasing her in the car because the book was something at Indigo's reading level, not on DJ "Miss Reading-at-the-6th-Grade-Level-Since-October"'s level.  She finally explained it was really a joke book.  So then she started telling them.  This was my favorite exchange:

DJ: Why will the skeleton never get in trouble with the police?

Indigo: Uhm, duh - he's a skeleton....

DJ: Nope - that's not right....

Indigo: Because he's dead.

DJ: Uh, no....

Indigo: Uh, huh - he is dead.  How can the skeleton get in trouble if he's dead?

DJ: But that's not the answer to the joke. The answer is because everything they try to pin on him won't stick.

Indigo: But he's still dead.

DJ: Don't you get it?  I mean, you can't stick a pin in bones.

Me: Why would the skeleton avoid getting in trouble with the police because you can't stick pins in bone?  That doesn't make any sense....

Both: Uhmmm...

Indigo: He's dead!

At this point, we drove by the cows near the school which meant the girls had to stop talking and start mooing at the cows.

I love it when old phraseology doesn't translate.

But I do agree with Indigo.

Day 137 - Clematis

I took a picture of my clematis yesterday and just couldn't resist taking a few more.  The light at about 7pm is perfect for capturing the amazing color of these plants.

 As I was editing the pictures, I was just totally struck by how surreal these flowers look.  I didn't really muck with the color - but the way the petals look against the background makes these flowers look like they were painted.  Amazing.

And, this flower is the mutant flower.  It has too many petals in the middle.  

"Mommy, Mommy, take my picture!!"

I have no idea why we have random barbies around our yard.  I'd blame the dogs, but I think the kids are responsible for this one.  Barbie had a rough night last night, I guess.  

First Bank of Emmy

When I moved out to Oregon almost 14 years ago, I left my family behind in Iowa.  One brother was still in college while the other was still in high school.  My parents were convinced they were going to live and die in the same town they grew up.  And, I was happy to get the hell out of that small town.  I had fallen in love with Portland and the Pacific NW a few years before, so was happy to be heading out that way.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my family.  We have had our issues over the years, but we are far from even being a dysfunctional family.  We tend to be scarier than most families because we are passionate in our debates, we call each other out quite readily, and after a full toe-to-toe confrontation, we will be laughing and joking as though the last 10 minutes never happened.  This environment has scared the hell out of the possible "in-laws".

Garbanzo, for example, hides in the kitchen and cooks whenever we are all together.  Or he and my sister-in-law discuss how they will together raise the height of our family.  (My sister-in-law is almost 6' tall compared to my brother's 5'10".)  They both usually stay quiet and observe.  But see, these are things that have only started happening in the last three years after my brother and sister-in-law moved out to Oregon.  Then about a year after that my youngest brother moved out here.  Then last summer, my parents moved out here.

And, the biggest difference for me besides having my family at holidays?  They more readily ask me for money.  It must be the effects of living in the same state or something.  Who knows.  It has become an interesting phenomenon.

My brother and sister-in-law both work for newspapers.  No one will ever get rich doing that.  But it is their passion, and it pays the bills.....usually.  Of my family members, they have a 100% repayment rating.  But, of everyone, they have borrowed the least....right now.  With the newspaper downsizing as it has, mandatory pay cuts on top of mandatory unpaid days off, I suspect they may need some help soon.  I'm a sucker for my niece, so I'm screwed if they use her as part of the asking.

My youngest brother is a chef.  He said fuck formal training and went to the school of hard knocks.  As a result, the work ebbs and flows a bit more than usual.  His repayment rate is pretty good given how much money I have loaned him over the past year.

Then there are my parents.  Ahh....my parents.  I love them dearly.  We all do.  But, despite the fact my mom has training as a book keeper.  Despite how well she got them out of significant debt after they were swallowed with medical bills (thanks in part to my six surgeries with tubes in my ears over a six year period), she doesn't seem to be able to keep them doing more than making it from paycheck to paycheck.  My dad is partially to blame for this one, but that could be another post.  Their repayment rate is 0%, but I know too much and wouldn't let them pay me back if they could.  In fact, my brothers and I have already started discussing the establishment of their retirement fund because in the end, we'll be taking care of them in their old age - nothing else will.  I go along with it while commenting to Garbanzo afterwards that the reality is that Emmy will be taking care of the parents.  I mean, look at how my brothers manage their finances.

On a certain level, I am glad I am able to help my family.  I am glad I have a good paying IT job.  And, I'm glad I can do this without impacting my own family.  But, here is the rub.....I can always tell when one of them is going to ask for money.  The formula is always the same.  It starts with them calling me.  This, depending on the family member, can be the first important give away.  It follows with a huge build up of excitement about something (the luck is going to change sort of excitement), and then they ask for the money.  I'm more of a direct sort.  I am thankful my youngest brother has figured this out.  He now just cuts through the bullshit and asks.

For example:

Monday, I talk to my mom who calls out of the blue.  She starts talking to me about a house they are going to make an offer on.  They chose renting a year ago over buying because the housing market in that part of the state was starting to collapse.  They wanted to see how low it could go.  Good choice for them.  The house they were going to make an offer on sold for 3x the current sales price just 2 years ago.

So she's telling me all about this great house.  And, as she's going on and on, I can't help but wonder if she's buttering me up.  She wants to ask me something.  I am quickly doing a mental calculation of how much is in the savings account, and how much I'm willing to part with so I can have a ready answer.  Cynical, I know.  But, when she learns I'm sick, she quickly changes subjects, tells me to go rest, and she'll call another day.

Last night she calls me.  This time she gets it out.  They need to have earnest money in cash because this house is a short sale.  Can they borrow it from me?  I'm thankful at the amount she mentions.  I tell her I will send it to her.  Look for it in the mail.  I may just attach a note and say Merry Christmas.  (I'd say Happy Father's day because it's closer, but my dad is a little touchier about this whole asking your daughter for money thing.  But yet the touchiness has not stopped them yet.)

I wonder if I've had enough bad loaned that I could qualify for some bailout funds.  As an old boss I used to have would say when situations like this arose, "your reward will be in heaven, 'cause it likely won't be in this situation."..... I guess we'll see.  Until then, maybe I should have stationary made up.  Hmm....

Day 136 - How Does Your Garden Grow

It's amazing what a few days of sun and warmth does for the garden.

These are beans.  I planted them maybe a week ago.  They are all up now.

Our peas had just come up a week ago.  I swear they have grown an inch a day over the past couple days.

My clematis is going crazy.  I was pretty amazed that it even came back.  I didn't think it had survived the winter.  It was a nice surprise.

New Discovery

Despite my attempts to avoid catching the stomach flu going around, I got it.  Which, of course, was going to happen because Garbanzo is at Outdoor School all week.  We used to have a joke whenever my dad was at National Guard Summer Camp for two weeks - if something bad was going to happen, it would be while my mom was flying solo.  Most memorably was the fan fire that happened.  Or the 100 degree high humidity week when we all caught the stomach flu - a very bad one that lasted almost a full week.  And it hit my mom the worst.  Thankfully a good friend of my parents spent the week taking care of all of us.  I remember this one because I remember laying on the hardwood floors with the fan blowing on me inside of a dark house.  Or when my dad's hunting dog almost died.  

When Garbanzo left for his week of training in Vancouver, BC last summer, we had multiple tragic events.  The first was finding the neighbors tree in our backyard.  Or when one of the kids left the chinchilla cage open.  Bob, our yellow lab, was carrying around the female chinchilla playing with it like it was a toy.  Yes, she died.  And, we couldn't find her baby chinchilla for 24 hours.  We found him, but it began the bottle feeding of a chinchilla which thankfully went well.  

Thank God for the Internet.  While I laid in bed today, I took advantage of Hulu.  There are a lot of advertisements about Hulu these days.  Something about aliens, I think.  Hulu has a lot of shows from NBC, Bravo, USA, and Fox.  So, as I'm sick in bed curled up under the down comforter,  I watched TV on my laptop.  And, I discovered a show that will be added to my Tivo.  American Dad! is from the creators of The Family Guy.  It is wrong and twisted and hilarious.  The premise is simple - Dad is a "true American" & CIA employee.  Mom is a stay at home mom.  They have two kids - the college aged daughter who is a feminist and hippy chick - and the son who is a geek.  Oh, and they have an alien who  lives in their attic.

Because I feel the need to share my discovery, I thought I would share a clip with you.
Enjoy!

Day 135 - After School

We are very, VERY lucky that the after school program at the school is amazing.  The woman (Jo) who runs the program had her kids at the school at one point in her life, so she has a connection to the school in a deeper way than others.  And, the assistants that she has chosen over the years have the same passion she does.  And her goal isn't just to provide childcare, but to get the kids involved.  Several times a year, they do fundraisers.  During December, they raise money for Heifer International.  Halloween this year they made gift bags for the kids that would be in the hospital on Halloween.  Valentines Day, they make cards for the elderly in a local nursing home.  And, I believe they have also made cards for soldiers who are deployed as well.

Today was another gorgeous day - 80 degrees.  I was dreading going up to the school to be honest.  I caught this nasty stomach flu that is going around and would have preferred to stay in bed.  But, Garbanzo is spending the week at Outdoor School, so I didn't have much of a choice.

When I got up there, I discovered that they were not inside.  In fact, the room was dark like it had not been used outside of the kids just dumping their book bags.  I walked out to the field and found them all outside.  The assistant was playing a soccer game with some of the kids.  The other kids were playing other games or hiding in the deep grass.  That is the thing I love about Jo, so wants the kids to be kids.  Instead of keeping them inside where it is easier to control where they are at and where they can play on computers and such, she makes the decision that they are spending the afternoon outside.  No computers.  No electronics.  Just kids being kids.  I love it.

WATER FIGHT!!

When Garbanzo and I told the girls that our friend was moving in with us, we told them they were getting an older brother.  The kids were obviously confused by it all.  They asked questions and eventually guessed who was moving in with us.  They were excited.

What I think they have really enjoyed is the fact he will get bored and take them on excursions.  Yesterday, he took them on a weird scavenger hunt.  They walked around the neighborhood and took pictures of the odd things they found.  Since they were near the community college, finding weird things was pretty easy.  And because he is a teacher, he had DJ acting as scribe - recording the order in which they found the things as well as what they took pictures of.

Then they came back, ate ice cream, and played Wii until he declared it time for them to play outside.

They had asked to have a water fight in the backyard.  It was 80 degrees outside, so I told them they could but to keep it in the backyard.  Oh, and don't shoot Mexi who was napping on the hammock.  DJ and Indigo had a huge water fight.  And, eventually, they hit Mexi.

Mexi initially just relocated to the deck.  The kids continued to have their water fight complete with ongoing commentary and with a story regarding the battle itself.

That was until they hit him with the water again.....

He was nice when Indigo ran out of water....

Then he demanded their surrender.

In the end, they surrendered....except...

They don't appear to know what surrender means.

Day 134 - Discovery

Garbanzo left for outdoors school this afternoon.  All 6th graders get a chance to go to camp for one week.  The teachers accompany them.  Since Garbanzo hasn't paid his dues, or at least he hasn't felt like he has, he has volunteered fro the second year to go.

On the way home, I took this quick shot.  It's another gorgeous day in Portland.  Currently, it is 80 degrees.

We have had a colder than usual spring in the Pacific NW, so having these last few days is amazing.  And, we are supposed to be 70 degrees all week.  I think everyone is hoping this weather is here to stay.

Day 133 - Ouch

I fell asleep in the hammock.
The sun hates me.
But it is 80 degrees. I can't complain too much...until later when it
hurts like hell.

Curve Balls

I could make this post all about how life throws you curve balls you don't always see.  Or make some other metaphorical reference to batting, but I won't.

It wasn't my intent anyway.

Plus it's Saturday.  I'll leave the deep thinking for another day.

Instead, I present to you a demonstration of why as a batter, a curve balls looks like it is going straight until it curves at the last minute.  At a high level, the top spin on the ball makes it appear to be going straight while the whole time it is curving.  There is no sudden curve.  Pretty cool.

Here is the visual demonstration of it .

For a list of The Best Illusion winners, click here .

And yes, I do realize that while this wasn't a deeply philosophical post, it is scientific which can be deep - just a different kind.  And maybe a bit too much thinking for a Saturday. But, I thought it was cool.

Day 132 - Reward

As happens every Friday, DJ had taekwondo. It was a warm day, so the
reward for working hard was popcicles. I love how the are all
sittingin a straight line, legs crossed eating them.

Friday Field Trip

There are a lot of great sites on the web.  But, I have found two recently that has made me laugh harder than I have in a while.  In fact, I had to stop looking through them at work.  I didn't think I could contain my laughter.

I bring to you Awkward Family Photos

The second website is not for the faint of heart.  It is definitely geeky - in the science, math, and computer way.  VERY geeky. Like make fun of theorems geeky.  I have swiped one of my favorites to give you an idea.  (Full credit goes to the Abstruse Goose.)

Go to the Abstruse Goose for more....and if you hit one that is way too over your head (and you will too), keep going....for every one you don't quite understand, there are some ones that you do.

Oh, and this one summed up my interaction with boys in high school nicely....ahh...memories..

Then I found this one Oddee . It is another site of lists.  Like 10 Clever Protest Signs or 10 Most Bizarre Beauty Pageants .

Happy Friday!

Day 131 - Distracted

I got so distracted tonight that I almost forgot my picture of the
day. Wonder why I was so distracted?

Day 130 - Concert & Other Stuff

Tonight, I had the joy of seeing both of my kids perform in the spring music concert.  The music teacher did a great job with each grade block (all classes are blended: K-1, 2-3, 4-5).  And for parents who have spent the day at work, she got the concert done in under an hour.  I appreciated her efficiency.

The funniest picture I got all night is when DJ had a solo.  First off, I'm a horrible parent.  I had no idea she had a solo.  None.  She didn't mention it, nor did Garbanzo.  Hell, I'm surprised Indigo didn't mention it.

She gets up there with the other soloists and I notice one thing.  She is literally head and shoulders above her peers.  The kids standing next to her are in her grade.

In fact, the kid right next to her is our friend's daughter.  Notice the mike is set to be at DJ's level.  The rest of the kids stood on their tippy toes to sing into it.  She did great.  She was confident and poised.  As weird as it sounds, I can see how much taekwondo has helped her.  Notice her stance - very attentive, very controlled, and definitely focused.   And her confidence was amazing.  People commented afterwards how together she was compared to the other kids who were nervous.

Indigo did just as well.  She had fun.  She has been singing the songs for months, so none were a surprise to me.  But, her enthusiasm was great.  Afterwards when I picked her up in her classroom, she introduced me to the two class chicks.  Let's just say egg hatching did not go well.  The kids, including Indigo, do not know that their classroom chicks are actually swap outs.  Indigo was also excited to show us that she had lost, yet another, tooth.  Thankfully the tooth fairy stockpiles lost tooth gifts.

Before the concert, since I arrived to the school early to eat dinner with the family, I ran on their track.  Can I just say how much I love running in the rain?  I know, I'm weird.  But, I should also mention how much I hate running on tracks too.  So, there I am running in the rain, cursing the fact it is on a track, and being thankful for the amazing location, at least.  

I needed to run today.  My week has been bad.  I have decided that I shouldn't be allowed around people.  Today, I started my morning getting into it with the head consultant on site.  What I had hoped would be a constructive conversation turned ugly.  Really ugly.  Like, me telling him that "I probably care more about the long-term solutions being proposed because I'm going to have to support the shit his team puts into place" ugly.  I ended up walking away before I threw my coffee cup at him.

Yesterday, I got pissy with a group of consultants and employees who had brought me in the room to tell me how I needed to do something.  I ended up hijacking the meeting, cutting the main contributor off at the knees, telling them how it would be solved, then adjourning the meeting.  I took this guy's 2 hour meeting and made it 25 minutes.  Had his approach been different, I doubt I would have been that bad.  But, it wasn't, so I was.

Monday, Mr Chatty almost got duct taped to his chair.  If that man showed up in my cube one more time, I was going to ask if he was lonely and wanted a cube mate.  If I put on my headphones, it was guaranteed that he would be in my cube two minutes later.  I don't think I got through a single CD.  What did he want?  To talk....about nothing I cared about.

Outside of work, people were annoying me.  Not everyone, but some people.  A lot of it came down to expectations.  Or what they said they wanted actually matching what they were doing (or not doing).    I hate that.  I'm a person who says what she is going to do - then does it.  I know, crazy concept.  But, at least I'm not asking of others what I don't expect of myself.

So, to those who have left comments, sent me emails and/or texts - I thank you.  Seriously.  I do.  My natural tendency is to say "fuck the world" and becomes a recluse at least for the time.  Thank you for reminding me that the world isn't made up of people out to piss me off.  And thank you for giving me something else to think about.   Even if that drives me crazy in other ways. (As for that comment - you know who you are!)

Thursday, I get to pleasure of being full-time on the project that is pissing everyone off.  What does that mean? It means I get to be sequestered in a conference room with the business core team and the consultants - for the next three months.  How did I earn this pleasure? Well, I'm like Captain Kirk....a problem solver, someone who will jump into bad situations and rescue them.  Sorry, channeling Mr Chatty for a moment.  Actually, I believe it is a case of "no good deed goes unpunished".  The boss has had it.  She has thrown the do-ers into the mix now.  Good for the project - bad for us.  This should be very interesting.  The only upside is the fact that I know the business team members really well.  We've all worked together for too long.  This will be very interesting.  At least if I'm stuck in the conference room, it means Mr Chatty won't bother me.  Another upside!

Anyway, hope everyone has a great Thursday!  Great, if for no other reason, that Friday and the weekend is right around the corner!

Two Random Snippets of Conversations

The kids are up well past their bedtime.  They had had a long day.  And, Indigo came in and announces she's cold; what can she use as a blanket.

I look at the clock and say, "Indigo, it's 8:30 - do you know what time it is?"

She gives me an odd look and says, "yeah, it's 8:30."

I hate being outsmarted by a 6-year-old.

+++++++++++++++

I asked Mr Chatty about his weekend Monday morning.  He told me he took his girlfriend to see Star Trek shown at IMAX over the weekend.

Her reaction: she was amazed at how Kirk's life is very similar to Mr Chatty's own childhood as well as adulthood.

Missing father. Check.
Taking 3 years to do it versus 4 which was standard. Check.
Taking over in a crisis. Check.

Yes, he compared himself to Captain Kirk.

I guess I just figured out why he was so hell bent on everyone seeing the movie.  No wonder it always feel crowded in our corner.  His ego takes up most of the space.

Day 129 - Budget

The school district is planning on asking the teachers to work unpaid
days to help make up some of the budget short fall. Last time they did
that, the union (much to Garbanzo's chagrine) agreed to give the
district 10 free days of work without pay. The teachers were the only
group that did that. The district promises not to just do that to the
teachers this time. We shall see.

I came to get the girls today and saw this on Garbanzo's desk. His
brand new voice-over-IP phone. A phone that costs about $300.

I understand grants and restrictions put on them. I understand the
advantages of VoIP versus copper/traditional telephone systems. I also
understand the cost savings.

But I can also do the math. It all better be grant money. Because this
is hard for me to understand at a time like this...especially since
there are cheaper solutions than this name brand one they chose. Hell,
we are looking at the open source (free) one for our work.

Can't wait to find out his cut in pay. At least he'll have a shiny new
phone.

Rights of a Child

The other morning on the way to work, I heard a snippet from The Daily Show where Jon Stewart is making fun of the fact that the US and Somalia are the only two countries in the UN to not ratify the global children's rights treaty.  The joke was something about pirates.  I don't recall it because I was too intrigued by why we haven't ratified this thing.

At a high level, opponents in the US are afraid that parental rights are in jeopardy.  That the government could start making things like spanking illegal using the treaty as justification, thus usurp the parents and national sovereignty.

I really felt like I must be missing something.  So, I did some quick research on the subject on Wikipedia.

This treaty is almost 20 years old.  193 countries have ratified it.  The goal is to provide a framework for guaranteeing children basic protections - food, shelter, contact with parents, protections against abuse (capital punishment is mentioned, but not corporal punishment), health care, eduction.

The US is exploring a possible Constitutional Amendment to protect parental rights.  This is our way of ensuring this treaty, if ratified,  does not infringe of parents.  Really?

For me, I look at what we already do to protect children and clearly our laws support the spirit of the treaty.  For example:

Deny your children medical care which results in them dying or causing permanent harm - it's child abuse and/or neglect (or more).

Deny your children food - it's child abuse and neglect.  People go to jail for it.

Don't send your kid to school.  That was can be trickier to deal with - but you can get in trouble for it.

Beat your child with a tire iron for being "bad", it's abuse.

We as a society raise money to make sure kids have clothes and shelter and food.  Food banks, shelters, clothes closets are just a few ways we do it.

We have governmental programs (good or bad) to help make sure parents can keep food on the table - WIC and food stamps are a few.  Keep the lights on or the heat on - you have funds through social services usually.

Child pornography is illegal.  Child prostitution is illegal.  Child labor is closely controlled and illegal before a certain age.

What am I missing besides the corporal punishment question??

This treaty also gives the child rights to have relationships with their parents even if they are not in the custody of their parents.  Seems like a small win for the parents in this one.

Garbanzo and a couple friends of mine in social services can show example after example of that one.  These kids need protection.  They didn't ask to be born.  They were born.  And these grossly underpaid, overworked people are trying to educate them, trying to educate the parents on how to be parents (like you must give your kids a bath occasionally or wash their clothes), trying to find the parents resources to keep them in a house or apartment, trying to make sure the kids have food and clothes and heat.   And in some cases, must remove the child from the parents due to abuse.  Must try to get the parent to do the right thing and give their children to protective services because they can't take care of them and fight the heroin addiction.

Not to get all political on you, but I find it to be an oxymoron - one I've always tried to figure out about conservatives.  Pro-life - but anti-child protections?  The same people who are fighting for the protections of the unborn are fighting to keep this treaty from being signed.

Again, I ask, what am I missing?

Day 128 - Strawberries

I love this time of year.  The only problem with getting these in our weekly organic fruits and veggies box is that it will be a fight to see who gets to eat them.  We could all eat our body weight in them.  These strawberries are all perfect too.   I don't think anyone will notice if a few are missing.

Don't Be a Dick (updated)

When we arrived at Dante's Saturday night, we were greeted with signs hanging everywhere telling people "Don't be a dick" - and warning that you get one warning before getting thrown out.  We were there to see Richard Cheese, lounge singer extraordinaire, were they really worried about that?

I had heard Richard Cheese on the radio from time to time.  He likes to take songs like Nine Inch Nails "Closer" and perform it lounge style.

The concert was great.  Richard Cheese spent about half of the time wandering through the audience as he was singing.  Or rearranging the people in the VIP section so that the women were all in the center thus ensuring if anyone got up and danced, he would have a good view of the women.  He upgraded someone to the VIP section.  No shock that he picked a woman, but he made her try out for the seat.  Specifically, he wanted to see what the woman would look like when she jumped up and down.  Yes, he's the sleazy lounge act guy.

If you ever have a chance to see him, go see him.  It is hilarious - and well worth the pain of seeing him.

Which leads me to the pain of seeing him.  It was all standing room only (except for maybe the 30 people in the VIP section).  So, everyone was crammed into the remaining areas.  As someone who is 5'5", this made it difficult to see him.  Especially when the guy standing in front of you is 6'8" - and built like a linebacker.  And extremely drunk.  Mexi went with me, and we spent the whole time pushing him back upright.  He had this tendency to sway backwards.  Mexi was afraid he was going to fall on me when he finally went down.  After the concert was over, the guy thanked us for keeping him upright during the concert.  Yeah, we did it for him.

So, I leave you with a little Vanilla Ice as performed by Richard Cheese....



Update: Here is Mexi's take on the night. He took pictures . :)

Mother's Day

My mom and I have had an interesting relationship over the years.

As her first child and her only daughter, she had big hopes for me.  She was looking forward to having a little princess dressed in pink wanting to do girly things.  Instead she ended up with a daughter who would rather be outside playing football and baseball with the boys.  Who was more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt than in a dress.  Who shunned clothes shopping and couldn't put together a matching outfit if her life depended on it.  (I still shun it - I continually ask Garbanzo if things match.)  I was not the daughter she had hoped for.

These differences created issues as I grew older.  She felt outnumbered by the boys, and instead of having someone on her side, she had a traitor on the boys' side.  I knew this was how she felt because she used it to guilt me.  (My mom was raised a good Catholic - she knew how to wield guilt.  And wield it she did.)

When I hit puberty, all hell broke loose.  I pretty openly rejected her.  To be blunt, I saw her as weak.  She tiptoed around issues instead of calling them out.  She never spoke her mind.  I never saw her stand up for herself with anyone including my brothers.  She was my opposite, and it drove me nuts.  And, I drove her nuts in return.

To give you an idea of the kind of relationship she and I had.  My friend of 25 years likes to remind me of this story quite often because I was on the phone with him at the time.  I was talking to him when my mom came up wanting to talk to me.  I stopped what I was saying and told her that it was rude to interrupt someone while they were on the phone.  She immediately apologized and turned to walk away.  She got two steps when it dawned on her what I had done.  She turned and yelled, "Wait a minute!  I'm your mother.  I get to interrupt you on the phone.  Now get off of it. NOW!"    I was a master of turning the tables on her.  I was 16.

Now because I have just painted myself as a horribly rebellious child, I figure I should give you an idea of who I was as a teenager.  I was a straight A student.  I worked 20-25 hours a week during the school year.  I played sports and was on the debate team.  I was a National Merit Scholar.  I was fixated on college - and that kept me from doing anything that could have detracted me from that goal.  I was mouthy, but that was pretty much it.  I was not a burden on them.  I took care of things myself.  They got true rebellion with my brothers.

In retrospect, we did have common ground.  We were always swapping books.  She and I read in the same manner - we devour whatever we can get our hands on.  So I would hand her everything I read, and she would give her pile to me.  We liked weird movies.  Both are chocoholics and made sure there was something chocolate in the house.

After I moved to Oregon, things finally got resolved.  My mom had sent me a birthday gift that was a memory book about her and us.  In the book, she told me things I never knew she felt.  She told me she was happy I spoke my mind.  That I could stand up for myself.  That I knew exactly what I wanted in life and went after it not letting anything get in my way.  All of the traits the frustrated the hell out of her growing up, she was thankful I had them.   In fact, she told me she wished she had some of those same traits herself.

Hearing that from her was a turning point for us.  She acknowledged me as the person I was versus the person she had wished I was.  We started having adult conversations after that.  She stopped treating me like a kid, and I stopped treating her like I did as a teenager.  

And now, I find myself being protective of her.  I am the one chastising my brothers for how they treat her.  They still talk down to her or try to do it.  I am the first to point out to them how she helps them.  Oh, we still tease her.  She is the odd-ball personality in our family, but she's learned to give it back to us.  She's learned we do it out of love and not because we don't respect her.  In fact, she can now dish it out. Probably the funniest things we get her to do (and only would this be funny in my family) is to use the word "fuck".   My mom now knows it isn't us versus them - just us.

So, Happy Mother's Day!   I love you, Mom!   While I am sorry it took us so long to figure out our relationship, I am glad we finally did.  And, yes, I know that one of my daughters will put me through the same hell I put you through.  I am just happy to have you close by and willing to give advise if I need it.

(and yes, I have told her all of this....I am acutely ware that life is too short. )

Day 126 - A Hook

I'm sitting on the back deck this afternoon reading a book in the sun.  I looked up on one of the posts the supports the overhang and saw that Garbanzo had hung a hook.

He bought this hook a year or two ago while on a field trip.  It has floated around the house for a while in search of a home.

It seemed like an odd place to hang it.  So, I asked him:



"Why did you hang it there?"

"To hang things on."

"Did you have a specific purpose for putting it there?"

"Yeah, to hang things on.  That's what hooks do."

Guess I deserved that.

Odds and Ends

Yesterday I was forced to go see Star Trek under the guise of "team building".  As Hubman correctly pointed out to me, team building while watching a movie doesn't seem like team building.  Very true - especially when everyone refused to sit next to each other.   Unlike the team from another company that came to view the movie, we literally sat with a chair between each of us.  It was quite funny honestly.

Work over the past few weeks has been amazingly stressful due to a project getting stalled.  As we get the issues worked out, it has become clear that maybe this project isn't what the company truly needs.  On one hand, better to discover it now.  On the other hand, I personally am making a list of all of the companies I will have to go begging to if this project doesn't happen.  If you recall a few months ago, I was happy to tell a lot of the vendors to go away and take their six-figure support contracts with them.  Yep, if we don't do this project, I get to go begging.  I don't mind eating crow, but I do mind watching our budget go through the roof.  And I don't want to even think about all of the contract negotiations I get to do.  Ugh.

Going to the Star Trek movie was a way for us to leave the building and decompress.  Usually we put in backup plans in case something does come up of a critical nature.  Today we left.  No notice to the company.  No notes on the boards.  Nothing.  It was a nice change of pace.  (I personally have bought a ticket to a 'team viewing' of a movie, and promptly had to leave before the previews because of a problem.  I'm glad that didn't happen to anyone.)  Doing this was exactly what everyone needed.

Speaking of eating crow, I did like the movie.  The back story on the characters was great.  I liked that the movie found a balance between being being seriously and not taking itself too serious.  And, in parts where it could have been campy, they avoided it well.  Even during the serious scenes, there was some comic relief that helped the story line but didn't detract from the action.   Oh, and the actors and actresses playing the younger version of the characters did a stellar job.  They kept the characters true, but at the same time gave them amazing dimension.  I was impressed.

Friday night for me was quiet.  After spending some time with friends, I spent the evening relaxing and reading and just doing whatever I wanted to do.  Each year for the school auction, the principal and Garbanzo do an overnight.  They sell 25 slots for the kids to sleep overnight at the school.  The kids years ago created a legend about the school being haunted, so they do a ghost tour where the kids get to go into the teacher's lounge and other areas of the school off limits to the kids.  They play tag outside in the dark with glow sticks.  They eat pizza.  They watch movies.  And they do other fun activities.  The girls do this overnight each year as does the principal's kids.  This gives me a free night.  And, the ability to sleep in the next morning.

Saturday night, I have another night to myself.  This time, I am going to a concert.  Garbanzo, for my birthday the last few years, has given me tickets to the summer concerts around town.  He gets two tickets for each event.  It is not assumed he gets the other ticket - that is up to me.  This is how he makes up for all of the nights out where I get stuck with the kids.  Saturday is the first concert at a small club downtown, and it's Richard Cheese.  I haven't seen him in concert, but I have heard him.  It should be hilarious.  If you have not heard of Richard Cheese, go find him on iTunes or something and listen to the snippets of his songs.  You will understand why this should be entertaining.

I have at least 6 concerts plus the 4th of July baseball game which will be a family activity.  The girls fell in love with going to baseball games last year, so have been begging to go see more games this year.  They like it because I explain the game to them - and we keep score.  I get to demonstrate to them (and usually the men sitting around me) my uncanny knack of recalling what and where the batter hit last time.  When you are catching, having the ability to remember what the batter did last time at bat helps you direct the field.  It also helps ensure you call the right pitch.  It is a habit now.  Garbanzo laughs because we can usually hear a man or two explain to his wife or buddy what is happening - and it is exactly what I said a few seconds before.  It's a fun game to play.  My all time favorite is years ago when we lived two blocks from the field and would go see games almost every weekend they were in town.  Garbanzo asked me why they were setting up the infield for a First and Third play (runners at first and third bases.  Garbanzo never played baseball, and even watching it never watched it with someone who had.  So, he can ask a lot of questions.) I explained the four options they have in those situations, when they are used, etc.  We heard at least 4 different guys around us give their buddies, word for word, the explanation I had just given to him moments before.  Garbanzo made a comment pretty loudly that he was glad his wife was there to explain the game to so many people.

So who else am I going to go see?  Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, The B52s, the Indigo Girls, and the Veronicas.   Quite the variety Garbanzo got me.  I will definitely have to call my sister-in-law for Death Cab and the Decemberists.  She is a HUGE fan of both - and a good choice to come with me.  They are playing at a local brewery/winery in an outdoor concert - a good brewery too which makes my SIL another good choice.  Maybe I should just book us a room at the hotel that is on site.  The B52s and Indigo Girls are playing at the Zoo concerts.  Hope it doesn't rain for these concerts - because I will be outside regardless.

I am just glad that Garbanzo looked at a calendar while buying tickets this year.  Last year he had me going to three concerts, three consecutive nights, in two separate places.  I ended up giving my brothers and their wives my Beck tickets.  I couldn't make it down to Bend and back for work - and taking the day off was not an option that time.  My younger brother is still thanking me for letting him go - Beck puts on a great concert.

Then on Sunday, my friend is coming over, we're going to do a bike ride, and come back for brunch.  I am happy she wants to go biking each Sunday because, as horrible as this sounds, she needs it.  Mentally and physically, she needs it.  I need it too, so I'm glad to drag her along if she's willing.  We're going to do a relatively easy ride Sunday so I can get an idea of how ready she is to do more. I know she hasn't been out this year.  I'm just thankful we both have the same kind of bikes with the same modifications.  I have learned from riding with Garbanzo that riding with someone on a road bike sucks when you are on a mountain bike - I don't care what kind of tires are on it.

Hope everyone has a good Saturday!

Day 125 - Star Trek

I was just handed my ticket.
After all of this complaining, I will probably like it. That way I
have to eat crow with Garbanzo and others.

Here is some more insight into the IT person's mind. We ended up with
an extra ticket. When the boss asked who should we give it to, our
response was "who will we need a favor from?" A list of names quickly
followed. I guess next time, we should have this group conversation in
an office and not shouting over cubes. Might make the ticket offer
more sincere.

Too Snarky?

A few months back, I shared with you a networking joke.  A networking joke that my cohort Mr Chatty put in a presentation for his team.  

Guess what?  They never got it.  

Guess who's pissed?  Yep - Mr Chatty.  

Guess who has good Scottish blood like I am?  Mr Chatty.  Which means he is REALLY pissed.  

Layer on top of this discover the fact Mr Chatty was up all night Sunday troubleshooting an issue with the phone system his team should have been able to solve, and the guy is out for blood.

His team's explanation as to why they couldn't do it is that they don't understand how the phone system works.

Mr Chatty put together a presentation called "how to troubleshoot a phone issue".  He sent me a copy and asked, "is this too snarky?"

First off, that is not a good question to ask a person who is snarky and a smart ass.  Before opening it, I call over to him and asked "really, do you think I'm the right person to make this judgment call?"  

His response was "just read it"

I did.

I laughed so hard; I almost cried.  

He stood in the entrance of my cube and said, "I guess I should reword it?"

After I regained the ability to speak, I told him not to change it.  

My favorite parts were the section entitled "the journey of a phone call" where he tells the story about a phone call and its journey through the system to a person who answer & the recommended reading which included "Telephony for Dummies".  

Snarky? Yes.

Too Snarky? Probably.

Deserved? Absolutely.

He's tried reason.  He's tried patience.  I think it is time he tries snarky.

Like I said, I probably am not the right judge on this one.

He left it alone and presented it last night.  The feedback from the main guy who caused him grief: "Is it really that simple?"

Gee, way to catch up there, Brainiac.  Think that's why your boss is pissed off at you? 

I guess the point was made.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oh, and think of me this afternoon. I am being forced by Mr Chatty to go to see the new Star Trek movie.  He calls it "team building".  I call it him taking advantage of this decision being made while I was out of the office, thus getting to make it for me.

 I am an IT geek, but not a Trekkie.  Yes, you would expect the two to go hand-in-hand, but I'm a rebel that way.  And yes, Mr Chatty knows this little fact about me.  He asked me two days before convincing our boss that this would be a great team building activity.  Yes, I'm happy I'll be out of the office for a few hours. I would just rather pick my own movie. I don't hate Star Trek, just don't get the cult following.

One of our analysts who was moved into the IT department a year ago is the one really not looking forward to it.  We are sitting in our weekly IT staff meeting talking about the movie, when she recounts a conversation she had with her son about it.

"See that movie, Tim? I have to go see it with the IT geeks at work."
"I bet they are ubber geeks if they want to see that movie."
"Yeah, Tim, they are ubber geeks."

You could hear a pin drop as all of her peers are staring at her with blank expressions.  She didn't quite get it until I said "You know you are surrounded by 'ubber geeks' right now, don't you?  Oh, and you are now one of us, Ms I've-been-writing-code-all-day."

The light bulb went on, and she turned an interesting shade of red, then started talking about the Star Trek movies asking if people think they did a great job with the casting, etc.   She knows more about the movie than I do.  Yet, I'm the ubber geek....hmmm...well, I did redeem myself when the conversation turned the new Wolverine movie  and someone said "I guess they changed his origin not that I know what it is."  Sadly, thanks to Garbanzo, I do.  Ubber geek status reinstated.

Happy Weekend!