Customer Service, a Golden Apple

If you remember, JP is a stickler for good customer service. I have found that good service today does not come around very often. So when it does you have to tell other people about it.

So recently to support Sharkey's photography hobby which is quickly becoming a side business, we purchased her an Apple MacBook Pro.



Since I go to Graduate School, I get a discount on Apple equipment, also nabbed her the new Adobe Photoshop CS3 suite at like 1/5 the actual price (thank you academic software discount!!!),




and a free iPod through a rebate deal.



So here's where my awesome purchase took a turn. The order was hosed up because my wonderful credit card company "protected" me from fraud by denying the entire Apple purchase, which they perceived to be a red flag, out of the ordinary spending profile for JP, purchase. So I straighten things out with the credit company telling them, "Um, guys I really am purchasing that much equipment," and then call Apple to have them retry the authorization. So the iPod and Adobe software shipped, but the MacBook Pro was held up and the customer service guy couldn't reauthorize my card, but had to issue another order for the MacBook Pro and assured me it would not invalidate the iPod rebate.

So today of course my rebate was denied. I called the rebate service and they told me because of the legality of the offer, they couldn't give me the rebate and asked if I'd like to be transferred to Apple Customer Relations to file a complaint. So I'm like "You better believe it, this totally sucks that your guy told me incorrect information." So I talk to Customer Relations and they put me on hold for 10 minutes while they investigate my options. So on hold, I'm figuring out which appropriate response I'll use next:

1. I need to talk to a manager (with strong voice)
2. I'm returning the iPod and want my money back (with annoyed/strong voice)
3. I'm going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (with pissed off, bat you in the crotch voice)
4. So wait, because I listened to your rep, which invalidated my rebate I have to eat the iPod (with determined, logical, come on see it my way, nice voice)

So the rep gets on the phone and says, "I cannot give you the rebate due to legal reasons, but I talked with our sales division and hey agreed to credit your card the amount of the rebate." And here I was getting ready to use response 4, and she cut me off. But I was impressed that they did give me what I wanted. And let's face it, in the end, isn't that what it is all about?

Class Over, Soup Time

My class from hell finished on Monday. The presentation went well, I rocked out the exams and ended up with an "A." Not bad, but the work definitely went way over what it should have been. It's just good to be done. So my next class started Wednesday. Yeah, I know, no rest for the weary. But the best part of my new class is that NO GROUP PROJECT, I REPEAT NO GROUP PROJECT!!!! I like individual effort. It's a good thing. If you screw up you only have yourself to blame. And no one but you can make you go back to square one. So even though one class ended and another one started, it's like I am on vacation.

Yesterday was interesting. I've been trying to learn my new gig in record time. I've been doing pretty well with that goal. See the thing is I have always felt I can do pretty much anything I want by thinking it through and I've been resourceful enough to make it through the most difficult situations. But the downside is that aspect of my personality can also get me into some "interesting" situations at times. So yesterday I found myself in the situation where I was trying to find yet another workable solution to a seemingly impossible problem. So in pursuit of a solution, I skipped lunch, ran up and down a flight of stairs like 20x, and worked about 12 hours straight. Needless to say, I finished what I wanted and completed some good work, but I was F-R-I-E-D!!! I suppose having a never say die and never give up attitude has its drawbacks.

So I get home, it's raining. It's been raining for days now on the East Coast. We haven't seen the sun in a few days. So I was hungry, tired, and needed to decompress. Rainy day? Comfort, feel good food? Hum... So Sharkey and I went to one of our favorite Japanese establishments and we had some good sushi and I had a nice hot bowl of soup, tempura udon to be specific:



There's just something about a hot bowl of noodles in yummy broth with a little chili powder that just puts things back into perspective!!! Oh and the deep fried shrimp and veggies didn't hurt either!!

Day Off

So I haven't posted since my birthday. I have been for a lack of better words, "burning the candle at both ends." I have been taking a graduate class and it has been just brutal. Actually, let me be more specific, the group I've been working with has been just brutal. Well, to be even more specific, one person in my group is EXTREMELY bad. In my experience, typically on the graduate level you usually will get to work with other working professionals who are for the most part very reasonable. Everyone realizes the class is in addition to your full time job (because they are in the same boat you are in) and everyone appreciates and works towards just getting the class project done. However, from time to time you get stuck with people who are a far cry from professional. So what's been happening is that for every 3 steps we take forward on the project we are working on, we take 5 steps back because of this person. These setbacks have meant pulling extra days to meet with my group after work, which was pretty unnecessary, and redoing things from square 1. And anyone who knows me will tell you I am SO NOT into doing unnecessary rework.

Finally, the other week I had enough of this person, and while everyone in my group was still trying to be accommodating (which in turn was putting us way behind), I finally had to take hard line and bluntly said "No sorry, we aren't making any more changes, we are moving forward." See, the thing is that for the most part graduate level courses are all about breaking into project teams, because that's what happens in the "real world." Man do I miss just doing individual effort!! I keep telling myself I just need to hang in there for 1 more week.

So it seems this is the first weekend I've had where I actually have nothing going on. So it was nice to sleep in and just RELAX!!!!! Sharkey had made some awesome pumpkin pancakes and it was a great way to start off the day:



Of course the gigantic mug of pumpkin coffee didn't hurt either!! Oh and ummmmmmmm bacon....

38 Years Old. So what have I learned?

Today is the start of my 39th year on this planet. Yep. It is JP's birthday!! So I figured now would be a good time to do a top 10 list of the "important" things I've learned so far:

1. If you start something, you must finish it. From the smallest thing, to the most important thing you undertake, follow through. Complete what you initiate.



2. The pursuit of something is often much more exciting than the obtaining of something.



3. No matter how many advanced educational degrees you have or credentials you possess, nothing can take the place of good old common sense. Because the ultimate truth is what's really in your heart.





4. True happiness and contentment is not found in what others think of you. In fact it really is all about how you perceive or picture yourself.



5. A dog can teach you all you need to know about enjoying life and appreciating every day as it comes.







6. Heroes are important. Noble figures and icons inspire the heart and help you to strive to be more than what you are, to think of others more than yourself, to do what is morally right, and to do more than what you thought you could do.



7. If you know the rules and thoroughly understand how they work inside and out, you can break ALL of them!

8. Loving someone and having them love you back, is the greatest gift you can exchange between two people. No other thing even comes close.



9. There is no such thing as an impossible situation. There are always possibilities. You sometimes just need to gain some perspective and think about it from a different angle or position.



10. Faith. It really can move mountains.

Closest to the PIN!! WINNER!!

This past Saturday I played in a charity golf outing for the Susan G. Komen foundation to support breast cancer research:



It was a beautiful day and I had a blast. My team finished in 3rd place overall. But I scored a few things. I won the par 3 closest to the flag contest, so I received my first golf trophy:



And along with the trophy I received this little prize as well:



I like it!! I actually won this playing golf!?! UNREAL!! Who knew you can win this kind of stuff? OK, so I have to admit I'm hooked. Well part of it is that they gave me one of my most favorite of all things, A WATCH! I don't know what my fixation is with watches, or time in general, but I love them and pens come in a close second. Not sure, but this one is pretty special since I got it doing the sport I'm obsessed with and love. Also, since I can hit a golf ball almost 3 football fields I typically will have a shot at winning the longest drive contest too, but in this outing I slammed one down the fairway, but it rolled off to the rough so it didn't count. Oh well... So now I'm looking forward to the next tournament where I can get more shiny objects!

The Second Worst Day of My Life

Having read Soozieq's recent post on the crappy day she had, that got me thinking to what the equivalent day was for me. Well absolutely hands down the WORST day of my life was finding out Sharkey had breast cancer. But that event doesn't fit the bill of the kind of day Soozieq was describing. Her day was a series of one tragedy after another. Fortunately, ( well unfortunately for me)I have a similar tale to tell....

So this day happened oh about 6 years ago. Back then Sharkey and I had lived in PA just over a year. We still had the original Chlo-Dog too (Chloe. Sharkey called her Chlo-Dog). If you don't know, Chlo-Dog was the predecessor to Penny and our current cuddle dog Maggie. This is where our story begins.

See since Chlo-Dog was up in age, she didn't have the ability to hold her pee for more than 3-4 hours. So Sharkey and I took turns going home for lunch to let the dog out. So I'm zooming home at lunch and I get 1/2 way there and before I know it there's a township police man with his lights on in back of me. BAM!! Speeding ticket for $150. That wasn't the worst of it. Coworkers of mine were passing by while I was pulled over, so of course they honked, pointed, and laughed at me as they drove by.

So I go home at the speed limit, and I walk into the house and realize the dog isn't there wagging at me, happy I'm home. So I call the Chlo-dog and she comes sulking up to me with the "I'm sorry I did something really bad look" on her face. So I walk around and find there was a wonderful pile of puke on the carpet. WONDERFUL!! So I clean that up, grab a quick bite,then go back to work.

So I'm back to work and one of my wonderful coworkers decides to send me an e-mail on my minor infraction with the law to break my balls. So of course I try to laugh it off, even though I was pretty annoyed. So being the mature, sensible adult I am, I decide to use my knowledge of Information Technology for evil. I decide to send a LAN message to the person harassing me in e-mail. See the beautiful thing about doing that is the message pops up above all windows on the persons desktop, and they have to acknowledge the message by clicking "OK." You cannot ignore it and just get to it whenever you decide to like e-mail. It's annoying to a point and was perfect for this person. So I send a few messages, telling this person I'll get them, someday, when they least expect it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon! I know, I'm such a menacing presence...

So later in the day I talk to that person to tell them I was just kidding and that I thought everything that happened was pretty funny when I sat back and thought about it. And I asked her, "Hey did you like the LAN messages I sent you?" She replied, "What messages, I didn't receive any LAN messages."

CCCCCCCCCRRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!!!!

WORST DAY OF JP'S LIFE CONTINUES TO DAY 2:

So the next day, I get into work and about 9AM I get a phone call from corporate security. It seems that the user ID I keyed for my LAN message went to the wrong person. So I ended up freaking out a woman in Southern California, who thought someone was out to get her; so much in fact that she had to go home early. That's just great... So I talked with corporate security, fessed up to what I did (what? I couldn't deny it, right?) and then the guy thankfully laughed and told me just to make sure to not do that again. I said "Sure no problem, no more LAN messages, got it..."

So what did we learn here kids? Well, bad things seem to happen in 3's like everyone thinks. If the dog pukes, it's not the end of the world it's just puke (yeah honey it's a ripoff of your strudel line I know..). Township police speed traps are totally avoidable when you know where to look for the speed timing lines. And the #1 lesson is don't send LAN messages with people who have a really common last name (i.e. Smith, Brown, Johnson, etc.)

Labor Day Ritual #1: Long's Park Art Fair

Sharkey and I have certain "Must Do" events throughout the year. Ever since we've known each other we've always sought out contemporary art fairs. If we are in the Twin Cities at the right time, we will wander around the Minneapolis Uptown Art Fair. And if we are home in Philly around Labor Day we will always attend the Long's Park Art Fair in Lancaster. We love it. It's a lot of fun to see what the different artisans from around the country showcase and sell. Some of the pieces we have in our house have come from the local art fairs we've gone to.

Today was a wonderful day to be outside as well. Gorgeous!! No humidity, sunny, and just blue skies everywhere! The art fair consists of various artists setup in tents around a lake in Lancaster, PA. We arrived at the park and the ducks were even having a great time on the lake.



There were many, many cool things, some of which I took pictures of and can share with you:

6' Metal sculptures:





Yes even dogs are subjects:



Funky Brooms! Not at all like the ones you buy at Target!



Mobile of frogs playing tennis. Pretty funny, but very cool...



Colored Glass. It's so much better than even this picture can show..



So there were also a lot more things showcased. There were very cool photos, very nice paintings, and some fantastic surreal art, which is my favorite, but of course those tents "requested" we not take pictures of their work for obvious copyright reasons. So we had a great day and we are looking forward to the fall art fair in November, which is the Philadelphia Museum Art & Craft Show in the Convention Center.

George Foreman Grill and Water

George My New Best Friend...

So my Mom bought this simple kitchen appliance for Sharkey and me about 2 years ago.



Now I know you know what it is. Unless you've been living under a rock you recognize the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. When my Mom gave it to us I thought to myself, "What the heck am I going to do with this thing?" So it survived 2 garage sales and it occupied a small corner of the kitchen to be forgotten. Well that was until this past weekend. See Sharkey has requested we eat a bit better. Less fat, lower calorie, etc. So I found a good recipe for a California Panini and decided it was a good start. It has shrimp, avocado, beefsteak tomato, and a Dijon/mayo dressing. See if you didn't know or if you need some reminding I am the cook of the family. So healthy requires a bit of prep, because it typically involves vegetables, but for a panini, you need a sandwich press. So I was thinking how to simulate a sandwich press. I first thought of using my gas grill and then just flipping the thing, but then I knew that the sides really need to be heated simultaneously, so then I started thinking about what else I could use. Hey!!! I have one of those George Foreman grill thingy's I wonder if that would work? Let's fire that baby up and give it a go! So I give you the California Panini:



The little grill worked pretty well. 4 minutes and you have a hot little tasty sandwich. It worked so well in fact that tonight I made grilled strip steak sandwiches with provolone (cheddar for Sharkey) and onion. So the little, forgotten grill has become JP's favorite new kitchen gadget.

That's Some High Quality H2O...

I drink a lot of water at work. Typically, I'll down like 32-48 oz. in a day. But I've had a bit of a problem, because I put ice in my water and that of course makes the container sweat, so when I tilt it to take a sip, I usually end up with many water spots on my shirt and/or on my pants. And let me tell you, nothing says IT Professional like a man who looks like he pissed his pants...

So to remedy this problem I found this water bottle with a built in straw. It's pretty sweet and look Ma, no more wet pants!!!

Horse Play? How About Face Play?

So we were in Minnesota lately to be with the family. And while it was a sad time, it was also a great time to be with the fam' and play with the kids. Sharkey's namesake also had a good time playing with Sharkey's face. See for yourself...

Wired? Oh YEAH!!!

So we are off to Minnesota to attend services for Sharkey's Grandpa who passed away early this morning. I was able to get off of work to help my sweet wife out and I'm glad to do it, and glad my company really supports their employees. I do what I can. And we just finished a 450mi. drive from PA. I'm a bit wired on a Starbucks Grande Mocha no whip, so I figured I'd fire off a quick post then hit the sack. So here I am driving tonight post Starbucks.... Caffine!! It builds a body good!! 2nd 1/2 of the drive tomorrow YEAH!!! JP OUT!!!

Pillow Talk and Singing Dogs

So I have a problem. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has this disorder, but I have a sleeping issue. I do not talk about it much, but it does exist, I cannot deny it, and I have to face it and it feels darn good to write about it and get it out in the open. See I mangle pillows. I destroy them. Actually I squish them like pancakes. They can be feather pillows or synthetic pillows. They can medium or firm. They can be pretty much any make. It really does not matter. Because as fluffy as they are when I buy them, they all end up flat, like 2" to 3" flat within 2-3 months. I think maybe my head may weigh more than the average person, or maybe it just stays in one position all night. Or perhaps my head has its own gravitational field that crushes all nearby objects. Not sure the reason, but any pillow I have ends up the same way. So I decided to try to get some help from NASA and I'm going to try this baby out, the Tempurpedic Millenium Pillow:



So if viscoelastic polymer cannot do the trick, well, I guess I need to just deal with pancake bedding

OK, on another note, did I ever tell you that I not only have the cutest dog in the world, but she also can sing. True story. Check it out... "Sing Maggie Sing..."

Vacation Stuff... Better Late Than Never

Haven't posted in a while. I've been in one of those, "I have really nothing to say" moods. So I decided to finally take the photos off my little Canon camera and share with you all. So here are some pictures and a video from our vacation to Emerald Isle, NC.

On Sunday (the 2nd day of our excursion), Sharkey and I met up with my old boss and her husband, who are pretty good friends of mine. She a GRIT (girl raised in the south) and we remain good friends even though I do not work for her anymore and they live in NC. Actually, the funnier part is her husband and I talk almost every day via e-mail. We have become pretty good friends and share a lot of the same things in common (i.e. golf, clothes, jobs, etc.). Anyway, we met them for dinner in this quaint little town called Beaufort. It has little shops and some pretty cool restaurants. We decided it was worth taking a day trip back there and walk around during the week we spent at Emerald Isle.

We came across this cool ship building place:



It was pretty neat. You could sign up to build a ship hull with authentic ship building tools:



Pick a hull, any hull...




Here's a nice picture of Sharkey basking in the vacation glory:



We were at this dockside bar overlooking the water. We could see boats coming in and out. The bar was an "interesting" little place. It scared Sharkey's eyes!!! Fortunately we just had drinks there and no food was consumed.

We really enjoyed the beach and we are thinking we will go back again. It may become an annual thing for us. The water was just awesome and we really liked the area, the quiet, and the beaches were very nice too.

And finally I give you Maggie's first time on the beach. Does she like it? Does she hate it? You decide:

Wanted Mickey Hat & Callaway Sunglasses

All this week Sharkey and I are basking in the sun on the North Carolia coast. Today was beach day#1. I was just making my way out into the ocean and walkin through the waves. The first wave hits and I figured no problem. The second wave hits and I lose my Mickey Mouse hat. No problem. I just reach forward, grab it , and put it on my head. See that's where I "should have" learned a valuable lesson. So the third wave hits, which was about 2-3x larger than the first two and off go the hat and off go the Callaway sunglasses. The hat I can do without, but the sunglasses, well, it still tears me up a bit to know they are floating away in the Atlantic somewhere. So I'm off to comb the local golf/surf shops for some new specs. Because as we know JP does not skimp on the eyes or the feet!! Sharkey is rolling her eyes, but she understands and accepts my quirks!! So if you see a red Mickey Hat w/ a Mickey Golf Pin attached to it and a tortise pair of Callaway specs, drop me a line would ya?? ;)

A Day In the Life of JP

Sharkey is off traveling so I'm back to doing my own thing for a few days. My first order of business, the Transformers movie:



The movie was awesome!! There was a lot of action, decent dialog and Autobots and Decepticons!!! Yeah I know it's a geeky thing, but I'm Japanese. I appreciate gigantic robots that can turn into cars and airplanes. It's "my people's" culture and my genes cry out to me so I try to "represent" when I can!! Optimus Prime RULES!!!!



On another note, since Sharkey has taken over the household camera equipment and MacBook, I thought I'd take back something for myself so I ordered my own camera yesterday. It's a Canon Powershot A550.



It's perfect for me. You point it, it autofocuses you press the little button. 7.2 Megapixels baby!! F-Stop who?? Exposure what?? Nah all I need is to point it, center the image, then BAM!! Done. It's all I need for my BLOG and for my eBay sales. And Sharkey Honey this camera is mine. Hands off!! See Sharkey says I can use the Nikon D70 whenever I want, but truth is when I turn the thing on she has changed the settings on it so much I'm like a caveman trying to create fire when I try to take a picture with it. "ME NOT ABLE TAKE PICTURE...UGG.."

Finally, I discovered another "gift" or "talent" that I have. I have realized recently that I pretty much ALWAYS choose the wrong side of all automatic doors I walk up to. Here's a picture to explain my latent ability:



You think I'd get frustrated by this? Oh no, pretty much now when it happens I just laugh. The other day, Sharkey noticed I had this problem with doors and just laughed at me. If that ain't love what is??

JP out...

How's Work You Ask?

So I'm in week 3 of JP's new gig. I am still in training. My new employer has a pretty sweet "break in" period for new employees. So I started mid June, but I won't get my first project assignment until late August mid September. One of the biggest things I have to get used to is going in and seeing happy people. I am just totally not used to that. Needless to say though it is a refreshing change.

I was in a new hire class today with 15 other "new" employees. The thing is the new company I work for pretty much does not typically hire outsiders like me I found out recently (which makes JP feel pretty good about himself for now [wink]...[wink]...), but hires a lot of college graduates. So as you can expect, I was the only guy in my class who was not fresh out of college. I was also the only representative from my department in the class as well.

So being the only person from my department, the class instructor asked me to tell everyone what my department does, what the projects we do look like, and how my role fits in with their role. So at first I was like, "Um, Dude, I've only worked here for like 7 days, are you kidding me!!??" But that would be unlike me, so I stepped up and I actually was able to adequately describe what my department does, using the corporate "lingo" I've been trying to master since day 1, and relate how my role impacts what they'll be doing.

So things are going well. I'm feeling like I am starting to "get it," and I really am looking forward to my first assignment... "JP should you choose to accept it...this BLOG will self destruct in 10 seconds....."

Running for the Hills!!

So I am a golfer. Big surprise, right? Everyone who knows anything about me knows I love being out there hitting the little white ball around. I play in a league and I play every Thursday after work. Today was one of those "iffy" weather type of day. Mid 80's, about 90% humidity and severe warnings in place for pop up thunderstorms. So I'm out there in a match with a guy who is way better than I am, and I'm actually doing pretty well. I was up 2-0 on him in the match with 6 holes to play. Well that's when the bolt of lightning hit the fairway next to us, the thunder sounded immediately, and then the heavens opened up and dumped all of the water equivalent to the Atlantic ocean on us. I was packing my 40" umbrella which I immediately opened up, but once I see lightning, especially where it came down, I beat feet back to the clubhouse. I looked like this.



That's pretty scary. Like mortal danger, fear scary. Now being the math guy I am I know the chances of getting struck by lightning is equivalent to winning the lottery, but still I tend to have that kind of luck, so I just keep trucking and don't look back.

So the match was called, and I went home drenched from head to toe. I walked into the house and peeled off my sopping wet clothes next to the washing machine and I left water marks on the floor as I went upstairs to get dry clothes. I toweled off my bag, shoes and clubs when I got home.

Hot, Hot, Hot...

It's hot in PA. Really hot. You know how they say we are 80-90% water. I think after being outside for a few minutes we become 50-60%. Yep hot. Ass kicking, bat you in the crotch hot. It's been mid 90's with really high humidity in Southeastern Pennsylvania for the past 2 days. And the sad part is, even when the sun goes down it's still like 84 degrees outside.

I went to the driving range tonight to hit a few and as I was standing on the grass tee box I heard a rumble and I turned around and saw a pretty nasty, dark cloud coming in fast. I picked up my stuff and headed into the covered area of where I go hit. There's just something about a thunder storm with lightning strikes that does not mix too well when you are packing 14 metallic clubs on your back and holding a piece of metal that is akin to a lightning rod. And I love me some golf, but not enough to mess with the acts of God outside.

So no sooner I get under cover that it starts coming down in buckets. And the lightning is flashing, and the wind is gusting. It was like a scene from the perfect storm. I was pretty happy at that point to be under cover.

This weekend we are meeting Sharkey's sister Character Builder and her family in the District of Columbia. I took off Mon&Tue to hang with the family. Good thing for me I negotiated that time off before I started the new gig. And fortunately the weather should be pretty nice by then. Mid 80's and sunny. Because let's face it folks, nothing says "fun" like walking about the capitol when it's unbearably hot with young kids!!!

The Routine

So now that I have to commute to work every morning like 90% of all Americans I have had to change my daily/nightly habits a bit. Before, since I could roll out of bed at 8:25AM and then take a one minute commute in my PJ's and bunny slippers to my office to work there really was no need to do anything the night before but stay up until 1:00am. Now things are way different. I'm getting back into the swing of things, so I have had to change my routine a bit. Now I'd say I'm dead asleep by 11:45pm, and like the boy scout I am, I make sure the clothes I need for the next day are washed and pressed and ready to go.

So it's up at 7:00AM and a quick 15 minute shave, constructive "product" placing in the hair, and brushing of the teeth. Then I grab something to eat, kiss Sharkey good bye. and out the door by 7:45AM I go with my thermal mug filled with coffee, cream and 2 sugars. The drive isn't too bad. I'm estimating it takes 35 minutes in the morning and 35 minutes in the afternoon for me to drive back and forth to work. Here's the JP before and after shot:



As sad as this sounds, I enjoy actually running out the door to go to work. Having worked totally virtual for the past 3 years, it actually feels like I'm a "grown up" going to a real job. Now I know that I did have a real job before, but there's just something that changes when you have to get up, get dressed, and I mean "dressed" and run out the door. I expect this perception to wear off eventually, but for now I'm enjoying it and it is an unexpected benefit. I think the self esteem took a little boost with the job change. I think a big part of that feeling is that I'm going to be really challenged in this new position and it's going to require me to work to be "The Man" again. And I'm pretty pumped to prove myself and to see how much I can learn/do. And I have no misconceptions on what I need to learn. There's a totally new business, with a new corporate language and tons of acronyms I need to become familiar with. So they say in 9 months the light will go on in my head and I'll just get it all of a sudden. I'm hoping to do it in 6 or less! We will see!!

2 Weeks Are Up... Back to work!

It has been quite a while since I posted. Things have been quite busy and ever changing with me lately. I finished my job on June 1st. I set my computer to self destruct and handed it back to corporate IT. It felt good and like a big huge weight fell from my shoulders. I got that monkey off my back and not a minute too soon trust me! I shook the dirt off my shoes and I have not looked back yet!

Last week Sharkey and I took a short trip to Orlando. Specifically Disney World. Yes, JP loves Disney and all life changes happen at Disney (pssst..if you did not know, Sharkey and I got engaged at Disney), because it is where Magic Lives. Just ask them. Also, let's face it, when you drop the amount of money it requires to stay on Disney Property with park tickets and dining plan something magical better damn well happen! But still it was a lot of fun, we got a free room upgrade, had awesome food, lots of laughs and oddly enough, rumor has it that Character Builder's family is thinking of doing Disney in 2008? Do I hear BACK TO BACK DISNEY?!? =)

This week Sharkey and I took a road trip to Pittsburgh to attend the 1st round of the U.S. Open. The drive took about 4 hours, the hotel in Pittsburgh, the Holiday Inn Select at the University is surprisingly very nice. It's been just remodeled and the bed is pretty comfy. It is going to feel absolutely wonderful tonight! Here's the pass I had attached to my shirt for the entire day:



The day was absolutely perfect. No humidity, high 70's and perfect. The only drawback was we had to get up around 5AM. There were gobs and gobs of people there today too, even at 6AM in the morning, which was the time we made it to the US Open parking lot. It was interesting seeing who attends Professional Golf Tournaments. Mostly middle aged cigar smoking, beer drinking men. Sharkey was in the minority. And I caught a few of those bastards looking her up and down, but what the hey it made me feel good! =) It was equally fun watching the professionals hack it around at Oakmont Country Club. Now you know JP is an avid golfer and I have my ups and downs on the course like everyone else, but I never saw the pro's have similar issues to me. Granted, the course they played on today is infinitely harder than the ones I play, but it still shows hey they really are human. I found it funny that most of them look like guys I run into on the course every day. I also learned some great tips watching the pros that I plan to inject into my game.

So Monday play time is over and I start my new job! I'm pretty excited. I cannot wait to start a new gig and being the "new guy." I have one and a half days of corporate orientation, then get to meet my new team and start doing that thing that I do. New challenges, new opportunities, and a totally different industry. All I have to say for now is LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

Happy Hour - This Chapter Ends

And a new one begins. Tonight Sharkey and I went to a local microbrewery and met 10 of my coworkers. Some of them I've known for almost 10 years. It was a great time. We talked about when I was a wet behind the ears rookie, and then some others there know me as their mentor or their teacher. And those guys had their own stories of me as well.

So as I leave this job I've had for almost 10 years I look back and see how much I've changed and moved forward. How my journey has led me to this place. Along the way I met a lot of great people. Heck, I met my wife at work. That alone is the most important relationship of my professional career in my opinion. =) But it also makes me think how much I've changed to become the JP I am now. It was really a lot of fun laughing and talking about the "good old days" and the things I did myself and to hear how other people thought of me in the past.

And as fun as it was, I sit here and I have perspective. I am proud of the work I have done. I feel like I made a real difference for the company, for myself, and for the people I have met. And I can truthfully say with a clear conscience that I did the right thing with integrity and gave it everything I had every time. It was good work. As I move forward I'm excited and energized. I'm excited for a new opportunity, to learn a new business, and to continue to grow as an individual and make a difference again. 2 days to go....

Road Rage

So tonight I was off running some errands. These errands require me to go to various shopping places. So I'm driving, relaxed, life is good, I have the tunes cranking, and the weather is beautiful. And at that point that's where it all went wrong. This jackhole kid in an SUV pulls out in front of me and I almost crash into him. I hit the brakes, the antilock kicks in, and I do a quick look to the side and avoid hitting him from the rear by doing a left swerve manuver. I nail the horn and stay on it for a really long time. Now mind you I was actually traveling the speed limit and when he pulled out and initiated a right turn, he was at a light with a NO TURN ON RED sign.

Oh wait it gets better. Sure we all have lapses in judgement. We pull out when we shouldn't and we all do stupid things on the road. Those are called accidents. I get that. I understand that. I live that. So you feel apologetic, or embarassed, and you just move on and give the "I'm sorry wave of the hand" and sulk away. So when the kid completely stopped Mommy and Daddy's SUV in the middle of a 35 MPH zone and stretched out the window and gave me the "What's your problem Dude? You almost hit my Mom and Dad's SUV" look, that's when I pretty much lost it. I gave him the "Are you F'ing kidding me!!!!" look, the "Screw you rich kid!!!" hand waves and the "If you even get out of your parents' car I'm going to put you down like a sack of flour" stare.

So he finally drives away and I get to my destination and calm down and then I think about how I would want my kid to react if he did the same stupid thing. Because the fact that I almost crashed into the kid and that he made a bad judgement in turning is not what set me off. It is the entitlement, smart ass, non-accountable reaction I received after the fact.

The Home Stretch

I am 8 days from being unemployed and I'm LOVING IT!! Last week was pretty normal. Went to work, put up with the typical BS and did the day in and day out stuff. Squashed a few fires that came up, did the save the day Superman routine I'm accustomed to doing. This week however is totally different. I have entered the magical land of "INDIFFERENCE." It's amazing. Monday I go to work, I look up and totally developed "Short Timer's" syndrome in a matter of seconds of seeing the login screen. I've been disengaging from "work" conversations, I've hung up the Superman cape and have been responding to e-mail when I get around to it. See that behavior in and of itself tells you something, because you have to know when I'm working and an e-mail comes in I respond almost immediately.

I am a sounding board for a lot of people and they still call me to vent about what's happening here and there and what's wrong with this process, this person, etc. I'm sort of just listening, but I'm pretty relaxed. Again, indifferent. I still listen, but I just cannot get up any real energy into trying to make an effort to try to make a difference. I think I pretty much am in acceptance that "ATTENTION, ATTENTION,....JP HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!!!!" My stages of behavior sort of reminds me of the Robot Chicken Giraffe...



Next Wednesday is my big after work happy hour partaaaay... to hang out with my friends and coworkers, some of which I've known for almost 10 years. It'll be interesting to talk about "the good old days..."


HEROES Last Night....

Totally sad to see this was the last episode for the season. I really liked the ending although it was a bit predictable. Sylar got the crap kicked out of him by all the heroes. Sort of poetic justice since he killed so many of them and stole their powers. I'm on the fence if Nathan really bit it when he flew Peter up into the sky. I'm looking forward to the new season in the fall. And I saw that NBC is bringing back the Bionic Woman. No Way!!!! I'm waiting for Sanford and Son 2008 to make an appearance again. What's old is what's new again?

Sharkey's Party

It was exhausting, put together rapidly, but it was FUN!!! A great time was had by all. Sharkey and I were sitting on the couch last night and I looked over at her and said, "Honey, we have a 3 day weekend and nothing planned to do!!! YAY!!!!!" It was also fun covertly feeding her best friends pictures which they made into a Powerpoint show for Sharkey.

Resigned This Week

So as you know I resigned from my job on Tuesday. You know you go over in your mind exactly how you are going to approach a situation and you prepare yourself for all of the typical fallout questions that follow. Why are you going? Where are you going? Can we do anything to keep you here? What exactly compelled you to go? All typical questions you get from a job resignation. Well as much as you can prepare, there are some things you just do not foresee. Like when you tell your manager she starts to cry. Now I'm a professional, but geeze I just cannot stand it when someone, especially a woman for some reason, cries in front of me or because of me. So I do what I do best. I just try to be positive and make a joke of the entire thing. So eventually the crying stops and there's sort of an uncomfortable silence, then I'm like, "So... anything else? Can I go now? Pleeeeeeaaaaasssseeee...."

So Tuesday was interesting, but not nearly as interesting as when my team found out about my leaving. This happened at our weekly team meeting we had. It went something like this:

JP: Well guys I just wanted you to know I gave my notice this week.

Everyone: !!!!! SILENCE !!!!!!! 2 MINUTES

Everyone: !!!!! SILENCE !!!!!!! 2 MINUTES

Coworker1: Tears up, leaves room... 1 MIN 45 SECONDS

Coworker2: Is this April 1st by any chance? Please tell me it is...

Coworker3: I hope this is one of those nightmares you wake up from and then are relieved it was only a dream.

JP: Um, er, um, I'm not quite sure what to say, only it's been an honor and you will all be fine. You're all strong individuals, great professionals, and I know the work we've done TOGETHER will go on without me.

Everyone: !!!!! SILENCE !!!!!! 2 MINUTES

I'm telling you that's how it went down. And again my manager seemed to have the deer in the headlights reaction to what was going on exactly the same as when I told her on Tuesday. I so totally wished the meeting would have been moderated better. But I suppose I found out that day like Sally Field at the Oscar's, "They like me, they really, really like me." So like I said, you picture how it goes in your head, but unfortunately you cannot foresee how things will really play out, because let's face it people are NUTS!!!

But I do know one thing for sure. When I resigned and gave notice it felt...GOOD!!! Onward people, ever onward and upward!

Peeing on Command

So my new employer requires, along with several other things, that I pass a drug test to work for them. So today I took some time to go to the medical lab to get that done. So I'm waiting in the lab, and man there were some interesting characters there. And the lab people seemed to be totally "enjoying" being there as well. Although I have to admit, I think if I were dealing with other people's bodily fluids day in and day out, I'd probably have that indifferent attitude as well.

So my name is called. I go up, and the tech tells me to pick up this kit, open it, take the contents out, sign here, initial there and then hands me this cup. Actually it wasn't a cup. It was the size of a small farm trough. And it had this little black sticker about 1/3 the way up on it. She told me I had to fill it above the black sticker. So off to the restroom I go. So I'm there in the bathroom trying to get things going and nothing. I'm like, "come on JP you have to have something." Nothing... OK the anxiety starts to go up. What if I cannot fill it to the black line? What will they think of me? Will my name be placed on the wall of shame with the rest of the individuals who couldn't get it to the black sticker? Will I have to do it all over again? Will my new employer find out I failed to get to the black line? How can we hire a guy who couldn't make it to the black sticker? How am I going to explain this to Sharkey? I just want to get to the black sticker is that soooo hard!!! Come on!! It's the dumbest thing!! Come on JP, come on you can do it!! Of course all of these crazy thoughts shot through my head in the course of about 3 seconds time. I blame my mother for passing her crazy ass anxiety genes to me. So I took a deep breath, then just relaxed, everything starting flowing. I got out of there, handed the cup to the tech while looking calmly around and said in my cool breeze voice, "Hey, no problem, thanks!!" WINK! WINK!

JP's New Career

Tomorrow will be interesting. See tomorrow will be a life changing type of day for me. Because when tomorrow comes I'll walk into a meeting with my manager and resign from my current job. This has been a long time coming. I've known for a while that I've reached the end of what I want to do for my company. And it seems the company has reached the end of what they want to do for me, so a few months back I started the official job search.

My father always said the best time to look for a job is when you have a job. So I looked around where Sharkey and I live and searched for a good company where I could learn something new and have some great opportunity to be challenged and energized. There are great benefits in looking for a job when you have one. You can be picky in what you choose and when you interview there's really no pressure. You have nothing to lose and the world to gain. And going into the interviews I had ( and there were several trust me) my attitude was to be myself, to not oversell myself, and to give it all I had. I felt that if the company really didn't like me for me, then they weren't worth working for in the first place.

So today I accepted an offer from a new company. I'll work the rest of the month then I'll take a couple of weeks off to reflect and decompress, then I'll start the new job. Sharkey is very excited and happy about the entire thing. Almost as much as I am in fact. I'm looking forward to it. I'm REALLY excited to pursue this opportunity and I'm pumped for the new challenge. I think the adrenaline and the perpetual smile on my face for most of today tells the entire story. I think the feeling I have is equivalent to hitting a home run, getting a hole in one, or making that game winning touchdown with 10 seconds on the clock.

So with all great victories in life, what are you going to do now JP?

Well, it's simple, Sharkey and I are going to Disneyworld!!!!!

Marriage Tip #2: Some Questions Do Not Require Answers

Once you are married things change. Let's face it. You are no longer free to do a lot of the things you used to do when you were single. There are also things that you may have worn before that you cannot wear when you get hitched. Case in point, there are some things I put on to go "out" in where I think I'm styling and looking sharp and then I'll come down from the 2nd floor and Sharkey will look at me and say, "You are not going to wear that are you?" At this point, you pretty much have that deer in the headlights look, blink 2x with a blank expression on your face, then think to yourself, "Hey look there goes my self image out the window. Oh no I think it was just run over by that 18 wheeler truck and look now the street sweeper just sucked it up to go get recycled!!"

Now for all you guys out there who have been married 7+ years like me, we all realized after the 4-5th time our wives asked us this question to not answer her and to go back up and change. But for those of you who are new to this thing we call "love" remember, when the wife says this to you she is not trying to elicit any response from you other than the one which has you going back up the stairs to take off the outfit which she deems hideous (which probably honestly is) and scares her eyes to something that meets spousal approval. So here in lies another tip for you. The wife doesn't want to talk about the outfit, and you don't want to spend the time talking about why the colors and cut don't go together, just get your ass up and change your clothes.

My Talent

So we all have special talents right? I finally figured out what mine is today. Now a real talent would be to have a photographic memory or be able to do advanced math calculations in your head or have lightning fast reflexes. Mine is much more obscure. See no matter what market, discount center, home center, or outlet I go to I ALWAYS pick the most messed up, loudest shopping cart. I kid you not. When you hear a squeaking, wheels rolling on their sides, piece of crap cart coming towards you, that's the one I always pick. I've tried to be picky with the selection upon entering the establishment, but it never fails. Like 9 out of 10 times I always will pick the worst cart the joint has to offer... It's a gift I tells ya a gift!

Kandy Kakes

I loves me some Tastykake!!! Never heard of them? The are an original Philly creation. You all know the Hostess Twinkie no doubt or the Little Debbie Chocolate Roll thingy. But let me tell you, "nobody makes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake!" My favorite is probably the Kandy Kake. The Kandy Kake is a small circular yellow cake with peanut butter on top and the entire thing is enclosed in chocolate. Girl Scouts sell sort of a similar cookie type of thing, but the Tastykake is sooo much better!! Recently Sharkey even became a believer! I've caught her sneaking a Kandy Kake here and there!



I grew up on these things. My Mom & Dad would get them for us every once in a while. We'd go take in a Phillies game and we'd get some Tastykake for the ball park. Or we'd go down to the NJ shore and grab some snacks before we headed out to throw in the cooler and we'd always throw a few Tastykakes in. My family had the standard fare we'd always cycle through: Taskykake pies, butterscotch krimpets, jelly krimpets, and kandy kakes. All are totally worth trying at least 1x trust me.

It's funny, my oldest brother moved to North Carolina and you cannot get Tastykakes there. I don't think they have them in Minnesota either. So for Christmas either my Mom or his father in law sends them a Tastykake assortment. No you may ask, are they really that good. YES. THEY ARE REALLY THAT GOOD!!!

How'd I Get Here?

I was having some issues with my stomach a while back. See I have acid reflux and I take a wonderful proton pump inhibitor called Prilosec. I was doing fine until recently I had some really nasty pain coming from my abdomen. It was coming and going and would subside after I would eat and then come right back 2 hours later. So like a responsible adult I went to the doctor for a checkup, and then shortly after I ended up at the local gastroenterology office for a consult. The G.I. person said that I should get an endoscopy done to check if everything was OK.


So Sharkey and I took a day off of work and off to the local hospital we went for me to have this procedure done. So Sharkey was able to stay with me even after they wheeled me in the endoscopy lab. She was pretty funny. She played around with the Olympus endoscopy equipment and was commenting on how it is color and had a interesting lens, and was passing her hand in front of it seeing the image on the monitor screen and all I could think was "Holy cow, that thing's going to be in my body, give me the DRUGS NOW!!!!" So the GI Doctor came in and was ready to start so Sharkey gave me a kiss and I sucked it up and gave her my "no problem I'm brave" face. So the GI Doctor ordered the nurse to push 10-2 of something into my IV, and he asked me what I did, where I went to school, and what I studied. The last thing I remember was telling him I studied mathematics in college and I am currently doing IT now. So I have flashes of that day. Mostly I had questions. The next thing I remember was sitting in a chair after I "woke up" and saying to Sharkey, "How did I get here??" I really had no idea, because the last thing I remembered was laying on the operating bed. So I was amazed to be sitting in this chair and not lying down. The rest Sharkey sort of filled in for me. Evidently I asked "How did I get here??" about 5x. I also asked, "Did the doctor come in??" about 5x. The doctor did come in and told us everything was OK most importantly. Apparently I had some viral thing going on. So we got home and Sharkey put me to bed. Then about 2 hours later I was out of it again and said to her "How did I get here??" GOOD DRUGS!!!!! Like a loving wife, Sharkey just laughed at me and still thinks that day was pretty funny.

Faux-Hawk

OK, this is just a ridiculous post, but it cracked me up this morning so I figured, what the heck, why not... Anyway, I take showers at night. I'm probably in the minority of all Americans who bathe at night before they go to sleep. I've just always done it like that. When I went to college, I think there were only 2-3 of us on my dorm floor who took showers at night. The rest of America falls out of bed in the morning and jumps into the shower to wake themselves up. Well because I shower at night, I wake up in the morning with some of the most creative hair sculptures. This morning when I woke up I got out of bed and Sharkey looked at me and said, "Honey you have a faux-hawk!"

I give you the faux-hawk:

Random Things...

School Security....

I walked into Penn State last night and right at the door is a big security guard who looks me up and down very tentatively, I look him straight in the eye and say "Hi." Then in my mind I'm thinking, "Dude, I'm Japanese not S. Korean, chill out..." Granted, all us Asians all look a like, but I'm harmless.

The Quest For Pink

As you know Sharkey and I are planning a 5 Year Cancer Free parrrrtaaay for her!!! BBBBBBBBBUUUUU'YYYYAAAAAAHHHH!!! Anyway, part of the party planning is that everyone has to wear something pink or with pink. I've been having issues finding a pink shirt for this thing. Well, at least a pink shirt a metro sexual, Aveda soap using, product hair primping, guy like me would wear. The ones I have seen either make me think I should be in a Flock of Seagulls / Duran Duran video (totally just dated myself with that...)



or look so bright that I could direct traffic in the street, "Whoa, Martha, look at that pink guy there, I don't think I've seen a shirt quite that luminescent before...." So contrary to what my neighbors think, I honestly have not found that real men wear pink.

Lost / Heroes

I'm a junkie. I'm so totally into both of these shows. I'm still sad that they killed off Mr. Eko, I really liked him, but I'm fast becoming a Desmond fan. I still want to know what the heck that black cloud is that rips through the jungle and where the heck the Others went. And I still want to know what was up with that 4 toed statue.

Heroes is back next week. Ya Suzieq I know, right at this point you're staring off into space and all my words look like BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.....click next... But I really want to see if they kill off Peter. No way!!! I say!


Update: Project New Gig

Ongoing? YES

Ending Soon? PERHAPS

Inevitable? YES

Going to post about it soon? YES

My Audience

So today I went to the driving range to practice my craft for the upcoming golf season. Sharkey recently purchased an entertainment book from the nice woman who watches Maggie when we are out of town. In the entertainment book they have coupons for my driving range for buy one get one free on buckets of balls. So I'm in heaven. Its about 56 degrees out, I have the iPod playing "JP Smooth Tunes" while I hit. I was feeling and getting the groove on today and was hitting quite well.

Anyway, I switched clubs to my driver, which is fast becoming the favorite club in my bad. It's BADASS!!! It's like a sledgehammer, and makes this high pitched sound when it connects with the ball.



Well, I'm in zen mode and the swing is on automatic. Then I turn around and notice I have an audience. Standing there watching me are two kids, ages about 8-10 years old. Pretty cute. They were there watching the amazing ball whacky guy. So I decided to give them their money's worth. I put everything I had into the next couple, and since the swing was on auto today I could do that and still connect with the ball and do the photo perfect finish. So after a few "Wow!!!" and "Look at that!!" remarks they walked away. I finished up and got situated to walk back to my car.

So I am walking out and all of a sudden one of the kids runs up to me with a big smile on his face and said, "Really good work out there today!!!" That just made my day. I smiled at him and said, "Thanks!!"

A New Trick Learned!

So this weeked Maggie Malarkey had a breakthrough! She learned how to roll over. And you know what? I have a MacBook with an iSight camera, so I can share it with all of you great people. Enjoy!!!

Crashed Out

What's cute you ask? Well let me define cute for you. Cute is looking over at the couch and seeing your speckle nose dog with her head on your couch pillow totally crashed out...



This my friends is the epitome of CUTE!!! This is cute squared in fact or cute to the power of 2.

I still fail to understand why she's so tired and sleeps so much, she only does 4 things. ; )

Do you think dogs dream? I think they do? But what do they dream about? Chasing bunnies? Playing fetch? Unlimited biscuits and greenies? This may require further research.

Time For A Change

If you are a reader or stalker, you've seen me allude to some change coming for me and Sharkey. If you are family and live in the Midwest, heck I just discussed it with you this past weekend. Or if you read comments, you know I've already started the ball a rolling. So here's the scoop for the rest of you.

I have worked for the same IT company, which will go unnamed (don't want to get Dooced!), for 10 years. I started out doing technical support and climbed the ladder. I have always been a pretty good problem solver (the Applied Mathematics degree wasn't just all fluff ya know....hahaha). I became very proficient in solving issues, I was resourceful and found a way to do just about whatever I needed to do. See, if I am presented with a seemingly impossible problem, I can pretty much figure out a workable solution in my head. See you learn the rules to a point where you know them so well, you can break all of them. Also, since I did technical support for 4 years that gave me a lot of experience in dealing with people. Those two good skills led me to the next thing, critical accounts.

What's that you ask? Well, when things break down for clients, as things do, and when they get to the point where they have had all they can take and are ready to two step it out the door and take their business with them, someone has to swoop in and save the day. That person was me. It was high stress, but when you pull the first one out of the fire and get them to the point where the business is saved and the relationship is restored, there is no better feeling of accomplishment. You made a difference. You did the impossible and knocked it out of the ballpark. I pulled off some pretty cool things and learned a lot of skills doing that job and it gave me a decent reputation company wide. It put me on the map, because I never lost an account I was assigned. But like with all things, you find that the first 10 times you do that job of flying in and saving the day everything is great, but there's always another one lining up to take its place. It's really not easy to be Superman, just like the song by Maroon 5 says.

So 3 years ago I made a change. I went from doing a supporting role to an implementation type of role. Instead of dealing with clients on the problematic side, I got to have them when they were new. It was a sweet change too. Again, I learned a lot, and I was able to see the other side of the business. And I was able to do things no one ever did before. See the team I joined was a brand new team. There were no existing processes, no set precedents, no methods that were given to us. We came up with them all from scratch. I was able to be a founding member of that team and it was very cool. Again, the problem solving came in handy. I worked out 4 new processes to perform technical implementations which are still in use today. I had without a doubt the best manager I ever had and we became one of the best teams in the company. Great stuff right? Well, like all things change is inevitable.

My manager left a few months back. I had interviewed for the position and I'm about 99.9% sure it was mine, but I withdrew from the selection process, because of the fit and the lack of support given to the position. I do want to manage someday, but not under the the circumstances that existed. I was good with the decision I made. But I've gotten to the point where I'm bored day to day with what I do. STRIKE ONE.

Also, it's sad, but since the departure of "the best manager I ever had" my team is starting to succumb to mediocrity. I cannot stand that. I am about doing the right thing and being accountable. I do think that's unreasonable and I do not hold anyone to a standard I myself would not uphold. This slip makes my head explode. You do the job completely, do it right, and you do it consistently, every time. My father instilled this in me as well. Before he passed away, he told me "never settle for just doing something to just get it done, do it above and beyond; you do it better and cleaner and make a difference." That's stuck with me. STRIKE TWO.

I went to work today and had a review with my current manager. It seems that my company decided to eliminate a grade level, which happened to be the grade I was to be promoted into for 2007. So what exactly does that mean? Well, this year I was rated with the highest marks for my position, but I cannot advance because there's no place for me to advance to. STRIKE THREE.

So with the course of these events taking place I realized today I cannot sit idly by and wait for things to get better or more interesting. It's time for me to leave and go a different way. I'M OUT. Fortunately and quite recently, I have found there are a few good companies who seem to think my skills are of interest to them. So by next week, I am hoping to write you all a new post entitled: "JP's New Career." Keep your fingers crossed people. More to come on this folks....