what did speaker hastert say to mark foley?
"lets be sure we're all on the same page."
20 October 2006
13 October 2006
the skies will rend
and the earth will shake
'cuz there's a rumble
at the hukilau tonight*
the hawaiian islands were doing a hula all their own today, and my wife's parents were there for the whole ride. you see, they live in honaunau, south of kailua-kona, just a few miles from the epicenter of the quake.
they were at morning mass when it struck. they were at a very old place called the painted church--quite a marvel, really, more than a hundred years old, built of wood and painted in rather ornate murals. everything's original--even the windows.
the crucifix, pictures and other stuff fell off the walls, the building shook, and there remained rather a mess to clean up. that is, except for the windows.
they're intact.
blows the mind.
*new testament, book of pele, chapter 4, verses 6-9
--------------
a tip: if you ever visit the place, be sure to buy something at the gift shop. it will help pay for the restoration and upkeep of the church.
12 October 2006
horsing around
my goodness, how they grow up. one moment they're falling off bikes with training wheels, and next they're riding horses.
and to think that in only 4 years she'll be driving a car.
may we please go back to horse and buggy?
03 October 2006
happy birthday to peggy. . . .
welcome to the other side of 39.
young as ever, i am sure you are.
regards to murray and the kids.
best wishes. . .
six months have passed since i left the world of slinging sheetmetal and rubber and joined the ranks of the mortgage professional. seems like yesterday.
there were some fellas who were shocked to see me go, and who were genuinely concerned for my welfare, and who are happy to know that i am making a success of the new career.
there were one or two schlubs who thought i wouldn't make it, and who thought i'd be crawling back on hands and knees, begging for my old job back, but i think i have done well for myself, from all indications, and i sincerely hope they are happy for me.
whether you were a well-wisher or a schlub, i wish you well in your careers and the best in your lives.
six months. my my, how time flies.
there were some fellas who were shocked to see me go, and who were genuinely concerned for my welfare, and who are happy to know that i am making a success of the new career.
there were one or two schlubs who thought i wouldn't make it, and who thought i'd be crawling back on hands and knees, begging for my old job back, but i think i have done well for myself, from all indications, and i sincerely hope they are happy for me.
whether you were a well-wisher or a schlub, i wish you well in your careers and the best in your lives.
six months. my my, how time flies.
01 October 2006
values, schmalues
a republican florida congressman was caught sending emails with sexual overtones to teenage boys on the capitol hill staff.
said republican was chair of a house caucus on children and family issues--that is, until recently, when he resigned in shame.
other republicans in the house of representatives knew of the emails weeks ago, but are only now admitting knowledge of the offending communications after their knowledge of said communiqués was uncovered in an investigative news report.
smells like a cover-up to me.
and the republicans tout themselves as the party of family values?
values, schmalues.
said republican was chair of a house caucus on children and family issues--that is, until recently, when he resigned in shame.
other republicans in the house of representatives knew of the emails weeks ago, but are only now admitting knowledge of the offending communications after their knowledge of said communiqués was uncovered in an investigative news report.
smells like a cover-up to me.
and the republicans tout themselves as the party of family values?
values, schmalues.
30 September 2006
separated at birth?
"unless we all conform, unless we follow our leaders blindly,
there is no possible way we can remain free."
there is no possible way we can remain free."
- maj. frank burns
sounds remarkably like the arguments bush&co have made lately that dissent is unpatriotic and that disagreement with the war in iraq serves to weaken, not strengthen, our country. funny, but i thought the right to dissent and disagreement with our leaders is what made our country strong and free in the first place.
"i disapprove of what you say, but i will defend to the death your right to say it."
- voltaire, a.k.a. françois marie arouet (1694–1778)
27 September 2006
09 September 2006
bowling for dollars
took the girls bowling last night. started at 8, finished at 10:30. thought for certain annie would be tuckered out by then, but noooooo--by the time we got home at 11 they were both still swinging from the vines like chimps.
we hadn't bowled in almost two years, but we had a ball. i rolled a night's high of 183, and the girls each threw a couple of strikes and a handful of spares. not bad at all.
we should do that more often.
we hadn't bowled in almost two years, but we had a ball. i rolled a night's high of 183, and the girls each threw a couple of strikes and a handful of spares. not bad at all.
we should do that more often.
30 August 2006
25 August 2006
24 August 2006
i see your true colors shining through
i see your true colors and that's why i. . .
. . .oh, never mind, part deux*
on monday, george bush made his recitation of all the reasons why he went to war against saddam hussein in iraq, concluding that "the terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the middle east."
then came the question. "what did iraq have to do with that?"
"what did iraq have to do with what?", replied the president.
duh, with the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center and the pentagon.
w's reply?
"nothing."
so why the hell are we there?
source: marie cocco, post writer's group
*apologies to cyndi lauper, again!
to read the whole column, click here
22 August 2006
they go away for two weeks and then they don't even recognize you standing in the airport.
the girls went off to hawaii two weeks ago, and came back today. i was supposed to meet them in the baggage claim area, i will admit, but i was early, so i went upstairs to the concourse level and stood in a semi-conspicuous spot.
as they approached, i caught annie's eye, and waved to her. she almost waved back. then moira spotted me, and i waved to her too. they gave me that look. you know, the one which says "who's that strange looking guy over there waving at me in the airport?"
i can't feel too bad. after all, i had grown a goatee in the two weeks they were gone, so i was not my usual strange-looking self.
20 August 2006
my wife and kids went to hawaii
and all i got were the lousy chores
around the house while they were gone
two weeks ago monday my wife and girls jetted off to the island of hawaii. my mom (bless her) has been checking in on me from time to time to see if i am "batch-ing" it well. it has its ups and downs, but the solitude (i.e. the lack of screaming kids) has its benefits.
why, you ask, did i pass up a vacation to hawaii? no simple answer, that. you see, when i took my new job at countrywide on april 3, i thought it might not be prudent to skip off to the islands after a scant 3 months of work, never mind the fact that we had been planning this vacation for a year.
so i sacrificed a vacation and worked 10- to 11-hour days while the girlz were gone, knowing full well that i couldn't be guilted or nagged for working long hours. we'll see what happens when they get back.
i have had some time to catch up on some stuff around the house, and to stay in touch with friends lost over the years, and to remember silly stuff like birthdays (see here).
on the homefront, i even got to test my new media room all by myself and crank up the surround sound without worry about anyone asking me to turn it down.
tuesday morning, it all comes to a close.
next year, i pick the vacation spot. methinks the east coast is due for a visit soon so we can show off the girls to all my cousins.
happy birthday susy fischer.
happy birthday gene.
18 August 2006
happy birthday, dear friend
diane sunde graham
18 august 1964 - 1 march 2005
there's a hole
in our hearts
where you once were
we miss you dearly
and celebrate you
for even though
there's a hole
in our hearts
where you once were
we would not be
as complete
were it not for you.
there's a hole
in our hearts
where you once were
we miss you dearly
and celebrate you
for even though
there's a hole
in our hearts
where you once were
we would not be
as complete
were it not for you.
17 August 2006
methinks i have a plank in me eye
a woman i know. . .let's call her mom. . .went to the doctor recently to have her eyes examined because of some irritation or another. she wasn't sure whether the cataract surgery (i.e. lens removal and replacement) she had had a year or two back was coming back to haunt her, it's just that her eye was bothering her, so like the prudent woman she is, she went back to the eye doc.
know what they found? not one, not two, but three contact lenses embedded around the side or top or bottom of her eye.
mom hasn't worn contacts since before the surgery.
know what they found? not one, not two, but three contact lenses embedded around the side or top or bottom of her eye.
mom hasn't worn contacts since before the surgery.
13 August 2006
what are you up to lately?
life has changed.
my stupid for not updating boredstiffgeeks about the goings-on in my life, but now that i have a spare moment, i thought i'd post an original thought.
on april 1, i quit my job as a huckster (car salesman) and joined the ranks of the mortgage industry. it kind of fell in my lap, and i jumped at the opportunity.
countrywide home loans offered me a mortgage account exec position in the beaverton office, and since then i have been stressing and pulling my hair out. oh, it's a different kind of stress. i got so used to dealing with customers on a one- or two-visit basis that the most stressful thing was wondering (sometimes) from where the next customer was coming.
now i have the opposite problem, and it's a good problem to have. too many leads to handle, and i have to manage the customers' applications until their mortgages are completely funded, a three-week-or-so process.
and all that paperwork. yikes. keeping track of it is a headache in itself, but it's ok.
my office is new, too. the whole branch, that is. and we've risen to the top two or so in the whole company for fastest growth to 50 loans in a month, for leads-to-loans conversion, for conversions of particular types of leads. it's amazing. i am told that normally one who joins the ranks as a newbie (as i did) would expect a two- or three-loan month each month until about six months in. there are newbies in my office doing eight to ten! i did six in the second month, and will do seven or eight this month.
blows the mind.
i am now going to try to enjoy my weekend and keep work off the brain. believe me. . .it's hard not to take work home, if you know what i mean.
my stupid for not updating boredstiffgeeks about the goings-on in my life, but now that i have a spare moment, i thought i'd post an original thought.
on april 1, i quit my job as a huckster (car salesman) and joined the ranks of the mortgage industry. it kind of fell in my lap, and i jumped at the opportunity.
countrywide home loans offered me a mortgage account exec position in the beaverton office, and since then i have been stressing and pulling my hair out. oh, it's a different kind of stress. i got so used to dealing with customers on a one- or two-visit basis that the most stressful thing was wondering (sometimes) from where the next customer was coming.
now i have the opposite problem, and it's a good problem to have. too many leads to handle, and i have to manage the customers' applications until their mortgages are completely funded, a three-week-or-so process.
and all that paperwork. yikes. keeping track of it is a headache in itself, but it's ok.
my office is new, too. the whole branch, that is. and we've risen to the top two or so in the whole company for fastest growth to 50 loans in a month, for leads-to-loans conversion, for conversions of particular types of leads. it's amazing. i am told that normally one who joins the ranks as a newbie (as i did) would expect a two- or three-loan month each month until about six months in. there are newbies in my office doing eight to ten! i did six in the second month, and will do seven or eight this month.
blows the mind.
i am now going to try to enjoy my weekend and keep work off the brain. believe me. . .it's hard not to take work home, if you know what i mean.
a dangerous situation
in front of you is a galloping pig which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it.
behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level.
both the giant pig and the helicopter are also travelling at the same speed as you.
what must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?
click here for answer
.
behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level.
both the giant pig and the helicopter are also travelling at the same speed as you.
what must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?
click here for answer
.
17 July 2006
close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades. . .
and air shows
glad i don't live in hillsboro. . .
08 July 2006
one-hundred-ten percent? bull***t, i say
this is a strictly mathematical viewpoint. it goes like this:
what makes 100%? what does it mean to give more than 100%? ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? we have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. how about achieving 103%? what makes up 100% in life?
here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
if:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
then:
h-a-r-d-w-o-r-k
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
k-n-o-w-l-e-d-g-e
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
and,
a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
but,
b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
and look how far ass kissing will take you.
a-s-s-k-i-s-s-i-n-g
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
so, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, it's the bullshit and ass-kissing that will put you over the top. it’s the ass-kissers and bullshitters who say they are giving 110%.
what makes 100%? what does it mean to give more than 100%? ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? we have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. how about achieving 103%? what makes up 100% in life?
here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
if:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
then:
h-a-r-d-w-o-r-k
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
k-n-o-w-l-e-d-g-e
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
and,
a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
but,
b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
and look how far ass kissing will take you.
a-s-s-k-i-s-s-i-n-g
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
so, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, it's the bullshit and ass-kissing that will put you over the top. it’s the ass-kissers and bullshitters who say they are giving 110%.
thanks to chuck
for emailing this to me
it's worth sharing,
for emailing this to me
it's worth sharing,
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