Best Fight Ever

A student from Grand Rapids Community College coordinated a HUGE pillow fight in downtown Grand Rapids via Facebook. I'm jealous that I missed out on this.

Airport Sundays

I never thought about what treasures the airport holds on Sundays. Then again, it could have been this particular Sunday that I saw what I saw. Either way, I liked it.

Sunday resulted in the end of my 3 Day-3 Night vacation in Nashville. It was a nice weekend to celebrate a good friend's bachelor party. The highlight for me would have to have been the grillin' last night. I needed to do some grillin'. It's very relaxing. Sure, the smoke from the Webber left it's scent on my clothes, but even that is a pleasant smell (for me). Good times.

Which brings me to this evening's travel. At the airports in Nashville, DFW, and Austin I had the pleasure of seeing college women athletes. In Nashville I spoke briefly with the Wildcats golf team. In the DFW airport I sat next to the Sooner soccer team. In Austin... well I don't know what sport of what college for sure, but it was still nice. This causes me to wonder. Does every Sunday at airports host traveling collegiate athletes? If so, what part-time job can I get on Sundays at the airport?

Tough Luck

Yesterday was rough. All day knowing I had a flight to catch at 7:25 P.M. resulted in my wanting the day to be over with. I again traveled to one of my high schools on the west side of San Antonio. The drive back to the office was slow. Sure, I was going 5 over the speed limit, but I struggled with keeping my eyes open. This week has been the first where I questioned how much I "love" traveling for work.

Needless to say, by the end of the work day I was grumpy. I had to get back to Austin, return my car rental, get home, pack my bag, and convince one of my roommates to drive me to the airport. As I'm trying to leave I can't locate my camera. I decided rather than get all sorts of pissed off at the world for not finding it, that I should go without it and hope to take pictures with someone else's camera.

I arrived in Nashville late last night and one of the first things my brother asked me was if I had brought my camera. Luckily, he brought his (he had bought the same one) and suggested that I use his while we're here in Tennessee.

I'll be able to provide pictures. It's just a matter of when. Tough luck.

The things we find exploring

My roommate and I went exploring an abandoned lot near our neighborhood. We came across it some weeks back when we went for a bike ride. We decided then that we would have to return to this property to take pictures and explore. As we exited my car when we arrived, he made some comment about feeling as though we were detectives about to scope out a crime scene. He's... funny like that.

Here is the most visible structure on the property. This abandoned house was almost to sketchy to enter.

On the side of the house was this one lonely window. The paint was peeling, the walls had holes, and this one window pane was broken.

Not everything about this place was bad, but then again, not all of it was good. It was evident that this place was used by squatters and druggies as evident by the used needles scattered about the floor. Certainly not a pleasant sight.

I paid enough attention in high school Physiology to recognize this as most of the pelvic bone, but not enough attention in Biology to identify the animal this came from. I think it's safe to say that it whatever it was, it didn't overdose using the needles from the previous picture... I hope.

Some sights on this abandoned property were great. Luckily, we were there just before the sun was setting which provided what I thought was great lighting for still photography. I'm no Ansel Adams, but I can pretend to be.

There were some intriguing pieces of natural-unnatural art. I've labeled this photo "Payback". The old Chevy truck has a tree growing from underneath between the bed and the cabin, right up that gap. It is such an impressive sight to see. I could waste a whole roll of film on this truck alone (... except I use a digital camera).

On the inside of the door was this registration. If you have the means, feel free to look it up.

This photo I call "Office Chair 2" ("Office Chair 1" being vertical). [The Office - Chair Model]

One of the last things I stumbled upon was this old magazine. It was missing it's cover, but I flipped open the magazine to this page of children holding rifles. I can only imagine how old these children are now and what they're doing or not doing with their lives.

I like to finish with a culminating picture, and I feel this photo captures our little adventure. The sun coming down and us breezing through the brush to get back to the car. There was just so much around us and not nearly enough time to photograph it all. It will definitely be a place I will visit again soon and you can expect more pictures.


That's is for this post. I hope you enjoyed!

Now get back to work!

Barnes & Noble

I'm sitting on a wooden bench in Barnes & Noble because all the comfy chairs were taken. I'm at this B&N in San Antonio because earlier today I was visiting a high school recruiting kiddos, and in a few hours I will be presenting to parents (just as I did last night) about the university I work for. It didn't make sence for me to drive back to the office only to turn around 30 minutes later for my evening program.

Although I don' label myself as an avid reader, I still like B&N. I will sometimes browse sections and convince myself it's time for a new book. Plus (with the exception of the bench) I like the seating and ambiance of this place. Conducive for taking in information. It reminded me of the few evening I would hang out at Border's at Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco when I was in high school. Good times.

There's also people watching that I enjoy. And... of course... checking out the studious, good looking ladies. The one currently in sights in her green shirt is wearing a "boot", the type one wear when they severely injure their leg. On the other foot, a flip-flop since the weather is still very nice in Texas (*something I like about this overly proud, overly conservative state).

Anyway, I am still on the clock and have work to do. Peace out!

Alarm Clocks: Fail

This morning I woke up to a phone call from Enterprise Rent-A-Car wondering if I still wanted my rental for today. What did this mean? Oh, that I slept through my alarm and was up 3 hours late.

My cell phone has 3 alarms set for Monday - Friday. My radio alarm is set as well.

What the hell?!

Pictures from Dallas

So I now got around to adding the pictures I said I would from my week in Dallas. Just the highlights though!

AIG. I was listening to NPR on the way up to Dallas in my rental. When I pulled into the parking lot of my hotel and into a parking spot facing the street, what should I see across from the hotel? That's right, a huge AIG building. (For the less up-to-date folks reading my blog, AIG was bailed out of financial ruin by the government for $85 billion earlier this week).


The Pool. At the LaQuinta Inn and Suites there is a decent sized pool. My colleagues have been hanging out poolside almost every night after our programs. I (not so surprisingly) didn't think to bring a swimsuit. It really wasn't a priority for me, and really hadn't even gave it thought.


Empty Lot. I'm pretty much in the middle of Dallas. Yet, when I look out of my window I see a HUGE empty lot the size of... uhh maybe a city block! Dallas really isn't a city I favor that much.


This picture I hadn't mentioned in my earlier blog. I took this one morning on the way to a high school. This was a common sight for me. The rising sun directly ahead. It made driving... fun.

Nightmare

I was at some sort of gathering. Possibly a party, but maybe just a bunch of people hanging out. Who knows? It was the start of my dream.

I was in what seemed to be an empty bedroom in a large house. In this room, the walls were white and left undecorated. The carpet was tan, much like the one in my room. In the room with me were four other people. All of them are friends or acquaintances from college. The girl, a friend and former work subordinate. One of the guys, a volunteer trip compadre, former work subordinate, and the girl's current boyfriend. Another guy in the room played no other role than a guy who fits in with this crowd. The last guy is the focus of my dream's attention and the cause of the label of this post, "Nightmare."

We were all having friendly conversation, and try as I might I can not think of what exactly I was speaking about in this conversation. What I do know is that I was talking to the last guy. And what I had been saying was overheard by the rest of the room. As it turns out, what I had said struck a blow to the core of this guy. It was evident I had said something that no less than crushed him. I can recall observing his reaction and quickly trying to reverse what I had said, but it was too late. The others in the room looked at me with disgust and disappointment. Their verbals and non-verbals asked how I could be so inconsiderate. I continued to try and repair what damage I had made, dress what wounds I had reopened, all the while trying to recall what I had said to cause such trauma. But I could achieve none. There was an ocean of guilt that I felt I was drowning in. I turned to my friends seeking... anything but the reactions I was receiving. Each person I turned to voiced their disappointment and "How could you?"s.

The guy had left the room with my compadre. As I stood there feeling all alone, even with the others in the room, I again tried to figure out what it was that I had said. As I struggled to find an answer the door to the room opened. It was my last supervisor. (In real life, she has no connection to this guy. They are both from different states and different stages of my life.) She came in for the sole purpose to tell me she "really expected more from me," and just as quick as she was in the room, she was gone.

Moments later I was conscious. Although I realized it was just a dream, I couldn't help but feel guilty for the deed I had done. But what was it? What had I said? And... why was I so incredibly warm? I was sweating. With eyes still closed I reach my hand to my forehead to find heat and perspiration. At this moment I also discovered the need to "take a leak." While in the bathroom I concluded that I needed a cool washcloth to put to my forehead for a while. It was still early and I was not done sleeping. I grabbed a clean washcloth from the closet and soaked it under cold water. I wrung it out walked back to bed and placed the cloth on my forehead. As I did, again... "What did I say?"

I fell asleep only to dream again. Luckily, my next dream had no connection to the first. (In fact, it involved pirates and gold treasure!) What caused this crazy dream. I thought it could have been the alcohol from the night before [1] [2] [3] [4], or possibly the Taco Cabana. Whatever the cause, I'm still without the answer to my dream.

Sorry, Mark!

Blogger Status: Fail

As I sit in my hotel room responding to work email I had the brilliant idea to take photos of things of interest around my hotel to post on The Friendly Filipino. I remembered to bring the camera this time, and the charger too! As I got up to head down to my car rental to retrieve my camera it dawned on me.

I forgot the cord that plugs into my computer to upload the pictures.

F.

So until I take those pictures and upload them to the blog I will identify what I had planned on taking pictures of. Here goes:

The Pool. At the LaQuinta Inn and Suites there is a decent sized pool. My colleagues have been hanging out poolside almost every night after our programs. I (not so surprisingly) didn't think to bring a swimsuit. It really wasn't a priority for me, and really hadn't even gave it thought.

Empty Lot. I'm pretty much in the middle of Dallas. Yet, when I look out of my window I see a HUGE empty lot the size of... uhh maybe a city block! Dallas really isn't a city I favor that much.

AIG. I was listening to NPR on the way up to Dallas in my rental. When I pulled into the parking lot of my hotel and into a parking spot facing the street, what should I see across from the hotel? That's right, a huge AIG building. (For the less up-to-date folks reading my blog, AIG was bailed out of financial ruin by the government for $85 billion earlier this week).

That's what I've thought of so far. We'll see if there is more to come from my camera!

Dallas, Jump on it! Jump on it! Jump on it!

Dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun, Jump on it! Jump on it!

So, sure things have been busy. I'm currently in Dallas recruiting at area high schools and fairs. Dallas is not one of my top favorite cities in the US. However, the folks that are in town (my colleagues) are awesome.

Unfortunately, my hotel is full (mostly due to the surge of refugees from the Houston area). The problem is that they've run out of ethernet cords for the rooms. So I'm blogging, and catching up with work email and such from the hotel lobby.

My life could be worse. I could be one of the unfortunate folks here that are refugees. As William Devaugh said, "Just be thankful for what you got."

You can just feel it...

We were out to lunch today at Taj Palace in north Austin near Highland Mall. We were celebrating roommate Teddy's birthday (32). I came back from getting food from the buffet and they were discussing if "she deserved to get slapped." Naturally, I inquired.

Teddy pulled out his iPhone (which I'm considering getting) and showed me this video.

So I ask you, "How can she slap?!"

Happy Trails

I stayed at the office and continued working for an additional hour before I headed home. On the way, the interstate was full of unsavory drivers. This is something I've come to believe is a result of Texan driving ability... "lacking".

I reached my driveway and there was plenty of sun still lighting the evening. I went inside, put a load in the laundry, talked some smack to a roommate, and decided to go for a jog. In my neighborhood there is a trail that I had yet to explore. As I stretched on the stoop, I decided I was going to tackle that trail, and I set off to find it.

I regret running through most of that trail. It was quite the site. Although only a dozen or so meters (that's right, I said "meters". How unamerican, huh?) away from the houses, it was a whole different setting altogether. I passed a family of three. Young mom and dad, a little one in a speedy tri-stroller, and a medium sized dog who was large enough to cause me to consider changing directions heading the direction I just came. However, my ego convinced me to push forward. After passing the picturesque suburban family I concluded that this was a trail I'd like to walk with a "special lady friend". I would say date, but that might be a little creepy for a date: "Hey let's go walking on this secluded trail where my neighborhood ends." Yeah, not so much. Maybe after dating someone for a while, at a point where I'd be able to introduce her as my "special lady friend"... before things get more serious.

Now, sitting on this uncomfortble stool, having had a bite to eat, and still needing a shower, I will bring this post to an end...

... right ...

... about ...

... here .

It's the first of the month

Something about a rent check being due... *sigh*

I received a call from my Dad this morning (more like the afternoon). As it turns out the State of California's Office from Hell has been sending correspondence to my old man about the Subaru. Ths is the third time we've sen a response notifying the DMV that my vehicle is registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety (another unpleasant office). For the final response, I must send a copy of my vehicle registration to Vehicle Registration Collections. I am... annoyed.

This weekend did afford me the opportunity to hang out with a few friends I hadn't spent time with in a while. One, mostly because I haven't called her. The other... well she lives in Florida, so there's a legitimate excuse there. It was an enjoyable evening. It always is... it's fricken' Austin, TX! (Please note, I don't wish to lead the reader to think I'm a fan of texas, just Austin!)

I will be at work in less than twelve hours, but I'll leave you with photos from the weekend...

Sparky, Boko and Me in the lobby at work.

Puerto Rico and Rob (even though there are bunny ears this was the best picture in the series)

This photo may also be blurry, but it's one of us really happy.

Puerto Rico looking all Beyonce!

Oh. And then I come downstairs to this guy. This'd be one of my roommates. We'll call him The Barista.