I just discovered that my NY state tax refund (which I had totally forgotten about) arrived in my bank account via direct deposit. It's not a lot of money, but this was a very tight pay period and I had already mentally prepared myself for a diet of ramen noodles until I get paid again next week. However, it looks like I'll actually be able to afford real food. The timing couldn't have been better on that one.
Assuming no unpleasant surprises crop up to balance out my financial karma, I'm planning to take a trip back to Cincinnati in the latter part of June. This time, I'm hoping to spend a full week there so I'm not in a constant rush to pack as much activity as possible into a couple days. Most of my recent trips back to Cincy have been short weekend visits, so this time around I'm hoping to visit some places that I haven't been to in ages, like the zoo and Union Terminal. Stay tuned...
hi everyone. It's my last 24 hours in Cleveland and those tourist videos that Liberty posted had me and the missus dying with laughter. She's out of the hospital and feeling much better, and I can safely head back to Jamaica without a worry.
Wonder K, is this a strap to hold the bookcase in case of an earthquake. For some reason it made me chuckle
Also I went to my first Pecha Kucha last night. It was awesome. I was most amazed at the pronunciation of the phrase, "p'chack'ka." Anyway it was great and wasn't too arty/farty for the missus either. We were most impressed by the free-for charity eating called Cleveland Renegade Lunch that brings different social classes around a table for lunch with the proceeds going to charity. Novel concept esp since the meal is in essence free
japanese is always vowel/consonant pairs so am curious how that pronunciation emerged.
supposed to be pe-cha-koo-cha, which is the onomatopoetic sound of lots of people talking (or something like that).
so the fallout from the media over the new flu is becoming worrisome. i am taking trip overseas next week and my mother-in-law accused me of attempting to murder my family. i understand her point of view but was surprised at how convinced she was that i was going to bring the disease back to japan and thus kill everyone in my family. wow. her yelling has left me discombobulated.
jump, I really mean no offense when I say this, but some of your "parental units" sound as crazy as my Mom. Perhaps even crazier, which I didn't think was possible. I traveled to Seattle last weekend and no one on my plane or in the airport even had masks on. Nobody even mentioned it. Swine flu is kind of over already, actually. Not a big deal. So you should mention this to your mother-in-law, but if she's anything like my Mom - god bless her - I know it won't make a difference. Please just don't take it personally and remember that we like you and think you are great, and we are (basically) normal. :o)
uh, i have come to the conclusion that i will not be running any marathon before 41. so, i have decided, tonight, that i will run tomorrow For The Cure, in honor of my grandmother and my cousin, amy. the 5k seems about all i can do.
jump: I heard it's pe-CHAK-kcha, sort of four syllables but compressed into three, like N'Awlins (New Orleans). and yes, that it's the onomatopoeia of chit chat. Lately, for chitchat, I've been saying "yammer", like "We stayed up yammering all night".
Thanks for the mom's day wishes snook! I have no plans for tomorrow, and husband is so busy getting ready for his residency that I doubt I'm getting anything special.
I cadged this from the One Small Project blog, where Wes is writing about buildings and abandonment. Nice.
Great disasters -- tsunami, hurricane -- are rare and grab headlines, donations, first responders. That said, we continuously live and move among minidisasters without even noticing, most of us self-GPSing within our comfort zones of people, places, activities
Please remember to vary your route:never go back the same way you came.
liberty bell, you reminded me to mention it.....did anyone else see Obama's speech at the correspondent's dinner tonight? Or Wanda Sykes? I want to know who writes Obama's jokes because he was hilarious. The best part is when he tells a joke and then he giggles about it because it's funny. Wanda was great too.
It's hard to believe that we have a President who is moral, intelligent, composed, inspiring AND has a great sense of comedic timing. We should remind ourselves of how lucky we are every day, just in case the next person we elect is another douchebag (remember ladies can be douchebags too)....
yeah a bit of truth in what you say. i put it down mostly to generational gap issues. the news here is trying not to be hysterical, but if you are inclined to see things in a negative light it is easy to imagine the Apocalypse. reminds me of when i was a kid and we all sat and watched the christian news show where the dude and his gal would report all the horror in the world that week and then make connections to the book of revelations.
cool news barry!
LB, thats right. if you say it fast the vowels get squeezed down. but are still there. funny choice for mark and astrid to make. i have only heard it said at their club, not in conversation.
so how Liberty pronounces it is more like how they said (or so says the missus) but it still seems like it should be said like jump said ie. like how it's spelt pecha kucha... oh well
anyhow time to catch a flight... on my way to Dallas, then Fort Lauderdale - will be back online in Jamaica on Monday.
Techno, are you buying carbon offsets for any of your flights? Because I think you may be single-handedly increasing our carbon emissions into the danger zone, LOL.
barry, please do share details once you can. very exciting news...
beta, how was the run?
in an effort to offset some of a'techno's air travel, i walked and took public transit all weekend. ya ya i know i'm in ny so it's no big deal, but sometimes it's so tempting to hop in a cab at 4am when all you want to do is get home and go to sleep...
i've been two a few Pecha Kucha's in NY, and they always pronounce it how it's written...
Joachim on Colbert was entertaining...it's just too bad that Colbert's shtick doesn't allow for any really productive interviews. I enjoy the show, sure, but after a few seasons I was hoping it would morph a bit more than it has. Guess there's only one Jon Stewart.
...
two pics from today's stroll in Greenwich Village:
Christopher Park
corner of West 4th Street and West 11th Street (an illogical intersection brought to you by West 4th's odd N/S path through the village)
we had to give a pecha kucha every week in my winter quarter seminar- always pronounced it how it's written. Even if we're totally wrong, we'll never be able to change because we've all said it that way so many times!
Am rocking out in studio at the moment, and it's feeling pretty sweet. I'm so stressed lately that studio hasn't felt good like this for a while. An unexpected blessing.
Happy Mother's Day to all the archi-mom's out there. My mom didn't pick up this morning, and didn't return my call after I left a message last week... I hope she's not mad at me for not calling often enough, but you'd think that after years of this she'd be used to it by now.
I called to wish my Mother a Happy Mother's Day and she immediately started complaining about having to rent a car when she comes to visit me for my graduation...even pointing out that *I* didn't have to rent a car when I come to visit her. I told her she was welcome to get around how I do out here - by bus, walking, or bike - and she decided to stop fussing about it. For now.
There's a reason I live 3000 miles away from my mother and will never willingly live within driving distance of her again in my adult life ... I've seen the future and it involves her having a conniption fit every time I make a life change, causing a scene at my wedding, trying to move in with me when she deems herself "incapable" of taking care of herself. Probably at 60 since she acts like a child more every day.
....eh, sorry about that, folks. We all have our crosses to bear. Sadly mine gave birth to me.
I called my parents and wished my mom a happy Mother's Day this evening... Although I've always been emotionally distant from my parents, we get along reasonably well, and they've always been supportive of my life decisions even if some of those decisions turned out to be really dumb ideas in retrospect. I guess they figure I need to learn my lessons the hard way, and they're probably right.
My dad is less than two years away from retirement, and they're planning to build a house somewhere in Northern Kentucky and move back there once he officially retires (although he plans to continue teaching part-time). Apparently they've been informed of a plot of land for sale in Highland Heights, maybe about a half-mile away from the street I grew up on in Fort Thomas, and they sound pretty serious about buying it if everything works out. I checked out the location on Google Street View, and it looks like a decent little neighborhood.
If I end up back in the Cincinnati area for grad school, my parents will be moving to town about six months after I arrive... I'm looking forward to being closer to them, especially as they get older and start to deal with more serious health issues. With them in Highland Heights, though, I might feel more inclined to find a place on the Cincy side of the river instead of moving back to Fort Thomas. Having my parents nearby will be nice, but I don't want them so close that I'm bumping into them at the grocery store.
I think I've always been a little envious of people who had "normal" parents, which was basically anyone besides my own parents. I think it's nice if you can have a good relationship with them and obviously things in your own life might be easier, but that's just not in the cards for me. I also think that's why I've always gotten along so incredibly well with my friends' parents...I think I saw in them what I wished I had and gratitude oozed out of me, and they responded. Luckily it means I have a relationship with my friends AND their families, and it makes me feel better.
my parents were kind of cool apart from the weird re-born psycho-christian stuff my mom went through. i never felt short-changed by them anyway. my wife's family however i don't need to see too often. which is sad. that is not how i imagined things would be when i was younger...
japanese language is awesome. spelling and pronunciation are wysiwig, without deviation. which is why my 4 year old has been reading for some time now. she decided to start reading books properly recently and we can hear her shouting out the letters as she reads in the early hours of the morning. no alarm-clock necessary with kids in the home!
WK - Even the "normal" parents have some sort of crazy in them. I love my parents dearly, get along with them quite well, but they're crazy. Case in point, my mom went to visit her dad the weekend that the Swine Flu stuff came out to the media. She didn't wear a mask there, but she did on the way back. And my dad, after the first 58 years of his life being this quiet easy going guy, all the sudden became this uber gun totin' NRA member. WTF?
Oh and I think my lied to me this weekend. I was going to go over for dinner last evening but then my mom told me she was going to be out for a matinee play and my dad was going to go to the rifle range, ergo no dinner, but then she calls me at 1:30 with a question. Ummmmm, yeah.
melt, it's like that Seinfeld where George's parents decide they're tired of being his parents and start making excuses to not see him!
I called my mom yesterday for Mother's Day and she was enjoying a walk on the beach with an Old Fashioned in her hand. The woman knows how to enjoy retirement! But speaking of crazy, when I mentioned my upcoming single-parenting interlude when Brian leaves for his residency, her first response was "Goodness, you're going to get horny while he's gone!" My 68 year old mom, a lady to the end.
I didnt have to change a single diaper yesterday, and Abram made me a plywood-cutout-of-his-hand-magnet. He's very tallented.
I still dont understand how you properly pronounce Picha Kucha as I've never heard it. To be honest, I always read it as PiKaChu, and I know thats not right, but thats how it translates, which also makes it hard to take seriously. Isnt there also a mountian with the same name? So is it PiKa KuKa, or PiCHa KuCHa - with the cha as in choo choo?
Since I'm heading back to the U in the fall, I now need to engineer a graceful exit from the current gig. When do I tell folks? Do I start dropping hints? Since I have lots of responsibilities, how much debriefing/training my replacement (if there is one) will I need to plan for?
I may not disclose info on my school blog till I've told my boss, and I've also decided to keep mum on fb/linkedin for now.
They say two weeks minimum is the standard protocol, but for somebody with more responsibilities, I'd say one month. That gives them ample time to hire a replacement and get them up to speed. Probably a good idea to keep it under your hat until you give your formal notice, though.
it appears to be a non-negotiable law of nature that thrree week benders cannot be comfortably fit into single weekends (even holiday weekends)...did anybody else learn anything interesting this weekend?
tk-this all depends on your bosses and how understanding or not you think they are. I told mine I was headed back to grad school a good six months in advance (I couldn't get the time for the interview otherwise) and they were good about it, but I had a gut instinct they would be. But if you think there's a chance that they could be like, "well, you can just leave now then," then don't chance it.
Gin- I've always heard it Pe(like pez)-cha(like the cha-cha) Ku(like the middle of racoon)-cha(like the cha-cha)
I learned that a squid's brain is doughnut-shaped, and its esophagus runs through the middle. So if it eats a chunk of anything too big, it gives itself brain damage.
Tree,
This is because of the teaching gig, right?
I would say give them at least 1 month given your position and level of responsibilities.
LB,
Your mom sounds awesome. When you say residency I assume you mean "artist in residence"? where is he going to be and for how long?
Puddles, i discovered that knowign you have to cook brunch for your mother for Mother's Day isn't a strong enough reason to prevent me from "bending" 2 nights in a row.....
Last night I learned that if you're cooking pasta and forget to set the timer, it's better to err on the side of over-cooked pasta than under-cooked pasta.
On a related note, I discovered that the local Chinese take-out place makes great boneless rib tips and has free delivery.
tk: I'm in the one month camp. Given your role, that seems more helpful to the firm. I gave one month when I left my last gig, where I had two projects headed out the door at the end of the month, I was PM on one and was helping on a set of drawings for another. If you can possibly time it with project deadlines, that's a good thing to try to coordinate.
nam, my mom is totally awesome, as is my dad. Yes, artist's residency. I've been feeling skittish lately about saying when and how long, since I'm not anonymous here and don't really want to advertise being home alone (except for my son and my ridiculously large, strong, huge-toothed, and vicious attack dog, of course).
wonder K - you are absolutely right, I do need to start buying offsets if I keep this up. Granted my daily commute over the last 10 years has been less than 10,000 km, and I can't help but eat local... I do need to find an alternative to the air miles. Fingers crossed that with the release of the Cuban embargo comes a bridge/train to connect Havana with Florida and subsequently Jamaica. Sounds cheeky but I'm dead serious.
Has anyone noticed that lately Liberty has been the one making not-too-subtle sexual comments not puddles/beta/vado... Great statement by your mom though - a similar statement would have had me staring in space with shock.
additionally Wonder K, I think everyone's parents are strange - even the normal ones as **** says, I suspect it's really how we deal with it. I've had a great relationship with my mum, but my dad and I always lock horns. He has a habit of talking without thinking, or thinking of how offensive it will be and I'm the fool who always wants to take him on about it. Nonetheless it has gotten better over the years, beyond civility even.
happy belated to the archi-moms. And to the other moms too, especially those married to architects (mrs. tk, etc). Ohhh and to the expectant moms as well (beary)
If I can use this to establish a "cone of silence" around myself for privacy, then in theory, the system should also allow me to establish a cone of silence around certain other people in the office so that I can work without distraction.
So I'm going to apply to work at the new Super Target they are opening down the street. Sad, isn't it? Still dont know how I will work it into my life if they want me to work other than the typical 8-5 hours. I dont even know if its worth it, really.
Nam what do you think the train is going to be filled with?? Archi carrying rum and cigars.
Sarah working at Target isn't sad, this is time between when the market is building back strength. It would only be sad if it were a permanent move - which based on your previous posts it is NOT!
Sarah, I say it's worth a try. If you hate it, or if it wreaks havoc with your home schedule (which it unfortunately seems like it might - isn't husband traveling the circuit now that the weather is nice?) you can quit. But it does seem like some time out of the house interacting with others might be a good thing. I know I get lonely working w/o employees all day!
No, LB, Husband gave up the fast lane mid-season last year. He couldn't stand to be away from Abram - sweet, huh? So no more traveling. Unfortunately, I cant tell people my Husband is a crewcheif for a Grand-Am race team anymore, so long to the glamour.
sorry. re-reading that, it sounds insensitive. not intentional because i was very much out of work and very much needed the paycheck from working in the mall. i liked the hours, i liked the people (esp. the little community that happens inside a mall that 'the public' doesn't get a window into), and i liked the freedom to move around from store to store. and i didn't take any work issues home with me. it all stayed there.
As far as retail jobs go, you probably can't do much better than Target. I worked for Target back in the mid-90's when I was straight out of high school but hadn't yet started college, and helped several Chicagoland stores with their grand openings. Unlike Wal-Mart and some other big-box chains, Target actually makes a point to not treat their employees like shit.
Thread Central
I just discovered that my NY state tax refund (which I had totally forgotten about) arrived in my bank account via direct deposit. It's not a lot of money, but this was a very tight pay period and I had already mentally prepared myself for a diet of ramen noodles until I get paid again next week. However, it looks like I'll actually be able to afford real food. The timing couldn't have been better on that one.
Assuming no unpleasant surprises crop up to balance out my financial karma, I'm planning to take a trip back to Cincinnati in the latter part of June. This time, I'm hoping to spend a full week there so I'm not in a constant rush to pack as much activity as possible into a couple days. Most of my recent trips back to Cincy have been short weekend visits, so this time around I'm hoping to visit some places that I haven't been to in ages, like the zoo and Union Terminal. Stay tuned...
hi everyone. It's my last 24 hours in Cleveland and those tourist videos that Liberty posted had me and the missus dying with laughter. She's out of the hospital and feeling much better, and I can safely head back to Jamaica without a worry.
Wonder K, is this a strap to hold the bookcase in case of an earthquake. For some reason it made me chuckle
Also I went to my first Pecha Kucha last night. It was awesome. I was most amazed at the pronunciation of the phrase, "p'chack'ka." Anyway it was great and wasn't too arty/farty for the missus either. We were most impressed by the free-for charity eating called Cleveland Renegade Lunch that brings different social classes around a table for lunch with the proceeds going to charity. Novel concept esp since the meal is in essence free
Yes techno! Yes it is. I will include you on my email later today so those pictures make more sense.....
Archi,
I have always wanted to go to one.
Maybe i need to start a chapter here.
Happy Mothers Day to all the Archi-moms! Your the very best!
p'chack'ka?
japanese is always vowel/consonant pairs so am curious how that pronunciation emerged.
supposed to be pe-cha-koo-cha, which is the onomatopoetic sound of lots of people talking (or something like that).
so the fallout from the media over the new flu is becoming worrisome. i am taking trip overseas next week and my mother-in-law accused me of attempting to murder my family. i understand her point of view but was surprised at how convinced she was that i was going to bring the disease back to japan and thus kill everyone in my family. wow. her yelling has left me discombobulated.
It's all but official, I'm heading back to school!!! More details forth coming once I've signed on the dotted line.
jump, I really mean no offense when I say this, but some of your "parental units" sound as crazy as my Mom. Perhaps even crazier, which I didn't think was possible. I traveled to Seattle last weekend and no one on my plane or in the airport even had masks on. Nobody even mentioned it. Swine flu is kind of over already, actually. Not a big deal. So you should mention this to your mother-in-law, but if she's anything like my Mom - god bless her - I know it won't make a difference. Please just don't take it personally and remember that we like you and think you are great, and we are (basically) normal. :o)
uh, i have come to the conclusion that i will not be running any marathon before 41. so, i have decided, tonight, that i will run tomorrow For The Cure, in honor of my grandmother and my cousin, amy. the 5k seems about all i can do.
good night.
Congrats, barry.... I look forward to hearing the details.
Congrats to beta also... Cancer is a bitch, and my family and friends are all too familiar with it.
Excellent, Barry.
Good for you, beta.
jump: I heard it's pe-CHAK-kcha, sort of four syllables but compressed into three, like N'Awlins (New Orleans). and yes, that it's the onomatopoeia of chit chat. Lately, for chitchat, I've been saying "yammer", like "We stayed up yammering all night".
If anyone missed it, this Steven Colbert interview with Mitchell Joachim is very cool.
Thanks for the mom's day wishes snook! I have no plans for tomorrow, and husband is so busy getting ready for his residency that I doubt I'm getting anything special.
I cadged this from the One Small Project blog, where Wes is writing about buildings and abandonment. Nice.
Great disasters -- tsunami, hurricane -- are rare and grab headlines, donations, first responders. That said, we continuously live and move among minidisasters without even noticing, most of us self-GPSing within our comfort zones of people, places, activities
Please remember to vary your route:never go back the same way you came.
liberty bell, you reminded me to mention it.....did anyone else see Obama's speech at the correspondent's dinner tonight? Or Wanda Sykes? I want to know who writes Obama's jokes because he was hilarious. The best part is when he tells a joke and then he giggles about it because it's funny. Wanda was great too.
It's hard to believe that we have a President who is moral, intelligent, composed, inspiring AND has a great sense of comedic timing. We should remind ourselves of how lucky we are every day, just in case the next person we elect is another douchebag (remember ladies can be douchebags too)....
lol, WK.
yeah a bit of truth in what you say. i put it down mostly to generational gap issues. the news here is trying not to be hysterical, but if you are inclined to see things in a negative light it is easy to imagine the Apocalypse. reminds me of when i was a kid and we all sat and watched the christian news show where the dude and his gal would report all the horror in the world that week and then make connections to the book of revelations.
cool news barry!
LB, thats right. if you say it fast the vowels get squeezed down. but are still there. funny choice for mark and astrid to make. i have only heard it said at their club, not in conversation.
so how Liberty pronounces it is more like how they said (or so says the missus) but it still seems like it should be said like jump said ie. like how it's spelt pecha kucha... oh well
anyhow time to catch a flight... on my way to Dallas, then Fort Lauderdale - will be back online in Jamaica on Monday.
Techno, are you buying carbon offsets for any of your flights? Because I think you may be single-handedly increasing our carbon emissions into the danger zone, LOL.
happy mother's day!
barry, please do share details once you can. very exciting news...
beta, how was the run?
in an effort to offset some of a'techno's air travel, i walked and took public transit all weekend. ya ya i know i'm in ny so it's no big deal, but sometimes it's so tempting to hop in a cab at 4am when all you want to do is get home and go to sleep...
i've been two a few Pecha Kucha's in NY, and they always pronounce it how it's written...
Joachim on Colbert was entertaining...it's just too bad that Colbert's shtick doesn't allow for any really productive interviews. I enjoy the show, sure, but after a few seasons I was hoping it would morph a bit more than it has. Guess there's only one Jon Stewart.
...
two pics from today's stroll in Greenwich Village:
Christopher Park
corner of West 4th Street and West 11th Street (an illogical intersection brought to you by West 4th's odd N/S path through the village)
we had to give a pecha kucha every week in my winter quarter seminar- always pronounced it how it's written. Even if we're totally wrong, we'll never be able to change because we've all said it that way so many times!
Am rocking out in studio at the moment, and it's feeling pretty sweet. I'm so stressed lately that studio hasn't felt good like this for a while. An unexpected blessing.
Happy Mother's Day to all the archi-mom's out there. My mom didn't pick up this morning, and didn't return my call after I left a message last week... I hope she's not mad at me for not calling often enough, but you'd think that after years of this she'd be used to it by now.
I called to wish my Mother a Happy Mother's Day and she immediately started complaining about having to rent a car when she comes to visit me for my graduation...even pointing out that *I* didn't have to rent a car when I come to visit her. I told her she was welcome to get around how I do out here - by bus, walking, or bike - and she decided to stop fussing about it. For now.
There's a reason I live 3000 miles away from my mother and will never willingly live within driving distance of her again in my adult life ... I've seen the future and it involves her having a conniption fit every time I make a life change, causing a scene at my wedding, trying to move in with me when she deems herself "incapable" of taking care of herself. Probably at 60 since she acts like a child more every day.
....eh, sorry about that, folks. We all have our crosses to bear. Sadly mine gave birth to me.
Happy moms days...
To everybody. I cooked for my mother.
I too throughly enjoyed Obama and Wanda at the 2009 correspondence dinner.
Yikes, WK.
I called my parents and wished my mom a happy Mother's Day this evening... Although I've always been emotionally distant from my parents, we get along reasonably well, and they've always been supportive of my life decisions even if some of those decisions turned out to be really dumb ideas in retrospect. I guess they figure I need to learn my lessons the hard way, and they're probably right.
My dad is less than two years away from retirement, and they're planning to build a house somewhere in Northern Kentucky and move back there once he officially retires (although he plans to continue teaching part-time). Apparently they've been informed of a plot of land for sale in Highland Heights, maybe about a half-mile away from the street I grew up on in Fort Thomas, and they sound pretty serious about buying it if everything works out. I checked out the location on Google Street View, and it looks like a decent little neighborhood.
If I end up back in the Cincinnati area for grad school, my parents will be moving to town about six months after I arrive... I'm looking forward to being closer to them, especially as they get older and start to deal with more serious health issues. With them in Highland Heights, though, I might feel more inclined to find a place on the Cincy side of the river instead of moving back to Fort Thomas. Having my parents nearby will be nice, but I don't want them so close that I'm bumping into them at the grocery store.
I think I've always been a little envious of people who had "normal" parents, which was basically anyone besides my own parents. I think it's nice if you can have a good relationship with them and obviously things in your own life might be easier, but that's just not in the cards for me. I also think that's why I've always gotten along so incredibly well with my friends' parents...I think I saw in them what I wished I had and gratitude oozed out of me, and they responded. Luckily it means I have a relationship with my friends AND their families, and it makes me feel better.
i shouldn't grin at that WK, but just did.
my parents were kind of cool apart from the weird re-born psycho-christian stuff my mom went through. i never felt short-changed by them anyway. my wife's family however i don't need to see too often. which is sad. that is not how i imagined things would be when i was younger...
japanese language is awesome. spelling and pronunciation are wysiwig, without deviation. which is why my 4 year old has been reading for some time now. she decided to start reading books properly recently and we can hear her shouting out the letters as she reads in the early hours of the morning. no alarm-clock necessary with kids in the home!
WK - Even the "normal" parents have some sort of crazy in them. I love my parents dearly, get along with them quite well, but they're crazy. Case in point, my mom went to visit her dad the weekend that the Swine Flu stuff came out to the media. She didn't wear a mask there, but she did on the way back. And my dad, after the first 58 years of his life being this quiet easy going guy, all the sudden became this uber gun totin' NRA member. WTF?
Oh and I think my lied to me this weekend. I was going to go over for dinner last evening but then my mom told me she was going to be out for a matinee play and my dad was going to go to the rifle range, ergo no dinner, but then she calls me at 1:30 with a question. Ummmmm, yeah.
Anyway, time to get my coffee on.
melt, it's like that Seinfeld where George's parents decide they're tired of being his parents and start making excuses to not see him!
I called my mom yesterday for Mother's Day and she was enjoying a walk on the beach with an Old Fashioned in her hand. The woman knows how to enjoy retirement! But speaking of crazy, when I mentioned my upcoming single-parenting interlude when Brian leaves for his residency, her first response was "Goodness, you're going to get horny while he's gone!" My 68 year old mom, a lady to the end.
Happy Monday everyone!
I didnt have to change a single diaper yesterday, and Abram made me a plywood-cutout-of-his-hand-magnet. He's very tallented.
I still dont understand how you properly pronounce Picha Kucha as I've never heard it. To be honest, I always read it as PiKaChu, and I know thats not right, but thats how it translates, which also makes it hard to take seriously. Isnt there also a mountian with the same name? So is it PiKa KuKa, or PiCHa KuCHa - with the cha as in choo choo?
You might be thinking of Machu Picchu:
wwtcd?
Since I'm heading back to the U in the fall, I now need to engineer a graceful exit from the current gig. When do I tell folks? Do I start dropping hints? Since I have lots of responsibilities, how much debriefing/training my replacement (if there is one) will I need to plan for?
I may not disclose info on my school blog till I've told my boss, and I've also decided to keep mum on fb/linkedin for now.
They say two weeks minimum is the standard protocol, but for somebody with more responsibilities, I'd say one month. That gives them ample time to hire a replacement and get them up to speed. Probably a good idea to keep it under your hat until you give your formal notice, though.
it appears to be a non-negotiable law of nature that thrree week benders cannot be comfortably fit into single weekends (even holiday weekends)...did anybody else learn anything interesting this weekend?
yep.
if you're grill gas is running out, it doesn't matter how long you leave the burgers on. they're not going to get done.
tk-this all depends on your bosses and how understanding or not you think they are. I told mine I was headed back to grad school a good six months in advance (I couldn't get the time for the interview otherwise) and they were good about it, but I had a gut instinct they would be. But if you think there's a chance that they could be like, "well, you can just leave now then," then don't chance it.
Gin- I've always heard it Pe(like pez)-cha(like the cha-cha) Ku(like the middle of racoon)-cha(like the cha-cha)
I learned that a squid's brain is doughnut-shaped, and its esophagus runs through the middle. So if it eats a chunk of anything too big, it gives itself brain damage.
whoops, I meant that last bit to Sarah
Tree,
This is because of the teaching gig, right?
I would say give them at least 1 month given your position and level of responsibilities.
LB,
Your mom sounds awesome. When you say residency I assume you mean "artist in residence"? where is he going to be and for how long?
Puddles, i discovered that knowign you have to cook brunch for your mother for Mother's Day isn't a strong enough reason to prevent me from "bending" 2 nights in a row.....
ttfn Tc..
Last night I learned that if you're cooking pasta and forget to set the timer, it's better to err on the side of over-cooked pasta than under-cooked pasta.
On a related note, I discovered that the local Chinese take-out place makes great boneless rib tips and has free delivery.
wow...that squid brain info is wild
tk: I'm in the one month camp. Given your role, that seems more helpful to the firm. I gave one month when I left my last gig, where I had two projects headed out the door at the end of the month, I was PM on one and was helping on a set of drawings for another. If you can possibly time it with project deadlines, that's a good thing to try to coordinate.
nam, my mom is totally awesome, as is my dad. Yes, artist's residency. I've been feeling skittish lately about saying when and how long, since I'm not anonymous here and don't really want to advertise being home alone (except for my son and my ridiculously large, strong, huge-toothed, and vicious attack dog, of course).
wonder K - you are absolutely right, I do need to start buying offsets if I keep this up. Granted my daily commute over the last 10 years has been less than 10,000 km, and I can't help but eat local... I do need to find an alternative to the air miles. Fingers crossed that with the release of the Cuban embargo comes a bridge/train to connect Havana with Florida and subsequently Jamaica. Sounds cheeky but I'm dead serious.
Has anyone noticed that lately Liberty has been the one making not-too-subtle sexual comments not puddles/beta/vado... Great statement by your mom though - a similar statement would have had me staring in space with shock.
additionally Wonder K, I think everyone's parents are strange - even the normal ones as **** says, I suspect it's really how we deal with it. I've had a great relationship with my mum, but my dad and I always lock horns. He has a habit of talking without thinking, or thinking of how offensive it will be and I'm the fool who always wants to take him on about it. Nonetheless it has gotten better over the years, beyond civility even.
happy belated to the archi-moms. And to the other moms too, especially those married to architects (mrs. tk, etc). Ohhh and to the expectant moms as well (beary)
Finally, the answer to all my problems.
If I can use this to establish a "cone of silence" around myself for privacy, then in theory, the system should also allow me to establish a cone of silence around certain other people in the office so that I can work without distraction.
Archi,
I too am looking forward to the lifting of the embargo. A bridge/train would be cool but I am mor einterested in Rum and Cigars..
LB,
Totally understand didn't even think about that...
So I'm going to apply to work at the new Super Target they are opening down the street. Sad, isn't it? Still dont know how I will work it into my life if they want me to work other than the typical 8-5 hours. I dont even know if its worth it, really.
Nam what do you think the train is going to be filled with?? Archi carrying rum and cigars.
Sarah working at Target isn't sad, this is time between when the market is building back strength. It would only be sad if it were a permanent move - which based on your previous posts it is NOT!
Sarah, I say it's worth a try. If you hate it, or if it wreaks havoc with your home schedule (which it unfortunately seems like it might - isn't husband traveling the circuit now that the weather is nice?) you can quit. But it does seem like some time out of the house interacting with others might be a good thing. I know I get lonely working w/o employees all day!
i LOVED working retail during the '91-'92 recession. book and music discounts - YOO HOO!
No, LB, Husband gave up the fast lane mid-season last year. He couldn't stand to be away from Abram - sweet, huh? So no more traveling. Unfortunately, I cant tell people my Husband is a crewcheif for a Grand-Am race team anymore, so long to the glamour.
sorry. re-reading that, it sounds insensitive. not intentional because i was very much out of work and very much needed the paycheck from working in the mall. i liked the hours, i liked the people (esp. the little community that happens inside a mall that 'the public' doesn't get a window into), and i liked the freedom to move around from store to store. and i didn't take any work issues home with me. it all stayed there.
Something
that might just justify my getting an iPhone.
*m- got your package, fun set of brochures for some good work. I'll pass it around, so others know about what you guys do.
As far as retail jobs go, you probably can't do much better than Target. I worked for Target back in the mid-90's when I was straight out of high school but hadn't yet started college, and helped several Chicagoland stores with their grand openings. Unlike Wal-Mart and some other big-box chains, Target actually makes a point to not treat their employees like shit.
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