The Hygiene Chronicles

Type Casting

2009-10-10T09:57:00.004-04:00

We are out of town visiting friends and they have two girls that are Corey's age. The kids get along well and play all day long. Yesterday, Corey comes running in the room.

Corey: "Daddy, I need to the Ninetendo DS."
Me: "I think it is on the table in the family room. But you shouldn't be playing your DS when you are all playing together."
Corey: "No, it's okay. We're playing house."
Me: "I don't understand. Why do you need need the DS?"

Corey: "I'm playing the daddy so I need to be on the computer."

SIGH.

A Word From Our Sponsors

2009-08-30T08:30:00.004-04:00

Learning comes in many different forms.

I love how inquisitive Corey is becoming. We no longer get the annoyingly vauge "but why?" questions. Instead, they are thoughtful and show a clear grasp of trying to solve problems.

One of our favorite movies is Herbie Fully Loaded. I will always be partial to the first Herbie, but Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon are great. We have easily watched this movie 50 times.

This weekend, Corey was watching the cars race around the track and asked, "How come that car says Home Depot on it?"

Good question, I thought. I paused the movie and explained that companies sponsor the drivers. By giving money to the racers, the companies could then put their names and logos on the cars.

He thought this was way cool. "So when it says Quaker State and Cheetos...those companies gave money to them?"

I answered affirmatively and suggested he look for the other names on the cars.

We found Du Pont, Nextel, Loews...

"What's that one, daddy?"

"Umm, that would be Viagra."

He then asked, "What do they sell?"

I thought for a moment. "Assistance."

Hey Disney, thanks for that teachable moment.

Life according to LucasFilms

2009-08-22T18:05:00.003-04:00

Our conversation in the car today...

Corey: "How did Michael Jackson die?"
Me: "He died in his sleep."
Corey: "Was he sick?"
Me: "He was taking some medications so he may not have been feeling well."

(Pause)

Corey: "But he died in his sleep?"
Me: "Yep."
Corey: "Cool. That's just like Yoda."

Why I Love Viriginia

2009-08-15T12:04:00.005-04:00

Because you can buy your gun safe at Costco...right next to your Graco Pack-n-play and the Eddie Bauer car seat.

The Rite of Passage

2009-07-26T12:16:00.011-04:00

This weekend, I finally succumbed to a tradition in parenting I thought just perhaps, the Good Lord would help me avoid: The Chuck E Cheese Party.

Corey has been invited to a few in the past but his moms always took him to those. This year, for his 7th birthday party, he wanted to return the favor. It's like Vegas, Branson and Denny's all crammed into one germ-infested petri dish.

It went smoother than I expected, but then again, my responsiblities consisted of showing up on time. The first hour was games, then 15 minutes of consuming as much pizza, cake, ice cream and soda as possible before returning to the games. Truthfully, eating that quickly and returning to the games threw me into a major sugar rush. My scores were WAY off compared to the first hour.

I think there should be a rule much like swimming that you need to wait one hour before entering the game zone.

That being said, I won over 200 tickets and only pissed off one kid who clearly should have seen I was on a streak and NOT asked to play my Street Hoops game. I'm fairly certain I will not be allowed back.

For all the shit I give Chuck E Cheese, it is an amazing factory of organized crap. How smart to plan 5 parties at once and then only have one rat in costume? Brilliant.

However, my one question is the bathroom designs. The only urinal in the place is about 3 inches off the ground. Not so easy on dad, who consumed 6 diet cokes during the three hours and then had to stand two feet back just to actually hit porcelain.

But then someone installs the paper towels 5 feet off the floor. Seriously? How dumb is that?

Clearly another reason I wasn't about to share my Street Hoops game with some kid who has wet hands.

Blogging Fathers

2009-07-24T14:15:00.013-04:00

Three years ago, I was asked to become part of a fine group of men that I highly respect. I had been blogging for over a year and was beginning to make friends with my fellow writers. One day, Matthew emailed and said I was being invited to become a Blogfather. It opened a whole world for me; developing both friendships and skills.

With my own blog, I was careful in my posts, but becoming a Blogfather...well, there was a greater need to craft the stories and put special attention towards my writing. After all, this was big time and I was going to be read by many people I had long since admired.

Some of those posts were probably the best things I'd even written. They come from a place that few people can get to in normal conversations. But with writing, you expose a part of yourself that most don't really get to see. I even received a Perfect Post nomination for one of them. There is no great feeling that your writing inspires, elates or moves someone.

I was pretty active on the site until school started two years ago. Hell, if you still read Hygiene Chronicles (given my lack of posting there), you should know that I did practically nothing at Blogfathers. Well, it seems no one posted there. I visited the site the other day and noticed it's not longer live.

Luckily, I had saved copies of the posts and will put them on my site over the weekend. (If you use RSS feeds, my apologies for 'reposting'. )

Until then, here are my favorite posts from Blogfathers. Enjoy.

World's Colliding

2009-07-23T20:59:00.008-04:00

Three weeks ago today we moved into the new house. In some ways, it feels like yesterday; in others, it feels like we've always lived here. I'm amazed at how easy it feels to call this place home.

Luckily, almost everything fits and we find that this house allows many pieces of furniture and paintings to be showcased even better. A living room couch that was never used is now in the family room right in front of the TV. Things fit even better into these cabinets. And the master bedroom closets ROCK!

What's more...we love Virginia. We love being close to Corey, we love the conveniences of having so many stores close by and Larry loves the short drive to work. Seeing our friends has never been so convenient.

And we love our neighbors. Since this is a brand new street of houses, everyone is moving in fresh. There is no 'old man Withers' who terrorizes the neighborhood because he's lived here since Moses was a child. We are all going through the same difficulties associated with moving. We're all reaching out and helping one another.

But for some of us, we are connected even more.

Today, Facebook sends me an email because I've been tagged in an old picture by one of Corey's mom. This woman writes to the mom, "Ummm, I think your son's dads are my new neighbors."

Sure enough, she used to work with the mom and now we live on the same street. So we Facebook each other.

Then she writes me. "Facebook says we both know Sarah. How do you know her?"

I write back "Well, she & I met blogging. She writes a fabulously funny blog and we connected because I write the Hygiene Chronicles."

Immediate the email responds. "HOLY CRAP. I've read you at Blogfathers. I'm Lummpyhead's mom."

I could not love this street anymore.

Moving on Out

2009-06-15T10:30:00.004-04:00

I began writing this post on May 24 and just haven't gotten through it because of packing. Now, it's all done and it seems appropriate to finish.

Tonight is the last night in our house. Sixteen years of being in one location ends tomorrow. The closing date for the DC house is June 18 and the moving trucks arrive in the morning. When I get home tonight, the only left to go into boxes is the toaster and coffee maker. We've raided Home Depot every couple of days for wardrobe boxes and paper to wrap glassware. The house echos since there are no pictures anywhere and all that dominates each room is stacks of cardboard containers.

We will be closing on the Virginia house June 29. Unfortunately, I'll be in Boston so poor Larry will have to sign the documentation for both of us. I return July 1 and we are hoping to schedule the moving crew for July 2. With luck, that should be our first night in our new home.

Between now and then, Larry & I will be bunking down at the Residence Inn. We swung by a few weeks ago to see just how big of a room we will get. Umm, holy crap. You have to really love one another to be in this close of space for three weeks. This could be it's own reality show to see gets executed first. The good part is breakfast and light dinners are served there nightly. The bad new is, no hot tub.

Life never stops providing adventures. However, I'm going to really enjoy daily maid service for a few weeks.

What I Learned in Grad School

2009-05-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

The program may be over, but the lessons stay with you forever.

At 42, I discovered that accounting was based on credits and debits. Who knew?
Cliques are still rampant as hell. You find your academic soulmates within 2 days.
Professors LOVE to have you read their text books. Hell, at $99 a pop, it probably pays better than teaching the 4-week class.
Half.com can then sell that same book and recoup almost 45% the original value.
Finance is one of the most complicated aspects of business. But if you master it, you're golden.
I still have no short-term memory. I mean the moment I would open a book...wait, what number are we on?
Michael Porter is considered the God of MBA programs. He made my life a living hell.
Every class still has a prom queen and a dork.
The professors who teach the more obscure classes (cough, cough...ethics) are usually the most adamant about how valuable their subjects are to the business community. Clearly the scholastic Napoleon complex.
Executive-level programs, no matter how much more money they cost, are worth every penny to have your books handed to you and never step one foot into the bookstore.
My student ID gets me discounts at movie theaters. So by going to 35,000 movies I should make a profit from this education.
When going to Vietnam, buy more things, even if you think you don't need them. Spa treatments are also less than half the price than in the states.
Having laptops with Internet connection in classrooms is probably the single biggest mistake in the educational system.
Working in teams sounds like it will be less work...it isn't; it's usually worse.
Making yourself just one little bit smarter, is the best thing you can ever do.

Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities Thereunto Appertaining

2009-05-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

The day I thought would never arrive, finally happened; Graduation. Two years ago, I began the long journey of grad school. Last night, it all came to a closure as I walked across the George Washington University stage.

While the celebration commemorated my achievements, I walked on behalf of four others, who without their support, I never could have gotten this degree. Through their actions and encouragement, they made it possible for me to go to school. Last night was about them just as much as it was about me.

To my son's moms: You have done so much to give Corey the best life a little boy could ask for. He's healthy, happy and well-adjusted. Clearly that doesn't come from someone in grad school. You bore the brunt of parenting these past two years. It was all too easy to say I had a child when you did so much of the work. I am truly honored to be part of the best parenting team ever.

To my Son: For two years, I've been deficient in my responsibilities as a father. You have never once complained and accepted whatever time we had together. We had such little time together and even then, I would grab a book as soon as you started playing. I short-changed you more times than I can count, but it means the world to know you still love me as much as you do. I promise to be there from now on.

To my Partner: No one listened to me complain more than you. When I felt like quitting, you talked me out of it. When I hated my classes, you encouraged me to get through it. When I degraded myself for not having a enough brains to be in this program, you pushed me back up. You kept me fed, sane and out of prison (for not killing my team year 1).

This degree, I share with you. No one can earn something by themselves and I cetainly learned that these last two years. I love you all and am so happy to call you my family.

First Class?

2009-05-13T10:12:00.008-04:00

Dear Post Office,

Let me be blunt; I hate you. I've written before about how stupid you are. It amazes me you are able to stay in business, except that you really have no competition. I can only hope that the Internet makes you so obsolete that you go out of business.

Last year you screwed me with your Automatic Postage Machine. Being so excited not to deal with your personnel, I used if for every transaction possible. In February 2008, when I went to buy 100 stamps for work, it issued Christmas stamps. Quite obviously, I couldn't use them for business given that our all customers are not Christian. When I asked to exchange them, you told me you were unable to take back previously issued merchandise. And the supervisor agreed with you. Stupid people.

I sell books on Half.com and most of that goes out media mail. Each time, I tell you "It's media mail; just a book." And every time you ask "Is there anything dangerous, liquid or perishable?" as if I'm dumber than a ficus tree. One time I even said "Just a shovel" and you went about your business without batting an eye. Useless Robot.

Today you told me that I could no longer use my credit card to purchase anything because I hadn't signed it. It says "Please check ID" on the back and I hand you my driver's license each time. "Where am I supposed to sign it?" I asked, pointing out there was no room left in the signature block. You shrugged your shoulders. Clearly uttering words was too much work.

I'm tired of you punishing me for doing business with you. I pay you and you treat me as if I'm causing you an inconvenience. You want inconvenience...fine.

I'll pay the entire bill in nickles from now on. I'll ask you about every delivery option available just so you have to talk for 10 minutes. I wish I could fart into the package and make you smell it behind that bullet-proof glass.

Good luck with this mail thing. I'm paying most bills online. Magazine & Newspapers can be received other ways. FedEx and UPS are getting cheaper.

You get from people what you give. I hope people put you out of business faster than you can say 'Forever Stamp'.

Family Time

2009-05-10T18:35:00.004-04:00

The little boy who sat next to me was probably 4. He wore a pair of striped shorts and Diego tee shirt. He was playing with his cars. He kept to himself though he talked a lot and tried to get his mommy's attention. Every once in a while he would ask questions.

Another little girl sat right behind me on her daddy's lap. She was pretty fussy and spent most of her time grabbing at her food. She cried a couple of times but hey, she was only 2 so who could blame her.

How nice to see parents out with their young children. Family time is always treasured and I love watching people spend their weekends as a family.

Except when I'm at the theater seeing Wolverine.

As much as I tried to concentrate on the (not-so-great) film, I was just taken back by this appalling lack of responsibility. For the love of God people, why on earth would you think you are good parents by taking your youngsters to Wolverine? What kind of example do you think you are setting for these kids?

There are days I cringe when Corey asks for Herbie Goes Bananas for the umpteenth million time. But the sound of him laughing just makes it worthwhile each time I sit there.

For this little boy in the theater, what reference of being 4-years-old does he have when he's watching a movie like this? I can only think of how distorted his world view is when it is all at a PG-13 level.

Almost Back

2009-04-20T21:22:00.007-04:00

Does it feel like I've been gone forever? It totally does from this end. Not much longer folks, just don't give up on me.

School
My last class day is tomorrow. I'm stunned. May 3-8 is our final residency and graduation is May 15. It feel like it flew by at some moments and dragged at others, but who cares...it's done.

Old House
The current house was listed last Friday. We've never kept a house so clean in our lives. Everything gets buried into drawers as soon as we walk out the door.

Sunday was the first open house which produced a lot of foot traffic. We've had a major nibble and should hopefully be able to announce something within the next few days if all goes well.

New House
Still on schedule for mid-July. I've never loved Tyvek so much in my life. The windows went in this past week. There's a pile of bricks sitting in the front that should go on the front of the house shortly. It's coming together nicely.

Train Wreck
I will leave you with one funny gem. Larry found a marathon of this reality show called Any Dream Will Do on BBC. This is a casting call for a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The show is similar to the Grease "You're the One that I Want" show that America did, except this version is so much campier and probably the gayest entertainment since the Birdcage.

The judges are dreadful and the host Graham Norton is annoying as shit. The Lord (yes they call him that) Andrew Lloyd Weber gives the final yes or no if the Joseph stays that week.

But what nearly made me wet myself was the 'dismissal' song that each fallen Joseph goes through as the remaining contestant strip him of his coat. Bloodly brilliant.

Domestic Viloence

2009-03-26T10:42:00.007-04:00

Sometimes pictures can say a thousand words.

But doesn't it suck when the picture says one thing, but the true explanation isn't as exciting?

The cool story would be that Larry gets all liquored up and when he's out of control, I have to body slam him into the wall in order to calm him down. You can just see the new WWF show: Gay Man Smackdown.

Sadly, Larry just got progressive bifocals. He went to pick up the remote control and realized objects change distances mid-reach. He missed, fell over and the wall "caught" him.

Luckily, the contractor who is working on our basement is still here. He just made a few more dollars on us.

We need a more exciting life.

Groundbreakers

2009-03-23T14:12:00.002-04:00

It has begun...

Lot 15

2009-03-08T12:29:00.003-04:00

We seem to be progressing slowly, but it looks as though they have a bathroom already in place.

Honestly, we're fine with still seeing a pile of dirt. The longer they delay, the longer we have to sell the current house (which goes on the market in about 2-3 weeks).

Snow Day = Blog Day

2009-03-02T16:22:00.005-05:00

A whole month since my last post. Geez, it's embarrassing. Don't give up on me. I swear I'll be back soon. Here's what February brought.

New House
We've had a number of meetings these past weeks. Remember how I said the great part was that you could pick everything you wanted for a new house? Well, you actually have to pick everything. We've had meetings with the builder, the designers and the electricians.

For the most part, we're not straying far from the colors, cabinetry, tiling, and other styles we've already used for our remodeling jobs at this current house. And we each decided to pick one nice upgrade. Larry opted for the wider plank boards for the hardwood floors on the first level.

Me? I went for the Sony Homeshare media station, allowing me to play and CONTROL the iPod from 4 different rooms using one central docking station. Technology kicks ass!

School
Seven more classes. SEVEN. I am so done with the program...not because I hate it, just because I'm tired of studying and schoolwork. Friday is my last day of Entrepreneurship and the following week ends Marketing. All that is left is Ethics, Negotiations and a final closing residency...which I hope is mostly trust falls and ropes courses.

Graduation is May 15th which ironically is 20 years to the same week I graduated college. On that day, I vowed never to go back to school again. I'm glad I didn't listen.

But seriously, if you're still with me 20 years from now, don't let me go for my PhD in 2029.

Snow Day
I love the fact that DC can't seem to handle large amounts of snow. (And by large, I mean my street got 5 inches.) I did a whole week's worth of homework today. I also took a two-hour nap. Who loves bad weather?

Boy Wonder
Corey is doing great. He constantly amazes me at how fast kids learn these days. He reads so well that every single book we have at this house is beyond him. His new obsession is those word search puzzles. Every time we go to a restaurant and he gets a kids menu, he'll push his dinner aside just to finish the puzzle on it.

Happy Holidays
My folks arrive in three weeks for our late Christmas celebration. I have the week off for Spring Break so they'll come here since we didn't travel in December. While I have a number of gifts bought, I realized that most of the Christmas stuff got packed away into a pod a few weeks ago; wrapping paper, bows, bags & tags. Mom & Dad will be stuck with presents in baby shower themes.

POWER
My parents are asking what I want for a graduation gift. I've toyed with the iTouch, but then my friend Mark lent me something last week that changed my mind forever...a power washer. Holy shit, have you ever used one? It's perfect for someone who is both compulsive and loves horsepower. I washed everything within 25 feet of the house; the siding, the patio, the deck. Hell, I started washing the alley, but then realized I didn't have enough cord.

OK, that's it for me. Catch you in a few weeks.

When you're talking home, you mean the Old Dominion

2009-02-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

Well the big news can be broken...

We are moving. This weekend we signed a contract on a house in Virginia. Since it's new construction, we won't be moving until mid-summer giving us time to sell this place and giving me a fighting chance to finish school. But we are thrilled and if I had my way, I'd start painting tomorrow. (Albeit a little difficult since the foundation hasn't been poured yet.)

For six years, we've lived about 30 minutes from Corey's moms. It was never a huge issue, but as he's gotten older, we've noticed that we're missing more activities and he's getting an abundance of tardy slips when we drop him off late in the mornings. The time has come to be closer.

As much as we'll miss this house after 16 years of being here, there is something to be said for new beginnings. And even more important, there's something to be said for dropping your son off to school on time.

Regardless, it's exciting and now I'll have even more blogging material.

Through Her Eyes

2009-01-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

This weekend we had the distinct privilege of hosting the Chilis as they, along with thousands of others braved their way to DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama. Over the years, I've become good friends with Mrs. Chili having been connected to her through another blogger. We've shared many a laugh and even a burger once as she passed through National airport.

One of the things I've come to respect about Chili is her passion. She is woman who can voice an opinion stronger than Oprah, multi-task better than Martha Stewart and swear worse than Gary Busey. But through and through, she is passionate.

She and her family drove from New England to witness history this week. On Tuesday, they woke at 5:30 AM and jumped on Metro within 30 minutes, heading downtown. Twenty degrees and a few granola bars in their pockets; she, her husband and two kids each took off wearing two pairs of socks, two hats, gloves and more layers than I could count. They crammed onto Metro cars, squeezed up escalators, walked several blocks and stood shoulder to shoulder with thousands of new friends.

As we were planning the activities in our family room the night before, the TV was playing with weather and transportation updates. All of sudden, Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech played...and she teared up. Another segment aired a little while later...and she cried again. The next day as they recounted their experience and how it fulfilled everything she hoped for, she choked up once more.

As she welled with emotion over the two days, I could not have been happier for her. But I realized at the same time...I have never felt that same passion about anything (aside from maybe my family and dear friends). The inauguration was amazing; for what it represented and what other people felt. I was thrilled for her happiness, but I could not create those same feelings inside.

These are the moments when I realize how emotionally divested I've become over the years. I can celebrate other's joys and sadness, but rarely will it affect me personally. I no longer cry at funerals or movies. It's difficult for me to stay engaged in activities beyond a few months. I don't even get worked up when Sally Struthers talks about the starving children (though much of that stems from my belief that she's eating a large portion of the food herself).

Watching Chili's laughter and reflection made me realize how much I miss that in myself. It was there inside me at one point...but somewhere, has slowly gone. I appreciate it in others, but none of these feelings exist deep down. Who knows if it's the speed at which life is going or some scarring over the years that has made me this jaded.

Regardless, it was nice to be a part of that passion this week. Living this event through her was probably the best way to experience something so historic and memorable. She thanked me over and over for what a magical experience it was, but I think it was I who got the better end of the deal.

It's 2009 Already?

2009-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm having a hard time gearing back into blogging for this year. Let's attribute that to my (self-diagnosed) Seasonal Affect Disorder...which sits right up there with my (self-diagnosed) ADD. Who needs medical coverage when I have all this insight into afflictions?

I'm not a huge fan of cold or evenings that get dark at 5PM or realizing that I'm in contention to replace Valerie Bertinelli for Weight Watchers, but then again, I really have no control over it. The sooner winter is over, the happier I'll be. (As I sit here complaining even though we haven't had our first snow fall yet.)

My last semester began on Saturday. It was a harsh reality to start school on Jan 3, but then again the 16-week countdown began. Thank God I have no math-based classes this semester. I won't tell you my grade for Financial Strategy, but if it was applied directly to my life, I wouldn't even be able balance my checkbook.

Six classes this term:

Executive Communication (turns out that doesn't include updating your Facebook status)
Business Law (I'm Johnny Cochran and I'll defend you.)
Marketing Strategy (Wait, there's strategy?)
Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (What about the Craigslist sales; does that count?)
Ethics & Corporate Governance (hmmm, listing things on eBbay during work hours might not put me in contention for an A.)
Negotiations (I'm going to have Venti latte AND there'd better not be sweetener in it!)

Graduation is May 15 and I think we're ALL ready for that to happen.

The biggest thing hitting us right now is Inauguration. Every day is a new prediction of another 500,000 people coming or that Oprah is renting out Dulles Airport for her show. The fanfare is crazy. Once everyone talked about renting out our homes, now many locals are just trying get out of town for the long weekend.

Larry's company is having 3000 high school kids in town so he'll be swamped the whole week. I'm planning on watching lots of Law & Order for 4 days. We're also hosting the Chilis on Inauguration night as they brave their way here from the Northeast. I'm too cynical on parties with 5 million people so it'll be fun to watch it through their eyes.

Other big news is growing too, but I won't write about it yet in hopes of not jinxing anything. Wait, did I just jinx it by saying that? (And NO, we're not pregnant.)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T15:21:00.003-05:00

Corey: "Pop Pop, you know what I want for Christmas? Nintendo DS."
Larry: "If you are good, Santa will buy you one this year."
Corey: "You are silly; Santa has elves. He doesn't have to buy anything."

May you have a Rockin' Christmas.

There's No Stopping Us

2008-12-20T17:15:00.016-05:00

"Daddy, want to see my new dance moves?"

Turning in my 'Card'

2008-12-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

My last day of class for the semester was on Friday. I now have three weeks of freedom until school starts up again in January

Our class days are each 9 hours long, with an hour for lunch and a few breaks during the day. During one of the breaks, my classmate Mark, a naval officer, and I were chatting.

Mark: "Did you go to work on Wednesday (Dec 10)?"
ME: "Umm, yeah...of course. Why wouldn't I work?"
Mark: "I figured you'd take off to protest the Prop 8 thing?"
ME: "Why would I do that?"
Mark: "Dude, it was 'Call in Gay Day' on Wednesday. Pete (a mid-level exec with a construction firm) and I were talking about it at study group and we figured you be out of work."
ME: "Seriously I had no idea. I'm totally out of touch with those kinds of things."
Mark: "Don't you find it a little disturbing that you have no idea when your people are doing things?"
ME: "I think it's more distrubing that the navy guy and the construction guy knew about 'Call in Gay Day' and neither of you are even in the Village People."

(Pause)

Mark: "Point taken."

Howdy Partner

2008-12-01T07:18:00.007-05:00

We spent the past four days doing...well, nothing. Corey and his moms came over on Thursday and other than that, we did nothing all weekend. OK, there was little studying and a lot of sleeping & watching TV, but I was thankful to have a low-key holiday.

Larry & I also had another thing to be thankful for this month. Both of our companies announced domestic partner insurance benefits for 2009. I know this might slip under the radar for many of you, but this is HUGE for us. For the first time in our lives, if either of us became unemployed, we don't have to scramble to find a job just for medical coverage.

I know there is COBRA but do you realize, this also allows one of us to pursue any independent career and not worry about trying to afford individual insurance. We've always been tied to jobs because of medical benefits. Hell, I stayed at my last miserable company while I searched for job primarily for the medical coverage.

In the late 90's, I worked for an grocery association that had way too much money. The CFO wanted Lasik eye surgery and quickly distributed a health care memo allowing for the entire process to be covered under insurance. Since his wife wanted it as well, dependents were also included. I quickly went to HR to try putting Larry on my plan since he wanted the surgery. The company said it couldn't afford to add partnerships because then anyone who lived together for more than a few years could take advantage of policy and break them.

Of the 212 employees, only 2 of us qualified under the policy. That same year, one guy in the exhibit department got married, his new wife had the surgery 6 weeks later and then divorced him within a year. Phew...I could see the tight constraints needed to protect reckless spending.

Larry & I have spent much of our life together creating protective documentation. We have living wills so that Larry can pull the plug on me AND decide where I'm buried instead of that rite going to my parents. I can inherit his retirement instead of some cousin in Colorado that I've never met. And legal paperwork allows me to enter his hospital room. Right or wrong, it's just something you get used to.

But new doors have been opened with partner coverage. I actually could become a consultant if I wished. I'm not certain that's my path, but it's nice to have options, isn't it?

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

Thunderstruck

2008-11-16T17:14:00.004-05:00

Awestruck was more like.

I was lucky enough to see the AC/DC Black Ice Tour at Verizon Center last night. Holy crap; it was beyond amazing. Brian Johnson (who is scarily 4 years younger than my mom!) still has the pipes to pull off Highway to Hell. Angus scared the crap outta me when he proceeded to disrobe from his school uniform to his shorts, but that man is still one of the best guitarist alive. His Let There Be Rock solo was truly magic. The show never disappointed (aside from a strange metal group from Belfast).

Setlist:

Rock n Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place To be
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
Shoot to thrill
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me all night long
TNT
Whole lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock

Encore:
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock

In celebration of the AC/DC concert, enjoy this BlogFather oldie but goodie from 2006:

For Those About to Rock
How many times do we impulsively buy something at the store? The display looks great and we know that we totally don’t need it. But it ends up in the cart and we take it home only to lament hours later that the money could have been better spent on something else.

I had the reverse happen this weekend. Every Saturday we somehow end up at Target. It’s an easy store to do one-stop shopping, plus the Corey can run around and not get too far away. Target is one of those stores that does a lot of wallet-damage for us. We never leave without dropping $50 or more on things we really don’t need. This time however, the item I most desired, escaped me.

Corey inherits a ton of clothes from his cousin who is about nine months older than him. Most are in great condition, so rarely do we need more outfits. That doesn’t seem to stop us every time we pass through the kid’s clothing section. It never hurts to get a new shirt or pair of slacks.

Larry was over in the swimwear section salivating over this ’shark attack’ theme shirt & trunks combo. The kid has three swim trunks already, but I had to admit, this was a cute set. Into the cart it went. When all of sudden my eyes caught hold something on the other side the boys section.

You know those moments when your mind grabs hold of something before your brain can process it? Almost like a sixth sense, you instantly react and then marvel at your near-superhuman powers of response. I saw the shirt my son must own.

You could have mistaken me for Jackie Joyner Kersee (except for being a gay white male, about 5’9, and missing the dreads and long finger nails.) as I ran near double speed to grab the only XXS shirt they had left. In my mind, it was a foot race between me and… Actually no one else was near, but AC/DC totally seemed like a reason to knock over the display of ½ price pajamas.

What better way to set up my young child to become respected among his peers? To be the envy of his friends. And for me to be known as the ultimate bitchin’ dad who lets his son wear this outfit to … well … room 4 of Creative Playland. Trust me, there will be jealousy. Angus Young, totally kicking my Pretty Pony’s hindquarters.

I held up the shirt high like a beer bong at a fraternity party; the ultimate sign of manhood dangling from a plastic hanger. My other hand shot up in the air with the index finger and pinky extended as I shouted across menswear, “Rock ON, my little man.”

And he laughed; Larry just laughed. Years of heavy metal pride seeped from my pours in anguish. After all, I camped out for two days to get Telsa/Poison tickets in Cincinnati. What better way to pass on a legacy to my son then with 80’s metal?

I pleaded for the shirt. “Please, let me, I mean him get it. He really wants it. He looks good in black. He looks good in … ‘Back in Black’.” Instinctively, I reached for my air guitar and hit the most amazing C chord. You should have heard it. MAGIC!

And that was when I lost my case. Larry looked over and said, “No way am I having two little boys in my house singing Skid Road.”

(UGH. Skid Row you dumb ass.)

So we went home. My (ARGH), I mean his AC/DC shirt left hanging there for some undeserving child to pick up and wear while finger painting. No art of the Brian Johnson screeches being passed down from generation to generation. Instead, we have ‘shark attack’ swim trunks. Yippee!

We checked in with his moms the next morning and I forewarned them of the sad state they might encounter with our son. His depression would most likely have to be monitored for the next few weeks. I would begin putting money away for future therapy.

And Mom #1’s response to all of this. “We have three AC/DC CD’s at home and play Dirty Deeds all the time.” WE SALUTE YOU!

(Larry did give me the shirt for Father's Day that year!)

Fall

2008-11-10T07:08:00.004-05:00

I'm never a huge fan of fall because it means colder, darker days are coming. However, the tree in our backyard makes it just a little easier to accept.

Dear Mr. Obama

2008-11-05T12:56:00.003-05:00

Hey, can I call you Barack? I figure since we're going be neighbors in a few months, we should be on a first name basis.

Congratulations. Not only did you make history, but you seemed to invigorate so many people on so many levels. While I've enjoyed seeing everyone get worked up over politics for the first time, you've made my Google reader go freaking crazy this month. I'm kind of glad that will slow down a bit.

Larry and I were lucky enough to only spend 3-4 minutes voting you in yesterday. In a way, it seems ridiculous to think about waiting for hours in a ~~state~~ taxable entity without any congressional representation that votes 95% Democratic, but I couldn't ever look back and realize I didn't help change history.

Thank you for giving my son someone to actually look up to in politics. "I want Orack Boama to win," was his favorite statement this week. Nice to hear those words given the last time he spoke about politics was this:

So again, my best on last night. Looking forward to meeting you and Mrs. in January. Swing on by; I make a mean meatloaf.

My best,
Steve

Love Is...

2008-10-18T18:20:00.005-04:00

I came downstairs this morning and woke Larry at 6:00. I had class today so I had to help him with breakfast and exercises before leaving at 7:30.

ME: Wake up, babe.
HIM: Good morning. Happy Anniversary.
(He knew this after I corrected him yesterday that it wasn't our anniversary that morning.)
ME: Thanks. you too.

(Pause)

HIM: Did you get me anything?
ME: I emptied the piss bucket next to your walker, how's that?
HIM: Ummmm...okay I guess. I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything.
ME: That's okay; I took one of your Percoset last night. Consider us even.

Happy 17th! May we have the gift of prescription drugs only once.

Perceived Integrity

2008-10-15T17:59:00.009-04:00

Well, I actually tanked my first class. It was the perfect storm; too busy with Larry's surgery, a tough subject, and an ineffective professor. I mentioned a few weeks ago about his case method of teaching. I struggled with it and even tried to get help with 'translating' the cases into equations. No luck.

I won't place all the blame on him. I essentially gave up after week 5. With only 8 classes, you're kinda screwed if you haven't gotten it by the fifth week.

Honestly, I'm not as bothered by the bad grade. In reality, no one asks your GPA from grad school.

What chafes my ass most is that this guy probably thinks I'm stupid and lazy. (#1 I know I just projected feelings on him; it's my blog, I can do that and #2 who the hell cares what he thinks.) Those are both very good reasons not to get worked up over this, I agree. However, just thinking that your integrity might be perceived as an issue still bothers me.

The good part is I'm halfway done with this semester and I only have one more analytical class after this. The end is in sight!

The Legacy

2008-10-08T08:15:00.001-04:00

My dear son,

Genetics are wonderful things. I look at you and see so much that has been passed down. Your blond hair and blue eyes come from me; so does being left-handed. The ability to incessantly talk non-stop about nothing is pretty much me as well. Your short temper probably comes from me too, but let's keep that our secret for a little while longer, okay?

Unfortunately, that's not all I might pass on. Our family has an addictive streak that runs rampant throughout. No areas went untouched, but worst of all was the alcohol. It has affected many relatives for generations. Grandma and Grandpa didn't get it. Neither did your uncle. I was the only one it hit in our immediate family.

My folks warned us of its powerful force. We left many family reunions early because the relatives' drinking got so out of hand. You can hear all the warnings, but it still doesn't help when a train hits you full on.

I'm pretty stubborn sometimes and think I'm omnipotent. But some things are just more powerful than we can ever imagine. No one needs to hear the gory details, but let's just say I got caught up in the drinking at college worse than I should have. And yes, it was clear I was on my way to having problems.

So I stopped. But don't think you can do these things easily. It's true what they say about it being 'day-by-day.' You also can't do it without help.

I stand before you today, 20 years sober. Almost half my life. I never thought this day would happen and I'm amazed I can actually admit I haven't had a drop of alcohol in 20 years.

Let me give credit right now to the people who made it happen. Greg, Dave, Kathy, Donna, Bob, Kevin, Mark and Susan. These are the folks who made sure I had a safe environment to stay sober despite being on a college campus my senior year.

However, the strength was my friend Nicole. She told me time and time again that I could beat it. If God puts people in your life for a reason, she was person who has turned my life around the most. I'm happy to say we're still friends, but not on the same level as 20 years ago. Regardless, she'll hold a special place in my heart forever.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Buddy, this is so true, but don't ever think you are locked into one path.

I pray this never affects you. But if it does, I'll be there for you. I know what it can do and how bad it can get. I also know that you need the people who care in those times, more than any thing else.

The Hip Fairy

2008-09-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

There is an old fable that's been told through the years. When little boys have had a successful hip replacement surgery, you are supposed to take the old hip and put it under your pillow. Then that evening, the hip fairy takes the hip and replaces it with a shiny new quarter.

Aside from the new quarter, the great news is that Larry had hip-replacement surgery today and came through with flying colors. Instead of being 2 hours, the whole procedure was less than 90 minutes. He was in recovery for a couple of hours and then in his room by 2:00 PM. After a few days of physical therapy, he’ll be home by Friday.

There is nothing more joyous than when a loved one is brought into their hospital room to see waiting family. Additionally, the conversations are utterly hysterical as the anesthesia wears off.

L: Why does my mouth taste all funny?
S: Because you were eating a piece of bread.
L: That shouldn’t taste so weird.
S: You fell asleep with it in before swallowing. It’s been slowly melting for 20 minutes.

(I was adjusting his blankets while he was sleeping. He suddenly woke up.)
L: What are you doing?
S: Adjusting your blankets to keep you warm.
L: I’m naked under here.
S: Yes, I know.
L: Are you trying to see me naked?
S: Yes Larry, this whole cutting your hip out was an excuse to see you naked.

(The nurse was changing his IV.)
L: Steve, what time are you leaving tonight?
S: Probably around 6:30 , after traffic slows down.
L: OK, be sure to…SNORE
Nurse: Sorry, sometime patients stop mid-sentence like that.
S: Ma'am, that’s been happening for 16 years. I’m totally used to it

Here’s realizing we love them all the time; though they are WAY more fun on a morphine drip.

Friending does not mean Friend

2008-09-18T17:43:00.003-04:00

Okay, not to be all 12-year-old girlish, but you are not going to believe who tried to friend me on Facebook this morning?

(Waiting for you to guess)

Give up? FREAKING Laura...the infamous woman who this entire-online-world-of-mine-where-I-spill-my-guts-to-you-all is named after. (Was that grammatically correct?)

Seriously, I helped get her fired. We hated each other within the first day of working together. For the love of God, I left her in the middle of the Adolphus hotel lobby when she faked a hypoglycemic attack.

And now she friends me? (Don't get all turn the other cheek on me. This is not going to be one of those personal improvement stories. You're on my blog, play by my rules.)

So what do you think I did? (You're probably half right.)

I actually had to call over one of the 20-somethings in my office because I could not figure out how to ignore the invite from Laura on this new Facebook. That turned out to be a good thing because she also taught me how to block someone. I LOVE this software.

Truthfully, I should be a bigger person. At the same time, Facebook is about friendships and frankly she's not one of them.

But I promise, I'll definitely accept your request.

Case by Case

2008-09-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

I'm not the biggest fan of my managerial accounting professor. He prefers to give homework, then quiz us when we first arrive and then teach us the subject. It seems back-assward. This guy gets middle-of-the-road evaluations and I was pretty certain he was being reviewed last week by this guy who sat in the back of the room for his class.

He also prefers teaching us through case studies instead of problems in the books. These are your standard Harvard Business Review cases that find their way into just about every class in grad school.

For many of the qualitative classes, we have cases to analyze and comment on the effectiveness of strategies or provide recommendations on what direction the companies should proceed. Many times they are about or portray real life organizations and situations. We've dealt with Starbucks, eBay, and Barilla pasta.

The effectiveness in an analytical class is much more difficult. Deciphering the right numbers with which to build an operating budget or return on equity isn't the easiest thing.

Last week, we had two cases; one dealing with coffee and requiring a three page Excel delivery and one about a small airplane company and discussions around the control systems it put into place.

The airline one was easier since it was discussion-based. I have a tendency to bullshit my way through discussions as you might have already guessed. The case dealt with two guys who decided to buy and operate a failing aviation company a few years after they completed grad school. The case covered the systems in place and which of the several independent units (maintenance, flight school, charters, sales, etc.) they decided to reorganize, improve or shut down. Each employee was overviewed on what value they did or could add. And the financials were all redone allowing each unit to be its own cost center.

The professor questions...which units made sense to keep? Why was this person more valuable then this one? How would you have handled this instance in their shoes? Did the owners make the right decisions; why or why not? Put yourself in the place of the mechanic/accountant/customer and ask yourself the same questions.

It was a thorough discussion and one of the most liveliest to date. At the end, the professor indicated that this case portrayed a real life aviation company.

And one of the protagonists was sitting in the back of the room!

I'm not a man who is easily star-struck, but let me tell you, that was about the coolest thing ever. To be able to ask the person about what you just read was probably my favorite part of this entire program. It was so impressive to hear from this guy (who was in his 60's) about the decisions he made and chances he took at age 26. I'm not sure I would have had the guts to do what he did, but it was an honor to meet a man who attempted and succeeded.

I left that day having an expanded appreciation for what I am doing. Many times along the journey, I've had a lot of self doubt, but it's experiences like this that let me know I really have made the right choice.

Bad Weather

2008-09-05T18:43:00.003-04:00

Is it completely wrong that I love when hurricane season begins, because I get to watch more news features with Jim Cantore?

Way to go Hanna....Keep coming Ike.

Sweep the leg, Johnny

2008-08-30T21:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had the great privilege of attending Corey's first Taekwondo belt ceremony. He's been taking classes for the past 3-4 months and learned all the moves to graduate to the next level. Happily, he passed his test on Monday and was given his orange belt last night. (Here he is with his Taekwondo face and leftover Oreo crumbs around his mouth.)

He seems to really enjoy the classes. They are social but also give him the chance to do something that he can take pride in accomplishing on his own.

The ceremony was very well done given that most kids were under the age of 8. First they all bowed. The parent tie the new belt on them, they bow again and then give 'huggies'. Warm fuzzies everywhere.

Corey has also learned to play tic-tac-toe. This is just one of the games you forget about until kids are around. Last time we played, I had to end it at 35 games. Holy crap, that goes on forever. For the record, I won 2 games, he won 2 and it was a draw the other 31 games.

School is in full gear and my team is amazing. This first week, our main project was completed by Tuesday and no one had any objections to the way it was done. We had two conference calls to go over homework and each person contributed. THIS is what I had hoped for in grad school.

The classes so far are interesting and not overwhleming. Perhaps I'm getting smarter? In an evil way, it's fun to watch the new students struggling in Statistics as we did last year. However, I feel we are giving them more practical advice on how to deal with things more so than we got from our predecessors.

Word on the streets is that this year's class might not be returning to Vietnam. Hopefully, it has more to do with the curriculum than not being welcomed back.

It will be a shame though; I need to place an order for more table runners.

The 4 x 9-Month Relay

2008-08-17T19:39:00.012-04:00

This weekend was a slap back into reality as I returned to school for 2nd (and final) year orientation. We're heading back into another 16 weeks of classes until I come up for air again at Christmas. As always, my commenting will be limited but this does give you all a bunch of agonizing stories discussing the benefits of declining-balance depreciation or activity-based costing models. And who isn't excited about that?

The five classes I have this semester are:

Managerial Accounting
IT Strategy
Corporate Political Strategy
Financial Strategy
Management of Technology & Innovation

Personally, I think that's just too much strategy. Where's the financing the home theater system by transferring credit card balances? That takes much more effort and skill.

The best part about this second year is that we switch up the teams. To say I had been saddled with the most challenging team this past year would be an understatement. My classmates begged the administrators not to change the teams, but rules are rules. (Thank God for rules.)

I'm pleased to say my new team might actually be the best of the five for this coming year. I have three others on my team and one of them is Katrina, a fellow 'mean girl' from Vietnam. We've been great friends since the day we began this program. Brendan is someone I don't know well, but in our initial meeting, we seem to have the same values as far as getting things done early and making sure everyone is open about communication.

The third member of our team has been nicknamed Super Dave. He's one of the smartest in our class and lucky for us, specializes in IT which will be helpful in a few of these classes. While he aces each class, he indicated that most of all, he enjoys teaching people when they are struggling with subjects. That was the thing I missed most about the last group; the chance to learn from others when I just wasn't understanding. Overall, the four of us seem very excited.

During yesterday's class, they announced the first years were beginning their opening residency today. It seems hard to even think about the two years they have ahead of them. Knowing I only have one is tough enough. But soon enough they will be smiling as they being their 2nd year.

I of course, will be cashing in from all the school books I've sold on Half.com.

A Day in the Life

2008-08-14T19:10:00.001-04:00

For the number of blogs I read, it's hard to believe I don't actually meet most of their authors face to face. However, another blogger has shattered the monitor and I finally got to meet Mike from A Day in the Life of a Single Dad.

About a year ago, Mike & I connected randomly through some post that one of us commented on and we've been friends ever since. We've chatted back & forth and despite living only a few hours apart, never met until Tuesday.

As the father of an 11 year old, I often look to Mike to see what parenting is going to be like five years from now. For the record, it doesn't get much prettier, but the things they say seem just as funny. He constantly reminds me that while I'm one of four tackling this tough job, he flies solo in his responsibilities. Seriously, if I model my parenting after him, Corey will be in great shape.

Like everyone I've met through blogging, our chats were just as great in real life as they are online. His adventures exhaust me as I listen to stories of hiking 17 miles a day through Yosemite. It made me embarrassed that I broke a sweat just walking over from the metro. We discovered that we both are left-handed, love to write poetry and love camping. (OK, that last one is pretty much just him, but I did share my story of when I camped...at age 11.)

I always feel privileged to know such great people through this online world. They are friendships that frankly, I sometimes do better with than the real life ones. Regardless, it was a great pleasure to meet up with Mike and I look forward to future visits.

I did warn him though that we couldn't dog-sit for him since I'm only allowed one blog dog at a time.

Roll Out the Barrel

2008-08-13T09:38:00.011-04:00

I know many people are tired of the whole "going green" thing. Sometimes I think causes can be a bit overdone as well. Hey, I love polar bears as much as next person, but honestly I'm not giving up my Aveda products just so I can make my own soap.

However, I'm all about small steps to achieve something bigger. (Larry is laughing on the inside right now. I never doing anything small.)

Seriously though, small changes in what we do make small differences. And a lot small differences contribute to bigger ones. Butterflies and hurricanes; that's all I'm saying.

This weekend, Corey and I went to the school playground to practice batting and catching. During one of our breaks, he commented on all the plastic bottles that people had left there. We were talking about litter and Earth Day and recycling, when a plastic grocery bag got caught in the wind and was blowing around. Teaching moment! We grabbed the bag and started collecting the cans and bottles to take back home and put in our recycle bin. There were so many that we had to flatten them to fit in the bag.

Speaking of plastic shopping & grocery bags, we stopped using them at home. One day at lunchtime, I went to Macy's with co-worker and instead of having the sales clerk put her items in a bag, she pulled out this rolled-up bag the size of a twinkie and put 4 bath towels inside. They come from a company called Envirosax. The bags have a variety of patterns and can be purchased individually or in bulks of 5.

Another thing we did this year was invest in rain barrels. Truthfully, the process started after we left a beer bucket outside after a BBQ. It rained almost everyday that week and filled the bucket up. The next week, we dipped our watering can in the bucket and didn't use the hose for the following two weeks. (BTW if you want to freak people out, tell them you use a bucket and every single person will talk about mosquito larvae. Hysterical.)

After some research, I found this company that recycles pickle & olive barrels and creates rain barrels out of them. They range in size from 20-65 gallons. Most times, these are expensive since the barrel itself is over $100 plus you pay a lot of shipping. This company includes shipping in the costs of their barrels.

These green efforts work for us; they may not work for everyone. I have no plans on burning corn husks to fuel my car or making my own clothes from hemp, but I do believe that every little bit helps.

Five (foot) Guys

2008-08-10T13:18:00.005-04:00

During our errands yesterday, we decided to reward ourselves with a lunch at Five Guys. Since Corey (and I) had a whole day without whining, Larry said we could have burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches.

As always, Corey has no qualms about public toilets and halfway through lunch announced his need to use the facilities.

I'm always impressed with bathrooms that cater to little kids. Five Guys was no exceptions as far as the urinals were concerned. Corey feels like such a big guy when everything is his size.

However, how can you think to put a urinal 5 inches off the ground and then place the soap dispenser 5 feet off the ground?

Obviously this person doesn't have kids.

Doors only close if you let them

2008-07-29T18:48:00.004-04:00

Sixteen years ago, I met a guy and decided that my life needed to finally move in the direction it was supposed to. I needed to be the man I really was. It was the best decision I ever made.

But in doing so, I closed a door I figured would never be opened again.

I never understood how I could be so paternal if I wasn't going to have kids. It was what I had wished for all my life. People always said I was great with their children. A good friend at that time made me godfather of her son. My favorite line of all came from my friend Karen, "Steve's the only gay man I know who carry on two conversations at a restaurant and still cut my kid's food up."

If that was as close to fatherhood as I could get, so be it. The cards were dealt and who was I to question things.

And then 6 years ago today, the call came. Two wonderful women who had asked us to parent with them, were on the other end of the phone announcing that our son was born.

Regardless if you are at the end of a telephone line or an umbilical cord, to hear you've become a parent is the greatest thing life has to offer.

My son, you constantly amaze me with the things you say and way you think. It scares me to think you trust me enough to be your dad. You should only know how important I take this responsibility. You are the greatest gift I have ever received.

May this year be as happy as the previous five. I hope you be feel challenged, rewarded, exhilarated and loved. I know I do.

Happy Birthday, Corey.

A rose by any other name

2008-07-23T19:43:00.001-04:00

Parenting is always about lessons; sometimes they are given and sometimes they are learned.

Corey and I were in the bathroom at my folk's house. I was shaving and he came in to pottie. As he finished, he grabbed a wad of toilet paper and wiped his penis.

"Dude, you should shake your penis when you pee. Don't wipe it with toilet paper."

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, because most boys shake it. Wiping is for #2 or for girls."

He immediately turned into a 6 year old and began shaking his whole body like he's doing a hula dance. "Look at me. I"m shaking my wiener."

I tried not to laugh as I corrected him. "You only need to hold it with your hand and shake it. Don't move your whole body. And by the way, it's called a penis, not a wiener."

He looked over and sighed. "Daddy, your wiener IS your penis."

Oh, the Places You've Bean

2008-07-22T18:46:00.011-04:00

One of the highlights of our trip to Chicago was a visit to Millennium Park downtown. If you haven't been, you definitely should make a stop the next time you are there.

The park has an enormous concert pavilion, a lavishly planted garden, a crazy fountain that kids (and adults) can play in. And there is the bean.

The bean is this giant ..well, bean that is entirely covered in mirrors. The whole surface reflects the entire city skyline. You can walk under & around it and at every angle you can see all that surrounds you.

This was Corey's favorite activity. He would run around it and try to wedge himself as far under it as possible. He made my dad try to see if they could push it over. And he just loved admiring himself any chance he could get. (Yeah, genetic material is a mighty powerful thing, isn't it?)

We stayed for about 40 minutes and could barely pry him away. It was only the promise of getting to run around in the fountain that made him move on.

Best Question to Get

2008-07-18T10:32:00.002-04:00

This morning, Corey came out of his bedroom and joined me in the family room. Larry and I were the first ones up and watching TV with our coffee. He looks around and notices that we are the only two people there.

"Where's your dad? Can he play with me this morning?"

Back in Cambodia

2008-07-17T19:29:00.005-04:00

We were downtown Chicago today enjoying a trip along the river on the famous First Lady Architecture Tour. Since we arrived a few minutes early, we got a pleasant surprise.

Next to where the tours depart is the Chicago Tribune Building which has an interesting history. As the building was being built in the 1920's, the architects incorporated some of the rocks and stones that reporters had brought back over the years from their various trips.

Stones came from the Alamo, Notre Dame, the pyramids, the Parthenon and even the great wall of China.

And sure enough, there was one from...

The Adventure (people) Begins

2008-07-17T06:10:00.004-04:00

How do you explain to a child about time zones? I'm sitting here blogging at 5:50 am because Corey is wide awake at 7 am...Eastern standard time.

He and Larry arrived yesterday to join me in spending some time at my folks in Chicago. Corey slept most of the flight and promptly called me upon landing to say "Pop-pop and me are ready for you and Grandpa to picked us up. And my tummy is hungry too." He's a pretty good traveler and an even better guest.

The first thing he did when he got into the house was run to the basement where all the toys are kept. We had to remind him to hug and kiss his grandparents first and then he promptly brought out all our old Star Wars figures and Adventure People.

I spent my whole childhood doing imagination play. My first love as a child had been the wooden Fisher Price castle, barn, airport, etc., but those we replaced by Adventure People in the early 70's.

Since these were reasonably inexpensive, it was not uncommon to get 1 or 2 each holiday. My brother and I owned at least 15 of the sets including the rescue helicopter, Wilderness Patrol, Sea Explorer, Motorcross Team, Safari and Northwoods Trailblazer. And in my crazy imaginative mind, all of them interacted and it was not uncommon for me to get lost in play for hours.

I was always pretty good about not losing many of the pieces even though I played extensively with these. Since my parents saved many of our old toys, most are in good enough to snag $40-50 on eBay.

It is sometimes scary to see the characteristics your child takes from you. Corey is certainly blond, left-handed, easily frustrated and sensitive, but to watch him get lost for hours in play makes me happy to see him enjoy the same things I did 30 years earlier.

Part of me always thought we'd sell these toys after this generation grew out of them, but I think it would be fun to save them for my grandkids someday.

Hopefully, that is along way off.

Feel the Magic

2008-07-12T16:50:00.002-04:00

Hi Blog,

Remember me? Yeah, I know...it's been a while. Nothing personal, I swear. I just sort of tired out and didn't think I had that much to say. But I've returned and will try to keep more connected.

I'm actually in Chicago. My company's annual meeting is here in my hometown. It is great when you get a free trip to visit people just because you have a business trip there as well.

I'll be staying downtown until Tuesday and then head out to my parents. Larry & Corey will fly out Wednesday morning and then we will visit through the weekend.

The meeting has gone well so far...given that it really only started this morning. I was at a convention center at O dark thirty this morning to set up for a meeting that would take place 2 hours later. However, the job wasn't too bad; I was running the 'green room' for Magic Johnson.

I'm not a huge a celebrity person. They are great but I don't get all worked up if I know they are coming or I get to meet them. (Christopher Meloni and Mike Rowe however...I would wet my pants to meet either of you.) Out side of both of them, it's not that big of a deal.

But it turns out my boss is a HUGE star-fucker. He LOVES meeting famous people and was in heaven to spend the morning with Magic.

Mr. Johnson (as he likes to be called) could not have been nicer. He's now involved with his own non-profit foundation that works to improve low income communities. He spoke to a bunch of community college administrators about the contribution of higher education to their communities back home.

I 'hosted' the VIP photo shoot prior to his speaking event. He took pictures with some of the administrators and of course, my boss. A few other staff got their photos taken as well. When they finished, my boss offered me the chance to get my photo taken. I politely declined figuring that Mr. Johnson was tired of the photos.

"You don't want to get your photo taken with me? Why not?" Magic turned to me and asked.

I looked up at this 6'9" giant towering over me.

"I'll be right there."

A Different Perspective on Father's Day

2008-06-16T18:17:00.001-04:00

While I was watching Kung Fu Panda with Corey and Larry, two guys at my office were having unique Father’s Days of their own. It reminds me of how very different all our lives can be.

David and Chuck both have offices down the hall from me. David actually reports to Chuck and they are golfing buddies. Both hold management positions within my organization and I interact with them often.

David became a father for the first time on Saturday. His wife gave birth that afternoon allowing him to celebrate his first father’s day just a few hours later. David has been so excited about becoming a dad. He’s emailed the whole office with picture of an infant in that all-too-familiar blue & pink blanket and has been talking about preparing the nursery for months. He spent most of Father’s Day holding his son for the first time.

Chuck held his sons for the last time on Sunday. He’d been fighting colon cancer for the past 10 months and had recently progressed to stage IV. His eldest son just finished his first year of college and had made it home in time to say goodbye to his dad. After months of chemo and radiation, Chuck lost his fight with his family by his side.

David’s wife spent Sunday cradling her son in her arms. So did Chuck’s mom.

I remember both of them at my colleague’s wedding. David’s wife had not yet announced her pregnancy but was beaming with excitement; soon-to-be parents laughing and smiling at the endless possibilities that lie in front of them. Chuck and his wife were there as well. He was rolling his eyes as his wife danced the traditional Indian stick dance being performed by the bride and grooms family. He was tired from the initial treatments he had just begun, but you’ve never seen a happier man.

Tears of joy and sorrow crossed our office this morning. A new life came into our company as a treasured one disappeared from our lives forever.

Two dads; each with so much ahead of them. David is 40 and Chuck was 43.

One dad has a lifetime of memories to create for his son while the other can look down from heaven at the ones he created for his three sons.

Chuck, you will be dearly missed. It was an honor to call you my friend.

Father's day

2008-06-16T07:20:00.002-04:00

It took about four days to rid myself of the jet lag. Seriously, 14-hours flights are ridiculous.

A quick recap on the last day, we opted to take the sunset tour of Angkor Wat, which is actually done from the neighboring temple of Phnom Bakeng. The temple sits way above Angkor Wat and offers a much better view of the complex. Unfortunately, it was overcast, but we did compensate by taking another elephant ride up to the top.

The temple was still another opportunity to appreciate what these people built hundreds of years ago. I was constantly in awe. Sadly, my reflective moments of silence were interrupted by Ceci who joined us for this excursion. Holy crap does that woman talk.

Ceci also doesn't seem to have a clue what to wear for these trips. Here she is on the ADA required steps up to the top of the temple. Clearly, her 'closure of the escape 27 years ago' included a clutch bag and capris.

But every dark cloud has a silver lining. As we left Phnom Bakeng, we were greeted by this amazing view of Angkor Wat at night.

We enjoyed one more evening of Cambodia and their downtown night life. We ate our last meal at the Red Piano, which prides itself on having served dinner to Angelina Jolie. People here are obsessed with her and Brad. Sad to think that is the cultural influence we provide.

Another weird obsession here is Pringles. They are everywhere. Now I'm not bitching because they were a nice reminder of home, but come on...Pringles? Why not Starbucks?

Once I finally arrived home, it was nice to just settle into my old routines. Going back to work was tough; not because I don't like it but rather the petty issues seemed so small after seeing whole families live on boat and peddle fruit. We never really appreciate what we have in front of us.

The experience left me a little humbled if anything. Not to fear, I'm still sarcastic as hell, but it was humbling nevertheless.

Corey came over this past weekend for Father's Day. It was a great weekend for all of us. We got haircuts on Saturday and then went to a birthday party that afternoon. The goody bags included a Speed Racer helmet which he wore the rest of the weekend.

On Sunday, we made pancakes for breakfast and then the three of us went to go see Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black totally makes this movie and we were all laughing our butts off.

My father's day present was another gem. When kids hear something you say, they hang onto it forever. So it'd better be something you are proud to have repeated. This is what he wrote for his Father's Day card and had laminated. I'm going to soon run out of wall space with all of these framed items.

My daddy hugs and he loves me. He is funny when he says look at my big fat belly.

Here's wishing all you dads a great Father's day and shouts out to the women who made us all fathers.

Angkor Wat

2008-06-08T04:39:00.014-04:00

Cambodia

Time 3:38 PM Sunday
DC Time 4:38 AM Sunday

Last night was pretty magical. The five of us went to the world’s best Cambodian-Mexican restaurant called Viva. For the record, it seems to be franchised; we found another one just three blocks away. It freaking rocked. We had chips & salsa, chimichangas, tostados and fajitas. They were as good, if not better, than what you find in the states.

After dinner, we walked downtown Siem Reap which was hopping with restaurants and vendors. The highlight was finding an ATM that dispensed US dollars.

This morning, the group opted for the sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. Thy picked us up at 5:00 AM and despite the van breaking down and shuttling over in Tuk-Tuks, we were able to make the sunrise along with 1,000 of our closest friends.

Angkor Wat means “city that is a temple”. The entire complex is surrounded by thick walls and a wide moat which is supposed to represent the outer edge and ocean of the universe. The five-towered temple is shaped like a lotus flower and is covered with carvings that must have taken years to create. Every wall is adorned with carvings and reliefs that sometimes can be 10 feet high.

As we left we discovered a family of monkeys playing by the temple. The usually come out at dusk and dawn since it is coolest them. Thy said that many of them will spend the nights in the temple as well.

We walked around the entire compound and left at 8:30 am to arrive back in time for breakfast. After a quick meal of French toast and hash browns, we decided to venture into town for the old market. If you thought Vietnam prices were good, holy shit, you should see this market. Scarves and runners were going for $2; purses and tablecloths for $8-10. I bought two small paintings for $15. Even if you don’t want the item, they will cut the price in half just to have you buy it.

The Tuk-Tuks cost about $1 per person to get anywhere in town. They are fairly safe, though we still can’t help ourselves from leaning every time they turn a corner. It’s still the easiest way to go the two miles downtown.

This afternoon was spent lounging. Ceci seems to have made it to town though I have yet to see her. She & Mark went on a hike to some temple near some river. The girls are getting more spa treatments and I’m just taking it easy. We’re supposed to go on a sunset visit with Thy this afternoon. Since he mentioned $15 elephant rides, we all jumped on it though no one is really certain what we’ll be seeing. It’s been raining all afternoon, so we’ll have to see if this works out or not.

Tonight is our last group dinner and then we fly out tomorrow afternoon. I have a 5:30 PM flight out of Siem Reap to Saigon, then a 7-hour flight to Seoul, Korea and a 14-hour flight after that to Dulles. My guess is that this will be the last posting until I return.

I’ll probably take a few days off from blogging to catch up on things and overcome my jet lag. Thanks for following along on my journey. See you stateside.

Angkor Thom & Ta Prohm

2008-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Cambodia Time 5:00 PM Saturday
DC Time 6:00 AM Saturday

A quick cab ride to the Saigon airport and we were flying Vietnam airlines to Siem Reap. The 45-minute flight was simple and even included a sandwich.

The airport looked remarkably like the Polynesian village at Disney World and after passing through customs & immigrations, we were scurried off by a drive from the Le Meridian hotel. Stephanie & I found this resort three months ago. Three of other people traveling with us were looking for something cheaper than the $125/night+ breakfast but hell, when else are you going to stay in room that has this view of the pool and a bathroom with a pass-through window to the bedroom.

Steph, Stacey and I arrived yesterday at 1:00 pm, promptly had lunch delivered to the pool. After three hours, we all went for spa treatments where I received a Back Reviver. My back was totally fine, but I couldn’t pass up the Kaffir Lime Scrub followed by the Herb &Spice Body Recovery Warp. I laid there for an hour and just got pampered for less than $50. Can you think of a better way to prepare for a day of temple viewing?

Mark & Becca arrived about 7:30 pm after touring the Cu Chi Tunnels. They raved about the experience and even got to shoot AK47’s. The five of us had a nice dinner in the hotel and then hit the sack for today’s big adventure.

Strangely, Ceci has booked this trip with us as well. She doesn’t arrive until today (Saturday), but she’s not even staying at this hotel. She’s mad with most people on the program because she thinks we’re being mean to her. In all fairness, she kept apologizing to speakers for “her embarrassing classmates.” Hmmm, maybe that might be why people don’t like you.

She decided to come to Cambodia since she escaped through here from Vietnam 47 years ago. She spent 9 months in this country before she made it to Thailand and finally ended up in the US. She has told us this trip is to provide closure for her.

That’s a wonderful story but as Stacey pointed out, “unless her escape included spa treatments at a 4-star hotel”, this probably won’t be giving her much closure.

This morning, Thy (“Tee”) our guide picked us up at the hotel. We at taking two half-day tours and this morning we toured Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. The temples of Angkor consist of 17 miles of building, walls, and monuments all built between 875 AD – 1240 AD. The most efficient way of seeing the temples is with a guide in an air-conditioned car. We got a mini-van for us with a driver and English speaking guide.

The first stop was Angkor Thom, which means “great city”. These are the most recent of the temples and are best known for The Bayon, which lies in the center of the complex. The Bayon has 54 towers and over 200 faces carved into the stone.

We decided to spurge for elephant rides around the complex. OK, that was absolutely the coolest thing EVER!

Directly north of The Banyon is the Terrace of the Elephants. This was used for royal reviews of the military and other parades.

We jumped in the van and headed over to Ta Prohm which was first used as a monastery. It is the most mysteriously looking of the temples because of how the jungle is taking over the structures. In its time, over 80,000 people lived in this complex, but now all that remains are these ancient ruins. You may also recognize this from Lara Croft Tomb Raider.

After a long day of trekking through the ruins, we treated ourselves to lunch by the pool. We slept, read and just enjoyed the afternoon. OK, more tomorrow. I’m off to my pedicure.

PS I can only purchase internet access for an hour so I apologize in advance for the typos.

ANGKOR THOM

TA PROHM

VIDEOS

ANGKOR THOM

TA PROHM

Goodnight Saigon

2008-06-05T05:50:00.000-04:00

Vietnam Time 4:45 PM Thursday
DC Time 5:45 AM Thursday

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Saigon and we are winding down our visits. There was a last minute substitution and we met with KPMG Vietnam. It was interesting to see the challenges of a well-known American company with expanding its practices into a developing country like Vietnam.

We also met with a Venture Capital company and discovered how they pick start up companies to invest in. Most of these companies are internet-based, though their concepts are not unique. The VP's indicated that Vietnam doesn’t really have the ability to create content, but rather takes current foreign initiatives and copies them to Vietnam. So their investments are Vietnam versions of eBay, Skype, ICQ, Craigslist and Match.com.

We all agreed this meeting could have been more interesting had we even covered Venture Capital in any of our classes. For some of us that was the first time we discussed this topic and it showed in the meeting. The executives weren’t really impressed with us.

Today was our last meeting. We met with the Director of Research & Development for the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HASTO). HASTO was created in 2000 and now has 151 stocks and 82 member firms. Trades occur for only one hour each day and no trade can be in excess of 5% of what the stock began at that morning. Institutional investors account for 60% of all trading even though they make up less than 1% of the total investing population.

After lunch, I went shopping with Mean Girls. OK guys, this is TOTALLY why I don't have a wife. We shopped for over four freaking hours and all I did was sit and watch. They bought purses, scarves, dresses, blouses, suits and hats. All I got was two linen shirts. Seriously, does it always take this long?

The program officially ended today with our final lunch. I speak for most people saying that the trip was amazing in parts, underwhelming in a few areas, but everyone is ready to leave the business side of the program tomorrow. Half the group will be dividing their time between tours of either Mekong Delta River and the Cu Chi Tunnels. The remainder of us will be departing for other countries. Four of the meatheads are going to Thailand and one guy is touring North Vietnam.

Six of us will be going to Siem Reap, Cambodia, home of the famous Angkor Wat temples. We will be staying at the Le Meridan Hotel for three nights before heading back to the states.

This has probably been the #1 destination that I have always wanted to visit so look forward to many entries and pictures. Angkor Wat is the single largest religious monument in the world and was built around 1080 AD. There are approximately 20 temple complexes all located within a few miles. If you’ve seen Lara Craft Tomb Raider, a number of scenes were filmed here.

Cambodia played a prominent part of the Vietnam War. Communists used Cambodia as a staging post and the US responded with large-scale bombings, killing thousands of Cambodians. The country is also known for the movie, The Killing Fields which portrayed the massive extermination of many of the country’s people during the Khmer Rouge regime.

See you in Cambodia!

Don't Bank on It

2008-06-03T19:05:00.004-04:00

Vietnam Time 6:05 AM Wednesday
DC Time 7:05 AM Tuesday

Tuesday was a pretty low key day. We're starting to repeat a few of the types of companies that we are visiting. Today we met with two banks at either end of the spectrum; Deutsche Bank Vietnam and An Bihn Bank.

Deutsche Bank Vietnam started in 1992 and has brought much of its international experience to the Vietnam market. The common theme that frustrates them (along with most international players) is the lack of infrastructure within the economy, government and culture of Vietnam. Their major crisis is that Western investors don't feel they will generate any returns with the high inflations and low worker expertise (which they refer to here as human resources).

The gentleman who led our discussion is a GW MBA grad from 1981. He spoke about the haphazard regulations that the government is creating. Since this global banking market is so unknown, there are 15 new regulations each day. Many of them can contradict but the overall philosophy is "throw them out there and see what works best." He indicated that their bank must be responsive to changes and work to adapt even if the new laws seem ridiculous compared to other banking standards.

An Bihn Bank is one of the largest local banks with over 1 billion dollars in assets. However, you've probably already seen their limited capabilities just by clicking on the above link and finding their website under construction. This is the real Vietnam in action. We met with three of the top executives who proudly told of of their 50,000 individual customers and 5,000 corporate clients.

30% of their shares were purchased by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the main provider of electric power. This partnerships allows An Bihn Bank to do collections and bill paying for EVN's 12 million customers. (Most people pay bills in person since they don't have checking accounts or direct withdrawals.)

It was like visiting a US bank in the 40's & 50s. They prided themselves in being flexible and courteous. By being friendly, they will dominate the banking industry. The marketing plan this year is to put their logo on the electric statement for brand recognition. "The bill goes to millions of customers so they will all see our name and bank with us." We gave suggestions as to marketing by generational segments since needs are so varied at different points in ones life. We explained how that would allow them to teach people about the banking industry and what functions those people may use at their stage in life. It went completely over their heads.

Recently An Bihn sold 15% of its shares to the May Bank of Malaysia. Hopefully, the expertise from that foreign bank will help. This country is just ripe for someone to come in and dominate different markets within the next 10 years.

Last night was the Bonsai River Cruise. It was a dinner cruise along the Saigon river. The river itself itself is pretty nasty with military vessels and barges going up and down, but we all had a nice day of unwinding after a long day.

Meatheads and Mean Girls

Chess Club and Band Geeks

Rebecca, Stephanie & Shane

Katrina & me

Joe, Pete, John, Mike, Dave & Stacey

Made in Vietnam

2008-06-02T20:45:00.002-04:00

Vietnam Time 7:45 AM Tuesday
DC Time 8:45 AM Monday

Yesterday was another overcast day in Saigon but that helps keep it cooler.

Today we had an all day meeting with the Phong Phu Textile Company. They are a state-owned company and a subsidiary of Viet Nam National Textile & Garment Corporation. They began in 1965 and now sell over $150m USD annually. The managing director, Madame Pham Minh Huong, was probably one of the most interesting speakers we've heard from yet.

Of the 40ish textile companies in Vietnam, only 3-4 are still state-owned, including Phong Phu. This means the country can make decisions that affect the company, though they rarely do. Phong Pho is in the process of privatization so that it may function completely independent of government jurisdiction.

They have seen a 13-20% growth over the past few years and employ over 7000 workers. Phong Pho, as well as most Vietnamese textile companies, has capitalized on the growing market left vacant by China, mainly in higher quality/lower volume textiles. China would work with best with Wal-mart, so Vietnam serves a different segment such as DKNY and Benetton or other companies that demand less volume but nice apparel.

You have most likely encountered Phong Phu, though under a different name as the sole supplier of Target’s towels. The company handles every process from spinning the cotton into yarn, weaving, dying, sewing & finishing, packaging and distribution. We took tours of the manufacturing floor and witnessed most of the processes.

Phong Phu pays these workers anywhere from $60-110/month depending on the skills required to do specific jobs. Sewing pays more than cutting towels; mechanics get paid more than box packers. They sponsor training programs to help increase skills and provide lunch to their workers for their 6-day work week. Yes six; that’s not a typo.

And this is one of the highly coveted jobs in the area because the benefits are considered very good.

Phong Phu’s biggest challenge is managing the supply chain for the goods and supplies required to stay in business. Everything from zippers, buttons, and mechanical parts can all hinder production in such a highly competitive industry if they are not kept in supply.

Recently, the Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association (VITAS) has been created, but these foreign associations have not mastered the lobbying or mass-marketing/educating that our US-based ones have. There is still too much competitive nature for the companies to work together to improve the world view that Vietnam is a rising player in the world of apparel or outsourcing textile functions.

Once the meeting was done, we were able to tour the War Remnants Museum. It memorializes the travesties done to the Vietnamese people during the war. Regardless of your thoughts on the war, it is extremely humbling (and a little uncomfortable) being in the country that your country fought with and seeing their devastation.

We walked back to the hotel and bought little things in each of the stores. Three of the girls are having dresses made. While clothing is fairly reasonable, I have opted not to get a suit or sport coat made. I don’t wear them enough to justify the expense.

Last night we hit the Amigo Steak House. OMG, do you know what it's like to have eaten for almost two weeks and not felt bloated-full? We all treated ourselves to a steak and baked potato. Just a nice change from always eating spring rolls and prawn soup.

It took us about 90 minutes to walk the 3 blocks because everyone was loading up on the great deals. Saigon has MUCH better shopping than Hanoi. Silk ties are $10, shoes and handbags are $5. Runners can be anywhere from $3-$9. Quality is iffy here and there but at these prices it doesn't really matter much.

I'm off to breakfast and then we meet with two companies today. Tonight is our Bonsai River Cruise so more on these events tomorrow morning.

The Vietnamese Mini-Van

The Heat is on in Saigon

2008-06-02T08:04:00.004-04:00

Vietnam

Time 9:05 PM Sunday
DC Time 8:05 AM Sunday

Welcome to Saigon and the second half of the journey. Sadly, this hotel doesn’t include free internet so I will only be posting every couple days unless I can scam some free WIFI somewhere. I do love you guys, but it costs $16 USD/day for internet access and only $41 USD for a 75-minute revitalizing facial. Guess what I’m opting for?

OK, so to back up, on Sunday we left Hanoi on a 9:00 am flight and flew 2 hours to Ho Chi Minh City. (I’m calling it Saigon from this point forward because #1 everyone calls it Saigon and #2 it’s easier to type. We got picked up by our guide and went to lunch at the
Chateau Restaurant.

Saigon feels more like a city. It is bigger, has more traffic and more street vendors who try to sell you things each time you exit a building. We are staying at the Caravelle Hotel which is right downtown. It is more like a city hotel and less like a resort. That is actually nicer since there are stores and coffee shops everywhere; a neat change from Hanoi.

The hotel also has the biggest the bed I’ve ever slept in. This is way bigger than a California king. Honestly, if I was in the middle and the phone rang, I couldn’t answer it before the person hung up. Look at my suitcase on one side it.

By the time we left lunch, it was raining. This is rainy season here. Unlike Hanoi which has four seasons, Saigon has the rainy and …well, non-rainy season. Rather than tour the city in the rain, we all opted for checking into the hotel.

Stacey, Stephanie and I decided to check out the spa since we couldn’t really go shopping. I have never had a facial before so I decided to splurge since it was only $41. PEOPLE, why have never told me about these? This is like heaven; face massages, moisturizing lotions, hot towels, neck rubs, cucumber masks and hot tea at the end. Freaking heaven. There is a 1-hour foot massage for $24 that is next on my list. I love this place.

Stacey went back for me, so Steph & I went shopping. We hit galleries and found some great paintings that were out of range. One down street was within range and I really like it, but I will check out more locations before going back. The textiles are fairly reasonable here. Nothing is 12 cents but if you look carefully, you can find some bargains. Chili woman, I found something for you I couldn’t pass up.

Last night was scheduled to be a group dinner and a reception to meet many of the companies we will connect with this week. It urns out that Sunday night is not really a business night for most people so none of the companies RSVP’d to join us. So instead we just had a leisurely dinner at the hotel and went our cliquish ways for the evening. Our group just hit the rooftop bar for a nightcap and view of the city.

A lot of my classmates seem to be tiring of the program; they are tired, miss families, etc. Personally, I feel a little checked out of the business side of this. Two weekend days of fun have made me lose a little focus on why we are here, but Monday it all kicks back in.

How Long to Halong?

2008-05-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

Vietnam time: 9:20 PM Saturday
DC time: 10:20 AM Saturday

The answer is 3.5 hours and let me tell you, it was amazing. We had a boat all to ourselves which was just incredible bonding time. We laughed, drank, swam and ate. The day was a bit cloudy, but seriously it doesn't matter with beauty like this.

Words can't really describe it so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Even Flow

2008-05-30T07:04:00.005-04:00

Vietnam time: 6:05 PM Friday
DC time: 7:05 AM Friday

So things have changed a bit in the last 24 hours.

We went to Hang Bo 66 on the recommendation of MetroDad once again. Dude, I owe you huge since my knowledge of Vietnamese restaurants is making me quite popular. The highlight was the spring rolls which came on toothpicks in the side of the pineapple. The pineapple was carved out to hold a little candle. Bizarre but delicious.

Stacy & I both got fried rice, but I opted for the meat version. I mean come on, the whole point is to the experience all the tastings. You know where this is going right?

3:00 AM rolls around and my stomach is making noises I have never heard. So I head to the bathroom...and I didn't leave until 7 am. I would have TOTALLY traded the two sinks for two toilet bowls because the turnaround time I needed to use it in both directions was ridiculous.

I have never been in so much agony. After 90 mins of laying on the bathroom floor, I called Steph to bag out of the meeting and the two cultural events today. I tried sleeping but laying down made me more sick. I ordered toast (which didn't stay down) and bananas (which didn't either). I've mostly dined on water and two shortbread cookies this whole day.

One of the women here does homeopathic medicines. She brought me an electrolyte mix. It was disgusting, but I know it probably did some good. I'm going to the happy hour in the hotel since they serve Perrier & crackers. Dinner of champions and then off to bed.

The only good part of today was that I learned that Hayden Panettiere from Heroes really does know her cheer leading moves. She was the lead in Bring It On: All or Nothing. I highly recommend it if you are vomiting for 4 hours straight. It completely makes you feel better about your life.

Tomorrow is our day trip to Halong Bay. A 3-hour drive one way, but it will be amazing. Another wonder in the world that I am lucky to see. We fly out first thing Sunday morning to Ho Chi Minh City, so my postings may be a little spotty until Sunday afternoon (er...Saturday night for you all).

The Master of Puppets

2008-05-28T18:25:00.007-04:00

Vietnam time: 6:15 PM Thursday
DC time: 7:15 AM Thursday

Overall it's been a more negative 24 hours than positive, but you take the good with the bad. But as you know I try to the find the positives in things first.

OK, now that you've laughed your ass off, I will actually try to highlight the good things of the puppet theater. This art form was used in the early 12th century as a way for workers in the rice fields to entertain themselves when the fields flooded. Characters range in size from a few inches to a few feet and can be quite animated moving their mouths, hands or heads. The puppeteers control them with poles that are under that bamboo backdrop. The whole performance is in native tongue and uses the traditional music. There were 17 small acts but my favorite was this character because most of us with small kids decided this was the inspiration for "Boo" in Monster's Inc.

Truthfully, this wasn't my thing. The musicians were completely bored given they perform this show several times each day. It was a little too "traditional tourist" with over priced gift shops and idiot Americans on tours (hey wait, did I just....nevermind). In many way, this would resemble The Mousetrap in London or kissing the Blarney stone in Ireland; probably not the highest quality activity, but a 'must-do' in the city.

To experience a little puppet theater yourself, feel free to watch one of the many hundreds of youtube movies. And remember, if you watch this about 12 times in a row, then you've truly experienced it all.

Today we spent all day with Bitexco, an import/export company that's become a conglomeration in search of public funding. While you might think our cohort would have presented, the groups on Economies of IPO and Bubbles in the Financial Markets did5 minute presentations. (See, the other groups took the professors' suggested topics and are interacting with these companies. Dave and Ceci--I am not using acronyms anymore since I just don't care--picked textile trading and that is why we don't have a lot of presentations as a group.)

Bitexco has a variety of businesses from real estate to hydro-electricity to bottled water. We met with their president, who had about 20 other colleagues in the room. What an opportunity to meet counterparts in all our arena; marketing, accounting, IT, however there was no format to interact.

One thing you should know about university professors is that they also have consulting businesses. That's pretty much what today turned out to be. Besides sitting there for 7 hours straight to hear consulting speeches, the room was at 84 degrees. Seriously, these buildings have air conditioning. Use it people!

Our class could not get into this event at all. There was nothing remotely connected to our studies or personal lives. Due to the heat, lack of air movement and droning on of the professor, people began to get distracted. That's Mark doing the crossword puzzle and Pete checking his blackberry. Rebecca and John both have their shoes off, while Pete was in bare feet. The woman on the phone is one of the Bitexco people, clearly just as bored.

The highlight of the visit however was having to wear headsets to hear the translations. It was almost like being part of the United Nations...minus the boredom and bare feet.

Four days into the program and people are really beginning to get on each other's nerves. We used to see the whole class only one day a week and now we are with each every day from breakfast to bedtime. Any small nuance which used to be overlooked is becoming a major irritation. Since my team has the most issues at home, those are exacerbated here.

Dave & Ceci are just literally driving me crazy with their lack of social skills. Dave doesn't join anyone for dinner and constantly hangs all over me like a 5-year little brother. He has awkwardly inappropriate conversations with people. Yesterday at lunch he was telling classmates that he doesn't "do #2 in public unless he stands over the toilet." Katrina, my dear friend and fellow mean girl said to him, "I don't think we've reached the sharing part of our program, but you could save that one again until then." I am literally ignoring him and purposely sitting down in places with one chair or with Steph. This is him below. He listened to most of the presentation in Vietnamese for fun. BTW, he doesn't speak Vietnamese.

Cecilia is acting like a fucking hostess in this country and introduces herself to speakers even before the professors. She's like the Vietnamese Cathy Lee Gifford and it so inappropriate. Speakers will be talking and she'll shout out things to the class as if to help give more insight into their business practices. She nods during talks and adds commentaries in every meeting as if she were presenting this two-week program. Personal space is constantly violated and she spends too much time invading people's conversations.

As you can imagine, we haven't really prepared much because Pete (the other teammate shown above) and I are completely over them. Both of them selected the textile trading topic. Since I did a lot of the last Finance paper, I didn't really prepare for the presentation. Only one of them needs to present and personally, and I thought Ceci would be ideal given her language skills and understanding of the country. However she explained to me on the way home from the puppet theater that "I not understand Vietnamese so well since I be gone away so long." Kiss my ass, woman, you are talking to everyone. I don't even care about it anymore. There is so much other value from the rest of the meetings.

We have dinner on our own tonight so that will consist of ditching the ones we don't like again and trying to spend more time on the town. I also need to find time (and space) to do a bit of bathroom sink laundry. Socks and underwear are running lean.

I'll be better tomorrow. I promise.

'Cash'ing in on Homes

2008-05-27T18:55:00.024-04:00

Vietnam time: 6:00 PM Wednesday
DC time: 7:00 AM Wednesday

We went to a great restaurant in the old quarter last night called the Green Tangerine. It had this amazing prefixed menu of soup, scallops, spring rolls and something beef. Another one of the best meals I've ever had. Thanks to MetroDad for the recommendation.

The food here is so flavorful and again. I'm reminded as I travel internationally how much Americans eat. The portions here are so much less and yet, completely adequate. I will say that international meals definitely change the way your body processes food...OK, we'll just leave it at that.

We didn't get back until almost midnight, so I was little tired this morning. As expected on our first free night, the class has cliqued off exactly the way we expected. Don't fool yourself that even at 40 years old, things don't organize themselves exactly the same the way they did in high schools. Three main groups emerge and Stephanie & I have of course, named the groups.

The jocks all went to Bobby Chins steak house. There are four main guys who head up the group and two others always seem to hang along. The chess club consists of the rest of the guys. They were still at the hotel when we left and most ate dinner in the hotel. Steph calls us the "Mean Girls" which is the four main girls, myself and Shane who helps administer the program. We by no means trash people anymore then the other groups, but the name seems to fit.

Four others seem to do their own thing independently. They are affectionately known as the foreign exchange students and library geeks. You'd think we'd past all this by now...but we're not.

Today, the group met with two other Vietnamese companies. Vietnam Land Company Limited and CB Richard Ellis (Vietnam). Real estate is a huge issue in Vietnam. As values change, most people are no longer living in multi-generational families, so young couples are purchasing homes for the first time. As mentioned previously, banks are not readily used and that is directly reflected in mortgage industry.

Less than 1% of all of housing purchase go through a bank or mortgage company. Everyone here pays in cash. A three bedroom apartment will go for about $2000/square meter. (Seriously, it's a lot but remember I got a B in Finance so you don't want me converting this.) 30% deposit is given on signing, 30% at 6 months and 30% at 18 months. Companies have almost full payment by the time the unit is complete which provides for amazing cash flow. It takes almost 2-3 for complexes to be ready. We saw the models for the 24-story building being constructed. For the record, the model was furnished by IKEA.

This complex on the right is another strange but common occurrence. You can buy the shell and then build the apartment yourself. This helps families save money on the purchase of property...whatever. We renovated a kitchen once; I don't think I would go this route.

Companies are financing these complexes through partnerships with investments firms and the creation of power plants. By partnering with global hedge fund companies, these local construction companies can leverage the branding and build partnering relationships that otherwise are not available in this country.

Prior to our visit with CB Richard Ellis, we had about an hour to kill so they dropped us off at a mall. A bunch of us thought shopping for Izod and Nike was a little silly, so we headed two blocks off to the art district. It doesn't take me a long time to find a piece of art I like. Larry, I followed the "must be less than $500 rule" and purchased this without your approval. It is an oil based canvas featuring three workers in a flower field. The fields are done in molding paste to allow them to 'pull' off the canvas. I couldn't be happier.

My bathroom (like everything else) kicks ass. There is a giant walk-in shower with a rainfall spout--we are totally getting one of these, Larry--and big jacuzzi tub and two sinks. One of my strange quirks in hotels is that I will actually use both sinks; one of shaving and one for brushing my teeth. I'm not sure why that is, but I feel compelled to do it each time. I won't do it if Larry is there, but when I travel by myself, I don't want to exclude either sink. Weird, isn't it?

We're heading to the famous water puppet show tonight. More on that in the next installment.

For those who asked, those 'baskets' outside my window in the water are actually small boats. People use them as transportation in the rivers.

And if you think your commute sucks, try these:

The Motorcycle Diaries

2008-05-27T06:20:00.001-04:00

Vietnam time: 5:30 PM Tuesday
DC time: 6:30 AM Tuesday

I'm still struggling a bit on sleep patterns. I have returned to my Western ways and am finding myself waking at 5:00 AM. Truthfully, that's pretty much the time I normally wake up at home, however my classmates like to hit the bars in the evenings. Last night, after an interesting 'fusion' dinner, 6 of us went to bed while the others went to a cowboy bar. Seriously, if I'm in Vietnam, going to a cowboy bar seems bizarre.

It was hard to tell if last night's dinner was just 'off'' or I was still suffering the remainders of jet lag. I'm concluding that it was a combination of both, but I didn't care for the meal as much as lunch. We had a choice of two meals and I picked the one with the better dessert, lemon sherbet and fruit. I totally violated my "try everything" rule and you know what, it bit me in the ass. The sherbet was NASTY. Imagine lemon ice with sweet (REALLY SWEET) cream. This is one of my worst traveling traits; trying to find one thing that is a comfort of home. It never turns out to be what I hoped for and just pisses me off that I didn't stick with trying something new.

The camera is fully functioning again. You can tell this is a hotel that caters to Americans since the outlets actually accommodate US-based plugs. That actually took me a day to figure out since the outlets have a million holes and I never would have guessed they could take a laptop plug.

Today we visited three companies: State Bank of Vietnam, State Securities Commission and CMC Group. The State Bank again highlighted the relationship of the foreign banks moving into the markets and increasing competition for local banks. This influx of the foreign system has actually helped Vietnam improve their technology, training and service to the citizens of the country. The State Securities Commission (shown in the photo on the left) discussed how companies go public to sell stock on one of the two exchange markets in Vietnam. Private and state-funded companies have different methods and the SSC is also implementing country-wide training programs to teach people how to invest in these traded companies. Currently, there are only 293 companies being traded on the market and only 98 licensed security firms.

CMC group was a company that focused on outsourcing. Their primary market is Vietnam and they are expanding into Europe and Japan. One of their key customers is the higher education finance, IT and enrollment markets which was particularly interesting. I was able to contribute to the conversations since my company deals with the business offices of colleges & universities. In America, you see most of the outsourcing in service areas like food or even security. Rarely is it done in the business office to the extent it is done here. It was very interesting

One of the most interesting aspects of the culture here is the motorcycles. This is the vehicle of choice and most families will only have one with which to handle all of the family's duties. Cars are too expensive and are taxed quite heavily due to quantity restrictions. Most families will even bring their motorcycles inside the house in the evenings since parking spaces are limited.

It is not uncommon to see 2-4 people or giant bundles of groceries/goods balanced on the bikes as they swerve and in and out of traffic. Rules are generally not followed and no one yields for traffic. As an outsider, there seems to be no laws, but rather a general understanding of what the other drives expect you to do. Weird and yet awkwardly refined all at the same time.

It is like watching a school of fish. One person takes the lead into the intersection and then everyone fills in behind from all directions. The light turns green and it is a mass, chaotic dispersal and the bikes all go in different directions. Some follow in unison and others cut their own way only to be replaced a different 'school' of bikes. No one travels in single order or follows a protocol and yet it just works itself out. Motorcycles cut across intersections and swerve next to buses all the time like a graceful ballet.

Now this beauty comes at a price. It is said that 30 people per day die from traffic-related deaths due to motorcycle accidents. The helmets most people wear look like our bicycle helmets and you can see babies sleeping in passengers arms as the drivers speed through traffic. Commuters do their best to get where they are going and still find themselves being crowded to the curbs by buses or trucks. While it can be beautiful to watch, we will still cringe as we witness this daily commute.

All motorcycles are parked on the sidewalks and it is the pedestrians who must walk into the street if needed. You can find 30-50 bikes parked outside buildings and 400-500 under the ramps of the highway.

We have dinner on our own tonight so I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow. Here's a few more pictures for your enjoyment.

A typical street scene

My hotel room is the middle one on the lower level

One Pillar Pagoda

2008-05-26T06:50:00.003-04:00

Vietnam time: 5:30 PM Monday
DC time: 6:30 AM Monday

I feel so much better having showered and slept the night in this amazing bed. The Intercontinental is fantastic and the staff is top-notch.

This morning we drove around Hanoi and explored the downtown area. Our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We arrived in time to see the changing of the guard. Given that I've seen this same routine 100 times in Arlington cemetery, it was fun to again watch the process as a tourist.

From there we walked to the one pillar pagoda. The superstition here is that by saying prayers and making a donation, this will result in a son or grandson being born.

Afterwards we went to the temple of Literature which was founded in 1070. Sadly, my camera battery died here so I'm adding another 'internet' picture to show the cool tortoise statues. There was also a musical performance we watched. It was amazing to see their talents as seen in video below. (I did have batteries in that camera.) Unfortunately, the song they played right after this one was "Oh Suzanna". It kind of lost it's appeal after that.

From there we headed to the old quarter where we literally took our lives in our hands as we walked the streets. Watch as these motorcycles drive down the streets. (Sorry for the jumpy video.) We crossed in between them probably 10 times and the orchestrations of vehicle and pedestrian is so natural for them, but frightening for us. The streets, or Hang as they are called here, are divided by products sold. Shoes, hand bags, food, toys all line both sides of the different streets. Vendors sit out front and for many of them, their residences are above the store fronts.

After 45 minute sof walking the market area, we headed to the R'ung Forest Restaurant. We dined on a seven course lunch of vegetable soup, prawns fried in coconut, sweet & sour fish, beef salad with mango and spring rolls. It was awesome.

We actually did business today and met with the Ministry of Finance. Discussions included the affects of foreign banks of how that changes the way locals approach borrowing money and utilizing the institutions for the saving of money. Real estate and financial bubbles were also discussed, though many of us felt our professors were slightly unprepared. The weird part is that we never seem to know what we are supposed to be talking about until minutes before. It makes for a slightly chaotic presentation.

Tonight is dinner and reception in the hotel. Most of us are fine with staying in the hotel another night. We're all still a bit jet-lagged.

Here are a few more pictures.

Stephanie & me

Good Morning, Vietnam

2008-05-25T19:02:00.008-04:00

Vietnam time: 6:25 AM Monday
DC time: 7:25 PM Sunday

Greetings from 13 times zones away. I have finally made it to Vietnam.

I checked into my hotel last night after 24 hours of flying. My class left Washington Dulles at 1:00 PM on a 14-hour direct flight to Seoul, Korea. Honestly, it was the biggest plane I've ever flown in and the turbulence was minimum. The guy next to me didn't get up for the first 8 hours. All I kept thinking about was the embolism stories I heard about from sitting too long. Most of us got up hourly and walked around.

The plane had all the amenities you'd want. 36 movies to choose from, TV shows, video games all controlled from a command module attached to your seat. I watched six movies to keep me occupied and NO, I didn't really sleep on the flight. The food ROCKED out as well and the flight attendants all looked like Robert Palmer video babes. Korean Airlines, you are the best airline EVER.

From Seoul, we had a 4-hour layover and then another 5-hour flight to Hanoi. The difference in weather was noticeable. At midnight, it was 93 degrees and humid. Exhausted from flying, we landed and made our ways through customs. We climbed a bus & headed 45-minutes into the city and made our way to this...our hotel.

UMM, holy shit is this place great. It was neat at night and now looks even cooler this morning. The rooms are amazing and mine has a balcony right on the water. Unfortunately, the humidity is so fierce that my camera keeps fogging up, so hopefully I'll get some non-internet generated photos later today.

I'm still overcoming a bit of jet lag but that should lessen by today. We have a walking tour of old Hanoi this morning and then a meeting with the Ministry of Finance this afternoon. It should be amazing.

My Repairman

2008-05-20T07:34:00.001-04:00

Last week, I proudly told you how I installed our new garbage disposal.

This week, our dishwasher backed up. The dishes came out all spotty and gritty. Plus there were a couple gallons of dirty water sitting at the bottom of the dishwasher.

SIGH. Everything goes at once. We decided to first check to see if the drain got clogged before going out and buying a new dishwasher. We looked and couldn't find the drain. So we did what any grown man does next.

"Hey dad, where do you find the drain on a dishwasher?"

My dad had me describe what was going on, where the water had pooled and the age & make of the dishwasher. We were discussing some options including how I might try to install it myself, when he said, "Didn't you just install a new disposal? Is this the first time you've run the dishwasher since then?"

After I confirmed it was, he indicated that he knew what the problem was.

"Steve, you don't read instruction manuals. You never have. As soon as you think you know what you are doing, you toss them aside."

That is totally true and I've had to backtrack many times when putting things together.

In every disposal, there is a dishwasher hook up. That intake pipe has a piece of plastic piece (the knockout) which needs to be removed so the water from the dishwasher can empty. I stopped reading the directions at step 5. That was in step 7.

Ten minutes later, the dishwasher was emptying properly.

I thanked my dad. "You just saved us over $600 in repair and replacement costs."

"No problem," He said. "Would you like to pay me by check or credit card?"

My Proudest Parenting Moment Ever

2008-05-19T21:14:00.002-04:00

I love this kid!

10 things

2008-05-11T17:32:00.000-04:00

After Tuscon, I had a 3-day conference in Phoenix at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. While I worked, Larry slept, ate and enjoyed the pool all day. Last Sunday, we had a wonderful dinner with two friends that I've known since first grade. There are 6 of us from grade school that stay in touch, though this was the first time in 14 years that I saw one of them.

I'm amazed at the environmental contradictions that many companies have. Like most hotels, the Sheraton has a sign that asks guests to hang up their towels if they will be used again. If you're going to ask patrons to do that, why do you put plastic cups (in plastic wrap) in the bathrooms?

Did you know that Loverboy, The Hooters, Night Ranger, Dokken and REO Speedwagon all released new CD's in the past year? Loverboy and Dokken's were particularly good.

We are dog-sitting Barky for the week. It's been weird to have a beagle back in the house and we've accidentally called him Rodney more than once. Papa Bradstein joked that we'd want to keep him, but I think we'll be like grandparents--come to visit but we're always glad to have the house back.

Since school has been out, I've done near nothing. Yesterday, I watched about 8 hours of television. I can't tell you the last time I did that. One just can't get enough of Law & Order: SVU.

However, I did do something productive yesterday. Our garbage disposal stopped working and I installed a new one. Seriously, it wasn't that hard. Do not think that only a plumber can do it. We did have to call my dad in Chicago twice to ask questions on removing the old one, but I installed it all on my own. I'm really thankful that he did a lot of home repair work as I grew up. It's made me a lot more confident in my "hardware" abilities.

I'm totally hooked on the group, Cinder Road.

I leave for Vietnam in less than 2 weeks. I was originally going to try my luck and not get vaccinated, but everyone has completely flipped out at that idea. My friend Stephanie went this week and got tetanus, the heps and typhoid. It turns out you don't need malaria for Vietnam & Cambodia. I'll probably end up getting scurvy or something weird. My doctor appointment is on Thursday.

Corey lost his 2nd tooth this past week. He was chewing on the end of a water bottle and it popped right out.

Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite moms out there. (That includes you, real mom.)

Checking in

2008-05-02T22:10:00.003-04:00

Holy Crap, what a crazy 11 days.

First, thanks for all the kind words and wishes on the dog. It's been harder to go from 1 dog to 0 than it was losing the first. So many routines have vanished and it seems like we live at a foreign house. Luckily, we will be dog-sitting Barky for Papa Bradstein next week so it will still feel a little like we have a beagle back in our lives, even if just for a few short days.

Friday was my last day of class for the first year. I'm 50% done with this program. In true Finance fashion, I again scored the bottom grade on the test. This time I just laughed it off realizing that I can't be an expert in everything. I never really grasped the concept of this subject and we've had a financial advisor for years for this very reason.

Upon having our final grades returned, I promptly passed the 2nd Finance paper off. Our stupid team changed companies FOUR times, each time after I'd invest hours into analyzing their annual reports. Seriously, they are stupid fucks sometimes.

We (well math Dave) settled on Harris Corp. It turns out they are a military contractor...which is exactly what math Dave does for a living. Plus C, the Vietnamese woman on our team, works for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I'm thinking to myself that a membership director of a non-profit knows DICK about this and since I'm getting the lowest grades, why am I busting my hump doing this paper?

And it turns out I only need an 82 on the paper to get a B. Most of them need an 90+ to keep their A's. Have fun, team!

After a wonderful weekend with Corey, I flew out to Chicago on Wednesday for a 7-hour seminar. The seminar coordinated perfectly with my parent's anniversary (happy 42nd) dinner at their house, plus a nice overnight visit.

The next day (Thursday for those keeping track) I flew to Phoenix, meeting up with Larry. I have a conference there beginning Sunday, so we headed down to Tucson for three days of rest and relaxation. We haven't been here to visit our friends since 2006.

Today was amazing as we did nothing for the first time in 9 months. We drove up to Mount Lemmon and enjoyed the sites. There is nothing more leisurely than driving up to 8000 feet and looking down. The sites were gorgeous, even for someone who hates heights.

The best part was the Mount Lemmon Cafe which is so well known for its pies, that I split lunch with Larry in order to have a whole piece of this Apple Sour Cream pie. And yes, it was totally worth it.

After a quick stop at Trader Joe's to pick up dinner for the night, Larry and I relaxed by the pool and played backgammon. We're settling in for a quiet evening of watching TV.

The only bad part is that all our TIVO shows are at home. SIGH, sometimes it's tough to deal with such disappointment.

More tomorrow.

Rodney (1995-2008)

2008-04-21T16:36:00.003-04:00

An all too familiar message....

We will miss you.

Moral Dilemma

2008-04-19T15:06:00.003-04:00

Question for you....

If someone in your class is cheating, would you mention it to the professor or administrator?

I have an idea on what I'm planning to do, but I'm curious on your thoughts?

Pope Day

2008-04-17T10:17:00.002-04:00

It's crazy here in DC with the Pope's visit. Roads are closed and people are standing in the streets as if Milli Vanilli was on their reunion tour.

I am blown away by the people who really view this as a life event that shouldn't be missed. 40,000+ people will be cramming Nationals stadium (ironically shown below) for mass. Dudes, I don't even go on Christmas because of the crowds. I can't imagine how long communion will last for that event.

The last time I've been this close to a papal event was 1979 when Pope John Paul II came to Chicago. My family went downtown and stood on the streets to catch a glimpse of him as he drove past...way before the days of the Popemobile.

He was young in spirit, considered cutting edge, and Polish which was HUGE in Chicago. I remember thinking that the whole experience would be magical; me being able to see the Pope and taking this incredible photo on my new Kodak 110 camera.

He was late and zipped down the street at 25 miles/hour. Turns out I didn't even snap a shot of the correct vehicle. I looked over at my dad and said "That's all we came down for? This sucks."

I had to go to confession the next Friday.

Baseball Fever

2008-04-12T17:31:00.007-04:00

After three years of baseball tickets at RFK Stadium, we were able to join the Nationals in their continued losing streak at the new stadium.

Once crammed inside a giant concrete bowl built in the 1960's, at the new field we experienced multiple cuisine choices on every level of the stadium. The new ball park was built in the SE part of DC which just 10 years ago was completely crime ridden. I couldn't believe the transformation. Sadly, the team hasn't transformed to the same level, giving up 4 runs in the first inning alone.

While we enjoyed a 1 hour rain delay, we walked around the arena, admiring views of the river, the microbrew stations and the Playstation Playground. Sadly, if there weren't 100 kids already in line, I would have been playing Guitar Hero the entire time.

Once the game got under way, we had about 5 innings before 'homeboy' was bored. They go from sweet and innocent at 4 years old to "I'm cool, Dude" by 5.

SIGH. I'm not ready for what 8 years old has on tap.

Chili Con Carne

2008-04-04T18:38:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of having lunch today with Mrs. Chili.

How did I do that given she lives in New England where it snowed this morning? She had a 3-hour layover in Washington National Airport on her way down south to visit two other bloggers.

We totally sat and chatted for hours at TGI Fridays, which if you think about it was completely apropos. (It helped that my boss was off today.)

I will say this every time I meet a blogger, but damned if they aren't as wonderful in person as they are online. We talked about work, spouses, kids, our inability to figure out personalized blog URLs, and much more. Chili and I originally connected through Rich and laughed about how we were meeting, but neither of us had met him yet.

Before I knew it, she had a flight to catch and I had to get back in order to turn off my computer and go home.

Chili, it was a pleasure. I look forward to your visit.

So....when are the rest of you coming to DC?

Ring, Ring

2008-04-03T10:03:00.001-04:00

The nominations came pouring in and there was a wealth of great choices. Incredible suggestions from everyone but one response stood out with multiple ideas that were a perfect fit with what I wanted for my new ringtone.

Ultimately, I took this person's suggestion and tweaked it just a bit. I stuck with the group, but changed the song. My new ringtone: The Ghost in You by the Psychedelic Furs.

The winner is Mike who will receive something from Vietnam that most likely costs about 43 cents. With suggestions like OMD, Depeche Mode and New Order, it was tough to decide, but the Furs have always been one of my favorites.

A special thanks goes to Ava whose suggestion of phonezoo.com was incredible. It is so easy to use and worked like a charm. A little Vietnamese lovin' coming your way too.

The Playdate

2008-04-01T12:58:00.002-04:00

Sunday was a special day for us. We invited The Bradstein Household over for brunch playdate.

Not for Corey and 3B....for Rodney and Barky. Since Reggie's departure, Rodney's been a litte down in the dumps. We thought that another beagle friend would cheer him up.

Papa, Mama, 3B and Barky joined us for a morning of great fun, friendship and tail-wagging. Rodney slept for 6 hours after they left. Corey kept talking about 3B and how "they played pirate ship" together. And the adults just relishedin the excitement.

The video is compliments of Papa...the friendship compliments of Blogger.

Just use the White Strips

2008-03-27T21:20:00.000-04:00

I had my six month check up today. As always, my teeth are in great shape. I am blessed to have a really good mouth. That could also be directly correlated with how much I talk.

The hygienist always takes care of the crappy part of scraping and polishing. Normally, I see Shelia. We've become friends over the past eight years. Today I had Karen who while nice, wasn't as on top of things as Shelia.

She spoke to me a lot as if I were seven years old. "See that machine? We're going to be putting the x-ray thingy in your mouth. Are you ready to make your mouth really big?" Weirdo.

Halfway through, the dentist came over to give me his two minute blessing. He's ecstatic with my teeth, but made a recommendation "You may want to consider whitening your teeth at this stage since they are beginning to get a little dingy."

My teeth have definitely become more of an antique white than a true white, but hey, I deserve to have beautiful teeth. "Sure, let's look into that," I said.

When he left, I asked Karen about the price. "It doesn't cost that much."

They took molds of my teeth so they could...well, I'm not really sure why they did. Then Karen gave me a follow-up appointment to do the bleaching.

As I checked out, I told Robin, the receptionist I was making my teeth sexier. She laughed.

"By the way, what is the actual amount for the whitening?" I asked.
"$1500.00," she replied.

I think my exact words words were "Are you fucking kidding me?"

When I explained my surprise, she went back to speak with Karen. Robin came back and then apologized to me.

Needless to say, I canceled the appointment. As I left, I turned to Robin and said, "So what does a hygienist here make if $1500 is considered a cheap procedure?

Feeding Frenzy

2008-03-19T19:01:00.003-04:00

Ever watch a beagle eat? It's not pretty, but it's hysterical. This happens every morning and evening.

(Not) Making the Grade

2008-03-15T21:12:00.001-04:00

SIGH, we had our first test in Managerial Finance today. It was demoralizing to score the lowest grade in the class. Worse yet, it was open book. I totally cannot figure this shit out.

Luckily, there are three more tests and we get to drop the lowest of the four. I had hoped not to take the final, but that obviously won't happen.

Honestly, the professor is a great guy. He's brilliant, amazingly successful and a wonderfully nice person. I just wish I could appreciate what he is saying.

However, I cannot understand what the hell he is talking about. And he speaks so quickly and in such a monotone voice that it's tough to stay connected or take comprehensive notes.

What better way to bring you into my world than to have you experience it first hand. Remember, this is only 7 minutes of the class. I have to sit through 4 hours of this every week. (And don't tell me I am goofing off to take this. I just pushed one button and let the camera roll.)

It's clear I need to meet with him next week to get an introductory lesson the basics of Finance.

BTW, the video was taken with my new FLIP digital video cam. It holds 60 min worth of video and runs on two double AA batteries. So far, I love it.

And it's easier to work than Managerial Finance.

Duty Free

2008-03-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

Today I spent yet another day in Jury Duty.

Within 20 minutes of getting there, I along with 75 others, were pulled into a court room to be possible candidates for a murder trial. We were asked a series of questions on what might prohibit us to serve. Then met with the judge and lawyers individually to tell our excuses.

I indicated that going to work full-time and school full-time made it pretty difficult to serve. Between classes and trying to compensate for the missed work, I did not have 10 days to devote to murder suspects. (Obviously, I made that sound nicer.)

The time came to dismiss the first group of people...and I was completely skipped over. They got rid of the guy who knew the defendant's father, the 400 lb woman, and the guy missing an ear (I loved that excuse), but the lowly grad student stayed.

Then the attorneys began the process of moving people in and out of the jury box. (There are fancy words for these processes, but I can't remember them because they all sound to me like French cheeses.)

I began counting and realized there were 28 people ahead of me. No problem; I'll be fine.

The process begins...2 out-2 more in....1 out-1 in...2 out and replaced...three more. Every now and then, the judge would skip someone. Holy shit. They were exiting quicker than Governor Spitzer at the Mayflower. Pretty soon, the numbers between me and the jury box were in single digits.

Then the woman next to me got called in the box. SHIT; I'm screwed. More lawyer talk and the clerk goes up to the judge and they excuse another juror.

"Juror 493 come to the jury box." I look down at my badge. That's not me. The lady on the other side of me gets up. And with that the jury selection is done and we are free to go.

Damn luckiest guy I know.

I hate jury duty...with a passion. Before you get all civic duty on me, let me first point out that I've been called 7 times since 1993. Yes, SEVEN. Welcome to living in Washington, DC. You get called to serve every two years on the dot.

I find it an utter waste of time. I am not peers with any of the people being tried. It's appalling to me that so many people need to waste a day for this.

But worse is this shit in their jury duty movie about civic responsibility and being part of our rights and responsibilities as an American. (Soapbox coming, bear with me.)

I live in DC and for those of you who don't know it, I have no representation in congress. There are no senators for DC. We have a Delegate to Congress who can only vote in committees; she cannot decide on legislation. To put it another way, she has the same rights as the representative from Puerto Rico.

Did I mention I pay full federal and local taxes unlike Puerto Rico which does not?

We also can't make decisions for ourselves. The DC government creates a budget, which Congress has the right to change. The District government is not allowed to impose an income tax on suburban commuters who work in the city. Congress–officials you elect for your states–decide on my gun laws, my school laws, my crime laws and what my money should be used for in my neighborhood.

Hell, we couldn't actually vote for president until 1961.

So yeah, I'm a little bitter that so many days are gone from my life for this privilege. They want to decide on my schools, by all means, decide on the criminals as well.

The one positive side is that this will be my last DC jury duty experience. Within two years, Larry & I will be moving out of DC. In my book, it's easier to move than it is to fight.

And DC will never get the right to vote. After all, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment is voted on by...you guessed it...Congress.

Weekend Update

2008-03-08T17:10:00.006-05:00

The Tomato Fairy
The tooth is out! Corey lost it the other day and as expected, he insisted his vegetables be delivered as he slept. His moms convinced him that the tooth fairy preferred to bring cash and he seemed pleased with the silver dollar the next morning.

Stop or Yield
Some of my classes have been frustrating, but after two weeks, I still have no idea what I'm doing in Managerial Finance. My head has never been one for forward yields & interest rates or bonds & securities, so this class is just killing me. I am struggling to grasp such concepts as why the consumer price index helps measure inflation and the growth rate of dividends.

This is one of our problems for the week:
Determine both the yield-to-maturity and the yield-to-call for an 11.75% (payable semi-annual) US Treasury bond that matures in seven years, callable in two, and is priced at 115.17 per $100 par. Which yields should an investor expect and why? WTF?

I told Larry my answer was $500.

"How did you get that?" he asked.
"That's how much we pay our financial advisor a year to figure those things out."

Luckily, the class has four open-book/open-note tests. Maybe I'll be able to pass that way.

What's in a Name?
A sales person called the other day. "Can I speak with Steven Washington ____?"
ME: "I am Steven _____ but my middle name isn't Washington."
HIM: "Really? The phone directory lists your middle name as Washington."
ME: "Don't you think it would be weird for me to live in Washington if that was my middle name?
HIM: "Hey, I just make the calls. I didn't name you."

Tone Deaf
I renewed my phone contract this week and got a new cell. For the first time, I am able to download ring tones. Damn, is that cool...and making my cell phone bill slightly more expensive. I've wasted a good couple hours surfing through various songs in search of my perfect ring tone.

Do you realize how personal a ring tone is? This reflects who you are to the world every time the phone rings. I'm struggling to find a song that works well and won't humiliate me if it rings on the Metro or accidentally in class. It would be awkward to be in a room with our CEO and have my pocket scream out "Will the real slim Shady please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?" or "Is my body too bootylicious for ya?"

Contest time!

More (cheap ass, custom-violating) shit from Vietnam. Help me pick a ring tone.

A couple thoughts to keep in mind:

1. I've picked four individual rings already so don't choose one of them.

I Melt With You for Larry
Living on a Prayer & Born to be My Baby for Stephanie and Rebecca
Jungleland for Jenni

2. I love 80's, pop, rock, and alternative music. PLEASE don't choose opera, industrial heavy metal (sorry Sarah), blues, hip-hop, new age, etc.

3. I'm gay and I love my life but let's try to avoid the stereotypical stuff: ABBA, Barbra, Celine, Pet Shop Boys, Ricky Martin (yeah, dude, you're gay) and the Village People. And as much as I enjoy Broadway tunes, those are out as well.

4. You can suggest as many songs as you want.

My life is in your hands people. Be kind.
By March 30, I will announce the winner.

Who Says You Can't Go Home

2008-03-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

The first CD I ever bought was Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.

I was always a mixed tape guy. I'd borrow other people's CDs and create my own mixes. Then I'd load them into my car stereo or Walkman.

In 1986, I was going into my sophomore year of college. Although I didn't have a CD player, everyone in my freshman dorm did and I realized that I could just mooch off my roommates until I was forced to buy my own player.

I walked into Record City and bought Slippery When Wet, my first 80's rock CD...complete with long box packaging that has since gone out of style. Bon Jovi has always been one of my best memories when it comes to music.

22 years later that memory became a reality.

Thursday night, I went to the Bon Jovi concert at the Verizon Center. I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with tickets through one of the study group members. Scott was taking his daughter to the show and asked his connection if there were any extra tickets. A week later, he apologized profusely, saying that he couldn't get tickets to sit with him & his daughter but he had scored three tickets for Stephanie, Rebecca and me...

in the freaking sky box!

There is nothing like 80's rock when you are in a sky box stocked with beverages to revert you back into a 16-year old. We nearly pissed our pants with the lavish arrangements and great views. (Scott later called from the 13th row to say he was sitting next to Pat Sajek, but whatever.)

Daughtry opened the show. His talent is incredible. He did the standard songs from his new CD, along with a cover of "One" from U2 and some harder (and slightly annoying) numbers. After 40 minutes, he left while the roadies prepared for the main act.

The band entered the stage at 8:30 and played for 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was an incredible journey from as early as "Runaway" to "Bad Medicine" to "Blaze of Glory" to "Lost Highway". They sounded incredible and gave an amazing show.

I sang and dance through every number. It amazed me at the number of people at the box level who sat through most of the show. But not me, I was hooting and hollering the whole time.

The next morning, I was exhausted, my voice was gone and my arms we're aching from the "Raise Your Hands" number in which I lifted my arms every time during the chorus.

Jon Bon Jovi has become a true performer in every sense of the word. The three of us agreed that we'd go back the next time they came into town.

However, I'd definitely take the next day off.

Pure Energy

2008-02-28T06:15:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, we went down to the elementary school to kick the soccer ball around. It was about 50 degrees and just perfect for playing outside for a while. After 15 minutes, Corey picked up the ball and walked back over to me.

Corey: Can we got home?

Me: Sure. Why do you want to go back?

Corey: I'm tired and have run out of soccer energy. I have enough walking energy to get home and then all I have left is bath energy.

Higher Goals

2008-02-23T18:40:00.006-05:00

Corey has his first loose tooth. It's on the bottom and he wiggles it constantly.

The four of us parents often joked that when his first tooth came out he might try and milk us with the tooth fairy visiting both houses to leave money for him.

He's with us this weekend and we were told to make sure that if the tooth fell out, we had to save it first for show-n-tell. (Gross.)

Still, I thought it might be prudent to prepare for the financial requirements if the tooth fell out at our house. I asked Larry what teeth were going for these days.

"I don't know. Let's just ask him. His friends have most likely lost teeth already."

We called Corey over. "Hey buddy. What do you want the tooth fairy to bring you when your tooth falls out?"

He thought for a moment.

"Tomatoes."

This is totally not my child.

"Dude, why would you want tomatoes for your tooth?"

"This past summer the squirrel came and took all my mom's tomatoes from her garden."

(Long pause)

"OK, Beefsteaks or Early Girls?"

Who Wore Who Out?

2008-02-23T15:40:00.001-05:00

Playing castle is a lot more work than one thinks.

Snow Day?

2008-02-22T11:46:00.006-05:00

All Virginia schools closed today. All Maryland schools closed today. Gallaudet University & Catholic University closed. Georgetown, University of Maryland, George Mason University all opening at noon.

George Washington University? Open on schedule. SIGH.

Honestly, I'm happy enough to be here since we finished Economics today. The final was this morning and I feel really good with my performance. Hopefully, this will lock me in at an "A" for this class.

We actually had one classmate--the math guy from my (bad) team--who decided that since we had classmates from PA and Annapolis, the test would most likely be canceled. We actually called him to get his ass there. He only had an hour to do the final, but hell...he's a math guy. Sadly though, his absence would have been beneficial to the curve.

Strangely enough, the professor is still teaching for another two hours. As you can tell by this blog entry, no one is really paying attention.

A Great Choice
The highlight of my week was meeting Bacchus from Family of Choice. He had an event in Baltimore, so I drove up and had dinner with him. I tried to show him the sites around the inner harbor, but everything closed and it was windy & 40 degrees. We ended up camping out at PF Changs for a few hours.

While the meal and conversation were both great, the best part of the evening was the desserts. The restaurant has this mini dessert sampling where each dessert is in a little shot glass. There were 8 flavors: carrot cake, chocolate cake, strawberry cheesecake, lemon cake, banana split, tiramisu, apple pie, and S'mores. I wanted to play it safe and each just order one, but not Bacchus. He ordered the whole sampling. God, I love this guy. This was the best choice ever. (BTW, these pics are not of our actual desserts, but ones I found online.)

Most importantly, we had a great time. I truly love meeting blog friends. They always turn out to be as much fun in real life as they are online.

Have a great weekend!

When I Am an Old Man I Shall Wear Whatever

2008-02-11T19:54:00.000-05:00

Answer: 40-41.
Question: What age do you become middle age?

It's winter. This month, we've had weather in the teens. I know for some of you (Mrs. Chili) that's a laugh, but one of the reasons I moved away from Chicago was the cold weather. I hate it. This is tolerable, but not by much. The moment I can move to Arizona or the equator, I'm saying goodbye to the nation's capital.

I travel to work by Metro. Normally in the city, I'm jamming to my iPod; keeping in step with the music. And frankly, I look cool. There are some badly dressed folks out there and I would sacrifice comfort for looks. Until this year.

My ears just got too cold.

So I pulled out the knit stocking cap. OMG was I warm. Add to it that my head phones stayed in the whole time. I kept thinking to myself why didn't I do this earlier?

Then I caught my reflection in one of the store windows. I am my dad. (Sorry dad.) Honestly, that's not a bad thing. It's just a moment every son is convinced will never happen.

I looked as myself, all bundled up; my hair slightly sticking up as I remove my cap for the metro ride. (Note to self: hair gel and stocking caps do not mix well.) I realize that I don't give a crap what anyone thinks about my hair or my looks. I'm 40+, most likely off the market for good, and have the slightest bulge of a grad school tummy. Who the hell do I need to impressed?

Let me just say, when you hit that moment in your life, it's both inspiring and depressing all in one fell swoop. Regardless, I'm warm.

This afternoon as I was walking home, there was a man in his 20's walking next to me. All he wore was a light jacket that was completely unzipped. I wore my hat and gloves despite it being 39 degrees. We both glanced over at each other and probably had the same thoughts.

"This guy is dressed like a total idiot."

Losing Pounds and Raising Pounds

2008-02-11T06:44:00.000-05:00

My favourite blogger from the other side of the pond needs your help. He’s trying to out do Fergie, the duchess of York, with his own weight loss program by walking 78 miles this summer. (Miles? Dude, don’t you have metric over there?)

A few years back, his friends lost their three year old son. Dan and a few other blokes are raising money for the Joseph Solomon trust, which “supports parents who have lost a child by providing financial assistance to those who need it most.”

Click on the link to Dan’s site over on the right to read more about his plans for this summer. And send a little love his way by donating even a few bucks through Paypal. Seriously, you can donate in dollars and then it gets converted into pounds…or some other crazy European currency.

If we don’t help fellow bloggers, who will?

Friday and I'm off to class

2008-02-08T06:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the nice comments on Reggie. It was a tough weekend, but getting back into routines was nice. We had to spend a lot of time at home this week for Rodney, the beagle. I had heard that other animals go through a period of mourning. I just didn't know how bad that could be for them. He's coming out of it though.

On the plus side, I had a lot of nice positives this week. I barely squeaked an "A" on the Econ mid-term, but hey... an "A" is an "A". The grades ranged from 92-29. 72+ (my grade) was an A and 50+ was a B. We still had 6 people flunk. I was mad at myself since 3 of my errors were careless. BUT, I'll be going into the final well positioned for an "A".

LOST has started and as always, I'm mesmerized by it. Naomi... who the hell are you? And Ben is still the creepiest person on TV. Anyone know how many episodes were made before the writers' strike?

Happily the work situation is over. I let go of the person last Friday. (Yeah, last Friday was a pretty bad day.) Unfortunately, it's a lot more work for me, but at least the work is being done right.

Have I mentioned how much I love my study group? There are six of us who now meet on Wednesdays (outside of our assigned groups) to go over the homework problems from the chapters. We get along, we laugh, we eat and we learn. It's exactly what I expected graduate school to be. Four of us from the group will be staying an extra three days after Vietnam to travel to Angkor Watt in Cambodia. Any recommendations on your many Cambodian travels would be appreciated.

OK off to class. Today is our 6th class of Microeconomics and 2nd class of Operations Management. The professor is not very organized for this second class. Plus he treats us like undergrads. Every week is a small quiz to make sure we've done the readings. Memorizing is just a tad ridiculous at age 41. Oh well.

Have a good Friday and a great weekend.

Reggie (1993-2008)

2008-02-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

We will dearly miss you!

Random Nothings for Jan

2008-01-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm in a funk with school. Similar to last semester, I just get burned out every now & then. We had mid-terms last week. (8-week classes, so we have mid-terms on the 4th and 12th weeks of the semester.) I was so pleased with my progress in Micro-economics. Honestly, I love this class and think I really have a knack for it. However, the professor walloped us with an overly vague fill-in-the-blank exam. Like me, most people felt disappointed with their performances. I don't feel like it properly assessed my knowledge of the subject. We'll have to see what curve she gives when the tests are returned on Saturday.

Strategic Leadership finished but we still have a final paper. For some reason, I'm paralyzed on that as well. The paper is on 'Profiling the Executive in the Next Decade'. The title seems really clever; "Gen-Xecutive", but it seems that my cleverness has stopped there. Wish me luck as I have to generate 4 pages by Monday.

We did a print job at work this week that went bust. The team created a new member folder used to welcome schools that recently joined. We misprinted the word "assess" as "asses". Nice, huh?

Work has some other issues, but more on that later.

On the plus side, we have joined Tivo community. Holy crap, do any of you have this? It revolutionizes watching television. I cannot stop recording things (which mind you, I have no time to watch). I can schedule recordings from work. We watch photos from the computer on the TV. And Corey now has a bucket of shows just sitting there for him to watch. I love this service.

In the pet world, we seem to be nearing the end for our daschund. Reggie had a stroke on Thursday. His back legs keep slipping out from under him as he walks. He's compensating, but some days are better than others. The good part is that he's eating and doing his business with no problems (other than us ensuring he's standing when he goes). The vet says this is a good sign, but we're getting ready for the inevitable. I'm not a big fan of this part of the circle of life.

And as of today, I'm now as old as Mitch.

Too Many Steves

2008-01-21T17:31:00.000-05:00

The other day, I received another email inviting me to become friends on Facebook.

Kari Stuttin added you as a friend on Facebook.

I almost clicked the link and then thought to myself, "Who the hell is Kari?" As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not remembering much these days (though I can totally explain the law of demand for substitute goods or how total revenue increases in an elastic situation). Still I kept trying to place Kari, but just couldn't.

So I cheated. I went on Facebook and looked up her profile. Damn, she goes to GW. Okay, that must be how I know....

Umm wait...I still have no idea who she is.

She's not in my MBA class. She's not even in the MBA class before me. CRAP, she's an undergrad. In fact, she was born in 1986...when I was an undergrad. I need to end this, but I feel bad for her.

Kari, listen..I'm old enough to be your dad. And although you think I'm totally hot, sadly I'm gay so it's just not going to happen between us. I have a partner and a son. I just don't think we could make it work with all that going on. Sure, it's easy to fall for this burning hunk of MBA, but there will be other guys out there for you...younger... and well, straighter. But I'm touched by your infatuation.

As I'm looking at her profile, I notice the following:

Kari and Steve C. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen E. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen L. are now friends.
Kari and Steve A. are now friends.
Kari and Steve H. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen M. are now friends.
Kari and Steve F. are now friends.
Kari and Steve N. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen G. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen G. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen B. are now friends.
Kari and Steven D. are now friends.
Kari and Steve C. are now friends.
Kari and Steven H. are now friends.
Kari and Steve H. are now friends.
Kari and Steven K. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen C. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen M. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen R. are now friends.
Kari and Stephen N. are now friends.
Kari and Steve I. are now friends.

Two things are running through my head at this point. First, I'm not quite the only "Steve" she seems be after. And second, this girl is going to have no problem getting a lot of dates her last year of college.

However Kari, it'd be a good idea to at least check the ages of all your "Steves." I think your dad would shit his pants to see you have Facebook friends who are older than he is.

What Was I Going to Say?

2008-01-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

This is what I hate most about grad school...my brain is mush. I'm like an 87-year old man who can't remember that I like Jello or just put my teeth in the cup on my night stand. I remember NOTHING these days.

Every day I come across something that I want to tell you. Little anecdotes that I can turn into a funny story. And what happens? NADA. I forget what I was going to say.

Once I even wrote it down. Then I couldn't find the paper.

On the plus side, school is going great. Friday, I submitted a 10-page paper on once-again CEO Howard Schultz's leadership of Starbucks and then jammed out another 9-pager on Meg Whitman from eBay this weekend. eBay was easy given that I could reference my own experiences as a seller. The Strategic Management & Leadership class is having us profile executives and their rise to leadership with regards to their corporate strategy. It's taxing but really interesting.

Economics is going well too. Surprising, it's actually making a lot of sense despite never having taken a class in it before. Mid-terms are in two weeks and I feel pretty good about my understanding of things thus far.

However, keeping myself immersed in this world sometimes makes me forget the other world. I completely forgot to send my mom a birthday card for her special day today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T18:42:00.000-05:00

The year is coming to an end...again. I feel like it should have more to it, but I'd be fine just watching the X-Men trilogy.

New Years gets the short end of the stick for me. I'm tired from Christmas. I really don't like the parties. And I have a hard time handling the drinking on this night. I just don't feel part of things.

But tomorrow offers a fresh beginning; one of things not yet even thought of. As I began last year, I never would have thought of the new ways our life has changed in just 12 months. Both Larry and I got promoted. I started grad school. Corey began kindergarten. And we made the decision that we'll be moving to Virginia to be within a few miles of Corey (once school ends, of course).

What will next year bring? God only knows, but it's exciting to think of the possibilities.

I had hoped to blog more during the holidays but frankly, I've really enjoyed just doing nothing (other than work full time, host my folks for Christmas, etc.). It's been nice to slow down and just enjoy life.

School begins again January 5. First semester grades:

Statistics=B+
Organizational Behavior=A
Marketing Management=A
Managerial Accounting=A
Human Resource Management=A

Second semester classes include:

Managerial Economics
Strategic Management & Leadership
Operations Management
International Economics
Managerial Finance

The holidays were quite enjoyable and my folks learned the joys of Guitar Hero. They laughed at first, then were intrigued, then decided they each had to take a turn. My mom was able to score on 79% on Kansas's Carry on My Wayward Son (set on easy). She said the key is to move your hips. Ummm, sure.

My favorite conversation of the evening.
Corey: Grandma, I can play Guitar Hero too.
Grandma: Really? What's your favorite song?
Corey: Shout at the Devil (and then he majestically strikes the invisible guitar he holds and screams out the best riff he can.)

We saw two movies during the break as well. National Treasure was the favorite of the group. And while I love the music of Sweeney Todd, some things are better suited for the stage. This was the bloodiest movie I've ever seen.

OK, wow... that really isn't much to add to your lives. Luckily, my life will once again become chaotic and filled with material worthy of funny entries.

I wish the best this next year has to offer for you and your families.

Christmas Meme

2007-12-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

My folks arrive today, so my time will be limited for posting. And since school is done for three weeks, my brain is in neutral. I’m just sitting around a lot in my underwear watching reruns of Designing Women.

Enjoy this Christmas meme that comes by way of Clare’s Dad.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Everything has always been wrapped, though I’m becoming a fan of gift bags. So much easier…and isn’t that what is the holidays are all about?

2. Real or artificial tree? Like Clare’s dad, we grew up with the bottlebrush tree. Each year, we’d stick the colored tips into a pole and PRESTO we’d have a Christmas tree. When I moved in with Larry, we had a real tree for years. Then I got all environmental and cost conscious so we bought one of those pre-lit ones. It’s like opening a patio umbrella. Love it!

3. When do you put up the tree? This year, all the Christmas decorations went up the Friday after Thanksgiving. The tree went up the next weekend. With school, I just didn’t have the time to spare.

4. When do you take down the tree? It can come down as early as New Years or as late as MLK day. This year will probably be early since school begins Jan 5.

5. Do you like eggnog? Nasty. It’s like drinking snot.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Fort Apache. My dad spent an hour setting this up and I awoke that Christmas at 4 am. My parents took turns watching me play with it while the other would catch up on sleep. I think I played with this for three hours before my little brother even got up.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? You’re kidding right? I collect these from other countries or ones that depict the holy family in non-traditional locales. I have 19 nativities. The oldest, on the right, is my grandparents from the 1930 (though a few of the people have been replaced). I usually buy 1-2 each year through eBay or specialty stores.

My favorite was made by a woman in Lancaster, PA. It shows the nativity as Amish. In tradition with the Amish culture, the people are shown without faces. The wise men are bringing gifts of pretzels, corn and bread. (That also would describe my dad’s ideal Christmas dinner.)

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can’t really think of anything I truly hated. My aunt who lived out of town would always send clothes. Finally, my mom just asked if we could stop exchanging gifts with them.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Over 100 by mail. As Ava will tell you, I actually have to force myself from not mailing them early. I always have them done by Thanksgiving. I’ve reduced it to just a Christmas letter, and frankly since I love to write, it’s easy to generate. This year, I actually started it in July since I was going to be in school.

10. Favorite Christmas movie? I really don’t get into Christmas movies. Would Die Hard count as a Christmas movie?

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? We try to shop all year long and just collect things throughout the year. Some years however (like this one), we did most it these last two weeks.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies. Seriously, I love my cookies.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? We grew up with colored lights, but since we’ve had our own tree, they are all white. The tree is pre-lit with the white lights, but there are sections that keep going out. Larry hates that, but I just think it’s like a holiday dance club.

14. Favorite Christmas song? I did a post on this last year. Here are my 10 favorite songs.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Every 4^th year we travel to Chicago, otherwise we stay here.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes.

17. Angel on the treetop or a star? We have the angel from when Larry was a little boy. Growing up, we had this pointy thing that topped the tree. I think it used to be on my dad’s tree when he was little.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Always Christmas day. When we were little, we could open a gift on Christmas Eve, but for someone reason, it could only be from people who lived out of town. That's when I got those strange clothes from my aunt.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? All the people who didn’t give a shit about you for 11 months want you to come to their house for parties. Our rule is that we will only go if we’ve seen them other times throughout the year.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Our ornaments are all red, white and gold. We didn’t set out to do that. It has just evolved that way.

21. What do you leave for Santa? Ummm, Santa visits my son at his moms’ house and they leave cookies and milk.

22. Least favorite holiday song? I’ll be Home for Christmas. Not sure why, but it’s never done anything for me.

23. Favorite ornament? The starfish Santas. Our beagle has eaten two of them and every year, we recall the story of him barfing them back up. Who can’t love a memory like that?

Growing up though, we had this one we fondly called ‘Helen’. It’s a doll’s head. She is tin and came from my dad’s tree. However, her eyes have fallen off so we named her after Helen Keller. We’d put her front & center and my mom would always move her to back of the tree. It was a constant battle, but we finally wore mom down.

Hope your Christmas is filled with memories just as special as these.

Here Comes the Muffin Man

2007-12-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

Remember that story from last year? The guy that used to run Larry's office who sent us a Christmas gift after he retired?

He did it again.

We just got another 24 muffins delivered. What is it with this guy? Do you think he still believes he works there?

I wonder if he just doesn't realize it. Every January, he probably looks at the Visa bill and says, "Cathy, what's this charge for $4700?"

If we ever move we should definitely include that as part of the asking price. "The muffins convey with the house."

On a plus note, they came in a basket that I will totally use again.

The Heat is on in Saigon

2007-12-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Phil who correctly guessed Vietnam. In theory, I could probably get you all gifts with the value of the dollar, but then I couldn't pay for this MBA by selling all the stuff I buy on eBay.

We'll be spending a week in Hanoi and a week in Ho Chi Minh city. See, this is the part of grad school I love.

Honestly I know nothing of this county aside from having seen Miss Saigon twice, so I'm really looking forward to the adventure.

(Mrs. Chili, you nearly made me pee myself with your comments.)

Winter Break

2007-12-15T16:04:00.000-05:00

School is done this semester...well, I still have one 4-page paper to write for that creepy HR class, but I'm halfway done with it.

I cannot believe I have finished 25% of this program already. It went so slowly and yet so fast. God love you all for sticking by me through this. And God love Larry for dealing with my weekly psychotic episodes.

My group hasn't met in 7 weeks or even really talked. Other groups are petitioning the organizer to keep the cohorts the same because none of them want to get any one of my team mates. We are officially the Breakfast Club of cohorts. I totally understand, but I've made certain we are changing in May.

Some of us have formed an impromptu study group. We meet on Wednesday nights and for the first time, I really understand the value of groups. It was agreed upon that we'd meet weekly and that we wouldn't tell anyone about it.

Three things to celebrate from yesterday.

I totally jammed on my accounting final. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this class. During undergrad, I didn't take any finance courses. Man, this stuff was fascinating.
J, the surgeon in our group is quitting. Remember how I complained about the woman who didn't speak English very well? She & I have been getting along (despite her really not contributing), however the doctor and I despise each other. She has hated this program from day one, so it may just help our group dynamics to have her go.
We have a destination for our international residency. May 24ish - June 7ish, I will be traveling to two cities (in the same country) and learning about international business practices. See if you can guess where I'm going. The first correct answer gets a small gift from the trip.

"The average age of the combat solider was na-na-na-na-na-nineteen"

OK, back to writing this paper. Hope you have a great weekend.

iTunes Meme

2007-12-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

OK, finals are tomorrow, so more posts after that. Meanwhile chew on this iTunes meme for some entertainment.

How many total songs?
6520 Songs
34 Photos
2 TV Shows
5 Podcasts

Sort by song title - First and Last…
Abacab - Genesis
99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas

Sort by Time - Shortest and Longest…
Declaration- The Alarm (:43)
Bolero – Ravel (14:48)
(however, the Little Einstein’s Halloween episode technically goes 24:05)

Sort by Album - First and Last
Abacab - Genesis
99 Luftballons - Nena

Sort by Artist - First and Last…
Aaron Copland
38 Special

Top Five Most Played Songs…
Dreams – Van Halen (54)
Everything Can Change – Gotthard (49)
We Live on Borrowed Time – Nancy Lamott (45)
Free Man – Angie Aparo (43)
Giveaway – American Pearl (34)

Find the following words. How many songs show up?
Sex: 12, Death: 2 , Love: 469, You: 917, Home: 130, Boy: 125, Girl: 146, Baby: 56

First five songs that come up on Party Shuffle…
ummm…it’s not working. Why isn’t it working, people?

ROCKin' Around the Christmas tree

2007-12-05T07:33:00.000-05:00

We put our Christmas tree this weekend. For some reason, Larry and I had both imagined this Norman Rockwell moment (you know, the painting with the two gay dads putting up holiday decorations with their son).

For those of you with younger kids, 5 is that magic age when they going from all adorable to just plain goofy.

Luckily the tee shirt I bought him last year now fits. What better way to celebrate the holidays than with Angus Young.

AC/DC tee shirt or not, Corey was hysterical (if not painful) at times. Here are some snippets of our conversations.

C: I'm going to hang all the ornaments.
S: You can hang the ones that aren't glass.
C: Why?
L: Because you'll break them and think it's funny.
C: Oh yeah.

S: What are you doing?
C: Nothing.
S: Dude, stop licking the ornaments.
C: OK dude.

L: Hey buddy, you can't put all of the ornaments on one branch.
C: But I need to.
L: How come?
C: They are friends.

S: The tree looks pretty, doesn't it?
C: ICK! Pretty is a girl word.
S: Fine. How do you think it looks?
C: It looks awesome cool.

(Regarding my collection of nativity sets.)
C: Look, there's Jesus...and there's Jesus.. and there's Jesus.
S: Jesus was born on Christmas. That's why we celebrate this holiday.
C: Yep, I open all his birthday presents from Santa.

C: Can we put a star on the tree?
L: We put up the angel that I had a little boy. It's very old.
C: Then you should buy a new star instead.

S: Did you have fun putting up the tree?
C: Yeah, it rocked dude.

That it did.

Career Changes

2007-12-04T08:21:00.000-05:00

The joy of living in Washington DC is that politics always makes the headlines. And right behind those stories are the scandals.

This morning, I was in the kitchen reading the paper as Larry came down the stairs.

S: Well, there's more about the senator's sex scandal.
L: Which senator?
S: It seems that two more guys have come forth claiming that Daniel Craig paid them money for sex.
L: I think you mean Larry Craig. Daniel Craig is the James Bond guy.
S: Oh...same thing.
L: The rest of the world might differ with you.
S: Whatever. One of the guys is that Mike Jones guy who also had sex with Ted Haggard. He seems to be doing everyone these days. How is this guy not knowing he hooks up with famous married guys?
L: Some people are more popular than others.
S: Did you know he gets $200 an hour? I'm totally in the wrong job.
L: You make good money. (He began to calculate my hourly wage.) OK, I was wrong. He makes at least 75% more per hour than you.
S: How great would that be? I could do that an hour or so each day and still watch Ellen.
L: Are you thinking of a career change?
S: I'm just saying, we could write off the guest room as a business expense.
L: You may not be able to command the same salary.
S: Who wouldn't pay $200 for a body like this?

(With that I make a muscle man pose that pretty much looks exactly like what Corey does when showing people how strong he is.)

L: (pauses) You're learning about economies of scale in your finance class, right?
S: Yep.
L: Perhaps you should look over that chapter again. Besides, you'd have to have sex with old decrepit men.
S: James bond is not old and decrepit.
L: I don't think Daniel Craig would need to pay anyone for sex.
S: You're probably right.

And so our morning began.

Face to Face

2007-12-02T20:49:00.000-05:00

I am a total geek...or just really looking for a diversion with two finals in less than 14 days. Any excuse I can get, I'll let my mind wander.

The other day, I'm catching up on MetroDad; he's like the JD Salinger of daddy blogging (the brilliant recluse writer in Manhattan). If you're not reading him, you should be.

I'll pretty much do anything he recommends. In fact, any time I have a dilemma, I often say to myself, "What Would MetroDad Do?"

Last week, what does he talk about...well honestly, a lot of stuff. But in that post he mentions he's now on Facebook. I think to myself, "Facebook? I thought that was for high schoolers. Shit, if he's on it, I need to do it."

With that, I create a profile. I upload 8 pictures until I'm happy with the one that balances anonymity and the slightly sexy, but obviously off-limits 40 (but tauntingly looks 32) year old. I once again, continue to struggle with programs made for people half my age as I attempt to load address books and join networks. Crap, what this man puts me through to look cool.

Once I got my profile all set, I load in everyone I can find. This whole program is based on the number of friends you have connected to your profile. For the love of God, I send out over a 100 Christmas cards. That has to count for something.

I locate almost 50 people and send out requests. I'm dying for some validation that I'm cool. I wait almost 5 hours for someone to confirm me. (Seriously, where are you guys when I need you most?)

Finally my email buzzes that I've been connected with someone.

Turns out my first friend was Ava's 16 year old daughter. Cripes, I was in her parent's wedding. (yeah, that's me on the left side back in 1991.)

Veronica, thanks for taking one for your dad's old friend. Hopefully, I didn't embarrass you too much at school.

The Pajama Game

2007-11-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

After Corey's surgery, his moms felt it was a good idea to leave him in pajamas for the week. Since he had to stay indoors and not rough house, being in pajamas kept him more calm.

We've prided ourselves that four parents have really never had a disagreement on how we raise this little boy. Things seem to always work themselves out.

We do, however, find that we get confused by some things along the way.

A few months ago, we were getting Corey ready for bed. Off come the clothes, on go the pajamas. He started putting his pj's on over his underwear. "Dude, take off your underwear and then put on your pants," I said.

"But I wear underwear to bed at mama's house," he explained.

Really? Huh, another parenting difference. This is where I think we mess with the kid more than anything. Routines are one thing, but who ever thought we should coordinate to be similar on this?

When his moms came to pick him up, we told them the underwear story.

"He always wears underwear to bed under his pajamas," one of them said. "Isn't what everyone does?"

"I dunno, I always just put my pj's on without underwear," I responded. "But now I sleep in the nude."

Awkward pause.

"Okay, I didn't realize it was sharing time" one of them said.

(And yet for some reason, I just kept talking.)

"Well, I used to wear underwear to bed, but a few years ago, I just got too hot under the sheets. Larry said I've gone through the change."

In case you're wondering, yes, that is a complete discussion stopper.

So audience participation part, what do you sleep in?

(This would be ideal if Blogger had a survey option, so instead just leave your answer in the comment section.)

Random Thanksgiving Nothings

2007-11-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving break and I'm as giddy as a 3rd grader. School's out for a whole week and I'm grinning ear to ear. In a weird way, that just means I need to devote more time to work for this week. Plus we have two more group projects due in three weeks.

It's hard to believe this semester is almost over. 25% of my classes will be done Dec. 14. It's fun to look back at that post when I said I was ready to quit. I'm glad you all didn't let me.

We had a busy week here. Corey had surgery on Monday which was called a Tympanomastoidectomy. His left ear has a Cholesteatoma, which is skin that finds its way into the middle ear and damages the bones. Corey's right ear also had fluid in the middle ear so he got a tube for that. He came through with flying colors and spent the last three days resting at home.

Larry & I gave ourselves an early Christmas present. We finally treated ourselves to an HD flat screen. You have no idea how cool it is to play Guitar Hero on this. (Well some of you do.)

I'm off to go watch the Macy's parade and eat my Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls, which has become our Turkey day tradition. Then my son and his moms will join us for dinner. AND it's supposed to be in the mid 60's. What better way to spend Thanksgiving Day.

Enjoy this long weekend and thank YOU for being a part of my life.