Ok, I need to do some ranting. I don’t rant too much, so bear with me.
1) If I write an email asking n questions, it really bugs me when the number of questions actually answered is < n. "I don't know" is a perfectly reasonable answer. Someone just did this this morning for the third time in recent memory, and it's really getting old.
2) There are people who just don't Get It, at It's most basic level. I don't want to be more specific than that, in case this blog is found by work peeps. But some people should just know better.
*deep breath* In with the good, out with the bad...
Other than those mild frustrations, everything is peachy. I just got back from a little weekend getaway with a few friends, which was fun. Beers were consumed, pool was played, and Uno with some added rules was played. Good times.
Next weekend is going to be tons of fun, as well, as I have a wedding to go to, which I'm looking forward to, and then also a Lakers game the next day, which will be a treat. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a very big basketball fan, even less of an NBA fan, and even LESS of a Lakers fan, but get me nice box seats and an evening out with friends, and I'll go just about anywhere. Also, the game is against the Pacers, where old junior-high and high school chum Scot Pollard plays, and it will be fun to see him in person again, even if it's from a distance. (I don't mean to sound ungrateful about the tickets... I'm really looking forward to it, in spite of what I said above!)
Speaking of invitations, this has been sort of a recurring theme with me lately. I sometimes get invited to things that other people reading this blog are not invited to. Mostly it's small things, like going to the movies or a round of golf or something, but sometimes it's bigger things. I like to write about my life and what I do on this blog, and sometimes feel a little awkward writing that I went somewhere, knowing that someone else is going to read it and find out they weren't invited. How should I handle this situation? Should I leave things out altogether? Delicately dance around the situation? Be honest, knowing someones feelings might be hurt? What would YOU do if you were me?
Diana and I did some Netflixin' recently. We watched "A Clockwork Orange", which I've been substantially curious about since about as long as I can remember. I don't know if it's was the crazy box cover, or things I'd heard about it as a kid, but I've just always had a hankerin' to see it. Somewhere I'd heard that it was really violent and brutal, and I was really preparing myself for the worst. What I discovered, though, was that it was a really strange light-hearted romp through a dark world. Like eating something hot and cold at the same time. There was violence and brutality in the movie, but it was kind of cheesy, and almost symbol, like watching a stage-fight. Maybe that is an unintentional effect of being desensitised to violence in this day and age, but I don't think so. At least one fight scene had a "West Side Story" kind of feel to it, in that you know it's supposed to be a brutal gang-war, but it just doesn't feel like it. Anyways, I really found the first half really strange, and somewhat unintelligible, but it made a lot more sense once it was over. I think I'd like to give it another go sometime.
Speaking of giving it another once over, we also caught "Lost in Translation" on TV, and watched that again. That was really enjoyable for a second time. I really liked how open to interpretation the whole thing was. Diana and I discussed it and it was fun to discover that we could watch the exact same events and have differing conclusions about what we thought was going. Then, of course, at the end he whispers something in her ear, which we're not allowed to hear and are left to guess. Good stuff.
Our current rentals are "2001", "Forrest Gump", and "Taxi Driver". Oh, by the way, if you want to be on my Netflix friends list, please leave a comment or email me your netflix email address so I can add you!
That's about it for now, I think. Hope all is well with everyone reading this.
2005/02/28
2005/02/18
With both Iwan and my mom clamoring for a blog update, well, who am I to refuse?
Diana has been busy with school, which is going great. She got a REALLY nice email from a parent whose son was unhappy with math in his junior high, and ended up being home-schooled. He was nervous about joining a class again, and if he was prepared enough. Here's part of the mail:
"From the first day of class he has raved about how much he likes you and I am so happy to hear him speak positively about math again since prior to last year it was always one of his favorite subjects and one in which he had historically excelled. You were obviously the right teacher at the right time for Armand* and I wanted you to know that both he and I are very pleased he is in your class."
*Armand isn't the kids real name, but I figured it was a cool name to choose.
The email went on and on. Really nice. She also had an observation with the principal of the school, who was similarly impressed. I'm really proud of her. Huzzah for D'ster.
Conversely, I screwed something up at work the other day. Nothing serious, really, but I don't like feeling like I messed up. Unfortunately, the thing that I messed up had my name written in big, shiny letters all over it, so pretty much everyone knew. Sweet. It's all blown over now, though, which is nice. Everyone is going to make mistakes, and the company understands that, and I'm not in trouble or anything, and I haven't had any public screwups in a while, so I guess I was due.
Caught the first episode of Survivor last night, and am already hooked. I love that show. We also Netflix'd the next "Curb Your Enthusiasm" DVD, which is a good show, but stresses us out. Every episode seems to involve a white lie to cover some screwup, and then another lie to cover the first, and then ends with the lies being discovered. We also watched some "Sherlock Holmes Returns" episodes, which were really tongue-in-cheek silly and fun. We've got "2001" on it's way, and "Clockwork Orange", which I'm gearing up for. Good stuff.
This weekend, I've got a little golf-date planned, which I'm looking forward too, and a baby birthday party, which will be fun as well. I wonder how many beers that little guy can put away...? :)
I played a 5-minute chess game against a 1400+ rated player and won. Here's the play by play.
Diana has been busy with school, which is going great. She got a REALLY nice email from a parent whose son was unhappy with math in his junior high, and ended up being home-schooled. He was nervous about joining a class again, and if he was prepared enough. Here's part of the mail:
"From the first day of class he has raved about how much he likes you and I am so happy to hear him speak positively about math again since prior to last year it was always one of his favorite subjects and one in which he had historically excelled. You were obviously the right teacher at the right time for Armand* and I wanted you to know that both he and I are very pleased he is in your class."
*Armand isn't the kids real name, but I figured it was a cool name to choose.
The email went on and on. Really nice. She also had an observation with the principal of the school, who was similarly impressed. I'm really proud of her. Huzzah for D'ster.
Conversely, I screwed something up at work the other day. Nothing serious, really, but I don't like feeling like I messed up. Unfortunately, the thing that I messed up had my name written in big, shiny letters all over it, so pretty much everyone knew. Sweet. It's all blown over now, though, which is nice. Everyone is going to make mistakes, and the company understands that, and I'm not in trouble or anything, and I haven't had any public screwups in a while, so I guess I was due.
Caught the first episode of Survivor last night, and am already hooked. I love that show. We also Netflix'd the next "Curb Your Enthusiasm" DVD, which is a good show, but stresses us out. Every episode seems to involve a white lie to cover some screwup, and then another lie to cover the first, and then ends with the lies being discovered. We also watched some "Sherlock Holmes Returns" episodes, which were really tongue-in-cheek silly and fun. We've got "2001" on it's way, and "Clockwork Orange", which I'm gearing up for. Good stuff.
This weekend, I've got a little golf-date planned, which I'm looking forward too, and a baby birthday party, which will be fun as well. I wonder how many beers that little guy can put away...? :)
I played a 5-minute chess game against a 1400+ rated player and won. Here's the play by play.
2005/02/09
My weekly blog entry. Take 1.
Diana and I had peeps over for the Superbowl on Sunday, and therefore spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday cleaning up the house, which we'd sort of let go. I really don't enjoy "cleaning up", so to speak, but I do enjoy a nice clean house, so that was good.
On Saturday, I found a little time to sneak away and play a round of golf with Iwan at Lomas. We were paired with some pleasant young ladies, which was more fun than grumpy old men or rowdy kids. Watching and listening to them was really interesting, 'cause they seemed really pretty intimidated and rattled at the start of the round.
The idea of intimidation is a weird thing in golf. I suppose because it is such a structured game with a lot of spoken and unspoken rules, there is a lot of room for faux pas. Also, because only one person is acting at a time, you are almost always in the public spotlight when you're making a shot. I remember being nervous as hell when I first started golfing with strangers. It was weird to see it from the other side. While Iwan and I were technically better golfers than they were, I can't imagine anyone more easy-going and casual out there than the two of us out on the course. At some point, when one said that they were sort of nervous, I said outright "Look, we're just out her to have some fun. There's no need to be nervous". That seemed to help a little. That and a beer on the 8th. :)
Iwan usually gives me a few strokes. When we finished, I had a 71, and Iwan had 6 less than that, so we decided that he should give me 6 strokes. We tied! (Talk about easy going! :) Good times. I want to golf more.
Sunday was the Big Game. In attendance were Iwan and Sara, Gabe, Rhiannon and Landon, Eryn and his mom, and of course Adam and Diana. I have to be honest when I say that I was a little sketched when Eryn said his mom was coming because of some of the stories I'd heard (I trust she won't be reading this!), but it wasn't a big deal at all. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the game was fun to watch. Discostup was at the forefront of my thoughts during much of the game, because I knew if the Eagles won, he'd need some serious intervention. My favorite part of the game was witnessing the worst coin-flip ever. I can't believe the coin didn't turn over a single time in the air!
In other news, Diana was assigned her very own classroom. This might be totally wrong, but as far as I can remember, this is the first time (either ever or in a long time) that she's had professional space of her very own. She's always been tutoring at someone's house, or sharing rooms with various people, and I'm really excited and proud that she has her own spot now. I think it's important to her. I checked it out last night after work and helped put up some stuff on her walls, and it was really exciting to be in such a new building. So much potential. Pretty cool.
That's about it for now. One of my workboys told me he's resigning, which is a bummer. He's kind of OCD and works REALLY hard, and I think he's burned himself out pretty good. He said he wants to get into Christian counselling, which is quite a career change, but sounds like it will be good for him. Kind of a bummer to hear that he's leaving, though, as he's not only a good guy, but is a huge knowledge source. So, boo.
Diana and I had peeps over for the Superbowl on Sunday, and therefore spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday cleaning up the house, which we'd sort of let go. I really don't enjoy "cleaning up", so to speak, but I do enjoy a nice clean house, so that was good.
On Saturday, I found a little time to sneak away and play a round of golf with Iwan at Lomas. We were paired with some pleasant young ladies, which was more fun than grumpy old men or rowdy kids. Watching and listening to them was really interesting, 'cause they seemed really pretty intimidated and rattled at the start of the round.
The idea of intimidation is a weird thing in golf. I suppose because it is such a structured game with a lot of spoken and unspoken rules, there is a lot of room for faux pas. Also, because only one person is acting at a time, you are almost always in the public spotlight when you're making a shot. I remember being nervous as hell when I first started golfing with strangers. It was weird to see it from the other side. While Iwan and I were technically better golfers than they were, I can't imagine anyone more easy-going and casual out there than the two of us out on the course. At some point, when one said that they were sort of nervous, I said outright "Look, we're just out her to have some fun. There's no need to be nervous". That seemed to help a little. That and a beer on the 8th. :)
Iwan usually gives me a few strokes. When we finished, I had a 71, and Iwan had 6 less than that, so we decided that he should give me 6 strokes. We tied! (Talk about easy going! :) Good times. I want to golf more.
Sunday was the Big Game. In attendance were Iwan and Sara, Gabe, Rhiannon and Landon, Eryn and his mom, and of course Adam and Diana. I have to be honest when I say that I was a little sketched when Eryn said his mom was coming because of some of the stories I'd heard (I trust she won't be reading this!), but it wasn't a big deal at all. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the game was fun to watch. Discostup was at the forefront of my thoughts during much of the game, because I knew if the Eagles won, he'd need some serious intervention. My favorite part of the game was witnessing the worst coin-flip ever. I can't believe the coin didn't turn over a single time in the air!
In other news, Diana was assigned her very own classroom. This might be totally wrong, but as far as I can remember, this is the first time (either ever or in a long time) that she's had professional space of her very own. She's always been tutoring at someone's house, or sharing rooms with various people, and I'm really excited and proud that she has her own spot now. I think it's important to her. I checked it out last night after work and helped put up some stuff on her walls, and it was really exciting to be in such a new building. So much potential. Pretty cool.
That's about it for now. One of my workboys told me he's resigning, which is a bummer. He's kind of OCD and works REALLY hard, and I think he's burned himself out pretty good. He said he wants to get into Christian counselling, which is quite a career change, but sounds like it will be good for him. Kind of a bummer to hear that he's leaving, though, as he's not only a good guy, but is a huge knowledge source. So, boo.
2005/02/02
Hello everyone!
So, what's the news?
Biggest news is that Diana is officially a professional teacher. She got a job teaching Geometry at a school near where I work (intentionally left vague online). It's a new school, and it really sounds like everyone, both teachers and students, are really excited to be a part of it's formation, and set the pace. It also sounds like it's going to be a really technologically advanced school, which is exciting. Diana already has her website set up, with homework assignments online and stuff. Pretty neat. We're both excited to see how it all goes. Of course, Diana is already making good impressions on both her students and her superiors.
My professional life continues as it has. I have my annual review coming up soon, which I always get nervous for. I always hated tests in college, and this is as close to a test as I get now that I'm all grownsed up. However, we did just get our annual performance/incentive bonuses, which largely reflects our performance, and my boss said good things about me, so I think I'll be ok. I got a very nice bonus, too. :)
This weekend, Diana's parents took us to see "The Flying Karamozov" brothers show downtown. They are jugglers who do about 20 minutes of really fantastic juggling in a very silly 1.5 hour show. I think I would have prefered more cool juggling and less silly stuff, but whatever, the whole experience was a good time.
While in the area, we picked up plane tickets to Montana for the summer to visit while David and Elaine and Ben and my parents are out there. So that'll be good.
Diana and I did some more Netflix'in, too. Recently, we got some more mystery things which we really enjoy, as well as "Sleepy Hollow", which we both hated. Who'd have thought that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp could go so wrong, but there it was. Hopefully this isn't portentious of the new "Willy Wonka" movie coming out.
I'm sure there's more I had to write about, but my mind has been distracted.
Last night was my weekly WoW night where my boys and I specifically try to meet up and adventure together. Last night was particularly satisfying, and I went to bed much too late and much too elated from just playing a computer game, but so it goes. This upcoming weekend is the Superbowl, and there is some movement underfoot to get together with friends, which should be fun. Iwan and I also have a golf date, which I'm looking forward to, since I haven't golfed in forever. I'm sure you can read all about it on his blog.
That's about it for now. Take care!
So, what's the news?
Biggest news is that Diana is officially a professional teacher. She got a job teaching Geometry at a school near where I work (intentionally left vague online). It's a new school, and it really sounds like everyone, both teachers and students, are really excited to be a part of it's formation, and set the pace. It also sounds like it's going to be a really technologically advanced school, which is exciting. Diana already has her website set up, with homework assignments online and stuff. Pretty neat. We're both excited to see how it all goes. Of course, Diana is already making good impressions on both her students and her superiors.
My professional life continues as it has. I have my annual review coming up soon, which I always get nervous for. I always hated tests in college, and this is as close to a test as I get now that I'm all grownsed up. However, we did just get our annual performance/incentive bonuses, which largely reflects our performance, and my boss said good things about me, so I think I'll be ok. I got a very nice bonus, too. :)
This weekend, Diana's parents took us to see "The Flying Karamozov" brothers show downtown. They are jugglers who do about 20 minutes of really fantastic juggling in a very silly 1.5 hour show. I think I would have prefered more cool juggling and less silly stuff, but whatever, the whole experience was a good time.
While in the area, we picked up plane tickets to Montana for the summer to visit while David and Elaine and Ben and my parents are out there. So that'll be good.
Diana and I did some more Netflix'in, too. Recently, we got some more mystery things which we really enjoy, as well as "Sleepy Hollow", which we both hated. Who'd have thought that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp could go so wrong, but there it was. Hopefully this isn't portentious of the new "Willy Wonka" movie coming out.
I'm sure there's more I had to write about, but my mind has been distracted.
Last night was my weekly WoW night where my boys and I specifically try to meet up and adventure together. Last night was particularly satisfying, and I went to bed much too late and much too elated from just playing a computer game, but so it goes. This upcoming weekend is the Superbowl, and there is some movement underfoot to get together with friends, which should be fun. Iwan and I also have a golf date, which I'm looking forward to, since I haven't golfed in forever. I'm sure you can read all about it on his blog.
That's about it for now. Take care!
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