Milestones - 20th work anniversary

Today. Officially. I hit twenty years with my current employer. Yippee for me! It's been a long tenure and at some businesses I could retire from but I'm sure it'll be at least another twenty.

No worries. I don't hate working but I do kind of hate having to work.

I have gotten some things from my current employer albeit not high enough annual raises but the environment has been much better than my previous employer's. So I can't complain...a whole lot.

Here's to another twenty years...or five with a move to Hawai'i would be just fine.

People and toilets

I'm bemused by the actions of people...seemingly educated and professional people.

I had to take a dump at work today. Stall #2 (hehehe) was open so I walked in and this is what I see.

People so afraid of sitting on a bare toilet seat and catching something that they build a 'protective' layer for themselves to sit upon instead.

Feeling protected, they do their duty (hehehe) and leave. But instead of pushing their protective nest into the toilet and flushing it, or not, they leave it. No cares or worries about the next person's feelings. No cares or worries about essentially leaving trash behind. As long as they protected their own ass, why clean up after themselves.

I'd like to punch this fraidy cat bastard in the nut sack!

What this person/these people don't realize is that our restrooms are checked on, wiped down and clean every hour on the hour all day. One could literally eat off the toilet seat and not deal with as many germs as they would eating at their own desk!

Rant over!

Minimum wage then (1970s) and now (2010s)

Saw an article on Reddit about a guy that used to work at McDonald's back in the 70s. A simple read but interesting to hear about the changes over the years as far as his experiences goes. One thing that caught my eye was someone asking about paychecks. This man earned minimum wage and felt like he was "rolling in money." Granted he wasn't supporting himself but he also didn't plan on flipping burgers as a life-long career choice but who does? Apparently those people protesting that minimum wage is to minimum.

I think this is what is lost on the current minimum wage debate — minimum wage is not a support-the-family wage. It's a stepping stone towards (potentially and expectantly) earning more money by either moving up within a company or moving to another company.

As defined:  Minimum wage is the lowest wage as permitted by law.

Do you minimum wage earners hear that? Do you understand it? It's the MINIMUM wage allowed by law! Employers can't pay below that rate but they sure as hell can pay just that rate.

If you want to earn more, learn a SKILL or take some college or continuing education courses specific to learning a skill or craft. Do you really, I mean REALLY expect to earn $15/hr working at a McDonald's or Wal-Mart? Those are very easily learnable duties and do not take any sort of educational training or specialized skills. Let's put employment at McDonald's and Wal-Mart into perspective:

At McDonald's you either take orders at the front or drive thru, flip burgers, deep fry things like fries or chicken and maybe occasionally clean the restrooms. At Wal-Mart you either walk the floor as a "helper" for customers or refolding/refixing things the customer messed up on shelves or hangers, "guard" the dressing room, checker, stocker or greeter. All in all the McDonald's employee seems more happy/friendly than the Wal-Mart employee even though both think they should make a lot more per hour but I feel the McDonald's worker could have a worse job because of all the grease, food smells, nasty restrooms, etc. Anyway, do any of the duties I listed require any kind of specialized training and/or education? HELL, NO! So, why in the world would you think you DESERVE ANYTHING more than minimum wage? Again, it's the MINIMUM an employer can legally pay and not a minimum LIVING wage. Hell, I'm not making too far above the latter and I AM skilled and educated! So fuck y'all!

Anyway, most minimum wage jobs were previously occupied by 15-18 yr olds or so until they went off to college. Sometimes they'd come back during holiday breaks and summers to that same job. I'd bet none of them complained about it like the minimum wage earners now.

Minimum wage is a stepping stone to learning about working hard to earn money...no matter how little that was after getting raped by the governmental taxes. A step to learning how to stretch that money over time until the next paycheck. A step to learn a sense of responsibility and build trust with employers, family and friends. A step towards life maturity. A step to learning that there's got to be a way to make more money whether it be a college education or learning a skilled profession as an apprentice or something. It sucked to earn minimum wage and sometimes it took a while to earn more but no one EVER wanted to stay making minimum wage in ANY job. The minimum wage worker at McDonald's typically stayed there for a long period of time to try and work their way up the ladder to assistant manager, then manager and then whatever is next. They didn't EXPECT to earn more than minimum (or even double as the bitchers are bitchin' for now) as a burger flipper or order taker.

Wake up people! Why should we cater to you people that want to stay in the same job doing the same duties for ever and ever and ever? Many jobs are like educational courses — you take one and then move to a new one at a higher level unless you fail or suck at it and you stay at the same level. Stop looking for free upgrades that you feel you are entitled to because you ARE NOT entitled!

Article here while it lasts.

Beachbody coaching IS essentially a pyramid

I have this friend that I've known since elementary school. He started as a coach part-time with Beachbody a few years ago and was able to quit his full-time job within the past year due to the fact he makes six figures as a Five-Star Diamond or Emerald Coach and his wife is Three-Star or something like what I described.

Anyway, I've had to endure his constant postings about "how do you start your day," "what's your favorite breakfast meal," "do you like to workout," "would you like to be your own boss, not work in an office and be able to spend time with your family all the while being healthy and helping others do the same," blah, blah blah, etc., etc., etc. It's quite freaking annoying, unbelievably annoying, and people REALLY should separate their personal Facebook page from their business page. Maybe even FB should regulate that a bit.

However until then, I know why my buddy does it. For the longest time, other friends of his/ours would say, "Dude, isn't coaching basically a pyramid." He would vehemently deny it as such. He would say, "No, no, no. Message or call me and I'll explain it to you." I never asked, didn't really care, but knew or heard enough about Beachbody coaching that in my eyes it is essentially a pyramid scheme albeit legal and not like the typically negative connotation people have of a pyramid scheme. So for him, having his posts and motivational questions/concerns on his personal FB page could possibly help him recruit more minions...uh, I mean team members...to help him progress up in coach status.

Many times I've considered hiding him because he's so annoying with his proudness in being able to quit his full-time "dead-end" job and how he thinks he's got a "designed life" or "present parent" compared to anyone else. It's like he's saying to everyone else that because we work in "normal" jobs, we aren't able to do the things we want to do or attend our children's school or extracurricular activities. With my current job, I've not really missed any of my children's activities that I actually wanted to attend or they wanted me to attend. So for him to come across like his choice is better than mine and made him a better parent that it's the choice everyone else should make. No! It shows that he obviously didn't put his family or whatever priorities higher than his previous job. I'm not saying we all can do it but it has nothing to do with being a Beachbody coach and not being one. It's an ignorant generalization.

So recently, a few of his friends posed the "pyramid" question to him since a few months or so ago he bought a new truck and he very recently just bought a huge house. The question was more of a concern with purchasing so many "high dollar" items based on income that isn't simply made by punching a clock for "guaranteed income" but on the production of others on the team underneath him since he's essentially at the top of the pyramid. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for him. He took a chance and it paid off...for now. What happens when the pyramid crumbles? When the fitness craze wanes or they come up with a pharmaceutical (and they eventually will) that will allow people to vegetate on a couch playing a PS6 or XBOX4 and lose weight!? I know the fitness industry has almost always continue steadily or even grown since the times of Tony Little's Gazelle or Suzanne Sommers' Thigh Master. But again, that's because they just haven't found that "miracle" drug yet. Technology and medical science is making leaps and bounds so they will come up with a diet/fat drug that will truly work.

Take for example a buddy/neighbor of mine who used to sell insurance. He would recruit sales guys underneath him to sell insurance and he'd get a percentage of each one's sales. It was lucrative about 4-6 years ago. In fact, he had a guy that made two million dollars one year without having to work himself. He made that much profit from all his team's sales. That's pretty good! And sounds very similar to the Beachbody coaching experience. But unlike my coaching friend, my insurance friend admits that his insurance business was essentially a pyramid. It's a good thing I didn't take him up on his offer to work for him years ago as he has had do something else, what I don't know.

My insurance friend has a college degree and years of various experience to fall back on. My coaching buddy has no degree (not that I think it's absolutely necessary) and he only has fifteen or so years of experience in his one previous long-term job/field.

So anyhow, without further ranting, I was curious one day and decided to see if Google could tell me how a Beachbody coach makes money. There's a plethora of sites but I think this one was genuine. He's a Beachbody coach and for some reason he seems to have no problem sharing/explaining how a coach makes money.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the Beachbody coaching pyramid at all. My friend just defends himself by saying it's not a pyramid and private message me if you want further explanation. That makes him look shady to me. Beachbody coaching seems very legitimate and very profitable for those that invest in it and themselves. I would do it but I lack focus and I'm impatient. I want/need money now not later after I build my team but if one never starts it'll always be later. So, if you have the time, effort and patience, go forth young stallions and mares! I like the Beachbody products like P90X and T25 which I'm trying to get the motivation to start up again (P90X) or begin (T25). I wouldn't mind trying Shakeology but it's cost-prohibitive for me right now...unless I decide to hit up one of my FB friends who are coaches...yes, I have more than one on FB but only one is UNBELIEVABLY annoying!

Again, after all this, enjoy the article and browsing Marcus' website. It's good and informative.



* Links in article that don't work since this is a jpg screen capture:
First and Third links about compensation plan here.
Second link "How Do Beachbody Coaches Make Money" here.
Fourth link "How Beachbody Coaches Make Money" here.
Full article online here while it lasts.

Playing around with some macrophotography

I was going through some storage bins...trying to purge more shit that I don't use/need since my move to a smaller place last year. I have a bin of memorabilia which contains a lot of "junk," as my wife would say, that I just don't want to part with. Some of it I already had to because it was outside on the patio and rain water got inside due to a crack in the side of the bin. Anyway, much of the stuff got rusted or smelled like rotten ass so I had to purge them. I did come across this little "gem" in my recent browse-through.

This is a "coin" that my previous employer gave out to commemorate or some shit our start date. Below the truck was my signature and below it was my start date. I guess they thought this would make us feel better about working for such a shit-hole boss and employer. It didn't work for me. Some people still think it was one of the best places to work. I don't interact AT ALL with those individuals since I left that job fifteen years ago! They are the kind of people that will probably some day go crazy (that are already slightly bat shit to begin with) or do something crazy and I DO NOT want to be around them when that happens.

 

Anyway, I thought with the chemical reaction of the water to whatever this metal is, it was a good chance to try out some macrophotography with this "macro tube" I got some time ago that attaches between the camera and lens. It's not the easiest to focus and shit but it works. Just takes some playing around with which what doesn't in regards to photography?!

Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen

I started this a few weeks ago...probably around December 10^th or so. I get busy. Sue me!

Because the boss of the office I work in typically takes out and pays for all of her minions for a Christmas holiday luncheon, I had the opportunity to dine at Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen in Prestonwood Center in Dallas.

In the past, we have eaten at Buca Di Peppo. Buca isn't too bad but it's also not something that I tell people that they have to try. It's always been free when I've gone but I'm not sure I would want to pay for it or it would be an option that I would chose from. My mindset is if I'm going to pay for food and pay more than what I consider a decent price ($8-$10 or less a person), I'm going to go somewhere that is really, REALLY good!

Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen is about the same for me. I'm not going to run out and tell people that they don't want to miss trying this place for lunch or dinner. I don't know if the prices for dinner are more expensive than those at lunch. If they are, I would recommend people staying away from this place and try something else in the same price range. There are plenty of other places that I would compare Rathbun's too and they would win my recommendation hands down.

So anyway, let me describe my experience...

At first glance from the outside, the signage and building look pretty low key—nothing fancy or flashy. It's not in a stand-alone building but more of a strip mall so maybe that's why it's not full of frills and flash. Not a big deal as frills and flash usually are done to help redirect people's attention from some flaw or failure in the business.

Entering the restaurant was kind of interesting as the entrance is a revolving door versus the typical push/pull door. I would have thought this type of door would have provided more of a seal from the outdoor elements but it didn't. I'll probably touch more on this later. The host/hostess stand is right inside the entrance and we (I was with two female coworkers) were greeted by the hostess and someone who looked/acted like the restaurant manager. The manager looked to be carrying a walkie talkie which was somewhat silly since the entire restaurant was similar in size to a standard Applebee's—the open concept and more of a square/rectangular shape overall. I don't what he was carrying exactly as I didn't pay too much attention but it was something I noticed him holding in his hand as he pointed us to our lined tables for the big group. I got the feeling that this place felt they were much cooler or "refined" than they really are.

We get to our seats and got out drink order taken. The appetizers were ordered by the boss and were a variety of items like fried green tomatoes, calamari and some other things that I can't remember what. I don't know if the boss ordered sampler plates but it looked like it as there were probably around six plates with a variety of items.

The waiter made his way around the table taking people's orders and explaining the specials and the food items in general. I went with the special of the day which was a sirloin steak sandwich with sweet potato fries. My good friend and coworker ordered the grilled ahi sliders. The two of us also split the shrimp, crab and lobster "coleslaw" salad.

We got our salad first which is what we asked. I'm not a food critic. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I was very disappointed. Living in the south and living in Texas, there is a certain kind of coleslaw we are used to. I know that. I am not opposed to trying varieties of a food item. That's what makes eating food so awesome...the many different ways an item can be made and still taste good. Unfortunately, Rathbun's does not know how to make their "coleslaw" taste good. It was a huge bowl for sure and one person would be pretty full after eating the whole bowl. They did split it in two bowls for us. However, it only had six medium sized shrimp (3 per bowl) and I really couldn't tell you how much crab and lobster. It took me a few minutes to figure out that the very finely sliced brown stuff was lobster. It was more like they used the lobster to flavor or garnish than it being part of the actual salad. I can't remember ever finding or tasting the crab. There was about 95% red cabbage, 3% shrimp, 1% thin crispy things (think of long croutons), and 1% lobster/crab. My friend and I both ate all the shrimp given, ate what we could of the lobster and the crispy things. There was a WHOLE LOT of red cabbage left in both of our bowls.

We finally got our entrees. The steak was sliced into four or five medallion-type sizes. On top of those, there was melted cheese (Swiss I think) two or three fried green tomatoes, and then some sauce like a gravy. The bun was very thick on top and bottom. It was all held together with three toothpicks. The sandwich was SO thick that unless you're a reptile and can unhitch your jaw, there was no way anyone could eat this as a sandwich. I had to open it like a philly cheese steak to start but then I just ate the steak as if I sliced it myself. I tried to eat a slice of the fried green tomatoes with each steak piece to add some taste to them. When all was said and done, the bread/bun was left from the sandwich. The sweet potato fries were so dang salty that I think they should have been called salt with a slight hint of sweet potato flavoring.

For the grilled ahi sliders, my friend and coworker almost ate them the same as I with the steak sandwich. She ate one with the bun/bread and another she just ate the ahi out of the slider. The third one she gave to me and I ate it with just the bottom half of the bun. What I remember about the ahi is that it was a bit over peppered.

On to dessert. It was a variety of options like the appetizers. I think the boss had them bring out some of everything from the dessert menu. You can do chocolate cake, cheesecake or bread pudding wrong.

Overall, knowing what I know now, I would have gone straight for dessert at Rathbun's. However, I'd much rather have a good and tasty entree than a dessert so I wouldn't go to Rathbun's in the first place. For the pricey PRICEY items on the menu, I truly expected better than I experienced.

The cost of living in Hawaii vs Texas

I was looking for a cost of living calculator to see what a salary in Honolulu, Hawaii would have to be compared to what it is in Dallas, Texas. I don't remember the link but I think it was off cnn.com or money.com. The calculator already had an amount of $45k so I went with it. I selected Dallas and Honolulu and this is what it gave me.

Can you freaking believe that you have to make almost double what you make in Dallas to make a comparable salary in Honolulu?! What the hell!? It's that damn tourist industry making the COLA higher. I'm sure there is no way or barely a way that the locals are surviving on a minimalist's salary like this! $45k barely goes that far in Dallas!

It's also an interesting feature on this calculator when it shows where and what percent the increase is: 235% Housing, 55% Groceries and 50% Utilities.

No wonder there are so many houseless people in Hawaii—as I was told by a local the majority of the people on the streets are not homeless but houseless because they own a house but cannot afford to live in it. Sad...

Taos, NM July 2012

I thought I'd share a few more links and opinions on places (mostly restaurants) we visited during our trip to Taos, New Mexico this summer.

The second day we were there we went to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I've been there before and so has the family but we stopped by there once again. Mainly, we stopped there this time because it was on the way to another destination we wanted to visit. This time, however, was a little different than the others. The west side near the rest area was a lot busier than the last visit AND they had one side of the bridge closed due to construction. They were doing something on the east side of the bridge before you cross it as well as painting the bridge white, I think. That's why one half, the sidewalk part anyway, of the bridge was closed. This time there were more vendors selling shit out of the back of trucks, cars, card tables as well as a smoothie bus near the rest area. There were more motorcyclists as well. We were going to walk across the bridge again just for old time's sake but decided it wasn't that big of a necessity. The bridge is still a pretty cool landmark and the scenery on and around the bridge can be breathtaking. Instead of wasting anymore time, we decided to head on to our original destination: Wild Rivers Recreation Area.

The Wild Rivers Recreation Area contains a lot of hiking trails that allow people to hike from designated areas at the top of the Rio Grand Gorge down to the bottom right to the river. That's what we wanted to do, hike, because the last time we visited there were bad wildfires and they would not allow anyone into the Carson Forest or ANY trails because of a burn ban. If you were caught, they'd fine you $5,000. So, this time, we were doing whatever we could before any damn fires decided to jack with our chances to "roam the plains" of New Mexico. Once we entered the Rec Area, we drove for a bit until reaching the first picnic area. We stopped to take some pictures and use the restroom. We moved on down the road to look for a hiking trail. The next area we came to was the first area with a trail down to the river below. I don't recall the exact name of the trail but it said it was a moderate hike at 0.4 miles. We decided this would be a good one to start out on since it was 0.4 miles and we didn't know how much further down the road the next trail was or how long it was or its rating. As always, walking down is always easy. The trail was "maintained" in the sense that it did have large, stacked rocks along the trail to mark it as well as keep it clearer of debris and help keep people from sliding/falling down the side of the Gorge easily. It zigzagged until about 50 feet from the bottom where there were a lot of reed-type plants before reaching the sandy bank of the river. One child said they spotted a snake of some sort black-colored about 3-4 inches in diameter but it slithered away too fast for me to look back and catch a glimpse. Once we got to the bank and then the water, we found a few more snakes about 1/2 inch in diameter and about 6-8 inches long. I guess they were just garden snakes, a kind of grayish color, but I'm not sure. They moved fast on land and water. We decided to trek along the river over large rocks/boulders. Jumping and climbing from rock to rock and occasionally having some "flat" areas to walk along. We walked and climbed about a mile before we realized that we'd have to go back to our original entry trail because there were no others we saw along the way and we didn't know how far the next one was if there was one ahead of us. To add to the strenuous exercise of up and down over rocks and sand, the sun started coming out from behind the originally cloudy sky to make it much hotter than when we started. Luckily, I was carrying 8 20oz water bottles in my backpack along with large bottle of Gatorade and some granola snack bars. I was prepared. The trek back was much harder because we knew where we were going and we were looking forward to getting there as soon as possible because we were getting very tire and hot. I told the kids to take off their shirts and put them in the river to get them wet. It's a fairly fast flowing river in most parts so it's cleaner and way less polluted than more stagnant ones like the nasty Trinity River in Dallas. I told them that the shirt would probably be dry by the time we got back to the start of the trail to go back up the Gorge. We took frequent breaks along the way to make sure we had energy enough t get back up the Gorge. Okay, I wanted to make sure I would have enough energy to make it back up. So after awhile we make it back to the trail to go up. I went through the reedy foliage first because the kids weren't too keen on running into any critters while trekking through it ahead of me. We got through without incidence. The trek up was way harder than down especially after our two mile trek along the river and back. The steepness of the trail was felt (by me mostly) way more going up than down. We made it after 3-4 breaks on the trail where I wanted to be in air conditioning right then and there. We finally made it to the start of the top of the trail where there was this covered picnic table. I took an extended rest here because it was shaded and high enough out of the Gorge where we got a pretty good breeze. It was good times and I wanted to take a nap. Eventually, we got back to the car and decided we'd had enough hiking for the day (it was about 3-4 hours). We originally had grand plans to hike a lot more but we realized we did hike a lot. Not just up and down the Gorge but also the climbing over rocks and boulders along the Rio Grand River and back. So, we got good exercise and the amount of hiking in that we wanted even though it wasn't at multiple locations. Good enough. We drove back to our location in Taos and picked up dinner on the way.

One day we were driving to Santa Fe. We took what they call they high road to Santa Fe. Along this road or a just short jaunt off of it, there is a restaurant called Rancho de Chimayo. I've heard many people brag about this place...the food and the ambiance of it. The restaurant is in what looks like it used to be a residential house that someone expanded as the business grew. It is a nice setting for a restaurant. It reminded me of a southern plantation type house especially on the inside. Not that I've ever really been in one but what I've seen portrayed in TV/movies. There is no air conditioning in the place and it didn't seem to need it at the time we visited which was about 11:30 a.m. They have some quaint outdoor seating that you have to climb stairs to reach. It's like the front parking lot area of the restaurant is on flatland but behind the house there is a big hill that they had to expand into and up. After we were done eating and checked out, we walked up the stairs to an area that I did not know was there. At the very top of this outdoor area of the restaurant, there is a aquaduct (I guess that's what the locals would call it). It's a modern-type aquaduct in the sense that instead of the natural dirt/mud or wooden it was more like a cemented channel. It was only about two feet wide. I was told that this is the same channel that is used by many of the locals to get water. The aquaduct comes down the mountain bringing the water from melted snow or rains to the people below. I noticed it was almost overflowing and they said it was unusually high this year. That's a good thing I guess but I don't know if it is as a local because too much water means too much rain or too much melting...who knows. Anyway, all the food we ordered but one entree was pretty good. I mean nothing made me say, "Damn!" but not many things do. The entree that lacked in taste and goodness was the stuffed sopapilla. The plain sopapillas with honey were good but this entree was not. The inside was fairly tasty, it was like taco fillings inside, but the red sauce on the outside tasted like it was syphoned from a Spaghettios can. Don't get me wrong. I like Spaghettios with its sauce but I expected something more from a "fancy" restaurant entree. We finally left for Santa Fe. I'd talk about Santa Fe and what we did there (really just visited the Indian Museum) but this is a Taos-ish post.

Another popular venue that we were told about is The Old Blinking Light which is now out of business. My wife and kids had eaten at this place a couple of years before with my in-laws but I did not take that trip with them and therefore missed this supposedly "great" place. We happened to stop by this place on the way to somewhere else because it has a liquor store attached to the restaurant building. Well, apparently the liquor store is the only thing left operational. I guess people will always go out to buy liquor no matter how bad the economy is but they won't always go out to eat. So, I can't give any opinions on the restaurant (and wouldn't have anyway if it was still open because we were only stopping by to get wine and not eat at the restaurant) but I can tell you that the entire place looks like s dive. The areas of the restaurant were gutted and the liquor store felt more like a bait and tackle shop.

One area of note is the Taos Ski Resort. We didn't visit it this year but we have previously. It's interesting that a ski resort is open during the summer. It's smart for business, very smart. Seasonal business is good or even great but when there are multiple ski resorts in the general 10-50 mile radius it's good to be able to make some dough during the off-season. So, the Taos Ski Resort is 'open' during the summer. It's mainly for the hiking trails, some restaurants, some shops, and the ski lift. That's right. They run the ski lift during the summer. I've never been on one but I wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity. My youngest is scared of heights and was scared shitless to go on the lift but did it. It's kind of freaky. To be on this bench seat hovering and climbing over rugged, mountain terrain below at anywhere from 30 feet to 100 feet or more is kind of nerve racking. I think it's one thing to see snow (not from personal experience) because it shows a uniform, flat surface but to see the jagged rocks and shit is a bit daunting. To know that you could easily slip off the bench or the cable could snap, making you 'splat' on the terrain below is not a pleasant thought. To add to the nerves, whenever someone gets on or off the lift, it slows down a bit which makes the liftchair you are on sway in a teeth-chatter-causing way. After a few times, you get used to it but when it's the 1st one or two, it makes you want to piss yourself! Anyway, the base is at 9,207 feet and the ride up from there was about 10-15 minutes. I say that put us up around 10-11,000 feet. We hung out at the this area for a little bit taking pictures of the landscape and breathtaking views. We started to walk up a trail towards Wheeler Peak but the youngest started feeling light-headed. Part of it was the stress of not wanting to get on the lift in the first place and then adding the altitude probably didn't help. I had the young one rest (lay down on a picnic) bench a little while before we rode the lift back down to get something to eat and drink to help overcome this dizziness feeling. After about half an hour, we rode back up. I didn't want to stress the kids out too much so we didn't try the trail again to Wheeler Peak. I'd say we got up the trail the first time to about 12,000 feet before having to turn around so I'd say we were close enough to the Peak's height of 13,161 feet. How much difference could we see in 1,000 feet of forest and mountains? Not much. We rode around the lift a few more times before getting a little bored. The area was getting a few more guests for the restaurants, shops and lift so we decided we done for the day. We'd been there for at least 3-4 hours. It was a great, beautiful day to enjoy nature and the vast scenery. The family will remember that visit for years to come within our memories as well as actual photos and video.

Taos Mountains

I am done with college!

Had my last final today. Now all I have to wait for this grade to be posted...if it's passing and I don't care if it's a D-, which I know it won't be but you get my point of passing is passing for me. Graduation is this Saturday and then I'm OFFICIALLY done! I will have the graduation ceremony behind me, diploma in hand, and party to follow.

Adding to the awesomeness of finally being done is I received a Staff Recognition Award from my work. I got an awesome little plaque thingy, a certificate of some kind since I haven't actually opened it yet, but most importantly I received a check for $1,000! What to do with it who knows? Blow it on something totally frivolous and fun or put it towards something responsible? It's not like it was expected money but that's where keeping it or blowing it could make the difference. Decisions...decisions.

Then this afternoon around 3 p.m. my office threw a small congratulations party for me with just a few select employees that appreciate me and my work...at least I think they do. Okay, I really don't care but the effort is still a nice gesture on their part. :-)

Finally, I is a gradjewatt! Now what...?

Almost there...almost there...

Today was my last official class day of my undergraduate career. Now it's finals weeks. I have one next week then one the following week and then finally graduation day! I CANNOT WAIT! As I think I've posted plenty of times, it's been a long, LONG journey!

I look forward to sleeping in because I will no longer have to go into work early to make up the time I'm in class. I look forward to not having to slightly stress about the assignment/homework that's due.

I wish I would have an entire summer off like most "normal" undergraduates but it's not going to happen for someone at my age! I do have three weeks off planned during the summer but that's based on vacation time earned from my job and not just for being done with schooling.

What does the future old for me next? I'm still going to work. I'm still going to be a husband and father. I just have a degree now. I'd like to change careers but I'm not leaving my current employment until I know what plans my children have for college. I wouldn't mind remaining working at my college job but not in the same position. I would like to move to another position on campus but it'll have to be a good opportunity for me to give up the semi-cush job I currently have. I'm just done with information technology and would like to expand my knowledge and experience as much as possible before I hit mid-century age!

The Taco Joint, Dallas, Texas

I look forward to Fridays for multiple reasons other than the obvious—the weekend. It's the one day a week during the school semester that I do not have to work through my lunch to make up for the time I miss work while in class. It gives me a chance to leave the office and enjoy the lunch hour (or more) no matter where I am because it's not in the office!

Today, a coworker and I headed out to lunch. She wanted to hit our regular location of Sonic but I didn't really feel like a burger. In fact, I just had a double-double with bacon from Sonic this past Sunday. Don't get me wrong. I would have gone and eaten a Sonic burger but I really wanted something different today.

We were across town from our Sonic but near this place I read about called The Taco Joint. I read it's only open until end of lunch...about 2pm...Mondays through Saturdays. That sucks since I work through lunch Mon-Fri and usually am not on the side of town of The Taco Joint on Saturday. Anyway, she was game and so that's where we ate.

We got there around 12:15-ish. The parking lot was already full and many had already taken to parking along the one-way street of Peak St. We had to follow suit and luckily it wasn't much of a walk at all to the "Joint."

The line wasn't too long about 3/4 of the size of the restaurant lined up almost from end to end. They take cash and credit which was nice since I only had plastic. I ordered the Friday special called the "Chuck Norris." It's two pulled pork tacos with BBQ sauce and some basic toppings. I don't remember what they were. It's a combo which comes with a side of beans and rice in one container and a drink. Total cost was $8.50. The price made me realize that this place wasn't like the cheaply priced Rusty Taco or Fuzzy's Taco. I think it is more priced like Digg's Taco Shop. The price kind of surprised me a bit but I got over it and chalked it up to trying a new place. My friend/coworker ordered two crispy beef tacos but they were something like $2.00 a piece and they came with quite a bit of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes which is unlike the other places. They were closer to what you'd expect from a fast food place like Taco Bell, Taco Bueno or Taco Cabana but way better. The size and quality was probably double of those places.

About a 10-minute wait after ordering, they called our names to pick up our food. I already described the crispy beef tacos and my friend liked them a lot! I tried my "Norris" tacos and they were pretty flavorful. They did drip a lot of sauce when trying to eat but not too bad and comparable to the pulled pork tacos I've had at the previously mentioned restaurants. The refried beans were creamy with hardly any bean chunks. It was different than I'm used to but it didn't change the taste, just the texture. I mixed the rice and beans together because the rice didn't seem to be too flavorful. Also, the rice didn't seem to be equal in quantity to the beans. Not a big deal but I think if they were in separate containers the customer would feel like they are getting more and who really knows if they'd like the rice more versus the beans or vice versa?

I wasn't awed by the flavor of any of my dish but I wasn't disappointed either. I don't know if it's because I ate something small an hour or so before we went to lunch (I don't remember what I just remember I snacked on something...probably a six-pack of Oreos) but I did get into the car feeling somewhat full. Now that could have been the five refills of Diet Coke that I got but who really knows.

I will go back to try a few other tacos especially the fish tacos for/with the wife.

6 Days!

That's how long I have until I start my final semester of college. In one long-feeling semester, I will be a college graduate with a BBA in Management with a minor in Photography!

That's right bitches! Read it and weep! I know I am. I started, reluctantly mind you, this journey in August 1989. Twenty-two years later, this journey will come to an end. **fingers crossed**

Now, it hasn't been 22 consecutive years. Occasionally, I only took one class but mostly I tried to take at least two since starting working full time. Before full-time employment, I would register for 12 hours and drop at least half. Then there was the five-year break I took while the wife completed a Master's and then Ph.D. So, a maximum of 17 years of school but 22 years for completion.

So, briefly, what have I learned from this journey (even though it's not completely over yet)?

Just a few things for now...in no particular order:

• If you are going to college, I recommend doing it right after high school graduation. I couldn't wait to be done with "required" school and just be "free." I knew I wasn't college bound because we were poor but my mom made me take classes because she wanted better for me and they wanted me as a tax break. LOL! Anyway, the longer you wait to return the harder it will be to do so. If there is even an inkling that you want a college degree, take classes as soon as possible after high school because life will take the control and never let go!
• If you have to attend a community college because of finances, make sure you research them well see what kind classes will transfer to whatever four-year college you anticipate attending. Tarrant County College has a very good relationship with Texas public colleges like UT Ausin, UT Arlington and UT Dallas. Maybe not all but more will transfer than going to the likes of a private school. I used the exact same government book at TCJC, now TCC, years ago that a coworker was using for a government class at UT Arlington. I paid significantly less for it and it would have transferred with no problem. I transferred to a private school with 57 hours and they took only like half. A few of the courses they didn't take, I retook and they were almost exactly the same...I never bought the book and passed the course and tests with an 'A.' The private school just thought their classes were better for some reason.
• Tuition is expensive for four-year colleges no matter if it's public or private. If you are not rich or the family isn't rich, you might look into working at a university full time. Many universities provide a free tuition benefit to make up for the lower university salary compared to what you could possible make in the 'real world.' Take advantage of it. I have. I'm going to get a $100K degree for free...the exception is for class fees and books but when tuition is like $5,000 and books are like $300, I'll take books.
• College really doesn't prepare an individual for the world. Maybe degrees in Painting, Art History, Dance, English and such but not degrees like Accounting, Marketing, or Information Technology Operations Management. Now, the latter probably does give you knowledge about those fields and some working skills to enter but the individual will learn on-the-job. Many of my young classmates who I have seen since they've graduated said such things. They actually learn their jobs when they get the job. Now, I'm sure a college degree makes the individual a well-rounded, educated person but actual job preparation...maybe not so much. Also, I work in the graduate admissions office and I see the salaries of the applicants who went straight to college and graduated in four years. These people busted their asses in school and now work and they make the same money as I do without a college degree. I'm not saying there aren't those that make a whole hell of a lot more but when 75% of the applicants are college graduates in Accounting, ITOM, Marketing and even Finance are only making $40yr-$60k/yr and are the same age as I, I don't know if that is a good return on their initial investment of college. And of course, that's excluding any outside reasons why these people are making so little like their own laziness or whatever.

  Long story short, I guess being in class with wet-behind-the-ears kids while I've been in the world gives me a perspective that they and others their age in class don't see. They haven't been jaded by management in the corporate world. They haven't really experienced ANYTHING that is discussed as examples in class. It's all theory to them and theory is almost never reality.

I'm sure there are other things I've learned but since I've been typing this while at work, I'd better get back to work.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

Boxbe verification is funny

At work, we sent an email out to a list we purchased. Some people are using Boxbe to combat spam. Normally for me, if I have to do an extra step for an email to get to you, I'm not going to do it. BUT...we did purchase these names so I figured I'd better try all I could to get the message through.

After verifying for a few different email addresses, I clicked on the last one and this is the word verification it gave me: "farters." Now that's funny how the Boxbe system comes up with random letters and random words.

Dallas Farmer's Market

Monday or Tuesday of last week (I forget which), I went to the Farmer's Market in downtown Dallas for the first time...ever. Yes, I have lived in DFW, Texas 99% of my life and in North Dallas for the past 9-10 years. I've just never been interested in going to the Market, especially on a not-my-standard-of-a-comfortable day to walk around a bunch of fruit and vegetables...and BUGS! I'm not picky or caring about whether my fruits and veggies are organic, straight-off-the-garden, or super market "fresh." I don't buy enough of either to justify the slight cost difference of going to a farmer's market versus a grocery store. Besides, when Kroger and Tom Thumb are a two-minute drive why would I drive 10-15 and then have to find parking and walk to shop.

Anyway, it was my coworker and friend's idea. She wanted to go eat at the Market. I didn't know there were restaurants. I figured they were more like the roach coaches but I was game for something different. We first had to stop at some garden place that she was buying some pot/planter that she wanted when she previously visited this place. I forget the name of it and I don't remember the street it was on because I don't frequent the place and I'll probably not go back for some time.

I snapped this picture from my HTC Evo Shift (yep, got to put the product placement in). I think I was facing south on whatever street this is. I recognized this building although I probably haven't been in it for about 15 or so years and that was also probably the last time I've driven in front of the building. I thought I'd snap a picture for memorabilia's sake. In case you didn't know, that's Dallas City Hall.

On the same street but to the left (east) and directly across from the gardening place, was this interesting business. It's like all things pottery and freaky. This place had a lot of product but not a lot of customers browsing the "aisles." It could have been because it was during lunch time at the first of the week but it didn't seem to me like it moved a lot of product. Still a cool looking place in a way.

We finally made it to a parking place "near" the Farmer's Market. We had to walk about a block to the actual Market but it was a pleasant day out and well worth taking walk to enjoy it. The Market reminds me a lot of Trader's Village or a similar type of flea market atmosphere. There are tents, buildings, spots or whatever they are called of similar products being sold by different people. I guess their deals are different and maybe regulars trust one "farmer" over another. It all looks shady and the "sales" people are annoying as shit. They gave me the used car salesman feeling. We would just walk by a booth and not even look at it or the person working it and they would ask, "Can I help you? Do you see something you like?" For fuck's sake, leave me alone and let ME ask you about something when I'm damn good and ready! I was just browsing and soon I became annoyed. Why would anyone WANT to subject themselves to this?

We ate at some Mexican restaurant (go figure in this part of town) and I can't remember the name of it. It was a decent place and we sat on the patio to continue to enjoy the great weather. We chatted, chowed, observed and commented on the many types of people that we saw...there should be a "People of Dallas Farmer's Market." The food was good and the price was reasonable.

After lunch, we walked through a few more booths and then headed back to the car and finally to work. Needless to say, it was an experience that I can now say that I've done and I have no desire to do again. I'm not saying it was not worth doing and I won't join someone on a future visit if the mood strikes. I'm just saying, "Been There...Done That!"

It's un-American!

I overheard a conversation at work that I thought was amusing between two men.

One guy...let's call him Troy...is from Abilene, TX and is pretty much redneck through and through (very nice guy though) with a BIG 18x22 sized (I guess) framed Texas flag.

One guy...let's call him Kevin...is from Georgia, Alabama or some parts like that. He's a great guy/people person and seems like he could be a huge tailgating-type person because he loves to have fun and drink beer.

So, Kevin walks down the hall to Troy's office and stops in the doorway...

Kevin: How's it going Troy? You been watchin' any basketball?

Troy: No, I don't watch basketball.

Kevin: Well, that just un-American!

End of conversation that I paid attention to.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

Can you pick me up from the airport?

Stupid girl at work came to my desk Thursday afternoon and asked me what I thought about this question. Not specifically this question but her response to this question to someone...who just happened to be her father.

Stupid girl's father was coming into town at DFW Airport, from where I don't know and it's not required for the story. He calls to ask his daughter if she could pick him up from DFW Airport and take him to Dallas for an appointment he has. His flight lands at 7:30 a.m.

Stupid girl lives in Dallas. She's near the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway. In case you are not familiar, DFW Airport is about 25 minutes from her location without traffic or construction issues. She would not experience much if any traffic at 7 a.m.-ish going to DFW Airport but she may hit a bit on the way back.

Stupid girls tells me that she basically told her father, "No." She said she told him, "That's kind of early," and, "It would be different if we could go to breakfast..." and of course he pays. She said, "It'll cost like $15 for a cab. I will give you $15."

She came to me looking for justification in her response to "ease her guilt." She didn't get it from me.

I told her she was wrong and she was selfish for not helping out her father. I said, "It's your FATHER! It's not like it's a friend or a sibling!" I said, "You should do this for your father strictly for the fact that HE IS YOUR FATHER!" This is of course unless her father was a deadbeat but what I have gathered from knowing her, he is not. I ranted a little bit more and told her, "Even if my parent(s) were able to walk to my house in 15 minutes, I would tell them I'd pick them up! That's what we do as good kids to our parents who were good to us."

She still didn't get it. I haven't spoken to her yet today to see what she ended up doing. She wasn't late to work Friday morning so my assumption is that she didn't pick up her father from the airport.

She's a shitty person, a shitty worker and now she is a shitty daughter! I expected nothing less these days from her.

Netflix

A week or so ago I got a promotional mailing from Netflix. It was promoting a free trial for a month. They gave me a promotional code and everything saying I was "special." They were lying. I waited a week or so to decide whether or not I wanted to take advantage of the trial as I already have Blockbuster's Total Access Plan. Granted, the TAP doesn't include streaming but I really don't have a need to watch online. Besides, I typically have time to wait for my DVDs to be mailed to me.

With this crazy ass snow storm we've been having in Dallas, it made me think about this free trial promotion. I have three movies I need to return to the BB store to exchange for three others but the freezing temperatures have not been very accommodating. I could walk there but I said to myself, "Self, why not try the Netflix free trial?" So, that's what I did. What's funny thought is that I believe the promotional code they gave me is just a way for them to track their marketing. Smart but not a special offer for me. I could have just signed up on the main page and received the same "promotion." Basically, I just signed up for a free 31-day trial of the 1 DVD out-at-a-time plan with unlimited time to watch instantly. And I have made as much use as possible in the past three days (since Feb 1st) of my unlimited watch instantly.

Before I get into my brief thoughts on the movies I have seen, I must say that I was initially stoked about being able to watch instantly on my laptop or my PS3 but it sort of wore off a bit as I find that many of the movies I've looked into viewing over the past few days are not available for instant play. I don't know the reasoning behind it because I have seen newer titles as well as 1 to 3 or more years old not available. I guess there is some agreement with the movie industry but again, I don't know. I can see the instant streaming being a blast for instant gratification when you get the immediate urge to watch a movie but if it's not available, it kind of defeats the purpose. I pay $19.99 + tax a month for my BB Total Access Plan with 3 out at a time (DVD or games) and unlimited DVD exchanges in the store. With Netflix, it costs $9.99 + tax for only 1 out at a time and unlimited watch instantly but with the limits of availability. Personally, I think I'm getting the better deal with Blockbuster. Of course, once BB increases my rate, I will probably not use any service and go back to just watching boring Saturday Night Live on the weekends. :-)

To the "reviews..."

Frozen. This movie was slow. It started out slow. It continued to be slow. It ended slow. I know it's a movie but there is no way that a ski resort would not make doubly sure that there are no people on the ski lift before shutting down. It was predictable on how/when the people were going to get stuck. It was further predictable on what the fate of at least one of the people was going to be even though it ended up being two. I don't know much about skiing or how to ski but I would think that someone would be dressed a little more warmly than the first "victim." I also don't understand why they didn't put up the hoods of their jackets to get/stay warm. I found myself saying, "Why don't you put yo' hood up dumb asses!?" One of the best and freakiest parts of the was when the guy jumps from the lift chair and his legs break/shatter. That was pretty cool and gross at the same time. Something I didn't get was when the broken-leg guy yells up to his friend about being careful on trying to monkey-bar the lift cable. He says, "Be careful. Those cables are razor sharp!" Why would these cables be razor sharp? Is it a side effect from being constantly run through the wheels of the lift apparatus or what? I need to know. I may have to Google this when I have time and can remember to. To me, this movie is a pass.

Exam. This movie was also a slow starter. It takes place basically in one room. I don't get how a corporation could allow the shit that went on in the room near the end of the movie but I guess I shouldn't question A MOVIE. Also, when there is only one question and you really don't know what the question is, big deal. It's just downright polite to answer someone when they ask, "Are there any questions?" I get the premise of the movie and how people feel like they have to solve problems or some shit. Personally, I think I probably would have kept quiet and bade my time for the 80 mins. It may have not been the "answer" but it would be better than making up answers or what I thought the interviewers wanted me to do. This movie too is a pass.

Unthinkable. This movie is not what I expected. I thought it was going to be about something else because I didn't read the synopsis or anything. I think Samuel L. Jackson speaks the same in almost all his roles. He either is loud or very loud. He's always yelling at people or talking to people with hostility. Other than that, I thought he did a very good job in this role. Carrie-Anne Moss has always been my leather/latex clad hottie. She's attractive without all the make up and highly doable. I've had a thing for her since she kicked ass in The Matrix. She did a pretty good job in her role as well. I hate movies like this though that end without a real ending. We don't know if there was a 4th bomb or not. Where was Carrie-Anne going with the terrorist dude's children and will they grow up hating America and follow their father's terror-laden footsteps? I do agree that the steps Jackson's character took is fully necessary. If the "terrorist" isn't going to be humane, why should the American government or any government be? Give respect and forgiveness for someone who does not reciprocate? I think not. I still think this movie is passable but I don't think it's a total disappointment.

Octane. There is absolutely nothing positive I can say about this movie. Actually, I can. This movie positively sucks dirty ball sacks! This seemed like it was trying to be a British Fast-&-Furious-type movie and it came up way, way short! The acting was poor. The female characters lacked interest and attraction. I think it should have stayed with its British title (I think) of Dolphins. The best part about this movie was the suped-up Ford Capri which looked like a Chevy Nova. Oh, bugger! You can probably write your own script and it would be better than this movie. I'd definitely pass on this one.

The Runaways. This movie actually wasn't too bad. It wasn't full of excitement, suspense, and intrigue but it was a good story about the starts of Joan Jett. Personally, I thought Kristen Stewart was better looking in this movie than in the Twilight series. Maybe it was the hair. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't brooding and whining all the time. I don't know. It was the first role I've seen her in where she didn't act the same or similar to all the other roles. Dakota Fanning looked pretty good too. I feel gross saying that since I think she was playing at 16-yr-old and she is only 16 or 17 herself. I think it was the feathered hair and that she didn't play a typical role she's known for: cute, little big-eyed girl. I learned a few new things from this movie like who Cherie was and that Lita Ford was not just Lita Ford. She was part of The Runaways. Interesting to me but maybe not others. Overall, I think the movie was good. It was a biography of sorts and as such I think it did a good job without being boring.

The Girl Who Played With Fire. I was reluctant to continue my viewing of the series of "The Girl Who (With)..." movies. After watching the first movie, I wasn't impressed. In fact, I was left wondering what the hoopla was with this craptastic movie. My expectations were much lower for this movie but I found myself pleasantly surprised. This 2nd movie didn't seem as old-feeling...it didn't feel like it was shot on old 35mm film or something or like a VHS camera. Again, this could be what the original movie was going for but the slow story line and crappy acting didn't help better the movie. I think the Lisbeth has gotten better looking since the last movie. Again, maybe that's what they were going for in the first but I don't know. She had better hair. She seemed more interesting and I think her acting has improved. The overall acting and story line seemed much better to me as well. Unlike the first movie though, I had to read the subtitles because watching instantly on Netflix did not provide me with the subtitle option for English. I don't like the way it ended but I do understand it is a series so I'm accepting it. I think I will probably Netflix the next one (...Kicked the Hornet's Nest?) because I think I saw it available on instant play.

---

That's my experience so far with Netflix. I will continue to try and instantly watch as much as I can before I decide to cancel. Again, if I can't get the new releases I want to watch, then there is no reason for me to get Netflix. So far, I think it's overrated. Granted Blockbuster has fucked over a lot of people and I think that's why people hate it...kind of like Windows versus Macintosh. I've heard people say, "Dude, you got to get Netflix. It's so much better than Blockbuster." It makes me wonder what the hell these people are talking about. Maybe it's because I've been on BB for so long that price-wise I'm better off. I don't know. I personally don't see the advantage when I can get my DVDs (3 at a time for $19.99) and then exchange them at the store for three more compared to the same exact plan at Netflix (3 at a time for $19.99) and no store exchanges.

Toilets

The restrooms in my building that I work in have been remodeled, except the 3^rd floor. I don't know what the women's restroom looks like but this is what originally welcomed me in my first week of work many year ago.

Taken with my new HTC Evo Shift!

I'm not sure why the design of these "urinals" were introduced into our building but it's scary. What male would want to stand next to someone in the "wide open" with his tallywacker hanging out and taking a piss? And why would he? Unless you are a bunch of friends or maybe even just hunters/rednecks I could see sharing the great "wide open" as your urinal but this is a university campus building. I mean shit, at least give me a privacy panel between me and the guy next to me. You ever heard of splatter protection? Okay, maybe not in urinals that are like weird toilets.

I just thought about this...again...as I had to use the restrooms in the building and I just happened to be on the third floor. Granted the third floor probably isn't a high-traffic area for restroom use but I'm sure it's still used by 10-12 people a day.

So, this was pretty random, I know. I'm tired. I was up watching the Australian Open while trying to do some reading/homework that was due for my class today. Needless to say, I barely got any work done but I did read a little. Going to bed at 12:30am and getting up at 6:30am to shower and then actually do the homework sucks ass!

Anyway...

Fuel City Tacos

A coworker and I happened to pass Fuel City on our way to a sporting goods store to check out what kind of guns and ammo they have.

I've heard of the tacos at Fuel City being a pretty good deal. The tacos are like $1.49 each. I opted for the beef fajita tacos. So did the coworker.

I'd have to say they were pretty good. Comparable if not somewhat better than Rusty Taco. They weren't super special or anything. The beef fajita had meat, onions and a little parsley. I'd compare it to the brisket taco at Rusty Taco.

I guess they are pretty much equal in their different ways. The main difference is I got two Fuel City tacos for exactly $3.00. I did have to purchase a 20 oz. Diet Dr Pepper from Fuel City but $1.49 + tax was minimal.

Overall, I'd return for more Fuel City tacos if I'm in the area. Most of the time I'm just driving by the place while on I30 or I35.

Anyway...that's about all I have to say about that.