« October 2005 | Main | December 2005 »
IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN A TREE OR PUT UP LIGHTS, DO IT NOW. TIS THE SEASON DAMMIT.
sleigh bells ring, are you listening ...
Reports of ethical lapses by elected officials seem to be the norm these days as reports of misdeeds have been steadily flowing through TV news and print media. In Pennsylvania it was state lawmakers sneaking in a pay raise in a midnight session clearly intended to evade the public notice of taxpayers, many struggling in a tough economy, thus putting reelection hopes in jeopardy. In Washington the latest buffoon is Rep. Randy Cunningham of California. After getting caught taking bribes to enrich his already cushy life, he did the usual public apology, sorry to everyone especially family blah blah blah. We all know the speech, heard it many times. Tom Delay also comes to mind as a recent example and we could even list many going back to and including Bill Clinton. How pathetic and sad.
What really gets me is the sheer stupidity and greed of people like this. First of all, how can you not realize how good you already have it by having a high paying job with expenses paid and perks not found in the private sector? Second, how can you not learn from all the idiots that came before you and got caught? Finally, what happened to integrity and working for the public good? Not to mention the opportunity to be in such a position where you can have such an impact on your fellow man, your country, and the world. I mean you are shaping the future and will be a part of history and toss it away for a free trip you could already afford or for a tryst with an intern.
I always say there are more good people than bad in the world. I guess sometimes it is hard to remember. That is when it is time to turn off the news for awhile. But it will be the same tomorrow, the next day, and next week until we, voters and taxpayers demand better. Not just by our words of disgust and condemnation, but by our actions at the polls, online, and at the doorstep of the offices of our elected employees.
Christmas tree is up. Who wants to sing x-mas songs?
What is it about going to bed that makes one mind start to work overtime? It is like the comic strip Bloom County in which the child has an anxiety filled closet that comes alive each night. I can fall asleep easily on the couch in front of the TV or in a chair. But many nights as soon as my head hits my pillow, my mind starts racing. The topics pondered can range from work or personal issues to the state of the world as my brain works itself up to a sleep depriving frenzy. After some time I realize what I am doing and its like I order myself to empty my mind and go to sleep. Maybe it is the darkness and silence that surrounds when you lay down for a nights sleep enabling you to focus clearly that is behind this annoying phenomenon. Whatever the reason, I figure I have at least sixteen waking hours to think and need to learn to shut my brain down when it is time to give my body some much needed sleep.
SNOW IS HERE, WHOO HOO Pittsburgh is awash in white flakes.
Walked home from work in the snow, ate dinner, went back out hiking up the Murray Avenue hill to the store and other errands. Snow rocks. Stopping at Starbucks for hot chocolate during a walk in the falling snow rocks. Did I mention I like the snow?
Personally, I am against the war in Iraq. I think it was necessary to go into Afghanistan and rid the country of Taliban rule and oppression and hunt for Osama Bin Laden. However Iraq was not thought out, planned, or executed properly as is shown by the current state affairs there. I find it ridiculous that the Bush administration is struggling to get support back for a war that should not have been waged in the first place. I think there were other options.
Now that being said, I also find people ridiculous that attack others for their stances that differ from their own. I believe that one trait that you must have to be considered an adult is the ability to have a discussion with people who have different views than you have. I will often publicly offer my thoughts on the war, religious issues, whether the sky is blue etc. Give me a few drinks and a topic and I can spew opinions like mad. A few more drinks and you cannot shut me up. While I believe in what I am saying, I am always open to listening to why someone else feels differently and have even had my mind changed by doing so. I do not have to agree with you to understand that you are also entitled to an opinion. To shut out discussion and other peoples point of view is cutting yourself off from the real world. So voice your opinion as passionately as you can, but also be willing to listen no matter how futile you think the argument is to your beliefs. You may just learn, for the better, more about those you thought you had all figured out.
It is that time of year when some people start to bemoan the fact that the holiday spirit is taking over all aspects of life including stores, radio, and streets lined with festive decorations. Now I agree that it starts way too early in the retail industry. Throwing up decorations during a 90 degree heat wave while people are thinking about what to do on the upcoming Labor Day holiday is ridiculous. But we lose sight that it is the spirit of the holidays that count and should be encouraged and spread whether it is because of the religious aspects or simply the merriment and good cheer that ensues. It is now the end of November and therefore it is time for all the scrooges to get in the spirit. It would be nice if the peace and goodwill type attitudes people have for a few days of the year could last all year long, but that is an unreasonable expectation. That would mean hanging up the cell phone once and a while, practicing courteous driving, and living in harmony with the world around. But much like peace on earth, it aint gonna happen anytime soon. So what can you do you ask? Look in yourself and think about changing typical thinking about when our holiday cheer should begin. Ask yourself how I can stretch it to the maximum amount of time so I can spread goodwill faster than Santa can deliver presents. For some this will be easy. For the scrooges out there, go a little at a time. Maybe this year, start you good cheer two weeks before Christmas instead of one. And then next year do three, and so on until you become a beacon of holiday cheer for others to emulate. For some this may require much more egg nog or spiked hot chocolate than normal but whatever it takes just do it, get in the spirit and start having fun. If you do not heed this advice, Rudolph will do more than run over grandma, he will drop reindeer poop on you as he flies overhead. Jingle bells, jingle bells ….
I am listening to X-mas music. It is helping me de-stress from my hellish bus rides and fight with Cingular. No it is not too early. Now I want snow.
Cingular Wireless is evil.
They could be the sole reason the American consumer has bad feeling towards big corporations and corporate customer service.
Had to go downtown today so I opted for the bus instead of fighting rush hour traffic and finding parking. Sounded like a good plan and it was going well until I missed my transfer. A few miles later I found myself in the middle of the campus of The University of Pittsburgh, which is not even close to where I needed to be. So the call went out to Alison at work to look online and find out just how off course I was and how I could get headed back downtown. Luckily she was happy to save the day and told me what bus number to get on and I made it. Good thing I do not punch a time clock.
Then came the trip home. Again I got on the bus I was supposed to. However, it did not stop where I was expecting it to. Long story short, I wound up a few miles out of the way, a bit past the waterfront. So I just signaled for a stop and got off at a very cold, very dark, and very unrecognizable intersection. This time it was Paul 's turn to answer the phone. I used all my charm to get him to drive out and pick me up and take me home. I am sure it was my charm and not his taking pity on a pathetic, confused bus rider wannabe with perhaps just a bit of panic in his voice. Mental note, never forget phone. So the commute was an adventure to say the least.
But other than my commute, it was a good day.
Today was my first day working at our downtown offices. It is also the first day I was loaded up with work. My boss will be in training the next week so I get to assume the responsibility for everything she was working on. Overall the workday went well. I met many more of my coworkers and everyone is nice and has a great attitude about all the happenings in the Pittsburgh market. It is a very positive environment which is quite different than the attitudes I left behind in Michigan. I also found out that my regional manager is having me certified as a platform trainer since I am helping and coaching the new employees that are being recruited from other area banks. This means I will get paid a nice little chunk of change for each person I train. The only extra step I need to take is to basically fill out a form when I am done which makes their training official somehow. So that was a good responsibility and compliment to get from a bigwig.
Found this interesting.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
I remembered to set my alarm today for my first day of work and made it to the bus stop in time. I guess I am a latch key kid since no one made me a lunch or waived goodbye to me on the bus as it drove away or picked me up at the end of the day. My first day of work here in Pittsburgh went very well. Everyone at the banking center where I am temporarily stationed is very nice and had my office all set up and waiting for me. I do not really have much to do and have offered my services to the staff with whatever needs doing. I am using my time to take some online training courses that the bank offers through its E-learning system. It fills time and helps me look busy since I can only shuffle papers around my desk for so long. I found out that my branch is set to open December 19th. That is earlier than I expected. I do not think people will be lining up to check out the new bank the week of Christmas, may have other things to do but whatever. I will just be glad to get into a new branch and get it set up and running.
Now it is off to La Casa de Paul and Alison for some dinner.
I go back to work tomorrow. It is my first day at work here in Pittsburgh. I figured out what bus I need to get on in the morning, luckily the bus stop is just outside the entrance to my building. The plan is to walk home at the end of the day. I think walking home will be a great way to unwind from the day. I can also run errands on the way home if need be.
Last night Alison, Paul, and I went out to dinner and a movie. Dinner was at a great little neighborhood Asian restaurant. I tried something called Thad Pai. It was rice noodles with chicken and sprouts. Nothing seemed to be moving or looking too weird so I dug in and it was surprisingly good. Dessert was ice cream at Stone Cold Creamery. I have never been there before even though there was one near my place in Michigan. Sooo good and they have banana ice cream! I will have to pace myself and have discipline to not stop there every day. It is on the same block as my office so that will be a challenge. I think I could live on Starbucks and ice cream. The movie was Capote. I enjoyed it. It was not a fast paced movie by any means. It is kind of a slow story, but if you like the historical aspects and know a bit about his personality, you will enjoy it.
| You scored as Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones is an archaeologist/adventurer with an unquenchable love for danger and excitement. He travels the globe in search of historical relics. He loves travel, excitement, and a good archaeological discovery. He hates Nazis and snakes, perhaps to the same degree. He always brings along his trusty whip and fedora. He's tough, cool, and dedicated. He relies on both brains and brawn to get him out of trouble and into it. |
From MSNBC
WASHINGTON - Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting intelligent design and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck. ...
Entire report at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9995578/
Tell it to your viewers all you want, preach it in church, buy an ad in a newspaper, or yell it from a mountain top, but teaching religion in schools made up of students and teachers of all backgrounds does not make sense. PUBLIC schools need to prepare students for the future whether they are headed to college, joining the military, or entering the workforce. They should not be in the business of forwarding one religion, or any religion, over another. There is a time and place for religious studies and one for academic studies. PUBLIC grade school is not the place for religious studies. It is also not the place to force any one view, not backed up by facts, on anyone. At least evolution has some scientific basis making it a subject to be touched on in school.
Pat Robertson makes my skin crawl.
Saw Jarhead last night. Good flick. Jake Gyllenhaal does a good job of portraying a marine who is impatiently waiting for action to begin in Iraq during Desert Shield / Desert Storm back in the early 1990s. The waiting messes with his and his fellow marines psyche and just when the release comes in the form of battle, it is over before it begins. Good job in showing the point of view of the soldier and with just a few points made, about why our country is half way across the globe in the desert that are relevant still today, 15 years later. It is not too political like you may think a timely movie like this would be and it keeps your attention throughout.
Go see it.
The week has gotten off to a good start. The number of boxes and packing rubbish is slowly going down in my apartment. The newly purchased bookcases, glass display case, and TV stand are all put together and waiting for the arrival of the couch in order to find their final spots in the room. The new area rug is in place and the kitchen set up. I love having wood floors. I am not really walking around the apartment as much as I am sliding. No I have not done the Tom Cruise underwear slide/dance .... yet. I now also have my parking space in a heated garage. The cable TV and Internet access was also installed today. Everything is coming together fairly smoothly as I prepare to start work next week.
With a new urban attitude, I set out to explore the neighborhood the last couple days while doing needed errands. It was a lot of walking, but I love how I can walk to everything I need such as groceries, meals, banks, library, movie theater, and coffee shops. I love the pace. It works out perfect for my goal of getting at least a little exercise everyday. I even bypass the elevator in my building for the stairs. I guess that is easier to do when you live on the fourth floor opposed to the ninth.
As Grace says, I am now a Pittsburger.
Cheers to Family and Friends. What would I do without them?
Jeers to being in debt. Could be worse, not eating Ramen Noodles yet.
Cheers to high speed internet access. Bye bye dial up, you made me wait 20 minutes to download a song for the last time.
Cheers to IKEA
Jeers to having to put IKEA purchases together yourself.
Cheers to having experienced IKEA shoppers around to help with assembly
Cheers to public transportation. Being driven and saving on gas rocks.
I know I need an update badly, so I figure I could at least do a quick recap of this last week.
It was kind of a crazy week with work and commuting from Dexter. I was not used to having an hour commute, but all went well. I even had real cooking five nights in a row while staying at Grace and Jerrys. I did not find any mints on the pillows atop my big comfy bed, but rather a whole bowl of candy on the nightstand! Matt provided me with a daily dose of entertainment as usual. berka lerka derka.
Since we were leaving Friday, I finaggled my way out of working on Thursday so I could take care of last minute tasks. It really felt good walking out of work at my Michigan location for the last time. I am looking forward to starting here in Pittsburgh on the 14th.
Arrived in Pittsburgh Friday and quickly unloaded the van and car before heading out to dinner and Target for some shopping for necessities. The plan for today is unpacking and going to IKEA to shop some more. The apartment is great and I am looking forward to getting it set up. I did find out that my couch will be delayed a week, but I still have a chair and my stadium giveaway chair from work that you get for opening an account. Not sure how one of those made its way home with me one night.
Some good news on Friday, my brother finally had some justice served in his long custody battle with his ex. Our whole family will once again get to have my niece be a regular part of our lives by being able to see her in person and spend time with her. Her dad is of course thirlled at this long overdue decision The icing on the cake is the ex was found in contempt of court for ignoring the previous orders of the judge. Much deserved and long awaited. Karma does catch up eventually. More later.