Graduation

Tonight was graduation for all the theatre students we've worked with over the years.  Some of them we've worked with since they were in 6th grade, some we met later but became close with and helped them rehearse for auditions for college, some even became part of our family.

So, what to say to the graduates?  There are all the usual things like "this is your moment to go out and do something" or "you're starting your next big chapter" blah blah blah.   There's also the realistic "Hey congrats on finishing the EASIEST PART OF YOUR LIFE" or the "You're not special, you're average just like everyone else."

All these things may be true depending on your point of view, but other people have said it better than I have.   So perhaps I'll just give some random advice:

• Don't be an asshat.  They make regular hats, so keep your head out of your ass.

• Don't worry, in 100 years you'll probably be dead, so what you do right now doesn't really matter in the great scheme of the universe.

• Education is about expanding your mind, not getting a job.  You'll get a job with any degree, so study what you like and find the things in it that are applicable to other professions.

• Stop eating crap.  You will get fat, and you will not be happy about it.

• Accumulate experiences, not junk.  Eventually you'll just throw all that junk away, but experiences will stick with you forever.

• Just because you're graduating doesn't mean you have to dump all your friends becuase you need new "better" college friends.  Yes, you will make new friends, but don't cut out the people you care about now just because you knew them in High School.  People who do this end up breaking rule 1.

• In related news, sometimes you will drift apart from friends.  It happens.  It's not the end of the world.  Catch a meal with them when you're in town together, and don't make it a big thing.

• Do many things until you find what you love.  You may love many things.

• The excuse "I'm too busy" is bullshit.  You will find the time for things you care about.

• You're paying to get an education, not a degree.  A degree is just a symptom of the glorious sickness called education.  It's not a check list, it's not a grade, it's not an achievement to unlock.  It's about learning to think, to engage, to be part of the world.  If you are just getting through it, you're doing it wrong.

• You get what you pay for.  Always.

• Go visit your instructors during office hours.  You're going to need letters of recommendation so you should get to know them.  They also may have opportunities you hadn't heard about that they can point you toward.

• Get some freaking dress clothes, and learn how to not look like a bum.

• You're not as smart as you think you are.

• You're smarter than you think you are.

• Just shut up and do the work.  Stop procrastinating.  You're only hurting yourself by not getting the education that YOU ARE PAYING FOR!

• Think ahead.  How are the things you're doing now going to help you later?  Is this job going to help you get the next job?  Are you with people who will be there for you in the future?  What you do now shapes what you'll do later.

• If people aren't treating you right, WHAT ARE YOU DOING.  Don't take that shit.

• Remember, that people have been around for thousands of years.  They somehow managed to survive, and so will you.  In fact think about where we've come if you're getting overly stupid about things, because it's a good way to ground yourself.  Just look up at the moon and think about people 5,000 years ago and what they might have thought looking up at the moon.  Or think of what astronauts thought looking back from it.  It really puts things in perspective.

• Don't waste your life.  You may *believe* whatever you want, but the *fact* is that as far as any of us *know* this is the only life you get.  So how do you really want to spend it?  Make it count.

So I guess that's my advice.  It's very random and stream of thought, but that's how I write.  I wish all the students I've worked with the very best.  They have influenced me so much and I will miss them all greatly.   I hope they all succeed, live a life worth living, and do great things with their lives.  It's not much to ask, so don't disappoint me.  :D

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 85

Our roses are going nuts!  I love these roses.










Picture 86
The pink roses are amazing.  They smell wonderful.

Last Minute Messes

Well, we're less than 36 hours from our departure for vacation, but let me tell you the last few hours are the worst.  First you really want to be on vacation so you're counting down and the day seems to go so much slower.  This is especially true because it's our first vacation in 13 months!  The other issue is that you have so many things you need to get done.  In our case today I had to wash some clothes, pack, finish any last minute travel arrangements.  I also have to consider some house tasks.  It rained today and I'm not sure if I'll be able to mow the lawn, but it might be out of control if I have to wait till I'm back.  I also never got around to getting new shoes, but mine are totally shot.

We also have to clean a few things, and give a rundown to our pet babysitter.  Then we had to go get some more pet food because they probably will run out, even though we're not quite sure, but better safe than sorry.  I also have some theatre related work I need to get done before we leave so I can continue working on it and have it all ready to go when we get back.

This better be a nice relaxing trip.  I can't wait to get to the ocean.  Also, I expect the blogs to be far more interesting over the next 10 days because I'll be recapping all the fun adventures we'll be on while we're in Florida.


Photo(s) of the Day:

Picture 83
I decided to take a walk and stretch my legs.  For some reason I think the new desk is really bothering my leg, so getting up and moving around seems to help.  It was only a few minutes to walk around North Campus, but it was nice to move around.  It got pretty hot and humid out, which isn't great, but it looks lovely in the picture.  This is the bell tower on North Campus.



Picture 84
I walked right up to the area next to the bell tower, and decided to take a little picture looking up at it.  I thought it was kind of neat.  I like the way the clouds look like they're swirling off the lamp post.

 

A Mixed Bag

I'm really stuck about what to write about today.  I guess I'll just say today had a variety of things going on.  First it was hot and humid which was no fun.  Next there was this event at work that disrupted the normal schedule, but the upside to this was that I got to eat some delicious food.  Finally it was Honors Convocation for Jasmine, so we sat and saw her recognized for a number of different awards.  I though it was kind of dumb that most of it was just "stand and be recognized" which is ok for keeping things short, but if they really deserve the honor then perhaps it would be better to have them actually come up and receive it.  Perhaps this just means some of the "honors" are really just participation awards and really don't mean much.  Some do, of course, but do you really deserve to take up everyone's time because you played a sport for 4 years? 

Also, dinner was an Icee and Italian Cheese Bread.


Photo(s) of the Day:

Picture 82
Saw this beautiful cloud as we were coming out of Honors Convocation last night for Jasmine.  About 10 minutes later the whole top had blown away, it was kind of neat to watch it blow down.  I love summer because you get to see a lot of neat things like this.

A Dark Room

Today wasn't a good day.  Going back to work after having a nice long three day weekend really put me in a foul mood.  I recently got some advice on getting a different job.  Turns out what I'm trying to do is a "career change", which seems absurd that making coffee can be called a career.  In reality I took this path knowing it was a dead end, but did it because it would work with my school schedule so I could stop doing it and be a teacher.  Turns out the universe is like a bratty 10 year old that likes to burn ants with a magnifying glass.  Not only am I not a teacher but I'm also stuck in this "career" because I've been doing it for the last 8 years.  The advice was welcome, but unfortunately I already do much of what was suggested, and the other suggestions aren't going to help me much.

Pretty much I feel like I've been locked in a dark room.  I can't see anything, I don't know where the door out is.  Every so often I see the outline of a door with light shining through the cracks, but when I go to open it someone punches me in the face and throws me back into the dark.  So, then I'm just stumbling around in the dark, trying to find a way out but really I'm just aimlessly wandering around blind.

Photo(s) of the Day:

Picture 81

Becky made scones! YUM!  My favorite is blueberry but the chocolate chip are good too.  Usually she does a glaze but didn't do it this time, sad.  Glaze makes them even better!

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, and today you're supposed to think about those who died while serving in the military.  It's actually a holiday that started in the Civil War era and people were supposed to decorate the graves of those who died.  I don't actually know anyone who died while serving in the military, so I don't really have a personal connection with this day.

On the other hand both of my grandfathers served in the military.  The grandfather I knew was stationed in Europe.  He didn't talk about it much, and it wasn't during any conflicts as it was in the 1950s.  He mentioned having visited Paris, and told a story about eating horse on the ship that brought him back to the U.S. when he was done serving. 

The grandfather I didn't know too well also served, but he was a bit older so he was in the military during World War II.  We never really visited much, and they didn't visit us.  Most of the times we did visit I was pretty  young so it wasn't a subject we talked about.  There was one visit though where he did talk about it a bit.  I know he joined up and was sent to Hawaii, he was in the Army, and he was there on base when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.  He talked about how he was on leave at the time of the attack and tried to make it back to the base when things started happening but they locked it down so he had to sneak back in over a fence or down a hill or something. I don't recall exactly what he said.  He also pulled out a box that had his medals.  I remember there were at least three that he had, and one of them was a Purple Heart, but I don't recall if he ever said what they were for.

I wish I had known more about these things, I was so young that I didn't ask.  By the time I was in college learning about these things both of them were gone.  I also never had much of a relationship with the one, and the other wasn't a super great relationship.  He was there but that was about it.

So, that's my thoughts today on this Memorial Day.  It's good to remember those who fought and died serving this country, and those who are still serving today.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 80
Errol was rolling around on the closet floor as I was brushing my teeth tonight.  He was being really funny, but was moving too much because it took me multiple attempts before I was able to catch a picture of  him.

Cookout Season

Well, traditionally Memorial Day weekend is considered the kick off to summer, and Labor Day weekend being the end of summer.  I love this season because it means there are a ton of great foods that are in season, like the delicious watermelon we had today.  It also means that there are tons of cookouts going on.  I mean we've already been using the grill so this is just kind of the "grand opening" event of the year, but whatever.  The point is that it's now cookout season and that is my favorite season.

Today we went over to some friends to have a holiday cook out.  The food was delicious and it was an enjoyable time.  I also got to spend the early part of the day hanging out with my cousins who were up for a wedding of some sort!  It was a great time to sit around and chat.  I also got my first sunburn of the year.  I don't usually get sunburns like this, but we were sitting out in the sun for longer than I thought and I was pretty red when I got home.  It didn't really hurt, but I don't like to burn since it's not good for you.

All in all it was a nice day of sitting, enjoying the weather, eating good food, and having a lovely time.  So Happy Grilling Season to everyone!

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 79
Peanut had to have some whipped cream, so this is the result. 

Bon Fire

Tonight we headed over to Becky's cousin to have a little bon fire.  It was a lovely evening for one because it was actually quite chilly.  I also had my first ever smore.  I've often toasted marshmallows, but we've just never done smores.  So tonight I tried one and it wasn't bad.  I have to say that the chocolate would be better if it really melted more.  I think I may prefer them just with the marshmallow and the graham cracker.  Anyhow, it was a nice evening for a bon fire, and a good time.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 78
A lovely bon fire on a very cool night.

Take A Hike

Today being a beautiful day and combined with the fact that I got out of work about 90 minutes before Becky did (we carpool) I found myself with nothing to do.  So, rather than sitting in the office watching Netflix on my phone or playing some sort of game while I waited I instead decided to take a walk.  I figured I had about 90-120 minutes to kills, so why not see how far I could go.

I started from North Campus and decided to head in the direction of Gallup Park.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but the temperatures weren't that high and there was a nice cool breeze too.  I walked right past the Ford Presidential Library.  I considered going in, but decided to look up information on it first.  Turns out this is the library which is separate from the museum.  The museum is in Grand Rapids, so I don't know that there would be much for me to investigate had I gone in.

The next part of my walk was along a very tree lined street which leads to Huron High School.  It was a pretty nice walk, but the street was pretty busy so there was a lot of traffic noise.  When I made it to Huron High School I got to watch some kids playing Cricket as I went past.  It's kind of weird because I've never seen anyone play Cricket.  I don't know a lot about it, but it seemed like they must have been learning because they didn't seem to have the pitch set up quite right.  It also made me think of my World History class because we'd watch a movie at the end of the trimester that had an important Cricket match.  This made me miss teaching a lot.

The longest portion of my walk was through Gallup Park.  I've only been to Gallup once before during a field trip for my Geology class.  This was far better because I got to go at my own pace and enjoy all the scenery, watch the ducks and geese.  I was amused by this woman running and her little boy was following her along on his bike.  He kept saying he was SOOOOOO tired, and was huffing and wheezing.  It was all for show because as soon as I was in view he got really quiet and sped up like he was having a good time.

The path I was following led me under US-23, which reminded me of a story I read today about another bridge collapse, and the aging infrastructure that is in serious need of updating.  I wasn't worried that it was going to fall down on me or anything, but walking under it just reminded me of that news story, and the of course that bridge in I believe Minnesota that fell into the river.  By the time I got to this part of my walk I got text from Becky that she made it out of work earlier than expected.  She needed to get gas then drive to where I was, so we ended up meeting at the WCC campus.  So, it was about an hour, but my walk ended up at about four miles.  It was nice to get out and enjoy the lovely day. 

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 71
A lovely look down the street on North Campus.  To the left is the Ford Presidential Library.  I actually wasn't aware this was even here until a few weeks ago when Becky mentioned it.  I thought President Ford's library was on the West side of the state, but turns out there is one here and on the West side.
  
Picture 72
There were a ton of geese hanging around it Gallup Park.  This one was having a nice little float near the edge of the lake.  I also happened to see a duck try to gracefully land, though it looked more like the duck was thinking "HOLY SHIT I'M GONNA DIE!!!"
    
Picture 73
The path along the lake is very pretty, a lot of covered area, flowers, and it's all rather peaceful.  I think this was my favorite part of my walk.





 Picture 74
I'm not sure what kind of flowers these are, and I probably could try to Google it to find out, but I haven't had a chance to do that yet.  This was just a small patch of them, a little earlier there was a huge area but there were people in the way so I couldn't get a photo.

Picture 75
A view from the bridge that links one side of the river to the other.  It wasn't too terribly warm today, but it was nice and the breeze was lovely.





Picture 76
This tree is apparently dedicated to Mamu.  I don't know who Mamu is, and on a quick Google search I didn't find anything, but perhaps I'll try later.








Picture 77
In an effort to save time I decided to sneak across the railroad tracks instead of walking all the way down the road and then back over the bridge.  Probably saved me 10 minutes and I got to take this lively picture!

Kobayashi Maru

I've got the no win scenario at work.  They built this fabulous new addition for our office, and it's full of snazzy new features like desks that can lift up so you can stand and work, motion sensor lighting, high tech conference rooms.  Then you come to my reception station and all I've got is a counter top that is too high for me to use without injury.

Sure they had the ergonomic team come out to tell me that indeed the desk is too high for anyone who is shorter than six foot seven, but that doesn't help me right now.  So in my no win day I can either have the chair high as possible, which results in my legs hurting, or I can lower it to where my legs don't hurt, which results in my neck and shoulders hurting.  They said I need to order a keyboard tray, however they can't attach one until they adjust the physical desk because there is this absurd apron on it.  Even so, I'm not sure it'd help a lot.  The person who designed this place was a moron.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 69
Just a view from our dinner table tonight.  It was Jasmine's last day of high school ever, so we decided that a small celebration for dinner was in order.  Palio is ok, but I'd rather spend my money at Gratzi.







Picture 70 
Our delicious desserts. Tiramisu, cheesecake, and pana cotta.  All delicious.

Winning & Losing

It's been said that I can't let anyone win an argument.  I suppose from a certain point of view you can make that claim, however I think there are a lot of problems with that statement.  At the very core it posits that there can be a winner and a loser in a disagreement.  I really don't think the world is set up in to nice clean little buckets like that.  I think in any argument more than one person can be correct, more than one person can be incorrect. 

I don't ever look at a disagreement as something that I can win.  In any situation when you're dealing with someone else the best you can expect to get is to voice your opinion and have it received.  If that's winning then I guess you won if you can do that.  Overall I don't even like the idea of winning, because it then follows that if someone is winning then the other person is losing.  I really don't think that is a very constructive way to look at communication.  It will forever leave someone feeling like they are superior and someone else is inferior. 

Communication is supposed to be getting your ideas and thoughts out there for someone else to understand.  We all agree on the definitions of words to help us all understand ideas and concepts.  If none of us agreed on what the word "cat" meant then it would really be a pain in the ass.  If we all think of a cat as a cat, but then someone else uses the word to mean a dinosaur, when that person says "RUN! A CAT IS ON THE RAMPAGE!!!" We'd probably become Raptor dinner because the message wouldn't be clear.

I think the problem when people come to this idea of winners and losers it turns communication into an adversarial exchange.  By focusing on "winning" it shuts down anything that could potential make that person "lose" and thus you have inefficient and unproductive communication.  I think this is probably the biggest problem when it comes to dealing with other people, especially when there is a disagreement.  Being collaborative will result in a far better outcome than being confrontational.  Confrontation shuts down the lines of communication, breeds distrust, and results in further problems.

So, while I may strongly argue my points, I think the fact that I feel confident in my point of view should not be misinterpreted into "winning" an argument.  I just don't think you can win communication.  It's like trying to win at eating breakfast, or breathing.  WOO! FIRST PLACE IN BLINKING!  It's not a competition, it's communication, it's conveying your ideas and thoughts, it's expressing your point of view.  If you turn it into an adversarial exchange, then the result is you're going to create adversaries.  If you use it as a way to talk, exchange ideas and find solutions, you'll find that you've created partners.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 66
Ronan apparently is picking up some of Sam's bad behavior and has started being afraid of the wind.  I caught him looking all pathetic on the couch.  Though for this one I'm not sure if he's being pouty because of the weather or because he was bored.  He does this often when he's being ignored.





Picture 67

I just thought this sign was funny because it said Bacon.  Apparently we should start a camp.









Picture 68
A rainbow from our front porch, actually I think if you look there are two rainbows there.  We see these a lot, I think I have a picture from last year looking the same direction at a rainbow.

MPGIS

So, I started watching this a few weeks ago, and found it terrible and hilarious.  I find it's very quotable and quickly breezed through all the episodes.  Anyhow, not much going on today so that's all you get.


Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 65 
A bird landed on one of the bushes right outside our door and Fluffy was in full pounce mode.  She got super low to the ground and wiggled her but a bit.  She didn't even notice me walk up right behind her for this picture.  The bird then flew away and she got all relaxed again.  Incidentally, as I was passing the door earlier I saw a Hummingbird flitting around our flowers.  Awesome!

Nothing To Say

I really don't have anything worth saying today, so I'll just post my pictures of the day.


Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 62
We finally got our porch plants potted.  And you can see in the background the much nicer porch lights that I repainted over the weekend.  I think it looks pretty nice.  The flowers in the ground pots tend to grow a lot and spill out even more than they're doing now. 


Picture 63
These are our hanging baskets this year.  Last year we had geraniums and the year before we had inpatients.  Neither did so well, and died.  This year we've got some begonias and hopefully we'll be able to keep them alive.






 
Picture 64
And a bit closer view of the flowers and new lights.  Looks pretty good.  I love summer.

Home Improvement

Since the theatre company is currently in mothballs I've had a lot of free time on my hands and it's really let me to search for something to do with my time.  As such there's been a lot of time spent figuring out what projects I want to get done, and compiling a list of all these projects.  I'm not talking major projects like ripping out flooring and such, though things like that are on the list, but what most of the list consists of is smaller little projects.

Today I tackled one of those projects and decided to update the god awful porch and garage lights.  These ugly suckers are an eyesore and I've been wanting to get rid of them for a while. However last fall rather than get rid of them we decided to take one down and see if we could paint it.  Well turns out yes you can pain them and the color holds pretty well.  However with the shows last year and the business that is our life we only ever finished the one test light and didn't get around to the other three before the weather went all wintery.

Now that it's nice and warm out we finally had a chance to take the ugly things down and paint them.  I have to say taking them down was probably the easiest part of the whole thing.  The only surprise came when I took down the garage lamp to find an abandoned hornets next behind it.  It gave me quite a scare though because right before I took it off a hornet had been buzzing around me and then to open it up and have a bunch of dead hornets and a nest pop out really was not what I was expecting.  It was also a pain to take the remains out but I sealed them up nicely so we shouldn't have the same problem in future.

Once I got all three down I had to pain them, and that took about three coats to get all the sides of it painted.  I had some quick drying paint so I only had to wait about an hour before I could pick them up and flip them over to get the other sides.  The paint job turned out pretty well, though a few spots I got a little too close and I ended up with a run or a bubble.  It's hardly noticeable but it does bother me a little that it didn't turn out how I wanted in those spots.  From a distance though I think they look pretty good.

The biggest pain in the ass was putting them back together.  I had to take the glass out to clean them, and also it made it easier to paint them.  However, getting the glass back in, and then getting all the screws to line up properly really didn't go so well.  The first one went together fine, which really puts you at a false ease because the other two were a total irritating mess and I ended up with a blister on my finger from trying to screw the tiny screws on the top back in without messing up the paint.  In the end I had to do two of them multiple times before they were lined up correctly.  However they're all on the house now and look a ton better than the old ones. 

While I was at it I also took down the hanging basket holders, and painted the pillars where they were hanging and the hangers and baskets to give them a nice fresh look.  It was a good idea because they're kind of rusted, so it really makes them look like new.  I'll get a photo of those tomorrow when that project is all finished.  I also got some things to work on a few other unfinished projects, so expect some new updates soon.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 60
Updated sconce all clean and painted.  If you want to see the way it used to look you can check out my blog from yesterday.  Picture 59 gives you the full glorious ugly that they once were.








Picture 61
Here is a picture of the front door sconce all lit up.  I would have taken a day picture but we were running down to the wire on getting them back up before it got dark.

Star Trek

Today we finally got to go see Star Trek: Into Darkness.  First I'll say I'm going to do my best to not mention anything that might be a spoiler but rather discuss what I think of the movie.  So you should be able to read without finding out any plot points if you're concerned about that.  I really wish I had been able to go see this on Wednesday night at midnight, but with work I really couldn't do it.  I haven't seen a movie on opening night at midnight since the very last Harry Potter, and I miss being in the audience with enthusiastic fans.  However, the upside of waiting is you are sure to get the seats you want and don't have to wait in line for quite so long.

So, about the moving I absolutely loved it.  With the first one of the reboot everyone hyped it up and when I went to see it I was like, "ok, this is good, but eh."  The first one really didn't do it for me when I saw it in theaters, though when I reviewed it again at home on DVD I liked it a lot better, and was quite happy with it.  This movie on the other hand I liked right off.  It had a pretty good story, it had a much better villain (I mean really Nero was pretty lame.  I'm going to destroy everyone in the universe because my wife died.  Come on, we need some better villains than that).

So, things I liked about this movie was that the story didn't have to set everything up like the last one did.  We know what's what, we've got the characters, we've met them all, so the exposition really wasn't as needed.  The villain was fantastic, and they did a good job of keeping it quite what this movie was going to be about.  Clearly they stated there was some bad guy and it was "one of their own" who had gone rogue, but that's about all you got.  At one point in the movie I finally figured out exactly what was going on and what was going to happen and then when it did I was like "YES!!!!"  So bravo for them for keeping it so under wraps and letting there still be surprises in the world.  I also like how it's clear that this is an alternate universe.  Like, if you've seen the old movies you know the general storyline of Star Trek, but in this one you're getting the divergence from that story line, but you're also seeing things that are mirrored or call out to the old movies.  That's a nice little touch and I love how they do that, so you hear names or see people you know of but they're doing different things.

I think another thing I really liked was that the movie had a reflection of ourselves.  In the last movie you have an act of epic terrorism with the destruction of Vulcan and the attempted attack on Earth.  This gives you a mirror image of the kind of things we've lived through in recent years.  This movie gives us a glimpse of how they decided to react to those kinds of threats, and it gives you a chance to consider how we responded to those threats.  There are moments when you have to question if the characters are going to do what they're told to do, or do what they know is right.  We have been faced with similar questions, are we going to do what our gut reaction is, what we emotionally want to do, or are we going to take a second and consider it and actually do what is the right thing to do.  I think in recent years we've actually decided to go with the emotional decision and have done things that we all should know are not the right decision.  I liked how this movie touched on that idea and had the characters think about their choices and decisions, and how they faced challenges like that.  I won't say how they decided to act, but I will say that I enjoyed being able to think about it and relate it to the world today.

So overall as I said I loved this movie.  I thought it was great, I liked it a lot better than the first of the reboot series.  I didn't pay full price but that's just because our schedule allowed us to go during the day.  I would certainly give it a rating of "Opening Night" and if anyone wants to see it again I will totally go see it again.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 59
These are our porch lights, and I hate them.  I Think someone tried to spray paint them because I can't imagine they bought them in this terrible color.  There also seems to be residue coming off them onto the glass.  The point is they're freaking ugly as sin and I'm going to take them down this weekend and paint it black.

Another Day, Another Rejection

Warning: This blog contains a rant regarding my job.  Parental discression is advised.


I hadn't mentioned to anyone, but I applied and interviewed at the UM School of Education last week.  The position would be working with the students.  Well, today I got an e-mail letting me know that they offered the position to someone and that person accepted it. 

The bright side of this was that I actually got an in person interview.  That was the first in person interview I've had for a job I applied to since 2010.  Yes, I have been searching for a permanent job since 2010 for anyone who has forgotten that.  I think that's an important thing to remember because I know people talk about my attitude about the job search, and my attitude about my current job.  My current job is a TEMP JOB that I took to pay the bills.  It is not a career, it is not a job I like, it is something that I took to pay for things while I look for something else.  So my frustration I have with my situation is that I've gotten nowhere in the last three years.  For three years I have been stagnating, not learning new skills, no opportunity for any kind of upward mobility, no career path. This is it, there is nowhere for me to go, I'm at the top of my field.  I've also found that the higher you go in this field the less diversity you have in the work that you're doing.

So, I get that I complain about my job, and that I'm negative about it, but it literally has nothing for me except a paycheck.  There is no bright side to it, no silver lining, no diamond in the rough.  I do menial work, for people with bad attitudes, who micromanage or expect you to read their minds.  My bright side happens every two weeks when my paycheck comes in.

Yes, I am negative about this job.  Yes, I am negative about my prospects.  But again, I have had TWO interviews since I left Borders in January of 2010.  That's 40 months.  I have had two interviews in 40 months.  If people want to go on about my bad attitude, or how negative I am, they should perhaps consider the level of frustration I'm at.  I've been looking for nearly three and a half years with absolutely no success.  Each month that goes by, each rejection I get just adds to the frustration.  I'm doing nothing, I'm going nowhere, and I have no exit route.   I dislike what I do, I dislike those I work with, and I'm trapped. 

I just think people forget that when they complain about how terrible I am about all this.  When they talk about how negative and bad my mood is. I know people talk about me when I'm not around, I know what they say.  Additionally, the only place I talk about work is on this blog, unless someone specifically asks me, and if they don't like what I have to say when they ask me then perhaps they shouldn't ask me because I'm not going to lie to try and make it sound better than it is.  If you can't deal with the "negativity" I kindly invite you to fuck off.  I'm so sorry that the struggles I have are so hard for YOU to have to hear about.  That must be awful.  I do apologize for that, it must be such a drag for YOU. 









Picture(s) of the Day:


Picture 57
Jasmine had a sleep over tonight and asked if we could pick her up a few macaroons at the store for funzies.  I didn't try them, and have never had them.  They were kind of hard to find, and they aren't that cheap so I hope they're good!






Picture 58
Ok, this candle smells like some over cologned Eurotrash who wants to molest you.  I guess Paris Daydream is a better name than Roofied Eurorape.  I'm just saying, not the best candle scent that I've encountered.

Vacation!

We are just about two weeks out from our vacation and I'm so excited for it.  This is really the only vacation we get this year because of Becky's new job, though we do have a little trip planned for the 4th of July weekend.  We originally though we'd go in August, but that is just too far away and it's been a year since we last took a vacation.

This time we're heading down to Florida to take the Jasmine and Tori to Disney World.  We're also staying right on the ocean for a few days so that is going to be excellent.  We actually haven't been on the ocean like that since our wedding which is eight years ago next week.  I mean we've been to the ocean up in New England, but not staying on the ocean or spending a ton of time there. 

I think this is going to be a wonderful trip, and I'm super excited for the next two weeks to breeze by!

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 54
I think these bushes aren't going to be around much longer.  They look pretty good right now, but the back half of them is dead, and each year more of it dies.  They're also a bit out of control, and cutting them back doesn't seem to be helping.


Picture 55
The other problem with them is they are way too big.  They block most of the window, though we do still get some breeze through that way.  We're thinking of pulling them out and replacing them, but we have to do a bit more research on them first.


Picture 56
These are roses off of the bushes I bought Becky for her birthday.  They are so stinking pretty I can't even deal with it.  We just need to find a nice place for them to live.  We think we have a good spot, so we'll have to plant them soon.

Wednesday Rocks

Today we finally got to moving some rocks out of the landscaping area in front of our house.  I think we're probably about half done with it but the more I look at it the uglier the bushes are and the more I think we should just pull them out.  I'm not usually one to just go on a plant killing spree, but these are already not doing well, they're way too big, they look a bit sick, all in all they just are awful.  The problem is I'm not sure what exactly we are going to put in their place.Something that can be manageable, and that we can keep lower.  It's a weirdly shaped space and I'm not sure how to fill it properly.  We also have two things we're going to keep, so we have to work around those as well.

In other news we're all booked up for our vacation in a little over two weeks! WOO!  Finally, some time off.  Sadly though this is the only full week off we get this year due to Becky's new job.  Boo to that. But yay for Florida.  Can't wait!

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 52
Being such a nice day out we had all the windows open, which marks the beginning of Sam being a complete pain in the ass season.  He freaks out constantly when the windows are open and walks around panting and staring at you and being really irritating.  Though, today he decided he'd just hide in the bathroom and use it as his hug box.  I notice he doesn't freak out in our bedroom but we have a fan on.  Perhaps a fan would stop the annoying behavior?  Either way, this is Sam peaking out of the bathroom door to check and make sure it's safe from the wind.  Spoiler alert, it wasn't safe and he stayed in there for a few hours.
 
Picture 53 
We have got in the habit of buying flowers to put on the counter, and this week we got a bunch of Peony.  HOLY COW!  They are huge!  You really can't tell from the picture because there is nothing to put it next to for the purpose of scale, but these things are giant.  I only wish they smelled awesome instead of just looking awesome.

Leading The Witness

Generally I think people don't really want to hear what you have to say.  I think sometimes some very specific people may truly want to get your opinion and will take it into account, but I don't think that is most people.  Most people I feel really just want someone else to validate their opinion.  They'll ask you what you think because they want someone to agree with what they already feel.  They want to be validated in what they think, and that is why I feel people ask for others opinions.  Again, not everyone, I think there are some people who have close relationships and really do want to hear what someone else has to say, be it a close friend, a spouse or significant other, or a mentor, but I think that's the exception, not the rule.

That's the reason you'll get those leading questions like, "When so and so did such and such that means conclusion A, right?"  Or, let me give you the raw information, does that sound like XYZ to you?  Then if you happen to disagree you may find your information is junked for some reason.  "Oh, I don't think so," they may say.  Or they'll try to find some flaw in your argument.

But here is what I think.  I think if someone has had a huge life change, they have had major upheavals, they have changed how/where/whom they live with, they have gained years and wisdom, if things like that happen I don't think you can not deal with them as the same person they were say 20 or 30 years ago.  I'm not saying that people get a free pass after a certain period of time, if they did shitty things they did shitty things.  What I'm saying is that if someone wrongs you and then makes an effort to adjust that relationship, then I think it fair to hear them out, and perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt.  At the very least you can't go off of decades old assumptions. 

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 50
The sun decided it wanted to come out as I was headed to work.  Turned out to be far sunnier than the weather said it would be.  I really don't think I can trust my weather app, it doesn't seem to know what the heck is going on.







Picture 51
This is now how I have to start my day.  I don't drink it, I just make it because it was determined the Keurig machine would be too expensive.  Turns out I don't think that is going to be the case as we're not even making it through one pot a day.  It seems that the kitchen is too far away to have 5 cups a day like some people used to do.  

Happy Birthday!

This blog is to my beautiful wife, who is celebrating her birthday today.  This is actually the 15th birthday I've celebrated with her, which is actually quite a few if you think about it.   Really, doing the math we are at the point where we've been together for half her life, which is bound to happen eventually.  Tonight we celebrated by getting some people together and going out to dinner.  Everyone seemed to have a lovely time chatting, laughing, and all pointing at Becky when the waitress asked "Wait, is it someone's birthday?"  Thankfully the entire staff at the restaurant did not come out to sing a company approved happy birthday rendition with clapping.

As I write this I also am reminded of the first birthday Becky and I were together.  We were in the final weeks of our production of 1984, so much of our time was spent at the school.  Becky's birthday often falls around a production, so it can be hard to get time off to do things.  For this birthday I decided to get her tickets to see Les Mis, but I was trying to find a creative way to get her the tickets.  She had asked to borrow my Lit CD, so I took the tickets and put them inside the CD case.  I remember casually giving it to her but she didn't look at it so I told her she should look at the CD it's got a really cool label, which worked.

Since then we have had many years celebrating with friends, "Beckyworks" in Disney World, and one birthday cook out that Norbert decided the entire plate of chicken belonged to her, and went Omnomnomnom on it.  I don't think she gets the credit you deserve for all the kind and good things she does for people, but I recognize the large and small things she does for those she cares about.  She is kind, considerate, and devoted to those she loves, and we do see that.  Her close friends and weird little family appreciates all the things she does for us, and are happy to have her.  So, today I say Happy Birthday and look forward to many more! 

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 48
This wasn't actually taken today, but I thought I'd post it anyway since it's Becky's birthday.  Happy Birthday!









Picture 49
Tori apparently was making a rice snow man.  It was working a little better at first, but from this angle it looks more like a snow blob with a little nose of carrot.  I think there was a collapse because the base brown rice ball didn't hold properly. 

When I Grow Up

What do you do when you decide what you want to be when you grow up, and then you can't be that? I mean, you spend all this time trying to figure out what you like, what you want to spend your time doing.  You get all this advice about how you need to do what you love and when you do that nothing will seem like work.  But what happens when you get down to it and you're stuck doing something you don't like just to pay the bills.  You're then told to "look on the bright side" or to "find the silver lining" but sometimes there isn't one with the exception of getting a paycheck.

So, what do you do when you did all this work so you wouldn't have to work in shit jobs you hate, so you could get that job that doesn't feel like work because you love it, and it turns out you're never going to get to do that job?  So, now here you are for the past three years drifting along, stuck, nowhere to go, unhappy, irritated, and being told that you need to just find something good about where you are.  Sure, you're stuck on a piece of wood adrift in the middle of the ocean, no food, no water, no land in sight, but hey, at least it's a nice sunny day... so you can burn and get dehydrated.

So, I'm grown up, now what do I do?


Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 44

Picked up flowers at the store today.  We've been getting flowers more regularly because it's nice to have them around and they're not that expensive.  They usually last about a week, so we just pick them up during or normal shopping trip.  This week are some Peony.






Picture 45

Now THAT is how you do it!  Emily drew this for us.  How awesome is that?  Really well done!  We're figuring out exactly where to hang it in our house.  I think there's a place in the living room, though the library also seems a fitting place for it.






Picture 46

Stopped by my gran's house to drop off her flower basket and her lilacs were all in bloom.  She had me cut some off and take them home.  The entire first floor of the house smells so wonderful!  It's really sad that something so wonderful blooms for such a short period. 






Picture 47
Just sitting around watching our normal Sunday TV shows.  Somehow Sunday is about the only day of the week we watch TV.  Tonight was the season finale of one of our shows, another has only three episodes left, and the third has five to go.  However, Dexter will be back soon for the final season, and The Newsroom will be back soon too.

Distance

It is strange that sometimes people go away and you get upset and sad about them leaving, and other times other people may leave and you don't feel that way at all.  Not to say you won't miss them, or that you are glad to see them go, but that it doesn't seem the same even though their absence will be just as present.

The reason I'm thinking about this is tonight we went to Eila's going away party.  She is heading off to Africa again on Thursday, however this time she will be gone for possibly up to 2 years.  The last two years she has been in Africa, but she's had some breaks where she came back for quite a few months before having to go back for more research.  Yet despite knowing that for the next two years she won't be around it seems less sad than others who I may have a better chance at seeing. 

Of course it's very exciting for her to be doing this sort of thing.  I told Becky perhaps we should go visit her so we can see all the animals!  I doubt that will happen, but it's fun to think about.

So best wishes to Miss Eila and I hope the next two years fly by.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 42
Becky and I went out for lunch since her birthday is on Monday.  She got to pick anywhere she wanted to go, so of course we ended up at Gratzi.  The food was delicious as always, and we had to get some tiramisu.







Picture 43
We also took a trip out to the greenhouse to pick up our flowers for tomorrow.  I saw one of these guys last year too, and it just surprises me that we have those all the way up here.  Surely these won't grow well.  Also, I would like to know the first person who look at that and said, "Yeah, I think I'll try eating that."  Surely it was on a bet.

Lunch

Lunch really is the biggest trouble for me.  I don't like the microwave meals, and I get really bored with the food I get stuck eating.  I used to eat a sandwich every day, but then in an effort to get more green in my diet I switched to salads.  I have to say that after I eat lunch I'm not as tired as I used to be, which is a nice thing.  However, it really starts to get boring after a while.  This is especially true when I forget to make the chicken for my salad (I usually take a caesar salad with grilled chicken).  Sometimes you just want something else though, something warm, perhaps something with fries.  I also wish more people were in the area at lunch time so I could get lunch with someone else once in a while.  Eating along at my island desk is boring. 

I really should also start bringing my magazines with me.  I've a few months behind, though with the 90 minutes a day I have for lunch due to working 9.5 hours a day, means that I'll catch up very quickly.

Oh well, happy weekend everyone.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 41
We drove pass UM stadium and the tree was all in bloom.  I love this time of year because all the trees like this are so lovely and they smell wonderful. 

Ray Of Hope

I'm not feeling great today for a variety of reasons, and there's a lot I could say today.  However,  some people are a ray of light when the storm clouds come, and instead of focusing on the dark nasty clouds, I remember something a friend of mine told me during a similar storm.

"Those who deserve your love will give theirs back freely and without restraint."


Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 40:
Just some clouds on my drive home from work.  Nothing special.

The Great Equalizer

If there is one thing in this world that is the closest thing we have to an equalizer, it's education.  Education can take someone from any class and allow them to "pull themselves up by their boot straps" which is a basic idea of American society.  Education is the way you can improve your life, improve the life of your family, improve you community, your society, and civilization as a whole.  I am a huge advocate for education, and it is one of the things that I focus a lot of attention on.

In fact, thinking about the things that I am a hard ass about, there really aren't many.  For most part I fully agree that it's your life and you can do with it as you please, regardless if I agree or not.  You want to tattoo up your body, fine (I disagree and I think you will have trouble getting a job if you go overboard and I'm sorry if the world shouldn't judge you like that, they will anyway so that's just what you'll have to deal with).  If you want to have weird colored hair, fine.  Strange fashion, fine.  Sleep with everyone you know, whatever as long as it's safe, consensual, and proper percautions are taken.  It's your life, so you do what you want as long as you're a productive member of society (not necessarily the economy, but society which is a complex statement), you aren't harming anyone, you can provide for yourself/your family.  So, as long as you're doing those things you do whatever you want.

However, I have absolutely zero tolerance for doing anything that harms, hinders, or halts your education.  Education can get those stuck in the mud out.  Education helps our society to improve, and grow.  Education is necessary for maintaining everything we hold important, from electricity, the internet, and modern comforts to democracy, self governing, and protecting our freedoms.  Education is the single most important thing that there is in this world, and those that do not take it seriously, who do not safeguard their own education, or worse damage it I can not even deal with.   I have seen first hand the difficulties that come from failing to secure your education.  From the students I observed in Detroit Public schools, to the students I worked with closely in my own community, and then family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.  Education is the single biggest predictor of success and economic stability.  Not taking that seriously is irresponsible.

Picture(s) of the Day:

Picture 39:
Ronan was being kind of pouts when he doesn't get his way.  In this case he wanted to go outside but it wasn't quite time for him to go outside yet.  It's kind of cute.  He does the same thing every time Jasmine goes out.  He'll sit right where she sits and pout.  Then we yell at him to get off the couch.

Iron Man 3

On Sunday we headed out to see Iron Man 3.  I was really looking forward to this because I really loved the other Iron Man movies as well as the Avengers.  I even considered going out on opening night to see it, but I really hate crowded theatres, and having to get there super early to wait in the masses then finding a seat for the whole group... it's just really a hassle.  So I waited, but not too long since we still go to see it opening weekend.

I'm not going to give any spoilers in my blog so you're safe to read ahead.  I have to say, since I've had some time to consider it, I really wasn't super impressed with the movie.  It was ok.  I mean, I wasn't sitting there feeling like I wasted my money, but I felt that perhaps the story wasn't really all that great.  It wasn't a terrible story, but it just didn't feel like it had much of a story to tell.  The motivations seemed a little weak, and it just didn't seem as thought out that the previous movies have been.

Again, it wasn't a bad movie, it just wasn't as great as I wanted it to be going into it.  It's wasn't Iron Man 3: The Crystal Skull, but it just lacked something that the others had.  So, how would I rate this, I'd say certainly go see it if you love these types of movies, but maybe go Cheap Movie Wednesday and certainly see it at a matinee.

Photo(s) of the Day:

Photo 37:
The most useless lamp in the world.  Literally.  You see, this lamp has no bulb, which you'd think is a problem except for the fact that it also has no plug.  That's because they bought this lamp specifically because they thought it would look nice on the table.  There is no power anywhere on the wall it sits near, just a window, and then open area.  But there you have it, a lamp anyway.  I think the people who designed this place may have been students.

Photo 38:
This is the sun dial in the stairway up to our office.  I'm not sure exactly how it works, something about following the dots on the wall from the base of the star shadow (which isn't in this picture) to tell you the time.  It's really neat, but it's also never right because of "spring forward".  Silly.