Three Hundred Twenty-Sixth Entry

It's been a while since I've updated this! Lots of stuff happened...

My brother got into an ATV accident the day before Easter...Here's what happened...

I got a call about 2:30am Saturday:

Fred (obviously in pain): Phillip...
Me (half asleep): Yeah.
Fred (drugged out): I crashed an ATV tonight.
Me (waking up): What? Are you hurt?
Fred (wincing): Yeah, it hella hurts.
Me: Did you go to the Emergency Room?
Fred: No, I took some Vicodin and I'm going to try to sleep.
Me: You should go to the hospital! Do you want me to go over there and take you?
Fred: No, but call me when you wake up in the morning to make sure I made it through the night.
Me (stifling laughter): OK.
Fred: Don't tell mom.

The whole thing was hella funny! I get up in the morning and call him. He answers and sounds no better than the night before. He's decided he needs to go to the hospital. 4 hours of hospital sitting and waiting and x-raying, he discovers that nothing is broken. Apparently, during the wreck he dislocated and relocated his left knee and right shoulder, and bruised a lot of internal stuff. They sent him home. He's an idiot.

The story is, he was "mashin" on the ATV across the street from his house in an empty field, in the middle of the night. He swears he was going 40, no 50 miles an hour. Then all of a sudden, this ditch appears out of nowhere and BAM! he crashes into it. Luckily, his buddies were out there with him and found him within several minutes. They wanted to take him to the hospital, but he wanted to "sleep it off".

He kept his humor the whole time. I'm sure the drugs had something to do with it. He wore his evil bunny slippers to the ER and for the rest of the weekend. He received many compliments on them. He claims that he asked everyone in the hospital if they watched House, and when they said yes, he informed them that "it's never Lupus." When I took him to get his scrip, the very kind Pharmacist asked him what happened. Without even thinking, he shot back with a tale about falling into the gorilla pit at the SF Zoo.

Easter evening through Wednesday, I stayed at his house and did stuff he couldn't do: laundry, make food, wash dishes, put on his socks and shoes, administer his Norco's. The really sucky thing is that he had to work the whole week. I guess things are going bad at his work and he can't miss any days. I offered to drive him, but his stubborn ass said he could drive. And no, he did not go to work under the influence of Norco's. He struggled through with just Advil.

It's funny because he really is healing quickly. You can hardly notice his limp (he stopped using his "House" cane after a coupla days), and he isn't using the sling anymore.

I slept on an air mattress in the living room. I awoke one morning to the cat meowing loudly at a peacock on the other side of the sliding glass door. I sat up for a spell, shushed the cat, noticed the peacock and went back to sleep. I realized later that sometimes the cats meows sound like peacock calls.

My mom relieved me of my duties Wednesday and I came home, to two televisions still with no cable!!!

I called Comcast on Wednesday and they still weren't able to fix it. They conceded defeat and scheduled a tech to come out to the house the next day, between 2 and 4 pm. Finally! Someone was going to deliver me from my cable-less room!

The guy (let's call him Ed) came a little after 2:30pm. I was in the middle of watching Springer on the "cabled" TV. I was more than glad to give up watching the battles of the toothless, in order to restore televisual balance in the house. Ed wasn't even here half an hour and he had fixed everything. There wasn't anything incorrectly plugged, he informed me. The problem was that our devices (digital TV receiver, cable modem, and two problematic digital adapters) were in the wrong order in the system. I asked if that wasn't something they could have fixed over the phone. Ed said that the problem could have been easily solved over the phone, confirming the laziness and ineptitude of the technical staff I spoke with.

I was stoked about the cable being fixed and watched TV in bed for the rest of the afternoon and night.

Friday, I packed a bag and headed on down to Tulare to visit my family. I got there and the first order of business was getting Rock Band!

Now, I hate shopping at Walmart. In fact I haven't done so in years. But, they do have everything. I was disappointed when Target didn't have Rock Band for the Wii. Walmart 1, Target 0. Target did have fresh produce, so I bought tons of fruit for my world famous fruit salad. They also have a Starbucks in there! So I got one. Target 2, Walmart 1. Target still won for the weekend, even with the Rock Band let-down of '09.

We get back to the house and the girls hooked up Rock Band. Next thing I hear is someone butchering "Spirit in the Sky". Hilarious! We all got into it. I'm super good on the drums and on the mic, but sucked on the guitar. I sang "Lump"...Paula and the girls were looking at me all weird because they had never heard the song. Really? Never heard Lump?? They must've been living in a cave in Afghanistan for the past 10 years.

Paula and I talked for quite some time in the kitchen while I made my fruit salad and while everyone else played Rock Band. By this time Dalila's(17-yr. old cousin) friends had come over for a sleepover. They were all going on a fieldtrip to Universal Studios the next day. I volunteered to wake up at 4am, get all the fieldtrip kids up and take them over to the high school where the bus was picking them up. Dalila's three friends slept on the couch (it's a huge couch) and I slept in Dalila's room. I couldn't get any sleep. Dalila has this Aero/sleep number bed thing and I couldn't get used to it. She also insisted on sleeping with some discoball thingy on all night. So there I was, sleepless in the bed, humming "I Will Survive", and Dalila sawing logs on the trundle bed on the floor.

Four o'clock reared it's ugly head and everyone got up. I parked myself on at the dining table and waited for everyone to get ready. The sooner I could drop everyone off, I could come back and go to sleep! Calvin got home from work about 4:30. He offered to take everyone for me, but I insisted, since he was going to have a long day ahead of him.

We're out the door at just after five. I get to the school, and there are a handful of vehicles parked out there waiting for the teacher and bus to arrive. The teacher begged everyone to be at the school by 5:15. He didn't get there until 5:45! And I couldn't leave the kids there alone and without a car to stay warm in!!! Let me tell you, when he got there, I bolted, cursing the teachers name!

I crashed on the couch, and woke up at 6:30 to Georgia (my 11 year old goddaughter) asking if she could play Rock Band quietly. I said it was fine...at least she asked! I slept until about 9. Not bad...

I called another cousin, and she invited me over for breakfast. She made a stellar meal! Bacon, sausage and a biscuit/egg/ham/cheese casserole thing that can only be described as heavenly!! We visited for a while and I got to put my arms in her pool. Very refreshing, especially since it was hella hot already.

I got back to Paula's and helped her and Calvin prepare for a party/BBQ they were having that evening. I planned on taking a nap before everyone got there, but ended up sleeping through the eating part of the party. I woke up, scarfed down some awesome BBQ and played Taboo and Peanuts til about 3 am. A good time was had by all!

I left the next day I got up before everyone else and started to clean the kitchen. Dishes mainly. We all breakfasted on leftovers. Still hella good. Then I left for the Bay Area.

I got home late. I called up Amy and she came over. We watched "Two Weeks Notice" starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. Does anyone else think it's funny that her last name sounds just like the British word for testicle?

Monday morning I got up at a respectable hour and called Firmino to see if he wanted to have lunch. He just got laid off too. Last Friday, in fact. I picked him up at his apartment in Alameda and we made our way over to La Pinata on Park Street. I wrestled with the parking meter for a few minutes, but I got it to work. I made that parking meter my bitch.

La Pinata in Alameda is the best of all the La Pinatas, in my opinion. It's hard to believe that they are even the same restaurants. The one here in San Leandro always serves their burritos in a pool of water. It's not even sauce! It's freaking water!!! And the chips are disgusting!! But the Alameda La Pinata is so different. Delicious food, served promptly with the appropriate moisture content.

After that unbelievably satisfying meal, we walked down the street to a bookstore and perused the aisles. Nothing good. So we went to the Borders and the "Alameda Towne Center", formerly "South Shore Center". I still call it South Shore. I bought a book entitled "How the States Got Their Shapes" or something similar. Very excited about it.

I went back to Firmino's apartment and we filled out his EDD application. Then he played me some hella cool clips on youtube. We played Phase 10. He hella cheated. I lost by 20 points. He is such a cheater!! But I ain't mad...

I got home to a package from Amazon.com. Very nice! My merch has arrived!!!:
-Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
-The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
-Earth Abides by George Stewart
-Jailbird: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut
-Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut
-Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
-Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
-The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
-V for Vendetta (movie)
-Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (movie).

Now I've got lots to do, right?? Thanks Louis and Jen!!!!

Monday night I returned to Fred's house to relieve my mother of babysitting duties. She really doesn't sleep well at Fred's house. It's the strong winds that keep her up. They do make quite a racket!

By Tuesday morning I realized that Fred didn't really need any help anymore. The first week was the hardest and each day he sees some improvement. But I still stuck around. I wanted to soak in as much HD DirecTV as possible. He even has a DVR! Very cool. I'm a DVR pro now.

I watched so much TV the last few days. I watched lots of BBC America, TNT, TBS. Family Guy was a daily occurance since my brother was recording them all. I love that show. I also got to watch the Graham Norton show. Remember him Lisa!?!?!? Awwww, you guys!!

I also finally finished reading "I Am Legend". The print edition I bought has the first half of the book as "I Am Legend" and the second half of the book is a collection of short stories by the same author. And each and every short story was as disturbing as "I Am Legend". I usually prefer the book over the movie, but in this case it was very close. The book won out by a clove of garlic. I thoroughly enjoyed how the book delved into the science involved more than the movie, but was non-plussed by the ending. However, after reading the short stories, I understood, even appreciated the "Legend" ending more. This Richard Matheson guy is definitely weird.

I came back to San Leandro today! Yay!!!

Had a very good dinner at Vo's in San Leandro tonight. With Jen and Louis!! I had never been there before so I relied on their experience to carry me through the evening. We shared the sampler, which was very good! Spring rolls, noodle salad, fried calamari and some fried egg rolly thingy. I had Pho for the first time in a great while. It was Pho with thinly sliced beef and thickerly sliced beef and beef balls. It was sooo good. And FBI for dessert...very good! I hadn't had FBI in ages. I'm glad Jen is back! We got all caught up on things. She misses the birth center, but that's certainly understandable considering she was there for three months. And she was pleased with the additions/modifications Louis made to the decor of the house. Well done Louis.

Tomorrow the job search begins in earnest. I'm having lunch with ex-coworkers. That should be fun. Sushi...mmmmm...

Three Hundred Twenty-Fifth Entry

Today was a not that boring day. It started off a little boring, but picked up dramatically after about noon.

I met up with ex-Lea & Brazers again for lunch today. Had a tuna salad sandwich from Eden Cafe in Hayward. I've always liked that place. Found out lots of old company gossip, including discovering that Karma actually does exist. Never burn your bridges...

I returned home to a box from Comcast. Apparently, if we do not get digital converters for our televisions we will lose half our channels come May 1st. I didn't really understand it, my mom spoke to the lady on the phone. So, they sent us two digital converters, and one digital receiver. I called them to figure out what to do with all this, and Tiffany basically called me an idiot and told me to read the instructions. Yes folks, everyone with cable has become their own cable guy!!!

I opened the instructions and all the equipment. I connected all the hardware to the three televisions we designated worthy of them, and called to activate all the boxes. Well, once you've called to activate, you need to wait for 45 minutes, and then complete the activation through the TV. Melvin was unable to activate the two digital converters, and said to call back later. I tasked my mother with this since I had to leave to go take Amy her lunch. Easy enough!

I basically run out the door with Amy's homemade tuna salad sandwich and a bag of chips and speed on over to Safeway. I wasn't too hungry, so I just brought a yogurt with me to eat while she ate. It was Peach...mmmm... I didn't use to like the peach flavored yogurt, but it's grown on me. Amy really liked her tuna salad sandwich. :) After our quick nosh, we headed over to Peet's coffee where I finally finished using my gift card. Yes folks, I used up the 30 cents I had on the card and got a small mocha. Starbucks mocha is so much better. Starbucks in general is so much better: tastier, quicker, friendlier. I'll bet the plain coffee at Peet's is better than Starbucks, but Starbucks wins every time in the non-plain bevs.

As per usual, we sat out front of Peet's, talked and tried to ignore the two Pomeranians that were almost as annoying as Freddie, my mom's pom. I encouraged her to buy a "chug" of milk and she did. Chocolate milk...mmmm. The second she started drinking it, the phlegm started to form. It really was quite fascinating.

I left Safeway and headed home. I got home to a frustrated mother and no TV's working. Arrrgh! I called Comcast again and asked them what the hell was wrong with our TV's! I was on the line for about an hour as the guy told me to unplug things, turn things on and off, push buttons, etc. Finally the TV in the family room started to work. By this time I was transferred to some technician lady. I told her that the receiver was working properly, but the digital adapters were still not working. She said I needed to call some number to activate them. Fine.

I called the number and "activated" the new boxes. No sooner did I activate the adapters, but the family room TV stopped working!!! WTF!!!

I read the letter that came with the stuff, and there was a website where all of the equipment could be activated. Why didn't I see this before!!! I go online to activate everything, and only the digital receiver is there. No wonder they can't activate the two adapters, Comcast doesn't even know they exist. I saw a link for Chat Help. I figured, all of the clowns I've been talking to on the phone haven't been able to help me, maybe the internet guy could figure this all out.

Meanwhile, Louis showed up because we were supposed to go to dinner, so I was trying to get this all done quickly.

Well, after over an hour chatting with Antonio.37071, the family room TV was working but still nothing on the other two TV's. Antonio wrote that I should wait 45 minutes for everything to kick in and "download". Fair enough.

I log off the chat with Comcrap, and I see Jen pop up on IM! I chatted with her for a while, Louis chatted with her for a while. She had a long day and was on her way to bed.

Louis and I head over to El Torito at about 9:15, 45 minutes before they close. Plenty of time to eat, chat and get out of there. I think that El Torito really liked us because they tried to keep us there all night! Oh wait, I think it was just horrendous service! It took about 15 minutes to take our orders, we were only allowed one glass of water and I guess we looked content enough because nobody bothered to check on us at all. Yes I know they were close to closing, and I know that there are other customers in the restaurant, but there were maybe 6 other tables there, and as many servers! And if you don't want to serve people after 9, then close at 9! I'm sure all the servers were out back counting their tips and smoking crack. I left a 4 cent tip. I have never left so little a tip. For bad service, I leave 10% minimum. They just caught me on a frustrating day...and they sucked ass!!!

Louis and I head back to the house and I do a quick check on the TV's. Still nothing. I give it one more shot, and call up Melissa over at Comcrap. She basically can't help me either but assured me that she has escalated the issue and forwarded the problem to a better equipped team of technical screw ups who may or may not call me within 3 days.

I told my mom we should get the DISH Network.

Louis is asleep on the couch. He's hella tired. I think I'm gonna do the hand-in-the-warm-water trick!

Scratch that...he's on my couch.

Three Hundred Twenty-Fourth Entry

Today was even boringer than yesterday, save for several highlights. And now the highlights of my day, in chronological order...

One: I went on a shopping spree at Amazon.com. Well, not exactly a spending spree...I just finally decided to spend a gift card I received for my birthday last year! Thank you Louis and Jen!! I bought two movies and eight books! They are just slashing prices on Amazon. Maybe it's because of the bad economy...

Two: Lunch with Roxy and JR (sorry JR, ladies first)! We went to Red Chili in Hayward. I had the Pumpkin Curry with brown rice. I ordered it mild spiciness, but it was soooo medium!! That didn't matter though. It was so good I finished it all up! I'll be paying for it through tomorrow, I'm sure. I also had a thai iced tea(they make the best one) and the rest of Roxana's soup...mmmm.

For those who do not know, I worked with Roxy and JR at Lea & Braze. The three of us used to sit in the same room, and now we try to make it to lunch as often as possible, just so we can make fun of each others faces. Awwww!

Three: Jerry Springer! Today was "I have a latin lover" day. It was hilarious! It's sad, if the stories are true, that people actually do the things that they claim to do. It's even sadder that Jerry Springer was a highlight of my day...

Four: I got my EDD paperwork today. I qualify for the highest benefit amount! Excellent. I have a phone interview with them next Wednesday at 8am. I wonder if I should wear a tie...

Five: I took lunch to Amy today! Her lunch hour is between 4 and 5pm. Today, I stopped at Don Jose's in CV and got two orders of fish tacos with rice and beans. I'm not sure I would get the fish tacos again, as they were pretty bland. They did get extra points for lots of avocado and mango salsa. They also did get points for giving me the lunch special price instead of the dinner price. Muchas gracias Don Jose!

After Amy's lunch/My dinner, we went over to Pete's Coffee where I enjoyed a large mocha and Amy enjoyed a piece of pumpkin and cream cheese bread. I tried to spend my entire gift card, but ended up with 30 cents left on it. They don't have anything for 30 cents...

Six: I got a call from ex-coworker Arnel. He filled me in on what's going on at the new First Solar, and what I'm missing: laptops, blackberry's for everyone, free lunches, happy ending massages...just kidding about the free lunches... 8)

Now I'm pretending to watch the Spanish version of Ugly Betty, only because I'm too lazy and bored to change the channel. Oh...I've found Austin Powers on TBS!

I guess it wasn't that boring a day after all...

Three Hundred Twenty-Third Entry

I lied. There are lots of interesting things on TV during the day! I just wasn't surfing the right channels...

I'm watching Jerry Springer, and guess what?? They brought back all the fighting!!! No holds barred! It used to be like this, then they decided to cool the fighting down. But it's back! They just need to uncensor everything...

Love it, love it, love it! Thanks for bringing this new and improved Jerry Springer show to my attention, ex-coworker Jen!

Three Hundred Twenty-Second Entry

I finished updating my resume yesterday and sent it out to some old coworkers for review. I kept it to one page, holding to my rule of one page for the first ten years of a career and anything goes after. I also sort of perused the net for employment only to find a few jobs that require twice as much experience as I have. I didn't spend too long doing that though.

It rained all morning and early afternoon yesterday. That kept me in the house, wishing I could go outside and finish the gardening I started last weekend. I didn't want to drive around anywhere since I should be conserving my monies in preparation for what could be a long unemployment. I'm over that already...I'm going to lunch today with ex-coworkers.

It was so boring yesterday. I did leave the house before the rain started just to go to the bank and deposit my refund. And then, once the rain stopped I went to have dinner with Louish at Le Soleil, which is always very fun. But the in-between time was sooooo boring. Daytime television sucks, and don't want to get sucked back into the soap opera world. I wasted too much of my time on that in college. I suppose I could have cleaned up the house some...I did do some laundry!

My next step is to start learning stuff. I somehow ended up with a huge cache of engineering reference materials on several DVD's. I'll probably start reading/watching some of that stuff. I also have two boxes full of VHS tapes of civil engineering lectures that I could watch. Talk about exciting!

Speaking of VHS tapes, does anyone know how to transfer a VHS tape onto a DVD? Is it something I could do at home with a high powered computer and a DVD burner? Is there a special dual machine(VHS/DVD burner) I could get that would do it all for me?

Jen's back next week!!!

Three Hundred Twenty-First Entry

A lot has happened since I've last posted.

In an environmentally responsible move, I quit my job at Lea & Braze Engineering, and accepted a position at OptiSolar Inc. as a Civil Engineer. At OptiSolar, I performed much of the same tasks I did at the last couple of jobs, except this time for solar power plants. It was a nice change from working on the greed and excess driven world of high-end single family custom homes. Unfortunately, OptiSolar sold off it Business Development division to First Solar, and I was one of the casualties of the deal, which was finalized last Friday. So, last Friday I was informed of my layoff. I'm OK with it. I get a decent "severance" thanks to the gubment, and in addition, I get unemployment. But hopefully, I will not be on unemployment for too long. I'm sure staying at home all day, every day will get really old, really fast.

I was one of two folks out of seven from my group to get the chop on Friday, not to mention the dozens of other folks from different departments that were let go the same day. There were no incidents, no one was yelling or anything. There really isn't much that throwing a hissy can do to get you your job back. It was a big relief for me, especially since there had been speculation all week about impending doom for the company and specifically our group. I lost sleep all last week stressing about it. I'm sleeping fine now. I'm even still on the working sleep schedule; I got up this morning at seven. Not bad, eh?

The worst part about leaving on Friday was saying goodbye to my coworkers. Three, in particular, I had worked with at the last company. They are a good group of guys, and I'm glad they survived the merger. They've got a great opportunity to work for a juggernaut of the solar industry, and hopefully they do well.

So, I'm unemployed. I've decided to take this week relatively easy. I'm updating my resume today, but I won't start looking for work until the end of this week. If anyone would like to review my resume, please let me know! It's been a long time since I've had anyone look at it. but for now, I'm just going to cruise on into Easter, pig out on candy and chocolate, have some pizza and taco bell, and get into job searching next week. By the way, I've given up sweets, fast food and pizza for lent(that should explain the last sentence.)

I would like to thank everyone who emailed, texted and called me since I broke the news about my sudden unemployment. Thanks for your concern and the job leads!
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I'm going to make a lasagna for Easter. I'm salivating just thinking about it! The last one I made was a great success. I was thinking of also making some tapas dishes from the new tapas cookbook I recently acquired. Everything in that book looks delicious! Especially the baked stuffed onion....mmmmm....I'll have to take a pic when I do make it.

Last week was a big week for Claim Jumper. I went three times last week! Sunday, Thursday and Saturday. Each visit was a very good time!
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I'd like to ask for an opinion...at what point is it OK to expand your resume to two sheets? It is my personal belief that after ten years in any given industry, you have earned the right to expand a resume to two sheets. Any thoughts?
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I got an email a few weeks ago with this video. It is quite adult content so be careful who you watch it in front of. Also, if balloon animal sex offends you, please do not click the link! It just has to be shared...
Balloon Animals!!

Three Hundred Twentieth Entry

Is it bad that I am completely fascinated by the bridge collapse in Minneapolis?

It's sad, but the only time my profession makes the news is when there is a disaster like this. Hence my fascination. They even had a professor from SF State CE department speaking on MSNBC. She gave the typical gloom and doom speech given when any engineer talks about our nations infrastructure. And she gave it with a very interesting accent. Indian, southern Indian, I believe.

I was drifting off to sleep at 11:30 when I get a call on my cell from my mom (from her room downstairs...we are a lazy family). She informed me of the collapse and I immediately turned on the TV. Unbelievably cool. She expressed her concern that this may happen here with our 8 Bay Area bridges, but I assured her that the bridges here are built differently. In Minnesota, they do not have earthquakes. Here we do. Our designs are inherently stronger because of the different factors used in calculating strength due to our proximity to various fault lines. There is no doubt in my mind that nothing like this will happen to any of the bridges in the Bay Area. They are designed to resist earthquake movement as well as wind forces on top of being designed to resist the traffic weight and the weight of the structure itself. I told my mom all of this. She still seems skeptical. She'll probably find a way to blame the Taliban for this.

I'm sure in the coming weeks, we will find out for sure what caused the bridge to collapse. I doubt terrorism. I don't think Osama cares much about Minnesohtah. The MNDOT (pronounced Minn-dot(I thought that was hilarious when I heard it 4 or 5 years ago)) officials have been repeating that there was nothing structurally wrong with the bridge and that the construction crew on the bridge was performing routine repairs: resurfacing the bridge, streetlight and guardrail replacement. My guess is just steel fatigue. But I didn't specialize in bridges or anything. Just a guess.

I know none of you share my excitement for this horrible catastrophe. I can see you all eye-rolling as you are scrolling through mindlessly just so you can say you read this. What can I say. I'm a big nerd. Geek too.

It's somewhat fitting that this happen now as I reach a major point in my professional career. I made a decision this week that will affect my life for the next few years. I've decided to go to Grad School at San Jose State. Since I have my PE license, I can skip all of that GRE and reference letter bullshit. Woohoo!! Who's with me!!!???

Three more years of school in a field that I am so very interested in (Transportation Engineering) is a little daunting, but I hate to say it, I've reached a learning plateau at work. There is more that I can learn about the particular engineering that we do, but it is a very narrow field, and rather boring. I believe that the only thing that keeps my coworkers going is that there is so much work right now and there isn't any time to be bored.

By the way...I asked one of the Owners about the rumored quarterly bonuses that half of the company receives. He flatly denied it. Told me in no uncertain terms that there are no quarterly bonuses. I expected there to be some sort of discussion and maybe a private meeting with me and the more important owners to assure me there are no bonuses. Nothing was said. The next day everyone was just the way they were before. No change. The weird thing is, the owner I talked to about it is the biggest mouth in the company and would have certainly told the other owners, which would have resulted in the discussions and meetings with me or with my department. So I'm left still believing in the bonuses and left with less trust for management. This also probably helped my Grad School decision.

One of the drafters got fired today. She was only there for like a month, but today she brought in the absolute best banana-nut-choco chip muffins ever. How can they let someone with these cooking skills go!!??? I guess I'll have to pick up the cooking slack.

Yea engineering!

Three Hundred Nineteenth Entry

It's been a long time. Not a record, but still a long time.

I've just finished reading everyones blogs. Sounds like everyone is chugging along in life. Sounds about right.

I had a weird dream about work last night. I haven't dreamt about work since the last time I was really busy at work. I woke up about half an hour ago, and don't remember the particulars. But I do remember thinking this: A lot of people think of their workplaces as something that could be made into a movie, perhaps a TV show if the story lines are a-plenty. My work wouldn't be either. It would be a porno. It would probably win several porn Oscars. "Oh no! The copiers broken! - Don't worry, I've got something that'll fix you right up." Bom chicka wah wah!! "Oh no! Half the company is gone having a 4 hour lunch(Bom chicka wah wah)! - Don't worry baby, I've got something that'll help you pass the time." Bom chicka wah wah! I could go on, but unfortunately the star of this porno is somewhat of an ugly beast and I don't want to think about her.

Major Event Since Last Blog #1: Lisa and Greg got married! I was the minister. ULC baby. It was a beautiful day. I was nervous, but I made it. It was really nice out there. Baker Beach is a beautiful location. I'd never been! In my own back yard too. Everyone who's anyone was there. Robin Williams was watching. Sharon Stone, in spirit. The banquet later that night was really cool too. I'd never been to a Chinese wedding banquet. Very delish. The M&M favors were awesome. Miraculously, I haven't killed my bamboo. It's suffering a little, but I'll keep it well watered until I can make a pot for it in my pottery class next semester. Congratulations to both!!! Next is babies!!!!!

Lisa and Greg: I just finished writing your wedding card(s). I shall send them today. Jen: I have your birthday present, 2 months too late. I bought it last X-mas and found it last weekend. Are you still working in Fremont? Or moved yet?

MESLB #2: 4th of July! I spent the 4th and 5th of July in Tulare exploding fireworks. It was a lot of fun. It always is. The food was awesome. It was my first time trying boiled red potatoes, with a wedge cut out filled with Portuguese Hot Sauce. I shall call it boiled red potatoes with Portuguese hot sauce. Very delicious. Maybe I'll try to make some today. Probably not. On the 5th of July we all went to watch Transformers. Hella good! A wonderful movie. (food break, corn flakes with banana. simple goodness. I'm back) Awesome movie. I got to see Hernani too since he lives in Fresno now. There's a rumor that he cleans his fridge out with a garden hose. Interesting.

Did anyone hear the rumor that Giada De Laurentiis used to be a porn star? I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor. She would be one of the pretty porn stars. Maybe some lesbian action but mostly guy on girl action. She might say, "The cream sauce is especially delightful." Bom chicka wah wah!

MESLB #3: Lots of work drama. There always is no matter where you work. A couple of weeks ago I found out that half of my company is rewarded quarterly with very generous bonuses as well as a X-mas bonus. My half of the company just gets the annual X-mas bonus. Needless to say, working the last couple of weeks has been tough. Every hour of work becomes a chore when you know that you are one of the hardest working people at the office and rewarded with just a barely average wage while over 50% of the company are not working half as hard and making more than you yearly. I should be looking at it like there are so few companies that offer quarterly bonuses, but it still isn't fair. I haven't talked with my boss about it. None of the managers are exactly trustworthy I've found out. But that's a whole other discussion.

I was pretty sick last weekend. Fever, headache and dizziness. No nausea or loss of appetite though. Very weird. Amy took good care of me. Jello, soup. Mmmm... I think there are still some popsicles in the fridge. I should go check that out.

Three Hundred Eighteenth Entry

Kurt Vonnegut died.

Three Hundred Seventeenth Entry

It has been nearly 6 months since my last blog entry. This is probably the first time I've logged onto blogger in that time. Did google buy blogger.com? I think they are slowly taking over the world.

To all of you that have wondered what happened to me (all 2 of you know who you are), nothing has happened to me. I've been living life and doing stuff that wasn't blogging. I'm sick right now, so I find myself with the time to blog. Blog is a funny word. Is it even a word?

A lot of stuff has happened. A lot of stuff that reassures me that I am alive and reminds me that I am not watching a reality show with me as a character. It has been an emotionally taxing and tiring 6 months and I'm definitely ready for a vacation. Dead people have it so easy.

Instead of a laundry list of things that have happened in the last six months, how about I don't write about any of it? It doesn't really matter. All that matters is that it happened, the particulars are of no consequence. From this point on, I'll write about what happens. I just don't want to have to search the abyss of my brain for the events of my recent history.

It may come as a surprise to most of you that I've kept two other blogs. One a public one, Quest, which most people know about, and the other one a private one, Truth, that noone knows about. I haven't been a faithful writer in those blogs either. I read Truth tonight for the first time in over a year. It pained me to read it. The rantings of a hopeless romantic, at least in print. I deleted both of them. They outlasted their usefulness. It was a little sad to erase Truth. Dredged up and brought to surface feelings that I thought were buried, but realized never really went away. They were just ignored for the sake of all involved. Gone. It's OK, I guess. I'll never forget the three loves of my life. I can just forget the details surrounding them.

So before I start to squirt tears like a chick, I'd like to propose a virtual toast! To my one and only blog. You have been here always, ready for my attention. May my writings in you be fast and true! Salute!

**VirtUal**HicCup**

Three Hundred Sixteenth Entry

Oooo, two entries in one weekend. That's gotta stop.

Fun weekend. Crisis diffused, well, more like averted.

Last night was uber-fun. Amy and I went to Tia's house in Hollister and we hot tubbed. It is sooooo relaxing being in a hot tub. It took all I had to keep from falling asleep. Amy was good and kept me awake on the drive home.

Today I spent very nearly the entire day with Firmino. It was fun. First lunch, then visit my uncle, then food shopping. Very productive. I made "bomb-ass" chicken curry for dinner. Improvising and cooking has never worked too well for me in the past, but tonight it worked beautifully. Mmmmm...there aren't even any leftover for tomorrow. I got Jessica to do the dishes after we were done. She is such a sweetheart.

Tomorrow night I am having dinner with an old, old friend from high school. We've reconnected through myspace. Myspace is a wonderful thing. It might be awkward, but I'm banking on it being fun. We always got along pretty well in Art class.

Other stuff going on this week: Dinner in PA with Dayni, Jen and Mylinh, LOST season premiere!, payday!!!(the most important.)

Auf Wiedersehen!!

Three Hundred Fifteenth Entry

It's over.

It's over. Yes, at long last the wait for a new blog is over. ;)

I went to sleep at 7 tonight and awoke at 11:30. Now I can't get back to sleep. Very long and stressful(especially today) week. I've started working at a new company called Lea & Braze Engineering. I've been there about a month. I'm doing pretty well, or so I'm told. It's kinda not that hard. Just a lot of not hard stuff to do. And I mean a lot. This place is better than BKF in that I'm not being micromanaged. I'm more responsible for my designs, which is both a good and bad thing. Oh well. Work is good.

Everybody check out my myspace page. If you do a search for my name you should be able to find me. But then again, the myspace search thing really sucks. Sorry Tom! Myspace is good.

A lot of stuff has happened since my last blog. The biggest thing is probably that my grandmother died in August. It was very tough. I was the good grandson and with Hernani and Marcia's help planned the whole funeral service, as well as the arrangements to ship her to Portugal for burial. It was hard having to deal with all of that stuff. I still haven't said goodbye yet. She's still around. It's not real to me. Last time I was in Hollister, I felt like she would be back. It's incredibly unusual to think that she won't be in her chair anymore. I miss her.

Another big thing is the job change. I got tired of the commute. Simple as that. I am doing very nearly the exact same work, but more responsibility. Did I mention that already?? Yes I did. I apologize for the repeat info. This company is pretty laid back. They work hard, but they play just as hard. Today, for example, everyone in the office was involved in a rubber band war. Even the Owner of the company got into it. Nobody cared. It was interesting.

Lost starts next week. Stoked about that. Nip/Tuck has been added to my weekly television viewing schedule. It's really good. I think Grey's Anatomy is going to make the cut into my TV week, as is Six Degrees. And I need to check out Heroes. Peeps at work talk about it. This Sunday I'm going to give Desperate Housewives another shot and check out Brothers and Sisters after it. Other shows I may try out: Studio 60, The Class, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Nine, Ugly Betty(I thought the original telenovela was pretty funny, what I saw of it anyway). TV is good.

I half-flaked on Amy tonight. I was supposed to call her when we were done with dinner, but as I wrote above, I fell asleep. Not on purpose. I was laying down in bed watching "I love the 80's, STRIKES BACK!!!" and just fell asleep. Total accident. It doesn't matter. I'll get the same cold passive-aggresive reactions we've all grown to love from her in response to anything I tell her tomorrow. I'll get the I don't see you enough comment despite the fact we've spent a healthy chunk of the week together. I'll get the 'woe is me', my life sucks speech. Hopefully, if you read this blog Amy, we can skip all of this crap tomorrow and just jump back into where we left off at. I already know I was a bad boy. I already feel like crap after the week I've had. I've just relived the experience so you don't have to expend the energy to make me feel bad tomorrow. K?

A noose and a strong branch would be my best friend right about now.

Three Hundred Fourteenth Entry

The more things change, the more they are the same.
Alphonse Kerr

I've always liked that quote. Now I know who said it.

It has indeed been a long great while since I've written. And even longer since I've written anything of substance.

For those of you wondering:

-Last October I moved back to the Bay Area and am currently living at my parents house. Mixed feelings about the move. Traditional conundrum, save money by living at home with less freedom and no privacy or break even financially by living in an apartment with more freedom and tons of privacy. I am much closer to my family and friends, but I still miss Tulare and all my people there.

-My new job at BKF(Burger King Fries) is no better than the last one I had. It's a job and it sucks(some days less than others). I have become less self-conscious about using the phone at work. When I first started, I hated making calls to clients and stuff. It was always a nerve wracking day when I knew I had to make a call. But now it is pretty routine, and it doesn't affect me nearly as much. Also, my bosses seem to have more faith in my abilities than I do sometimes. Maybe it's cuz we are pretty understaffed, and I need to take on more stuff.

-Amy and I are back together, as of Valentine's Day this past February. Things are going well, very well in fact. Amy is moving back to the Golden State this summer, for good. She cut her hair "shoulder length" and dyed it fluorescent red. It looks really good. You did a great job, Kate!

-I learned how to knit and surprised folks with scarves for Christmas. Most of the reactions were lukewarm, but I don't care. I made them and if they end up in the trash, well, that's ok.

-I've taken my Seismic Principles exam twice since I've moved back home. The second time was this morning. That's all I have to say about that.

-I've watched dozens of movies on netflix. Most really good.

-I've become an ordained minister. The church of something or other. But it's valid. I can perform weddings, funerals, baptisms and other stuff. So if anyone wants to do any of the afore mentioned things, just buy me a ticket to Madison, I mean the wedding site, wherever that may be, and I'll do it.

-I've seen several shows, been to some bars and parties, made some friends, lost some friends.

I'm sure a lot more things have happened since I moved back 6 months ago, but that's what I remember right now.

Hopefully I can start updating my blog regularly. I imagine it will become therapeutic for me again.

Three Hundred Thirteenth Entry

I guess I've turned into an end-of-the-month blogger. I promise to write more. Like twice a month.

I started and finished my traffic school online last night. It was super easy. Thanks Jen for recommending Driving University. It only took me an hour and a half. I didn't even read the material. I just skimmed it real quick, answered the periodic questions and took the quiz at the end of each section. Very easy. I had to take some of the quizzes over, but still it was better than sitting through the very boring reading. Ask me anything about driving...I won't know the answer...but the State of California will think I do!!

I need to recap the last four months, but now is not the time. I have to start work in five minutes, and I still haven't had my oatmeal or coffee.

On the list for tonight:
- Watch "Life Aquatic..."
- Watch American Idol
- Pay some bills
- Finish Shaley's scarf and write her a "love letter"
- Go to sleep at 10(which really worked for me last night cuz I feel really good today)

Depending on what I am doing this coming weekend(I have several offers varying from going to the snow to watching Super Bowl XL), I might do the grand-daddy of all blog updates. The big 4 months of life crammed into two or three big-ass blogs. I think I'll do one blog per month. October, November, December and January. Wow. That's a lot of thinking I have to do. I can't even remember what I did last week. I need to have a "Best Week Ever" about my life. That way VH1 could keep track of my doings and report.

"I say, 'Build it'."

Three Hundred Twelfth Entry

Well another year has passed. A lot has changed. A lot has stayed the same.

2006 will bring about much change. I'm pretty sure I said the same about 2005, but the last few weeks have reaffirmed my commitment to changing. So much to do, one year to do it in.

Happy New Year all!

Three Hundred Eleventh Entry

I am such a bonehead. I found my CD's. They were hidden in various places in my truck and studio. Stupid me. But I am relieved.

Have you gone astray?
Or lost your way?
You should have seen me yesterday.
Well I knew this kind of love
Was written in the stars
It's only once or twice that you're in line with Mr. Moon
Then it was you,
You took me on your cloud,
Give me flowers for my pain,
But with some degree of certainty,
My destiny,
Seemed to slip away from me,
Before I got to know your name.

CHORUS:
Just give me a chance
I'll do what you want me to
Everybody wants to dance
So how come I can't dance with you
You really turn me on
You're the one that makes me smile
It's Mr Moon who plays in tune, Mr Moon who knows
And if it's Mr Moon who gives the sign then that's the sign that goes
I never know what to do
Till I'm there with you.

Did you lose your mind
For a day
You don't remember anyway
Like the waters of a dream
Encapsulate my mind
A place I haven't seen sits at the end of space and time
So lost in love
Than I think I'm blind
To perchance upon this circumstance is something of a miracle
So spiritual
It's verging on the physical
Searching for a love I cannot find.

CHORUS

Mr. Moon
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

----------

You say you fight to give us freedom
But often more than not this is abused
And the faces of a tired generation
have decided they are sick of being used
for the purpose of current declarations
Still the same, it'll never change until the end
Is to buy appreciation of the nation
To cover the mistakes you must defend
And you say there'll be a chance for everyone
to protest against your calculated greed
But I can see into the future
Won't be long before the welfare
Send me letters telling me how much they need
And it's not been in my interest to please them
For the only interest rate to fall is mine
See a brand new generation is demanding
What you've been doing with our money all this time

Scam
People try living life at speed of light
Scam
Don't know why but I have to do the things I do
Scam
Give me ten, that's the move I give you five
Scam
People say it's the way to stay alive

So you see you have to be a schemer
If you wanna love the life you have to live
And it don't matter how much I earn
'Cos I always get my fingers burned
When the man gets down to his business
And I've been searching for a reason
Why I have to give it all up just when I want to get ahead
See I have no car, job, wife, dog and home
Debts and threats on the telephone
Maybe I should bust a move instead
Now we all know when we watch the television
Not confused between a puppet or conviction
Glued to the screen by a thousand shallow words of widsom
It ain't what it seems when it's a single sided system
Someone's got a hold on my living
So I'm gonna have to do the things that's fair
They got to justify for what I should be giving
Should I lie, should I steal or should I care
'Cos now I've got to scam

Scam
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

Three Hundred Tenth Entry

I just finished watching two incredible movies, "Ray" and "Finding Neverland". "Finding Neverland" made me cry, and Jaime Foxx really was really really great in "Ray". I love netflix.

Up next is Anchorman, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. I can't wait.

I am missing about 10 CD's. Three of my Jamiroquai (Emergency, Travelling and Funk Odyssey), my Travis Singles CD, 12 Memories, and a few others. I've searched and searched, but to no avail. Let me know if anyone knows of their whereabouts. Operators are standing by.

Four hundred years or more
Since you came to crucify
They were taken far away from home
There were promises of paradise
But if they have been told that day
They would be sold this way
To satisfy the souls of chosen men
See I had to look carefully
At the shame of my ancestry
To re-define the story line again

If I was taken for a day
And shown another way
Every child can learn a different thing
See i tried a million times
but i had to change my mind
Sadness was the best thing I could bring
On the inside he was dead and this is what he said
As he took away the blue above the clouds
Superiority was clearly meant to be
So destiny will manifest in time

So where was the love all gone
A troubled trail of tears will tell the tale
Of how I was put down where I don't belong
Woman, child and man for sale
For ethical slavery is just an absurdity
How can you be alive when you are dead
With these chains of hypocrisy
The shame of my ancestry
Forever stained by blood in which you tread

(repeat chorus)

Manifest Destiny
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

----------

Now we're getting nasty
Everybody's talking about the kids
The kids got funky soul and groove emotion
But if you don't give the kids the chance to use it
They're always more than likely to abuse it
Everybody's talking about the kids
It's taking time for you to realize
Now hunger turns to anger in our eyes
I say the revolution will be televised
Yes it will, Gil
Everybody's talking about the kids
The kids needs space to get their heads in place
And every day this world we have to face
I just can't seem to find my proper place

Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down underground
Everybody dance to the funky sound

Everybody's talking about the kids
It won't be long before we get our own
And every kid can truly feel at home
I told ya you should give the dog a bone
Everybody's talking about school
But I get more pleasure breakin' all the rules
Cos lesson one begins with "Life Is Cruel"
Well I guess I'm just an educated fool
Everybody's talking about the kids
Mom and Dad make efforts to excuse it
Government officials will confuse it
Members of the bench will try to prove it
You're going down sucker

Everybody's talking about the kids now
Everybody's talking about the kids now
The kids got funky soul

Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down, celebrate
Now we're going to kick the thing we hate
Everybody's talking about high
But kids get high to satisfy
For reaching out to touch the sky
Is all I can identify, and you know why
Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down, celebrate
Now we're gonna kick the thing we hate
Kids get down, pressurized
To live the life that you devised
Kids get, celebrate
Life's too short to complicate

Kids
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

Three Hundred Ninth Entry

TV rundown:

Sunday nights:

Extreme Home Makeover on ABC at 8 p.m. I like to watch them do something in a week that would normally take months to do. Plus, I get ideas for my own house, should I ever buy one.
Backup: Cold Case on CBS, then West Wing on NBC.

Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m. I know, I know. Such a girl show. But it is full of very interesting secrets. And the writing is great. And Eva is hot. You can't beat the drama.
Backup: Iron Chef America on FN, then Nick at Nite.

Grey's Anatomy at 10 p.m. Grey reminds me a lot of someone I know. And I love that it is kicking ass in the ratings against ER. Hate that show!
Backup: Footballers Wives on BBCA.

Monday nights:

Arrested Development on FOX at 8 p.m. Far and away my favorite sitcom on TV. Rumor has it that it is going to be cancelled after the Baseball Playoffs. Even with Charlize Theron making cameos on this weeks episode. Such a shame.
Backup: Nothing. Don't cancel AD!!!!

Kitchen Confidential on FOX at 8:30 p.m. I love that show. And the fact that the main character used to be on one of my other favorite shows just makes it great. Who knew that working in a kitchen is such tough work.
Backup: How I Met Your Mother on CBS.

Prison Break on FOX at 9 p.m. Cool show. The doctor is very cute and looks very familiar. She must have been in something, must research. Any show that has a Civil Engineer as it's main character is going to be watched by me. If, in school, they had explained that I could use Hooke's Law to break out of prison, I probably would have learned it.
Backup: Nothing. I hate Two and a Half Men.

Medium on NBC at 10 p.m. I like psychics. In fact I am psychic. I see that if I am not enjoying Medium, I watch the 10 o'clock news.

Tuesday nights:

Biggest Loser on NBC at 8 p.m. I hate to admit it, but I am kind of getting into this show. It is so motivating. It makes me want to get on that elliptical and use it 'til I pass out.
Backup: Nova on PBS. Science fun. See Phil learn. See Phil geek out.

9 p.m. is still up in the air. I really like My Name Is Earl and the Office(both on NBC), but I also really like Commander in Chief on ABC. I am leaning toward Commander in Chief because Earl and Office are much more DVD-able. But still not sure.

Law & Order: SVU on NBC at 10 p.m. I enjoy the Law & Orders, except for CI(LAME). Kickin' ass and takin' names. All in an hour. If only the real criminal justice system ran that way...
Backup: Boston Legal on ABC, Frontline on PBS.

Wednesday nights:

Nothing at 8 p.m. I still haven't found anything worthwhile at 8 on Wednesday. Any suggestions?

Lost on ABC at 9 p.m. Far and away my favorite drama on TV. Last night "Lost" did not disappoint. I love that show. Every smoke break I took at work today, Jane and I discussed the significance of the film and the Dharma Initiative. Very intriguing. You just can't go wrong.
Backup: Coupling on BBCA. But if I'm not at home watching Lost on Wednesday night, then I am dead in a gutter somewhere.

Invasion on ABC at 10 p.m. Oooh...Aliens. Need I say more?
Backup: Law and Order on NBC.

Thursday nights:

Alias on ABC at 8 p.m. Sidney is still kickin ass after four years. And now she's pregnant? Her hormones should spice things up a little bit. Too bad about Vaughn though. He was expendable. Nobody watched the show for him anyway. It's all about Sidney, dear sweet, hot, pregnant Sidney.
Backup: Nothing.

Night Stalker on ABC at 9 p.m. I'm too young to have seen the original, but they say it's no comparison. I like it just the same. Supernatural panthers, mind-controlling blind guys in prison("You know what you have to do."), Gabrielle Union running around. Perfect formula for a hit show. We'll see how long it sticks around.
Backup: The Office on BBCA.

Nothing at 10 p.m. Maybe the news, maybe nick at nite, maybe PBS, but mostly computer time before I go to bed.

Friday nights:

Nothing 'til 10 p.m. Either the news or Numb3rs.

Saturday nights:

Channel Surfing. But I do like the trend the networks are starting by airing repeats on Saturday nights. I get to watch Earl since I missed it on Tuesday. And I do like how PBS has the Saturday night british comedies on.

So that's my TV week. You can probably see that ABC is my favorite network. For some reason, I have always liked ABC. Since before Desperate Housewives, Millionaire, Dharma and Greg. My whole family would sit around and watch TGIF. We loved that Urkel. Every afternoon my dad would watch Peter Jennings on World News Tonight. He was always my favorite news anchor. I'm just glad ABC has turned it around and is doing well. Now if only they would buy Arrested Development, promote the hell out of it, and make it a hit. That would be great. I'd almost only need one channel.

Wow, that's a lot about TV. I love it.

every bird will sing
the melody of our love tune

yesterday i was half the man i used to be
maybe that's because you're the other half of me
like the spring in bloom
the summer of our love is soon
every bird will sing
the melody of our love tune

sent down from above
unconditionally love
likened to a flower
stronger love grows by the hour
stormy weather days
make us go our separate ways
where our love was so at ease
now you got me down on my knees

yesterday i was
brighter than the morning sun
now my love is lost
and lonely days have just begun
a solitary chair
for a silent love affair
a king has lost his throne
and now he sits alone

every bird will sing
oh now every bird will sing
every bird will sing
the melody of our love tune
I wanna tell you

yesterday i was half the man i used to be
maybe that's because you're the other half of me
like the spring in bloom
the summer of our love is soon
every bird will sing
the melody of our love tune

Half the Man (one of my top five)
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

----------

You can be light years
Away from serious intention
See I thought I'd change it all
Someday
I'd get to turn mankind this day
If you don't know you can be light years
Away from your true destination.
Until I get with good vibration
I'm never gonna get to use that earthly power
But I'm gonna jump back
Stnd back and use that earthly power

Now I got that sunshine in my life
Now I got that sunshine in my life.
Light years half a million miles from what you wanna be
Did you ever hear about the man who tried to be
Truly free truly free
You know what I mean
Light years will stand between the laws of principle
And now we think we are invincible
But without true power it's unthinkable

Light years away from the colour of our brotherhood
Light years away from our duty to assistance

Light Years
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

Three Hundred Eighth Entry

Had my interview at Caltrans in Oakland today. I was very good and restrained myself from discussing how ignorant and inefficient they are.

It was a good interview. The three panelists were nice and asked interesting problem solving questions. For example: Imagine a roadway has a congestion problem(not that hard in the Bay Area). What factors contribute to the congestion and what measures can be taken to alleviate the congestion? Not a question like "What is LOS?", or "What are HOV lanes?" which is a very Tulare County way of interviewing. You really have to think and almost participate in a quasi-preliminary design solution for that problem. The really broad answer would be to increase capacity on the roadway. They wanted specific answers like: widen the road, add metering lights(if it's a freeway), add a carpool lane(HOV lane), encourage ride-sharing/public transit, provide adequate detour if congestion is due to construction, change the phasing patterns on signals, investigate trip generation for the area. I gave all those answers except for the last two. I think there was one more, but I can't remember it.

Then I had two questions about hazardous waste. One was what to do when you find it (stop construction, isolate it, call hazmat teams) and the other was what risks it may have on environmental resources and people during removal(make people sterile, kill off any plants or animals(possibly endangered), damage the water supply, potentially become airborne). Very interesting questions!

I pulled a boner today. I am such an idiot. I forgot some papers that I needed to take to the interview in my office yesterday. I thought that if I went early enough, noone would see me and I could still call in sick today without repercussions. So, I got up at 6:30 a.m. and went over to the office. I went in, got the papers and headed out. As I stepped out the door at 6:40 a.m., the Assistant Director of Engineering was walking through the parking lot. IF only I hadn't hit the snooze!!! I was absolutely certain he saw me walking out to my truck in my sweats and flip-flops. I totally ignored him(he walked like 5 feet from my truck) and got in and sped off. Then on my way to SL I called in sick to Danny, not thinking the AD of E would say anything. Well, I called Blas after my interview and downloaded to him the questions and my answers. He mentioned that AD of E was up in Danny's office asking where I was:

AD: Where's Young Phillip?
Danny: He called in sick.
AD: Oh really? I saw him here this morning.
Danny: Really?

If I wasn't quitting next week I would shit a brick the size of a microwave. But I am, so I'm not. He'll probably come up and see me tomorrow and ask me what is going on. I'll tell the God's honest truth. Aliens abducted me and taught me how to speak their language. Meep zorb cantwi Poona. Anma Hipro sporat Gijif. I'll teach him the basic phrases, just in case he's ever abducted, and he'll give me one million dollars for being so honest.

Everything is good and brown
Oh I'm here again
With a sunshine smile upon my face
My friends are close at hand
And all my inhibitions
Have disappeared without a trace
I'm glad, oh I found
Somebody who I can rely on

This is the return of the space cowboy
Inter-planetary good vibe zone
Say at the speed of Cheeba, oh you and I go deeper
Maybe I'll have to get high to get by, hey

Everything is good oh and green
Say I'm red again
And I don't suppose I'm comin' down
I can see clearly, so high in sky
A man with psychedelic picture frames
Of happiness to shade his eyes
He's glad, oh that he found
Somebody who he can rely on

This is the return of the space cowboy
Inter-planetary good vibe zone
Say at the speed of Cheeba, oh you and I go deeper
Maybe I'll have to get high to get by, hey
Maybe I'm gonna have to get high

Now he's here again
Now he's here again
And I don't know what I'd do without him next to me
Everything, everything is good and brown
Now that, now that he's around

This is the return of the space cowboy
Inter-planetary good vibe zone

Say at the speed of Cheeba
Oh, you and I go deeper
Maybe I'll have to get high to get by

This is the return of the space cowboy
Inter-planetary good vibe zone

Say at the speed of Cheeba, oh you and I go deeper
Hey now we'll go deeper, oh now we'll go deeper
You and I, you and I, you and I, you and I
You and I, you and I, you and I, you and I
Now we'll go deeper yeah

Return of the Space Cowboy (one of my top five)
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

----------

There's a stillness in time
Which I cannot define
Does your heart bleed like mine all the time yeah
For a place we can go
Where the troubles of our time are far away
Hey they are so far away
And I had all my life in front of me
Now my darkness days are trouble free
There are so many wonderous things for you to see

If you find that somethings going wrong
Look around at what your running from
You can wait a thousand years in line
For that stillness in time

I found love in that way
And I'm never sad, and I'm always glad
Anything you give me today
Oh yeah I will will be thankful for
People find it hard to be strong
Cause they don't know where they're coming from
Ooh there was nothing left to do but hang on
For that stillness in time

There's a stillness in time
Search the space inside my mind

If this world is turning too fast for your head
Just remember how bad times can roll instead
Guess I'll have to search the space in my mind
For that stillness in time.

Oh yeah I found love in that way
And I'm never sad, and I'm always glad
Ooh yeah anything you give me today
Oh yeah I will be thankful for
People find it hard to be strong
Cause they don't know where they're coming from
Hey, there was nothing left to do but hang on
For that stillness in time.

I know that this is the peripheral side of bliss
There is no me, for the love I have will stay the same
I have been wrong if I don't know where I'm coming from
If I don't see the things that are inside of me
Apart of me, in front of me
Oh, see it's all around me
Said I know, said I want to find that stillness in time
Stillness in time

Hey la, la, la, la, la, lo (repeat until end)

Stillness in Time
Return of the Space Cowboy album
by Jamiroquai

Three Hundred Seventh Entry

I have a mere $20 dollars to spend between now and payday next week. I don't think my funds have ever been that low. That's what I get for driving so much.

Today at work, Phil, Jane and Johnny went in for their second interview for Marcia's old position. I was pleased to hear that I was a topic of one of the questions. "What can this agency do to keep Young Phillip around?" Cool, huh. I am thinking that Phil will get it, but my gut is saying he won't due to agency politics. Too much shit goes on behind the scenes, it's disgusting. The administration may well decide that none of the candidates are suitable for the position and re-advertise the job. It's gonna suck to get a new guy from the outside to fill Marcia's giant shoes. The learning curve is already steep with all the work that Marcia was doing, but to bring in an outsider? It's gonna get ugly. Thank God I'm not gonna be here!!

Phil was telling me recently that they used to do exit interviews for people leaving the county. I doubt they will call me in for one, but I was trying to come up with something to say in case they did. I would probably mention the benefits situation in passing, but would concentrate more on how engineer's are treated pretty horribly compared to most places. I would like to see a training program started at the county for engineers. Or at least send them to some classes at the UC extension or something. I would like to see more challenging projects where an engineer can start using all those permanently sharpened pencils. I would also point out that there is no chance for advancement within the agency. Phil has been at the same pay scale for 10 years. He's been passed up for promotions every time one comes up. It's as if there is some sort of rule that no engineer inside the agency can be promoted above a III. They always hire from the outside.

Speaking of injustices against engineers, word came through last week that our Operations Division is being transferred over to the Traffic boss, Dennis. From what I've heard, he has absolutely no experience with Operations. Furthermore, a lot of people seem to think that the Administration is setting him up for failure, and when he does fail he'll get fired. If all that is true, then I couldn't be happier that I'm leaving. I don't want to work somewhere where there are such blatant and petty politics at play.

Of course, once all the dust clears everything will go back to normal. Someone will be in Marcia's office, someone will replace Dennis, and engineers will continue doing the same inane projects like sidewalks and overlays. It really is disgusting.

More pleasant news: There was a breakthrough in the talks concerning Blas' and my going-away party. After much pleading and begging on my part, Blas agreed to have the party at Me 'n Ed's pizza in Visalia. Yes, there will be beer, but he is willing to overlook that. So far it looks like it is just going to be Design/Graphics and a few people from Solid Waste and downstairs. Should be fun...

but sad. I was thinking on my drive up to San Leandro on Friday about what I would say if asked to say anything at the party. And it almost made me cry. I've spent the last three years of my life working so closely with these people. There are not just my co-workers, but my friends. I know so much about these peoples personal lives that I can't help but feel a connection. And there were my first steady employment after college. I found out a couple of weeks ago that I almost didn't get hired. If it wasn't for some "golden boy" rejecting the offer, I never would have been called. I am so glad that I got the chance to get to know these people. I really do consider them among my closest of friends. So sad...

and now it starts all over. How will I get along with my new co-workers? Will I like them, or more importantly, will they like me? Will I be able to go to the company functions or will I be a wallflower? Am I going to have as good a relationship with my supervisor/boss as I do now? How will it end?(I've had a yen to watch the Truman Show)

Everything happens for a reason.

----------

If i pick it up i can put it down,
Whatever it is i just can't stop,
For only 20 seconds at a time it's all mine.
I got, too much, pressure,
Got me under it's thumb
And it's no fun, you can lose
Now i got a choice but i can't choose
Insistent as you are, is no guarantee that you'll go far
Rock steady if you can
But i've never been a steady man,
People, wanna shoot you down,
If you can't swim then you will drown
In sorrow, can't get any medical attention till tomorow,

Sadlands, are where i live,
But that's none of your business,
You keep asking, and soon enough
The kids gonna have to get rough,

Maybe i'm a speed king
Push with the foot and i'm smiling,
I can glide on the love inside,
And there was you thinking that my hands were tied
All along i saw you hoping
I would slip and i'm not joking
The evidence in these events
Is still your lack of commonsense
Did you really think that i would sink
Because i like another drink
Have to get up to get down
The remedy is the sound
Absurdity of your suggestion, leaves me asking just one question,
If you're my friend today?
Why do you wanna hear me say?

If i pick it up, can i put it down?
Whatever it is, i just can't stop. (repeat)

Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop
Emergency on Planet Earth album
by Jamiroquai

----------

Oooh yeah don't you know that you blow my mind!
Honey you're sweeter than anything,I need you
Want to get closer to you,to you,to you
I want to get closer to you now.

Love ya,I need ya,I think i wanna squeeze ya
Nightly,so tightly,girl you know you really blow my mind
Say it again, Just one more time I've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer

Pleasure, passion- Tonite's the night I'm
looking for your action- I want to hold you
Don't you know that now you blow my mind
Say it again just one more time i've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer

Fever, hot now, help me wipe the sweat
away from my brow- Sexy- oh Lady,
Don't you know this time you blow my mind
Oh don't you know yeah, Don't you know by now
that now you blow my mind (Yeah)
Oh yes you do, yes you do, yes you blow my mind

Blow Your Mind
Emergency on Planet Earth album
by Jamiroquai

----------

You've got to stand up, stay strong start movin' in the right direction
Don't wait, too long, for people promising divine intervention
19 nine three, now I'm taking matters into my own hands
So fast, I can't see
A revolution is the only way that we can change change change
I wanna fight the power

Well it's hard times, white lines, kids of nine
gettin' down with gun crime
War zones, no homes, ain't it time we gave the dog a bone
Say brothers, sisters, step up and put yourself in the picture
This time you know a revolution
if the only way that we can change change change
I want to fight the power

Question, answer, shake your hand and smile for the camera
But it's no good you should spend time in your neighbourhood
Where black kids, white kids
Now you're working overtime to be a crack kid
No job, no cash, a revolution
is the only way that we can change change change
I wanna fight the power

Still we don't seem to understand we need a revolution
Everybody wants a revolution

Who is, this man,
I'm having trouble finding out where I'm coming from
Preconceptions, it's eternal human infection one chance,
Learn how you're gonna change
the habit of a lifetime my soul, concerned,
That revolution is the only way that we can change change change
I wanna fight the power

Higher, higher, now we're gonna learn to fight the power
Sunshine, new day, I only know how to get the right way
Faster, stronger, I help my brother and my soul lives longer
Blinded, I can't see
That revolution is the only way that we can change change change
I wanna fight the power

No doubt, in time, everything is sweet sunshine
But in the meantime, mankind, is having trouble
where to draw the line
We still don't, respect, and yet I thought we had intellect
Sometimes I think the music is the only hope we have for revolution

Still we don't seem to understand we need a revolution
Everybody needs a revolution

Revolution 1993
Emergency on Planet Earth album
by Jamiroquai