dude.

1) my office mate is funny. but mostly to himself. I spend a great deal of time laughing at him laughing at himself. this makes me laugh.
2) I have a meeting I don't want to prepare for. it is at 2pm. it is currently 130. I should be preparing. I HATE it when people are unprepared for meetings. It makes me want to kick them in the mouth.
I am thinking I need that vacation more than I thought.
3) I am pretty behind in the 30 for 30 thing, except that I was keeping track by composing email blog posts. I might have missed some. please review and let me know if I missed one.
4) feels like there are some key folks that haven't actually shotgunned a beer with me yet (or given it a try) - I would like to call out my brother and Sara (of Lucia y Sara fame) here. and I think I would like to see my aunt Geri try. - anyone else been missed?
5) I hope no one kicks me in the mouth in my next meeting. jesus, I should just stop this post and finish preparing.

another way to avoid working

I woke up this morning not wanting to work. usually this can be cured by large quantities of coffee. not today. sometimes I can fix it by making a list and checking things off. not today.

sometimes I can turn on some music and I really get into a groove. not today.

sometimes that is just how it is.

I think that this is because I leave for vacation tomorrow afternoon.

unfortunately I leave for vacation tomorrow evening and I have some shit to get done!!!

my vacation is probably going to be interrupted by a big monthly report and setting up some phone calls on Thursday. gnnrr.

I have included a picture of myself that I took on another one of those work days when I really didn't want to do anything.

why must I have these days?

which bring up another question - if you were an animal, what animal would you be? you should ask others, we aren't all eagles and lions... I am probably a beaver. (dirty jokes aren't welcome here).

think about it - beavers are known to be:

- industrious

- social

- a keystone species

- fun to be with

other things about beavers from the internet that I think apply:

Wildlife rehabilitators find beavers to be gentle, reasoning beings who enjoy playing practical jokes. An Indian word for "beaver-like" also means "affable."

While other wildlife endure wintertime cold and hunger, beavers stay warm in their lodges with an underwater food cache of branches nearby.

so, what animal would you be?

enjoying myself in the Gem City

and yes, I am still in Dayton, still working every day.
I love these poeple so much.

here is a picture the illustrates how happy I am...

why is it called the Gem City?

good question.

here is what wikipedia says (note, I completely disagree with the slogan, "The Gem City, the Cleanest City in America")

Dayton's primary nickname is the "Gem City". The origin of the name is no
longer clear; it appears to stem either from a well-known racehorse
named "Gem" that hailed from Dayton, or from descriptions of the city likening
it to a gem.

The most likely origin appears to be an 1845 article in the Cincinnati Daily Chronicle newspaper, by an author writing with the byline "T", which read:
In a small bend of the Great Miami River, with canals on the east and south, it can be fairly said, without infringing on the rights of others, that Dayton is the
gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth, refinement, enterprise, and
a beautiful country, beautifully developed.[2]

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) later acknowledged the nickname in his poem, "Toast to Dayton", which contains this stanza:
She shall ever claim our duty,
For she shines—the brightest gem
That has ever decked with beauty
Dear Ohio's diadem.

Another explanation for the nickname "Gem", is from Dayton's
sister city to the south, Cincinnati. Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City",
and Dayton would be the "Gem" in the queen's crown.

The city was advertised as "The Gem City, the Cleanest City in America" in the 1950s, 60s and into the 70s. The phrase was often seen on public trash cans, and other places throughout the city during this time period. Additionally, Dayton has one of the most consistent street cleaning schedules. Every morning, street cleaners sweep downtown Dayton of any trash from the previous day.

another room count - night time

ah, apparently second shift isn't the time of men I would sleep with.

happily:2, will do: 5, no way: 5

Moses brings plenty for you too

story - big group of work people went out to dinner Wed night. Each person had to come up with a conversation topic.

we had one weird guy.
it was this guy's turn.

after about 5 minutes of weird non-sequiters from him - something about South Dakota, something about going to Milwaukee this weekend, something about a band, something about a movie and a guy named Moses who was going to run for president - finaly, I demanded the topic from him.

his topic: name the movie star you would want to meet

it was then revealed that all of his gibberish previously had been about an actor he had met, Moses Brings Plenty - whose name I kept saying as Moses Pennyworth.

this guy went on about how cool Moses was, how he was the coolest person he had ever met, and he was going to run for president.

My boss was at the table. My boss isn't the type of guy who understands people that don't love UW football or people who think that an independant candidacy for president is legit. the boss kept making faces that indicated he really thought the guy was weird.

Next day, we looked up Moses on the internet. Turns out his homepage is http://www.bringsplenty.com/ - the guy is a completely normal actor, musician, native american, stunt guy, horseback rider, presidential candidate (the candidacy seems to be underwraps right now as it isn't mentioned) - odd, but not as odd as the guy that brought it up at dinner.

then we found this picture:

this is odd.

I saved it to my desktop. Now, me and anyone else near me can laugh hysterically everytime I close all my windows or log in.
while the arms-behind-the-head-pelvis-thrust pose is the funniest part, it keeps making me look at his homemade pants, which are oddly pleated. That is funny too.


here is the picture Moses will probably be using while on the campaign trail:

Can you imagine John McCain in the pelvis thrust pose?

the highlights of Istanbul and inappropriate work conversations

So, my trip next summer to Turkey, Greece and Spain is on as the time off has been approved at work. whoo hoo.

I just got notification and here is my first conversation about it:

Lucia: hey, my trip just got approved!
my boss and customer's director: where are you going?
Lucia: Istanbul, Turkey and Greece and Spain
my boss: Istanbul? What is there to do in Istanbul?
John, customer IT director: oh Turkish Hash!

things starting to look down

Today:

Happily: 2, Will Do: 5, No Way: 8

 

You may notice that things aren’t going so well in here for me today.

This could be because:

1)       Ugly men work on Fridays

2)      I am no longer “lookin for action”

3)      I am getting more selective

4)      More gay men on Fridays

another day in the same room

Perhaps there was a different crowd, but my numbers were a bit different today:

Happily: 5, Will Do: 8, No Way: 5

some stats from a major customer event

You know the game.

Here are the stats from two big meetings at a major customer event I am at.

 

Meeting #1:

Happily: 2 , Will do: 7, No Way: 6

 

Meeting #2:

Happily: 3, Will do: 9, No Way: 10