Thoughts of Tim

Nobel Prizes...

2009-10-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

I've spent a good amount of time today reading articles, blog posts, and facebook comments concerning the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama. When I first heard the news, I was somewhat surprised, but then happy that an international body recognized the efforts that he has been putting in place to bring the world back from the edge of hysteria. And no, I'm not talking about his economic programs. The things that he has been doing since his inauguration to settle the rest of the world's angst at the US have been impressive. While some of them may be subtle, the point is, there is no longer a feeling that it's the US against the world. Because as much as we feel we might be able to win that battle....let me tell you, we can't. More importantly, we shouldn't want to engender that atmosphere.

Think about what it would be like if one state in the US suddenly decided it no longer wanted to have any dealings with the rest of the county. Not a big deal if it's North Dakota, but what if it's California? Suddenly the price of fruits, wine, cheese, technology, and a host of other goods would sky rocket in the rest of the country. And within California, they'd suddenly lose every good coming from the rest of the country, not to mention the funding and protection of the Federal government. Now it's obviously not quite the same thing, but like it or not, the US is just one piece of the global economic puzzle. And the sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be as a country.

Now, getting back to my point. A lot of the comments I had read were, what has Obama done to receive the honor? A good question, but those people who ask that, don't understand the reasoning behind the award. The award is meant to encourage, facilitate, and acknowledge efforts to make the world a more peaceful place. In essence it is meant as a platform to promote and further efforts already being made. In this case, it means the efforts President Obama has undergone to open up talks with nations like Iran, as well as the general switch in attitude of the rest of the world towards the US. The committee must have realized that without a healthy and popular US, the world can't fully recover. So this was their effort to help that outcome along. So all of you people who are protesting this, think about it in a bit more depth before slinging out gut reaction posts.... If you still think it's a bad call, then fine, but shouldn't you still be happy that an American President is being talked about in a positive manner by the global community instead of a negative one?

Wisconsin and Minnesota suddenly decided they did not want to conduct business with each other. Suddenly everyone who worked in the Twin Cities, but lived across the border would suddenly be without a job. Commerce would be halted.

What the Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

2009-08-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe what I read in the Milwaukee Journal today. Apparently, the union workers at Mercury Marine decided it was better for to have no jobs, than for new employees and workers returning from lay-offs to take pay cuts.

Seriously?

Well here's the inside scoop. According to a source of mine who works at the Mercury marine plant, most of the workers are nearing retirement age because the union previously saw to it that workers who were laid off were the younger, newer (and less expensive) employees. So, the average age of the remaining employees is somewhere in the mid 50's. These employees decided that taking pay cuts, and possibly cuts to their pensions would be worse than getting early retirement packages from Mercury. And they're probably right. On the other hand, all of those laid-off employees now have no chance of getting jobs back, and wont get early retirement or severance packages. Let's not forget all of the younger people in the area who were looking forward to someday working for Mercury Marine who will now have to try to find work elsewhere. All of this happening in a community where there are more and more people competing for fewer and fewer manufacturing positions.

Way to go Lodge 1947, you have cut another leg out from the Fond Du Lac community. I hope your retirement in Florida is a bit spoiled when you can't sell your house because all of the younger people in the market are leaving to find work at the plant in Oklahoma where you just sent their jobs.

I'm a bit miffed by this as you may well be able to tell. As I understand it, a union's role is to ensure the beneficial treatment of its current and future members. What kind of future members are you going to have when the plant is closed down? What kind of service are you giving your members that are currently laid off who now have no chance of being re-hired? It's just asinine.

I can only hope that other unions are more responsible to their members and the community at large. Or that some day unions will be as outdated as the work environments they were created to prevent.

The Philosopher's Stone

2009-07-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was so close...

Caller number 5 in fact. Not the necessary number 10, but I knew the answer, and apparently the first number 10 caller did not. In fact, none of the first 20 number 10 callers knew it. But I did, and could not get through!!!!

This morning a local radio station offered 4 tickets to see the new Harry Potter movie, and a chance to win a preview, in Chicago, of the movie as well as admission to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the museum of Science and Industry. Can you say Tim's PERFECT PRIZE? The question that was to be answered in order to win this most fantastic of prizes was, what was the ORIGINAL name of the first book in the Harry Potter series? Everybody was answering that it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The actual answer is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I realize that this makes me an unbelievable geek and addict of a book series that was meant for 13 year old kids. I don't care, it's a good story, and a couple million other people agree with me, so there.

Anyway, I listened on the radio as person after person missed the question, while all I could hear was the busy signal and the echoes of, "Hi, you're caller number 5, please try again!" But now that I know they are offering that up as a prize....that's all I'm listening to for the next couple of days!

6 Months = 1 Store

2009-07-02T11:21:00.001-07:00

Six Months.... That is how long I have been away from Best Buy Mobile. In that time they have opened one store. One dang store!!!!!

Now I don't know for sure that they do not have more under construction, but seriously, when I left the plan was for something like 40 this year. And so far, we have 1. And honestly, it's in a mall I recommended, but definitely NOT the one I thought they'd get open first. It's in Eden Prairie, MN. I thought it would be perfect, but I was told that it wasn't good enough. I guess all I can say is whatever BBY Mobile...whatever.

Well, I guess that should make me feel happy that they eventually took my advice seriously, but I'm picturing the insanity I may have had to gone through to get to the point they are at right now, opening one store in 6 months...It certainly makes me feel like I made the right move...Although it would have been nice to live near Katie and Mike...

The smart guy...

2009-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm scared...

I was told this morning that I'm "the smart guy" here in the office.

Whoa!

Let's repeat that, I'm THE SMART GUY!

What does that tell us? First, that this office may, in fact, be doomed. Second, I'm a MUCH better BS artist that even I thought. And third, I may need to redefine what my definition of "smart" is. While I'm probably WAY to biased about the first two, I think the third brings up an interesting point: what do I define as smart?

Really I guess it is as subjective as anything else. I mean really, in an office like this, the person who figures out how to operate the microwave on something other than the express setting may be the smart guy (I know, that's a VERY specific example...). In another realm, where intelligence flows like the Heineken does here each and every "beer Friday," smart may be someone who is well versed in items animal, vegetable, and mineral. But, let's say, for arguments sake, that there is such a thing as a universally acceptable definition of smart; how would I define it?

First, I would say that a "smart" individual is someone who is able to use logic (yes Jill, I used the L-word) to reason out answers they don't know right away. I think this is important because anyone can memorize information, but to discover something for yourself using only your mind is MUCH more impressive.

Second, I think the ability to use that knowledge is important. You will hear people say things like, "they are street smart, not book smart," but, to me there shouldn't be a distinction. In either case, if you truly are "smart," you are using information you have learned, or reasoned out and applying it to situations. Again, just memorizing something and spitting it back out on a test is useless once you get out of school and into the real world.

Third, and I think most importantly, is the ability to remain open to other ideas, theories, and viewpoints other than what you hold to be true. Imagine where we would be if "smart" people like Sir Issac Newton, Albert Einstein, or Thomas Jefferson refused to reach out beyond their existing viewpoints. We'd still be vassals of the Queen!

So based on THAT definition of smart, I guess I'm flattered, but I rather think the idea of being better at bull-crap can safely be assumed to be the main factor for my newly established title.

The last glass

2009-05-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

My body hates me....

It's true! But the torment is finally over, really! Over the last week, my body has had to endure more Burger King than it should rightly have expected to. Mostly because it has been a long time since I even stepped foot into Burger King, let along four times in one three days! Why have I spent so much time in the home of the king? It all has to do with Star Trek. For those of you who aren't among the geekier portion of the population, there is a new Star Trek movie out. And for those of you who don't really know my wife, she's a huge "Trekie." Not, "Oh my god. I have to dress up in my Lt. Uhura uniform and go to the convention" Trekie, but definitely "Oh my god, I HAVE to have those collectible Star Trek glasses from Burger King!"

And now you see the reason for the torment of my body. I was tasked by my wife to obtain these spectacular glasses from Burger King. And you would think you could waltz in to their restaurant and simply purchase these magnificent glasses. And you would be wrong. The King didn't become the King because he was stupid. No, quite the contrary, the King knows how to wriggle every last penny from the purse of his subjects. You cannot buy a glass UNLESS you buy a value meal. Then, and only then, may you purchase a glass for a small fee of $1.99!

That was a revelation found only after visiting my third Burger King on the way into the office this Wednesday morning. Oh, I forgot to mention that did I? Well the first one didn't have the glasses, the second one had the glasses, but their credit card machine was out of order (and who really carries cash anymore), but the third, oh yes the third house of the King had the treasure I was seeking. So, every morning since Wednesday I have been sampling the delights of the BK Breakfast menu, and last night I had a mayo-less Whopper (40% less fat!) in order to satisfy my wife's inner-most Trekie.

All of that may seem like a bit much for some silly glasses, but you really can't appreciate how really cool these glasses are in person. Of course, I could be feeling that way because of the mass quantities of fat and other BK related materials coursing through my veins. But, alas, my wife is happy, and we now have a few more really enjoyable glasses in which we can enjoy our beverages!

Oh, and also, I highly recommend seeing the movie. It was most enjoyable.

Thanks for Visiting...

2009-05-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

We're back...

The vacation wasn't nearly long enough, but they really never are. Except retirement, but that's not REALLY a vacation....I digress.

Anyway, we have returned safely from our cruise. I know that some of you were worried about Jill and I contracting the swine flu since our cruise was porting in Ensenada, Mexico. Well don't you worry, Carnival Cruise Lines takes absolutely no chances with the health and welfare of their customers. What that basically means is that we did not stop in Mexico. I can just hear some of your thoughts out there, "Well, better safe than sorry, right?" NORMALLY, I'd agree with you, but let me tell you why I don't this time....

First of all, at the time of our arrival, there were no existing cases of Swine Flu in Ensenada: ZIP, ZERO, ZILCH. Second, when the decision was being made to skip our port of call, there were already 4 confirmed cases in San Diego, and at least 64 total cases in the US. Now, I slept through a lot of math classes in my day, but I'm pretty sure 4 is greater than 0. Now I know that San Diego is bigger (about double the population) than Ensenada, but still is it really safer to take us back to San Diego where there are existing cases of the flu, or stop by a remote city with no cases...

Now, I might not be so annoyed about this whole thing except that this port of call was one of two for the whole trip, and was by far the better of the two. Catalina Island was a nice little pit stop, but really it's a golf course, some interesting scenery, and some really expensive boutique shops that cater to LA's wealthiest. Ensenada was the reason everyone was aboard that ship. Also, the way that Carnival handled the whole situation was pretty shady. First, they told us we weren't going to the port because they were concerned for the health and safety of everyone aboard the ship. OK, I appreciate that, but what are you going to do to compensate me for it? Then, we sail past the port (within about 250 yards) and were told that the ship still went to the port, but that the port was closed (which was NOT the case), therefore, it wasn't Carnivals fault that they couldn't stop at the Port. WHAT?!?!?! That's not what you said last night, still, OK so what does that mean to us? Well here's $20 because we couldn't stop at the port...Excuse me? I paid how much for this trip, mostly because I wanted to actually stop at the ports of call, and now because I can't do that, by your choice I might add, I'm only getting how much back...I don't think so! So, today's mission is to call and complain to the customer service of Carnival...especially when I know that my sister got 50% off a cruise because a hurricane interrupted one of the port of calls, and that wasn't the cruise line's choice, that was mother nature calling the shots.

I know this is a long post and that it may seem a bit childish, but really I don't take many vacations, and when I spend money on something I expect to get what I pay for, not changing excuses and poor service. Having said that, I will probably cruise carnival again because our past experiences have been really good...

The Fourth Hole

2009-04-24T07:19:00.001-07:00

I know what you are thinking, Tim's going to be talking about golf, well you are incorrect. Although now that you mention it, I really should get out and golf...

Anyway, today, well actually yesterday was an extremely exciting day for me. I was putting on my pants, and securing my belt when I made a discovery. For the last, oh 18 months or so, I have had to wear this particular belt on the third hole from the end. Well yesterday to my surprise, I slid right past the third hole and on to the fourth with total and complete comfort. I was so excited I almost woke up Jill to tell her. I didn't however because I thought about how I'd feel if someone woke me up at 6:00 in the morning to tell me that they could now tighten their belt a little more...the violence that ensued in my head was enough to dissuade me from that attempt. Still, I was, and am excited...simple things people, simple things

A bit of fluff

2009-04-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have been noticing more and more lately that there is too much fluff in this world. What do I mean? Well, to me, fluff is anything that's put in somewhere for the sole purpose of filling time, space, silences, whatever. For example, when you are listening to the radio and the DJ's clearly have run a subject through it's course, and they don't really have anything else to say. One of the hosts will just blurt something out. This morning on my way into work I was listening to a morning show and in one such pause in the conversation, one of the hosts just blurted out "How long does your meat stay fresh?" Whew, radio show saved by, wait, what the...? That doesn't have anything to do with what you were just talking about, and really? Is that what people want to hear about on their way into work? Ok, so that's just one example, and perhaps not even a good one. But, my point is there is a lot in this world that people just throw in to things to fill space.

Last week at work, I was asked to add some more fluff to a study we were working on to look more impressive (and for those of you who read last weeks blog, this is one of the things that set me off). I responded, if the quality of our, and specifically my work is not enough to impress our clients, then we should figure out what we are not doing right and fix it. Putting in fluff that doesn't mean anything is a waste of our time and insults the intelligence of our clients. Now don't get me wrong, some of the bank presidents could use a healthy dose of insults, but not from us when we're trying to squeeze a project out of them.

Maybe I'm a little too touchy about my work, but wouldn't you want to see only what you need to know in order to make an informed decision? Wouldn't you be more impressed by a 5 minute presentation that told you exactly what you need to do and why instead of a 45 minute collage of "pretty" maps that have been "tweaked" to display the results that we wanted? I would, that's for darn sure!

Even outside of work, if we as a country cut out even 20% of the fluff in our lives, we'd be where people in the 50's thought we'd be by now: flying cars, universal bliss, and chocolate that doesn't add copious amounts of fat to your midsection. Seriously, go through your day today and for every little thing you do, ask yourself, do I need to be doing this, or am I just doing this to fill time until I go to sleep? Yeah, it's a bit scary, but I'll tell you what, you'll be surprised, shocked, and maybe even scintillated by the results. Hm.. that sounded a bit like a self help book didn't it? Maybe this can be my big break into politics, I'll start the anti-fluff movement!

What was I thinking????

2009-04-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Over the last week or so, or really since I saw that Best Buy had posted an opening for my former position, I have been asking myself what I was thinking to leave Best Buy. Well, I know what I was thinking...we'll be in a much better position and this company seems really interested in getting cranking with new site selection studies. Well, we are in a better position. We have almost all of our outstanding debt paid off, except for student loans, and the company is really interested in exploring new markets for our site selection studies. Did you catch that last part, exploring. Yeah, I bet you can't guess what I felt when I heard that word for the first time...

The thing is this, one of the reasons I felt like it was a good idea to come here was because I thought they were truly interested in building up their studies department. And they are, as long as it's for banks and credit unions and as long as it gets the construction job afterword. I'm basically a nice little thing that they can waive in the faces of the bank presidents and say "Hey, this guy worked for Best Buy and Home Depot. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Really what bothers me is that they under value the work I do. They sell it for WAY below what it actually costs me to do the work in the hopes of getting the construction job where they make the "real" money. And I get that the real money is made on the construction projects, but they could sell the same crap studies as everyone else if that's all they wanted to do. They don't need me to bust my ass and give a great study for some banker who looks at the maps and says "ooh, those look pretty."

It's just a bit sad really. I've decided to give them a chance to prove to me how interested they really are in expanding this piece of the puzzle, but that chance is limited to a year. By that time, retailers ought to be ready to roll again...who knows maybe even Best Buy will want me back...

Go Jill Go!!!

2009-03-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a very public way to go for my wife Jill. She has been working out very hard over the last week. For three of the last four days she has been working out like a fiend. And she would have done it all four days in a row had I not finagled a second game of scrabble at her mom's house on Saturday.

Our goal is to be in better shape, not only for the rest of our lives, but specifically for our vacation in a few weeks. So far so good, but we really need to keep at it so we don't fall off the work out wagon. Wish us both luck!

Crickets...

2009-03-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

I went to a Buck's game last night because I was offered free tickets by a friend. I don't really care for NBA basketball, but I thought what the hell, I don't really do much, plus it's free! And for those of you who know me well, that is all I need to hear: FREE!

So I get to the Bradley Center a little after the game has started. My initial thought is "great, now I'm not going to find any parking, and if I do it will cost $20!" Well to my surprise, after just one lap around the arena, I found a legal street spot. That's right people FREE PARKING!!! So, now I'm ecstatic because I have a free parking spot and a free ticket to the game! I met up with my friends at a restaurant before heading to the game. They were just finishing their meal so I decided to just wait it out and eat later. Not that I had much choice. Twice the waitress came to the table while I was sitting there to ask if Casey or Kayla needed anything, and both times I didn't even have a chance to say I'd like a diet coke. It was like I wasn't there. Even when I said excuse me as she was walking away I got no response. The third time she came around, Casey stopped her and asked if I wanted anything, but by this point I didn't want anything just on principle!

So after this we headed to the game and were very surprised to find that our tickets had cost $111! That's right $111 for a NON-PLAYOFF BUCKS game! Once we were inside we quickly found our seats, very nice seats about 15 rows up center court. But you couldn't tell that you were at a professional sporting event. The game was going on, but there was no excitement, no cheering, not even any booing. It was like the crowd at your 8 year olds piano recital! The loudest and most raucous cheering heard all night, was for the Portessi Pizza give away sometime in the third quarter. It was a bit pathetic. Now, I know this is not indicative of all Milwaukee sports having been to many a Brewer game, but seriously, why do we even have a NBA team? No one can afford to go, no one really wants to be there, and the players play like it is scrimmage game not really worth anything...

It's just sad.

Hey you, you're not doing your job...

2009-03-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those awkward moments when you're talking about someone who isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing, and they're in the room? Well, now I have too.

Let me set the scene for you. I'm attending my first ever presentation to a Board of Directors meeting for a credit union to give them our recommendations as to what they should be doing with their branch. It's in a tiny little room (maybe 10ft by 6 ft) with no fan or air conditioning of any kind. Oh yeah, and it's 70+ degrees outside. Now lets add 15 people to this scene, mostly older members of the board, plus my boss, the president of our company, and myself. In this room there is also a little projector that we give our presentations on. This little guy gives off incredible amounts of heat. So with all these things added up we're looking at about 90 degrees, give or take.

As we're rolling through the presentation, we get to their branch office. Everyone sits up a little straighter in their chairs, this is the part everyone wants to know about. they have this tiny little branch that is in a fantastic demographic area, and it's barely doing any business at all. Our recommendation: remodel the branch, change the manager of the branch to someone who will aggressively pursue new members and loan opportunities. This is what everyone wanted to hear, exactly what they were thinking. Everyone, that is, except the manager of the branch who just happens to be sitting in the room. She is this little 65 year old lady who just doesn't want to spend the effort going after the people that live around her branch.

So basically, we told this little old lady, in front of everyone that she works for, that she's not doing her job and that she should be replaced. I'm suprised that she didn't fall down and die right there in that room. Talk about awkward...

On a positive note, the rest of the board loved the presentation, and hopefully we'll be able to get some more work out of the deal. But man, that was not a great feeling...

Sweets A-hoy

2009-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I feel like this post might irk a few of you, but it can't be helped. I'm so freakin' sick of the people in my office bringing in sweets. I mean seriously, I've been working here for three weeks and already I've seen Cupcakes (3-times), Cookies, chocolate, girl scout cookies, and a weird Italian cake thing with dried orange peels and almonds. Enough is enough! I don't mind that people bring things in. In fact, it is very nice that the office has that type of atmosphere, but can't we space it out a little bit, or maybe bring in something healthy? Or at the very least a little less sugar heavy? I haven't partaken in much of it, mostly because I've been trying to reduce the amount of sugar and carbs that I intake, but also because it's just too much! Honestly!

Ok, well, onto other things going on. Speaking of work, it is going well. Everyone here loves me, and loves what I can do for them. the downside is that everyone now wants a piece of me. I can handle it for now, but it might get to be a bit much. I guess we'll see.

Ok, well since I am at work and I have a couple of projects that need attention I'm going to have to cut this one short. Take it easy people.

Run away if you can....

2009-03-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. The workouts are getting serious. I have worked out everyday save two since last Monday. I can hear some of you cheering in the background. Don't cheer just yet. I've made these kinds of efforts before. This one feels like the one where I lost 85 lbs in 6 months, but the wagon is easy to fall off of. This time around I'm using music to pump me up and take the focus off of actually running. For the most part this works great, as long as I'm a little sleepy. A little tip for all of you who are like me and hate to run because you feel like you don't like it: run VERY early in the morning. If you are still half awake, you can't think about how much you hate running. It's brilliant, your body just takes over and does the work without feeling like you are torturing yourself. Late at night also works, but there are a few drawbacks. First, it can make it difficult to sleep. If you work out hard enough it will sap your energy and put you right to sleep, but if you don't, you'll just be awake for hours. Next, your brain isn't quite as tired and it is more difficult to keep the thoughts of rage from piercing your tranquility.

Anyway, running is the key to my health situation. Eating better can only do so much, so physical activity is my new remedy. Let's see how it goes.

Ugly is the new hot

2009-02-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but the men that are being called models these days aren't your typical "hot guys." Now, I know you are all thinking, "why is Tim talking about this," or, "So, how do you know what's hot Tim?" All very good questions, but that's neither here nor there. What's important is that TV tells me that ugly is now in. Not fat, short, or hairy. I don't want to get any hopes up. You still need a body fat percentage lower than 5, but your face, oh yes your face no longer needs to be perfection. Big nose, shaggy hair? No problem!

Seriously, it used to make me mad to think that only hot guys could get to be models. Not that I really want to be a model, but lets face it, hot guys get hot girls, and when you're a young strapping lad you care about that immensely. Not however, I'm pissed that these ugly mothers get the same kind of attention for being purposefully ugly! When is it going to be the fat guys turn? That's all I'm asking.

In more serious news, I have started working again. It's a completely different environment from Best Buy, but it's not bad. The funny thing is that they need me here almost more than Best Buy needed me, and that definitely appeals to my megalomaniac side. In reality it's still hard to know if I did the right thing, but it's nice being close to family and friends in Milwaukee again. Still feels a little weird to be living here, but I think I'll get used to it. If not then I've got 353 days until I can be a Best Buy employee again...Just saying...

The Last Day

2009-02-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it's my last day at Best Buy. It's a bittersweet moment for me. I have really enjoyed my time here, and I feel like I could have done a lot more for this company. However, it is time to move on. The last couple of days I have been tormenting myself wondering if I've made the right decision. You can never really know until after the decision is made, but today it feels different. It feels like the right thing to have done. Maybe it's just my nature, but I feel like I've done everything I can for this place and can now fully commit myself to my new adventure. So, watch out Milwaukee, I'm back!

Baseball can suck it

2009-02-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Seriously, who didn't see this coming? A-rod, the biggest star in major league Baseball used steroids to enhance his performance. No kidding. And the big question on everyones mind is will it tarnish his legacy? Or will his admitting he used them save him and allow him to be entered into the Hall of fame. First off, yes he admitted to using steroids, AFTER Palmero outed him for it. If he would have made the trip to New York and then said well I was using steroids in Texas, but then still played well. I might have forgiven him. But years after the fact and only after someone else called him out on it...that doesn't mean squat.

And honestly, as far as I'm concerned Baseball should be disbanded and reformed under a new format with salary caps and strict drug tests. These athletes forget that they are heroes to young kids and they make it seem like it's OK to cheat, and then once your caught to expect forgiveness without any consequences. If it's illegal and he's admitted to it, put him in jail. Would you treat any one else differently if they admitted to their guilt? No you wouldn't. You might give a lesser sentence, but you wouldn't let them off the hook completely. It's bull.

Anyway, I love to play baseball and even to watch it. But, professional Baseball has been without a soul for a long time. If any sport ever needed to re-invent itself, it's baseball.

Last minute details

2009-02-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

I'm into my third to last day of work at Best Buy. Leaving a job is always a bit stressful, but this one is rougher than most for me. I'm so into everything that's going on with the Best Buy Mobile group. I want to know what's going on with every little part of it, and I want to help with everything I can. It's so tough to let go of some of the things I have been doing. I'm excited for the new opportunity, but it's just hard to let go of something you've put so much work into. Especially when everyone is telling you that they will probably call you for help in about 6 months time when they foresee things taking off. I guess we'll see what happens, but I wouldn't mind doing a little consulting work for them.

On the other side of things, the apartment is mostly packed up. there are still a few essentials to gather up, but mostly it's all done and waiting to be loaded onto a truck. The one thing that's been more of a pain in the butt than anything else though...moving the Direct TV. They say it's easy (and free), but it's only easy if you have a house and are not encumbered by an apartment complex that has it's own dedicated service provider. I could tell you the whole long story, but really it's annoying and stupid, all you need to know is that Direct TV can stick it where the Sun doesn't shine.

Some days I feel like we should just walk away from everything and live "off the grid" somewhere in Montana. And then I remember that I like things like heat, running water, and people. So I carry on. Seriously though, if your entire industry is built on customer service, shouldn't you care? Just a little?

The Breakfast Blues

2009-02-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

Last night on my way home from work, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items to carry me through my remaining two weeks of work. However, when I woke up this morning and went to the kitchen for breakfast I realized, to my horror, that I had forgotten some key items. Like anything for breakfast! I had focused so clearly on lunch and dinner options that there was literally nothing I could have for breakfast. Now, I know what you are all thinking, well just eat regular food for breakfast. For me, that's not a great option. I LOVE breakfast food: eggs, cereal, pancakes, hell even toast!

So, what's a breakfast lover to do? Obviously I had to go to the 24-hour Cub Foods and get some breakfast items. Once those eggs were scrambling on the stove, all was right with my world. But it does leave me to wonder...what the hell was I thinking?

What a mess...

2009-01-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

Moving is stressful. It is one of those universal things that everybody knows. And like all of those other things that everybody knows, I think it wont affect me. And, as usual, it does. Apartment hunting for a nice, clean, affordable place is just damn hard. And I know what you're thinking, it can't be that hard, well it is. We've looked all over the metro Milwaukee area and the problem? Nothing is convenient, affordable, and in a nice area. There are lots of GREAT places to live, but they're either too far away from one of our jobs, or too much money. Seriously, in the current economic environment, what kind of apartment complex can justify $1,200/month for a 2 bedroom apartment in Milwaukee?

Anyway, we're getting closer to a decent place to live, but what a mess trying to figure it all out. I feel like it may have been better for us to just store our stuff in a storage place until we can buy a house. The one problem with that is that we have no home for our kitties. Ah well, we'll get there in the end.

In other complaints, why is it that people resist positive change so much? I work with someone who has a VERY inefficient system for storing important information. For each individual project she has to enter information into an excel form and save it out to a network. This doesn't sound too bad except that when you want to compare multiple projects you need to pull each of the forms and toggle back and forth. This is inconvenient when you're looking at two or three, but try it for 40! It's just not fun.

So, I presented her with an opportunity to put it into a database. I would create the form, database, and any query that she'd need to run to make her life much easier. She pretty much ran away screaming, this is how we do it! Honestly!?!?! You don't have to do any work, it will pretty much be the exact same thing as far as you are concerned, AND it will make you look better. BUT, you're not interested.

You know what? Fine, I'm leaving in a couple of weeks and I could care less if being inefficient will make you look bad in front of a company that is trying to become more efficient and is considering laying more people off....

I'm just saying....

Day 1

2009-01-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day for me in Minneapolis sans Jill. So far, I've had a mixed morning. It started off OK, I was able to make as much noise as I wanted without worrying about waking Jill up, including brewing a pot of coffee with fresh ground beans. On the down side, I had no one to kiss good bye and write a little note to...

next, I got to park in the garage spot (although it is the warmest day of the winter so far), the down side....that coffee I made, I spilled all over the inside of the car and on my pants. So, so far we're looking at a 50/50 day, which is about what I expected.

Aso today I decided that I would listen to one of my CD's on the way to work today. I searched through my cd case and pulled out an oldie: Offspring. I haven't listened to that CD in years, but I still remember every word to every song on that CD, how weird is that? Anyway, it made the comute rather enjoyable this morning as people decided they couldn't drive in such warm temperatures! Silly people.

Cold...this isn't cold, It's hell

2009-01-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

For those of you who don't live in Minneapolis, let me say...you lucky bastards! This morning at 7:30 the temperature had dropped to -16, with a wind chill of -35. Now, I'm definitely not a baby when it comes to cold, but when you're afraid that your car door is going to fall off if you close it to hard....that is just too cold.

As I sit at my desk and watch the sun rise, I'm hoping that the sunshine will help. It is pretty amazing how sunny this winter has been. In Ann Arbor, almost every single day in the winter was overcast and dreary, 25 degrees warmer, but dreary. I definitely have to give props to the people who have lived here their whole life, but also to those who live even further north. You Canadians must certainly be a tough brew...or crazy.

Anyway, onto current events. For those of you who don't know, I have elected to take Best Buy's offer of separation and move back to the Milwaukee area. I have been offered and accepted a job working for a small planning and design construction firm located in the third ward of Milwaukee. I'm really excited, but sad at the same time. I have greatly enjoyed my time here with Best Buy, and will not completely rule out working for them again in the future. However, I would like to be in one place for longer than a year, so that is definitely a more long term prospect.

Well, now that my fingers are no longer icicles, and the sun is full risen, I am going to start working. Take care everyone, and stay warm!

Just breath big fella...

2008-12-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

6 hours....

6 F-ing hours is how long I've been working on this stupid, tiny, insignificant piece of code in an Excel Macro...only it's not so insignificant, it's the most important line in the whole F-ing program, and I have absolutely no idea why it isn't working....

It should work, even the little help file says that the code is exactly the way that it should be; only Excel doesn't seem to recognize it...

All I want to do is throw my laptop out the window. Unfortunately, the way things are going, I'd be standing there watching happily, hoping to see my disobediant computer explode in the parking lot; it would suddenly catch a breaze and sail off into the sunset, flicking me the TAB key....

Breath...just breathe big fella, giving yourself an aneurysm, isn't going to make the damn thing work....

Deep breath now.... That's it.... Ok, now let's take another look at the problem.

F-ing computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Violent chair squeaking, and overly forceful typing)

This was the scene about 20 minutes ago...

If the whole thing weren't so ludicrous, I might be joyous, ecstatic, jubilant even. I've just gotten it to work, and we're on our way to a fully functional program that will revolutionize how we do business in Best Buy Mobile Real estate. The thing is, the necessary piece of programing was there all along. Just that Excel wasn't "referencing" it. Do you know what it took to "reference" something that's been there waiting to be used for 6 hours? A click of the mouse on a check box buried deep in an obscure menu. What the hell Microsoft!?!?!

Well at least it's working now, and I can go home without being super crabby and possibly make some delicious, healthy spiced apple cider! Ooh I'm excited already!

Silence of the snow

2008-12-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever sat out in a snow storm and just listened to the sound of it? If you're from the north, I'll bet you have. If you haven't, you should. It's really amazing how silent everything really is. I'm not talking about a blizzard with roaring winds, just a heavy snow fall. Two days ago Minneapolis got their first real snow fall of the season. Most places got about 4 inches of snow over a 6 hour period. Not too bad, but definitely a snow storm. During the snow fall, I walked across the street to the mall where Jill works. It was amazing how quiet our typically noisy neighborhood was. Even with SUV's driving too fast down the snow-covered road, it was very quiet.

It made me think of past times in my life where my friends and I would hike through the nature preserve in Stevens Point during snow storms. It is so quiet because all the animals are hunkered down and every other sound is muffled by a blanket of fresh snow. It really is amazing at how peaceful a snow storm can be. I highly recommend braving the cold to sit through one and just feel the silence of the snow...you wont be disappointed.

Doctors....

2008-12-09T07:47:00.001-08:00

I try not to be too harsh on Doctors. After all, they spend years upon years in school, rack up mounds of dept, and then work ridiculous hours. Even if they do get paid a ton of money, they don't really have the time to enjoy it. BUT, I've been noticing a serious lack of usable information coming from Doctors recently. Let's start about a year and a half ago....

Do you all remember Jill's issue with serious stomach pain? It was so bad that she couldn't do anything but lay down in bed with a heating pad and struggle through it. Well, so we took her to the Dr. to find out what was going on. After a barrage of tests, questions, and bottles of foul tasting contrast, they told her that it could be ovarian cysts bursting. Could be. Really there wasn't much evidence of it or anything else. So they gave her birth control to help with possible cysts, and told her to eat a high fiber diet in case it was something more related to her stomach. Not a terrible outcome, but it seemed for the longest time that no-one had any idea of what was going on.

A year later we went to our to our new Dr. here in Minnesota for a routine check-up. The Dr. got our height and weight measurements and separated us into different rooms and asked us all the standard questions. Then while talking to me he pulled up a Body Mass Index chart that you can look at on-line (THE EXACT SAME ONE-FOR FREE), entered in my information, and informed me that I was obese. His recommendation? Portion control and a low-carb diet...seriously?

While at the Dr., they also had us do some blood work. When we got the results of that blood work back it came with little notes from our new Dr. Mine showed slightly high blood-sugar and cholesterol levels. My little note informed me that he wasn't too worried, but I should lower my carb intake. Jill's blood work revealed perfectly normal levels of everything except her triglycerides (things that can cause strokes, heart attacks, and all sorts of nasty things). Her note suggested that she lower her carb intake and come back in 6 months to recheck things.

OK, so some of you may be thinking, well maybe if you're eating bad, cutting carbs will help. the thing is, Jill and I have been eating on a VERY low-carb diet for almost a year now. So really I don't think that carb's are the problem. Especially considering every other one of Jill's tests came back in normal levels. So Jill does a little research on the Internet and sees that the number one side effect of her birth control is high levels of triglycerides, and potential risk of stroke and heart attack. She also found a number of posts from women who had similar issues and once they went off their birth control their triglyceride levels dropped back to normal ranges. So if this information was so readily available, and seems to be relevant, why didn't the Dr. even mention it?

Now, I read that a good friend of Jill's went to the Dr. because of difficulty breathing and chest pains. After some tests, they found a 3 inch nodule on her lung. Now, I'm no Dr., but to me it sounds like they might be related. Apparently the Dr. doesn't seem to think so. Keep in mind that she is an otherwise healthy person with no asthma or anything else like that.

So again, maybe me and my friends just seem to find the dud Dr.'s out there, but really, most of the information that we have received from the Dr.'s, has been less than helpful. And, let's not forget that this paltry information came after MANY visits to these Dr's who were paid handsomely for each visit. So, yeah, I'm a little bit bitter about the whole health care industry at the moment...

Just for the record, I think it is a noble and necessary profession to have, I just think there must be a better way of doing things. If you really don't know what's wrong with someone, tell them. Maybe it should be run like any other business, if the results aren't there, the pay isn't there either....

Who am I?

2008-12-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Have you ever really asked yourself that question and given an immediate, confident answer? I mean seriously, ask yourself who am I, and see what comes immediately to your mind. And be specific; none of this who do I want to be, just who am I. I try to ask myself this question at least weekly, to see if I like the answer, or if it changes.

So, who am I today? Today I'm a friend, and a pushy, ambitious worker who won't be shoved into the background. An interesting answer for me today. You might not think so, but the fact that friend came up first is suprising. It's not that I don't like friends, or that they are unimportant to me, it's just that usually, work so dominates my mind that friends get pushed back into the recesses of my mind. So why is today different. Well a couple of things really. First, I need friends. I love my wife, and I love my job, but without friends, I smother my wife with attention, and dive too deeply into work. Second, a friend of Jill's from college recently moved into the Twin Cities area. Last night we hung out with him and it was funny to see the reaction he had on both Jill and I. While he wasn't my friend, I could see the effect of having another friend had on Jill. She was joking and playful, which then led me to be more playful with her and her friend, and in general we all had a really good time. We didn't do anything special, but it was fun none-the-less.

On another note, I think it's really important people to show their friends how important they are to each other. Sometimes it's just really nice to know that your friends really appreciate who you are.

OK, so the gushy stuff out of the way, the weight loss train is now pulling into the station. Fueled by a stricter adhearence to the diet and continued exercise, I've managed to lose almost 20 lbs now. I've still got a good distance to go if I want to give a big F-you to my Dr. who looked at me like I was obese and told me to cut my carbs, but I'm on a roll now. My body is ready to roll with the downward trend, and as long as I don't fall of a cliff, I should be all set to hit my mark. As for Jill, she has started a new work out program that I have high hopes for. It seems to be easy for her right now, which makes me think that it will work for her. If that seems strange to you, think about it like this. It seems easy, but she can do it without really hurting herself, and that will mean that she can do it for longer, and THAT will lead to fantastic results. I'm very proud of her for keeping at it. I know it can be disheartening to be trying for a long time and not hit your goals, but this time I think she's got it. Keep your hopes up everyone.

OK, enough about me, how is everyone else doing out there? I know it's the holiday season, but just remember to relax and take a few breaths. Nothing is so important as your sanity. Whether you're rushing to get some shopping done, or you're busting ass at work, take a few moments and breathe. You'll be far better company, and much better at what ever task you are trying to accomplish if you're not in a panic mode.

Good morning Black Friday

2008-11-28T04:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Weekend at home

2008-11-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Sleep, San Antonio, and The Alamoe

2008-11-05T03:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Election Night in Austin

2008-11-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Election Day Blues

2008-10-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Yes I am aware that it is not actually election day. I am not so completely lost that I think it's 5 days from now...what day is it by the way. Hmmm, the Office is on tonight, so it must be Thursday. Isn't it strange how many people will actually know the day of the week by the TV show that's on. Anyway, that's not what I came here to blog about. As this years election season draws to a close I have started to feel the excitement I always get at being a minuscule piece of the power that is this country. I was getting all ready to dress up in my finest and head out to the polls next Tuesday. And suddenly I had a realization that shook me: I'm going to be in Houston on election day. Not only will I be in the heart of Republican territory, but I'll be there on the day that I'm supposed to be voting!!!! So, this year I'm attempting to vote via absentee ballot. I don't know if I'll make it in time, but I certainly hope so.

In any case, for those of you smart enough not to leave your state on election day, don't forget to vote. No matter how small you think your part is, the important thing is that you have a part. the fact that every one of us in this country has a say in what happens is pretty sweet.

Oh, totally unconnected occurrence. Kwame Killpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, is heading to Jail for lying under oath in court about his elicit sex text message scandal with his former staff members. First of all TEXT MESSAGES?!?!?! Ok, so he was probably being naughty on the side, but why not just say, you know what yeah I did it, but she's hot and I'm important. Why would you need to lie about that and then try to keep it quiet by paying off three cops to the tune of $9 Million and STILL have it break. How ridiculous. Your city is not-so-slowly dying and your messing around with the staff and spending valuable city resources to cover it up. Good job A-hole, I hope you make some new friends in prison.

Hello from Baltimore

2008-10-10T07:30:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

As you may have guessed from the title I'm in Baltimore, Maryland. And I know what your thinking Hanni, "Why didn't I come to visit?" Well I thought about it, but by the time I would have made it out there after working it would have been pretty late, and I would not have had time to enjoy your company. On the flip side, I've decided that Jill and I need to take real vacations, not just ones tagged on to my work trips. So that's a trip that I'd like to set up with Jill, a nice little trip to Frederick to visit Hanni, and of course Gettysburg. Which reminds me, tonight they are doing the most haunted live from Gettysburg. I could have gone there and personally met the Most Haunted crew! That would have made them my second "ghost" crew I had visited. Sadly I didn't think about that soon enough or I may have taken a drive out there last night! Or at the very least tried to stay another night. Alas, foiled again.

Instead, Jill and I are going to be making a trip to Stevens Point for Homecoming. It should be a fun weekend. I'm not entirely sure what we'll be doing since neither one of us really drinks a whole bunch anymore, but I'm sure there will be plenty of visiting and fun to be had. Plus, walks through Schmeikle and the river front are always enjoyable. Anyway, my trip here is almost over and I should start to make my way to the airport. But I wanted to give a should out to the wonderful state of Maryland.

It's 7:00 AM do you know where your baby is?

2008-10-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

Weird title right? Well, it's not if you have a baby in you apartment for the first time ever! No, it is obviously not mine, but that doesn't mean it's not adorable, especially because I'm not the one who has to change her diaper!

Our wonderful friend Katie is here for a couple of days because we have a wedding to go to this weekend. Her baby Quinn is absolutely adorable, and unlike every other baby in the world, sees to like me :) Well anyway, it's 7:00 in the morning and I'm about to go wake up Jill who has to work at 9:00. The girls were up earlier to play with and change Quinn, but they've both gone back to bed. It was quite funny actually, I went to go work out with them hanging out and changing the baby, then when I got back (expecting TV and chit chat to greet me when I opened the door) everything was dark and the apartment was silent. Even the cats seemed to realize now was not the time to make noise. Speaking of the cats, they seem to be handling the baby decently well. Shelly is afraid of her because even though Quinn seems to love Shelly, she displays that love by making loud noises and fast hand movements, something Shelly cat DEFINITELY does not care for. Shelly does seem to like quinn when she's sleeping though. She spent most of last night hanging out outside of her playpen just watching her sleep. Shaky on the other hand just seems jealous that mommy's attention is now focused on the baby, so I get his mad pleas for cuddles. So all in all I can't say it's too bad a situation. Well, I should get moving to work. Till next time.

Cats, Tires, and the Crew.

2008-10-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

First and foremost I'd like to say congratulations to the Brewers, who, for the first time since 1982, have made it into the play-offs. Sporting a big "up yours" to the larger market teams such as the Mets and Yankees. Normally, I don't get too excited about baseball, but when my hometown team finally makes it to the play-offs after such a drought, it notes some attention. Now for a small rant on why I don't care for Baseball...

It's a fun sport to watch....at the stadium, where hours of beer, brats, and parking lot football take care of any desire for needing action before you enter the stadium. To me watching a baseball game on TV is about as entertaining as watching golf. It's great if you're a student of the game, but for everyone else, it's deadsville. It's also an unfair sport. Unfair in terms of team equality. Teams stack their teams with superstars by offering $100 million salaries. There are "rules" in place to keep this from happening, but the biggest teams don't care because they can afford to pay any "fines" the league may impose on them. This one sidedness breeds greed amongst the leagues top players who obviously want to get paid as much as possible. There are, of course, a few players who stick to teams out of loyalty and love for the game, but they are few and far between. What I love the most about the NFL (which does have a salary cap that means something), is that any team can go from terrible to amazing in a short amount of time, and vice verse. It makes every year an amazing ride that plays on fans' heartstrings in ways akin to Europe's soccer leagues. Well, that's enough of a rant, on to current events.

So anyone who has ridden in my car in the last, oh say year, may have noticed a slight, for lack of a better term, wobble. Well the wobble has recently gotten worse, and with it the wear on my tires. Now, I'm convinced that the wobble was caused by the terrible condition of Michigan roads on which I drove for so long. Anyway, the tires on the front of my car had worn the edges down so much that there was some beading appearing. With a long trip to Green Bay for a wedding this weekend, I decided it was finally time to replace the tires and fix the alignment. The whole thing cost me about what it cost to replace Jill's tires at a different tire company, but I think I have cheaper tires also. Anyway, it was a bit expensive, but incredibly necessary. The only problem, is that now the car feels like it drives funny because it ISN'T wobbling. What a cruel world!

In my final update of the day, our cats went in for their yearly check up last night also. In the past they have been pretty good about the vet, but got a little squirmy when it came to the shots. One time, Shaky damn near jumped off the table because he was so upset about the needle. Last night, I'm happy to say they both sat through their exam like champs. Neither moved nor even whined at all for the shots. On the downside, my cat (Shelly) is a bit overweight. Much like her daddy. So Shelly is now on a bit of a restricted diet, and we'll be exercising her a bit more regularly as well. Well, that's enough for one day. Hope everyone is well.....

Oh and by the way, two days in a row? Watch out blogging world!!!!

Time to catch up

2008-09-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gents, as Jill informs me it has been almost a month since my last blog! Yikes, that is a terribly long time of nothingness for someone who had promised to keep things up to date. Well, I have all kinds of excuses, but I'll save you all the time and trouble of hearing them and just say my bad. So now we need to catch up. Jill and I went to the doctor's office last week for a physical. They took us in, we talked a little, weighed ourselves and measured our heights. Two major disappointments for TK that day: one, apparently I'm only 5'8", and two, apparently I'm also technically obese. That's right folks, just like the fabled teapot I am short and stout, only there is definitely no delicious hot beverage boiling inside me. Instead there is rage. Rage mostly at myself for letting myself get back to a point where I'm at an unhealthy weight to height ratio, and partially at a system of health care that tells me I have a strong regular heartbeat perfectly normal blood pressure and a normal cholesterol count, but because I'm 5'8 and 220lbs I'm obese.

OK, so enough whining about that, I've been trying to lose some weight recently anyway, now I just have a label to overcome as well. Jill and I had a pretty good weekend. We went to a very fun Oktoberfest (see Jill's blog for details) on Friday. Good time, but man was I tired. I think I'm finally getting over some kind of cold thing that I had going on. Then Saturday we did a bit of shopping. Jill got a new mandolin (basically a vegetable guillotine) and she made some delicious refrigerator pickles. I know gasp, Tim is eating pickles, well, they're not real pickles, they're delicious! We also got some new sheets for the bed, and a quilt coverlet(?) for the bed. I gave Jill some guff for a long time for wanting something that wasn't as obviously awesome as a comforter, but was twice as expensive. I, as usual, was wrong to give her crap. It makes the bed look hotel nice, AND we got it on crazy clearance from bed bath and beyond. The funny part of that is that we bought it without the help of the 20% coupons that everyone gets in the mail. Two days later however, we received such coupon in the mail, and you better believe I'm going back to get the 20% off!

Other than that, things are going pretty well. Jill and I are still a bit stressed out from all of our activities in the last few weeks. Hopefully though once this months festivities are completed, we'll have some time to relax heading into the holiday season. I guess we'll see. Till next time...

Working Girl

2008-09-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

I know what you are all thinking, Tim got a hooker?!?!?! No, no I did not. the title in actually in reference to my very hard working wife. She has been busting her butt for the last three weeks now. So much so that she hasn't really had time to get completely healthy (She's been sick with something since we got back from Miami). However, today is her last day of work until we go to Las Vegas, and I couldn't be happier for her. She deserves a nice vacation. Not just any vacation, but one where I am on vacation with her, not working. this is going to be something of a novelty for me. I am leaving all of my work stuff (Blackberry, Computer, etc.) at home. I will not be able to check anything. She deserves my attention when we are on vacation. So I have made that promies. We'll see if I survive.

In other news, this week the football world was turned upside down. The Falcons were great, the Colts lost, and New England lost the key guy. It's begining to look like I maybe should have placed Money on the Falcons to go to the superbowl (10,000:1) and maybe even the superbowl (1,000,000,000,000,000,000 : 1). If I even put a dollar down on that, I would be an insanely rich man. Still, the odds are obviously not in my favor. Still, I believe the football world will right itself and the teams that are supposed to be good, will be good, and the other way around, but for an instant, it looks like anything can happen.

Good Times

2008-09-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well, today is labor day and Jill has to work. The poor thing. She has been working really hard, and really long hours. With no break long enough to really recuperate. So its a really good thing that we are going on a vacation soon. We did however have some time to go out this weekend. A friend and coworker of Jill's invited us to go out in uptown Saturday night. We don't often go out, and really neither of us enjoys drinking too much anymore; it's expensive and harder and harder on the body. Even still, we decided to join her out at a place called Bar Abilene. It's a pretty trendy bar with decent taps, some tales to sit at and a DJ. We arrived around 9:30 or so to find the place pretty dead. We weren't really complaining since we were able to snag great seats at the bar and met our first new friend of the evening: the very awesome (and apparently attractive) bartender Mica (yes he even has a cool name).

It turns out that he is actually from Amery, WI, so right away we know he's cool. Other than hanging out with us as much as a bartender can and giving us the scoop on most of the regulars, he cut us a sweet deal on our tab. We should have drank and ate about $100 worth of stuff between the 3 of us, but when he ran the check for us it was only $54; what a guy! We'll definitely be going back there to see him again. So as you may have guessed from earlier, we met several new people that night. Well, to be fair, I should say Jill met them, but still. One of the people we met invited us to a pool party the next day! As the night progressed the bar got a bit crowded and people were beginning to mass around the two ladies I was accompanying. I was the designated driver for the evening so I only had two beers for the evening. While I was sober, the increasing mass of people hanging around Jill and Angel started to buy them drinks. Needless to say, the ladies were a bit tipsy by the time the evening drew to a close. Just before we left a girl next to Jill dropped her drink and one of the bartenders accused Jill. So the bouncer came up, took her drink, and told her she needed to leave. Well, Jill was quite upset about being accused of smashing her drink when clearly her drink was still in front of her, but thankfully, our new friends took care of the situation for us. Mica told the bouncer it wasn't her, and the rest of the new group of friends knew some key people.

Even still, the taste for the night out was lost. So we tracked down Angel (hanging out by a group of guys buying her shots) and began to make our way out of the crowded bar. A short while after our departure, a guy in front of us stole the purse of a girl walking in front of us. It took a second to realize what had happened, but once we realized what was going on I took off after the thief. I almost had him right away as he realized I was after him, slowed down and made to give me the purse. As I got close he bolted to the right and just outside my grasp. I tore off after him running through streets and sidewalks. I chased him for about 10 blocks. I wish I could tell you that I ran him down and got the purse back, but he was about 6'3" and out ran me. It may be a good thing too, because at that point I was pretty pissed off that someone would do that, and then that no one else would help stop the guy, so I probably would not have been very gentle with him.

While I was chasing after the purse thief, Jill was managing to half-Carry her friend Angel back toward the car, a task which must have been difficult considering the difference in their sizes. Finally I returned to the girls and got them in the car and home. On the way home, a car almost hit us and I had to swerve quickly to avoid it. So all in all it was a pretty eventful night. Oh yeah, we also had to get Angel up to our apartment where she would spent the night passed out on our couch. I was a long night followed by a day of rest as we didn't really do anything noteworthy until about 5:30 at night.

So the moral of the story is that we had fun, but I need to get into a little better shape. I should have been able to catch that guy and retrieve the purse. Next time, I'll be in better shape, and better able to assist. Watch out criminals!

Not enough Bloggin'

2008-08-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

well it has been brought to my attention (on several occasions, and by several people), that I do not blog enough. Fair enough. You know what's strange? When I get to work it just leaves my head. I think about blogging when I'm in my car on the way to work, or when Jill is blogging. But as soon as I have unobstructed access to the internet, my blogging brain fails me. I make no promises, but I'll try to keep things up to date a little bit better.

Sooooooo, where to begin? Ah, yes, the bargain. For those of you who don't remember, Jill and I made a bargain not to have sex anymore until I was 185 lbs. Well, THAT didn't last long, BUT I have been working out a lot lately. In fact, I have been running every morning this week. Even yesterday when it was pouring out (I ran inside in our fitness center). I must also say that I'm proud of Jill for wanting to try running. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hopes high that she can reach her goals.

In other news, our trip to Las Vegas is coming up and I am REALLY excited. I want to just relax the whole time we're there. I know there are some plans to do all kinds of crazy fun things, such as getting a table at Tao and going dune buggying. But really I don't know if I want to do all of that stuff. Partly because I'm kind of over drinking a lot, but also because the cheapest of those activities would cost $140 a person. Ouch! And while I'm on that subject, those clubs are SUCH a rip off! For 8 people it would be around $140/person. That's almost $1,000 for 8 people and TWO bottles of liquor. Granted that includes mixers and the entry fee and the table, but seriously what the hell? I could literally go to Home Depot, Menards, and best buy, create a similar (although admittedly less hopping) atmosphere for about $100 TOTAL. Anyway, we'll see I want to have fun and not be all penny-pincherey, but that just seems a bit crazy to me. Though Jill did say it was close to what she was expecting.

Ok, well this is getting a bit wordy now (I know if I blogged more often...) so I'd like to finish off with one more thought. I have been working out really hard lately and I've actually gained weight. Thinking about that and the fact that I feel like I look thinner, I've decided that weight is really a stupid number that I shouldn't pay attention to. If I look sexy, I look sexy and the scale be damned.

Favre, Pickles, and Football

2008-08-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's August friends, do you know what that means? It means that once again football is upon us! this is the best time of the year for me. It's really the only professional sport that I love, and can easily talk about without sounding like a little kid desperately trying to join an adult conversation. already this morning I have been a part of three football conversations and it is only 10:30! Football allows me to become closer to the guys and gals in my office that can talk about the "grid iron." It opens up doors of communication that for 6 months out of the year are closed to me. Am I excited, you bet I am!

Speaking of football, I'm sure by now you have all heard about Brett Favre being traded to the NY Jets. All in all I think it's a good trade for everyone. the Jets were in desperate need of a reliable quarterback, Brett was in need of a team that needed an idol, and the Packers were in need of letting go of a 100 pound Guerilla. So everbody got what they wanted, except Chad Pennington, but really if he'd have played up to his ability he wouldn't be in this predicament. So good bye Brett, I've loved the energy and charisma you brought to the Green Bay Packers, but I will not miss you post season waffling that held the team in limbo. For better or worse, it's over. So, good luck and good riddence.

In other news, there is general excitment in my office. yesterday while out to lunch with a mall landlord, the topic of conversation turned to refrigerator pickles. Instantly, I got excited because Jill has often talked about them and has been wanting to make them at home. I have not allowed her to do so because I hate pickles, and didn't want a huge batch of pickles stinking up the fridge (I know, very nice and supportive of me). Well, it turns out that one of my co-workers LOVES them too, and is sad because her mom can't make them anymore. So last night I told Jill about it and she has agreed to make a batch and share them with the office. People are genuinely excited, and I think Jill is too. She used to like to make things for my old office in Ann Arbor. She is a little nervous never having made them before, but I know she'll do great. I'll let you all know how they turn out, because even though I hate pickles, I'm intrigued enough to try one!

Friends and Fun

2008-08-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Last night Jill and I went out with some friends to one of our favorite places in Minneapolis: Busters. They have really good beers from all over the world, and it is a constantly changing list. So there is always something new to try. The best part; it's affordable! $5 for a pint of delicious foreign beer? You can't even get miller lite for $5 at most other places. That is something that I enjoy greatly, the ability to go out with friends and have a good, cheap night out! Nothing too exciting or extravagent, just friends and fun. You can't ask for much more than that.

Trips A-hoy

2008-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well well well....it looks like I'll soon have some more ammunition for that book I'm writting. In the next two months I'm planning on traveling to Miami, London, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. That's right folks, that's a grand total of something like 18,000 air miles. Aaaaallllll riiiight! Now I can hear you people saying, wow that must be sweet. Well it is. Honestly though, the travel can get to be a bit overwhelming, especially when you have to leave your loved ones at home most of the time. Luckily, on two of these trips Jill will be accompanying me. Am I excited, you bet your sweet buns I am. I'll definitely givce an update on how the trips went once I get back. But you can probably expect to see a count down in the next two weeks.

On another note, the bargain is fairly stagnant. I've lost a little bit of wait, but I'm definitely not making the progress I was hoping to make. A minor back injury slowed me down for a little bit, but I'm back in the saddle, and I'm hoping on track as well. Further updates will hopefully have a bit better news. Thanks for the support everyone.

Elevators and drivers tests

2008-07-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, first things first. Why do people insist on charging into the elevator before the people inside have a chance to get out? I'll admit that I'm one of the first people to make a move into the elevator, but I always leave ample space for people exiting the elevator to get by first.

This morning on my ride up to the sixth floor of the B building of Best Buy's corporate campus I was in a fairly good state of mind. I've got a big project to work on, Jill and I had a good night last night (though I DID wake her up this morning while getting ready for work), and I had a piping hot cup of coffee to start me on my way. The door opens and I'm geting ready to step out and someone decides that they can't wait to get into the elevator and pushes past me as I'm trying to exit. I spill some coffee on my hand while attempting to avoid him (did I mention that it was piping hot?!?!?) and choke back an explitive that may have ended my career at Best Buy a little pre-maturely. Seriously people, its called common curteousy!

On a brighter note, I finally passed my Minnesota state drivers knowledge test yesterday afternoon. I say finally because as some of you know, it took two tries. On the first attempt, I ignored Jill's suggestions to quick check out the manual for some last minute updates. Good advice considering it's been ten years since I looked at this stuff, and believe it or not, some things have changed. So after ignoring her good advice, I got 28 out of 40 correct. For those of you keeping score that's 76% correct, which is not good enough to pass the test. However, upon my second attempt I passed with flying colors gaining 100% on my second attempt. So hooray, I have a new license coming so I can no longer be confused for a Michigan resident. Let the good times roll.

Workin' out

2008-07-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'd like to give an honest update on the "healthier Tim" bargain: Jill and I caved. I can hear you guys in the audience cheering; however, it doesn't mean I have given up on my target weight. And if nothing else, it has remotivated me to work harder because I now have a more recent idea of what my reward will be. And I'll be darned if that isn't some serious motivation!

So much motivation, that I decided to get up early today and ride my new bike around the nature preserve just down the street from our apartment. That's right folks, and early for me means early 5:45 in the AM. I saw the sun rise and everything. It was quite a nice ride actually there are a bunch of different types of scenery and it is a fairly long trail. I'd guess somewhere around two miles (Jill correct me if I'm wrong).

So, I'm still working at it, the scale has stopped laughing at me everytime I enter the bathroom, and I already feel a little bit better. If only these damned work functions with free food would stop getting in the way. Thanks for the support folks, I'll keep you updated.

Making the right move

2008-07-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is nice to have your decisions vindicated. Especially tough ones that cause a certain amount of unrest and upheval in your family's lives. Today I head about some lay-offs at the company I left about 4 months ago. One of my co-workers came up to me and told me that one of the guys from my old office was applying for a position that we have in our department. I was suprised since he has a family with kids in High School. I said as much and he told me he thought it was because he was laid-off. Instantly I was concerned. After all, I spent more than three years with those people and didn't want anything bad to happen to them. The story isn't too nice, but apparently people were asked to step up and diversify teir clent base. After a couple of months, their time was up. Four people didn't make the cut, they were handed a paycheck, told it was their last one and then escorted from the office. Not so nice. The reasons behind each one's dissmisal are probably a little different, but I'd wager that they didn't really see it coming. My heart ges out to them, and I hope they all find work soon. However, it may be for the best in the long run.

In any case, I have Jill to thank. I don't think my job would have been on the line, but it can't be a very comfortable place to work with such things happening. I was conncered about such a thing happening and was told in no uncertain terms that it wouldn't happen. So now that it has, it makes me incredibly grateful to be where I am now. In a wonderful new job with a lot of potential. I loved working with MapInfo, but it was time to move on, and I'm grateful for Jill's forsight and courage to help us move on with our family.

Traveling Timmy

2008-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well my two weeks of home life are at an end and I am once again traveling about this great country of ours. Where am I this time? Chicago. It is interesting to be traveling here for work and not just traveling through it on my way to and from Michigan and Milwaukee. The one thing I've noticed about every city that I go to is that it seems like the people that live there don't know how to get around their own city. Seriously, New York, Boston, Chicago, they're all easier to drive around when you don't get stuck into routines and patterns of everyday life. Think about it; how many times do you take the same way to work just because it is the way you always go. Sure it may have been the best way to get there the first few times, or even years that you went that way. But things change people. And if you don't have your eyes open to that change, you'll soon find yourself stuck in a 45 minute drive that used to take 15 minutes. OK, so that's not the only thing that traveling so much has taught me, but it is kind of a big one for me. Besides if I told you everything I've learned about travel here, what would I have to write in my future bestselling book?

So if you all are wondering about my bargain with the dev...I mean Jill, it's going alright so far. I went for a run yesterday for the first time in a while. It was hard to run for an extended period of time, so I ran for a while and then walked to catch my breath, then ran again. It's a little pathetic, but hey at least I'm trying. I'm still not anywhere close to the promised land, but I have started. And if I stay the course I'll be at the target weight in no time. Thanks for all the support out there. It really does help. OK, well, it's a bit late in the evening for this road warrior. Until next time.

the bargain

2008-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it was the nice weather, or the terrifying tightening of my pants that made me do it. But I've done it, and now I don't know what the hell I was thinking. For those of you who have not seen me for a while, I'm not the paltry 190 lbs I used to be when I spent most of my days running around a park chasing a frisbee. Unfortunately, I'm now creeping back up to a weight that will challenge my father for heaviest male member of the family. A title I'm not eager to take back on. So my solution: a pack with the devil. Well, not the devil per se, but definitely a temptress: my wife. The pact is that we will not have sex again until I'm back to 185 lbs. I know, what in the hell was I thinking! I know what Jill was thinking, what better motivation? But what the hell was I thinking?

So today I start my tortuous drive to fitness with two salads and a somewhat dry granola bar. And on the menu for tonight? A brief run through the local park, with a side of weight lifting. Delicious! I'll be sure to keep you all informed on the progress. I'm sure it will be staggering. Seriously though, who makes that kind of deal? 35 lbs? Is lipo-suction cheating?

Where oh where...

2008-07-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

where oh where could my realtor be? that's the question that I'm asking right now. We had a really great realtor in Michigan, where we didn't buy a house. And now that we really want to buy a house, we can't seem to find oine that we like. We even asked a co-worker who they used and although she loved her, we've been unimpressed so far. Which leads me to wonder what it is about us that makes some realtors unhappy working with us. Is it because we only want to buy a house that we can afford? I mean really, who cares about how much comission you'll make off the deal. Shouldn't your major concern be the client? Could it be our ideal house? 3+ bedrooms, 2-car garage, decent storage space, in a nice neighborhhod. When we look on-line, there seems to be plenty out there that we like, yet when she looks on her resources, they're all too small, or starting to hedge into questionable neighborhoods. So what are we to do? Well, that's the question that Jill and I are working on right now....

I'm baaaaack

2008-04-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well I'm back. It's been a long time since I was last here, but there's been a lot of things going on in the world of Tim. Let's start with the biggest event: The career change.

For those of you that don't know, I am now an employee of Best Buy, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm the manager of market analysis for their new concept Best Buy Mobile. It was a little scary leaving a safe place like MapInfo and going to a retail company in such a down economic market, but I've definitely made the right decision. Although I'm extremely busy, I don't feel overburdened and the long term bennefits are going to be huge. I, of course, did not come to this decision all on my own. In fact, if it were not for my wonderful wife Jill, I would probably still be at my old job and be extremely stressed out right now. Which brings me on to my next item in our world of change: our new home.

Jill and I have moved to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a wonderful suburb of Minneapolis. We're fairly close to everything we could want, but are definitely looking for some future housing options. Why you might ask, well because we hope to enlarge our family soon. And that means we'll want to have a happy home for little ones to grow up in. Jill will make an absolutely wonderful mother. It is amazing how she is just full of the mother gene, our cats already act more like little children under her tutalidge which makes me CRAZY excited for how our actual children will turn out.

OK, well this one is getting long, but I'd like to finish with my last effort of change in these recent days. I've been unsupportive of a lot of things lately, it in particular of my wifes efforts to be healthier. I'm admiting it here because I need to stress to myself, as well as to everyone else, how important it is to be a supportive friend, spouse, or child. Also, it is important to understand that being unsupportive doesn't necessarily mean being negative. You can say all the right positive things to them, but if you don't act like it is a great thing, it makes it almost worse than being outright negative.

I learned that the hard way, and I'd like to take the time to appologize to Jill, but also to implore everyone to take a second look at their friends and family and really look at what it is they might need support with. Don't ignore them, and don't think they're not worth paying attention to. Imagine how you'd feel if something you were trying hard to accomplish was ignored or looked down on by someone you cared about.

OK, so I got on a soapbox there for a little bit, but I think it's important for people to learn from everyone, not just their own experiences. Our friends and family deserve everything that we can offer them, and I'd love it if even one person could learn from the mistakes that I've made.

OK, well I'm going to try to be back here blogging it up more often. But in the mean time; stay classy: world.

No news is BAD news

2008-01-31T05:43:00.000-08:00

Good morning to those of you who have been eagerly awaiting my return to the blogging world. Alas, it is probably just me that has been waiting. But, return I have, and my gripe today? The news.

First, let me start off by reminiscing about what the news used to be: unbiased, unilateral coverage of the most important happenings in America and the world. Remember those horrifically truthful news spots of the Vietnam war? Well neither do I, but I've seen repeats of them, and if you haven't seen them, you should. Those spots produced by either insane or insanely brave men and women brought the horror of what was happening in Vietnam to the forefront of the nation's, and indeed the world's, attention. back then Journalism meant something. Sure it usually meant trying to find the most horrific or scandalous story available, but they were deep stories that needed to be told. Without these stories, there is no telling where our world and country may have turned. For example, remember the efforts of Woodward and Bernstein to expose corruption and deceit in the federal government? Granted that story furthered the framework of massive distrust in the federal government, but it has also led to new levels of accountability amongst our nations leaders. Accountability that was sorely needed.

Now that we are all nostalgic, compare the efforts of those heroic, and possibly insane, journalists of only a few decades ago to modern day journalism. If you begin weeping for the future of our country, I wont think any less of you. This morning my wife and I turned off the news after about 30 seconds of viewing, because every single channel was plastered with news about Britney Spears, role model of the century, being whisked off to the hospital with a police escort. Now I know everyone loves good human tragedy, but this is getting ridiculous. There are stories about millions of people in the third world being tortured and killed because their tribe just happens to be the one out of favor at the moment. That's right folks, MILLIONS. And if that isn't enough human tragedy for you, I don't know what is.

Even if human tragedy doesn't interest you, there a hundreds of other great positive stories out there that don't involve an over-indulgent young woman who has lost just about everything that made her a semblance of a human being. There are stories about wonderful people doing fantastic work that they aren't even getting paid to do. There are stories about people overcoming their horrific ailments to make a difference in not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them. There are stories about what made the people of this nation wonderful and great in the first place. But no one wants to hear the good news. We want to hear about people that have more money and fame than us falling on their faces because it makes us feel better about ourselves. And shame on the major news networks for pandering to the hordes of self-loathing individuals who can't change themselves. The media is in a better position than anyone, even the government, to bring about change. Not just change in the country, but in this new world of globalization. The media controls exposure, and without exposure, no problem can be uncovered and thus solved.

So where are those heroes of journalistic integrity that stormed the jungle for the truth? Probably stuck in the back corner of the news room, searching for a dough nut for the nightly news anchor who proudly flaunts his Armani suit while smiling at the plight of someone who just a few years ago he secretly idolized.

I know, I know, I'm not always the most positive person in the world. But I love this country and believe in the good things that this country can do. And it irks me that we as a nation have squandered our ability to help and encourage those in need here in America, as well as throughout the rest of the world. We are all humans, we are all in the same earthly boat.

Too much money

2007-12-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone:

With the Iowa caucuses just around the corner, all the talk in the news and NPR (yes some of us still listen to it) is of the candidates: their respective rankings in the polls and how much money they've raised and spent on the election trail thus far. Upon hearing this news I became slightly ashamed. Not from my lack of knowledge of all of the candidates or their policies, but of how much money we as Americans are wasting in this process. I love this country, and anyone that knows me can attest to that fact. I still get tingles from hearing the Star Spangled Banner. But, the process by which we elect our leaders is almost ridiculous. The whole process is not set up to pick the best person for the job, but to pick the person who can convince enough rich people and/or companies that he'll do what they want.

This election is already the most expensive campaign in the history of the United States. This coming at a time when many Americans are losing their jobs to outsourcing, their homes to foreclosure, are in debt, or are working until they are half in the coffin because they can't afford retirement. Don't you think that this country would be better served by candidates setting examples by finding ways to make their money go further, or better yet, if it didn't cost anything at all to campaign!

What if we took those millions of dollars candidates are spending on television adds hocking Christmas or smearing their opponents, who may well become their future running mate, and put it to some good use. The money could go to feed, educate and house homeless people. Or go into some kind of tax break for businesses who stay in America. Or even go into education funds, so that we can not only pay teachers what they should be paid, but make it affordable for anybody to go to school without incurring a ridiculous amount of debt. The posabilities are endless.

I know what a lot of people are thinking reading that. That money helps fuel the economy. It goes to the media which helps with advertising, which helps with manufacturers, which helps with jobs. BULL! Yes, taking money away from the media may in the short term effect this years revenue stream for the media, and potentially some other jobs down the line. But it is time to stop looking at the short term people. This nation, as great and wonderful as it is, is killing itself, and possibly the rest of the world with our short-sightedness. With the programs that could be funded by these campaign funds, all of our futures would be brighter.

The transition wouldn't even be so difficult. For all of you who haven't noticed yet, the face of elections is changing. Just like the advent of TV, the internet will soon become the primary medium for discovering who our next leaders should be. Once that happens, or as it is helped along, candidates wont need as much money for campaining anyway. Obviously they will still need some, and a good amount because there are still visits to the states. I don't want to take those visits away, because you can only trust what you read to a certain degree, but we could do with less annoying commercials that the general public doesn't really listens to anyway.

Let's also not forget that this would also balance out the playing field. There are great candidates out there who would be the best thing to ever happen to this country that no one knows about because they don't have millions of dollars to pay for advertisers and campaign managers to put them on the air. I'd rather have a leader who is intelligent, decisive, articulate, and penniless than one who is friends with some billionaires. But that's just me.

Winter Woes

2007-12-18T06:22:00.001-08:00

OK, this is going to be a really short one. What is wrong with people?!?!?! For those of you that don't know, I live in Michigan. And what do we get in the winter months here in Michigan? Snow. that's right people, it has been happening for your entire life in the Midwest. Or at the very least before you moved here from some sunny, cloudless haven, you heard that it snows here. So why is it such a surprise when a "snowstorm" hits? And I use the term snowstorm loosely. anyone who has lived in northern Wisconsin, or anywhere near lake Michigan can tell you what real snow storm is. But, I digress. My real complaint is that people are surprised when a snowstorm, one which meteorologists have been predicting for a few days mind you, comes in and "dumps" five to ten inches of snow down over the course of two days. Now I'll admit at first the storm was really intense, almost white-out conditions, but that stopped being the case at around 11:00 am, and the roads were in pretty good condition by 5:00 Sunday evening. So why, I ask, are they announcing school closings Sunday evening when most of the snow has stopped and the roads are in good condition? But even this isn't my biggest complaint. No, my biggest gripe with people here in the wonderful land of Michigan is the use of snow as an excuse. Let me set something straight people. Just because there is snow on the ground, doesn't mean you can park like an A-hole. Especially, when you can clearly see the parking lines. I don't care if you get a little bit of snowbank on your car, park in the damn lines people! Also, for those of you with valid drivers license, if you have lived most of your adult life in the Midwest, how is it possible that you have not only passed your drivers test, but DON'T know how to drive in the snow?!?!?! I think there should be a mandatory duel licensing
one for summer and one for winter driving. Well that's my gripe for today. Thanks for listening.

The science of the men's room

2007-12-14T09:55:00.001-08:00

I'm a traveler, not a professional traveler for the travel channel, although that'd be sweet, but I travel a lot for work. And one thing I've noticed on my travels is the proficiency with which men use the bathroom. Even in the busiest of airport bathrooms, there will rarely be a line for the men's room. And should there be a line, it moves with a regularity that makes the express line at the kwik-e-mart seem slow. Why? Because men have a code for the bathroom that can only be breached in emergencies.

Rule one, there is no talking allowed in the bathroom. This rule is important because it fosters an atmosphere of "get it done, and get out." This rule is only relaxed in emergency situations including a loss of toilet paper, heart failure, and opposing team taunting. And even in the special situations, words are kept to a minimum.

Rule two, begin the unzip process on approach to the urinal, and continue the re-zip process as you pull away. This small, but simple practice saves a small amount of time per user. However, when added together, it saves a lot of time and allows for the most efficient use of the bathroom stalls.

Rule three, a maximum of two shakes. Let's face it if you need more, you're not done peeing.

That's it folks. Three (four if you want to be picky) rules that allow then men's room to be among the most efficient places on earth.