Quotes

"The thing about plans is they don't take into account the unexpected. So when we're thrown a curveball...we have to improvise. Of course some of us are better at it than others. Some of us just have to move on to Plan B and make the best of it. And sometimes what we want is exactly what we need. But sometimes, sometimes what we need is a new plan." - Grey's Anatomy

A Big Mountain of Dirt

I've had a pretty nice view for nearly the 2 years that I've lived in my apartment. Ah, but it couldn't have lasted.

They finally tore up the plot of land next to my complex. It is now a huge pile of dirt. I believe it's going to be more apartments or condos.

The Introvert Advantage

I always struggle with getting myself motivated to go out and do things. I have a million excuses why I don't need to go and then end up feeling guilty for not going.
Recent example:
I was debating if I wanted to go to a work happy hour. My internal argument was it was a Friday afternoon, I was tired, I was leaving from class so the location was out of the way, and near the end of the happy hour I can never find a good way to excuse myself and go home. I usually don't have anything I need to get to after the happy hours, but after 2 hrs I'm done and I just don't want to be there anymore. I always feel awkward leaving and never have the right thing to say to excuse myself gracefully.

I read "The Introvert Advantage" by Marti Laney. A lot of the items I have felt in the past were mentioned in the book. Indicators on the Myers-Briggs test can change over time. I took it in the 8th grade, high school, college, after college and the item that has never changed is I am as introverted as you can get.

Some interesting facts/comments regarding introverts from the book:
* Only 25% of the population is introverted
* Introverts have more blood flowing to the brain indicating more internal stimulation. And blood is flowing to different areas than extroverts - for introverts it is to the parts involved with internal experiences like remembering, solving problems and planning
* Walk around with a lot of thoughts and feelings in their heads. They often have internal dialogue with themselves.
* Can forget things they know well, might temporarily forget a word they want to use
* May not be aware of thoughts unless they write or talk about them
* May have trouble getting motivated or moving, might appear lazy
* "I enjoy social gatherings - as long as I know I'm leaving soon."
* It is often a struggle for introverts to decide whether or not to go to a social gathering. We all get caught up in what we should do, and we forget to think about what we want to do. Many introverts tend to foreshadow. They think ahead about what could go wrong, or remember how tired they felt the last time they went out.
* Phone phobia - it's an interruption that drains energy, requires losing internal focus, requires expending energy for "on-the-feet thinking"
* Tend to run cool and get chilled easily. Their normal body temperature is often below the average 98.6. If introverts feel too cold, it can be even more difficult for them to get going and leave the house.
* Are more sedentary than extroverts. They are not motivated to move as much.
* Introverts constantly evaluate what they have said.

The book offers a bunch of ways that introverts can fit into a world made up of 75% extroverts. The author also goes into scientific details about neurostimulators and what is physically happening in the body. The book combats the stereotypes of introverts being hermits or shy, as it has nothing to do with this but is rather if you get energy from being around other people(extroverts) versus you get your energy internally (introverts). It also goes into the details of introverts/extroverts dating/relationships. Generally, it helped me to understand there is a reason for my thoughts and actions and I am part of the minority which is why I usually thought I wasn't "normal".

Fast Food Nation

I finally got around to reading "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser which originally was published in 2001. Fast Food Nation seemed to me to focus on the history of fast food which I found interesting. And just the general history of franchises both food or retail.

Back in November, I watched the documentary "Super Size Me" and haven't eaten McDonald's since. I think my generation has been groomed that fast food is a way of life. Much like I have a hard time remembering what life was like before I had a cellphone or email. I used to not give it a second thought if I was hungry just to pull over and get something. After reading the book and seeing the documentary I do give it a second thought, and so far I've always decided I can do without it.

UNC Chapel Hill

I interviewed at UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday for their Master's in Health Administration program. It was everything I expected. Quality program, good professors, good networking opportunities and career direction. It's ranked 2nd for that type of program. The school I'm currently at is ranked 25th. I was upset this past fall with my classes to the point where I didn't think I could stand paying for or attending them. I'm happy to say this semester is much better but I expect only because the 2 classes I'm taking have guest speakers for every class. I was accepted into UNC. It's a full-time, 2 year program starting in the fall. The choice is now do I continue part-time and working full-time and finish in Spring 2009 or switch and have loans to pay back? If anything, it's nice to have options...of course with them come more decisions to make.

Snowshoeing

I went snowshoeing with my two aunts in Evergreen, CO. It was a great day for it. Miss Kitty enjoyed herself also and got quite a workout in.

Kerri's Surprise Shower

Kerri had a surprise bridal shower. Here she is wearing the ribbon hat made from all the gifts. Both her sisters and mother flew in for it. Based on the look on her face when she walked in the door, it was definitely a surprise.

Where are they now? (Vol 2)

I wrote my first "where are they now" entry on 8/15/06. I have a new addition, so this is volume 2. I met Kelly in middle school. In the 8th grade we were signed up to do the 3-legged race together for the "Olympics" (field day). Kelly and I actually practiced the race beforehand. I'm not quite sure why we took it so seriously. I guess we wanted to win; we did get 3rd place. This picture is of us our junior year at band camp. Yes, band camp. I love to embrace the dorkiness of this picture. Hehe. Yes, nothing beats spending an entire week out in 100 degree weather in August in the humid south.

So where is Kelly now? She's been teaching English in Japan. And she has fabulous news in that she just got engaged to Harold. After the school term ends this year, they will both be taking the year off and travelling throughout Europe, India and China.

Cute picture

Denver Pioneers Hockey

I went to a Denver Pioneers Hockey game. It's the University of Denver team; DU is actually a really good school, very small and private. Condoleezza Rice was an AXO there. People kept asking me why I didn't switch to DU's MBA program. It's known as a good school in Colorado, but outside of Colorado no one would know that. Due to expenses I decided to stick with CU-Denver (University of Colorado - Denver). DU played Wisconsin. It reminded me of how much fun I had going to all the GT Hockey games. The NHL isn't the same as college hockey fans. There were some Wisco students sitting behind us on their holiday break. Their cheers were hilarious, and they knew all the players. That's what I used to like about GT hockey; it's more interesting if you know the players. There is quite a difference between a club team versus a team that won the National Championship. I have to say Denver is pretty darn good. They won the game I was at, but the next night Wisco beat them 4-0.

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve Day we went to Copper Mountain. It was actually my first day out for the season, and as you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful day. Suzanne and Eileen rented skis. Aunt Ellen drove us up and then she went hiking while we made it down one run. We then all met for lunch. Eileen and Suzanne were scoping out the next runs. Suzanne had enough for the day and Eileen and I closed out the day after a couple more runs.

Here is Ellen and me at the bottom of Copper. The next day Suzanne and Ellen took Miss Kitty for a hike.

Christmas

Despite the weekly blizzards, the whole family made it to my Aunt Joan's safely for the holiday. Here is a picture of my mom and I preparing the potatoe salad.




And a picture of Eileen and my Dad waiting to eat or just hanging around for a picture.






Miss Kitty was very spoiled over the holidays. She got plenty of turkey and ham and got to go on a lot of walks. This is a picture from Joan's neighborhood while Suzanne and I were out.

Blizzard 2006

Yup, so I think I'm going to be stuck here for awhile. I barely made it home from work yesterday around 11am. I was slipping and sliding all over the road back to my apartment.

First, my porch. This picture was taken without opening the door, or the snow might have fallen in. My porch is covered, so you can tell there was a bit of wind.

Outside my porch, looking down on the street I'm supposed to drive on. You can see the car below. Yes, they got stuck. There's another one stuck in the place where you're supposed to turn into the complex. Eileen and Joan made cookies last night. They called and asked what kind I wanted. I just joked that they should bring me some with milk. I live about 2 miles from them. Around 9pm, there's a knock on my door. Dave used his truck to drive Joan, Eileen and himself to my place. The cookies were good.

In case I was planning on going anywhere anytime soon, this is what is in front of my garage. I'm the furthest one on the left.

Here's the road off the main street to the entrance to my apartment.

These geese are just chillin' outside my window in the field between the apartment complex and a nearby office building. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Work Holiday Party

We had our department's holiday party (Happy Hour) at Senior Ric's.

Here's a picture of myself, Marty (worked with me up in Boulder when I first started), Jane (one of our trainers) and Nguyen.

Sweet Charity

I convinced Eileen's friend, Jay, to go see the musical "Sweet Charity" with me. It's touring right now with Molly Ringwald as the starring role. It was written in the 1960's. It had an Austin Powers feel to it. Generally, there was no substance to the story. There is one hilarious scene of people trapped in an elevator, that however was the highlight.

Crazy Story

My professor for my "Managing Teams and Individuals" class had a family emergency and couldn't teach the remainder of our class. He was replaced by an 80 yr old guy. His name was Charles Rice. To help us remember his name he said, "what do you do at the end of a wedding?" Answer: Chuck Rice. Nope, I won't forget his name.

Anyway, he had us do a creative assignment. He handed out a black and white picture. The picture was a man half sticking out of a US Postal service mailbox. The picture looked like it had been taken in a city and the man's legs are flaying about as his entire upper half of his body is inside the blue container. Our assignment was to write a quick creative story to explain the picture. What this has to do with Managing teams and individuals is beyond me. I think it's something he has his undergrad students do. Anyhow, I went out on a limb with this one.

My Story:

This picture of half a person’s body sticking out of a mailbox was captured today on a busy street in downtown Denver, Colorado. It will be published in the National Enquirer this week. This photo has confirmed our suspicions that there are indeed aliens roaming among us. The aliens are now using the United States Postal Service to move around the country undetected. As the aliens go through the mail slot their bodies are transformed into regular looking letters with the appropriate information and postage. It is amazing that this alien was caught on camera, and that he was performing the transformation in broad daylight. This is very alarming information. There must be some sort of emergency going on in the alien community for them to risk their exposure to the world’s people. The real question is where are they having themselves mailed to? Are they meeting for an attack on a particular city? Did they all want to take a trip to Disney World? Or is it a huge family reunion? We can only speculate what will happen in the next few days. The country is reacting quickly to this news. Postal workers are being assigned to watch the receptacles for any more incidences of alien infiltration. UPS, Federal Express and DHL do not seem to be taking this dire situation seriously and have begun advertising discount rates for aliens choosing to be transported by air express. It makes one wonder, if we could somehow harness the alien’s technology, could we be on the brink of changing transportation today as we know it?

Thanksgiving in NYC

I spent a week up in NYC over the Thanksgiving holiday. You can read all about it on Suzanne's blog. Here's a picture of myself, Suzanne's friend Julie and Suzanne in front of the buddha at Tao. The number one reserved restaurant in NYC now.

I ate at some other good restaurants, saw the Rockettes, went to a Philharmonic concert and I always enjoy the planetarium.

Here's Suzanne at the American Museum of Natural History.

GT Fall Meeting

I went to the GT Colorado Club's fall meeting. The speaker at the meeting was Dr. John Stevens, of Lockheed Martin. He spoke about the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) project that has recently been awarded by NASA. First it will be used to dock at the space station, then a trip to the moon, and they're aiming to get men to Mars by the 2030's.

This stuff has always fascinated me. It probably all started as it did for a lot of kids in the 1980's when the movie "Space Camp" came out. Compared to the filming done for Apollo 13, Space Camp is laugh out loud funny. They sort of simulate no-gravity at the beginning of the film, but it's forgotten as the film goes on. What is so surprising is the stars in the film: Joaquin Phoenix, Kelly Preston and Tate Donovan. My favorite quote from the movie...."it's just Space Camp". You really have to see it, it's all in the delivery of the line.

I think I began asking my parents to send me to Space Camp for the next couple of years after that. I finally did go the summer after 7th grade. By then I was too old for Space Camp, instead it was Space Academy. All 3 of us went. Usually you would share a room with 5 other people, but I think it was too crowded. Eileen and I shared a counselor's room. They were on the ends. There were only 12 of those rooms in the building. You can see in the picture, we had the bubble windows. During the camp, you simulated 2 trips to space. You had to take a test at the beginning of the camp, then rank your choices for roles in the simulation. Eileen and I were both payload specialists for the first trip. This meant we ran experiments in the shuttle. Technically Eileen was the doctor on board. She had to keep running "medicine" up to the pilot. Really, the medicine was Skittles. Then while Eileen was upstairs with the pilots I was instructed to come down with a stomach ache. Eileen was supposed to recognize this and diagnosis me. I must have been doing a bad acting job because Eileen just kept telling me to cut it out and stop kidding around. Geez Nins, after all...it's just Space Camp. We also rode in the multi-axis trainer, experienced 1/6 our weight, designed a space station and built and launched rockets. Ah yes, I am a dork at heart because I thought all of this was very cool.

End Scene

Kerri and I performed our second play tonight for our Health Systems class. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the blog entry from September 10th. We got an A on the first one, not really sure why, so I'm hoping we did as well on this one. The prof did mouth "good" to me after it was over. I hope that's the word for 'A'. The class got a laugh when Kerry appeared as my "fairy godmother" to help me figure out a solution to our healthcare problem. I think it was a big shock to the class since we were so serious and conservative in our first play. She had a dark queen dress on and a wand with a bell. It was humorous. I have to say I actually did learn something by doing the plays, but I could have just as easily learned it by doing the research and writing a paper. The performances of the plays just took up 2 class periods. I'm glad they're over, and I will be happy to put my poor acting days behind me.

Happy Birthday

Suzanne,

Have a Happy Birthday!

Nike Women's Marathon

Suzanne got up at the crack of dawn to start the Nike Women's Marathon.

Jen and I tried to meet her at the 13 mile mark but barely missed her in the park. So we went to mile 17 and caught her there.

This picture with the thumb's up is just past mile 17. She was taking a "goo" break. Check out that fuel belt. Jennifer and I were joking the day prior that she kind of looked like a police office with that thing on.

Jen and I then drove to a part further down in the race. The parking around that area was terrible but after about a half hour we found a spot. We caught back up with Suzanne past the 25 mile marker. She was still doing just fine. I ran with her for about a tenth of a mile. She finished in under 5 hours and met her goal. I think it's awesome.
Drew joined us at the end of the race and just barely missed Suzanne passing by. Here's a picture after the race in front of the ocean. It was foggy by the water but sunny everywhere else in San Francisco.

Later that evening we celebrated Jennifer's birthday at a Mexican tapas restaurant. Our waiter was funny. When Suzanne asked him if they did anything special for birthdays his response was, "like a stripper?" Yeah, not what we meant. He did get it right when he brought out dessert with a candle and Happy Birthday written in chocolate on the edge of the plate.

Suzanne was fine that evening after the race. Although once again Jen and I were joking as she walked around the hotel room that she wasn't exactly bending her legs, and it was more of a waddle walk.