I work with computers. I convert large quantities of data for a living. I am also a problem solver. And most importantly, I do not give up. EVER. I give every issue I encounter 100% every single time. And I cannot let things go. These qualities are good, but it gets me into some really great predicaments. Tonight was no exception. You see, I am our church's resident IT person. I give input on hardware, software, and I have networked all the PC's in the church and setup the building with secure wireless. So last night I received a phone call from the treasurer saying Excel was not working. I decided I could fix the problem in a few minutes, so today I went to the church. I had Excel back up in about 15 minutes, and the treasurer walked in and was excited I fixed Excel. Then he asked me if I could take a look at another issue he had with another software package. As soon as he showed me the message I knew what it was right away and immediately I knew what it would take to fix it. And here's how I felt:
See the problem is I installed software for my Stewardship committee on the church's computer to track member assignments and it conflicted with the treasurer's program. Essentially, the computer flipped me the bird. So I had to "revert" to my software support persona and figure out the software conflict. So 2 hours later, I resolved it and then went to On the Border with my brother for a 20oz Dos Equis
So Sharkey is currently in Minnesota helping out CharacterBuilder's family while Catherine is recuperating from her brain surgery. I had to come home last Sunday because I have some time sensitive projects going on and being that I am the "new" guy I have to be at work to show my Japanese work ethic off. It has been 7 days all by myself. I drove Sharkey and Maggie to MN last Friday and now I have the house all by myself. This span of time has been the longest that Sharkey and I have been apart since we've been married. You think I'd be golfing, watching loud movies, staying out at all hours of the night, and just enjoying the bachelor life. Well, yes I have been doing all of those things, but at this point, I want Sharkey back! We talk every night on the phone, but you just cannot replace the "together" time you know. Also, being all by myself with no wife and no dog, just.... SUCKS!!! This Friday I fly back to MN to drive Sharkey and Maggie back home. T minus 5 days and counting...
Marketing. Yes it's true. I have mentioned this before, but I fall for everything that's shiny, iPhone 3G gadgetry, iPhone 3G and new iPhone 3G. It could something that's very similar to something I already own, iPhone 3G but if they make it a different color with marginally better qualities I find that something irresistible. Like the iPhone 3G coming out on July 11th at the local At&T store.
Tastykake and snack chips. I grew up with these sweet treats called Tastykake. I cannot help picking up pies, Kandykakes, Creme filled coffee cakes, and Krimpets when I go to the supermarket or Wawa. And whenever I see a new snack chip or some other chippage that is BOGO at the supermarket I'll 99% of the time get it. It's really amazing that I do not look like a balloon sculpture eating all this crap.
One of Character Builder's kids. Much to my dismay, and this surprises me as much as anything, I found myself dropping gobs of cash at the local cheese festival when I was in Minnesota to win crappy stuffed animals made in China for this little girl. I think it was the way she looked at me and how excited she was when we where there. Truth be told my view is that it's only money and the look on her face was totally worth it. But the lesson here is that I am in such BIG trouble if Sharkey and I have a daughter.
So those are three of my things, are you a sucker for anything??
I have found that the universe balances itself out. You know, things like good and evil canceling each other out. Seemingly awful situations spin to have not too bad outcomes.
Case in point, I was at the market picking up milk, yogurt, and veggies (all good for you stuff notice...) when I came across these:
Yes my friends, Pancake Krimpets. Cake with a butter cream center and maple frosting. Limited edition tasty treats. The bells go off, I figure that all the healthy things I have in my basket surely offset these beauties and into the cart they go. OK, not really. It is crazy, but these things taste really like pancakes. If it wasn't so really bad for you, I could totally take them for breakfast in the morning instead of my coffee, yogurt, and Kashi bars (man I sound like a fossil).
But in universal balancing fashion, Nintendo releases the Wii Fit and of course this thing is a JP must have. I wasn't smart enough to pre-order one, so of course I had to perform the ritual electronics hunt. I wasn't giving in to the eBay vulture/scalpers who do not even own Wii's and just buy them for profit and monetary gain (Pssst, scalpers YOU SUCK!!!). So I ran the typical pattern for when I wanted the latest and greatest electronic goody: websites and weekly trips to Target, Walmart, and Circuit City to ask the high school kids working there if they have any Wii Fit's in stock. So yesterday I got to work, logged on, answered my e-mail then decided to check some websites to see if any Wii Fit's were for sale. Well as fate would have it, the local Walmart had them "In Limited Stock" so I took a "break" from work, cough, cough, at ahem, cough 8:45AM and went to Walmart to get one. I give you the Wii Fit:
So I figure I can eat boxes and boxes of Krimpets as long as I play Wii Fit every day!! See my friends, UNIVERSAL BALANCE!!!
3:00AM - BANG!! CRASH!!???!!! The dump truck at the YMCA is emptying trash. Those guys should be shot for waking me out of a dead sleep. Well of course having the windows open doesn't help either, but it's been such nice weather you have to sleep with those windows open.
3:30AM - Almost asleep. ZZZZZZ Wait, what's that sound??? Sounds like a drain going gurgle, gurgle... That's no drain. What's that small shape on my side? The noise is coming from that... What the heck?? It's a small dog...Maggie Moo is puking in the middle of the night!!!
4:00AM - "Sharkey, I let Maggie out and Oxycleaned her McPukee spot next to the bed..."
4:23AM - Almost asleep... ZZZZZZ
6:24AM - Eyes open and JP hopes when he glances over the clock is at 5:05AM. NOPE, gotta get up at 6:35! Crap!
Sharkey- JP I think somethings up with the dishwasher JP - Nah Honey it's fine I don't see anything wrong with it
Monday:
Sharkey - JP I think the dishwasher leaked water on the floor last night JP - Sharkey I think maybe it's just a spill from Maggie or when I was taking the dishes out. Let's give it another try tomorrow
Tuesday:
JP - Sharkey I think there's something wrong with the dishwasher the hardwood l00ks wet Sharkey - Yep
Tuesday Night at Lowes:
Salesman: Yes we have that Whirlpool in stock and we can install it within 72 hours.
Friday:
Lowes: Yes Mrs. JP we can schedule that dishwasher to get installed shortly Sharkey: Um, what about the guarantee you have for installation within 72 hours if the appliance is purchased Mon.-Fri.? Lowes: Um, well, um, that's for other appliances, yeah that's the ticket, other appliances Sharkey: No it's not. If you walk out of your office to appliances, that's advertised 2-3x above all the dishwashers and it is also on your website Lowes: Oh, well, I'll have someone call you today
Sharkey and I are on different sleep schedules now that I am not working virtual anymore and she is virtual. My Sharkey is a bit of a night owl, so it is not uncommon for her to go to bed at 1:00 AM or later. When she comes to bed, she usually will turn on the TV, put the sleep timer on it and drift off. One night last week I woke up to the TV on and showing some really, really bright show. I looked at my clock and it was 3:17 AM. I thought Sharkey had forgotten to hit the sleep timer, so I got out of bed went to hit the button on the front to turn it off, and when my finger got within 2 inches of the button, the damn TV turned off. Clearly Sharkey went to sleep around 2:17 AM. So I dropped some colorful metaphors lurched back to bed, put my arm around Sharkey and fell back to sleep.
It is that time of year again. The flowers bloom, the grass greens up, the days are warmer, the nights are shorter and I am out in search of perfection. I play that silly sport where you take a bunch of crooked sticks and try to get this tiny, hard, pock marked ball in a hole, while avoiding sand, water, trees, and high grass. It is my obsession. I started playing out as something I could do with my Dad to make him happy. Now I am hooked. I think about my swing. I work on my short game. I look at all the golf magazines. I wear the clothing. I watch it on TV. I spend countless hours at the driving range where the guys at the counter know me by my first name. I am like Norm from Cheers walking in there. I take lessons. I watch the Golf Channel. But what can I do? "Golfus Ergo Sum = I golf therefore I am." JP out....
So last night Sharkey and I went to meet more of her "internet" friends (aka bloggers). Sure I suppose I am a blogger, technically, since I have been writing posts monthly since 2006, but I do not really feel like I am part of the blog community. Mostly I think that's because I only read and comment on Sharkey, Kranki,Q's, and Character Builder's blogs with any kind of regularity. I haven't really gone out and found any more blogs that interest me. Maybe it's also because I am old fashioned in that I sort of think I should know someone before reading and commenting on their posts. Although I must admit meeting Q and the Hubs totally did not turn into the axe murderer, stalker, weirdo encounter I thought it was going to be, so perhaps I need to be more open minded.
The evening started out with Sharkey and I meeting Mainline Mom & her husband. We met at JB Dawson's in Plymouth Meeting for dinner. Again, like the Q and Hubs encounter, both of them were totally cool (no axe murderer, stalker, weirdo vibes detected) and dinner was yummy.
After we finished, it was off to location #2. William from Poop and Boogies had a role in a local community theater play, and Sharkey really, really wanted to meet William and see this play he was in, The Philadelphia Story. We get to the place and I think it is a renovated church building. It was pretty cool though. It had some great local art pieces and a portion of their proceeds go to charity, so hey win/win, right? We find some seats (seats are not assigned there) and wait for the play to begin.
Act I. begins. OMG!!! I was going cross eyed and was having issues focusing. It's not that the play was bad, but the dialog used references from the 1930's and it was going way, way over my head and I was having a hard time interpreting what the heck the actors were talking about? During this time, I was thinking, "I love my wife, I love my wife, I support my wife, I love my wife." Also during this time, my mind drifts a bit and I zone off thinking "I wonder if Sergio Garcia is still leading the Players tournament" and "I tee off at 8am tomorrow, I need to get my balls marked and into my bag before morning" and "I hope Tivo records my BattlestarGalactica episode tonight." (....WILLIAM IF YOU ARE READING THIS POST PLEASE DO NOT STOP HERE....)
Intermission hits and I go out get some water stretch the back and neck out and shake my head back and forth to get some blood flowing back. I give Sharkey the "No really Honey I am having a fine time" smile and then back into the theater we go. Act II starts and then something interesting and unexpected happened. I started to follow the dialog and really was getting into the depth of the characters. I was totally engrossed at this point and I started to think about how Tracy and Dexter's marriage was and how she totally was not right for George, and I wondered if Mike will see through all the superficial layers of Tracy. Needless to say I was enjoying the play at that point and William did an awesome job in the character of Dexter. The play ended and get this, I liked it so much, I was thinking I want to see the version with Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Catherine Hepburn.
We stayed a bit for a reception after the play. Sharkey and I were able to meet William and he is true to how he writes in person. He was freakin' hilarious. Sharkey and the others spoke their blogging language, traded ideas for future local gatherings and in short a good time was had by all. JP out...
Pollen!! It's that sucky time of the year where my eyes itch, my nose runs, and I sneeze out of my shoes. Yes my friends it is springtime and the trees are mating and giving off all of the wonderful pollen that coats everything, turns pools of rainwater into bright green puddles and that wonderful substance turns me into a quivering, miserable mess. Thankfully, I practice better living through chemistry, so I pop one of these every day:
It works pretty well, but I cannot wait until everything is leafy, because once the leaves are out I know the pollen is not being mass produced anymore and I become a sane person again. But for the time being, I'll medicate myself and just deal. JP out...
Vacation started last Sunday at about 5AM. Sharkey and I had to catch an 8:30AM flight so we had to be at the airport by about 7:00AM.
Our flight was "mostly" on time and we landed in Orlando and met up with Character Builder and family around 11:00AM.
Day 1: The Magic Kingdom
As we arrived in Orlando we stood in our first line for the week, for the Magical Express Bus. I think the most impressive thing was that I was in like a 5 queue line, but only had to wait like 5 minutes before I was checked in.
The Disney Cast member told me they were going to transport 1200 guests in one hour. My head spun with the logistics of that, but hey they are Disney. They have their stuff together. For anyone going to Disney, the Magical Express is awesome. You check your bags at the airport and you do not see them again until you are in your Disney hotel room. And from the time you board the bus, you are inundated with Disney media to get you into the vacation mood. Even the seats on the bus have magical, sparkly patterns. (Wide Eyed JP--Disney is great... great.... I love the mouse... mouse....)
We arrived at the Port Orleans Riverside resort and checked in. We were able to get adjoining rooms with Character Builder and family.
After a quick lunch at the resort, off to the Magic Kingdom we went. After a few rides, viewing a parade, and getting through what I will refer to as "The Dumbo Incident," we had dinner at the Crystal Palace. The kids were able to see their first characters for the week up close (i.e. Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet):
(um, guy in the right part of the picture is a "passerby")
After dinner, all the girls went back to the hotel and CB's hubbie Jason and her son Alex and I went on all the "big boy" rides. You know, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and The Haunted Mansion. After our "boys night out" we caught the buss back to the resort and turned in after a long day.
Day 2: Animal Kingdom & The Magic Kingdom take 2
Our next day we were off to the Animal Kingdom and to get anywhere from our hotel you have to take a bus or a boat. So here's Sharkey and Lauren sitting at the stop:
Upon arriving at the Animal Kingdom we saw the Tree of Life:
And after viewing that architectural marvel, we quickly realized everyone needed food, badly. So we stopped at Pizzasaurous for lunch, and while everyone was sitting down, I beat feet over to get a fast pass to the safari ride. As a Disney veteran and knower of everything Mouse related, I knew that a fast pass was a great idea for the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. So after lunch, we decided to split into girls and boys groups again so the boys could go on the thrill rides and the girls could find some other less adrenaline pumping attractions. So Jason, Alex and I headed to Expedition Everest:
The girls went to the Finding Nemo stage show and take a few pictures with Lilo and Stitch and we were able to get in the Dinosaur Countdown to Extinction ride:
We also were able to take the self guided safari tour and saw lizards, bats, monkeys, and tigers up close:
The tiger was the coolest! Not sure what they use, but I was a foot away from the big kitty. I was thinking I wonder what this glass is made out of. And why does the tiger keep pacing back and forth in front of me?
We headed back to the Magic Kingdom to meet our dinner reservation time at Tony's Restaurant. Before dinner we were able to fit in the Buzz Lightyear ride. After dinner we did the Monsters Inc. comedy room and got our place for the nightly fireworks extravaganza. Then after that show was over, the kids still had pretty good energy and since all we'd be doing is wait for a bus anyway, we decided to go on some rides. So we all went on the Indy Speedway Motor Cars, the Dumbo ride, and then Sharkey, CB, and the kids went on the Tea Cups several times, and the Carousel. And after a very long day, we went back to Riverside and all crashed.
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
Day 3 marked Character Builder's birthday and my 8th anniversary with Sharkey. We were off to Hollywood Studios, formerly known as MGM Studios.
Our first stop was the Indiana Jones Stunt show:
After that show, we went and grabbed fast passes for the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster
Soon after we took the Backlot Tour and saw a few neat props:
This is the bone cage from the Pirates of the Carribean 2 movie:
This sci fi looking piece is from none other than Star Wars: Return of the Jedi:
And the piece de resistance is Ear Force 1, Walt Disney's personal aircraft. Way cool!
Our day ended with dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Sharkey and I love this place. We had a few alcoholic beverages, and enjoyed a dinner with abuse from our server, Aunt Memory. Yah, we pay money to get slapped around at dinner. She even force fed Sharkey the green beans she didn't finish, before she could get dessert.
And so day 3 ended.
Day 4: EPCOT
Day 4 marked the other big occasion for the week, CB's daughter Lauren's 5th Birthday! So off to EPCOT we went because we had made reservations to have breakfast with the princesses.
This breakfast was like the best idea ever. Not so much for the princesses and breakfast, but we were able to get into the park before it was opened and walked around like we owned the place. It was awesome! I was able to snap some photos without gobs and gobs of crowds in the picture.
After breakfast we did more pictures with characters and rode on Soarin', Mission Space, and Test Track. After our rides in Future World, we walked around the World Showcase so Alex could get his EPCOT passport stamped in each country and grabbed lunch around the world in different countries. You know, quiche in France, udon / snowcones in Japan, burgers & fries in the USA, pretzels/bratwurst/chocolate in Germany, and snacks in a few other countries. While in Japan we also caught the Taiko drummers:
By 8:00PM we were all spent, our dogs were barking, lower backs were aching, and energy was reaching a low level, so we went back to Riverside for a low key night and grabbed dinner at the Waterwheel food court there.
Day 5: Downtown Disney
Our final day was our shopping day, so off to the docks we went to catch the boat to Downtown Disney:
We arrived and had lunch at the golden arches, Mickey D's:
We then went to shop at the World of Disney store:
And then hit the Disney Pin hut for Alex and into another shop where I found a Jedi Mickey figure for my work desk and the mystery bag of Disney goodness. Sure it was a bag full of a few clearance items, but the mystery bag could have contained anything. It was too enticing to pass by. Yeah, Sharkey didn't get it and berated me for falling for the marketing, but who am I? What's my name?
The only thing at Downtown Disney that was disappointing to me was that Ghirardelli's ice cream fountain was closed from remodeling. So NO HOT FUDGE SUNDAE!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! Well, I guess that means we'll need to return soon for my sundae fix right?!
And so ends the Disney Vacation for 2008. It is back to work tomorrow, and I do wish I had like 5 more days to just decompress, golf, and sleep, but I figure I have 20 more days of vacation for 2008 so there's time!!
Well, the "ginormous" project is finally wrapping up! And none too soon. I am fried. Spent. I got nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. So I finished my 5th straight Saturday this past weekend and today I turned over my part to the "ongoing" people to handle today! It felt goooooooooooodddd to perform that handoff. So I made it... I think I made it... Oh God please let this mean I made it!! So now I am trying to wind down and finish up the last few things I need to do before we fly off to Disneyworld to meet CB and family. I actually was able to sit down and eat dinner (which I cooked instead of bought) with my beautiful Sharkey. It was a bit surreal like, "Hey Honey where have you been, it feels like I've been away forever."
So things to do on vacation.... Well first of all, I am thinking we have to make our way to Downtown Disney and have a Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae....
If you think the picture looks good, it's got nothin' on the REAL THING. Yes it is true, there are few things ice cream and fudge cannot remedy.
Next. Buzz Lightyear Ride. Sure it is for kids 4 years and up. But it is a BLAST! Sharkey and I always see who can get a higher score. And we have been known to go on this ride a few times.
I am going to wear shorts and short sleeve shirts all week. And I am going to try to recharge and relax. For no less than 216 hours I will forget all I know about technology and work thingy's... And who knows, maybe I'll squeeze a round of golf in there somewhere too. Next post will be from the Magic Kingdom folks. JP out...
UNTIL VACATION!!!! JP and Sharkey are headed again to the land of the Mouse (Hey Sharkey how's that Disney 5 year plan working out baby??!!!)!!! This time we are meeting up with Character Builder and family. Oh, Minnie, you're so fine you blow my mind hey MINNIE (and MICKEY)!!
I am going to eat, play, drink and chase CB's kids all over those parks! I am a Disney junkie in every sense of that term. We've planned this trip for months, I acted as travel agent and restaurant reservation concierge, and it's finally, almost here. And it comes at a great time. Let's see, this weekend may (hopefully not, but you never know) mark the 5th consecutive Saturday I spend in the office and I am in the midst of completing my GINORMOUS project and I am in desperate need of some down time!
Not sure if I ever explained this to you all, but Disneyworld is one of the places where I can totally relax. I think it is because I just forget about the day to day when I'm there. It's like... well, Magical. For a week I don't have to be "ON," I don't have to solve everyone's problems, I don't have to wear a dress shirt and tie, I don't have to sit on conference calls talking about converting data, I don't have to stare at a LCD monitor all day, and I don't have to work 60 hours a week!
I'll be taking my handy dandy Canon A560 pocket camera to take some pics and shoot some short videos. So I'll be able to hopefully share some Magical vacation moments with you all. JP OUT....PEACE!!!!! =)
Ick!!!!! Yeah that sums it up. Well, all my type "A" dedication to my monster project and working and pulling Monday through Saturday for 60 hours/week for the last 2 weeks is coming steadily to an end. And it's in no small part to my succumbing to the plague that is ripping through my office. People have been in and out of work and have been falling victim to the good old flu. I thought I'd make it through the season unscathed. I do take precautions. I get the flu shot, I try to not touch anything Mr. or Mrs. McPlague touch, and I even do the paper towel on doorknobs routine (yeah I know, very anal retentive). And even after all that it was all for naught! To make a long story short, last night I had a great case of the chills followed by my body aching from head to toe. I do not think that there was a good square inch of me that did not hurt. Today I thought I was better and back to my JP self. No chills, no aches, but now my "guts" have a lot of activity. I'm not one to go into details (and you do not need to hear about them), so let's just say I am in full system shutdown for now due to DEFCON4 protocols.
So the way I figure it, my body is telling me I need a rest. So I am listening. The thought did occur to me to just suck it up and go in tomorrow, for about 20 seconds....=) So I made the call into work about 5 minutes ago and said, "Hey boss, JP here, I am not going to be in tomorrow. My guts feel like they have been run over by a semi truck and then thrown around by a thresher...you get the idea. Anyhow, I won't be in tomorrow and hopefully I'll be back on Tuesday."
So it just dawned on my I can sleep in tomorrow as long as I want. I'm going to mimic my dog and snuggle in tomorrow:
Oyasumi Nasai is Japanese for "Good Night...." As in good night I'm going to bed now. I am freakin' tired! Why am I tired? I think I may know. Mind you my tired is not really a physical tiredness either. I am mentally exhausted to a point where my perceptions of reality start to change. That is the reality that is JP. Here's my Monday - Friday schedule......
6:30AM -- Alarm goes off; JP hits snooze
6:45AM -- JP rockets out of bed
7:00AM -- JP kisses Sharkey goodbye, goes downstairs, lets the Maggie Dog out, puts on a pot of coffee and prepares either toast, bagel, or a Delight's breakfast sandwich
7:20AM -- JP leaves house and drives to work
8:00AM -- JP gets to work
8:45AM- 11:00AM -- JP sits in meetings
12:00PM- 12:30PM -- JP runs out to grab lunch to bring back to eat at desk (yes I AM that BUSY)
12:30PM- 7:00PM -- JP does project work, even more project work, and on top of that if that were not enough, even more project work
7:20PM -- JP arrives home (notice it takes 1/2 the time to get home at this time)
7:45PM- 10:45PM -- JP tries to relax, make dinner, spend quality time with Sharkey and play with Maggie a bit.
11:00PM -- JP showers and goes to bed.
This is my routine. It does not vary. It has been the same for the past 2 weeks. I am living Groundhog Day. I sometimes feel like I am living outside of my body watching JP go through the motions, if that makes sense. Maybe it does not. But again I am tired and I'm definitely not operating a full JP efficiency.
But I realize that this too shall pass. I just need to hang in there for a couple more weeks. Yeah, that's it. Two weeks. 14 days. 336 hours. There have been good things too. Like.........
My Sharkey is now, officially 6 years cancer free. She had a CT scan last Friday and it was GOOD... And she is b-e-a-utiful!!
Next weekend is a 3 day weekend because of Easter (THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!). And so I get a chance to rest. Sleep in... Play Nintendo... Watch a long movie.... Go to the golf driving range.... Maybe I'll be able to live in my body instead of feeling like I am in a perpetual out of body experience.
I am working out again, and this has helped a TON with the physical energy and stamina during the day.
Although I average 11 hours a day, have also been working Saturdays, and am exhausted, I LOVE what I am doing. I am in the ZONE. I am making a difference, solving issues, and working on what is most definitely the most complex project ever. It is AWESOME!!!
So here at JP Jargon I try to keep things lite. I don't give any commentary on religion, politics, or social issues affecting our time. I have my other blog for that... ;) Oh no, here at JP Jargon I write about "important" issues. Case in point, I was driving home from the gym after 35 minutes on the elliptical machine and heard an Arby's commercial on the radio for their new chocolate turnover. So something akin to a "ding" went off in my head and off to Arby's I went OMG!!! You gotta try one of these things. They are freakin' awesome!!! What's not to like about puff pastry with a warm chocolate, melty center drizzled with chocolate? The answer.....NOTHING!!!!! Sure, the 400 calories I burned off were for naught, but the gooey choco-goodness was soooo worth it...
Remember the things you ate when you were a kid? You know what I mean right? You would go shopping with Mom and when you got to the cereal aisle, you'd throw a box ever so secretly into the cart. And she never noticed either!!! If you were anything like me you have a discerning taste and you thought carefully about the selection criteria. You look for the box with the best toy and the most tolerable cereal you could finish. There were always the standard fall backs, you know them I'm sure, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Krispies. Then there's the Captain Crunch. Ah the Captain was always a good bet. You knew exactly what you were getting. Crunchy stick to your teeth, sweet milky goodness.
Now granted, the things you liked as a kid are not necessarily that great now that you're an adult. So the other week I was doing the grocery shopping at Wegman's and wandered down the cereal aisle. The cereal I usually eat now is Oatmeal Raisin Crisp, because it helps lower cholesterol and is a good source of dietary fiber. Yeah, it SUCKS to get older!! So I put a box of the crisp in the cart then my eyes catch a glance at....yep you guessed it, Captain Crunch. Neurons in the brain fire. I remember the Captain. I used to have a Captain Crunch bowl to eat that stuff and I had a Captain Crunch fire truck, and I'm guessing before I hit 11th grade I ate about 5 pallets of that stuff. I wonder if it's as good as I remember or maybe I should just leave the pleasant childhood memories alone. So I put a box in the cart. No regrets...
I get home, get the bowl out, pour out some Crunch and YUM!!! It totally is as good as I remember. Crunchalicous!!! Crunchtastic!!!
I have been assigned a mega project at work. It has been just insane. From the time I get in the office until the time I leave it is go, go, go... It won't let up until mid April either. Oh well, you cannot make an omelet without cracking a few eggs right? With this project, I have to make phone calls to 30 different 3rd party companies on behalf of the mega-company to establish a partnership between my company and the 3rd party company. It is necessary for me to finalize the partnerships to fulfill the project requirements, and I have to get total buy in and cooperation from the 3rd party companies or the project will essentially fail, well, um, no pressure there... To make a long story short, one of the 3rd party companies is the company I resigned from back in June 2007.
So I was on a call with the client and a representative from my old company. We go through what the requirements are, and I do all the typical points of "We need this, this is why it benefits you, and here's how it affects the mega-company" The rep from the old company agrees they can accomplish what I describe and agrees to partner with us to get the job done for the mega-company, then she asks if she can have my contact information. I said sure, my number is XXX-XXX-XXXX and my name is "JP." At that point, the rep goes, "We have a JP at our company." Then I said, "No, you used to have a JP at your company." The rep then replied, "JP? Oh my God, how are you? How's Sharkey??? When did you leave?" We had a good laugh at that point. But I did have to call the mega-company back to apologize for the awkward situation and explain how I used to work for the other company. It just shows what a small world it is. UPDATE...
My last post was about everything I've been dealing with lately. Since I put that post up a few things happened. My one friend found a new job and that position gives him equivalent pay to what he had, but more opportunity and a higher position than what he had before. My other friend who received the cancer diagnosis had a successful surgical procedure and is on the mend. With those two things resolved I can deal with the rest and it is time to pull a Maggie...
I am a problem solver. I always have been. Give me a hard problem and I'll find you a good answer. I cannot let any problem go either. I obsess over it. It's difficult for me to stop thinking about something until I have figured it out. I've prided myself with coming up with workable solutions for seemingly impossible problems. And the other truth about me is I like to help people resolve their issues. I have a good feeling when I can fix other people's issues. And when you can figure something out, lift someone up, and break some new ground that's never been touched, there's nothing else like it! I also think it is the part of me that identifies with heroic and iconic ideals. You know, you gotta be able to swoop in with the red cape and save the day!!!
But as practical and useful this skill I have is, it has limitations. Namely when it comes to health and personal issues. I learned some time ago that there are things I cannot solve or fix in either of those two arenas. cough.... Sharkey cough... cough... And it is when I'm faced with those things that I have found being a good listener and being available works the best. And for some reason it seems like I have been doing that quite a bit lately. In fact, 2008 has been kicking my ass!! That's probably why I haven't posted in a while either. I have had a lot going on and I've been trying to process it all and figure out what I should/could do for the people around me with these problems.
I have one person who lost his job and is the main bread winner for his family. So I've made a point to stay in close contact with him to make sure he has a sounding board, know I support and am here for him. I helped with what I could and tried to get some leads for him.
I have another friend who has been a father figure to me and was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had to cry a bit on that one, but once I got it together, I realized there were some things I could do to help. But I needed to reduce my schedule a bit. So I dropped a grad course this semester. So I'm helping, and I'm going to be there for my friend when he goes in and comes out of surgery and do a few practical things to make his world a bit easier.
And then there's my Mom, God bless her. She has been having a hard time lately. My Dad's been gone for 5 years now and she feels it. And when she feels it, I certainly feel it, because I get the call and end up being Dr. Phil for her for 45min to an hour. But I know she's doing the best she can and everyone needs to vent.
Dropping the class in hindsight was a good move. And it felt GREAT!! Reduction was called for in my life. I realized recently that I have been "on" from the time I get to work until the time I leave, because I still feel I need to show my employer my skills! I need to get a life!! I just need to accept it's what I do. I fix things.
Today Sharkey and I were supposed to head up to North New Jersey to have a belated Christmas time with my brother his family and my Mom. Unfortunately, Sharkey and I came down with the tummy flu so we did not make the trip. So we had a restful, quiet and recuperative Saturday. We took a cue from the Maggie dog:
We are both feeling a lot better and we pretty much were vegetables all day.
As you know, I began my quest for High Definition a few weeks ago with the purchase of an HD LCD TV. So after I realized my existing DirecTV was not cutting it, I setup Verizon to come in the first part of January to install HD FIOS. So last week I was watching DVD's and was thinking that my DVD player is 7 years old. I've had it as long as Sharkey and I have been married. So then that led me start researching HD DVD players. So I was looking around and was thinking of spending some Christmas gift card money on a new player. But I found the deal of deals on Amazon.com. They are selling a Toshiba HD DVD player for $179 with free shipping and you get 10 HD DVD's with it. So being that HD DVD's retail for about $25, they are actually paying me to buy this player. Well sort of....
But wait it does not end there. So when the new TV came I quickly found out my old universal remote was not able to control it along with everything else. So I had to go find another universal remote. So I looked around and found the Logitech Harmony 880. It's pretty sweet. You hook it to your computer with a USB cable, then you go through this interface and just type in your component models and it does the rest. It even creates "Activities" like "Watch TiVo" or "Watch DVD." So with the activities, you just hit the appropriate activity button and the remote will turn on the correct device(s), switch TV modes, and turn on the correct audio modes. It makes using all the audio/visual equipment way, way easy. Sharkey was nice enough to be my hand model:
But I "think" that's it, and it's what I told Sharkey too. With this last upgrade I believe I have everything I need for some HD enjoyment.
