GRAMMAR NAZI RANT: Staples and Staples' advertizing execs: you're not really serious are you? You really approved a commercial where the kid is complaining about his computer being "broke"? Jesus H. Christ. It's bad enough we've gotten rid of adverbs almost completely, but using words improperly in the mainstream media just kills me. While it doesn't seem important to many people (obviously), I really believe the decline in language only aids the decline in our society--to me, it's a direct correlation. I only pray it's not one of those commercials that plays over and over and over again. Then again, maybe it will play over and over again and I'll finally break my tv habit.
Rave: It always seems that I have my best ideas between the hours of 11pm and 2am in the morning. I just randomly figured out a solution to a customer audit remediation issue I've been stumped on for about a week now. Additional Rave Finally did what I've been avoiding, and I knew would result in me applying for another job. That being actually making an honest effort at looking on Craigslist, Jobvite, and Linkedin. Holy shit there are a ton of jobs out there for IT Ops Mgmt and Info Sec. I just need to find a place that's seeking to take on an Info Sec Engineer. I'll say that I'm fairly confident in what I do regarding security, but I'm by no means a trained expert. I've got to find a place where I can listen, observe, and learn. Right now I'll admit that my only resources are forum lurking, blogs, books, and the lab I've got set up. I've got to be in an environment where I'll learn from the wisdom others if I'm going to go anywhere.
RAVE = Back in Madrid! I'm only 18 hours late... My host from my first couple days in Madrid has left me his apartment while he's in Italy for work for a few days. Thank you to all of you that reassured me. I will be kicking myself for months over not getting to Portugal, but at least I'm out of Morocco and back in a somewhat familiar place (and a place that I can walk around safely in by myself). Rant = Missing out on Porto. Well fuck. To clarify, I missed my flight because I looked at the time it was supposed to land in Madrid (3 PM) instead of when it was supposed to take off from Tangiers (12:30 PM), and didn't realize my error til 11:30 AM Tangiers time. Packed my bag in record time, but still missed the gate closing by 5 minutes.
Rave: Was up until 4am watching Firefly on netflix. Crack, I say. Rant: Working 9-12, teaching karate till 5, class until 10. So...sleep might have been a good idea. Rave: adderallcoffeedietcokewheeeeeeee
Rave: Just got a brand new Ping Hoofer golf bag for free. Considering that I went to go grab my clubs this past weekend and found that the bottom had completely blown out of my old bag, this is an awesome development.
Rant: Flip flops or any shoes that go *THWAP*THWAP*THWAP* should be banned from the workplace. I can't stand it. Rant: Seriously considering eloping. Or just not having a wedding. I've never been so stressed in my life. It's not necessarily the planning and scheduling and all that bullshit, it's moreso trying to keep everyone happy while getting what we want. Rave (because it's the little things): They switched back to 2-ply toilet paper at work.
Rant: I'm old. I watched a few parts of American Idol here and there this season, but haven't watched much. DVR'd the performance finale last night and decided to watch it. When that Phillip dude started on his song (Home or something), I immediately liked it, and in the first verse when the backup harmonies came in I thought, "Oh that's cool, it sounds like Simon & Grafunkel." Then Randy says, ". . . had a Mumford and Sons vibe." Well, crap. Yeah, I guess that's a lot more current reference. Rave: Not dead yet!
Rave: Tomorrow this time, I'll be in Lisbon awaiting Metallica to take the stage Rant: Before that happens I have to go back to my office in a former dungeon to do some work with people that I don't like. I can either do it now or wake up tomorrow to do it, but it has to get done Rave: Fucking sun is shining brilliantly. Its goddamned beautiful out. For having 5 weeks of rain in this bitch, this is nothing short of miraculous. Yay seasons! Rant: People that don't hold their liquor too well and the crap shoot of who is going to meet you on the other side of sober Rave: Owning up to it and seeing the world a bit clearer. Lets hope for her sake it sticks.
Rant: I had a handful of cheese popcorn and have a hull caught in the back of my throat. The popcorn was not worth trying to dislodge this hull.
Rant: Shit time at work today. Long story short, let me do my fucking work and stop adding more shit to my stack that you don't want to do. And when you do, offer to fucking help take your burden of of me so I can get the necessary shit done. My job is not to be your bitch, there is one of me that can do one thing at a time, I can not take care of all 5 different people's shit at the same time. Link this with a computer that is slower than my 1990's Dell Dimension computer when I was 10... Rave: Might have a 5 day weekend...might...And tomorrow is our squadron Mess Night. Alcohol will run in fear from us. Rant: Another tactical flight next Thursday. Rave: I fly with the squadron CO, who is a baller to fly with. Rave: Went over to the girls house after work and forgot all about said shitty day after only a few minutes. I could get used to this.
Rave: Received this 'gift' from an adorable little 4 year old karate student today. It looks so innocent, just a wobbly drawing of a heart by a tiny human with incomplete motor skills. But it is so much more once you open up the booklet. It was some feat, managing not to crack up in front of her very serious parents. She was looking at me with these giant, shiny eyes, so hopeful that I would love her gift, so of course I hugged her and told her how happy her drawing made me. I'm such a bad person that toddlers are attempting to evangelize me. I can only laugh heartily, because the other option is to weep for my lost soul. Rave: Just kidding, I'm going to put this up on my fridge and eat chocolate cupcakes for dinner.
Rant: The Girlfriend had to leave a Kelty pack half-filled with her clothes, and I'm now carrying a series of dresses, bathing suit tops, panties and associated fuckery across Asia because Hong Kong air decided to be a badger's cunt and allow ONE bag of 23kg, as opposed to the two that every other airline on Earth thinks is suitable. Also, she might not have read the instructions all that well. In addition, fuck the racist assholes at Indonesian immigration. They stamp 70 Chinese people without a second glance, but when my white ass appears at the counter, they spend 25 minutes scrutinizing my passport, trying to figure out a way to scam me out of $100, saying my visa expired. Rave: Korea has it's shit together in lovely ways. I might have to come back here soon. Future Rave: I will celebrate Memorial Day by eating my first home-cooked, grilled, American burger in a year by the pool at my parent's house. A visit to my library, establishing a gym membership and dropping off gifts will be the objectives for the next four days. Oh, and doing things to a Playstation that would get a priest transferred to a parish in Siberia. Tearful rave: God damn, it feels good to be going home.
Rant: Jesus the fuck christ, so much stress! Rave: The most interesting and rewarding work week I can remember. Holy fucking shit.
Blah: I'm blahing about this here because I can't in real life. I'm bummed that my summer class schedule is crummy. It's 8-5:30 every day. Come home and study for 2-3 hrs...thats a given. We have the 4th off, but we have exams on the 5th and the 6th, so everybody knows that my classmates and I won't be celebrating our country that day. This irritates me like crazy because it feels like our faculty does this on purpose. Why couldn't we have those exams a few days sooner? I can't wait to get out. The hours won't be better, but at least I'll get PAID to miss the 4th and work/study 12 hour days.
RANT: Bronchitis. MORE RANT: We're short-staffed at work again, so I have no choice but to go in and talk to customers with a voice that sounds like I'm going through puberty. SUPER RANT: I'm curently trying to solve a problem for a customer, and it's going to be another week before it's solved completely. I love getting screamed at over the phone, as if that will magically place me in control of FedEx, a national retail chain, time, and space. Sorry, valued customer, but I'm doing everything I possibly can. It's not my fault you're 700 miles away and I have to wait for shit to arrive at the store before I can do anything with it.
Rave: 4 Day Weekend beginning in a few hours. Rave: Friend coming from out of town so I'll have a house guest. Haven't seen them in 3 years so it will be great. Rave: The weather in Chicago is projected to be perfect, god I love timing for said weekend. Chicago does everything outside in the summer, eating, drinking, music, fantastic. Rave: FWB is on her cycle, which is great timing because we wouldn't be able to have sex with said house guest anyway! Rave: Talking to another team about getting a 10-15k pay increase and joining a team with quite a few attractive women who are good at their jobs.
Rave: Subbing an agriculture class for a 1/2 day. So far it has been prep for 90 minutes, meaning I do nothing, then a class that goes outside to weed and landscape, so I took attendance and now do nothing. How is this a class? I've literally gotten paid to babysit a room. Not even the students, just a room.
Rave: Karate moms. I stopped by a Starbucks next door to a tae kwan do dojo last night before going to a meeting and parked head-in in front of said dojo. When I returned to my truck, there was a cluster of some of the hottest MILFs north Texas has to offer milling about waiting for their kids to finish class. Add the fact that it was in the 90s yesterday and they were dressed for the weather. One was wearing a pair of white shorts and when she bent over to put her son's gear in his bag, she gave me a grand view of her backdoor. I don't see how thongs are comfortable, but I appreciate them. Neither, but interesting: I found out this morning that Mary Kennedy, Robert's wife who recently committed suicide, was the older sister of 2 guys I went to high school with and a girl my wife went to high school with. Had no idea she married into the Kennedy family.