I'm amazed, simply amazed this morning. As I sit here at my desk overlooking a shopping center across the freeway, I just can't believe what I'm seeing. Every day since I've been working here at Best Buys corporate campus, I've never seen the shopping center across the street full to capacity. Sure, Target is usually decently busy, and occasionally Herbergers parking lot gets to about half-full status, but today, today is a different story all together. Today, every single parking space is occupied. There is a line of cars outside the shopping center waiting to turn into it; a line that is not moving! Oh yeah and did I mention that it's only 6:30 am!!!
Seriously, what is it about the day after Thanksgiving that makes people so crazy for shopping. I get that there are some good deals out there, but all the money you are saving on these deals can't cover the amount of physical and emotional trauma that must be occurring in those parking lots, let alone inside the stores. All the pushing and racing to get to that coveted door-buster item, then standing in line guarding your goodies so that dodgy looking fellow with the limp doesn't steal your brother-in-law's (whom you don't even like) new toaster. Which, by the way, your getting for only $20, instead of $34.99! I can't even imagine what today must feel like for the poor people working in retail right now (and my wife is among them).
The only thing that comes to my mind about this crazy phenomenon, is that we as a society need to work off all of those calories we consumed during our insanely over abundant Thanksgiving day feasts! Don't get me wrong, I love a good deal. If there's something labeled with free, I want it. I don't care what it is. Seriously, it could be a free ass kicking and I'd be interested, but I can only take so much stupidity at a time. That many people, that close together, is a recipe for mass homicide that I want no part of.
So good luck to all of you who are out there waiting in line for your deal of deals. I'll be here in my cubicle on the 6th floor watching you as you gun your engine to try to park your gigantic SUV into a compact car spot. And I'll be laughing. You can count on it.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Weekend at home
Good Monday to you all. I hope things are well.
This weekend I was home alone. Jill went to Madison with Shonda to visit their "friend" for her birthday. Friend is in quotations because I'm reserving judgement on whether or not a friend would act the way she did. I was not there and the events that took place did not happen to me, so it's really not my place to tell the story. But, believe you me, if it had happened to me, I would have made a much bigger scene that my peace-loving wife. The downside for me in the story is that while Jill was out with the "friend," she was shunted to another table by herself and was texting me for support and love. I thought myself funny and suggested a number of things she could do for instant payback at being ignored. NOT what the Dr. Ordered. Lesson learned? When someone you care about is in a crappy situation and is asking for some love and attention; give them love and attention, not a number of ways they could make an ass of themselves.
Anyway, I spent my weekend in the most uninteresting way possible: I cleaned and played video games. Admittedly, I felt like crap through most of the weekend, but I still could have been a bit more entertaining. I did manage to meet up with Shonda's boyfriend to watch the miserable packer game yesterday, but that was about as exciting as it got for me. I have to say thought that I did a pretty sweet job of cleaning. AND it wasn't even my typical shove it in a corner cleaning. It was the full out vacuum, floor washing, cloths folding clean-a-thon that happens once a blue moon from me. The kitties don't know what to do with all the new clean space. well, that's not entirely true, they know what to do: run around and pull toys out to fill the space. Well that's all for me. Hopefully your weekends were a bit more entertaining than my own.
This weekend I was home alone. Jill went to Madison with Shonda to visit their "friend" for her birthday. Friend is in quotations because I'm reserving judgement on whether or not a friend would act the way she did. I was not there and the events that took place did not happen to me, so it's really not my place to tell the story. But, believe you me, if it had happened to me, I would have made a much bigger scene that my peace-loving wife. The downside for me in the story is that while Jill was out with the "friend," she was shunted to another table by herself and was texting me for support and love. I thought myself funny and suggested a number of things she could do for instant payback at being ignored. NOT what the Dr. Ordered. Lesson learned? When someone you care about is in a crappy situation and is asking for some love and attention; give them love and attention, not a number of ways they could make an ass of themselves.
Anyway, I spent my weekend in the most uninteresting way possible: I cleaned and played video games. Admittedly, I felt like crap through most of the weekend, but I still could have been a bit more entertaining. I did manage to meet up with Shonda's boyfriend to watch the miserable packer game yesterday, but that was about as exciting as it got for me. I have to say thought that I did a pretty sweet job of cleaning. AND it wasn't even my typical shove it in a corner cleaning. It was the full out vacuum, floor washing, cloths folding clean-a-thon that happens once a blue moon from me. The kitties don't know what to do with all the new clean space. well, that's not entirely true, they know what to do: run around and pull toys out to fill the space. Well that's all for me. Hopefully your weekends were a bit more entertaining than my own.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sleep, San Antonio, and The Alamoe
Good morning everybody!
It is 6:00 am cst and I am wide awake. Did any of you read tat blog I wrote at 2:00 this morning? Yeah, I've been up since, well, since before then. Why might you ask? A great question, I have no idea! Sometimes when I travel this happens. I'll fall aslpee for a little while and then I'll wake up and be up forever. Unfortunately, today is looking to be one of those days. I'll survive, no need to worry. So what's new with Tim? Well I'm once again in the field. This week brings me to San Antonio (Monday/Tuesday), Austin (Tuesday/Wednesday), and Houston (Wednesday/Thursday), TX.
Ah, my alarm clock to wake me up to go for a run has just gone off. Fortunately I've been up for so long already I thought to go for a run!
Back to Texas....ah yes, San Antonio. Well, the first portion of my trip was occupied by one of the two cities in Texas everyone told me I HAD to visit before I passed judgment on Texas. My first thoughts about the city were that it's no cleaner than any of the other cities in Texas. That's a bit unfair as that was right around the airport, which typically, though not always, are bad neighborhoods. Once we drove around the outskirts of the city I became aware of something that I hadn't realized about this area of the Lone Star state. There are actual ills here. In fact, there are alot of hills here, and that makes the scenery down right pretty. However, the crown jewel of this city is the downtown area, otherwise known as the Riverwalk. Imagine an entire downtown built along a river with shops, restaurants, and businesses located on either side with river-front walkways along the entire expanse. To those of you who know Milwaukee well, it is similar to the Riverwest area, only with a cleaner river, more sunlight, and less beer. Upon my departure from San Antonio, I realized that I don't really have enough time logged in the city to really give it positive or negative marks, but at the very least I have now seen it.
Next stop on the trip was Austin, well I guess I should say IS Austin. That's right, right now I'm coming to you from the capitol of Texas. It's a very lively city with a lot of traffic, and interesting downtown area called 6th & Lamar St. I haven't had a lot of time here, yet, but my impression is that if you were to live in Texas, this is where you would want to work.
Well, that's all for me, I'm going to catch a quick nap before I have to be up for the day.
It is 6:00 am cst and I am wide awake. Did any of you read tat blog I wrote at 2:00 this morning? Yeah, I've been up since, well, since before then. Why might you ask? A great question, I have no idea! Sometimes when I travel this happens. I'll fall aslpee for a little while and then I'll wake up and be up forever. Unfortunately, today is looking to be one of those days. I'll survive, no need to worry. So what's new with Tim? Well I'm once again in the field. This week brings me to San Antonio (Monday/Tuesday), Austin (Tuesday/Wednesday), and Houston (Wednesday/Thursday), TX.
Ah, my alarm clock to wake me up to go for a run has just gone off. Fortunately I've been up for so long already I thought to go for a run!
Back to Texas....ah yes, San Antonio. Well, the first portion of my trip was occupied by one of the two cities in Texas everyone told me I HAD to visit before I passed judgment on Texas. My first thoughts about the city were that it's no cleaner than any of the other cities in Texas. That's a bit unfair as that was right around the airport, which typically, though not always, are bad neighborhoods. Once we drove around the outskirts of the city I became aware of something that I hadn't realized about this area of the Lone Star state. There are actual ills here. In fact, there are alot of hills here, and that makes the scenery down right pretty. However, the crown jewel of this city is the downtown area, otherwise known as the Riverwalk. Imagine an entire downtown built along a river with shops, restaurants, and businesses located on either side with river-front walkways along the entire expanse. To those of you who know Milwaukee well, it is similar to the Riverwest area, only with a cleaner river, more sunlight, and less beer. Upon my departure from San Antonio, I realized that I don't really have enough time logged in the city to really give it positive or negative marks, but at the very least I have now seen it.
Next stop on the trip was Austin, well I guess I should say IS Austin. That's right, right now I'm coming to you from the capitol of Texas. It's a very lively city with a lot of traffic, and interesting downtown area called 6th & Lamar St. I haven't had a lot of time here, yet, but my impression is that if you were to live in Texas, this is where you would want to work.
Well, that's all for me, I'm going to catch a quick nap before I have to be up for the day.
Election Night in Austin
So it is 2:00 am on the morning following the general election of 2008. I find myself hopeful about the future of the country. While I know that the election of a new President, even one with a majorities in both houses of congress, can not completely change the course of a nation on a dime. I think, or rather hope, that what we as of a country have done tonight is a sign of a new stage of maturity for the country. What I mean by this is that I hope, finally, that our country has learned to see beyond the color of our skin. It is my greatest hope that we as a nation are finally willing to look for the best person for the job, for the times. Ultimately, history will decide the correctness of our decision, but at a minimum history will see that in these difficult times we chose a leader with a steady, calm demeanor. A leader who would choose to help where he can and to calm peoples fear without pretending things are not as they are. At least that is my hope.
I may be a bit of a dreamer, but I believe that this is a great country with a lot of potential to help each other and the rest of the world. If only we could get out of our own way. I guess we'll see what happens, but I hope for all our sakes that we made the right decision tonight.
I may be a bit of a dreamer, but I believe that this is a great country with a lot of potential to help each other and the rest of the world. If only we could get out of our own way. I guess we'll see what happens, but I hope for all our sakes that we made the right decision tonight.
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