The "Micro-Blogging" Phenomenon

One downside to having a blog like this one is that I always feel I need to type long paragraphs of deep thought in order to post a message. Then I think of trying to summarize thoughts/activities of my life and it seems to much of a "task" I have to do, rather than something I enjoy.

In the past 6 months there has been a revolution of different technologies in the blogosphere. If you are reading this post straight from my blog, you will notice the Twitter box on the right which I update every few days or so (usually by sending it as a text straight from my phone).  I like Twitter because its a short message thats easy to post, and it will automatically update my Facebook status as well as a box I've placed in my blog and Myspace (which I plan on deleting shortly anyways).

The growing popularity of Twitter, as well as other similar sites, has brought attention to this new "micro-blogging" fad.  Where as a normal blog is almost viewed as a journal or editorial someone has written, micro-blogging usually consists of short notes, pictures, or audio clips.  This really seems to fit my needs of communication, and can be done easily from my cell phone while I wait to board a plane.

So look for some possible changes here in 2009.  I want to continue to post my thoughts without feeling like I need to publish a profound article each time.  This way I can go days in between posts... not months.

Happy New Year everyone!

A Sorta-Disney Christmas

Im at Disney 2 days before Christmas! Well kind of... Taking the ferry around and checking out christmas decorations. Too warm for christmas!

The world is a vampire!

Billy Corgan is on my flight. Smashing Pumpkins ring any bells?

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Where in the world?

Life has been pretty busy lately but it sure beats the manotony of sitting at a desk all week. Nebraska last week, Arkansas this week, a few days in the office before Thanksgiving, then Kansas the last week of November. Then a celebration of my birth that weekend. I am of course struggling with the choice of stuffing myself with delicious unhealthy foods each day or eating right with smaller portions like i know i should. Plus the holidays are coming up so we all know what that means on the waistline...

Besides being busy its been exciting to celebrate with friends and family about pregnancies, births, and engagements. I'm not gonna lie - pretty excited to see my closest friends popping questions and tying knots.

So things are exciting these days. And if you dont see me around i'm doing ok!

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What Is and What Should Never Be

Ok, so I just wanted an excuse to use a Led Zeppelin song as a title for this post.

But really I'm just thinking ahead to what will happen when either of the presidential candidates is elected on Tuesday. My support is behind John McCain, not because I am 100% enthusiastic about his views or promises, but because we all know who he is and stands for what he thinks is right, not what might get him into office. He is a moderate conservative who believes in smaller government, and that is something I support. I agree with much of Palin's conservative family values, but do agree that her lack of experience is somewhat of a concern.

I am curious how this nation would react if McCain wins Tuesday's election. No doubt the liberal media and entertainment industry would continue to flood the airwaves with even more right-wing bashing and criticism. Over the course of the next four years I think that things would start to look up with our economy and hopefully the Iraq War would have an end in sight.

I cannot support Barack Obama because he is simply capitalizing on the overwhelmingly negative opinions of George W. Bush and campaigning for "change". There is no doubt that this country is in need of some real changes, but where will that change take us? History has shown that in times of great desperation, people have embraced radical change, only to find themselves in bondage to such radical changes. Germany embraced the great orator Adolf Hitler to change their nation. America was desparate for change during the Great Depression when F.D.R. came in and broadened the scope of the national government to be more invovled in the private sector than ever before.

If Obama is elected (which it looks like he probably will be), then there is no doubt that the media will sing his praises. I agree with a friend who at one point said "if Obama is elected, what will the media have to complain about any more?" I am frightened by the promises he is making the American people and the drastic changes that I believe he will begin to make with the full support of our Democratic-ruled Congress. His ideas of redistributing wealth is socialistic in nature and would disturb the very rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Either way I am nervous about what has been called one of the most important elections in decades. This is a critical time in our nation and to think of what is, makes me cringe at those things that could be...

TSA's "Security Theater"

I just came across a great article on The Atlantic website (actually a co-worker posted the link). It addresses the current airport security measures that have been taken in post-9/11 America to thwart any future terrorist efforts. In an attempt to expose the loopholes in the system, a reporter was able to print up a fake boarding pass, smuggle all sorts of "illegal" liquids and items on board, and even get through security without a photo ID.

His whole point was that the TSA is simply trying to set up a "security theater" to give the impression that everyone is safe. In reality, any smart terrorist could easily avoid these measures using a computer and inkjet printer. What the government should do is begin spending more of this money on intelligence rather than the weak security methods that are being used.

As I've done more travelling in the last year, I tend to agree with the author of this article. Although I'm not as bold as he is! I'm not willing to go to jail just to prove a point...

Read the article here!

Goodbye Grandpa

My grandfather passed away early yesterday morning in FL. He has been such an inspiration in my life over the years and he will really be missed. Right now we are just trying to be there for my Mom who is having a real tough time with her "daddy" passing. He had been sick for a little while now, but we didnt expect him to pass so quickly, and no matter how much you "prepare" yourself, its always hard to accept once it comes.

I am so glad that I was able to write that letter to him several weeks ago. I showed him my love the best I knew how without using the word "goodbye," but I knew that would the last chance I would have to tell him how much he has meant to me. Without even finishing his high school education, he has done more in his life than I could hope to accomplish in mine. He never let his pride as a man get in the way of telling everyone in his family how much he loved them.

I'm doing ok with everything so far, but I just loose it every time my Mom starts to cry. His body will be flown up from FL this week and we are going to have his wake and funeral in CT where he grew up and raised his family. I'm looking forward to seeing family and remembering his life, but it will be tough (as funerals tend to be).

Thanks for everything Grandpa - you are already deeply missed

Tooting my own horn

As I approach my 1 year mark working here at Meditech (which blows my mind), I was asked by my supervisor to fill out a self-evaluation form. Last time I filled out one of these forms for my quarterly review, my supervisor said I was being too modest and was doing a better job than I had indicated.

So this time around I'm trying to strike a balance between a humble statement of my abilities and "I'm the best employee you've ever had working under you". I understand this exercise is meant to encourage introspection, but nobody likes to toot their own horn. I am confident in my performance and abilities so far, but I dont want to say that I performed much better than my peers because I'm one of the newest ones here.



Last night I was in a discussion about what Jesus meant in Mark 8:35 when he said that "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." This whole topic of servanthood made me think twice about my perspective on my work performance and evaluation. I could go ahead and say "yeah I'm the greatest in my group", but am I really? Do I serve customers and coworkers even when its not noticed by my superiors?

So many times Gods view is a complete 180 degree turn from the world. While I may be expected to sing my own praises for this evaluation, I know that the real sign of leadership can only be measured by how much I serve those around me on a regular basis.

Starting from sratch

What do you do when both of your potential roommates back out on you 2 weeks before you need to be out of your current apartment?

Try not to lash out at friends and family and start over from scratch I suppose....

Never Forget

Today our hearts are heavy with remembrance from September 11, 2001.
May God bring comfort to those who are still healing from this tragedy 7 years later.

Goodbye Summer

Its a sad thing - last one for 2008...
Here's to another great summer Mr. Adams!

My Childhood Hero

In the past few years, my Grandfather (Mom's dad) has been experiencing the effects of congestive heart failure during his late 80's. This condition started out gradually but has progressed to the point that he needs the assistance of oxygen to breathe and must have his legs elevated all the time. Last week we received a call from a cousin who lives near my grandparents saying that his body was beginning to fail and that anyone who wished to say goodbye should come down to visit in the next few weeks (in Daytona Beach, FL). My aunt was able to make the trip but due to situations with our family my Mom has decided to stay in MA for now.

Growing up I always loved the summer when Grandma and Grandpa would come up from Florida and stay with our family for a week or two. We have great video of me running around and bothering Dad and Grandpa while they tried to build the deck, shed, or other type of project. Grandpa has always been my greatest hero as a hardworking man who built his first house by hand and supported his family with 7 kids over the years. He has the softest heart and loves to ask "have you heard?" as he begins to tell the same story he's told you the last 10 times you've seen him. In recent years I remember my dad getting a kick under the table after asking him "so you have any jokes for us Grandpa?", which began an hour long narrative of every joke he had heard. The funniest part was hearing Grandpa "whisper" a dirty joke so loudly to the other elderly friend next to him I could hear it on the other end of the room.

Another memory that I have from years ago was when Grandpa would write me letters and address them to "Master Joseph Doherty". This makes a 6 year old feel pretty special! Recently I have really wanted to write him a letter to encourage him during this difficult time. But what sort of thing can I say? I recalled fond memories I had of them growing up, but I am now stuck trying to find things to say about the future. He is sick and is unable to do the most simple things in life, unlike the Grandpa of my childhood. He may improve in the next few weeks, but the fact is, he will probably not be with us for much longer.

Last night I came across a portion of Philippians that talks about looking at the past, present, and future. I was real happy that God placed that in front of me because it really put into perspective our lives and looking forward to whatever God has for us:

"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things... But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
~ Philippians 3:8,13-14

I think I'm gonna share that with him to encourage him to look beyond his current situation and even the past great experiences. He has lived such a full life but nothing compares to what God has waiting for him on the other side of this life.

Am i getting a raise?

My clean zoom zoom

Washed my car this weekend - this car is too sexy for me

Eventful Weekend

Last week I was traveling for the first time in almost 2 months to Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes it was exciting as it sounds - I tried some duck pizza which was actually very good. While I was there I got an update from my Mom saying that my Dad was going into the hospital to get checked out because of tightness in his chest. After his heart attack over 2 years ago he has been very cautious with any symptoms and has tried to watch the things he eats. This visit was a concern to my Mom, brother, and I, but not overly frightening because he had gone in 6 weeks prior and it ended up being severe heartburn. But, like a bomb threat written on a high school bathroom stall, we need to take every "threat" seriously.

I was due to fly out of Lincoln at 5pm on Thursday evening, but as soon as I got out of the hospital I got a voicemail from Mom saying that my dad was going in for a quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Wow! I did not see that coming! I was able to get an earlier flight back to Boston but due to weather it was only 2 hrs earlier. He had been brought into the ICU after his 6 hour surgery and they were trying to stabilize all his vitals. I finally got to see him around midnight that night -he was sedated and only his face was uncovered from blankets. I was warned that he would be swollen from all the IVs but it was shocking to see him like that.

The following day (Friday) my brother and I both got to the hospital around noon to join my mom and Aunt Teresa. I dont remember much of what happened on Friday - or as Dad calls it, "the lost day". We sat in the waiting room all day long as he remained in full sedation. Finally before we left for the evening, we were able to come in and see him. He was barely coming off the sedation and he gave us a tiny smile before he squeezed my hand with the strength of a baby's grip. That was enough to make my day. We all got some dinner and stayed at my aunt and uncles townhouse just a few blocks down the street from Boston Medial Center. They have been so great to us during this time.

Saturday morning we caught some breakfast before visiting hours began. Once we got to the ICU unit and noticed that the "authorized entry only" door had been left open, my mother and aunt started breaking all sorts of HIPAA regulations by going through said doorway and taking pictures from down the hall. After sweet talking the angry nurse, we got to go in and see my dad who was finally sitting up in a chair. He was able to squeeze out some smiles as he was still heavily drugged up and in agonizing pain. One of the first things he told the nurses was "dont mess up my hair", which proved he still had his sense of humor about his mostly bald head. Things have been improving since this point as he was taken out of the ICU yesterday and placed in the step-down unit for further recovery. As of last night he had almost all his tubes taken out besides one IV line (as compared to a resporator tube, cathidor, drainage tubes, and multiple IV lines). He still has swelling in his legs and hands, but his face is back to its normal "is he mad or just quiet?" expression and complexion.

Today is my first day back at my desk in a while. Its been crawling by but once I get out I get to go back and see the progress he's made since last night. Hopefully he'll be able to get home in 2-3 days, at which point he begins his 6-8 week recovery period at home. This has all been such a blur so far, which is one of the reasons I decided write out the quick version here. Please continue to pray for his speedy recovery as well as encouragement during these tough times he has ahead of him. He's been a real champ so far and pray he'll be with us for many years to come.

Connectionless

So in order to do work for one of my hospitals, I have to remote desktop to a server located in Batesville, Arkansas. I would say that for every 20 times I attempt to connect to this site, it might work once. This is extremely frustrating to me and makes me want to throw my laptop at my coworker sitting next to me. Well.... not because my computer won't work - she's just really annoying to me and that would be one way to kill two birds with one laptop. I know - I'm so clever.

Gotta go try connecting again! I feel like I'm back on my Gateway 2000 trying to connect to America Online...

Laughing Out Loud

I'm not one for reality TV, but I decided to DVR episodes of Last Comic Standing the past few weeks. So far there have been some ridiculous attempts to qualify for the top 10, but they are finally down to the finalists and these people have come up with some ridiculously funny material. Its great to not only hear the punchlines, but also watch the delivery that these people give for the best comedic affect.

The more I watch this show the more I think about myself and what sort of material I could come up with for a stand up routine. This leads to further questions about the subject of comedy. I believe there are 3 essential elements to getting the best laugh. There is, of course, the material that a comic comes up with. Secondly, it is the tone of voice which is used to deliver this material. Thirdly, body language/facial expressions play such a huge role in bringing out humor.

When I think about myself creating any form of successful comedy routine, I may be able to come up with good material in a few weeks, but I'm not so sure how good I would be with numbers two and three. I think this is where the masters of comedy really nail it when performing stand up. There are a few people with real potential in this competition, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything turns out.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

I think that music is one of the deepest expressions of emotion and passion that can come from a person. The English language is so limited that even trying to explain my thoughts now has left me empty. Listening to (and watching) great guitar players like Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and other legends just shows how they were able to express themselves with strings rather than simply vocal chords.

Music is as much a spiritual experience as it is a recreational activity for its listeners. There are so many times that I have tried to sit down and use my fingers to craft a song that draws a picture of whats in my heart. Unfortunately my guitar skills are extremely limited and I am left searching for other artist's expressions of similar thoughts.

I hope that in the years to come I can dedicate myself to learning my instrument and begin to reach some form of skill that will allow me to really let loose and express myself creatively.

My Monopoly Money

So I just figured out how to explain the experience of getting paid on a monthly basis.

We've all played Monopoly before, even if the thought of beginning this never-ending game is about as tempting as brushing your teeth with a grill brush.

Each month I feel like I am going around this board, with no care in the world going past pathetic properties like Baltic Ave and Electric Company. However, by the time I reach the last stretch of properties, I've already had to cough up some money to pay rent for St. James Place and Illinois Ave, and apparently the honor of being elected chairman of the board means I need to dish out $50 to each player. To make things worse, another player has just completed their monopoly of Park Place and Boardwalk.

At this time of the month I have my eyes set on the GO square, anxiously awaiting when I'll get another $200 to make it around the board once again. I'm almost there!

Man I should start playing the lottery - maybe I'll hit FREE PARKING one of these days...

Identity Crisis

I got a bit bored today and decided to change the theme here. You like it?

Believe it or not, the hardest part was keeping the rounded edges around each frame. Notice them? Didnt think so... The top title is still screwed up but I've given up.

Take It All

With all the recent bank account activity that I have had between bills, down payments on a car, and other transactions, I have found myself checking my balance frequently. After each major withdrawal that occurs I do the math of "this much left for the rest of the month." With a monthly pay cycle I have here at Meditech, I am continuously looking to the next month to replenish my supply of cash and feel comfortable again.

I am now realizing how harmful this way of thinking can be. I have been looking forward to summer for such a long time now and all of a sudden I am counting down the days till June is over. Before I know it, I will have anticipated the summer away and the leaves will be falling again. I do need to be conscious of the money I have to cover the rest of the month, but I have let this dictate how I live my life.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that I am trying to fully manage my time and resources myself. When its all up to me, I worry about how its all going to work out. This worrying has only increased as I have decided to make car payments on a new vehicle rather than purchase an old car for much less.

Right now I am listening to the song "Take It All" from Third Day's new album coming out the end of July. The lyrics are so fitting for my life now because it speaks of surrendering and giving everything over to God's control instead of mine. I am beginning to realize that the further I go in life, the more I
need to continuously trust in God's provision for me. This not only
applies to money, but also relationships, wisdom, opportunities - they
will all come in His timing.

Take it all because I cant take it any longer
All I have, I cant make it on my own
Take the first, take the last
Take the good and take the rest
Here I am, all I have
Take it all

I'm trying to give it all over. I'm trying to let go of the control I thought I had. This might take a whole lifetime...

Bald is Beautifully Masculine

Pay close attention to the last paragraph ladies - my eminent fate of male-pattern baldness can be contributed to the huge amounts of testosterone I possess.

Bald is beautiful - and apparently the highest form of masculinity!

Listen to your heart - you know this to be true...

clipped from www.webmd.com Gene Glitch Related to Hair Loss Is Passed Down by Women, Says Study By Miranda Hitti WebMD Health News While hereditary factors are an important cause of hair loss, other factors also influence hair growth and loss. Genetic screening showed that the "cardinal prerequisite" for premature male pattern baldness was a variation in the androgen receptor gene. The gene variant was found "very much more often" among prematurely bald men than among men who still had a full head of hair after age 60, says Nöthen in a news release. Androgens are male sex hormones, such as testosterone. Nöthen's colleague, Alex Hillmer, says the exact mechanisms aren't known, but the gene variation seems to boost androgens' effects, leading to hair loss. Male hormones are responsible for excess body hair, except for on the scalp where excess male sex hormones can lead to baldness.

Zoom Zoom Zoom!

I finally went ahead and bought a new car! And by "new car" I literally mean a 2008 model. It was about $30 more a month for a brand new vehicle over 2005 models I was looking at with over 40k miles.

So my new mode of transportation is an 08 Mazda3 i Touring Edition 5speed manual with 17" alloy wheels, ABS, power seats/locks, moonroof, spoiler, fog lights, and 6cd stereo system. The colors are Copper Red exterior with a black cloth interior.

I'll try to post real pictures of the vehicle after I pick it up today from the dealership, but here's a stock photo for now:

Giving back corporately

Here is a suggestion I just submitted to some of the upper-level management at Meditech. Tell me what you think:

Several weeks ago I thought how I have become spoiled when I travel having $60 a day for meals. When I see all the people suffering in other nations from natural disasters or poverty, I wish there was some way of giving some of my food money towards these people.

I am not suggesting that we lower the $60 food allowance, but I was hoping that we could establish a "reward" for spending less on our meals while we travel. I suggest that if we submit $25 or less for each day in our expense reports, that Meditech will give $5 towards a charity that supports the global food problem we are facing.

I think this will benefit Meditech, its employees, and most importantly the people who will receive aid. Meditech will be saving money by only having to pay out $30 a day as opposed to the maximum of $60. I think a lot of people would appreciate this opportunity to be a little less selfish and focus on what we can give back to those around us.

He's going the distance! He's going for speeeeeed!

In my most recent travels, I had the opportunity to visit parts of Indianapolis for a very short time. Now I didnt see the downtown area, but this is the week before the Indy 500 race and you could tell that people were getting "revved up" for the weekend (sorry I couldn't resist).

I was told by the Finance Director from Community Hospital of Anderson, IN that it was "Community Day" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Of all days to be in the Indianapolis area, this was the one day that they allowed people to drive their cars around the actual racetrack! I was also lucky enough to have rented a Mustang for this trip!

Although I was only allowed to go 30 mph around the track, it really was a great feeling to be behind the wheel of an American muscle car (well it was an V6 automatic, so just barely) going around the famous Indy 500 racetrack. The only benefit to the slow speed was it let me take many pictures without running into the walls...

Just click on the picture below to see more photos!

The Office Season Finale

I was glad that my long time buddy Mike was able to come up and hang out with me in Newton last night in between his graduation from Norwich University and hopefully going to flight school for the Navy. I was even more excited when we both realized that the 1-hour season finale of The Office was that night!

Without ruining it for people who did not watch it... Wow! There were so many things going on with all the characters all at the same time. It wasn't the absolute funniest episode I've ever seen but it was definitely the most action-packed of the series so far. If you didn't get the chance to watch it last night... drop what you're doing and immediately and watch this episode!

Now I'm just sad we have to wait till September for Season 5. I havent been this dissapointed since I stopped watching 24...

Revelation

I have the new Third Day album Revelation on my MP3 player.

You do not.

You cannot until July 29.

Be jealous... be very jealous!

Keeping Perspective

As I am now actively looking for a new vehicle to replace my dying mode of transportation, I am trying to find a way to fit a car payment into my budget. I have never had to do this before because my first two cars were paid in cash. Where's this money gonna come from? What do I need to cut back on or how can I shift the numbers around?

This all has very bad timing. Not really for me because I've been anticipating my car's eminent demise and have a few grand saved up. This is bad timing from a global perspective.

Huh??

I've been trying to put my life in perspective lately - the significance of relationships, the insignificance of my daily inconveniences, my part in the larger global economy. Watching the evening news really helps to put these things into perspective. I am trying to figure out if I want a standard or an automatic, while half way around the world people have lost all of their loved ones in a devastating cyclone or earthquake.

Cyclone Nargis - at least 23,000 fatalities

Sichuan Earthquake - at least 10,000 fatalities

Can anyone really put their mind around those numbers?

I remember after the tragic Virginia Tech shootings over a year ago, there was a vigil set up in the center of the UMass Dartmouth campus for all 32 victims. You hear numbers on the news all the time, but I looked at each glowing paper bag as an individual life. One bag was business student excited to graduate and start working towards their MBA. Another was an art student struggling to say a thousand words with nothing but a blank canvas and some paint.

I began to put faces, names, and stories to each bag. The callousness that I had developed from daily media reports began to fade away. But that was only 32 people! I imagine that if there were a bag for every victim of the two latest natural disasters it would cover the east coast from Bar Harbor to Miami.

All of these numbers come at a very bad time for thinking so self-centered. Instead of thinking "how much can I afford to pay for a car?", I am starting to shift to "how much does God want me to keep and how much can I afford to give away?" Being a typical middle-class American I get so caught up in how to please "Number One" and have the best of everything. This new perspective is completely rattling my comfort zone and I hope it brings real change in my life, and in turn, the lives of people thousands of miles away.

Post #100 !!

Not sure if this is the sort of thing to be celebrated, but I just realized that this will be my 100th post here in Blogger. It originally started as a place for me to vent and express my inner most feelings, but I have recently been inspired by other bloggers to write about material with actual substance that would sound more like an editorial piece than the notes from one of my visits to the therapist.

That being said, its funny to see the evolution of this web log (or "blog" I believe you kids are calling it these days). Now that I am beginning to travel for work, I hope to mix some of my personal experiences and business experiences now. In fact I am leaving this morning to go to Nevada, Missouri. You may remember my previous entry about this epicenter of boredom and hick-ness. Well this time around its going to be much warmer, which means thats there is still absolutely NOTHING to do in this town. Hopefully my supervisor and I can take in a Kansas City Royals game on one of the nights. I'll try to write about it if it actually happens!

I hope that some people have enjoyed the material that I've written in the last 100 posts and I hope my readership increases to double digits over the next year!

Hello May

The next month might just be the busiest month ever. Let me explain:

1. Back to back trainings for work (just finished Phase 1 - in MO on Monday for Phase 2)
2. Going to M.C. Flynn's commissioning ceremony in VT weekend after next.
3. Spring retreat in NH with people from Grace Chapel the following weekend.
4. UMD graduation the next weekend.
5. Brendan's banquet last Thurs of the month
6. Brendan's graduation that weekend
7. Family visiting from FL
8. Cousin's wedding first weekend in June

I was complaining a few months ago that I was bored out of my mind. No more! I do love springtime though...

New Blooms

On my way to work this morning, I was just amazed at the beauty of spring and the warmer weather. My attitude towards life dramatically improves during this time of year because I actually enjoy the outdoors.

Which got me thinking... why is Spring such a beautiful, refreshing time of year? Also, why would God give us cold, dead, and barren winters to go through (at least us New Englanders)? What if the weather was like this all year around? Would early Spring loose its splendor?

I suppose this is some sort of parallel to life in general. At least thats what I came up with...

The "winter" of our lives may be there in order to really contrast the "springs" we experience. Maybe God gives us valleys to appreciate the majesty of the mountains. Maybe He lets us grow old to see the miracle of a new life.

Thank you God for the cold of winter that makes the new blooms of spring all the more breathtaking.

Sick to my stomach

Here is an article I found from Yale University's Daily News that is absolutely repulsive and makes me sick to my stomach. The academic community encourages students to create "thought-provoking" art pieces and this is the stuff that people with no morals come up with. This world is a sick place...

clipped from www.yaledailynews.com For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process. The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts’ project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock — saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.

Apartment Communication

Here is a lovely note that I noticed above the sink yesterday from one of my roommates to another.

As a background, I live with one guy who is very clean and respects the fact that he lives with other people. I also share my apartment with a girl who thinks it is totally acceptable that dishes be left in the sink for over 4 weeks (no exaggeration) because she has been "soo busy lately". Thats funny because I find you on the couch every night watching TV for hours...

Anyways - this made me LOL once I got home:

Grinds My Gears - Episode 2

Here's another thing that really grinds my gears:

The overuse of "haha" and "lol" during AIM conversations.

Seriously people... If you are going to use either one of these comments it means that in a normal conversation you would either start chuckling at a comment or be dying laughing. When I tell you that I have no plans for the weekend, please don't respond with "lol". Unless you really find it so hilarious that I have not planned out my weekend and don't have much of a social life. That I would completely understand.

The reason I bring this up is I am currently talking to someone online that uses "lol" like a freshman student in his public speaking class uses the word "umm". We are both going to be visiting the same hospital for Meditech next week and are discussing traveling and luggage. Here's one example of some humor that i'm missing out on so far regarding checking bags:

me:"i havent checked a bag the last 6 or 7 times i've flown"
person:"everyone I talked to checks a bag"
person:"lol"

That really cracks you up? Really? I must not have a sense of humor I guess....

Perfect Timing?

So I was in Little Rock, Arkansas last week and just barely missed the massive floods they had in that area. Now this week they had a tornado come through the airport.

What can I say? I visit places and they experience a short period of peace amongst the turmoil.

clipped from www.kptm.com Tornado sweeps through Little Rock LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - So far, no reports of injuries or deaths after a tornado hit parts of Little Rock, Arkansas, and its suburbs Thursday night. The storm damaged businesses and downed trees and power lines. The National Weather Service says a tornado passed directly over its offices at the North Little Rock Airport. An Arkansas emergency management spokeswoman says there are reports of damage at the airport.

Oh Tannenbaum

April 2nd, 2008:

My roommate has finally taken her Christmas tree down.

I never thought I would live to see this day...

Waiting in Memphis

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touchdown in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain

Ok so I dont have any suede shoes and its not pouring rain... but it is misting out! And I am in Memphis airport waiting for my delayed flight back to Boston. This is my idea of a fun Friday night!

Well I just finished my first solo trip in the great town of Batesville, Arkansas. It is kind of nice to walk around as a "business traveler" but this also makes me laugh because I know I'm really just a kid. I'm learning the little tips about travel, and the whole process is really not as nerve-wracking as it was even 6 months ago.

I was quite nervous before my first meeting with my customers Thursday morning. I met with the CIO who asked me to sit in his office and speak with him for a few minutes. I felt like I was in an interview again except this time I was telling him the strengths and weaknesses of our software. Good thing they've already bought the software and they have no choice but to learn how to use it!

I finally met with the CFO and about 5 other members of the accounting staff to begin training. Of course our meeting was in a conference room with a temperature attained only by hell. So as I fought beads of sweat from my already glistening forehead I attempted to articulate all the things I've learned over the past 5 months. To help things, they wanted to know about some advanced functionality of our software that I really had no idea how it worked. I'm sure they kept thinking "who is this kid that they sent?" Overall things went well and I survived the pressure. The artificial appearance of confidence that I normally display to my customers was stripped from me several times and I was humbled as I replied "I don't know but I can find out for you."

On a much more positive note, the weather was gorgeous and I got to rent a new Mustang! Although there was nothing to do in this part of Arkansas (and I would imagine every other part of the state), I enjoyed a nice long cruise with the windows down, playing some old Black Crowes, and finding funny patterned cows. This is the best picture I have for right now before I get some off my digital camera:


Well thats the basic summary of my trip to Arkansas. In a few weeks I get to travel to San Antonio again which should be nice. I'll have to think of new conversation topics for my card rides with my 60 year old female coworker...

"So can you get us a seniors discount to some Spurs tickets?" ....

Getting Ready for Arkansas!

I'm leaving tomorrow for Little Rock, Arkansas on my first solo business trip. The best part is this great article I found about the area I'm visiting! The photo below is less than an hour away from the hospital I'm visiting.

Maybe I should bring some floaties!

clipped from abcnews.go.com Arkansas Prepares for Worst Flooding in 25 Years An aerial view of flooded farm land is seen, Friday, March 21, 2008 in Newport, Ark. In Arkansas, residents of the tiny prairie community of Georgetown along the White River were warned to leave the area Friday after forecasters said a backwater slough would cut off access by late evening and leave the them stranded well into next week. (Mike Wintroath/AP Photo) More Photos

you are what you do

This past Sunday I was pleasantly surprised when I heard there was a guest speaker for church. I thought this was a bit odd especially for a Palm Sunday, but I was excited once I heard who this individual was.

Thom Black, formerly an executive pastor of one of the largest churches in America (Willow Creek), has been in our area for almost a year. Thom is involved in the development of the new major motion-picture studio company that is already under way in my hometown of Plymouth, MA, appropriately named Plymouth Rock Studios. It has been said by some that this will become "Hollywood East Coast" because LA has become so overcrowded and expensive to support the entire film industry.

It is already great to be called "America's Hometown" here in Plymouth, but the idea of a full-blown "Hollywood" studio being built right down the street from us just blows my mind! The final details are being worked out between the studio development team and state committees, but its looking like this is a done deal. They even plan on creating a semi-fictional TV show about a studio execs trying to build a studio in Plymouth! How cool is that??

Wow I need to calm myself down....

Anyways, not only is Thom's participation in this project a reason to listen to him speak, but he also gave a captivating message. If you were looking for a very structured message that could be outlined with lots of scripture references, then you may have lost your mind... This may have been one reason why I was actually interested in what he had to say. He prefaced his sermon by saying this would be the one message he would give if he were told this was his last time at the pulpit.


[attempting to condense an hour message into a few paragraphs...]


The point of his message was "you are what you do." He pointed out that when asked the question "who are you?", most people answer "well I'm an engineer" or "I'm a cab driver" or "I am a high school teacher." But this isn't who we are... thats the job that we hold to earn money to continue living so we can be who we really are in our free time.

He gave the example of a small child. An average 4 year old in a good home does not wake up in the morning and worry if they will be fed. The only thing on a small child's mind is "what will I do today?" It isn't until a child begins to go to school that they are pressured to live the way other people tell them to live. After that, life is a vicious cycle of trying to fulfill other peoples expectations (teacher, boss, spouse, kids).

I'm not exactly sure how he tied all this in, but it clicked in my head somehow. Since I have started living in Newton and working full time, I have had so much free time on my hands. Nobody is telling me what to do and I don't have any commitments besides my job. My attempts to socialize with people in this area has just led me to frustration. I have spent countless hours watching tv lately and just wasting time.

What does this mean about me? Is this who I am? Am I just passing time while I wait for the "real" part of life to come around? Am I simply surviving and just going to work because "this is what people do"? Its hard to deny that there is a deep feeling of emptiness after joining the corporate world and entering adulthood. The phrase that keeps going through my head the past day continues to eat at my complacency and apathy towards life.

"You are what you do."

Becoming Domesticated

Last night I reached a major milestone in my bachelor life:

I successfully learned how to sew on three buttons to several dress shirts.

Next week maybe I can attempt to bake a cake or learn how to knit a sweater...

Tears of a fan

Today is a very sad day. I feel as if someone close to me has died. Or I have been kicked in the crotch. Or sat on by a fat man.


Brad Avery is leaving Third Day.


That is right... The great guitarist at stage right with a humongous mouth (second only to Steven Tyler) is parting ways with one of the best bands in Christian music. Not only did he rock when he first cranked out his guitar solo in "Consuming Fire" in 1995, but he has continued to bring raw energy to their recordings and live shows for the last 13 years.

From what I have read so far, there is no definite reason why he is leaving the band. He and his wife did adopt a baby from China over the summer and I know that he already has several other children with his wife. I knew it was only a matter of time till one of the guys decided to call it quits and take time with their family. I don't want to say "told ya so" but I also kinda figured that he may be the one to leave, being the most different from the other guys.

I'm going to one of their shows in Albany, NY in April, but things will not be the same without Brad there. I can no longer make fun of how he "mouths" the sounds that are really coming from his guitar distortion and will be forced to direct more of my criticism to pointing out how Mark Lee is one of the more unattractive rock stars I have ever seen. Now that I think of it, last time I saw Third Day live Brad was also missing while he was in China adopting his baby.

As sad as this is, I realize that his family is a priority, not rock and roll. I would like to thank him for all that he has contributed to such an amazing band. They may try to replace Brad but they never will.

Best of luck Brad! You'll be missed...

First Site

Last night I returned from my trip to the exciting town of Nevada, Missouri. Now before you go on saying "Nevada" like the state's name (or like I did for the first time in front of my customers), it is actually pronounced "Na-Vey-Da" (rather than "Na-Vaw-Da"). I suppose they needed to distinguish themselves from the state that actually has fun things to do.

Ooops I've just offended all my Missouri readers...

So anyways, it was quite a successful trip and now my first training with my first hospital is complete. Although my supervisor said I did a great job, I remain critical of my performance and wish that I had been able to answer more of their questions. Oh well, I had only seen this training done once before and I know experience helps.

Next I will be traveling to Arkansas in March and I will be all by my lonesome! I have some time to get ready so hopefully it will go smoothly :)

I may just share more stories from my trip at another time... or I may not

[speechless...]

There is little that can be said about the upset that occurred in Arizona yesterday. It was simply the worst game that the Patriots have played all season.

When the clock had run down to 30 seconds, I still had a glimmer of hope that our all-star QB would again prevail against the pressure and the odds to turn the game around. Maybe a hail-mary pass. Maybe even a field goal from 40+ yard line.

Nothing.

What was previously considered the best team in NFL history will now go down in the history books as an "almost" team that was simply too good to be true. The TV was shut off about 5 minutes after the clock ran out because nobody desired to hear the obvious. Before the screen went black however, I noticed one Giants fan with a poster that said it all:

"18 - 1" There's no glory in those numbers...




So... when do the Red Sox start playing again??

Case of the Mondays

Not only do I love the movie Office Space, but with my new job at Meditech, I am often reminded of how close this resembles the fictitious software company Initech. Thanks to the great website ThinkGeek.com, provider of great nerdy gifts/memorabilia for people like myself, I can now own several treasures of cinematic genius from this film. I ordered it yesterday and cannot wait to receive my official Office Space Kit. I fully intend to use the Initech mug and hang up the motivational "Is This Good For The COMPANY?" poster in my office.

We might actually use the cover sheets for our own T.P.S. reports...

Bein' Green

I pose a question to my readers:

How does one tell if spinach and artichoke dip has gone bad? In its freshest form it already has specs of green mixed in and has a funky smell.

Hmmm.... I may just take that chance

Submitting Some Substantial Stuff Sometime Soon..... Sauerkraut

After viewing several other blogs today, I noticed how much more interesting and informative theirs were than my own. Not that I want to be featured on Bloggers Blogs Of Note, but I would like to post more substatial material that includes more than just "today I feel happy because I saw two squirrels frolicking underneath an oak tree."

An example is Mark Lee's blog This Guy Falls Down. (Any of you that are complete dorks like myself might realize that this is the lead guitar player for the band Third Day, of which I am a big fan)

Not to say that I no longer wish to be personal, but maybe I can start to include opinions I have on things outside of my small world and hopefully stimulate some sort of conversation with the 3 people that read this blog. Any ideas anyone?

All Around the World

Today I figured out how to save locations that I have visited on Google Maps and share these maps with other people. Here is a custom map that I have created including the hospital I visited in TX as well as my next site visit that I'll have in Missouri. Go ahead and click on the placemarks to see their descriptions.

Hopefully I'll have many more pins on my map in a year from now!


View Larger Map

Let it Snow!

Yesterday we had a snowstorm that closed most schools and allowed me to stay at home and "work" from home. The reason why work is in quotes is because I basically just needed to be checking my email regularly and close to my cell phone in case I got a call. So I had my laptop next to me while I enjoyed all the brand new HD channels I got yesterday.

While I spent most of my day indoors yesterday, besides about 1 hr I spent shoveling, I did not realize how beautiful it was outside. Driving into work, I was amazed to see every branch with a heavy frosting of snow. This was such a refreshing scene to change an otherwise negative view I had towards my first day back in the office. In fact, it made me realize that instead of wasting so much time and just surviving from day to day, I need a fresh new perspective.

Maybe I'll get up early tomorrow and take some pictures while the sun hits the flakes just right. Any of you that really know me can understand that waking up earlier than necessary happens about 3 times a year for me. I think I'll try it anyways -I may just find the extra effort well worth it.