Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Hail to the Future Chief
My chances of meeting a President (past, present, future, U.S., French, or otherwise) has increased from 0.00 to 0.00001 percent. I don't know if the Democratic or Republican candidates make a point to visit their caucus headquarters, but if so, I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the bathroom. I found out this morning that Barack Obama's HQ is about 30 feet from my office. All the second-hand information I could ever want about the man is just around the corner, so let me know if you have any questions. If he actually visits, I figure it would be a crowded affair, and my best chance to cross paths would be in the communal lavatory.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Foot Feeding
"If I didn't have arms, I don't think I'd eat as much."
Bless my friend, Juliette, who uttered this gem on Saturday night. Maybe you had to be there.
Bless my friend, Juliette, who uttered this gem on Saturday night. Maybe you had to be there.
Taking the Stairs
Late last week, a colleague and I were leaving the our building. As with most multi-level structures, there are two main methods for reaching the street level - the stairs and the elevator. He opted for the elevator; I took the stairs. When we met again two floors lower, he grumbled something about my good knees allowing me to tackle 50 stairs.
His self-deprecating mumble triggered an interesting revelation. Over the last five years, I've worked with a main core of about 10 guys. Of those, four men would be considered by many to be...umm...husky. One gentleman lost probably 40-50 pounds in the last two years, spurred by a diabetes diagnosis. A second man has had serious back issues and multiple back surgeries. A third co-worker currently has some back problems, walks gingerly, and struggles with stairs. A fourth, the man noted in the opening paragraph, apparently has some knee and wrist problems.
I'm neither a paragon of health nor without my ailments, but my less bulky colleagues and I can generally handle physical tasks that are tough for at least three of our co-workers. This is a very general, black-and-white overview of a small group, but I find it interesting to note the clear weight/ailment delineation in this one office.
His self-deprecating mumble triggered an interesting revelation. Over the last five years, I've worked with a main core of about 10 guys. Of those, four men would be considered by many to be...umm...husky. One gentleman lost probably 40-50 pounds in the last two years, spurred by a diabetes diagnosis. A second man has had serious back issues and multiple back surgeries. A third co-worker currently has some back problems, walks gingerly, and struggles with stairs. A fourth, the man noted in the opening paragraph, apparently has some knee and wrist problems.
I'm neither a paragon of health nor without my ailments, but my less bulky colleagues and I can generally handle physical tasks that are tough for at least three of our co-workers. This is a very general, black-and-white overview of a small group, but I find it interesting to note the clear weight/ailment delineation in this one office.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Blah
Blah. Contrary to the previous post, that's how I'm feeling at the moment. Maybe it's just Monday. Maybe I haven't been sleeping well. Maybe it's the New Year. Maybe it's simply one of those days when malaise seeps in for a few hours.
I blame it on all the pizza I ate this weekend.
This morning, we wrapped up what will likely be my final major project at my current job. Typically, such a feat would be met with a smattering of applause, but the final sign-off trickled by with only a "We're done" sent via IM. My guess is that we're all too mired in the reality of looking for work to celebrate much. I believe it's best that I don't send my colleagues these links:
Paul Krugman: "From Hype to Fear"
Paul Krugman: Charts to back up the article
He addresses the most recent unemployment report and compares the job data during the Clinton and Bush presidencies. It's a reminder that my two periods of unemployment (late 2001 into 2002 and now) occurred at the same time as two poor swings in the U.S. economy. These times also (sadly) came shortly after my two real forays into the market, only to watch my money dwindle.
Never fear. I'll cheer up soon enough.
I blame it on all the pizza I ate this weekend.
This morning, we wrapped up what will likely be my final major project at my current job. Typically, such a feat would be met with a smattering of applause, but the final sign-off trickled by with only a "We're done" sent via IM. My guess is that we're all too mired in the reality of looking for work to celebrate much. I believe it's best that I don't send my colleagues these links:
Paul Krugman: "From Hype to Fear"
Paul Krugman: Charts to back up the article
He addresses the most recent unemployment report and compares the job data during the Clinton and Bush presidencies. It's a reminder that my two periods of unemployment (late 2001 into 2002 and now) occurred at the same time as two poor swings in the U.S. economy. These times also (sadly) came shortly after my two real forays into the market, only to watch my money dwindle.
Never fear. I'll cheer up soon enough.
A good reason...
Yes, I'm being lazy and posting a video, but there's a good reason. The guy who sits next to me at work shaved his head over the weekend and is wearing glasses today. He doesn't really look like this guy...but a corner-of-my-eye view generated the memory of the dancing man. Enjoy.
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